If the god went astray, then nothing good could come of the Familia.
------------------------------
Recalling what that Beast-Human Guild staff member said to him on his first day in Orario...
Choosing a main god really is a matter of luck.
As for Fron, joining the Loki Familia was purely an accident. No, it should be said that Loki's luck had always been pretty good, and coupled with
Fron's looks and unique temperament, he was able to enter the Loki Familia.
According to his later investigation, the top-ranking Familia in Orario no longer recruited adventurers, of course, there were exceptions, such as special talents, for example, [healers], [item-makers], those popular, highly sought-after professions, or those with strong racial talents, like the elves, no god would ever refuse an elf adventurer.
For Fron, a plain human with a racial talent ranking at the very bottom, to join the Loki Familia, it was a bit of coincidence, a bit of luck, and maybe Loki just "clicked" with him. In short, all coincidence.
Of course, there's another thing: the saying that Familia members are, in some ways, somewhat similar to their gods, that's really true~.
Looking at the large door in front of him, Fron put on his mask, pulled up his hood, and slowly walked over.
"Hello, is this the headquarters of the Soma Familia?"
When he spoke again, his voice had become a bit hoarse, tinged with comicality, contradictory and awkward.
"Ah, what do you want?"
The adventurer at the door didn't even bother to look at him directly, as if completely immersed in his own world, with an expression that clearly said "what a bother." He'd seen way too many of these hooded, face-covering types.
After all, under the leadership of Captain Zanis Lustra, a man with sticky fingers, the members of the group more or less did shady business in the shadows. You could say they were long used to such attire, extremely familiar with it.
"Can you... No, never mind, forget it."
Fron's dissatisfaction with the man's attitude rose for a moment, but he didn't want to lower himself to argue with a common lackey, a man completely enslaved by divine wine, touching him would just dirty his own hands.
However, just as he was about to ask about the whereabouts of the pallum girl Liliruca Arde, he caught sight of a black shadow darting into an alley out of the corner of his eye.
The current time was about 9 to 10 in the morning, when adventurers prepared for work and when the Monster Pheria was being held.
As the saying goes, "Better to be lucky than early," he thought.
"Oh? Looks like my luck's pretty good, "
Meanwhile, the impatient-looking gatekeeper hadn't even reacted yet, and the cloaked man who had been standing in front of him had already vanished.
"??? Wasn't there just a shady cloaked guy standing here? Or am I remembering wrong!? No way!"
"Damn it, is this some ghost business? Ugh, hss hss hss, my head hurts... still not sober."
....
....
Located in the southeastern district, the [Soma Familia] headquarters was close to the slums, specifically to [Daedalus Street], nicknamed the "aboveground dungeon," the terrain extremely complex. Even in the outer areas, without a map or a local guide, you could easily get lost.
Not far from the base, at a crossroads connected to an uneven stone staircase leading into an alley, there was currently no one in sight.
The shadows of buildings stretched across the ground, giving the alley an even gloomier air. The old stone pavement was uneven, with green moss growing in the cracks.
The ground was a bit slippery, ordinary people without stats would probably have to walk very carefully here. The description of it as the slum's edge was pretty accurate.
Even in a world with gods, a place left without maintenance for a thousand years would naturally become like this.
At this moment, a small figure wearing a hooded cloak darted swiftly through the winding alleys, moving so fast you could hardly tell she was a pallum.
"Damn, have I been too active lately? Someone's tailing me? That black-robed person just now... just looking at him gave me the chills, he must be a high-level adventurer!"
The figure kept her head low, hurriedly "fleeing" while muttering curses under her breath. She felt as though the whole world was full of malice, why was her life so unlucky?
--?
Because she was running with her head down too fast, she suddenly bumped right into a figure that seemed to appear out of thin air ahead.
"Yo, classmate...ahem ahem, supporter girl, could you stop for a moment?"
Startled by the mysterious figure, the girl's face went pale as she stumbled backward until she fell to the ground.
"..."
Frightened and trembling, she raised her head toward the source of the low, quiet voice, and saw a figure wearing a strange black jester mask, clad in a black hooded cloak that concealed every detail about himself, standing like a ghost in her eyes.
