That afternoon, a single piece of news rippled through the Labyrinth City like a thrown stone hitting still water.
"What? Soma's planning to reorganize his Familia? And their current captain's been detained by the Guild—for embezzlement?"
"Tch tch~ That guy really was greedy. Selling watered-down divine wine worth millions of valis—guess he finally pushed his luck too far."
"Wait, you knew about that too?"
"Who didn't? That guy's been famous for those dirty tricks."
"So what's up with Soma? That shut-in never leaves his brewing room. What made him suddenly decide to clean house?"
Soma had always been the picture of a reclusive god—obsessed with his craft, indifferent to appearances or socializing. For years, he'd ignored his Familia's affairs completely, yet now he was suddenly purging corruption and taking control again. The turnaround was almost too abrupt.
"Yeah, it's weird," another god murmured. "The Soma I know wouldn't lift a finger unless something—or someone—pushed him hard enough."
"So… did anyone meet with him today?"
The gods exchanged blank looks. None of them had much in common with that gloomy shut-in, let alone enough to start a conversation with him.
In the end, no one had an answer.
Which was why, inevitably, every divine gaze turned toward a certain blond god lounging nearby with a wine glass in hand.
"Hermes. You got any intel on this?"
Hermes blinked, tapping his own chest as if to ask, me? The gathered gods nodded, all suddenly serious.
"Well, yeah, I deal in information," Hermes said, spreading his hands, "but that doesn't mean I know everything."
"You all know Soma's type—always locked in his brewing room, never shows up to divine meetings. How the hell would I know who he met with today?"
Still, his tone shifted slightly as he went on. "But… after hearing about what happened, I did a little digging."
Of course he did. When it came to information, Hermes' instincts were sharper than anyone's.
The moment the news broke that Soma had dismissed and handed over his captain to the Guild, Hermes had his people start digging. The reports that came back didn't mention any visitors—only a brief summary of the Familia's recent state.
"Soma left his Familia after noon and went straight to the Guild," Hermes explained. "After that, the Ganesha Familia got involved—escorted Soma's captain to the Guild for judgment."
"So yeah, odds are he's cutting that guy loose for good."
"And that's when word started spreading."
"Up until that point, there'd been no signs of unrest inside the Soma Familia. Which means whoever met with Soma didn't use any normal means."
"To bypass internal surveillance that easily," Hermes continued, "the person in question must've been strong. Probably Level 2—maybe even Level 3."
"Of course, there's also the possibility they used a magic item."
"Thing is, as far as we know, there's no confirmed item that can completely hide someone's presence."
He laid out both possibilities plainly—either a direct infiltration using skill and strength, or the aid of some special artifact.
"The only thing we don't know," he finished, "is the purpose."
"Agreed," another god said grimly.
That single word—purpose—was what had everyone's head spinning.
What kind of goal would make someone meet with Soma in secret? What could drive him to completely reverse his indifference toward his Familia—to dismiss his captain and take over management himself?
Whatever it was, it had to be important.
And yet, it was also completely unfathomable.
"Can't figure it out?"
A smooth, alluring voice drifted into their midst, cutting through the murmurs.
The moment they heard it, every god froze. They didn't even need to look to know who it belonged to.
All at once, heads turned toward the silver-haired goddess who stood a few steps away. Her long hair shimmered like moonlight down her back, her white gown accentuating her perfect form and divine grace. She didn't have to say a word—her mere presence made hearts falter.
Freya.
Compared to the awestruck expressions around him, Hermes was the only one who kept his composure.
"Lady Freya," he said smoothly, "are you suggesting there wasn't any purpose at all behind the meeting with Soma?"
Freya smiled faintly, her tone calm but teasing. "If you can't comprehend the reason, Hermes, then perhaps you should assume there isn't one."
"The god who met with Soma—whoever it was—might simply be whimsical and petty. Maybe they met him just to amuse themselves, or on a whim."
The way she said it… it sounded like she already knew exactly who it was.
Hermes didn't say that out loud, of course. But his mind immediately began connecting dots.
Whimsical. Petty. Prone to impulsive behavior. And strong enough to meet Soma alone without fear.
He mentally ran through the list—and felt his pulse spike.
There was one goddess who fit those conditions perfectly.
A goddess with power, access, and a streak of chaos a mile wide.
Loki.
Her children were powerful. She herself was infamously capricious. And she often acted on sudden impulses, sometimes spectacularly so.
Hermes glanced around subtly. Normally, Loki's fiery red hair would stand out instantly in any divine gathering. But today… she wasn't here.
Her absence only made his suspicions stronger.
Loki's looking real suspicious right now…
But at the same time, she's also the least likely to meet Soma face-to-face.
Hermes frowned. His Familia had been keeping tabs on the Loki Familia for weeks. If Loki had made a move, he'd have known first.
And yet, according to every report, she hadn't left her base at all.
That could only mean one thing.
Looks like that rumor about the Puppet's spatial ability was true after all.
If Loki's child really took her to Soma using that power, then no wonder the meeting left no trace.
We might not know exactly what that ability can do, but spatial manipulation? That's confirmed.
Even so, Hermes didn't let his face betray what he was thinking.
After all, this entire line of reasoning had started because of Freya's "hint"—and her hints were always dangerous traps.
One wrong move, and he'd end up offending Loki herself.
And that was a divine headache even he didn't want to deal with.