Looking at Laurier's panicked face, and at Aura behind her, who had just charged into the courtyard and was now doubled over with both hands braced on her knees, gasping for breath...
Leon shot up from the rattan chair. His expression tightened, then the corner of his mouth curved into a meaningful arc.
"An opportunity..."
In the courtyard, Rose and Kureha, mid-clash, were interrupted by Laurier's cry and sheathed their swords at the same moment.
"Here, wipe your sweat first."
Jeanne walked over at just the right time with a basin of clean water and towels, smiling as she handed them to the two women. Then she turned to the panting elf girl, her tone gentle.
"Laurier, catch your breath first. Don't rush, take it slow."
"J-Jeanne... this is no time to be resting!"
Laurier's cheeks flushed red as she waved her arms and shouted:
"They're fighting, a fight broke out in the city!"
Seeing her flushed, incoherent state, everyone traded looks.
In the end, it was Jeanne who asked:
"What broke out into a fight? Who against who?"
Watching her friend stammer, so worked up she had completely lost the ability to string words together, Aura shook her head helplessly and pressed a hand to her forehead, stepping in to explain:
"It's Evilus. They're attacking."
"They've launched another round of indiscriminate attacks across several districts of the city."
"Right now the main streets outside are complete chaos, packed with panicked citizens and Adventurers running for their lives. The street vendors vanished ages ago."
Her brain back online, Laurier nodded along like a chick pecking at rice, then complained in irritation:
"Exactly, exactly! We'd just gotten there, we hadn't even finished buying the ingredients! Those people caught wind of it and bolted without so much as glimpsing a shadow of an Evilus member!"
"So unlucky!"
Everyone: "..."
You think every citizen's an Adventurer? Never mind that they weren't Adventurers, even Adventurers would run when they ran into those Evilus lunatics, if their strength wasn't enough. If they didn't get out early and got dragged into it, then what...
People aren't idiots...
After some silent grumbling, Leon picked up on a key detail in the information Laurier and Aura had provided.
"Wait. The place you went shopping was the Free Market in the Sixth District, right? So those vendors, merchants, and citizens didn't actually lay eyes on anyone from Evilus. Someone just shouted something, a commotion started, and everyone ran?"
Hearing Leon's question, Laurier and Aura looked at each other and nodded firmly.
"Yep, yep, yep! Forget seeing Evilus people, we didn't hear the slightest hint of fighting, explosions, nothing at all!"
Leon's eyes narrowed. After exchanging looks with Jeanne and Rose, he had already formed a guess.
"If Evilus isn't just bluffing, and they're playing for real..."
His pace was steady, but a trace of amusement crept in.
"Then I've got to say... their plan this time is a lot smarter than last time. At least they know enough to use a strategy, pulling a feint to draw attention one way while they strike another."
As for who this feint was meant to fool? The answer was obvious. The factions maintaining order in the city.
Jeanne and Rose nodded slightly at Leon's guess, signaling agreement.
The group began discussing.
Only Kureha still stood there in a daze, eyes blank, not following any of what was happening.
All she understood was that a group people called Evilus had attacked the city.
"Leon, what should we do?"
Rose frowned, worry in her voice as she asked.
If this really was an indiscriminate attack, who was to say Evilus wouldn't act on a whim and come cause trouble in the Seventh District?
Her concern was reasonable.
Leon glanced around, then stroked his chin and shook his head.
"Do you think a little trick that even we can see through is going to slip past the Braver?"
He paused, his tone firm.
"I doubt it."
"With that pallum's intelligence, he's probably planning to play along, using it to probe for what Evilus is really after behind all these repeated indiscriminate attacks and the chaos they're sowing."
"And right now is a perfect opening."
"Once he pins down Evilus's real target, he seizes the initiative."
"After all... compared to Evilus, the Order Faction has overwhelming superiority in both combat power and numbers."
"Lay a net around the real target, and wait for the enemy to have no choice but to walk straight into the pit. Beats getting dragged around by the nose, groping in the dark, doesn't it?"
"Lying in wait for the prey to come to the hunter...?"
Once Leon's analysis was over, the expressions around him varied.
Jeanne's face darkened, her voice grave with a hint of barely suppressed anger.
"So... you're saying the Braver intends to use the innocent citizens being attacked as bait?"
Leon just tilted his head and shrugged helplessly, spreading his hands.
"If our guess is right..."
"Then the Braver's plan is the best option. If it were me, I'd do the same thing."
He met Jeanne's eyes, his gaze sharp.
"Think about it. In the current chaos, if the Order Faction pours out everything it has and scatters its already limited forces across the city for passive defense..."
"Then Evilus can absolutely use the chaos as cover again, slip through the confusion, and quietly achieve their actual objective."
"When that happens, the Braver wouldn't just lose the initiative. He'd be stuck with no clue where the enemy will strike next."
Leon let out a soft sigh, a cold realism in his voice.
"And here's the crucial part... even if the Braver didn't choose the bait strategy, Evilus's plan would probably still succeed."
"As a competent commander, Arachnia would never stake everything on a single plan."
"On the surface, they stir up chaos to bait the Braver into mobilizing forces. In the shadows, the real elite squad must already be moving, heading straight for the true target."
"But if the other side doesn't follow her script and instead chooses to hold position, sitting tight and waiting, then I believe... Arachnia definitely has a Plan B."
"That's where Finn's reserve force becomes necessary."
"Don't you think so, Jeanne?"
"..."
Seeing the mood turning heavy, Leon smiled to lighten things up.
"Relax. What I said sounds scary, but Orario has no shortage of hidden powerhouses. If the sky falls, there's someone tall enough to hold it up."
"Us at Lv. 2 and Lv. 1, we don't need to worry about this kind of stuff."
With that, Leon suited up in full gear, threw on his cloak, pulled up the face covering, and tugged the hood down, calling out to everyone in the reception hall:
"Watch the house. I'm heading out for a bit."
The group, now composed again, looked at Leon's back and nodded:
"Stay safe. We've got things here."
"Don't worry, you all know I'm the first to bolt if things turn ugly."
Leon flashed a grin and gave the group a casual hand signal. He leapt, vaulted over the courtyard wall, and in the blink of an eye slipped into the alley and vanished from sight.
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