169 Finishing Touches

"We need another four healers over here!"

"Our bandages have run out. Where is the stockpile again?"

"Emergency in tent seven!!"

In the early afternoon, the ruins of the Petbe Familia's mansion, as well as the empty properties bordering it, had been completely demolished and transformed into a makeshift plaza that now housed tens of massive tents. It had become a field hospital.

Initially, the Guild's healers hadn't known why they had been deployed here in nearly full force, but when the first Loki Familia parties arrived with the badly injured people that they had rescued, they were soon required to devote every single spare thought to their work. Any questions about where these individuals had come from, or who had done such horrifying things to them, had to wait.

The atmosphere in the field hospital was anything but rosy, but it was also not as dreadful as it could have been. The cause of this were the seemingly miraculous powers of the veteran healers, who brought many a tear of joy to the patients that they saved from the brink of death. However, there were just as many moments of downcast silence.

Not everyone who had been brought here had survived the journey. Many had died on the way or were on their last breaths when they arrived. Quite a few had been tormented in such bizarre ways or so severely that nobody could figure out a way to help them in time. And then… there were those who, now that they had seen the light of day again and been granted the opportunity to think about more than mere survival for once, couldn't live with what they had been forced to endure in Knossos' depths. More than ten people took their lives.

These tragedies caused everyone at the plaza to turn considerably depressed, weighing like boulders on their minds - from those that had been saved, to the healers, to the regular Guild employees who kept everything running smoothly, and to the guards that primarily consisted of members of the peacekeeping familias, spearheaded by the Ganesha Familia.

With a heavy heart, the temporary leader of the guards, Shakti, furrowed her brows. This whole incident made her recall the Dark Era's circumstances, leaving an extremely bitter taste in her mouth. Admittedly, the situation today wasn't nearly as dreadful, but many people were at risk of suicide if the mood continued to drop even further, which was something that she didn't want to see happen.

Right as she was about to request a meeting with the Loki Familia's leaders, who were responsible for the entirety of today's operation and had been holed up in the command post ever since they had come here an hour ago, they finally left their tent. Noticing how obviously worried the Ganesha Familia's Captain was, Finn gave her a reassuring thumbs up in passing.

Led by him, the entire group of Executives and above made their way towards a wooden stage that had been built at the center of the plaza. They brought three heavily injured deities with them, which they spared no single ounce of compassion for.

As Finn stepped on the platform, familiar mirrors made out of Hermes' Divine Energy appeared in the vicinity of every single inhabitant of Orario - of course, this also included the areas where the recently healed Knossos refugees had settled down temporarily.

"Greetings, everyone. In case you aren't aware, I'm Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia. Excuse the disturbance, but a somewhat lengthy, major announcement has to be made."

With a serious, polite expression, as well as a barely noticeable smirk on his lips, the blonde Pallum calmly addressed the millions of citizens.

"This morning, three deities returned to Heaven - this was because they had been executed immediately after having been apprehended. Here's the situation…"

With a heavy heart and a dark expression, Finn listed the crimes that Dipsios, Kakia and Sabaktes, as well as their familias, had committed. Over time, even the least empathetic amongst the enormous crowd couldn't help but feel shocked by how unacceptably horrible their wicked acts had been. Barely any voices of discontent or protest were raised at all.

"All of this was uncovered during a secret mission that was given to us by the Guild - to be exact, by Lord Ouranos personally. We were called upon to root out the corruption plaguing a certain part of the city and acted in accordance with the law when we came across the three aforementioned deities here on the surface. However, there were some who had been hiding underground, in a manmade labyrinth. Due to safety concerns, they couldn't be killed on the spot, because their return to Heaven would have compromised the structural integrity of that underground complex and could have potentially harmed innocents. Bring up the deities in question."

Waving at Bete, Tiona and Tione, Finn made them drag the Ichor-dripping, malformed Lytta, Metus as well as Ker into view, eliciting innumerable gasps. Many members of the audience couldn't help but look away, as seeing a fellow humanoid being reduced to such a heavily injured, miserable state was difficult to bear for most regular people.

"These, from right to left, are Lady Lytta, Lord Metus and Lady Ker. I will now lay out all of their wrongdoings that we have been able to confirm in detail. Afterwards, their sentences shall be carried out. We'll start with Lady Lytta."

Still courteous despite these circumstances, Finn walked next to the restrained goddess and pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. After clearing his throat, he continued speaking, occasionally glancing at what he had jotted down earlier - there was a lot to remember, after all.

