Information, depending on how it is used, can destroy an entire nation or send a single noble to ruin.
In that sense, Hermes's proposal was extremely tempting.
"Then let's do it this way. If Bell and Lady Hestia forgive me, I'll turn a blind eye as well."
If the victims themselves forgave him, then there was no reason for me to interfere.
"O-Okay."
It looked like Bell had managed to rescue Hestia, so it would probably be best to take them out of here.
"Wah!?"
"Lord Hermes!?"
I lifted Hermes up.
And threw him toward Bell and Hestia.
"Waaah!?"
"Lord Hermes?"
"Hermes?"
Bell and Hestia seemed quite startled by Hermes's sudden appearance.
The two of them were given a rough explanation of the situation.
Bell let it go with a warning not to do it again next time, and—
"You bastard!!!"
"Puhk!"
Hestia swung a poker she had fetched from somewhere and smacked Hermes with it.
"How dare you put Bell and me in danger!?"
"Agh! Oof! Ghk!"
Hestia beat him senseless with the ash-covered poker.
"Haa..."
"Uuugh..."
"I'll forgive you this much."
"Th-thank you..."
Hermes had been thoroughly thrashed.
In the midst of that terrible pain, Hermes unconsciously—
"Hermes!"
"Ah, I made a mistake..."
—let out his Arcanum, the power of the gods, which had been sealed when he descended to the Lower World, at the level of a newborn baby.
And because of that,
A black Goliath appeared at a fairly close distance on the 18th Floor, a floor where monsters were supposed not to spawn.
"...That's a first."
I had fought Goliath, one of the Monster Rex known as a Floor Boss or floor tyrant, several times before.
But a black Goliath was something I had never seen in my life.
"Trace on."
I set the projected magic sword onto the bowstring.
When I released the taut string, the magic sword shot toward the black Goliath, and—
"■■■■■■■!?"
the moment it struck, it exploded and tore a huge wound into it.
But the black Goliath regenerated as if it were nothing.
"Tough, huh?"
"Bellf-nii! Hurry and call the Loki Familia..."
"It's fine. I can handle this on my own."
"Huh!?"
"Trace on."
So what if it regenerated?
Nothing mattered before overwhelming firepower.
"Bell. Want to try using one too?"
"...Yes."
"Then come over here and take one."
Every magic sword I projected had been one I'd made with complete sincerity.
Caladbolg, Kazuki, Hien, Stella Ver. 5, Killer Queen.
"This should be enough."
Exactly ten seconds later,
the bombardment began.