Azrael and Marchioness Atalante carry the unconscious bodies to Chasrol's entrance. There, two guards scurry about, sorting through paperwork and filing the marchioness's report. What she reported was as such: "A mysterious assailant attacked three individuals—two students at Magus Academy and one citizen of Chasrol. The citizen was grievously injured, so I will have my manor's doctor patch him up. As for the other two, this person, Professor Azrael will see to it that they receive the treatment they need."
The guards stare at her with open mouths, unsure what to say. As Alora pointed out, Marchioness Atalante is a massive celebrity in Chasrol. To the two guards, new to their positions, this is a rare encounter that has left them like statues. The one writing the report grips his pen and closes his dropped jaw, saying, "Marchioness Atalante, about this assailant, could you identify them?"
She shakes her head. "I was not the person who intercepted them." She turns to Azrael, "Professor Azrael was."
"Well, did you see who it was?"
"No, the person was a well-trained assassin. If I'd let my guard down, especially in the state I was in, I would have died. So, I fired off a spell, levelling the forest and killing her in the process."
"Her?"
"We spoke before I ended her life."
"And what did she say?"
Azrael remains quiet momentarily. "I asked her name and she said she had none. So, I gifted her one."
"You... gifted her a name? What... was it?"
"Apostle."
"Apostle?"
"Yes. It was a name fitting for this assassin."
"Fitting? What are you—"
"Are you going to continue with this unnecessary questioning, or are we allowed back into the inner city?"
"Ah, I'm sorry, Marchioness Atalante. It is just the procedure to get the full report. Without any information on the assailant, tracking possible connections to larger organisations won't be easy. The incident would be written off as a cold case in such cases." The guard clenches his fist, "The recent Sleeping Incident at Magus Academy has sent the inner city into an uproar. Many nobles, including my family, have relatives who are victims of this incident. They have spent so much money on finding a cure for this and for private investigations to be held that we, the city's knights, cannot ignore their pleas. That said, we also have a resurgence of crime and dungeon breaks happening all at once. Chasrol's Knight's Guild and the Adventurers Guild are having trouble subduing these issues, leading us into an inescapable dilemma."
"In such cases, Magus Academy would conduct extracurricular activities for the students to aid both guilds; however—"
"Ninety-nine per cent of the Academy's staff and student population are under a comatose spell. All of this happening at the same time... seems suspicious." Could this be Azazel at play? Or is this the work of a third party?
"We also think it's suspicious, but there's nothing we can do at the moment. We can only pray that nothing else happens as we deal with each of these issues."
As fate would have it, the guard's worst nightmare runs into the interrogation room, panicking. "Jarred! There's trouble!"
"Trouble? What do you mean? What's going on?"
"There's been a dungeon break near Magus Academy."
"A dungeon break!? Which one?"
"It was... the Dungeon of Creation..."
Kartara's Dungeon of Creation—the same dungeon Class 1A cleared on their first outdoor excursion. It is well-known that once a dungeon is conquered, it will cease functioning and monsters will stop generating endlessly. The dungeon will still spawn boundless treasures and minerals, which turns it into a mine for exploration and treasure captures. Not once has a conquered dungeon ever produced more monsters, let alone cause a dungeon break. So, to the knights, this is an unprecedented event. An incident they have no time to wrap their heads around.
"What are you doing standing around!?" yells Marchioness Atalante. "Your job as knights is to protect the citizens of Chasrol. The longer you stay here waiting, the more innocent civilian lives you put at risk."
The guards scurry out of the room on Marchioness Atalante's order and rush to the dungeon break's site. "That was quite the speech you gave," jokes Azrael.
"Lord Azrael, this is uncanny."
"Yeah."
"There has never been an incident like this before, even in my time as an adventurer. Do you think this has to do with Azazel and your sibling?"
"I... don't know. It may be, but..."
"But?"
"This all reeks."
"What does?"
"Everything that's happening. First, there's the attack on Magus Academy, cutting off the support of scholars and students. Then an upsurge of crime and monster attacks, rendering the Knight's Guild and Adventurer's Guild in a state of struggle. There's the attack on Alora, Rasui and Arthur, and Lumios possessing Rasui's body. Then there's this dungeon break. All of this happening at once cannot be considered a coincidence. This was orchestrated."
"But who would have the power and influence to orchestrate such an unfolding of events?"
"Someone with power and influence...? These occurrences would be child's play for a Primordial Deity. But a human...? I find it hard to believe they'd be capable of something as nature-subverting as causing a dungeon break from a conquered dungeon."
"What if we spoke to Amanda?"
"Amanda?"
"I don't think we should completely rule out Azazel's involvement if the attack on Magus Academy is connected to the dungeon break. Amanda might be working with a large organisation that holds a grudge against Chasrol."
"Are there many of these 'large organisations'?"
"Chasrol's nobility is very status-driven. With so many prideful individuals gathered in one place, there is no doubt a plethora of enemies, wanting to rid the city of them, exists. To them, having a powerful god on their team is an unexpected bonus."
"I see. But do you think Amanda will willingly divulge that information?"
"Even if she does not, my eyes will see the truth."
Marchioness Atalante uses Truth Magic. No lie will escape those eyes of hers. But what's more frightening is that she has conditioned her abilities. The scope of what she can see is beyond even my understanding. "Okay," he says, "We will speak to Amanda."