The next day arrived swiftly.
This ti, the eting wasn’t held on the second floor of Hephaestus’s shop but directly at the base of the Hephaestus Familia.
With Hephaestus serving as the witness, it was a formal eting between the Loki Familia and the Hestia Familia.
Loki had co in person, bringing both her captain and vice-captain along.
On the Hestia Familia’s side, there was only Bell.
Hephaestus, as the neutral party, sat alone in the center between the two sides.
Though just a formality, Hephaestus found herself genuinely intrigued by the situation unfolding before her.
Because it was an official eting, Bell had foregone his usual trench coat, appearing just as he had during that dinner—without hiding anything, fully exposed before Loki and her two commanders.
Now, Finn and Riveria were seeing the white-haired boy across from them for the first ti.
’So young.’
Looking at his boyish face, Finn imdiately assud he hadn’t been an adventurer for long. Yet his instincts sensed sothing else.
’Not very strong—definitely just a Level 1.’
But Riveria frowned slightly as she observed him. Her nerves, finely attuned to elental fluctuations, kept alerting her that sothing about this young adventurer was off.
Even Lefiya Viridis, whom she had high hopes for within her own Familia, had never given her this kind of sensation.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible—sothing only soone with her heightened sensitivity could detect.
Everything about his presence scread Level 1, yet Riveria couldn’t shake the tension tightening her senses. Her instincts warned her: this boy was dangerous.
Bell noticed both Finn and Riveria’s reactions. Quietly, a single rune flickered to life in his hand, masking his aura even further.
’The feeling’s gone?’
Riveria blinked in disbelief and tried sensing him again. This ti, her finely tuned nerves registered nothing, as though her earlier reaction had been nothing more than an overreaction.
’Was I just being too sensitive?’
She wasn’t sure if she’d simply misjudged things—why else would her reaction have been so extre?
She checked again. And again.
Still nothing. Eventually, she convinced herself her nerves had been on edge.
Bell caught all of it—her reaction, her reassessnt—and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was thankful for both his quick response and his luck. If he’d hesitated, the abnormality in his presence would’ve been caught by one of Orario’s Nine Hell.
He also noticed that Finn hadn’t reacted excessively, suggesting his concealnt wasn’t sothing even a seasoned adventurer could easily pick up on.
That was a reassuring sign for Bell.
Loki, anwhile, hadn’t noticed the subtle exchange between adventurers. Her gaze remained fixed on Hestia’s child.
Under her stare, Bell gave a slight bow.
"I must thank you again, Loki-sama, for going to such lengths for this matter."
"And my gratitude also goes to Hephaestus-sama for allowing us to use her territory for this discussion."
"Since this transaction stems from my personal intention, I will be speaking on behalf of my Goddess from here."
Your personal intention?
You’re just trying to take all the responsibility off Hestia’s shoulders!
Loki couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
She glanced at the shorty sitting there with arms crossed, completely uninterested in speaking up, and all she could think was: ’So shaless.’
That shorty was just reaping the benefits.
Everything had been done by the shorty’s child, and now the child was cleaning up after her too, making it all a personal decision rather than a divine directive.
Such a considerate and competent child—Loki couldn’t help but want one of her own.
That thought left a faint sourness in her chest.
None of her own children were this thoughtful. Not one had ever tried to spare her from the burden of responsibility. Every ti, she was the one racking her brain to help them gain an advantage.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt a strange sense of disappointnt.
Damn it, the shorty didn’t lift a finger, and yet sohow she’d been completely outplayed.
Finn and Riveria exchanged a glance, both visibly surprised.
Bell didn’t waste ti and went straight to the point.
"Loki-sama, have you co to a decision about yesterday?"
"I doubt any god could turn down your offer."
Loki sighed with so frustration.
A child with "Level Boosting" magic... This brat was probably the first in Orario’s history to possess such an overpowered skill.
Now that she’d stumbled across him, how could she possibly turn him down?
Bell understood this too—it was the only outco.
"Then, Loki-sama, I’ll now state my condition."
"I want the Loki Familia to form an unbreakable alliance with our Hestia Familia."
"!?"
That condition!?
Finn and Riveria hadn’t seen that coming.
An unbreakable alliance? That would make the two Familias bound together in fate.
If one rose, so did the other. If one fell, both would suffer.
This wasn’t a casual partnership—it was a full-blown union.
Even Loki, who’d ntally prepared herself beforehand, couldn’t help but tense up.
’He really went for the throat.’
’Isn’t he just trying to get a free pass on years of blood, sweat, and tears from us?’
Finn’s expression darkened slightly. The cost was steep—maybe too steep.
"Hold on, that’s asking a bit too much."
But Bell continued, unfazed.
"Too much?"
"A talent with ’Level Boosting’ magic might never appear again. I don’t think that price is high at all."
"Captain Finn, you should know—those who awaken one exceptional magic often awaken others that are just as unique. So, do you really believe soone like that wouldn’t be an enormous asset to the Loki Familia?"
Finn inhaled sharply.
Because everything Bell said... made sense.
A special-type adventurer with that kind of magic would undoubtedly have extraordinary potential. The chance of them awakening more rare skills and spells in the future was high.
Faced with soone like that, any Familia would be tempted to gamble.
And though such a talent was already more than enough, ambition always craved more.
...
(60 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake
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