Around noon, Loki did something she'd rarely done in the past half year—she stepped out alone. The spies who'd been watching the Loki Familia sprang into action, and the news quickly reached the ears of the gods who'd ordered the surveillance.
"Loki went out by herself?" Hermes was surprised. She hadn't gone out in half a year—why now?
"Lord Hermes, I think Lady Loki is going to see Lady Hephaestus," Asfi reminded him.
"The Joint Expedition, hm? Right, it's about that time," Hermes said, finally catching on.
This expedition was practically spearheaded by the Loki Familia, pulling the Hephaestus Familia and Astraea Familia along with them, their objective naturally being the Unknown Floors.
"This time, they might really push deeper," he mused. "Hephaestus just picked up a gifted rookie, and Loki has that super rookie who can control puppets and manipulate space. The Loki Familia won't stop just because the Dungeon kicks up a fuss. They'll bring back good news for Orario."
A rare spark of interest flashed in Hermes' eyes—then turned into regret. "It's a pity I can't see it with my own eyes."
"Lord Hermes, I don't think any god can," Asfi said. "The Dungeon hates the gods. Any intrusion triggers its maximum defensive response."
"Ah, what a pity, a pity," Hermes sighed, though the playful smile on his face never faded. "Asfi, how long do you think Loki plans to hide her child?"
"Lord Hermes, if your Familia had a child whose potential might rival the ones from three years ago, would you casually present them to all the gods?"
"You're joking! I'd hide them to the grave."
At that, Hermes' expression flipped a clean one-eighty. "My child needs only my guidance. Why let anyone else lay a hand on them?"
Asfi nodded as if that were only natural. "Then I imagine Lady Loki and Lady Hephaestus feel exactly the same."
Hermes paused, then slipped back into his usual smile. "True enough. No one wants their child dyed by someone else's colors. In Orario, rookies die fast. If you don't protect them, even the most talented don't last long.
"Still, hiding them forever isn't realistic." In a city riddled with eyes and ears, how could you hide a child to the bitter end—and expect them to grow?
A flicker of doubt crossed Hermes' eyes. "It's been nearly half a year. How has Loki kept a child like that hidden? Isn't she worried about the kid's future?"
"Lord Hermes, the simplest answer is that the rookie uses his own ability—controls a puppet to slip out quietly. The same tactic used when dealing with Soma," Asfi said.
"That could work," Hermes admitted. "But the Dungeon isn't anyone's private playground. Adventurers go in and out every day. Even if there's plenty of space, it's not like you'll never bump into anyone. And even with those methods, you can't hide all traces."
"Asfi, if you wore Hades' Helm, could you stay hidden in the Dungeon all the time?"
"…" Asfi thought it over, then shook her head. "I couldn't. The Helm can erase my figure, but only for a limited time. It doesn't hide my scent. Some monsters track by smell—vanish or not, they'll chase me."
"In the broader middle floors—especially lower middle—I could avoid being seen," she added. "But a brand-new adventurer can't manage that."
"That's why I want to know what Loki's thinking," Hermes said. "Or else that rookie's power isn't just puppets and space. There's a good chance his personal growth is exceptional."
Asfi fell silent at the bold guess. A super rookie who commanded "space" and possessed extraordinary personal growth? It sounded like a bad joke.
"Lord Hermes, even if your guess is possible, have you ever met such a person?"
That shut Hermes up. There was no precedent in Orario. Even the ones the gods called "genius monsters" had limits—chronic ailments, fatal flaws. Every era's great adventurers carried some "defect," as if the world itself rejected the truly "flawless," dealing tragedy as the cost of talent.
Loki arrived alone at the Hephaestus Familia's premises.
"Hephaestus, I'm here to see you," she called, and, without waiting for an escort, headed straight for Hephaestus' room. It wasn't her first time—she'd often stepped through Tsunayoshi's spatial door into this very chamber.
She threw the door open without trying to be quiet.
No response.
Loki sharpened her focus and saw Hephaestus with her chin propped in both hands, eyes unfixed on reality—gazing not at the room, but at a scene inside her imagination. A faint smile hung on that absorbed face, strangely out of place—yet instantly, Loki understood what had put her in that state.
(End of Chapter)
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