Chapter 391
The roar of the crowd inside the Amphitheatrum was a physical force, a tidal wave of cheering that shook the very foundations of the massive stone structure.
On the sun-drenched sands of the main stage, the spectacle of Monsterphilia reached a fever pitch.
A skilled tamer, muscles glistening with sweat, was currently locked in a high-stakes struggle with a mid-sized, long-necked dragon.
It was an infant-dragon.
The beast possessed a primal ferocity, bucking and twisting like a wild stallion at a rodeo.
The audience was mesmerized, their eyes glued to the struggle below, blissfully unaware of the shadows creeping below them.
High above the arena floor, perched upon the ornate rim of the upper deck, stood the benefactor of the festivities.
Ganesha, surveyed his handiwork with a posture that could only be described as aggressively theatrical.
"Ganesha-sama! Ganesha-sama! We have a major problem! An emergency!!"
The frantic shouting of a familia member broke through the cacophony of the crowd.
Ganesha did not turn immediately; instead, he struck a bizarre, wide-stance pose, thrusting his iconic elephant mask toward the heavens.
"What is going on? I am Ganesha!" he bellowed, his voice carrying a strange mix of authority and absurdity.
His subordinate, a man who had long ago exhausted his capacity for surprise regarding his deity’s antics, came to a skidding halt.
His face was pale, his breathing ragged.
"I know that, sir! But why…..why are you introducing yourself now of all times?!"
Ignoring the man’s exasperation, Ganesha maintained his pose for a heartbeat longer before finally turning his masked gaze toward the messenger.
The man quickly lowered his voice, the gravity of his report finally piercing through the festive atmosphere.
"Monsters have escaped, sir! We found open cages in the holding rooms below the stadium floor!"
Ganesha’s posture didn't falter, but his voice dropped an octave, losing some of its flair. "……Huh? That is a huge problem…" he muttered, though his expression remained hidden behind the visage of his mask.
"That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!" the man hissed, glancing nervously at his god.
The realization of the catastrophe finally clicked.
With a speed that startled his subordinate, Ganesha straightened his back, the playful energy vanishing instantly.
"Report. Everything."
The messenger swallowed hard and began his briefing.
He explained that, all guards within, including the Guild employees stationed outside, had been incapacitated.
There were no signs of a struggle that would have alerted those above, suggesting a professional level of sabotage.
All evidence pointed toward an external perpetrator…..someone with the skill to bypass Guild security and the malice to turn a festival into a slaughterhouse.
Ganesha listened in silence, his head slightly tilted.
The sounds of the arena continued to drift up: the dragon gave a deep, guttural growl, and the tamer shouted a command.
Finally, Ganesha spoke in a controlled, low volume.
"How many monsters… were released into the city?"
"N-nine, sir! Including some that are particularly dangerous…" the man replied, his voice trembling.
Ganesha grunted, a slow nod causing the elephant mask to shift.
Below them, the spectacle reached its climax.
The tamer held out a flat palm toward the infant dragon’s snout…..a signal to halt.
The beast skidded to a stop, its chest heaving, before it lowered its head and licked the tamer’s hand in a display of submission.
The crowd drew a collective, rhythmic breath of awe before erupting into thunderous applause.
And the tamer waved to the stands.
"All right, pursue the monsters at large!" Ganesha said.
"Contact the other Familias immediately. Seek out every god in the vicinity and ask for their cooperation!"
The subordinate’s eyes widened.
"Wait a minute, sir! If word gets out that it was our negligence, our reputation will be in tatters! The Ganesha Familia is responsible for the city’s security during this event. Other groups might see this as a sign of weakness… they might use it to move against us."
Ganesha turned fully toward the man, his presence suddenly looming and immense.
"I am Ganesha, god of the masses!" he rebuked, his voice echoing with a weight that silenced the man’s protests.
"I cannot allow a single citizen to be harmed. Our true treasure is the smiles of the children, not some hollow reputation. Throw away your ambition and remember why we are here!"
The subordinate bowed his head sharply, shame coloring his cheeks.
"Y-yes, sir! My apologies."
"Continue the fair exactly as planned," Ganesha continued, his orders coming rapid-fire.
"Keep the truth contained. Do not allow the audience to leave the stands prematurely. If word of a breakout spreads among this many people, the resulting panic could cause more deaths than the monsters themselves. We must keep them here, entertained and safe, while we handle the threat outside."
"Understood! And what of the perpetrators?"
Ganesha looked out over the skyline of Orario.
"Let them go for now. They didn't release all the monsters, which suggests this wasn't an act of mindless destruction. They are after something specific….a diversion, perhaps, or a test of our chaos threshold. I hate to play along with their game, but our first priority is the safety of the people. Priority number one. Understood? Now, move!"
The man nodded and vanished into the shadows of the upper walkway.
Within five minutes of the discovery, the Ganesha Familia had mobilized into a silent, efficient hunting force.
………………………………………………………………………….
Meanwhile, between the eastern and western entrance of the Amphitheatrum……..
"Monsters escaped?!"
The news hit Eina like a physical blow.
The air was thick with tension.
