“Hmm, Draco, you’re here too. Then those kids outside must be your familia members,” Shakti said, spotting Draco getting up from some rubble.

  “It’s been a while, Shakti,” Draco replied with a smile.

  “Yes, it has. Thanks for dealing with my troublesome sister. I hope she hasn’t been an invenieo you all,” Shakti said.

  “No, she hasn’t. She has been good pany for our familia, especially my sisters. Right, Vasiliki?” Draco said, gng at Vasiliki.

  “o finally meet you, Shakti-san. I am Vasiliki, temporary vice captain of the Bahamut familia,” Vasiliki introduced herself.

  “Just Shakti is fine. I’ve heard a lot about you from Adi. I hope she hasn’t been troubling your familia too much,” Shakti said.

  “Not at all. She is fun to hang out with. My sisters and I enjoy her pany,” Vasiliki replied.

  “That’s great! Please keep taking care of her,” Shakti said with a slight bow.

  “Ah, yes,” Vasiliki replied, a bit flustered. Shakti was much older than her and the captain of the Ganesha familia, which made receiving a bow from her somewhat intimidating.

  Shakti noticed Vasiliki’s restlessness—her furry tail seemed agitated, and her ears perked up.

  She couldn’t help but smile at the rea.

  ‘Cute,’ she thought, before turnitention back to Draco.

  “Draco, any progress on that?” Shakti asked cryptically.

  “Not much so far. I have something in mind but need some time to test it,” Draco replied.

  “I see. Take your time,” Shakti said.

  “I didn’t know you two were close?” Alise interjected, surprised by their iion.

  She and Shakti were close friends, and Shakti had never mentioned being close to the Bahamut familia.

  “We had some dealings a few months ago,” Shakti replied, not eborating further.

  “Anyway, thank you all for aiding in upholding w and order withiy,” Shakti thanked both the Astraea and Bahamut familia’s.

  “Tsk, only ing after we’ve done all the hard work, and you call yourself city watch,” Lyra muttered loud enough for everyoo hear.

  Ihe Ganesha familia was the rgest group dedicated to maintaining w and order iy.

  Following the will of their god, the Ganesha familia took it upon themselves to ehat ws and s were followed throughout Orario.

  The age of darkness brought about by the fall of the Zeus and Hera familia’s would have plunged Orario into chaos without their stant efforts, preserving at least some sembnce of order.

  “Lyra!” Alise scolded immediately.

  “The Ganesha familia is busy watg over other parts of the city. Isn’t that why atrol areas? Don’t say things like that again,” she warned.

  “But even still, they were te, and this is along their assigned patrol route. You guys are all too soft,” Lyra grumbled.

  ‘Good thing I only took a small area for our familia to patrol,’ Draco thought.

  The Ganesha familia was stretched too thin with the size of their patrol route.

  Alise was about to scold Lyra again, but Shakti interjected.

  “It’s okay, Alise. Lyra is somewhat right. Although it won’t make up for ligence, we will hahings from here,” she said, her familia members to take a.

  “Take the unscious evilus into custody and keep a for stragglers,” Shakti instructed.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they replied.

  “Ahem,” Draco coughed to gain Shakti’s attention.

  “Since you guys are taking over, we will be taking our leave.” he said.

  “ you wait a bit longer so we share information on our observations? I also want to brief both your familia and the Astraea familia on our findings,” Shakti said.

  ‘Ugh, just what I want—more work. But I am kind of curious about the i. If I remember correctly, the evilus are strug a magic on or something, but when was it again? Damn, my memory sucks,’ Draco thought.

  “I stay, but my familia o rest. It’s our turn to clear the Goliath that spawns today, so rest is needed,” Draco replied.

  “That’s fine,” Shakti agreed.

  “Vasiliki, you take the others home to rest,” Drastructed.

  Nodding, Vasiliki exited the factory.

  “Alright, from what we know, this is the fourth attaagic stone factories so far,” Ryuu said, sitting on some rubble while the Ganesha familia worked in the background.

  She was exhausted from squabbling with Kaguya.

  “What? Four attacks have already happened? Why am I only hearing of this now?” Draco asked.

  “Ah, that’s my bad. I meant to inform you a week ago, but I didn’t know where you stayed,” Iska said, a bit embarrassed.

  “Sigh, It’s fine. I didn’t particurly share our address. That aside, four attacks don’t sound like a ce,” Draco said.

  “Yeah, the evilus are plotting something, and no matter how ma down, they just keep crawling out of the woodwork like bugs,” Kaguya added, her torained.

  “True, and the ones we round up never seem to know the full pn,” Lyra added.

  “Wonder if we’ll learn anything this time,” Lyra muttered, g her hands behind her head.

  Just then, one of Shakti’s subordinates came over and whispered a report in her ear.

  Afterward, she turo address Drad Alise.

  “So what have you found out?” Draco asked.

  “At first gnce, everything looked the same as the previous raids,” Shakti began.

  “However, thanks to both your familia’s ’ timely intervention, we mao preserve much of this factory. Surveying it, we have learhat something was stolen.” she revealed.

