"So, what's so special about that Pallum thief you mentioned earlier?"
If Tsuna specifically brought up a Pallum thief who joined the protagonist's group, there had to be a reason for it. Otherwise, it wouldn't fit the story's tone.
Loki tilted her head curiously.
"The thief herself isn't particularly special—her background's simple, nothing complicated. What makes her unique is the story's addition of a past life."
"Oh~ a past life? Now that's interesting."
The moment Loki heard that, her eyes gleamed.
Souls being reborn wasn't a foreign concept to gods. In fact, the Dark Faction had often used that very idea to deceive grieving children—promising that if they burned bright enough, they'd be reborn alongside their lost loved ones. It was how they got those kids to charge suicidally at adventurer parties, clutching flame stones.
"So, in this life she's a thief from the Soma Familia... What was she in her past one?"
"Finn's older sister."
That answer completely short-circuited Loki.
She just stared blankly at Tsuna, thinking she must have misheard him. He repeated, this time spelling it out clearly:
"In other words, she was the leader of the legendary Fianna Knights—the Pallum heroine herself, Fianna."
"...The hell!?"
Loki shot upright, eyes wide.
She'd only asked out of idle curiosity—and somehow stumbled straight into that.
"If Finn ever found out about this, he'd lose his mind."
"Oh, definitely." Tsuna nodded. "That kind of revelation would wreck him."
"But," Tsuna continued, "the thief doesn't retain any of Fianna's abilities or memories. She's completely normal. Average, even. The only noteworthy thing she has is her magic—she can mimic other people's appearances."
"A transformation magic, huh?"
Loki immediately understood the tactical potential of such a spell.
"Now that's useful. For infiltration or intelligence gathering, that kind of magic's gold. She might not be powerful, but her skill set's fascinating."
Her eyes narrowed mischievously. "Tsuna, what if we recruited her into the Familia?"
Tsuna blinked. "Loki, didn't you say you weren't going to interfere with the future?"
Loki sat up straighter, looking perfectly justified.
"I said I wouldn't touch that child—the one destined to be a Hero. I never said anything about the others."
"Besides," she added, lips curling into a grin, "a Pallum with transformation magic? That's a rare gem. Leaving her rotting away in the Soma Familia is such a waste."
"Be honest—do you really think she's living a good life there?"
Tsuna shook his head slightly. "Not at all. She's weak, and being a Pallum makes her an easy target. In that Familia, she's probably treated the worst."
"Exactly." Loki's grin widened.
"A kid like that—talented but mistreated—is wasted under that shut-in of a god. Soma's the kind of guy who shouldn't be raising anyone, let alone adventurers."
She placed a hand on her chest, feigning sincerity. "I just want to give that poor child a warm, loving home."
Tsuna stared at her. That line sounds exactly like something a smooth-talking scumbag would say.
Still, he could tell Loki was just acting on impulse.
Her crimson eyes sparkled. "Tsuna, I've decided—I'm going to the Soma Familia. Come with me."
Tsuna sighed. There was no winning against that tone. "Fine. I'll come along."
He extended his hand, and a presence-erasing medallion materialized in his palm. His Puppet took it, put it on, and the adorable white Rabbit appeared at their feet.
A soft glow enveloped them, and the next second, both Loki and Tsuna vanished into the dimensional fold—leaving only the invisible Puppet behind.
Loki hadn't even bothered to sit up from his lap. She simply lay there on her side, watching as the scenery around them began to shift with the Puppet's movement.
"Every time I see you use your abilities like this, it hits differently," she murmured. "I just get to lie here comfortably while your Puppet carries us wherever we want."
"If Finn and the others could do this too…"
Tsuna chuckled. "Finn's mentioned that before—back when we escaped from that mutated Amphisbaena."
"But this kind of method's only for special situations. During Expeditions, nobody in the Familia would ever agree to something like this."
Loki laughed, picturing her kids' eager, feral faces.
"True. They'd hate missing out on even a single bit of Excellia."
"When effort actually leads to Status growth, Excellia becomes the real bottleneck."
"There aren't many ways to earn it in the Dungeon. Hunting Floor Bosses is the most direct one."
"In the past, they used to avoid those fights. Now?" She smirked. "They probably want to devour every single one."
Loki could already imagine it—six months from now, once her children reached their limits, the Goliath on the 17th floor would be their first target.
And not just Goliath. The Amphisbaena in the Great Falls area would be next on their list.
Goliath respawned every two weeks; Amphisbaena, once a month.
Loki couldn't even picture what those poor Floor Bosses' futures looked like. They'd probably be slaughtered the moment they respawned.
"I wonder if this feverish training craze will spread through the whole Labyrinth City."
"That'd be tough," Tsuna replied calmly. "Unless another Familia has someone with abilities like mine, it's not gonna happen."
"Oh, right. Then yeah, definitely not spreading."
Loki nodded firmly, her tone oddly proud.
After all, this level of obsession was something only the Loki Familia could pull off.