Lili froze in place, her emotions too complex to describe.
Her gaze bypassed Loki and landed on Zephyr, who was standing not far from the sofa. The smile on his face had remained warm from beginning to end. He didn't say a word but it felt as though he had said everything.
Lili nodded.
When she looked at Loki, her face carried a hint of seriousness. "Yes, I will, Loki-sama."
"Good." Loki waved her hand.
"Lefiya will be back soon too. Once the person from the Guild arrives and finishes registering the files, it'll be completely sorted out."
With that, she continued to sprawl on the sofa.
Remembering something, she turned her gaze back to Zephyr and Lili, asking, "By the way, where are you two living right now?"
"The Communal Dormitory. It's in an alley behind the Pantheon. The rent is 30,000 valis per month, which is quite reasonable for us at this stage."
"Oh?" I know that place, the environment isn't exactly great."
After a moment of thought, Loki proposed, "There are empty rooms at the Familia headquarters. If you don't mind, you can move in. The environment is many times better than the Communal Dormitory. Meals included, housekeeping provided, and you get your own private bathroom. But the key point is, it's free."
Zephyr and Lili exchanged glances, their eyes filled with the same astonishment. This kind of thing was unthinkable in the Soma Familia.
Free?
Loki seemed to catch their confusion, but instead of explaining, she continued, "As for the compensation, well... you'll get 100,000 valis in pocket money every month. If you join the Familia on expeditions, you'll get extra rewards for killing monsters after it's over, distributed based on contribution. It all depends on your own ability."
"?!"
Zephyr had initially thought a Familia was just like a company from his previous life—a place to hang your hat, exchange resources, and get some protection.
Now it seemed that the benefits provided by a top-tier Familia went far beyond the scope of a company—how the hell was this any different from a family?
Thinking back to the terrible environment of the Soma Familia and comparing it to the benefits Loki was offering, the two were simply incomparable.
Zephyr had no reason to refuse. "No problem, we'll move our luggage over later."
"Mm-hmm." Loki smiled with her eyes narrowed.
She was very satisfied with Zephyr's reaction. The fact that the children of her Familia could find a sense of belonging was far more important than anything else.
Just as she was about to add a few more details, a knock sounded.
Lefiya's voice came from outside the door. "Loki-sama, Eina-san and I are back."
"Come in."
—
Half an hour ago, Guild.
The Pantheon was bustling. Although it was approaching noon, the figures of Adventurers had already packed the counters tightly.
Lefiya pushed through the crowd, heading toward the consultation counter in the corner. Her target was the half-elf girl sitting behind the consultation counter, organizing the day's files.
Eina looked up and saw Lefiya walking toward her.
"Lefiya."
She put down the pen in her hand and asked, "Are you getting used to things in the Loki Familia lately?"
"I am." Lefiya stood still in front of the counter, her face bearing a shy smile. "There isn't that particularly serious atmosphere, and Loki-sama takes good care of me."
"That's good." Eina breathed a sigh of relief.
Lefiya had processed her transfer through her, and she was certainly happy that the girl could adapt quickly to the Loki Familia.
What's more, she still had that connection with the Loki Familia.
She paused for a moment, then asked, "So, is there something you needed?"
Lefiya nodded. "Yes. It was Loki-sama who asked me to come find you. There are Adventurers in the Familia who need to process a transfer, and Loki-sama said she hopes you can make a trip to the Familia headquarters to register it."
"?"
Eina's expression was somewhat surprised. But knowing Lefiya's character, she absolutely would not lie about such things, nor did she have any reason to use a god's name in vain.
The Loki Familia is recruiting?
Fun fact: Of the Familia business Eina was responsible for at the Guild, the Loki Familia was the most frequent.
She knew the trends of their recruitment like the back of her hand. These trends, including her own duties, were all the more related to Riveria. After all, in terms of their relationship, Riveria was practically Eina's aunt.