Eina, gripped her clipboard until her knuckles turned white.
"Yeah… the west team manager, Rose-san, saw them break through the west gate," her co-worker panted, clutching his side.
"The Ganesha Familia is running around in a frenzy, but they’re trying to keep it quiet. Eina, what do we do?…"
Eina’s shock lasted only a second before her professional instincts took over.
"Immediately get a hold of any familias in the area! I don’t care which ones, and I don’t care about the chain of command!"
"Can we really do that?" another co-worker asked, his voice laced with hesitation.
"The department heads are all at the west gate investigating the initial breach. We’re just assistants and secretaries. If we go over their heads and invite other familias into a Ganesha-sanctioned event, there will be hell to pay."
Eina looked around at her colleagues.
She saw the fear in their eyes…..the fear of bureaucratic reprimand, of losing their stable jobs. But she also saw the city, filled with families, tourists, and unarmed civilians.
"That is better than civilians getting hurt, or worse, dying!" Eina’s voice was sharp, cutting through the indecision.
"Lord Ganesha has always put safety as the top priority. He is a god who loves the people; he won’t be angry if we act to save them. We have to move now before the injuries start piling up. Every second we debate is a second someone’s life is in danger!"
Eina tried her best coaxing the rest of her coworkers into action by drawing on Ganesha’s desire to make people happy.
He and his familia had spared no expense helping the Guild set up Monsterphilia.
Her conviction was infectious.
“You’re right. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I could have done more…” a co-worker fi agreed.
The other employees looked at each other and nodded.
Eina’s persistence had tapped into the core of their duty as Guild members.
They began to coordinate.
Seeing things were moving smoothly, Eina immediately signaled a runner.
"Go to the east main entrance. Find the Bahamut Familia. Ask for their help immediately."
As the runner took off, Eina felt a pang of guilt.
Only minutes prior, she had been escorting the goddess Bahamut and her captain, Draco, toward the VIP seating.
When the first whispers of trouble reached her, she had panicked, leaving them abruptly to find her supervisor.
It was a lapse in professional etiquette, but more importantly, it was a missed opportunity.
Draco, she thought, her mind racing.
He was currently said to be the strongest adventurer in Orario, a man whose feats were bordering on the legendary.
If she had simply stayed calm and asked for his assistance then, the situation might already be under control.
She didn't know much about him personally…..he was an enigma even to the Guild…..but his power was undeniable.
'Hopefully they’re still near the entrance,' she prayed.
'If Draco heard the initial reports, he might already be acting.'
As Eina stood there, her mind a whirlwind, a soft but steady voice interrupted her.
"Excuse me. Did something happen?"
The group of Guild employees froze.
"A-Ais Wallenstein…" one of the clerks stammered.
Eina was taken aback.
Her eyes widened as the girl approached.
Ais’s wore cloths, where her thighs were only half-hidden by a miniskirt, and her midriff was revealed by a short top.
Despite not wearing armor, her sword hung from her waist.
She was exactly what they had been praying for.
Eina felt a surge of hope.
One of the men quickly relayed the situation, his words tumbling out in a rush.
Ais listened, her expression neutral but her eyes narrowing the more she heard.
Once the man finished, she turned to her goddess.
"Loki," she said simply.
Loki sighed, there was a glint of disappointment in her eyes.
"Yeah, I heard. Seems like our date is getting cut short. Can’t have monsters ruining a good party, right? Go on, Ais. I’ll let Ganesha borrow you for a bit. Go show 'em why they call you the Sword Princess."
The relief among the Guild members was palpable.
"Any idea where the monsters are heading?" Loki asked, her tone turning uncharacteristically serious.
"A group was seen heading along the west main street," an employee reported, "and the others are heading East!"
Eina’s heart sank.
"East Main? That’s the most crowded place today."
"What species are we looking at?" Eina asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.
"Sword-stags, at least one Troll, and a Silverback," the employee replied.
The color drained from the faces of those standing nearby.
Silverbacks were threats from the 11th floor, but Sword-stags and Trolls were creatures of the 20th floor and below.
In the currently crowded streets, they would be engines of destruction.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
High above the rooftops of Orario, a different kind of predator observed the unfolding chaos.
Draco hovered in the sky, his silhouette a dark blot against the sun.
He didn't need his wings; he stood upon the air as if it were solid ground, his arms crossed over his chest.
His long tail swayed lazily behind him, twitching occasionally.
His eyes, sharp and piercing, scanned the grid of the city below.
He could see the panic starting to ripple through the crowds like ink in water.
He could smell the scent of fear and the acrid musk of monsters that didn't belong in the sunlight. To his left, a Silverback was smashing through a fruit stall, chasing after a certain white rabbit and his goddess.
To his right, the metallic scraping of a Sword-stag's antlers echoed against the stone walls of a dead end alley, ready to drill into some concerned civilians.
"Now," Draco mused, his voice a low, melodic hum.
"Which monster should I hunt first?"
He shifted his weight, the air rippling beneath his feet like a disturbed pond.
With a sudden, violent burst of speed, he dived, a falling star, straight toward the heart of the chaos.
The hunt had begun.
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