"Step."
Liliruca froze on the ground in embarrassment, staring at the mysterious man with an unpleasant expression, her mind racing to figure out why this person had targeted her.
'Could it be... he's here to avenge a partner of his? No, the adventurers I've tricked recently were all bad people, and I cleaned up my tracks well, anyone who knew should already be dead. But... where did I slip up to get tracked down?'
Unable to figure out the enemy's background, Lili could only feign weakness.
"My lord, do you need a supporter? Lili is very professional, signing on only costs 100 valis, and my cut is just one-tenth, plus I'll never hold you back!"
Hearing the girl's max-level will to survive, the man beneath the mask smiled faintly.
"This time, I'm not here for that, I'm here because I want to make a deal with you."
"?"
Not looking for a supporter? Could it be... that even a high-level adventurer like him is after Lili's treasure? No... absolutely not, that's Lili's ransom for leaving the Familia!
"Then... may I ask, my lord, what kind of deal?"
"Don't worry, it's not something against your will."
"..."
After a short silence, the cloaked man spoke again:
"It has to be based on fairness and mutual consent to be called a deal. My goal is simple, just use your transformation magic once in front of me."
"!"
'He just said "transformation magic," didn't he!' Lili's expression instantly darkened, her heart sinking to the bottom.
'How did he know about her magic? From within the Familia? Or from Zanis??? Damn it... what's going on, why did this leak?'
Watching the pallum's ever-changing expressions, Fron secretly smirked, this was the value of information! Even the so-called future "Little Commander" Liliruca Arde could be caught with just a small trick?
"Alright, Lili admits you've got dirt on me. And since you've already said the deal is based on fairness, I trust you won't force me, right?"
Fron gave her an unexpected glance, being able to remain calm and choose the most correct response in this situation? Not bad.
"You want to leave the Soma Familia, right? I can give you a chance."
"!" Lili's breathing quickened slightly.
"Could you explain in detail?"
"Of course, it's just as I said. I call it a chance, but I'm only pointing you toward a path. Whether you succeed depends entirely on you. After all, internal affairs of a Familia..."
The little girl didn't speak, quietly waiting for the cloaked man's next words.
"As far as I know, someone like you, a thief with a record, who even uses 'Monster Offering' against adventurers in the dungeon, will find it hard for any god or adventurer to accept you."
"You know better than anyone what those adventurers outside are like."
"Go find a boy named Bell Cranel, or the goddess of the [Hestia Familia]. They will help you."
"..."
The pallum girl was slightly confused, what did he mean? To find that boy Bell Cranel from the Hestia Familia?
"Once you make contact, you'll understand. I can't say more. Now, show me your magic."
...
...
[Magic]: 『Cinder Ella』
· Transformation magic.
· Transformation image changes according to the imagined form during chanting; fails if the image is too vague.
· Mimicking is recommended.
....
Fron's ultimate goal, this magic!
Transformation magic, an extremely rare, super-special type of magic.
Just as the name implies, upon activation, you imagine the target you want to transform into; as long as their strength doesn't exceed the original and their size is roughly similar, they can be used as a transformation template.
A mask, a cloak, and transformation magic, the ultimate scam combo.
New disguise, get √.
After leaving the southeastern district, Fron headed toward the main venue of the Monster Pheria, hiding in the shadows.
"I remember this incident was caused by one faction starting trouble unilaterally, and even the Tiona almost got caught up in it"
Recalling those new species from before, Fron's gaze turned cold, and then he softly chanted a magic incantation.
If Lili were here, she would have been shocked, knowing the incantation, the effect, then... just as the incantation described,
"[Your wound is mine. My wound is mine]"
"[Echoing message of midnight]"
--!
In an instant, gray mist covered his body beneath the cloak. Then... not even a second passed, it was almost instantaneous.
The figure and appearance beneath the mask and cloak were completely altered.
The blond hair and golden eyes vanished, replaced by black hair and black eyes.
The young, handsome face turned into that of a cool, rugged man in his thirties.
His height decreased by about two centimeters, to roughly 180 cm, and his build changed slightly to match.
All of it combined to make him completely another person.