Three days passed after another day spent cleaning and two more days of lessons with Lili.
"Wow, this is impressive."
I stood there, looking up at Loki Familia's home, the Twilight Manor, right before my eyes.
The reason I had come here was simple: the request I had made to Tiona some time ago, asking for an audience with Loki, the captain of Loki Familia, had finally been granted.
Just in case, I had even prepared a bribe separately, but it had been accepted surprisingly easily.
So this was thanks to Tiona after all, huh.
I'd have to give her something nice later.
Still, I was a little more nervous than I expected. There wasn't even anything like a calming pill in this world, so it was driving me crazy.
I'd have to make some myself later and maybe even get a patent on it.
Though, did this world even have the concept of patents?
"Halt. What business do you have here?"
"I'm here for an appointment. Here's the invitation."
"Just a moment... huff!"
"Is there some other problem?"
"N-no! No problem at all! Please, come in quickly! The captain is waiting inside as well!"
The gatekeeper was flustered to an almost excessive degree, his expression strangely tense.
Was he a newbie, maybe?
He looked a little clueless, so he was probably having a rough time of it.
I thanked him briefly and stepped inside their home.
Immediately, a crowd of adventurers who looked busy in all sorts of ways came into view.
It seemed they were preparing for the deep expedition I had heard about recently.
"Huh? Isn't that An? What are you doing here?"
"Tione. Long time no see."
"Don't tell me you came to see my idiot little sister? Wow, that's moving fast."
"What nonsense are you spouting this early in the morning? I just came because my request for an audience with your captain was accepted."
"With the captain? Ahh, so you're the guest who was supposed to come today."
After hearing that much, Tione finally understood the situation and volunteered to guide me.
For a moment, it felt like the surrounding adventurers' gazes had turned toward me, but I ignored them and followed behind her.
Apparently, guests from outside didn't come here very often.
Or maybe that was just normal.
"Captaaain~! You've got a visitor!"
"Good work, Tione. And you are?"
Following Tione into a room, I saw a small figure inside, deeply absorbed in paperwork.
A beautiful boyish Pallum with blond hair and blue eyes.
That man was the famous Level 6 hero, Finn Deimne.
Though he looked like that, rumor had it he was already an old man in his forties on the inside.
"Hans Christian Andersen. You can just call me a mage."
"A mage? Is that some kind of epithet?"
"It's not all that different from a wizard or sorcerer. Let's just say it's a personal thing."
"Fine, whatever. If that's what you want."
Finn Deimne, the hero and captain of Loki Familia, didn't seem all that different from other Pallums at first glance.
A small, slight, and cute little race.
But the light of pride in those pair of blue eyes was something lofty that you didn't easily find in other Pallums.
Unbreakable conviction and self-respect.
Those were the words and sentences that described Finn Deimne as a person.
"I've heard a lot about you from Tione and Tiona. You're quite the skilled mage, aren't you?"
"For personal reasons, I'm not taking any additional requests for the time being."
"Is that so? What a shame."
The start of the meeting was a light exchange of probes.
But since both of us were busy later, we quickly got to the point.
There was no need to waste time on pointless chatter.
"So? What's the reason you wanted to see me?"
"I heard you're heading out on a deep expedition this time. I'd like to accompany you."
For this type of person, beating around the bush was actually a mistake.
So I laid my true intentions bare, without any embellishment.
Finn's lips curled slightly, as if he found that amusing.
"Heh, that's an unexpected request. And your purpose?"
"Information gathering to satisfy a personal curiosity. For the details, ask Aria... no, the Sword Princess. We went on a quest together recently."
"...Aria, huh. Don't tell me your target is our princess?"
Finn's eyes sharpened instantly.
Within that sharpness, I could even glimpse a ferocity like that of a beast.
At the same time, I could feel the coldness of a finely honed blade.
For a moment, it felt like I might be killed on the spot if I made one wrong move.
So that airheaded lady really was loved quite a bit within the Familia, huh.
Of course, I had no intention of provoking him, so I obediently raised both hands in surrender.
Maybe some other time.
For now, I had no reason, no need, and nothing at all to make me hostile toward them.
"No. Well, to be honest, I can't say I'm completely uninterested personally, but... let's leave that for another time."
"Hmm, another time. You're rather bold, unlike how you look."
"Please don't misunderstand. I'll make sure to get the person's consent first."
"I'll expect you to keep that promise. Otherwise... you know what happens."
"Before that, I suspect her suitor won't leave me alone."
"Good. I'm glad you understand."
The wariness and threat in Finn's face disappeared.
Seeing that, I let out a quiet sigh of relief to myself and revised my information about the Pallum before me.
If I ever had to face him later, it would probably be better to assume he was at least Level 7 rather than Level 6 and prepare accordingly.
Preferably, a dangerous day like that would never come.
"So the mage's target is that monster, Revis? Or the one behind her?"
"Both, I suppose. Well, in the end, they all connect to the same thing anyway, so there's no real need to separate them."
"Then can I assume we're pursuing a common goal for now?"
"Naturally. Though the reasons for pursuing it are different."
