"...."
Watching the entire scene of the "Vouivre's upbringing," Loki could only sigh.
'That kid's seriously messed up.'
Even if the methods were sound, Loki still felt something was very wrong with him. Judging by the way he taught by example, it looked like he intended to pass that sickness on to others—pure trouble.
Loki figured the Vouivre was doomed. Spending too much time with that kid and learning from him would definitely warp her thinking.
In that sense, Finn's earlier judgment had been spot-on.
If Loki Familia ever really went to war with that kid, the only possible outcome would be their annihilation.
He had too many tricks up his sleeve.
And he was growing far too fast. The best time to have dealt with him would've been back when he was still at Lv.1 and hadn't really started developing.
But who could've known back then?
So now, Loki was filled with regret.
And at the same time, relief.
Sure, she'd taken a hit financially, and she couldn't act all high and mighty in front of the shorty anymore. No more mocking her like in the old days.
But that was still better than ending up on the opposite side of him.
Then Loki noticed something else.
"Shorty, that kid seems to trust those special children more than he trusts adventurers."
Hestia didn't have bad eyesight—she could clearly see that Bell gave more care and attention to that special child than to anyone else.
"I think it's because Bell-kun sees them as purehearted, not as complicated as adventurers."
There was a clear implication in Hestia's words.
Loki, shameless as ever, had no trouble picking up on it—Hestia was clearly talking about her children.
"So what you're saying is, that kid prefers to be around simple-minded people?"
It actually made sense. His actions did line up with that logic.
But staring at the shorty now, Loki couldn't help but feel a major sense of doubt.
"Then how the hell did he end up with someone like you?"
"..."
Hestia froze for a second, and when the meaning hit her, she shot up from the sofa.
"Are you saying I'm not purehearted!?"
Hephaestus looked at Hestia in surprise, then awkwardly looked away, clearly flustered. Loki, on the other hand, stared at the shorty clinging to her neck with outright disdain and let out a mocking laugh.
"You think you're pure? You really think being called the 'Virgin Goddess' in Tenkai actually means you're pure?"
"You think I can't see the meat-eater hiding underneath all that?"
"You..."
How did you know!?
Seeing the shock on the shorty's face as it flushed completely red, Loki smirked inwardly.
She knew it.
This little one was totally a closet carnivore.
"Tch! I knew it—you've always had that secretly thirsty vibe. Total carnivore."
Loki wore a smug grin, completely confident in her judgment.
"Athena and Artemis are the same. Those two are carnivores just like you. They just don't care about being called 'virgin goddesses' because none of the warped Tenkai weirdos are their type anyway."
Loki knew the goddesses of Tenkai all too well.
She always enjoyed messing around and treating other gods like toys, but when it came to goddesses, she usually kept her distance—except for that trashy Ishtar.
She wasn't exactly close with most of them, but she wasn't hostile either. They were at least on speaking terms.
Which was why she knew plenty about what went on among the goddesses.
"I knew it. You closet pervs are all cut from the same cloth."
Loki curled her lip, not bothering to comment further on the shorty's hidden nature.
There were plenty of goddesses like her in Tenkai—bookish on the outside, but on the inside? 'Empty,' 'lonely,' and 'cold.'
"Seriously though, how did someone like you with such impure thoughts attract that kid?"
That question genuinely puzzled Loki, and she furrowed her brows in thought.
She couldn't figure out what made the shorty so special compared to herself.
Maybe that kid had chosen a weaker Familia in the beginning because it was the smart move... but still, why her?
Yeah...
Hestia also felt something was off. From what she knew about Bell, he wasn't the type to trust people easily.
Even when choosing a Familia, his first choice had actually been Hephaestus.
Thinking that, Hestia instinctively hugged her chest.
Then the realization hit her.
She turned to glance at Hephaestus—similar size to hers.
Then she looked over at Loki's "Wall of Sighs."
Instantly, Hestia's expression lit up with pride.
"Ahem~ Isn't it obvious why Bell-kun picked me?"
"Hah?"
Loki looked up in confusion, only to see the shorty smugly hugging her ample "human heart" with both arms.
Loki glanced down at her own and, filled with irritation, spat out a single word.
"Shit!"
...
Meanwhile, the dungeon assault team had reached the 28th floor.
Finn scanned the surroundings carefully. Once he confirmed no one else was coming from the other side, he ordered the group to set up camp and rest.
"Keep watch on the area. Even though the 28th floor is a Safe Zone and monster spawns are reduced, it doesn't mean they won't appear at all."
"Assign guards for lookout duty. The rest of you, take a break here."
They had come all the way from the 18th floor in a single day and even encountered a "monster feast." The adventurers who had been in the fight were totally drained, and at the word "rest," most of them dropped straight to the ground.
Camp setup began, handled by those who hadn't participated in combat.
Everyone was exhausted, so it was better to let the battle-worn adventurers recover while others handled the lighter tasks. Most of the monsters on the 18th and 28th floors had been cleared, so the second team would have an easier time catching up.
Finn didn't believe there would be zero monsters, but Raul and Gareth could easily handle whatever might appear.
Besides, Tsubaki and her crew weren't ordinary smiths. A good number of them were Lv.2s—perfectly capable of jumping into a fight if needed.
Which meant Team One only had to focus on their own tasks.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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