"As for why I believe Evilus and the third force in the Dungeon are in a mutually beneficial relationship, I’d say the biggest reason is ’aligned interests.’"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. At least until that enemy is wiped out, the enemy of my enemy is the most trustworthy ally."
"It’s not a complicated reason—just a simple case of aligned interests."
Asfi understood clearly and grasped why Bell ca to that conclusion, but she raised another question.
"Then why does the Guild have so much information?"
"According to what you just said, a Guild mber knew about the appearance of that object on a certain Dungeon floor, and even issued a secret commission to have the Hard Fist Fighter from the Ganesha Familia retrieve it. So how did the Guild know about that?"
"If, as you said, there’s a connection between Evilus and the third party in the Dungeon, they wouldn’t be so careless as to let that information leak. So how did the Guild still find out?"
Bell nodded slightly and promptly gave his answer.
"Actually, the answer is quite simple."
"Because the Guild has its own forces within the Dungeon."
"!?"
That revelation left both Loki and Hers stunned, mouths agape.
The Guild having its own forces in the Dungeon? If word of that got out in Orario, it would cause a massive uproar.
The one who oversees the Guild is Ouranos, and he once promised the Guild would not form its own ard force. In theory, the Guild has no independent military power—especially not one active within the Dungeon.
"Hold on a second."
Even Asfi was left speechless by the sheer weight of the claim.
"Ouranos-sama once stated that the Guild would never have its own adventurer organization. Are you suggesting that Ouranos-sama lied?"
But Bell simply shook his head.
"An adventurer organization? Perseus, do you really think adventurers could gather vital intel right under the noses of Evilus and the third force I ntioned?"
"The idea that the Guild has a force in the Dungeon is just a hypothesis. But the more I think about it, the more it seems like the only plausible explanation. Otherwise, there’s no way the Guild could know this much about what’s going on in the Dungeon."
The conversation paused for a mont. Then Bell turned to Perseus with a question.
"Perseus, if the Guild really does have a force within the Dungeon, who do you think they are?"
The question sent Asfi deep into thought.
Bell’s theory, while partly speculative, held weight—enough that so of it might actually be true. So she couldn’t help but examine the idea seriously.
But gathering sensitive intel beneath the control of Evilus and a third faction within the Dungeon? That was practically impossible.
Not sothing adventurers could pull off.
"!?"
Suddenly jolted, Asfi looked up at Bell. She was starting to understand why he asked her that question—because the answer was terrifying.
"You an... monsters."
The mont those words left her mouth, the entire Great Tree House fell into utter silence.
Everyone’s gaze landed squarely on Bell.
And Bell, under their focused attention, didn’t disappoint.
"That’s right. The final answer is monsters."
"The only beings who can move through the Dungeon and investigate freely without drawing suspicion are monsters."
"Even if Evilus or the third faction notices them, they would never consider common Dungeon monsters to be affiliated with the Guild."
"In fact, as long as those monsters don’t interfere with them, they wouldn’t even bother to eliminate them."
Monsters—as the Guild’s force within the Dungeon.
It was a ridiculous, ironic truth.
At least, that’s how it looked to Loki and Hers. For the oldest of the gods, Ouranos had played this hand with unsettling finesse.
’No wonder the Guild insists it doesn’t hold military power. Monsters aren’t adventurers, after all. And no wonder so many gods have no idea where Ouranos-sama’s "eyes" co from.’
Loki finally understood what was going on.
She even realized why the Guild had such a thorough understanding of the Dungeon.
Even if the Guild had issued mapping missions in the past, a significant portion of its intelligence—including vital data about monster distribution—still ca directly from them.
Was all that intel really gathered by adventurers on commission?
Perhaps the Guild’s true source of knowledge was its "eyes" within the Dungeon.
Hers was equally stunned by the answer. To him, this might explain how Ouranos-sama ca to possess so many secrets.
"Monsters... I really didn’t expect that."
Asfi also found the answer hard to believe. But if that truly was the case, then the Guild’s deep understanding of the Dungeon suddenly made sense...
"But how did the Guild manage to train monsters to the point they could gather intel?"
Bell twitched slightly at that question. He was certain Perseus had misunderstood.
"Asfi, the monsters Bell-kun is talking about aren’t the kind that chase adventurers on sight. No matter how much you train those things, they don’t have the brains for it. Even if they could gather information, they’d never be able to communicate it."
Hers answered before his own captain could go any further.
"It’s not just about communication—it’s about their ability to investigate."
Loki pinpointed the real issue.
"No beast tar, no matter how skilled, could make ordinary monsters obey commands and go scouting through the Dungeon. Which ans the monsters in question aren’t those mindless things. They’re special—ones capable of thought and communication with humans."
"...But if they’ve evolved to that point, they’re not really monsters anymore."
"Kid, that’s what you ant, right?"
Bell nodded with a smile.
"Exactly. That’s what I ant."
"There are beings in the Dungeon with intelligence on par with humans. They might have the appearance of monsters and even possess magic stones, but they can’t be classified as ’monsters’ anymore."
"To put it plainly, I think they’re more like a subspecies of humans—like the Chienthrope or Werewolf races. It’s the sa kind of idea."
Loki sighed and covered her face, montarily speechless.
Hers picked up where she left off.
"Bell-kun, you really shouldn’t let others hear you say things like that."
"In the minds of most people in Orario, a ’monster’ is just a ’monster.’"
Bell understood that well. The belief that ’monsters are monsters’ was essentially no different from ’those who are not of my kin must be different.’ He held similar feelings himself.
So, Bell smiled calmly.
"Of course I know. That’s why I won’t say any of this to anyone else."
"Still... it doesn’t seem like the Guild and the Ganesha Familia think that way."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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