Time rewinds slightly…
At that moment, Lumine, having just finished preliminary discussions about cooperation with Riveria, Grace, and others, stepped out of the tent used by the Loki familia members. She immediately saw Hogni standing not far off.
Since she was only thinking about quickly meeting Ryuu to learn the Parallel Chanting technique, Lumine, out of simple courtesy, smiled and greeted the silver-haired dark elf.
After that, she left on her own, heading toward the temporary camp of the Hermes familia.
Honestly, it was just a very ordinary, polite greeting done out of habit.
But at that moment, the Gulliver Brothers happened to be returning near the tent. They saw the entire interaction.
Then…
"Hey, when did you get so close with the Goddess's little sister?"
The eldest, Alfrigg, who always spoke with a hint of gunpowder when addressing others, asked Hogni.
Normally, Hogni would have retorted with something like: "You useless lot aren't worthy of my conversation," which would have set off group ridicule, leaving the Gulliver Brothers fuming with veins popping on their foreheads.
But today, he was in a good mood.
Yes, though his mood had fluctuated earlier due to small incidents, now… Hogni felt genuinely good.
When in a good mood, even idiots (in his view) appeared much more tolerable.
So, for once, the silver-haired dark elf, having "discovered a small interest in the Goddess's little sister," generously decided to share his insights with these worthless individuals.
Of course, he also wanted to subtly prove: his way of interacting was perfectly fine, and he wasn't disliked.
And so…
"Hogni, you bastard, I'm going to kill you ahhhhh~"
Time returns to the present.
Just now, as Lumine instinctively stepped out of the tent, her expression, equal parts speechless and extremely disgusted, almost silently screaming "uwah~" in pity, along with the concerned gaze she gave, had fully shaken the fragile psyches of the four Palum adventurers, small in stature but unusually powerful.
The Gulliver Brothers had no idea that Hogni, with his wildly imaginative brain, was genuinely speaking his mind.
But because his intentions were completely misread, the situation now looked like…
"That black-skinned bastard… he looks dumb but is actually scheming."
"He's definitely trying to sabotage things and profit from it."
"Oh no… the first impression I leave with that little aunt… cough, I mean the familia junior, is going to be terrible."
"Am I the only one thinking it's stupid that we'd actually believe Hogni?"
"Alfrigg, shut up!"
"Alfrigg, shut up!"
"Alfrigg, shut up!"
Today, like any other day, the eldest was being shouted down by his three younger brothers.
Ah, peace at last~
That night…
Because all the Freya familia members who came to the Large Tree Labyrinth border for the guild-mandated mission were male, Lumine didn't rest in the tent with the Valkyrie totem flag. She instead conjured a small dark-gold hut and moved in.
Around seven or eight in the evening, she invited the Loki familia members over for dinner.
During this process…
"Are the Loki familia guys too arrogant?"
"We've never even eaten the Goddess's little sister's cooking."
"She'll invite us, right? She'll, right?"
"It's all that bastard Hogni's fault."
…
Because of the Divine Blessing and its passive beauty effect, when the four Palum brothers removed their equipment, they looked like four mischievous little boys, peeking from the corner of the camp.
At that moment, the contrast between the laughter they imagined and what they actually had… was painfully obvious.
Really… do you have to be this pathetic? First-tier adventurers, mind you.
Then…
"Hmm? Hogni is back."
"Kill him!!!"
"Kill him!!!"
"Kill him!!!"
The Gulliver brothers rushed to confront him, only to see Hogni wasn't alone.
Hedin Selland, absent most of the day, appeared with his usual calm demeanor. The Lv.6 adventurer walked in alongside Hogni into the dark-gold hut.
Alfrigg, Dvalinn, Berling, and Grer felt increasingly aggrieved.
"They didn't even invite us."
The low, gritted voices almost rivaled DIO's dramatic expressions.
Suddenly…
BOOM~
Without warning, golden lightning flashed.
The dark-gold hut in the brothers' view exploded from within.
"What the hell?"
Of course, they recognized the golden lightning, it was Hedin's magic.
Despite their grievances with the Loki familia, blowing up the little princess's hut?
The Gulliver Brothers shared a silent understanding. Just a glance was enough; each drew their weapons and rushed toward the scene.
As they approached…
"Mr. Hedin, you better give me a proper explanation."
From Alfrigg's perspective, they could see Hedin and Hogni's backs, as well as Riveria and others being guarded by Lumine in the rear.
No, guarded was an understatement. She was effectively blocking them.
Otherwise… judging by the Loki familia members' angry expressions, a fight would have broken out right there.
Currently, the one most furious was the golden-haired, gold-eyed girl in white.
She gripped the Dawn Divine Sword, a semi-transparent dark-gold ripple forming around her.
Earlier, this "shield-like" move had blocked Hedin's magical attack.
Now…
"Lumine, you are the Goddess Freya's little sister and a member of our familia. You shouldn't be getting too close to outsiders."
"You need to recognize your identity."
Hedin didn't think he had done anything wrong.
Upon entering the dark-gold hut, he had simply shared his thoughts, sparking this conflict.
In response…
"I don't think 'executives' have such authority to interfere in the private lives of familia members."
Lumine, clearly not giving Hedin any face, replied:
"As a member of the Goddess's household, our duty is not to tarnish her reputation externally."
"I see no fault in my actions, so…"
She pointed her sword at the golden-haired elf:
"And you? Mr. Hedin, have you upheld this duty?"