Gareth could only sigh at their luck.
Although their Familia had recently gained several talented and gifted mbers, it felt like their good fortune had already run dry.
At least in the Dungeon, their luck had been downright terrible.
There were only a few major threats in the Dungeon, and they just happened to run into the most powerful guild faction.
And it happened right under the eyes of the Guild, Hephaestus, and Hestia. Seriously, what were the odds?
Gareth fully understood the situation Finn had faced back then.
This wasn’t about whether they could step in—it was sothing they had to do.
"With that many people watching, no wonder you had to grit your teeth and make the call."
"But after this, we probably won’t be able to make any more excuses."
Gareth understood all too well what it ant to get your foot stuck in a deep pit—you couldn’t pull it out easily once it was in.
Finn understood that too, which was why he had such a headache dealing with it before.
"The Guild’s influence is going to be a major issue for Orario down the line. Now that we’ve stepped into it, we’re guaranteed to have so serious trouble ahead."
"But with the Guild watching, and both Hephaestus and Hestia there, we had no choice."
Gareth shook his head slightly. Just seeing the deep crease in Finn’s brow was enough to show how troubleso this really was. All he could do was pat Finn’s shoulder in reassurance.
"This was bound to happen sooner or later anyway."
"Think about Haruhi’s skill. Think about the boost she brings us. Even if we wanted to stay out of it, do you really think the Guild would just let it go?"
With Haruhi tied into the whole situation, if the Guild faction kicked up a fuss, the first ones they’d co after would be the Loki Familia.
And they wouldn’t be able to say no.
Gareth’s reassurance seed to help a little.
Finn already knew that if sothing big happened within the Guild’s ranks, they’d be the first ones the Guild ca to. But even so, he’d still been clinging to a shred of hope that nothing would go wrong.
Now, even that sliver of hope was gone.
Feeling powerless, Finn really wanted a drink to let off so steam.
But this was an expedition. During expeditions, he had a rule: no alcohol, to keep his mind clear at all tis.
"Ah... things are already where they are. There’s nothing I can do."
"So, have you figured out how to handle the Guild?"
Finn gave a small nod. At least they didn’t have to worry about that particular issue for now, so he replied,
"Since the Guild is keeping an eye on Ais, we’ve agreed to transfer the people to the Safe Zone on the 28th floor first."
"Honestly, compared to us, it’s better for the Guild faction to handle this."
Gareth felt the sa. He wasn’t worried their Familia would spill the beans, but so people just couldn’t keep their mouths shut...
"That’s the best way to handle it."
"The fewer people who know about the Guild faction, the better. It’ll save us the trouble of those loudmouths who get chatty after a few drinks."
Then Gareth brought the conversation back on track.
"But since we’ve already stepped into this, we should at least make contact with their people."
"Yeah, I was thinking the sa."
Finn agreed.
The Guild faction was like a ticking ti bomb—getting involved with them in Orario was like touching the Evilus. Whoever got close would pay the price.
But once the decision was made, there was no room for hesitation. They had to establish deeper contact with them. Only by doing that could they help prevent the Guild faction from spiraling out of control.
Finn felt it was necessary to provide assistance when needed, so he also needed to understand the Guild faction’s situation to so extent—enough to avoid any unexpected developnts.
With that thought, the frustration on his face faded, replaced by renewed calm and caution.
"There are Spirit forces and Evilus inside the Dungeon. On this expedition, we may end up clashing directly with the Spirit faction."
"In such an isolated and vulnerable environnt, it wouldn’t hurt to have another group we can rely on for help."
"From what we know now, the Spirit faction and Evilus have already joined forces. If we have to face both at the sa ti, the pressure will be overwhelming. Having soone to share that burden would help."
Seeing Finn recover his composure so quickly, Gareth couldn’t help but chuckle and tease him.
"You’re pretty quick to bounce back."
But Finn just looked up at the sky with a helpless expression.
"What choice do I have? Don’t forget, it’s not just about Haruhi. Ais is definitely going to cross paths with the Spirit faction too."
Gareth suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Factoring in Ais’s situation, they really didn’t have a way out of this pit.
Understanding that made Finn feel a bit more at ease.
Once you realize there’s no way to avoid sothing, all that’s left is to face it head-on.
"No matter what, we won’t directly oppose the Guild faction. But Evilus and the Spirit faction—those are threats we can’t run from."
"Now that it’s obvious the Spirit faction and Evilus are working together, we deal with them first and worry about everything else later."
Finn was still troubled by the situation with the Guild, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized the Guild was likely just as troubled.
"The fact that they’ve managed to stay hidden this long ans they won’t expose themselves recklessly when it’s unsafe. At least in the short term, they won’t bring much pressure down on us."
"Bell-kun ca to the sa conclusion. The Guild probably wants ’them’ to be accepted by surface-dwelling humans—but that’s not sothing that can happen easily."
Gareth nodded in agreent. He had heard about the Guild’s goal before. It was certainly an ambitious one.
That goal could resolve the Guild faction issue—but it definitely wasn’t sothing that could be achieved anyti soon.
"So our biggest concern is Evilus and the Spirit faction finding ’them’ and possibly exposing everything?"
"Exactly. That’s why we need to understand ’their’ movents under special circumstances. Otherwise, there’s no way for us to help them."
To make that possible, regardless of how anyone felt about it, they had to et with the Guild faction and establish a way to stay in contact.
Only then could they coordinate and cover for them when the ti ca.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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