"Loki-sama, I'm sorry!"
Raul knelt solemnly before Loki. With one leg crossed over the other, Loki stared at him, speechless. It had only been a performance, and somehow this idiot had taken the act and turned it real.
"Tch. Ishtar really understands men's hearts a little too well."
Only someone like Ishtar—who toyed with men as a matter of course—could manipulate a man's feelings with such precision. People trained like that could never be put front and center; they were like dead men walking in the open. Only in special situations do you trot them out…and then you see the results of all that preparation.
Clearly, it had worked on Raul.
Still, Loki didn't feel much disgust toward the ensnared Raul. If she were caught in the same trap, she wasn't sure she'd choose differently.
"Forget it. That Ishtar woman trains her people exactly for this."
"Elves, courtesans—she raises them to swindle fools. And you really were the fool who fell for it."
She tossed off two lines of sarcasm, but when Raul's shoulders started trembling harder, Loki pursed her lips and let the scolding drop.
Raul wasn't so useless that she needed to flay him alive. He had, however, messed up. Sometimes you can't let things slide too easily, or he'll grow careless again.
"Raul, we agreed on this beforehand. If you accidentally leak Tsuna's secret, I'll break your third leg."
"As long as you don't expose anything about him, I don't mind if you keep playing your little 'romance' with that elf girl."
"But if you do expose it, I won't hesitate to send you—and that elf girlfriend of yours—straight to hell."
"Understood?"
"Understood!"
Raul knocked his head to the floor in relief.
He knew this was Loki-sama showing mercy outside the rules. So long as he kept his mouth shut and didn't spill extra information, he could maintain his relationship with Lysa.
Of course, that premise came first: he must never divulge any important intel about Sawada Tsunayoshi. Otherwise, he'd be finished early.
Loki didn't add more. If Raul understood, he'd police his own words and deeds from now on.
Within the Familia, information about Tsuna wasn't exactly a secret; she knew her people needed to know more than most. But Loki would never tolerate leaks within her own house—especially concerning Tsuna.
After sending the overjoyed Raul away, Loki shook her head.
"Being too ruled by your emotions isn't a good thing~."
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Seeing Tsuna at the door, Loki's smile returned.
"You just leveled up yesterday. And today you're already this eager to come see me?"
"I was in the dining hall and heard Finn say a lot of… motivational stuff," Tsuna sighed, then briefly recounted what had happened there.
"No wonder Finn thinks that way," Loki chuckled. "You're not only a perfect fit in terms of ability—your mindset is solid, too."
"You don't act rashly. You're always patching the gaps. That's both proof of your capability and your cautious nature."
"And even when you're bold once in a while, your power can cover the risk that boldness brings."
"It's normal that Finn sees you as someone fit to lead the Familia forward."
A kid this all-around would be wasted if you didn't pull him into your own Familia to lead. Of course, now that he belonged to her Familia, making him the visible leader would itself be a waste of his potential.
Tsuna's talent, skill, and potential must not be drained on leadership too early. He could be a spiritual guide—a banner that pointed the way—but he mustn't stand in the limelight before he'd fully grown.
So until the conditions were right, Loki would never let Tsuna bask under so many divine gazes.
"Just refuse him outright," she said. "You still need time to grow. At least until Lv.5, I won't let you step onto the front stage."
"Without sufficient strength, you'll be coveted too easily."
Tsuna nodded; he understood.
"Yeah, I refused," he said. "But I only refused taking point to lead the Familia. I didn't refuse being the one who pushes it forward."
"For your abilities, that's exactly right," Loki approved. Tsuna's support capability was no weaker than his offensive bite—perhaps even stronger.
"Your power can bring the Familia a lot of pleasant surprises."
"That training space that wrings every drop of potential out of an adventurer's body, for one—it digs out talent to the utmost, even the gifts they've never shown."
"As long as an adventurer has the will, the harvest can be enormous."
"Your ability makes their desperation tangible. In their eyes, its weight will grow and grow."
"And that will make them guard your identity of their own accord."
Tsuna blinked. "Loki-sama, that wasn't my intent."
Loki stepped close, laid a hand over his heart, and smiled.
"I know it wasn't. But when interests align, people will act that way regardless."
"Once they've tasted the sweetness, they'll tie themselves to you."
"So long as you can give them large enough benefits, they'll work even harder to protect their relationship with you."
"It's calculation—but it's also the unconscious instinct to protect their own interests."
"Honestly, I'd prefer if you were doing that calculation on purpose."
Finn had that sort of calculation; it's why he once forced himself into the mold of 'Hero.' But since Tsuna appeared, Finn's scheming heart had softened, and he'd started to fit the image of a true 'Hero' more naturally.
Tsuna didn't calculate like that; his thoughts were simpler. And the way Tsuna's presence had even changed Finn made Loki like Tsuna all the more.
If anything, Loki wished Tsuna had a bit more cunning. Acting purely on instinct—or on what caught his interest—left him too easy to outmaneuver.
Hearing her expectation, Tsuna scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. "I'm not very good at that sort of thing, Loki-sama."
"I know. That's why I worry."
(End of Chapter)
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