"Come to think of it, is there anything unusual about that Pallum thief?"
Since Tsunayoshi had mentioned a Pallum thief who eventually joined the protagonist's party, there had to be a reason for her existence—otherwise it wouldn't fit a story's sense of performance. Loki's curiosity was piqued.
"The thief part is simple—nothing complicated and nothing particularly special. What stands out is the story's add-on for her previous life."
"Oh? A previous-life add-on—now that's interesting."
Talk of past lives immediately drew Loki in. Souls could reincarnate; the Dark Faction gods loved using that line to bewitch children who'd lost loved ones, pushing them to charge to their deaths with flame stones in hand.
"In this life she's a thief of the Soma Familia. So what was that Pallum in her past life?"
"Finn's elder sister."
That answer left Loki utterly stunned.
Thinking he hadn't been clear enough, Tsunayoshi emphasized it again with another title:
"The legendary captain of the Fianna Knights—the Pallum revered by her people as a 'goddess'… Fianna herself."
"…What!?"
That woke Loki up completely. She'd only asked out of idle curiosity—and ran headlong into a past life like that.
"If Finn ever heard this, he'd probably go berserk."
"Mm. He definitely would."
Tsunayoshi was certain. For Finn, that information would hit like a truck.
"But that young lady thief didn't inherit any of her former talents. All she has is something 'ordinary, plain.'"
"The one thing worth noting is her magic. If I remember right, it lets her imitate another person's appearance."
"Strategic magic, then?"
Loki grasped the value at once. That alone could accomplish a lot.
"That magic is good—perfect for intelligence work."
"Whether her personal power is strong isn't the point. Her magic is what's interesting."
"Tsunayoshi, what do you think about recruiting her into our Familia?"
The question surprised Tsunayoshi. "Loki, didn't you say you wouldn't interfere with the future?"
Loki was perfectly matter-of-fact.
She had said she wouldn't lay hands on the child destined to become a hero; she had no interest in that one's future. But she'd never said anything about other kids.
"That was about Zeus's and Hera's child. I never said I wouldn't touch the rest."
"And besides, a child with a transformation-type magic is rare. Leaving her rotting in Soma's Familia would be a waste."
"And tell me, Tsunayoshi—do you think that child is living well in Soma's house?"
Tsunayoshi only shook his head.
"With weak personal ability and being a Pallum on top of it, she's naturally the one who gets bullied the worst. Good days are not in the cards."
Loki grinned wide. "There you have it."
"A child with that kind of gift will only have her talent squandered by that shut-in Soma. Rather than let a god who can't raise kids waste her potential, I'd better take over."
"I only want to give a poor child a warm home."
It sounded exactly like a scoundrel's line.
Tsunayoshi guessed Loki was acting on a whim—for now.
Eyes sparkling, Loki looked up at him. "Tsunayoshi, I want to go to the Soma Familia. Come with me."
He didn't have a great way to refuse. Better to accompany her and prevent complications.
Tsunayoshi reached out; a "Presence-Erasing Medal" appeared in his palm, and a puppet took it and put it on.
A cute white rabbit popped up at their feet and slipped Tsunayoshi and Loki into a pocket dimension.
The room outside was left with only the presence-veiled puppet.
Still reclined on Tsunayoshi's lap, Loki didn't even bother to sit up. She lay on her side, watching the scenery change outside as the puppet moved.
"Every time I see you use your abilities like this, it hits different."
"I just lie here all comfy, and the puppet outside can carry us along."
"If Finn starts doing this for expeditions, you'll completely break the rhythm."
Tsunayoshi had heard similar remarks elsewhere and chuckled.
"Finn said something like that too—back when we escaped that mutated three-headed dragon."
"But this sort of thing is for special cases. In a normal 'expedition,' I doubt our Familia would want to rely on this trick now."
Loki thought about her wolf-cub children and laughed.
"True. The last thing they want is to miss out on any excelia."
"When effort translates into visible parameter gains, excelia gets very tight."
"There aren't many ways to get excelia in the Dungeon. Hunting floor bosses is the most straightforward."
"In the past they'd sometimes dodge those fights. Now? I think they want to eat every floor boss."
Loki was certain that in half a year—when her children had maxed their parameters—Goliath on the 17th floor would become their favorite target.
Not only Goliath—the Amphisbaena at the Great Falls would be top of the list too.
Goliath refreshed every two weeks; Amphisbaena once a month.
It was hard to imagine what would happen to those two bosses; they might be taken down right after they spawned.
"I wonder if this trend will affect the whole labyrinth city."
"Loki, that'll be difficult."
This kind of internal arms race wouldn't spread, Tsunayoshi was sure.
"Unless the other Familias also have an adventurer with abilities like mine."
"Oh, right—then it won't spread."
Loki nodded, now equally certain.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]