"Come to think of it, is it really all right for me to be with you like this?"
"Hm...?"
I spoke to Riveria while watching Ais munch away on her Potato Balls.
"Even if Lord Loki vouched for me, that doesn't change the fact that I'm a suspicious character. Is it truly acceptable for you to let Ais travel with someone like me?"
On the day I visited the Loki Familia, it was implicitly proven that I wasn't an enemy. But that didn't mean I had been judged completely safe.
At best, I was a strange outsider who had appeared out of nowhere. Worse, my power far exceeded that of an ordinary adventurer. Wasn't it reckless to let me accompany Ais, who was only Level 1?
"Hm. It's a little awkward to say this to your face, but you aren't wrong. Loki said it was fine, but even with a god's intuition, one cannot trust blindly. And Ais is still a child; she requires especially careful supervision."
Riveria hesitated for a moment before voicing her honest feelings. I supposed that kind of unvarnished bluntness was her own way of showing sincerity.
"But that doesn't mean I intend to stifle the girl's growth. If I spent my time worrying about every possible 'what-if,' I'd never have been able to become an adventurer."
"Even so..."
"Well, of course, I suspect there is a bit of selfishness involved. Loki seems to be planning to either recruit you into our Familia, or at least steer you in a direction that benefits us if that fails."
"Me, into the Loki Familia?"
It was surprising, yet not surprising at all. In the original timeline, after I reached Level 2, I had received quite a few invitations from other Familias.
Most of that was because I had become a Record Holder, though. Thinking back to how every god except my own had shut the door in my face, it left a rather strange taste in my mouth.
A god's intuition is usually correct. It isn't common for them to flip their attitude so drastically. In that sense, perhaps my previous experience had been the rarity.
"From what I hear, they believe your level is quite high. And since they've concluded your character is decent, Finn seems to be considering the idea positively as well."
"Well, that's... should I say thank you, or what...?"
A Familia, huh... As someone who once admired them, it was certainly an honorable offer, but...
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of switching sides..."
It was a flattering offer, but that didn't mean I would accept it.
I wanted to remain part of the Hestia Familia until the day I died.
"Hm. Loki probably said the same thing. Finn likely only viewed it as a welcome should you choose to come, not something he actually expected."
"...I see."
Oh no, had I been getting ahead of myself? How embarrassing.
"Still, Ais seems to be quite attached to you. So if possible, I'd appreciate it if you would look after her."
"Ah, ahaha."
Finding myself speechless, I awkwardly scratched my head with my one hand.
Riveria gave me a slight sidelong glance, then...
"...And I don't exactly think poorly of you either."
She muttered the words in a very small voice.
"I'm back."
"We're home."
"Oh my. Welcome back."
"Welcome home."
Upon returning to the Loki Familia headquarters, Riveria and Ais were greeted by Loki and Finn.
"Well now, the two of you are together. Were you waiting for us?"
Riveria looked a little surprised to see Finn and Loki waiting together.
The captain, Finn, and their goddess, Loki, were two of the busiest people in the Familia. For both of them—no, for one high-ranking adventurer and one deity—to be waiting to welcome her back was unusual.
"We were waiting. We had a small matter to discuss."
"I was waiting too! I wanted to try a 'newlywed three-way choice' for once!"
"A newlywed three-way choice?"
Ais tilted her head at the unfamiliar term. Riveria's head throbbed at the goddess's usual nonsense. She didn't know what this so-called "newlywed three-way choice" was, but it was undoubtedly some trivial divine amusement.
"Trivial?! A newlywed three-way choice is the height of romance!"
"So what is it?"
"A newlywed three-way choice means me and Ais eating, bathing, and doing heh-heh things together!"
"[Tempest]"
"Gyaaaah?!"
So it really was nonsense. Riveria sighed and ignored the child who was attempting to murder their deity, then turned toward the Pallum hero.
"So, putting Loki aside, why were you waiting for me as well?"
"Haha, to be exact, I was waiting for Ais more than for you, Riveria."
At those unexpected words, Riveria's brow furrowed.
"For Ais?"
It was a little late for her to be back, but not especially so compared to her usual schedule.
And even knowing that she was with this Vesta person, he had still been waiting for Ais...
"...You wouldn't be worrying for no reason. Did something happen?"
"It's not that something happened... perhaps it's more accurate to say something *might* happen?"
"...?"
Riveria's face filled with confusion at the cryptic answer.