Furthermore, in the last few years, the Loki Familia's recruitment had been extremely strict, with a threshold so high it was famously harsh even in Orario. Even for Adventurers who sought them out on their own, most were met with a refusal.
Lefiya was an exception. After all, she came from the Wishe Forest and was a genius from the School District, possessing extremely outstanding magical talent, and had been personally selected by Loki.
But now, someone else was actually going to join the Loki Familia?
Eina raised an eyebrow, but out of professional integrity, she didn't voice her curiosity, though she couldn't help but feel puzzled inside.
She tucked the files into a drawer after organizing them, and reached out to take Lefiya's arm. "Let's go. We can talk on the way."
"Okay."
Lefiya had spent quite a long time with Eina and she felt an indescribable sense of intimacy, like an older sister.
The two walked side by side out of the Pantheon.
Eina smiled and took the initiative to start the conversation. "Lefiya, has your Dungeon exploration been going smoothly lately?"
For a moment, Lefiya didn't know how to answer. She recalled the experiences of exploring side-by-side with her team during this time.
The danger when they encountered the Infant Dragon.
The image of Zephyr throwing himself in front of her without regard for his own safety the moment the monster's claws swung down was still deeply impressed in her mind.
The memory hidden deep in her heart surged, and she inexplicably felt her earlobes burning, her heart rate unknowingly quickening.
Also, the image of herself being scooped up by the waist and carried on Zephyr's shoulder when they encountered a new monster today.
Lefiya took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions in her heart and said, "It's been... quite smooth, and the process has been fulfilling. It is my good fortune to have met them."
Eina's eyes swept over Lefiya—her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her tone of voice was different from usual, stumbling and hesitant.
Thinking of this, an answer gradually emerged in her mind.
The curve of Eina's lips rose, and she reached out to take Lefiya's arm, her tone full of curiosity. "Lefiya, what are the details? Can you tell me about them? What kind of partners are they?"
Lefiya lowered her head. Of course she knew what Eina wanted to ask. When she had just arrived at the Loki Familia, she had been teased by Loki as well.
But she wasn't good at refusing. She hesitated for a moment, gathering her thoughts and said, "Well... he is a very reliable guy. During the Dungeon exploration a few days ago, we encountered an Infant Dragon on the 11th floor. When I was about to be attacked by the monster, he blocked in front of me without any hesitation and ended up getting hurt himself. The first thing he thought of was still to take care of my feelings."
"It was the same with the monster we encountered today. I ran slowly, so he stopped to use magic to delay the monster, then came back to hoist me up and run. It wasn't like being held, it was like carrying cargo—do you understand?"
When sharing her experiences from this period, Lefiya realized she had said too much. Her cheeks flushed hot, and she hurriedly added, "It was a special situation, a last resort."
"Pfft..."
Eina couldn't help but giggle and continued to press, "Then Lefiya, what kind of Adventurer do you think he is?"
She knew how thin-skinned Lefiya was. Directly asking if she had feelings for him would put an end to her gossip session. Therefore, Eina chose to change to a different question.
Lefiya gave it some serious thought and she tried to summarize her impression of Zephyr, "His personality is very good. He's also very reliable in his work, and he won't abandon any companion at a critical moment."
"What I find most dazzling is the ideal he holds. Relying on his own talent to break the shackles of fate, choosing to become an Adventurer, and proving it through his actions."
'It somehow feels a bit familiar.'
Walking beside her, Eina carefully examined Lefiya's profile and pursed her lips. She really wanted to point out—this was actually the feeling of falling in love.
But on the surface, she maintained a gentle smile and continued to ask, "Lefiya, do you look forward to spending time with him in the future?"
Lefiya nodded. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it very much. His talent will take him very far but I hope to be able to follow behind him, accompanying him as he keeps moving forward. Once we reach the Familia's headquarters, I will introduce him to you."
"Sure."
Just what kind of person was this Adventurer who could receive such high praise from Lefiya, and even make her heart flutter?
Eina was very curious.