"The Lytta Familia has been found guilty of tax evasion, smuggling, valis laundering, kidnapping, slave trade, sexual assault, rape, mass murder and cannibalism. Lady Lytta has been personally involved in every single one of these crimes. Her familia has already been exterminated. In accordance with the law, and in cooperation with Lord Ouranos himself, Lady Lytta's sentence has been determined. It is as follows…"

Looking up into the mirror that was 'filming' him directly, staring straight into the viewers' eyes, Finn's expression exuded a faint murderous aura.

"Immediate public execution. Everyone, feel free to bear witness."

After her Captain nodded, Ais, who had snuck on the stage at some point unknown to the audience, walked in front of Lytta's helpless body, unsheathed her sword and decapitated her in one smooth but slow slash. Unceremoniously, a shower of golden blood rained down upon the stage and a pained grimace warped the goddess' perfectly sculpted features as her head hit the floor. There was not even a single ripple of emotion disturbing Ais' neutral bearing, making her appear like a Heaven-sent deity reaper.

Calmly, she as well as Tiona, who had been responsible for keeping Lytta in check, stepped a few meters backwards. About ten seconds later, a pillar of golden light shot up into the heavens, taking the criminal with it. Once the phenomenon had abated, Finn resumed his speech, apparently not distracted despite a goddess having met her end next to him.

"Next, there is Lord Metus."

In the exact same fashion, he first listed out the various unlawful deeds that Metus and Ker, as well as their familias, had been found guilty of, then he delegated the task of execution to the renowned Sword Princess, who diligently did her task. Of course, nobody noticed that Isaac's mana secretly participated in the killings as well, gaining both him and his beloved a small but respectable sum of AP.

During these punishments, while the majority of Orario's population felt a plethora of emotions which were mostly negative in nature - after all, they had just been told about far too many atrocities and had to watch living beings dying - the Knossos refugees, who had actually had to suffer due to the three deities and their familias, could rejoice at the fates of their tormentors.

Although many would have preferred even tougher, more brutal punishments, almost all of them had their spirits lifted a little. Well, except for those who were incapable of doing anything but thoughtlessly staring into the air, their minds in shambles due to the horrors that they had suffered through.

In this way, a significant number of suicides were prevented, and the plummeting mood in the field hospital soared to new heights.

Addressing the crowd once more after the sentences had been carried out, Finn's expression loosened slightly. The look in his eyes still inspired a hint of fear, but his smile had become a lot more pleasant.

"The Dipsios Familia, Kakia Familia, Ker Familia, Lytta Familia, Metus Familia and Sabaktes Familia have been wiped out to the last on this day. But they weren't the only ones involved with this part of the city's underworld. The following familias have also met the same fate as them: Ignavia Familia, Ikelos familia, Thanatos Familia and the Zagan Familia. Their crimes are as follows…"

The revelation that Thanatos and his familia were the last Remnants of Evilus that had stuck around rocked the entire city to its foundations. Tens of thousands of people loudly demanded the god's death, despite their voices having no chance of reaching Finn's or the Guild's ears at this moment. As public enemy number one, Evilus had built up the worst reputation imaginable, even though their deeds appeared like a mere dime a dozen amongst the familias that had been posthumously condemned today. Therefore, this needed to be addressed in order to calm the masses before their behaviour could get out of hand.

"Lady Ignavia and Lord Thanatos have been handed over to the Guild for proper judgement. The former has only committed the sin of inaction, not qualifying her for immediate execution, unlike her peers. The last god of Evilus, however, is our city's most wanted man. He will be thoroughly questioned by Lord Ouranos himself, to ensure that no other Evilus-related schemes will rock our Orario again! As for Lord Ikelos and Lord Zagan, they have not been apprehended yet. The both of you, please turn yourselves in. The Guild promises you a fair, unbiased judgement."

Quelling most people's anger by reminding them of Ouranos' trustworthiness as well as his intimidating presence, offloading this entire issue on the elderly god's shoulders, Finn got to the second to last point on this announcement's agenda. A little bit of warmth returned to his gaze, making everyone watching subconsciously lower their guard, expecting for the worst to be over.