  “And what was stolen?” Maryuu asked.

  “All the magic stone ignition pieces,” Shakti answered.

  “What’s that?” Alise asked, her head cocked in fusion.

  “Think of them as switches that activate a magical device,” she expined.

  “They are an integral part of all magic items.” she added.

  ‘Hmm, now it all makes sehey want to use it as a trigger for the bombs they are making,’ Draco realized.

  He didn’t have muowledge about magic items, but what he did know was enough for this jecture.

  “What do you suppose the enemy wants with them?” Kaguya asked.

  “Who knows?” Shakti shrugged.

  “Are they building something?” Lyra asked.

  “I don’t kher,” Shakti replied.

  “Aaaaah, what good are we then? I hate bei in the dark! What does it mean when none of us have an answer for this?” Lyra said, ruffling her hair in annoyance.

  “Draco, do you perhaps have any thoughts?” Alise asked, notig that Draco was lost in thought.

  ‘Ugh, should I tell them or even give hints? How much would ge if I do? Could I bee a suspect if I reveal too much? Finn is quite smart, so things might bee troublesome if I e across as a know-it-all,’ Draused.

  “Hmm, the fact that they stole so many of these devices means they ’t make them themselves or don’t have a quick reliable source, right?” Draco asked.

  “Hmmm,” everyone nodded, listening.

  “If they ’t make them, then it’s also uhat they hem for some plicated magic device. So, with that line of thought, what use could they possibly have for stealing all those ignition pieces besides using them ter something simple?” Draco expined.

  “Something like what?” Shakti asked, drawn into his line of thought.

  “The evilus seek destru, right? We tell by their random acts of violend fires they started. So what could cause a rge amount of destru that would need ignition pieces?” Draco asked, letting them e to their own clusion.

  As much as he wao mention living bombs, he feared it would make him sound paranoid or crazy.

  Who would think that people were extreme enough to do such a thing to themselves and even their children?

  “Is it perhaps some explosive magic device?” Kaguya asked.

  She was familiar with cepts like smoke bombs, as they were used in the far east.

  “That sounds pusible. And with so many ignition pieces stolen, it must be smaller in scale—like an explosive magic device that be carried by each member or something,” Shakti muttered in realization.

  Draodded in approval; they had arrived at the clusion he wanted.

  Although they didn’t know about the living bombs, they were now aware that the evilus were likely carrying some kind of explosive magic device, which was enough.

  Everyoiffened as they followed along Shakti’s line of thought, turning to stare at Draco.

  Everyone could already imagihe chaos aru that would ensue if their suspis were true.

  “Thank you, Draco...” Shakti said, grateful for his insight.

  “I will immediately report our jecture to the guild and advise them tthen security,” she added after a moment of silenbsp;

  “I’ll inform the Loki and Freya familia’s too; this is serious,” Shakti tinued.

  “Let’s increase patrols around the city,” Alise suggested.

  “We don’t o know all the details of the enemy’s pn to stop it from happening,” she added.

  The others nodded in agreement; something terrible was brewing, and they could all feel it.

  “The remaining Evilus have all been rounded up, Onee-,” a member of the Ganesha familia reported in a rather cute tone.

  “Adi, I told you not to e, and not to address me like that in public,” Shakti said, gring at her younger sister.

  “Oh yeah, sorry, sis,” Adi replied, childishly stig out her tongue.

  ‘Cute’ the Astraea girls thought.

  Shakti could only sigh and shake her head.

  Draco gave a slight nod in Adi’s dire iing, and Adi did the same.

  Not mueeded to be said betweewo, as Adi visited the Bahamut familia almost daily anyway.

  “Anyway, we will take things from here and inform all the necessary parties. You all go home a,” Shakti said, addressing both Drad the Astraea familia.

  “Really, we’ll take you up on that offer then,” Alise replied with a smile.

  “Everyone, we’re pulling out,” Alise announced with excitement in her expression.

  “Look at you now, all giddy to return home after deg, ‘pretty girls like us handle everything,’” Draco teased.

  “Ugh, you remember that,” Alise groaned, slightly embarrassed.

  The irls struggled to hold back their ughter at the se.

  “Ahem, see you ter, Draco, Shakti, Adi,” Alise said, quickly regaining her posure.

  “Indeed, see you soon,” Shakti replied.

  Turning to her familia members with a smile, Alise decred loudly, “Justice has been served; let us return triumphantly to the arms of oddess Astraea!”

  ‘Ooooooou’ the irls replied in unison.

  ‘Sigh, time to go home,’ Draco thought as he began to take off his shirt.

  “W-what are you doing?” Adi stammered, c her face with her palm.

  “Even if you show off yeous body, you ot seduy of us,” Alise said, defending the pure girls of her familia.

  “Keep dreaming,” Draco replied, using partial transformation to ma his draigs.

  “Goodnight, dies,” Draco said before fpping his wings, stirring up dust and debris that oddly settled around Alise alone.

  “Dracoooooo!” Alise yelled in annoyance as she watched him take off into the air, passing through the broken warehouse roof.