It was the second day since Dorothy had embarked on her mission. Aria, feeling uneasy and worried, approached the Guild receptionist after spending the entire morning waiting for Dorothy at a nearby bench. "Good day, do you have any news about Dorothy from her mission?" Aria asked, her anxiety evident in her voice. The receptionist looked at her and sensed her distress. "I understand your concern, Miss Alice, but I assure you, Dorothiel is one of our most skilled adventurers. Moreover, her party members are all silver-ranked, making them a formidable team. A C-rank mission should be a breeze for them," the receptionist tried to reassure Aria. "Why don't you take this opportunity to explore the town? I know Miss Dorothiel often frequents the weapon and armor shop just outside," she suggested, hoping it would distract Aria from her worries. Aria pondered the receptionist's words and decided to follow her advice. She expressed her gratitude to the receptionist and stepped outside to explore the town.

As Aria ventured out, the sun was high in the sky, and the streets were bustling with adventurers engrossed in their own quests and activities. Observing them, Aria couldn't help but think about how Idril and Ophelia were faring. She hadn't seen them since they parted ways at the exam room. A smile formed on her face as she imagined them safe and sound wherever they were. However, her reverie was interrupted as she arrived at the weapon and armor shop. Aria tried to recall the last time she had visited such a place. She remembered accompanying her comrades in the Hero's Party, which felt like a lifetime ago. Draco, the barbarian, was a regular visitor, always seeking repairs for his massive axe, which suffered from his rough handling. On the other hand, Arlan and the others rarely needed to visit, as they took great care of their weapons. As for Aria, she found herself frequenting the apothecary more often than the armor and weapons shop, as she didn't carry any weapons and only occasionally needed a tailor to mend her clothes when they were torn. In fact, she took pride in her ability to stitch and fix her own garments. Aria smiled at the thought as the chime of the shop's door signaled her entrance.

Aria was greeted by a young male elf at the counter, who politely asked, "Good day to you, young miss! What can I do for you?" Aria responded with a respectful bow and headed towards one of the displays, silently examining the wares. The elf watched her closely and engaged her in conversation, saying, "Say, I haven't seen a beauty like you before. Are you perhaps one of the new recruits?" Aria turned and looked at him, responding in a solemn tone, "Yes, I'm a new adventurer." She kept her answer short and direct, wary of revealing too much about herself. The elf examined Aria's features and noticed her Bronze rank necklace, realizing that she must be skilled to have achieved that rank in such a short time.

Aria knew she had to be cautious around people, as she wasn't exactly a free woman. Someone might recognize her and see through her disguise, as she was quite infamous, so to speak. Just as this thought crossed her mind, she suddenly froze as she stared at a wanted poster with her face plastered on it. "This is a bad idea," Aria thought, quickly trying to leave the establishment. However, the elf shopkeeper suddenly said, "Yeah, what a villainess, eh?" His eyes turned serious as he noticed Aria's reaction to the wanted poster. "That woman is responsible for the destruction of Cosmopolis. To think she used to be in the Hero's Party, what a shame," he continued, trying to stop Aria from walking away. Aria stood frozen at the door, listening to the elf. "What a waste too, I mean she's really pretty for a half-elf," the elf remarked. Aria panicked, realizing that it would be suspicious if she left now. Left with no choice, she turned around and faced him, avoiding his gaze. The elf shopkeeper squinted his eyes as he studied Aria's features. He looked at the wanted poster and then back at her. "Hmm, that's weird. You look..." he trailed off, but before he could finish his sentence, he was kicked on the leg by someone.

"What are you doing, Algar?! Are you trying to scare our customers? If you don't flirt, you scare them. What a useless apprentice! Go and stock those items upstairs!" Aria heard a coarse and crusty voice. "I'm sorry about that. Please don't hold it against him. He's just a curious lad, is all," an old dwarf apologized as the elf boy sulkingly dragged himself upstairs. The old dwarf stood on a stool beside the counter to face the terrified Aria. Looking at her, he noticed the glasses she wore. "That pair of glasses looks good on you, lassy," the old dwarf complimented Aria. Her nerves began to settle as she saw the old dwarf as kinder than the elf boy. "I see, so it was you," the old dwarf muttered to himself as he adjusted his eye loupe to get a good look at Aria. Aria was confused by his words, wondering if he knew her. "I'm sorry. Let me explain. A friend of my daughter commissioned the whole ensemble you're wearing right now from me a few weeks ago," the old dwarf explained. Aria's mood brightened as she heard this. "You know Doro-" she began, but before she could finish, the old dwarf interrupted, "Dorothea? Of course, she frequents the place." Aria was puzzled, questioning if she remembered her name wrong or if he was referring to another person. "Anyway, a friend of hers is welcome here. Are you related, perhaps? The name's Borris, by the way," the old dwarf introduced himself and gave Aria a genuine smile. "I'm Alice, pleased to meet you," Aria replied, giving a respectful bow to the old dwarf.