"Additionally, the Sabnac Familia has taken heavy casualties due to having resisted our arrest. The surviving members have already been apprehended, including Lord Sabnac. They have been found guilty of tax evasion, monster trafficking and several counts of homicide. Lord Sabnac will privately be sent back to Heaven within a week, while almost all of the surviving familia members are actually innocent of anything that I stated except for tax evasion, which they have been appropriately fined for. As for all who have been involved in the more serious crimes and yet live, you can rest assured that they have been handled properly. Please do not harass any of them in the future should you meet them - everyone has already paid the price for their folly."

After pausing for a bit to give the people some time to take in his words - his speech had taken close to twenty minutes up to this point, after all - Finn got ready to wrap up the broadcast. What startled many was the icy glare full of blatant killing intent that had suddenly emerged. Previously, he had gradually turned increasingly more amiable, so this stark difference felt particularly creepy.

"Lastly, I'd like to give a reminder. Don't cross the line like those who you've seen or heard from today. Else, you'll be declaring yourself an enemy of not just the Loki Familia, but of all law-abiding familias of the city, as well as the Guild. In other words, you'll be an enemy of Orario as a whole. To those amongst you who are guilty of having committed many of the same unlawful acts as those that have been mentioned in this past half an hour… I recommend turning yourselves in. Don't think that you can get away with it forever."

Deliberately having stirred up a hornet's nest just as planned, Finn's aura returned to normal within a split second. With his most radiant business smile adorning his lips and a polite bow, he bode farewell.

"All of that said, have a nice rest of your day, everyone. I hope the next time we meet will be during a more pleasant occasion."

As soon as Hermes' mirrors had disappeared and the 'camera' had turned off, Finn heaved an exhausted sigh. Slowly, he stretched his weary limbs. After having discussed the whole broadcast with everyone involved to make sure that all would go well for close to an hour right after using his most draining Magic, he really needed a good night's rest.

-----

"Milord, why did you bring Ein with you? And why are there two of them?!"

Unconcealed puzzlement clouded Titania's gaze as she took note of the three newcomers that Isaac had brought to his private world upon his return. She clearly recognized the robed figure… but not only was there more than one of them, but the two also felt considerably weaker than the Ein in her memories. As for the white-haired fellow? The loyal plant, who was currently busying herself with preparing some tea, simply ignored him.

A small smile on his lips, Isaac introduced his acquisitions to the Demi Spirit sisters, who were currently the only ones in this world aside from the group that he had just brought here. After his first meeting with Gugalanna had come to a close and he needed to leave, he had let them make their way to this place, simply because they needed to avoid the public eye - and there was no safer place than here. The rest of his students and subordinates were currently off on their own, so they weren't present. Of course, he still carefully observed them from afar, just in case.

"The two Eins are both known as Filvis Challia. They have a peculiar Magic that can functionally split a person into two identical beings. They are new research specimens and will be staying here for some time. Don't treat them coldly, but also don't grow too attached - they have their own path to walk. And that one over there is Barca Perdix, the last descendant of Daedalus. His ancestor originally created Knossos as well as Babel. He'll be working for me in the future if he doesn't want to die. Keep an eye on him, but don't bully him."

While he was talking, the three in question also visually inspected their surroundings. They had found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place all of a sudden, one that didn't feel like the Lower World at all due to the endless, black void surrounding it far in the distance. Barca was momentarily intrigued by this, but then his obsession with Knossos took over once more, leaving him in an absentminded state. The Elves, on the other hand, hadn't even looked in the direction of the world's edges, their eyes having stopped on the harmonious pair of Demi Spirit siblings. They were staring at them with absolute disbelief on their faces which were currently hidden underneath their robes.

'Didn't they die? How are they here?! And why did Titania address Mr. Blackshaw as 'milord'? Is it just because of his inherent status as a deity? Not, it felt different from that. Did he… make them willingly serve him?! That… well, that would explain the tea.'

This last part was the most perplexing one of all. Since when did Demi Spirits know how to brew tea? And why would they do it? They were largely uncontrollable, violent creatures that had their own resilient minds. Even Dionysus hadn't been able to subdue them completely. Only Inferior Demi Spirits had been at his beck and call, purely because they lacked sentience.

Turning his head to face both Filvis', Isaac smirked amusedly.

"I do believe that you already know about Titania and Gugalanna, but I'll introduce them anyway. There is a lot that you aren't aware of yet, after all. In short, Titania is my loyal subordinate, while her younger sister, Gugalanna, is simply staying here temporarily to be with her family."