Finn silently turned his gaze away, watching the noisy play between the goddess and the child.
"But Ais, you seem to be in a good mood today. Did you eat something tasty?"
"Yes."
"That's unfair! What did you eat to make Ais so happy? I'll buy it for you too, so tell me!"
"Red Bean Cream Potato Balls."
"...Are those really tasty?"
"...Blasphemy. Die."
"I'm a god, you know?!"
Watching the banter between the child and the goddess, Finn laughed in good spirits. But soon, a shadow fell over his face.
"What is it? Tell me what the problem is."
"It's Evilus. They've been unusually quiet lately."
"Isn't it a good thing if they're quiet?"
Evilus having quiet periods was nothing new. Of course, there had been a few times when such silence was followed by major incidents, but those had always been suppressed in the end thanks to the Zeus and Hera Familias.
"Yes, that's true. Normally, that would be the case. *Normally*."
"So you're saying it's different now?"
"Not now. Later."
Finn turned his head and looked out the window. Beyond it, the towering home of the Hera Familia was visible.
"The Three Great Quests are about to begin. The Zeus and Hera Familias, of course, but plenty of first-class adventurers from other Familias will be dragged along too. Our Familia won't be an exception. I hear the people from Egypt were also recruited after losing in the last conflict."
"I see. But what does that..."
"What if there are those who invade Orario on that day?"
"...!"
"What if Evilus strikes the moment Orario's main force has been pulled away? Of course, the Guild isn't stupid; they'll leave some adventurers behind, but there's no doubt they won't be at full strength. Since it's the moment humanity's long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled, they'll focus all their power on the quest."
The Zeus and Hera Familias didn't realize it. An overwhelmingly strong person can sometimes fail to understand the position of the weak.
Except for the Pallum hero, who had been weak from birth.
"To them, Evilus may be nothing but small fry, but not to the majority. If Evilus were to launch an invasion while most of the manpower is gone, it would be nothing short of a disaster."
"Th-then what about asking the Guild to strike Evilus first...?"
"Impossible. They wouldn't do something so foolish as to deplete their strength at a time like this. Evilus pops up out of nowhere in the Dungeon; no one knows where they're hiding."
"Then leaving some of the main force behind..."
"And attempt the Three Great Quests with several of our main fighters missing?"
"..."
There was no way that would be possible. Riveria bit her lip as the realization hit her.
"Ais will stay in Orario that day. She's not at the level to get involved in something like this yet. Naturally, Evilus will be aiming for that moment."
Evilus wouldn't attack Orario while the Three Great Quests were underway. If they did, they'd end up in a full-scale battle with the adventurers returning from the quests.
The reason they'd survived until now wasn't simply because they hid well, but because they never crossed the line and never touched the reverse scale of the Zeus and Hera Familias.
If it became a true all-out war, they'd be wiped out in an instant.
However, kidnapping one girl who had entered the Dungeon would be a different matter.
"They're strangely fixated on Ais. The reason... well, I have a rough idea."
"Ais's bloodline... perhaps."
"I don't know how much they know. Maybe there's another reason. But that isn't what matters right now."
Finn turned his head again to look at Loki and Ais.
Ais was kicking Loki's leg, and Loki was laughing happily even as she flailed helplessly.
Seeing Ais's emotions becoming richer lately brought a faint smile to Finn's lips as well.
But that smile soon shifted into a troubled expression.
"At that time, we won't be able to protect Ais. And we can't exactly take her along on the quest either."
"Leaving her with Noar and the others...?"
"That'd be difficult, right? They can't look after Ais alone. In fact, they'll be busy enough with their own duties; it would be a problem to make them care for Ais as well."
By experience alone, Noar, Dain, and Bara were all seniors to them.
But precisely because of that, they would have to lead the Familia in the others' absence, meaning they couldn't be tasked with babysitting Ais.
"So, Riveria."
"Speak."
"That man, Vesta. How much can you trust him, in your opinion?"
At that moment, in the basement of the church...
"I have descended."
While I was in the middle of eating the Potato Balls I'd brought with me, I saw an elderly god suddenly appear. I choked so badly that I couldn't stop coughing.
He had a sturdy build and the face of a kindly old man.
And yet, there was a divinity that could not be hidden by appearance alone. I knew this old god's name.
"You unpleasant fellow. What kind of nonsense is it to cough in the face of a god?"
"Th-there..."
I couldn't get the words out in my sudden panic.
*No, why is a grandpa here...?*