Loki.
The chief deity of the Loki Familia and the trickster of the divine realm.
Unlike many other gods, she was a peculiar case: a goddess who had once been a wicked deity before descending to the lower world and becoming a benevolent one.
Personally, she was the kind of god I found difficult to deal with. All the more so because she never hesitated to try and see right through my thoughts.
She seemed easygoing and carefree, but in truth, she was a meticulously calculating and sharp-eyed goddess.
I would have preferred not to meet her if possible, but expecting that after walking right into her home was probably asking for too much.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Loki. My name is Vesta."
"Oh? Nice to meet ya!"
She answered casually with a broad grin; at first glance, she seemed like nothing more than a harmless, mischievous imp.
But remembering what she was capable of, I knew she could strip a person down to their very soul before they even realized it. I had to brace myself.
"May I ask what business you have with me...?"
Still, I couldn't simply keep my mouth shut.
Silence was often the only means of resistance against a god, but she was the type to use even silence as a basis for judgment. I had to be cautious, and then cautious again.
"Well, if someone walks into my home, I gotta come out and see 'em. Can't just let ya hole up inside, now can I?"
"I see."
Her expression remained bright and cheerful, but those sharp eyes were still fixed intently on me.
*She's suspicious of me.*
Not hostile, but definitely suspicious.
It made sense. A mysterious person with no known history had suddenly appeared; it was only natural to be wary.
Honestly, even I thought I looked far too suspicious.
"Now, don't be so tense. Anyone would think I'm about to eat ya alive."
"Haha..."
*If you're going to say that, at least relax your gaze while you're at it.*
"...Well, I don't like dancing around the point, so I'll be blunt."
Had she figured something else out from that brief reaction? Loki's expression shifted, and she looked at me with sudden seriousness.
She had likely realized that I knew what she was thinking. Since hiding it was pointless, she decided to just lay it all out.
That was why this goddess was so aggravating. She crossed boundaries as if she had no sense of them at all.
And yet, she never crossed the lines that truly mattered, which left me with nothing to complain about.
She was an existence that was less than comfortable—she was downright unsettling.
"I'm suspicious of you right now."
"I understand. It's a perfectly reasonable reaction given the situation."
"Right? Well, thanks for sayin' it straight!"
Loki laughed heartily, but her eyes remained cold, devoid of any real mirth.
"So, I'd appreciate it if you'd be a little more cooperative."
"Ask away."
"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point."
The two people nearby tensed up. Were they planning to subdue me by force if things went south?
I didn't believe they could overpower me in this era, but I still wanted to avoid a fight. If words could settle this, that would be the ideal outcome.
Ais still seemed unable to grasp the situation, looking around in confusion. It appeared she didn't quite understand the nature of the conversation.
"Are you our enemy?"
"No."
"Are you with Evilus?"
"No, I am not."
"Then you can at least tell us where you came from and who you belong to, right?"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot."
Unfortunately, if I told this goddess that I had come from the future, there was no telling what would happen. It was better to keep that a secret.
Our gazes locked. The look the clown-like goddess gave me was as sharp as a scalpel, as if she intended to dissect me where I stood.
A few seconds passed under that divine scrutiny.
"...Well, this should be safe enough."
At those words, the tension left the two companions. It seemed I had been accepted, at least for now, as someone who wasn't an enemy.
"...Thank you."
"Thanks, huh... You really are a strange one."
To thank someone who had just spent the last few minutes suspecting you—what kind of logic led to that? It seemed the goddess in front of me didn't possess a normal way of thinking either.
*Which makes him even more tempting.*
Based on Ais's initial assessment, Loki had assumed the man calling himself Vesta was around Level 5.
But the man before her was far beyond that.
*Level 6? 7?*
She couldn't pinpoint the exact level; even for a god, there were limits to what they could perceive. But one thing was certain: he was absolutely not Level 5.
*I want him...*
He had the skill. From what she could tell, his personality seemed decent too.
And then there was his appearance. Even with one eye missing, he was cute enough that the scar actually added to his charm.
*If I dress him up along with Finn, I could have a real otokonoko party...!*
The perverted goddess's instincts began to run wild. At the mere psychic ripple of this horrific future, Finn—who wasn't even in the room—shuddered instinctively.
Vesta reacted as well, subtly shifting his weight to put more distance between himself and Loki.
"Hey, what's with that movement?"
"What do you think? It's because of that perverted look on your face."
"Even I have to admit that expression was a bit much," the other added.
"What is wrong with you two?! Whose side are you on?!"
The living room instantly dissolved into chaos. It seemed they had officially concluded that he wasn't a threat.
