Three minutes later, a cloaked, hooded figure slipped out of the Loki Familia's Twilight Manor. It was still early; almost no one on the street noticed him. He made no sound at all and drifted into the morning mist like a ghost.
Only Loki, leaning on the windowsill, noticed.
"Even more cautious than I imagined."
Honest—but well aware of Orario's dangers. Loki found herself far less worried that Sawada Tsunayoshi would get pushed around.
Once Tsunayoshi vanished from sight, she drew her body back inside and glanced at the two people in the room.
"Gareth, Riveria, don't you feel like someone's missing?"
"Hm? Missing who?"
Riveria looked baffled. She scanned the room carefully and confirmed it was only her, Gareth, and Loki.
"Mm… it does feel like something's missing," Gareth muttered, stroking the beard on his chin, just as confused.
"Hah~ The little trinket Tsunayoshi made is far more useful than I expected. His presence… it's like it even thins out the memory people have of him."
Loki sighed. Seeing that Riveria and Gareth still weren't catching on, she gave them a hint.
"Finn."
"!"
Their thoughts stumbled for a beat. Then the image of Finn standing here just moments ago reassembled itself in their minds.
"It was that medal just now!"
"Dropping one's presence to the absolute minimum. I didn't expect an ability that functions almost like hypnosis."
Thinking back, Finn had vanished right before their eyes, and they hadn't sensed anything amiss. It really was like his presence had simply been erased.
"This isn't hypnosis," Loki said, seeing through it at a glance. "It's an ability that conceals a person's information. Temporarily hides the key bits, so under specific conditions you forget everything about that person. Something like being 'spirited away.' Hehe~ From that angle, Tsunayoshi's ability can exert power beyond imagination."
"But precisely because his ability is so overtuned, I'm a little worried whether the child's personal growth will be forcibly constrained."
Obviously, Tsunayoshi's gift lay squarely in his abilities. And children who are too outstanding in that area often find their personal growth limited. That was Loki's worry—she needed to understand Tsunayoshi's development vector as early as possible. It would determine the path ahead.
"Of course, if Tsunayoshi also shows extraordinary growth in physical ability on top of his talents, then we really have a headache. We'd have to push him toward more well-rounded growth, and that would inevitably stretch out his development time."
Riveria and Gareth exchanged a glance. Riveria spoke first.
"Loki, you're acting like a nagging mom today. Aren't you the one who always calls me that?"
"That's because your personalities, traits, and strengths are all so distinct that I never have to worry about your growth. Tsunayoshi's situation is entirely different. He has a far broader space to grow. If he's also gifted in personal development, we'll need to spend much more effort on him—and he'll need more time to learn."
Loki didn't bother to hide how much more she valued Tsunayoshi. Then a mischievous look crept onto her face.
"Aiya~ Riveria, are you jealous? Do you want more of my attention? If it's you, that's fine too~"
She'd turned into a lecherous old man again. Riveria sighed. She knew this was Loki's way of changing the subject—she clearly didn't want to continue down this line.
"Loki, isn't it too soon to have Finn take the kid into the Dungeon?" Gareth asked, still uneasy. If it were someone hard-headed like Bete, Gareth would insist on more Dungeon trips when he was young—preferably letting the monsters beat the arrogance out of him. But Tsunayoshi didn't look like that type at all.
"Ah, that." Loki waved it off. "I don't object to Tsunayoshi wanting to grow quickly. In that, he and Ais are completely different. Ais is better at forcing herself than at growing stronger, but Tsunayoshi doesn't have that problem. He's much calmer and better at reading the situation."
"When Ais runs into obstacles, she wants to blow everything in front of her away—just like her magic. She's a wind you can't pin down. Tsunayoshi is different—he can judge danger better, as if he has a built-in crisis sense."
Loki recalled Tsunayoshi's assessment of danger at the bathroom yesterday.
"At the bathroom door, you were all hidden very well, and he still noticed. I know his reactions came from instinct, but his ability to gauge danger comes not only from his head; he reads the present state, too."
"Does Ais have that? Not before—and even now, does she?"
No. Riveria shook her head with a helpless smile.
Everyone in the Familia knew Ais's reckless streak. When something happened, her first reaction wasn't to think but to grab her weapon and charge, with no concern for whether she could actually win.
Loki savored the rare expression on Riveria's face. In the entire Familia, only disobedient Ais could bring it out of her. Looking after a little bear like that took so much effort—another reason Loki cherished the obedient Tsunayoshi.
"Riveria, Gareth, start prepping this Dungeon expedition," Loki said. "Get Tsunayoshi's share ready first."
"This fast?" Gareth's brows knit tight.
"The kid's only just become an adventurer, and you want to put him on an expedition roster? Loki, I can't agree to that easily."
"It's fine. I wasn't planning to let him take part in the next few expeditions. You're worried it's too early; I'm also worried about unexpected accidents if he joins the raid. So I only suggest using his ability to help you push deeper."
Loki had never intended to throw Tsunayoshi directly into an expedition this early. She only wanted him to broaden his horizons in the Dungeon—and, while he was at it, use his ability to provide the greatest possible support to the team.
(End of Chapter)
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