Speechless, the less sentimental Filvis sighed to herself, while the emotional one gradually came to terms with what she had just heard. This entire situation was too bizarre for them to fully take in or understand immediately. Considering that they would be staying here for a long time, they might get a chance to ask the pair of sisters about how all of this happened.

'Speaking of… what in Tartarus is this place?!'

Finally having some mental capacity to spare, the rational Filvis stumbled backwards, her breathing accelerating. A terrifying hypothesis came to her mind, chilling her to the marrow of her bones. With horrified, trembling eyes, she looked at the evidently entertained Isaac.

"Mr. Blackshaw… w-where have you brought us?"

Acknowledging her question with a nod, the young god temporarily stayed silent. Waving his hand to produce three chairs for this world's new inhabitants, Isaac jumped on Titania's back, taking a seat on his favourite sofa. The gentle plant carefully moved one of her tentacles to bring a cup of tea to his hands, which he happily took a sip of. Only then did he finally respond to the still-frightened Elf, whose glances at Titania had only turned multiple notches more dumbstruck in the meantime.

"Please, take a seat. I'll explain what you need to know."

As the two Filvis' and Barca sat down, he gave them a rundown of his private world, blowing the minds of all three of them. The two Elves couldn't help but compare his abilities to the deities that they knew of, inevitably becoming afraid in the process, fearing for Dionysus' very existence by the end of his words. On the other hand, Barca got snapped out of his thoughts and curiously sized up the plane-type world that he had found himself in - properly this time. It didn't take long for him to notice multiple barely-begun building sites in the distance.

"Mr. Blackshaw, could it be…?"

The experienced architect's suspicions earned him a nod in response, as well as a thorough explanation.

"That's correct, you'll be responsible for constructing most of this world's buildings according to my plans. I'm swamped with research most of the time, so I need to delegate some minor tasks to others. If your work doesn't live up to my expectations, then I'll simply have you redo it as many times as needed. Don't be too afraid of failure, though, because I can simply revert the affected parts of the world to a state before you took a wrong turn, cleaning up your mess at any time. This is both a request that you aren't allowed to refuse, as well as an opportunity to hone your craft. Don't miss it."

Pulling a hefty stack of construction blueprints out of his inventory, he sent them towards his forcefully conscripted employee, who received them with a mixture of resignation as well as traces of expectation.

"Work your way through these from top to bottom. Oh, and Filvis. You two might want to offer him some support should it be necessary. Your own accommodation is one of the first in that pile."

Only having calmed back down mere seconds ago, the emotional Filvis was somewhat perplexed by this sudden turn of events and requested some clarification.

"But Mr. Blackshaw, didn't we only agree to be your test subjects, and nothing more?"

Her counterpart's behaviour made the more clear-headed Elf shake her head internally, because she already knew what their temporary 'owner' was about to say.

"Of course. I won't stop you from sleeping on the ground, with no bathroom or toilet to your name. Personally, I would recommend helping out in this place, as a harmonious existence will only be beneficial for you. However, feel free to act as you will. If what I just said is something that you won't even consider, then simply interpret these kind reminders of mine as annoying ramblings and ignore them."

When she realized how silly she had been, the mentally fragile Filvis blushed in shame, hastily and strongly shaking her head, her robe's hood dropping down in the process. This revealed that tears were beginning to glisten at the corners of her eyes while a deep fear was welling up inside of her once more.

"I apologize, that's not what I meant! I didn't intend to sound rude!! Please forgive me, Mr. Blackshaw!"

Smiling calmly, completely unperturbed by what he saw, Isaac emptied his cup of tea and had Titania take it away, then he reassured the panicking Elf.

"It's fine, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I knew what you meant from the very beginning, I just wanted to mess with you a little."

Belatedly understanding the obvious truth of what had happened, the emotional Filvis stared blankly, then she reddened all the way up to the tip of her ears. She had made an utter fool of herself in her nervousness, hadn't she…? How mortifying!

Experiencing painful secondhand embarrassment that felt even worse because it was her other self who had blundered like this, the rational Filvis felt a headache incoming. With Isaac teasing them like this now that they weren't his foes any longer, the other her would most certainly fall for his traps on many occasions.

'... on the other hand, if he treats us this way, then it's way less likely that he'll actively harm us, so at least that's one worry that we can mostly put aside.'

Rubbing her forehead, she heaved a conflicted sigh. What was going to happen to her and her Lord from now on? She honestly couldn't tell. But she knew that in the end, it would all come down to this enigmatic young god's decision.