Chapter 57: The Scapegoat!
The mere mention of an expedition made Loki jump up from her chair with a "Hey!".
The next expedition was scheduled for eleven days later.
"Have you talked to Hephaestus, Loki?" Finn inquired.
Having learned a harsh lesson from the previous expedition where their weapons were dissolved, he planned to request the assistance of another Familia skilled in weapon repair and maintenance.
"It's all settled on that end. Their condition is that we hand over any weapon materials we find in the deeper levels. Anyway, Hephaestus agreed," Loki replied.
"What about the 'magic swords'? Gareth, how many have you collected?" Finn turned to Gareth.
"I scoured the entire city and managed to secure over thirty. We can pick them up today," Gareth reported.
As the name suggested, "magic swords" possessed magical abilities, allowing the wielder to cast magic imbued within the blade without the need for chanting.
However, their use was limited, typically to single-digit numbers, and their price exorbitant.
So, magic swords were often reserved as trump cards, and only a large Familia like Loki Familia could afford to purchase over thirty at once.
Finn's plan was to use these magic swords against the worm-like monsters, preventing direct contact with their corrosive fluids should they be surrounded again.
"Furthermore, everyone except Riveria, Lefiya, Ais, and Shiro needs to prepare swords with the 'unbreakable' property," Finn declared.
During the previous expedition, only Ais and Shiro's weapons had resisted the corrosive fluids of the worm-like monsters, allowing them to effectively counter the threat.
So, this time, Finn intended to equip all first-class adventurers, except for Riveria, with unbreakable weapons.
However, the cost of this strategy was significant, as both unbreakable weapons and magic swords were incredibly expensive, nearly depleting their Familia's treasury.
"Captain, excuse me."
At this time, Tione's voice called from outside.
She entered the room, accompanied by Lefiya and Tiona.
"Eh? Where's Ais-tan?" Loki asked, noticing her absence.
The three women exchanged glances, and Lefiya finally spoke up, her voice trembling slightly.
"Ais-san... seems to have gone to the Dungeon alone."
A heavy silence fell upon the room after hearing this.
Well, it was typical of Ais to rush back into the Dungeon immediately after leveling up.
But, remembering the Beast Tamer, they couldn't help but worry about Ais.
However, Loki broke the silence with a nonchalant suggestion.
"Well, if you're worried, just ask Bete or someone else to go find her. Ever since Ais reached Level 6, her competitive heart has been itching to go back to the Dungeon."
"Also, Finn, I need you to discreetly investigate the sewers without informing the Guild," Loki added.
Finn looked up at her, questioning, "The same sewers you mentioned going to with Bete?"
"Yes. Having me tag along would just hinder you, so I'll leave the investigation to you. But it's best not to bring too many magic users," Loki advised, acknowledging the sensitivity of the carnivorous plants to magic.
Finn stood up and addressed the two amazonesses at the door.
"Understood. Tiona, Tione, come with me."
"Yes! Leave it to us, captain!"
"I'm not sure what's going on, but no problem!"
Finn instructed them to gather any available members, and the amazoness sisters quickly rushed out.
"I should go collect the magic swords," Gareth announced.
"And I'll prepare other materials for the expedition," Riveria added.
With that, Gareth and Riveria left the room, leaving Lefiya, Shiro, and Loki staring at each other.
Shiro knew Loki had something else to discuss, so he remained seated.
Lefiya, unsure of what to do, stood awkwardly, feeling out of place.
Their stares made it clear they wanted her to leave, even to someone as oblivious as Lefiya.
"Ah, well... I'll go watch the house," The elf girl mumbled, scurrying out with her head lowered.
Once Lefiya was gone, Loki turned to Shiro and spoke.
"Torajirou, do you understand why I asked you to stay?"
"Is it about Ouranos?" Shiro inquired.
Loki nodded.
"Yes. He's clearly hiding something from us, and that's why I asked you here."
"If he were still the god who solely desired peace in the lower world, he wouldn't care about the wager between you and Freya."
"But if he has other plans, he wouldn't want to see the strongest forces in Orario united, and he might even interfere in your battle with Freya."
Ouranos, as the god who governed the Guild, was the only god allowed to use divine power in the lower world.
Opposing him would be incredibly difficult, as no one knew the extent of his hidden powers.
"Should we test Ouranos's reaction?" Shiro suggested after a moment of thought.
"Hmm? That would expose you to the attention of the gods, though your upgrade speed is already quite abnormal," Loki pointed out.
She knew Shiro had been keeping a low profile ever since he arrived in this world.
And provoking the Guild would be like handing them a weapon and attracting unwanted attention from other gods lurking in the shadows.
"Ha? What nonsense are you talking about? I'm a member of Loki Familia! How could I do something that would disrupt the peace in Orario?"
Shiro declared with a righteous tone, sounding like a hero ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
"I can't believe you've already mastered my shamelessness in such a short time..."
Loki sighed, exasperated by his dramatic response.
She knew he was suggesting that she should find a scapegoat.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of something tapping against the window drew their attention.
"Huh?" Loki opened the window, and an owl flew in, dropping a scroll on the table before departing from Twilight Manor.
"Is that a familiar?" Loki muttered as she unrolled the scroll.
Her eyes widened as she read the contents of the scroll.
"What's wrong?" Shiro asked curiously.
"It's a message from Ais. She accepted an adventurer's commission and went to the 24th floor. That stupid girl, at a time like this..."
Loki gnawed on her finger as she finished reading the message.
"L-Loki-sama," Lefiya reappeared, her return accompanied by two unexpected guests.
"Yo, Loki," Dionysus greeted with his usual carefree smile, approaching the red-haired goddess.
"Get out! I don't have time for your nonsense right now. If you trespass on my territory again, I'll kill you," Loki snapped, she seemed to particularly hate other gods stepping into her territory.
"Don't be so harsh. I brought some important news." Dionysus chuckled, taking a bottle of wine from Filvis, who stood behind him.
Loki hesitated for a moment, eyeing the bottle of premium wine.
She eventually relented to her desires, directing Dionysus to sit in a seat while she fetched two glasses and poured the wine he had brought over.
"I'm busy, so you have five minutes to explain yourself," she stated, swirling the wine in her glass and making no effort to hide her dislike for Dionysus.
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