Since that day, no one came looking for me, and the surveillance stopped as well.
Honestly, it was a little strange that they had barged in like that only for it to end without any incident... but since they were gods, perhaps they had picked up on something from information I didn't even know had leaked.
I was a little uneasy, sure... but in the first place, a loss you never notice isn't really a loss. You need a working brain to even recognize a loss, so it was better not to worry about things happening in places I couldn't see. It wasn't as if anything had fundamentally changed, anyway.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Just this and that."
In the end, I decided to head into the Dungeon with Ais as usual. Riveria apparently couldn't make it today, which was a rare occurrence.
I was a little worried about why she couldn't come when it involved Ais, since that woman practically melted whenever Ais was concerned... but it probably wasn't anything serious.
"And Finn said to come see him sometime if you have the time."
"Eh, me?"
"Mm."
Why me?
"I see... then let's go together today."
"...Mm."
I was a little puzzled, but it wasn't a difficult request, so I agreed readily.
Ais accepted the plan calmly, her expression as vacant as ever.
"Potato Balls..."
"You already ate three..."
As usual, we bought Potato Balls and headed toward the Loki Familia home. After visiting a few times, the members were now welcoming me rather warmly.
...Was this really okay? Sometimes I found myself so accustomed to this era that I almost forgot I was living in the past.
Regardless of whether I actually return to my own time, shouldn't I at least secure a way back? I'll have to contact Fels at some point.
"What are you thinking about?"
With a gentle tug, Ais grabbed the sleeve of my clothes and asked.
There were times when Ais's golden eyes made me feel as if they could pierce through silence to see the absolute truth. This was exactly one of those moments.
At her expression, as if she had seen straight through my thoughts, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
"No, it's nothing."
"I see..."
With that, Ais trotted off ahead. I wordlessly followed her.
An awkward silence lingered between us before fading away.
"Sorry for calling you. Was it a bother?"
"No, not at all."
After a while, Ais and I arrived at Finn's workshop. Ais immediately used my lap as a pillow and drifted off to sleep, while Finn set out tea and sat across from me.
"Haha, Ais still clings to you as always."
"...I'm honored."
Looking at Finn as he laughed and spoke cheerfully, I could only answer awkwardly.
I still hadn't adjusted to this kind of situation. The Loki Familia carried a weight in my heart that was anything but light.
Finn was someone I felt a particular bond with, so facing him like this sometimes made me wonder if I was dreaming.
If this was a dream, it was a cruel one. I never wanted a dream like this.
Because if I woke up, all that would remain was a hollow emptiness.
"Since it's just the two of us, I'll get straight to the point. I called you here because I have a request for you. Would you be willing to hear it?"
"...I'll listen."
A request from the Loki Familia... I hadn't expected them to suddenly reach out to me under these circumstances.
What are they thinking?
I was still a suspicious figure. I thought I'd built up a decent amount of trust, but not enough for them to entrust me with something significant...
"The Three Great Quests will begin next week."
"...I heard the Three Great Quests were supposed to start after the Harvest Festival."
Though surprised by the sudden statement, I felt a surge of doubt. I had heard that the quest would begin after the Harvest Festival when I spoke with that [Great Figure]... had I misheard?
"That's right. Normally, that would have been the case. But circumstances changed abruptly."
"Changed how?"
"You know that the Familias from the Egyptian side joined forces to target the Zeus and Hera Familias, right? The reason the quest was originally set for after the Harvest Festival was so we could crush them completely before embarking on the quest."
"..."
Crush them completely... his wording was as brutal as ever.
"But for whatever reason, they seem to have decided not to destroy the Egyptian side, but to subordinate them instead. Without the Guild's permission, they apparently launched a surprise attack on the Egyptian Familias and absorbed them."
"Huh."
"Once they realized the difference in strength, the other side surrendered... well, I don't know if they were sincere, but either way, they joined the quest."
Finn sipped his tea as he spoke. Hearing that, my mind began to race.
This... wasn't it supposed to be different? If I remembered correctly, the Egyptian Familias were supposed to suffer near-total destruction here, spending decades afterward struggling without ever recovering their strength.
Is it because of me...?
Was it narcissism to think this was the result of my conversation with that [Great Figure] back then?
In my opinion, it was 100 percent because of that.
I changed the future!
I had been prepared for the possibility, but I never expected it to change like this. A tiny pebble I'd tossed without thinking had rolled into an absurd snowball and come crashing back at me.
No, I knew it might happen! But still, this was way too sudden!
I didn't regret it, but I couldn't stop a cold sweat from breaking out. A bubbling sense of guilt surged within me at the fact that I had altered the timeline.
What if the future I knew changed for the worse... what if the people I cared about ended up getting hurt?
Worry flooded over me. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but my head felt as if it were aching and spinning.
"They are a Familia with enough power to target the Zeus and Hera Familias. With several Level 7s joining the fold, their strength was reinforced all at once. There was no longer any reason to wait for the Harvest Festival."
So, in other words, they had originally planned to annihilate them after the Harvest Festival, but since they absorbed them, that necessity vanished?
They'd have to deal with the nuisance of a possible betrayal, but their combat power was now more than sufficient. In that case, there really was no reason to wait.
In the end, the schedule had been thrown off because of me. Fortunately, the Behemoth subjugation was destined to succeed anyway, so there shouldn't be a problem... but what if they failed because of a betrayal? No, they wouldn't handle something this important so carelessly. It would probably be fine.
"I understand the situation, but... what does that have to do with me...?"
It was certainly surprising information, but what did it have to do with the request? They couldn't possibly be asking me to join the Behemoth subjugation, could they?
"...I heard you've been spending a lot of time with Ais lately."
"...? Yes, well..."
"Then haven't you noticed anything?"
"Noticed anything?"
What did he mean?
Given the context, it sounded like there was some problem with Ais... a problem with Ais? Fighting recklessly, not listening... or eating too many Potato Balls?
Ah, now that I thought about it, there was one more thing.
"There's a strange gaze... isn't there?"
Every time I entered the Dungeon, I felt a peculiar gaze. It looked at me too, but primarily, it felt as if it were observing Ais.
It was unpleasant, but I had no way of knowing where it was coming from, so I'd ignored it... was that the problem?
"I see, so you had noticed in your own way."
"Do you know whose gaze it is?"
"Yes. The gaze you felt was likely that of Evilus."
"Evilus...? Why are they involved here?"
"Ais is being targeted by Evilus."
"What?!"
Even I couldn't help but be shocked by the sudden revelation.
Ais was being targeted by Evilus? This was the first I'd heard of it!
Evilus were people I had ties to as well. More precisely, Ryuu had far deeper ties to them than I did.
Of course, they were ties of pure enmity.
Why would a criminal organization like that target a young girl like Ais? Were they trying to crush her before she could grow into a threat?
"It is difficult to explain the reason, but..."
"...Well, if it's that difficult, you don't have to tell me."
It was a little unsettling, but Finn wasn't a villain, and there was no need to press him right now.
"More importantly, the request is...?"
"Right. You probably guessed it already, but... while we are away on the subjugation, I want to ask you to escort Ais."
Could I do it? As Finn looked at me, swallowing the rest of his words, I...