*If nothing else, their trust in one another is solid.*
They were the same as ever. What a family-like Familia.
There were surprisingly few Familias that shared such a close bond with their deity. Having assumed my own Familia was the norm, I had been quite shocked when I first realized otherwise.
Though, I wasn't exactly in a position to judge, given that I also believed gods should be unconditionally respected.
"...?"
Only Ais remained confused, still not understanding the sudden shift in atmosphere.
*
"Is he gone?"
"Yeah."
A short while later, the goddess and her children gathered in the living room to talk.
The topic of conversation was, naturally, the man who had just departed.
"What about Ais?"
"She went to her room. She still seems exhausted."
"That's a relief. I was worried since the girl hasn't been sleeping well."
Ais suffered from nightmares that prevented her from ever achieving deep, restful sleep.
While she had improved over time, sleeping for as long as she had today was a first since joining the Loki Familia. As the youngest member, her well-being was a constant concern for everyone, so seeing this issue resolved was a cause for celebration.
That is, if one could overlook the fact that it was achieved by a complete stranger.
"No other traces, right?"
"None. She just seems to be sleeping naturally."
Thankfully, it wasn't a case of drugs or sleep magic.
"Strange. What kind of trick did he use to make that stubborn girl so docile?"
"Who knows. I'm just as puzzled as you are."
Ais, who had struggled to open her heart to anyone—even Riveria—had opened up to a man she had just met.
While it was a positive development, it left a bitter taste in Riveria's mouth. She had worked so hard for so long, yet this stranger had achieved it in an instant.
"Hey, elf. Stop making that face. You look like a mother whose daughter was stolen by a boyfriend."
"I am not making such a face."
"You totally are! It's written all over your face."
"Be quiet."
At the sharp rebuke from the fairy queen, the veteran dwarf shut his mouth.
Arguing further would be a waste of energy. The girl was grown; she could handle her own affairs.
"More importantly, I'm curious about that man."
"You mean the guy from earlier?"
"Yes. The way he remained composed in front of Riveria and me... he must have been confident he could handle both of us."
"Right? We might've actually been wiped out."
"Is he really that strong?"
"Probably. I can't be certain, but he's definitely Level 6 or higher."
Shock and admiration colored their expressions. No matter how they looked at him, he didn't seem to be twenty yet. In fact, if they weren't being generous, he looked more like a boy than a man.
And such a boy was stronger than them?
"Don't judge others by their appearance. That's a bad habit of yours."
"Still, it's just weird. He looks barely five or six years older than Ais."
"Hmm. I suspect he might be much older than he looks."
Divine intuition wasn't omnipotent, but it usually led to the truth. Loki's gut told her that the boy was an existence that defied visual judgment. His age, in particular, was likely a deception.
"No, but still..."
"Alright, enough of that. Let's get to the real point."
Loki cut them off before the conversation could drag on all night.
"That guy is suspicious."
"Huh? I thought you said he wasn't an enemy?"
"That's true, but... how should I put it..."
Familiar, yet unfamiliar.
The unsettling feeling that the other person knew her, while she knew nothing of them.
*He feels like... one of that brat's children.*
If nothing else, she could perceive the essence of his soul.
Pure white. A heart so clean it could only be described as such, which completely ruled out the possibility of him being an enemy.
*Children usually take after their gods. Especially if he belongs to that ignorant, stubborn woman, he's likely just as frustratingly rigid.*
Thus, she discarded the idea of him being a foe. However, he remained a mystery. The most suspicious thing of all was his very existence.
*It makes no sense. A child of a god who hasn't even descended yet?*
She couldn't wrap her head around it. Was it possible to descend earlier than scheduled?
Two possibilities came to mind. Either the "brat" had broken the divine order, or there was something happening that Loki was unaware of.
Either way, it was problematic.
The former would mean the brat had undergone an internal change similar to her own. The latter meant they were facing an unknown variable at a critical juncture.
Even if he showed no hostility now, there was no guarantee he wouldn't later.
And the most likely catalyst for that would be...
"Ais... I see."
The Daughter of the Spirit. The child of the Dungeon.
The anomaly they had been lucky enough to find.
If an unknown enemy were targeting them, Ais would be the primary objective. Indeed, she was the first person he had contacted.
"Do you think he's after Ais?"
"Who knows?"
It wasn't certain, but it was true that suspicious shadows had been gathering around Ais lately.
"We have to stay vigilant. But if it's proven that he's not an enemy..."
Then she could consider using that man to sweep away their enemies.
As the goddess looked up at the moonlit sky, her eyes curved into thin, predatory crescents.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 42
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T