Chapter 32: Loki gets what he wants and gazes in front of the Dusk Pavilion.
Inside the meeting room, the Familia executives, having washed away the dust of their journey, gathered.
Finn sat at the desk, which was a bit too spacious for him, while the others were scattered casually.
"That's the general situation of the expedition. Because we encountered a Cannon Dragon, I made the decisive decision to return to the surface."
Loki, with a drink always in her hand, listened to Finn's report, then sank lazily into the sofa, letting out a satisfied burp.
"Ugh! I get it. You all worked hard!"
Finn shook his head with a wry smile: "Please take this seriously, Loki."
"Also, due to the losses from the failed expedition, the Familia will likely need to take on more adventure quests to make ends meet."
"Nani!?"
Loki instantly sobered up upon hearing this, clutching her wine bottle and exclaiming in surprise.
"It can't be... they're not going to cut off my wine, are they?"
"No, no! Absolutely not that!"
Finn clasped his hands, resting his chin on them, his tone calm.
"Well, that depends on the situation."
"But please also consider the hard work of the Familia members and buy fewer high-end wines."
Loki felt as if struck by lightning, nodding with a heavy heart, but then a sly, eerie chuckle escaped her.
"Heheheh~ If fine wine is out of the question, then I must seek comfort in the broad embrace of a big sister!"
Bete, completely uninterested in a god's antics, frowned and shouted sharply.
"Stop being disgusting!"
"Instead of messing around here, why don't you quickly explain the current situation to us? Why does that small fry get special treatment?"
Saying this, Bete's tone suddenly shifted as he taunted.
"Could it be that you're finally interested in men?"
Loki's eyes widened in anger, and she slammed her hand on the table, rising to her feet: "Who would like stinky men!"
Finn lightly coughed twice, accustomed to the scene, and raised a hand to soothe them.
"Calm down, Loki. And Bete, too, watch your language."
Bete folded his arms and scoffed coldly, leaning against the wall and saying no more.
Loki casually tossed aside her wine bottle, pulling out two pieces of parchment from her pocket and shaking them.
Her slightly tipsy face was full of boastful pride, like a gambler revealing a winning hand.
"Aren't you all curious why I'm treating that kid so well? Take a look at this, and it'll be clear."
The Familia executives exchanged glances, an undercurrent of thoughts flowing.
Is it really because of his ability scores?
Is it powerful magic? Or a rare skill?
They hadn't expected that he would actually be willing to make his ability scores public.
After all, ability scores are an adventurer's greatest secret.
Normally, one can choose to keep them secret from everyone except their head god and Familia captain.
But Arthur told Loki that if it was only to be revealed among the Familia executives, he didn't mind.
Rather, he hoped that those who saw his ability scores wouldn't fall into self-doubt because of them.
...
Loki first handed the two pieces of parchment to Captain Finn, which respectively recorded Arthur's information from his previous two promotions.
The usually steady Pallum's pupils suddenly contracted the moment he saw the ability scores.
He checked repeatedly, his face full of disbelief, eventually covering his forehead and chuckling softly.
"Is this the 'possibility' that the gods have been yearning for? He truly is a unique existence."
Saying this, he tossed the parchment onto his desk, gesturing for everyone to come forward and look.
The executives: (°Д°)!?
"SSS? What is this?"
"Two thousand Magic points? Even the lowest Endurance already surpasses this old man! This..."
"You all need to look further down! The silver-haired kid's magic and skills are all Super Boost!"
"Tch, is this the standard for a small fry? Something must be wrong!"
"Loki, what exactly is this..."
Ais's gaze was drawn as if by a magnet, fixed intently on the two pieces of parchment, her knuckles slightly white from clenching too hard.
Although the crucial information about the Brilliant Journey was hidden, still—
This kind of power, transcending limits and cognition, was precisely what she had always yearned for.
Yet, at this moment, she could only glimpse it in someone else.
In contrast, Loki, who had finally gotten her wish and was showing off, grinned slyly, adding fuel to the fire, as if enjoying the spectacle.
"You're surprised by this? Then do you remember when he joined our Familia?"
Everyone was startled by her words, not understanding why Loki would say such a thing.
According to the members who stayed behind, Arthur had only joined the Familia a little over a week ago, but what of it?
Among them, some hadn't thought deeply, while others dared not to.
Simply because that possibility was too challenging to common sense.
Finn took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He looked at the gleeful, almost dancing, evil god and asked in a deep voice.
"Before receiving your blessing, Arthur... had he joined any other Familia?"
"Hey! Finn, that's taking the joke too far!"
"Is that true or false? So that means..."
"One week! At most ten days!"
Everyone's eyes were burning, all looking at Loki, their hearts a mix of emotions.
They both hoped she would deny Finn's guess and wished that their Familia truly had a heaven-sent genius.
Loki's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and she slowly nodded, confirming the guess, sending huge waves crashing in everyone's hearts!
...
As night fell, Arthur walked through the bustling market, carrying a thick money pouch exchanged from the Guild.
The crisp sound of coins clinking drew frequent glances from surrounding adventurers.
He carried no weapon, wore no armor, and didn't even have the backpack typically used by supporters.
How exactly did this guy earn so many Valis?
Two adventurers from the Soma Familia peered around, licked their dry lips, exchanged a look, and then planned to discreetly follow him.
Unexpectedly, three seniors from the same Familia quickly grabbed their shoulders, warning them in a low voice.
"Don't go looking for death! That guy is from the Loki Familia; he only needs one punch to take down an LV2!"
"Ah, this..."
The two shrank their necks, looked at each other, and quickly abandoned their ill intentions.
"Thank you, seniors, for the warning. I didn't expect you to be so well-informed. Impressive!"
"...It's just a little experience from those who've been through it; nothing to mention."
Further down the street.
Arthur took a freshly fried potato ball, grabbed a handful of Valis from his money pouch, placed it on the stall, waved his hand, and turned to leave.
"No need for change."
"Eh~ Really? Thank you for your patronage! Please come again!"
Arthur carefully fed Fufu, and hearing the cheers of the young female stall worker behind him, he couldn't help but chuckle.
It's a big world, full of wonders.
He truly hadn't expected that even a god could be so down and out?
"There's no difference in quality among divine blessings, so diligently recruiting Familia members is surely better than setting up a street stall, right?"
"Or is it—this is a peculiar habit unique to a god?"
Lost in thought, Arthur's steps didn't falter, and he successfully returned to Twilight Manor before dinner.
Just as he was about to go back to his room to put away his money pouch, he saw a slender figure standing silently at the main entrance.
At the same time, a gaze filled with intense obsession had locked onto him!