Ruffling Tsunayoshi's hair, Loki didn't deny that the "perfect route" he knew held useful warnings. At the very least, many details from that line were cautionary.
This kid really is too honest, Loki thought with a sigh.
She glanced at Finn, Gareth, and Riveria behind him. The three looked a little dazed—the info bomb had been a lot to take in.
Loki studied the book's cover again, especially the tiny goddess on it, and felt… complicated.
"The only thing that really annoys me is that that little shrimp ended up as the heroine. Tch. That shut-in slob upstairs who does nothing but read somehow became the female lead."
Loki knew exactly what kind of lazy shut-in Hestia was. She could hardly imagine that homebody finding a child who would follow her down here. The bizarre part was—one did.
A tale of a boy, starry-eyed about 'encounters in the dungeon,' becoming a hero. Loki's gaze shifted to the other figure on the cover—the white-haired boy. With a face that naive, how did he even survive in Orario, a man-eating labyrinth city? She was genuinely curious.
"Tsunayoshi, who is this kid? In all my years of reading Orario, a bright-eyed dreamer who comes here for 'encounters' almost never ends well."
"His name is Bell Cranel. His parents aren't particularly famous, but his aunt certainly is. During the Great War three years ago, the one who plunged Orario into chaos—'Silence,' Alfia."
"…Hah!?"
So Zeus and Hera's leftovers, then? Loki connected the dots in a flash. She recalled how the gods called Alfia a 'talent monster.' Things clicked—this wasn't just a pedigree; it was a talent benchmark.
Deep background, deep identity. Of course. Loki suddenly understood how Bell could live safely in Orario—this had probably been arranged.
"A descendant of the Zeus and Hera familias, huh? No wonder the kid could stay safe. I'd bet his coming here was arranged by Zeus and Hera together. Even if we and Freya ran them out of Orario, their standing among the gods could still cover the boy."
"Beyond background, there's identity. If 'Silence' is his aunt, then the talent needed to be a hero is probably the very top tier."
A child with status, backing, and talent—Zeus and Hera really delivered a treasure to Orario, didn't they? Loki struggled to imagine the exact mechanics of how they'd sent him. Because they were expelled? Or did they stake everything on him? She couldn't be sure.
"Tsunayoshi, how much of that route do you remember?"
"Not much. The first time I saw the story was a long time ago. I remember key people and big events, but not all the specifics."
"What about the boy's talent?"
"Mm… He became a First-Tier adventurer in under a year. Every stat broke past the 999 standard. His first Skill was the key to his growth—'Single-Minded Aspiration.' The stronger his yearning, the more extraordinary his stat gains in training."
"Besides accelerated growth, it lets stats break their ceilings—and grants immunity to 'Charm.'"
"…That Skill is pretty over-tuned."
Loki's cheek twitched. Compared strictly to Tsunayoshi's gift it still fell short, but acceleration, cap-break, and charm immunity—all in one Skill—was excessive.
"Wait—'Charm' immunity?"
Suspiciously tailor-made for a certain someone. Loki couldn't help thinking of a few old acquaintances in Orario. She ventured a probe:
"Does this involve Freya?"
"Mm. You guessed right. He's the soulmate Freya has been looking for."
Goodness gracious. Loki almost said it out loud. That alone made Hestia and Freya natural enemies.
"Love goddess versus virgin goddess… That crazy woman Freya wouldn't back down easily, would she?"
"She used 'Charm' on the whole city and rewrote everyone's memories so they all 'remembered' Bell Cranel as a member of the Freya Familia."
"She really is insane."
Using divine power in the lower world to rewrite the memories of all Orario? Loki could already picture the fallout. If Ouranos didn't expel that lunatic, Loki would cut off her own head.
"The result was that the parties involved gathered allies and fought a War Game against the Freya Familia. I don't remember the details, but Freya's side lost."
"And Freya's fate?"
"She became Hestia's subordinate deity. She wasn't expelled from Orario, and the Freya Familia wasn't completely dissolved. Most core members were re-registered under the Hestia Familia."
"Good grief… Freya trips, the little shrimp feasts!"
Loki's eyes widened. Cause a city-wide uproar like that and not get expelled, and the familia even stays mostly intact? That was lifting the blade high and letting it fall gently.
Freya becoming Hestia's subordinate… Other than some autonomy, she'd lost all real authority. A total defeat. Loki struggled to picture that outcome.
"Choosing a War Game was her arrogance. She must've thought she could formalize the theft and win outright. And then she botched it."
Loki chuckled, let the topic drop, then suddenly scooped Tsunayoshi into an eager hug.
"Aiya~ I've got Tsunayoshi now. No way I'm jealous of that little shrimp."
(End of Chapter)
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