The reforms within the Soma Familia were massive.
Out of the Familia's 312 members, nearly eighty percent were dismissed, leaving only around sixty members.
Of those, about sixty percent were taken directly by the Ganesha Familia—essentially sealing their fates.
Another twenty percent, whose offenses weren't as severe, were simply expelled from the Familia and labeled as abandoned Adventurers.
But even then, it would be nearly impossible for those people to join any other Familia in the future. Their reputations were already completely ruined by what they'd done under Soma's name.
To the outside world, this large-scale upheaval sent a clear message: from now on, Soma himself would oversee every aspect of his Familia's management.
Any attempt at underhanded dealings would be nearly impossible. Several taverns and merchants that used to trade with the Soma Familia were already preparing to renegotiate their contracts.
Still, it wasn't all bad news.
After all, working directly with Soma was far better than dealing with that bloodsucking bastard Zanis.
Soma was far easier to handle—and at least had the decency not to cross the line.
The sweeping reforms of the Soma Familia became the biggest gossip in the entire Labyrinth City.
But over in the Loki Familia, the gods weren't getting any of that entertainment.
Even though rumors had begun circulating about Loki's "new child" and the mysterious powers he possessed, neither Loki nor her Familia gave any sort of response.
"It seems your plan's working beautifully," Astraea said, lifting her teacup with a faint smile.
"By letting a small part of that child's power be seen, and then staying completely silent about it, you've made the entire city guess endlessly about who he really is."
"The 'summoner' persona you crafted for him is quite convincing."
"And if the next Expedition doesn't include a transport squad, those rumors will only seem more and more credible."
"But that also means all eyes will be on your kid from now on."
"Let them keep watching," Loki said with a smirk.
The situation in the city was moving exactly the way she wanted.
"Freya, though… she really knows how to seize an opportunity and dump the blame on Ishtar."
"True. If Freya hadn't called it out first, no one's attention would've shifted to your child at all. Ishtar clearly didn't want to reveal the information she got from that 'extraordinary man' just yet—she was hoping to learn more first."
Astraea shook her head slightly, still a bit surprised at Freya's move.
Ishtar's reaction, on the other hand, was exactly what she expected.
"Freya's just as bad," Loki scoffed. "She only stirred things up because I turned her down. Now she's trying to get her own information about Tsuna."
"The Soma situation made for a nice excuse, though. Perfect timing."
"It also helps showcase Tsuna's strength. Once the next Expedition begins, we won't need to hide his abilities as much. It'll make his future experiences more convincing."
"Plus, with his Puppets active in the city, he can start taking more independent actions without anyone linking them directly to him."
Loki leaned back with a sly grin. "The next six months will be crucial. We'll use that time to solidify the city's perception—that Tsuna is a 'summoner,' and that while his summons are powerful, he himself is cautious and perhaps even limited."
"Give him a special spatial ability, make him a hidden operator behind the scenes, and everyone will just assume the 'summoner' himself has major flaws."
Astraea nodded, following Loki's reasoning.
"That makes sense. A summoner who always hides behind his creatures—people will naturally assume his personal strength is lacking."
"Exactly," Loki said, satisfied. "Tsuna's situation is special—not just because of his abilities, but because of who he is."
"Until he fully learns how to protect himself, it's best not to let him step into the spotlight."
"But as an Adventurer in the Labyrinth City, he'll inevitably appear before the gods sooner or later."
"If he can't stand in the light himself, then something else will have to stand there for him."
"A powerful Puppet on the front lines will grab the gods' attention just fine."
"As long as I don't report Tsuna's level to the Guild, he'll officially remain level one."
"Until he's strong enough, Finn, Gareth, and Riveria will serve as his shields."
"I'll make sure all my children shine—draw the gods' attention to them instead. That way, Tsuna's powers can seem purely supportive. Aside from a few nosy gods, no one will dig deeper."
"Like I said before, a child with extraordinary power always comes with some kind of flaw."
Astraea nodded slightly in agreement.
"An ability too powerful can stifle one's own growth."
"Or maybe," she added softly, "a power that strong consumes all of one's potential, leaving nothing behind. That's what we call 'balance.'"
She'd always believed that. There were too many cases proving it.
"Take 'Silence,' for example—so gifted, yet her life was so short. It was as if fate had decided her brilliance had to burn out quickly. She shone too brightly to last."
"A child like that… there aren't many."
"No god would expect an Adventurer to be both overwhelmingly powerful and perfectly balanced."
"So as long as we craft that image for Tsuna, it'll work."
With the main discussion done, Astraea tilted her head curiously.
"So this whole thing with Soma—is he just the spark? Or are you trying to stir things up on his side too, to draw more attention away?"
Loki didn't dodge the question.
"Both."
"After Ishtar got information from Raul, a bunch of prostitutes started hanging around near my home."
"That woman knows I haven't stepped outside in days, but if she matches what she knows with what's happening around Soma, she'll easily figure out that I met with him."
"I was planning to let Ishtar be the one to leak it—but then Freya had to stick her nose in and mess with the timing."
"As for Soma himself, that shut-in's a single-track idiot. If Tsuna hadn't drunk the Soma and come out completely fine, he'd never have suspected a thing."
"So you're sure now that Tsuna's totally immune to Soma's addictive properties?" Astraea asked.
Loki shook her head.
"I knew he wouldn't fall for it. His ability lets him handle all sorts of situations."
"But what I didn't expect was that he didn't use his ability—he actually drank it. And nothing happened."
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Next time, he better warn me first. That boy almost gave me a heart attack."
Still, the result was good.
"And as for the third objective," Loki said with a mischievous grin, "I just wanted to mess with everyone a little. Stir things up for fun."
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