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A few hours earlier, Dorothy and her companions were running as demons and monsters began to appear in great numbers, chasing them as they tried to escape. Iris was leading the vanguard, guiding her companions to safety. She slashed and pierced through demons and monsters alike with great finesse, but after a few hours, fatigue began to show. One of the monsters nicked her shoulder, causing Iris to groan, but she retaliated by piercing the monster square in the head. "Are we there yet? Why do I get the feeling that we're running in circles?" Julia remarked, noticing the same old walls for a while now. Dorothy checked her satchel and found that her stamina potion was already depleted. "There!" Ruda shouted, pointing at the light at the end of the passageway. Julia sighed with relief, finally seeing an exit from the dungeon. Dorothy felt off; the surroundings didn't look like the place they had come through. As they got nearer, it was hard to see the area ahead due to the bright light. But they didn't have a choice since demons and monsters continued to hound them. Finally, they reached the end of the passageway, but their expectations and expressions changed as they discovered that it was not what they had hoped for.

They had reached a balcony. The area was huge, lit by blue torches, and the miasma didn't seem to enter the space. A statue of the goddess Lunaria was erected at the center. Something felt off about the statue; it wasn't exactly what the goddess Lunaria looked like, but they were eerily similar. Around the statue was a crowd of people, not demons. They were chanting in unison and were deeply focused. They were wearing red robes with the mark of the dark goddess, and there seemed to be about a hundred of them. Dorothy examined the statue at the center from the balcony. It looked similar to the goddess Lunaria with her hands cupping the holy fire, but instead of the holy fire, it was holding a black sphere of some sort. It was beating like a heart, and blood flowed from her hands like a viscous waterfall. Julia also noticed this as her eyes were fixed on the object. "The monsters... don't seem... to follow us here," Ruda exclaimed, hyperventilating after running for hours. Iris readied her spear at the entrance, prepared to fend off any demons or monsters that might pass.

"What is this?" Ruda asked as she saw the people below chanting. "These are the agents of the dark goddess," Julia responded, her eyes serious. "I know we are only here to survey, but if another event like the Blighted Town occurs again..." Julia made her case as she looked at Dorothy, waiting for her decision. "We need to stop them now," Iris, who seldom spoke, asserted as she looked at Dorothy with willful eyes. "We don't need to kill them all, just the leader," Julia stated, pointing at a lone agent leading the crowd. Dorothy looked at Iris and ordered, "Make it quick." Without a moment's notice, Iris held her spear up, aiming at the leader. She inhaled, and as she exhaled, she threw the spear with great force and precision, shooting it like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, the leader died, impaled by the spear. Ruda and Julia quietly celebrated as Iris hit her target, but an unexpected thing happened. When the leader died, another one took its place, continuing the chant uninterrupted and ignoring their fallen comrade. This scene sent chills down Ruda and Julia's spines. "We-we need to kill them all," Julia absentmindedly uttered to herself as the scene she witnessed was absurd. "This is not good," Dorothy remarked when she heard Julia's words and then prepared herself. "Let's go!" she ordered her companions as she jumped down from the balcony. Her companions followed suit.

Dorothy hurled a small ball towards the crowd, creating a green smoke in the area of impact. The agents started screaming as their skin melted due to the toxic smoke. Ruda deployed her portable ballista from a wooden box. She started shooting the agents with a chain of arrows, allowing her to shoot continuously until the chain depleted. Julia cast "Slow" on her targets, making it easier for Iris to dispatch the agents. Each time a leader died, another one took its place. But it would still take a while to finish them all off. Dorothy's eyes were fixed on the black sphere as it started to beat furiously. She shot the sphere with her mini crossbow, but the sphere seemed to be more durable as her bolts just bounced off it.

As the crowd of agents thinned, Julia noticed something on the floor - an irrigation of some sort. It became apparent when the blood from the agents flowed through it. Julia traced the irrigation to where it led. Her eyes sank as she realized what they had done. "Stop!" Julia shouted with all her might, but it was already too late as the last agent fell.

The room fell silent as all the agents were dead, and they all realized their mistake too late. Dorothy understood that their presence that day was not a coincidence; it was a meticulous plan, and they had all fallen for it. They could only watch as the last of the blood from the fallen agents flowed through the statue and into the sphere. The ground shook and the torches lit into green flames as the sphere began to take form. A scaly figure with horns morphed from the sphere. Its yellow eyes glowed as it gazed at Dorothy and her comrades. The humanoid-shaped being floated as it spread its bat-like wings. As the being finally completed its form, it revealed itself to be a man with horns, wings, and yellow eyes - a demon. "Who are you?!" Dorothy shouted at the being who gazed at them from above. The being responded with a sinister smile and said, "Balsathor".