"Welcome home!"
Loki stood at the Familia's entrance with a wide grin, waiting to greet the returning expedition team.
Today marked their return—no matter what, as a god, Loki had to come out and welcome them.
But the three leaders of the expedition looked… conflicted.
"Loki…"
The three stared at Loki's smiling face, slightly dazed. They had all assumed Loki would definitely avoid showing herself today—yet somehow, she had actually come out.
"What's with those faces? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Perfectly reading their thoughts, Loki walked toward them with a wicked smile.
"Did you think I wouldn't come out today?"
The three nodded, somewhat awkwardly.
"Well~ it's not wrong for you to think that. After all…"
Loki suddenly raised her voice.
"That child's situation—if it can be hidden, then it should be kept hidden."
What situation?
The sudden shift made the three freeze, confused. But they quickly realized: something must have happened that made even Loki decide to stop hiding it.
Loki swept her gaze across the crowd, locking onto several gods in an instant. A cold smile tugged at her lips. Weren't these people just waiting for her to say this? Fine—then she'd say it loud enough for them all to hear.
Bell had already been hidden for a full year—about the limit. Otherwise, those creatures wouldn't be getting so restless.
So they made their decision: expose everything outright.
'The only problem now is that Bell hasn't awakened from his promotion yet.'
Ever since Bell abandoned everything three months ago and stepped onto the path of ascension, he had remained cocooned in light, immersed in a torrent of energy powerful enough to destroy a world.
Naturally, such a ritual took time.
From here on, concealment and evasion alone wouldn't be enough to divert divine attention. They needed a different, more direct method.
Military deterrence.
Yes—simple, straightforward, and brutally effective.
They hadn't used this approach before not because they were incapable, but because it hadn't been necessary.
When secrecy was still workable, keeping divine eyes blind was more important than drawing unnecessary attention to Bell—especially during his crucial period. They had wanted to avoid disturbing him at all costs.
But now that Bell had passed that turning point and entered ascension, the deterrence they once shelved could be taken out again.
At that thought, Loki's pent-up irritation and malice flickered through her smile.
Her lips curled, a fang showing. Her delicate, cute features sank into shadow, giving her smile a feral edge.
Finn and the others instantly understood.
Their Familia God had run out of patience.
To be honest, Loki had endured far longer this time than usual. Under normal circumstances, they couldn't imagine Loki holding back this long before snapping. In the past, once Loki got angry, the explosions came fast.
But in the next moment, all savagery vanished from Loki's face.
"Ais-tan, today's banquet is mainly to celebrate your promotion. We didn't get to properly celebrate your Lv.7 last time, so now we'll combine it with your welcome-home party—one big celebration~."
Loki had always remembered the celebration.
Unfortunately, the timing had never been right before, so the banquet kept getting delayed. But this time, delaying wasn't an option—and besides, it was a perfect opportunity.
"…Thank you."
A faint warmth appeared on Ais's otherwise blank face, and even her voice softened slightly.
Social gatherings were never her strong suit.
Social interaction had always been difficult for her. The person she spent the most time with was Riveria. The ones she felt most relaxed around were Lefiya and Tiona. And the person who left the deepest impression on her was Bell—her teacher.
Truthfully, Ais's social circle was small. She wasn't good at expanding it and hadn't intended to. Even so, she clearly felt the kindness others showed her—especially Loki's as a Main God.
"Oh my~ Ais-tan is blushing."
The gratitude she had felt instantly evaporated. Loki's intentionally teasing voice made Ais want to punch her straight in the face.
But that impulse halted suddenly.
"Loki, will the teacher be coming?"
Loki's expression stiffened.
Seeing the expectant glow in Ais's eyes made Loki's neck stiffen too.
In the past, hearing such words from Ais would have made Loki want to give that "teacher" a good lesson. But now, hearing her ask, Loki couldn't help wondering what exactly Ais felt for Bell.
Forcing her stiff mouth into a smooth curve, Loki tried to sound casual—though with a touch of deliberate emphasis.
"That child has been busy with something very important recently, so he probably won't have time to come."
"But you, Ais—your dependence on that child is far too strong. That's not a good thing, you know."
Ais completely missed the implication in Loki's tone.
"A teacher is a teacher. A teacher being relied on by students is perfectly normal. Like Lefiya—she seems to rely on me a lot too."
"!?"
Standing behind them, Lefiya's face exploded into crimson. Steam practically billowed from her head like a steam engine.
She never expected Miss Ais to know she relied on her. She had always thought she hid it well.
"That's… a completely different matter…"
Loki was absolutely certain Ais's reasoning was wrong. But considering her awkward personality and rigid way of thinking, Loki sensed that any explanation would be pointless—like talking to a wall.
Looking at Ais's cute, blank expression, especially the pure, glimmering foolishness in her eyes, Loki knew this child would not understand.
"Riveria, she's yours. Later, give Ais-tan a proper lesson. Explain to her that what she just said is totally different from reality."
Loki eventually abandoned any attempt to correct Ais herself and tossed the responsibility to Riveria.
Lecturing was not her specialty—especially lecturing a somewhat clueless, adorable child.