Chapter 11: Soma Familia and Divine Wine
"You... What nonsense are you spouting!"
The red-haired woman had suddenly exposed their identities, turning the faces of the troublemaking adventurers green with panic.
They spoke up angrily, trying to figure out who was interfering with them.
But when they turned around and saw who it was, their expressions turned ashen.
"L-Lady Loki? And the Sword Princess?!"
The adventurers from the Soma Familia immediately realized they had messed with the wrong people. After all, the goddess and girl standing before them were two of the most renowned figures in Orario, the Labyrinth City.
The red-haired goddess was none other than Loki, creator of the Loki Familia, one of the two strongest familias in the city.
Under her leadership, the Loki Familia had gathered an impressive number of powerful members and had led several expeditions into the Dungeon. They had already conquered levels beyond the 50th floor, earning their reputation as a truly elite familia.
In comparison, the Soma Familia was practically at the bottom of the hierarchy — no better than street trash.
Then there was the blonde girl standing beside Loki — not someone to be underestimated either.
She was the greatest genius of the current age in the entire city, the pride of the Loki Familia, known by the title "Sword Princess", real name: Ais Wallenstein.
She had reached Level 5 at the tender age of sixteen — a level of talent not seen in over a century.
Ais's combat ability was said to be beyond imagination. Rumor had it she could defeat all the dungeon bosses from the first 30 floors by herself.
At the sight of Ais, the Soma Familia members instinctively trembled in fear and could barely stand up straight.
"So? Did I say anything wrong?"
Loki smiled, eyes narrowed, as she looked at the Soma Familia adventurers.
They dared not offend her but also didn't want to give up on attacking Shirou's food stall. So they tried to shift the topic: "Lady Loki, that's not what we meant. We just wanted to warn you and the Sword Princess that this food stall has a problem — there are bugs in the food. We thought it best if you didn't eat here."
"Huh? Bugs in the food?"
Loki feigned curiosity and turned toward the stall. She instantly spotted Takemikazuchi and Hestia and let out a mocking smile.
"Leaving that idiot Hestia aside, Takemikazuchi is famous across the heavens for his integrity. And you're accusing him of selling tainted food?"
"This..."
Loki continued, tone still calm but sharp as a blade:
"I'll be blunt — your Soma Familia has been stirring up too much trouble in Orario lately.
The Guild has already called you out. If you don't stop with these dirty tricks soon, I can't promise someone won't take action against you."
Although Loki spoke softly, her attitude was anything but gentle. A palpable pressure emanated from her.
The Soma Familia adventurers wanted to say more, but then they noticed the blonde Sword Princess placing her hand on her sword's hilt.
"Snap!"
The sword wasn't even drawn, but a cutting sword aura suddenly swept through the entire street. Everyone present felt a chilling sense of lethal intent.
Faced with this terrifying killing intent, the Soma Familia members dropped to their knees on the spot in fear.
They begged for mercy and fled in complete panic.
Once the crowd realized these troublemakers were from the Soma Familia, all earlier suspicions vanished. Everyone now believed the food stall was innocent and that the Soma Familia was deliberately causing trouble.
That alone showed just how bad the Soma Familia's reputation was in Orario.
"Hey! Loki, you damn woman — what do you mean 'leaving that idiot Hestia aside'?! My reputation's just fine, thank you very much!"
Hestia, seemingly an old rival of Loki, began bickering the moment they saw each other.
Loki was unimpressed and responded with a cold sneer: "Reputation? Weren't you the one kicked out of Hephaestus's Familia for piling up debts? There are plenty of lazy gods in the lower world, but one as hopeless as you is rarer than a panda!"
"You... I..."
Hestia was left speechless and just squatted in a corner, sulking with arms crossed.
Loki glanced at Hestia hugging her ample chest, then glanced at her own flat chest, and inexplicably got a little depressed herself.
While the two goddesses argued, Shirou turned to Loki and Ais: "Thank you both for helping me deal with those adventurers just now."
"It's nothing. No one likes those Soma Familia guys anyway."
Loki replied offhandedly.
Ais remained silent the whole time, without so much as a change in expression.
Shirou was curious about that sword aura Ais had released earlier but didn't ask directly. Instead, he continued the conversation about the Soma Familia to figure out why they were so despised.
Loki, now in the mood to chat, explained:
The Soma Familia was a Familia in Orario led by the god Soma, who was obsessed with crafting the perfect wine.
After descending to the lower world, Soma dedicated himself to brewing the ultimate divine wine. To better support this goal, he formed a Familia.
At first, the Soma Familia was no different from any other, mainly focused on dungeon exploration.
But at some point, things began to change.
Soma succeeded in brewing an unparalleled divine wine — so divine it felt like it didn't belong in the mortal world. Anyone who drank it would fall into a state of blissful euphoria, lost in a beautiful illusion.
Though the wine wasn't physically addictive, its effects were so pleasurable that anyone who had tasted it was willing to do anything to experience it again.
Members of the Soma Familia became the wine's greatest victims. To get even a single sip, they would resort to any means — even criminal acts.
When the Guild discovered that most of the recent crimes in Orario were tied to Soma Familia members, their reputation completely tanked.
That's why public opinion turned so quickly after Loki exposed them.
"Divine wine... that can make people addicted?"
After hearing Loki's explanation, Shirou finally understood the situation.
But he still didn't get why those wine-addicted maniacs were messing with his food stall.
While Shirou was deep in thought, Loki grabbed Ais and forced her to sit down. She waved to Takemikazuchi and said:
"Hey! I heard the fried rice here is legendary — even the gods rave about it. We came all this way just to try it!"
"I'm not interested in fried rice..."
Ais replied coldly, her voice distant. She stood silently at Loki's side, playing the role of quiet bodyguard.