The Divine Council instantly fell silent.
The gods all perked up their ears.
Using divine power to modify a child of the Lower World, it wasn't impossible. In fact, it sounded far more reasonable. After all, Ryoji's leveling speed was simply too abnormal; it had already surpassed the gods' understanding.
If he had received some sort of divine enhancement, then his achievements would make sense. For a god, creating a miracle or two was hardly difficult.
So, had Loki used divine power or not?
"Of course not. I don't do boring things like that," Loki curled her lip dismissively.
"That's easy for you to say, but words alone won't convince anyone, Loki," Ishtar pressed her lips together, her tone openly aggressive. "If it were anything else, that would be one thing. But this matter is simply too strange. I'm sure everyone here would like to know the secret behind it, wouldn't they?"
"Well, if we could know..."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious."
Under Ishtar's encouragement, the surrounding gods all revealed eager expressions and quickly voiced their agreement. Who knew how many of the gods present had once visited Ishtar's pleasure quarters?
"Oh? Ishtar, are you that interested in the secrets of my Familia's child?"
A particularly vicious smile appeared on Loki's face. Her narrowed eyes opened slightly, revealing crimson pupils as the oppressive aura of an Evil God once again filled the enormous room. Ishtar's heart skipped a beat.
"And you lot too. Got that much free time on your hands?"
"No, no!"
"It's not that important if we don't know!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
The moment Loki shot them a glare, the lustful curiosity on the gods' faces vanished. They immediately put on serious expressions and changed their tune.
To be fair, they really were afraid of Loki. Back in Heaven, she'd been the number one troublemaker.
More than once, she'd stirred up wars between gods, earning herself a notorious reputation. And now, she commanded the strongest Familia in the city. If she sent someone to assassinate them and return them to Heaven, leaving them with no entertainment in the Lower World, the loss would far outweigh the gain.
"Maybe he awakened some kind of rare Skill."
Just then, an unconcerned voice came from another corner of the table. Loki frowned and shot a troubled look toward its owner.
"And I've heard he's especially good at fighting opponents above his level. That's probably how he leveled up so quickly," Freya lounged lazily in her chair, her slender fingers brushing against her cheek.
The sight drew countless admiring sighs from the gods. "Besides, if a god used divine power, everyone would know immediately. Loki wouldn't even have the opportunity. Personally, I think that child accomplished everything through his own abilities. What do the rest of you think?"
"Exactly!"
"Freya-sama is absolutely right!"
"Kids these days really work hard, don't they?"
In an instant, every god present changed their stance. Because of the covenant they had signed long ago, any god who used divine power would be immediately and forcibly sent back to Heaven without exception. Furthermore, gods were extremely sensitive to divine power; the moment one of them used it, every nearby god would notice. There was no way to hide it.
Of course, the real reason was much simpler: whatever Freya said was the truth. That was the most fundamental reason of all.
"Tch!" Ishtar shot Freya a resentful glare.
She very much wanted to pry the secret out of Loki. Ideally, she could use it to strengthen her own Familia and finally drag Freya off her throne. Unfortunately, that plan had once again been ruined by Freya.
"Anyway, it's pretty much like Freya said," Loki brushed the matter off.
At the same time, she cast a suspicious glance at that pervert goddess. Freya actually speaking up for her? If someone didn't know better, they'd think the sun had risen in the west. The two of them occupied the top position in Orario and were in constant competition. It would already be a miracle if they didn't sabotage each other, helping one another was practically unimaginable.
'That pervert goddess couldn't be…' Loki immediately raised her guard to the highest level. Still, this wasn't the place to make an issue of it, so she held herself back.
"Alright, let's continue discussing the alias. As for this one, I've already got an idea. How about Aurora?"
"No objections!"
"Sounds good!"
"Very fitting!"
Even setting aside the usual sycophants, it really was an appropriate name. With his absurd leveling speed, the title Aurora suited him perfectly.
"Isn't that a bit too plain?" But at that moment, Freya suddenly spoke up. A delighted smile spread across her face as she began stirring up the gods. "How about adding a prefix or suffix to it?"
"Now that you mention it, that's true!"
"Freya's right again!"
"I heard his swordsmanship is unmatched in Orario. Why not call him Aurora Sword God?"
"I approve!"
Under Loki's watchful glare, Freya's smile bloomed even brighter, triggering a chorus of "Ah, I'm dying!" from the surrounding gods.
"How about..."
…
"We're back!"
In front of Twilight Manor, someone dropped to their knees in tears before the gates. "I seriously thought I was gonna die in the Lower Floors!"
"Damn those Virgas!" others loudly cursed as well.
Another seven days had passed since the battle in the unexplored region. The Loki Familia expedition force had finally returned from the Dungeon, though the journey back had been anything but smooth.
While making their way home through the Lower Floors, the Loki Familia had encountered a Monster Feast. Large numbers of Virgas had suddenly emerged from the walls and ceiling.
Judging from the name alone, it was obvious they were highly poisonous monsters. Dozens, even hundreds of them appeared without warning, poisoning nearly half the expedition force on the spot. The more severely affected members fell straight into unconsciousness.
After resting for a day on the Eighteenth Floor, Ryoji went up to the surface and brought back the Dea Saint, Airmid, from the Dian Cecht Familia. Only then were they able to save the expedition force.
"The Dungeon's always like this. Unknown dangers can appear from unknown corners at any time. Fortunately, nobody died this time," Finn smiled bitterly.
The Loki Familia had just broken a record set by the gods themselves, yet they had nearly been wiped out by a bunch of monsters from the Lower Floors. If news of that got out, their hard-earned reputation would be ruined.
"Well then, I'll be heading back." Before leaving, the Dea Saint's gaze lingered on Ryoji for a moment.
"Tiona, I think something's off about Miss Airmid!"
"Alicia, you think so too?"
"I remember Ryoji carried Airmid down here himself. They definitely had physical contact! And I heard he practically dragged her here by force. She was working at the time, wasn't she? She must've been moved by how much he cared about his companions!"
"Damn it, Ryoji's charm stat is way too high!" Tiona wept dramatically.
Alicia was left speechless. This man was simply too good at attracting women. Without even trying, he kept piling up romantic entanglements everywhere he went.
Ais glanced at them in confusion, completely unable to understand their line of thinking. Lefiya guiltily looked away, not quite daring to face Tiona and the others.
(End of Chapter)
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