"Alright! Then let's celebrate Bete's successful advancement to Level 5! Let the feast begin!"
"Ohhh!!!"
As Lady Loki's voice echoed through the hall, the atmosphere exploded into cheer and energy.
Loki raised her glass and stepped down from the platform, her eyes sweeping across the crowd until they landed on Tsuna. Her gaze sharpened the moment she saw Tiona and Tione chatting closely with him.
I'm up here hyping up the crowd, and that brat's down there flirting.
With her drink still in hand, Loki made her way straight toward them and sat herself down across from the three, setting her glass on the table with a thud.
"This banquet is supposed to be celebrating Bete's promotion, and yet here you three are—forming your own little private corner."
She had already noticed on her way over that no one around them seemed to be paying any attention to this table. That alone told her Tsuna was using his ability again.
"It's not isolation," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "Just limited presence suppression."
He wasn't the type to put up a full Independent Space in the middle of a party.
"It's just a habit. Since Bete's the star tonight, it's better if I stay out of sight."
He paused, then added, "Besides, I'm exhausted. I'd rather take it easy for once. Riveria dragged me out early this morning for testing, and after that, she pulled me into the Training Space for Dying Will Flame lessons."
"She's trying to refine her control over Mist and Rain. For that, she needed monsters with stronger olfactory senses, so I spent the entire afternoon helping her train and spar."
Riveria's standards were notoriously strict. To perfect the coordination between Mist and Rain, she had devoted herself completely.
Her training that day had been especially intense—but the results spoke for themselves.
At least now, through the combined use of Mist and Rain, she could manipulate scent using illusion. That alone made her capable of countering monsters that relied heavily on smell.
"I think Riveria's been motivated by you two—and by Bete," Tsuna said.
"Really?"
Tiona, Tione, and Loki all turned their eyes toward the central table where Riveria sat with Gareth and Finn.
Dressed in white and emerald, her every movement radiated quiet grace. Even as she raised her glass, the soft flush on her elegant face gave her a rare, womanly warmth.
"Yeah," Tione said first. "She's definitely had a lot to drink tonight."
"Mm," Loki nodded. "Normally, just a sip of wine wouldn't make her blush like that. She's drinking more than usual tonight—and not because of the mood. She's genuinely happy."
"She looks rather thrilled, doesn't she?" Tiona added.
"She earned it," Loki said simply.
She could understand it well enough.
"Honestly, it's natural. Everyone in the Familia's been pushing themselves so hard lately..."
Loki's expression twitched as an image suddenly popped into her head—Raul.
"Correction. Everyone except Raul."
"Raul doesn't work hard?"
Tsuna frowned. That didn't sound right at all. He remembered Raul as one of the most diligent Adventurers—someone who had Levelled Up four times in four years. One Level per year. That was far beyond what an untalented or lazy Adventurer could accomplish.
How could someone like that suddenly be the example of not working hard?
Loki sighed.
"These days, he's the only one. He's always running off somewhere. Right now's the best time for his growth, and he's wasting it."
"Running off...?"
Tsuna exchanged a knowing glance with Tiona and Tione. They all knew exactly what that meant.
The elf courtesan he kept outside.
"He wouldn't..." Tione muttered, frowning. She wasn't particularly invested in Raul's personal life, but she knew the whole mess had started because of Tsuna. That's what worried her—if things went wrong, would it drag Tsuna into it?
"Now that the Familia's Training Space and Challenge Space are open to everyone, who in their right mind wouldn't take advantage of that?" Loki said with irritation.
"And that woman he's keeping outside—the Ishtar Goddess didn't even take her back. Everything's already settled. So why does Raul still have to run there every single day?"
Anyone in Orario would kill for the kind of opportunities the Loki Familia now had. Tione would swear that gods and Adventurers alike were waiting outside just to catch a piece of that luck.
And yet Raul, of all people, was the one wasting it.
Tione could only shake her head. So stupid.
Then a sudden thought struck her, her expression turning sharp.
"Loki… if Raul keeps running off like that, could he accidentally leak Tsuna's information?"
"…!?"
The question hit Loki like a thunderclap.
"That's… actually possible."
Her easygoing mood evaporated at once. If Raul had truly fallen that far, there was a real risk he could expose Tsuna's existence. And if that happened—Tsuna would immediately become the target of every God in Orario.
"It seems we'll need to take precautions."
Loki didn't know what was going through Raul's head anymore, but she wasn't about to gamble on his loyalty.
Someone who'd lost his drive to move forward could easily become a threat—and right now, Raul was exactly that.
Loki turned her gaze toward the crowd. Her eyes locked instantly on Raul, who sat a little apart, his expression distant and unfocused.
"Tsuna," she said quietly, "after the banquet, bring him in. We'll deal with it before it becomes a problem."
Whatever the truth was, Loki wasn't going to take chances.
Better to contain the threat first—and then dig into Raul's situation thoroughly afterward.