"That's enough for us too."
And as soon as the conversation ended, both of us smiled brightly at each other.
Tione, who had been watching from the side, looked visibly pale, but neither of us paid her any mind and continued talking.
This was where the real negotiation began.
"But it's still impossible. This expedition is a very important matter for our Familia. If we let outsiders into an event like this too casually, there'll be all sorts of unnecessary talk from below. If you were from the Hephaistos Familia joining us this time, maybe. But just being Tiona's guest isn't enough, mage."
"So you're saying I need to offer something of equal value?"
"Well, as long as the value is appropriate."
"Hmm."
After hearing Finn's words, I thought carefully to myself.
Actually, I had already brought a bribe for this very purpose, but I wasn't sure whether it was really okay to hand it over to the Pallum in front of me.
Recently, more people had learned about my Magecraft, but the core of it still hadn't been exposed to anyone, so I set that aside for now.
He was already a dangerous opponent as it was. If I gave this to him...
"Well, it should be fine. If it comes to it, I can just activate the self-destruct function."
After a moment of thought, I made my decision and held out the long box I had brought on my back to Finn.
He looked at it with a slightly surprised, puzzled expression.
"Then, as a token of goodwill, I'd like to present the captain with a gift."
"Just for me? Don't tell me it's a bribe? I'm pretty resistant to those."
"Who knows."
He was, after all, the captain of one of Orario's largest Familias, one that ranked first or second in the city.
He must have seen and experienced every kind of precious thing suited to such a lofty position.
But at the very least—
"You won't be disappointed."
He had never seen anything like this before.
With that certainty, I opened the lid of the box with a meaningful smile.
Revealed inside was a long spear.
It was a spear that looked almost like a sword hilt had been forcibly lengthened and turned into a weapon capable of functioning as a spear.
"The name of this weapon is Durindana, the Extreme Spear of Invincibility."
Finn's eyes filled with astonishment.
Within that astonishment was the greed that no warrior could hide.
Well, that was only natural.
After all, this was that old man's Noble Phantasm, Lancer's.
The finest replica in this world, one that only I could create.
"Your answer?"
"This... I can't refuse."
That was the end of our conversation.
My participation in the deep expedition was as good as approved.
Even Tione, who had been watching everything from the side, couldn't hide her shocked expression.
To be honest, it was on a completely different level from the purity I had given her.
A replica this close to a Noble Phantasm was an excellent key for negotiation.
I sincerely hoped this wouldn't lead to complaints or additional requests from them later.
"Piiin~ How's the expedition prep comin' along... huh? Who're you?"
Just as things were going smoothly, a new intruder barged into the room.
A fox-like woman with a red, delicate orange ponytail and narrow slit eyes.
The goddess Loki, the chief deity of Loki Familia.
"Ah, Loki. Welcome."
"Nice to meet you, Goddess Loki. I'm..."
Finn greeted her warmly, and I was about to introduce myself properly to her for the first time.
But then—
"Staaare."
"Goddess Loki?"
Her gaze fixed on me with strange intensity.
Come to think of it, something similar had happened several times before.
"That's weird."
"Goddess Loki?"
"You're definitely a person of the Lower World, right?"
"Yes, that's correct, but?"
"That's right, then. But why is it..."
"I get the same kind of feeling from you as from us gods?"
At that question, I finally remembered what had happened before.
Right, this was just like when I first met that Hermes bastard.
"Who the hell are you?"
Like Hermes back then, the goddess kept pressing me with question after question.
But I couldn't answer.
No, I couldn't answer.
There was nothing I could say to either Hermes back then or the goddess standing before me now.
Haah, what am I supposed to do about this?
Should I just run?
It would be pretty funny if I just flew off saying, "This is my escape route!" right here.
But... hmm, would that just get me cursed out?
What am I really supposed to do?
My thoughts continued under the goddess's relentless interrogation.
The uncomfortable silence dragged on until Finn finally stepped in to mediate.
"Loki, he's our guest. Please stop being rude. Mage, today's meeting was quite meaningful. I'll let you know through Tiona when the departure date is decided. You should head back for today."
"Ah, thank you for your consideration. Then..."
"Hey! Wait a minute! You little bonehead...!"
"Loki, calm down."
As soon as I got the chance, I quickly made my escape and left the Twilight Manor.
Ever since I started living in this world, I'd always thought the same thing.
As expected, the gaze and attention of gods are nothing but troublesome.
After all this, and now that I'd gathered enough materials, maybe it was about time I made a divine-countermeasure Mystic Code.
Then what should I make, and how, to get out from under their attention?
Would I need something on the level of what I'd use against clairvoyants?
"Still, Goddess Loki, huh."
Now I was suddenly curious about this world's Thor and Odin.
Surely they hadn't been TS'd like she had, right?
"This world's quality is terrifying because you can't exactly rule that out."
Ah, I suddenly really want Mjolnir!
And Stormbreaker while I'm at it!
"And if I had a Philosopher's Stone specialized in six different attributes, one for each color, could I make a fake Infinity Gauntlet too? Or something like that."
My train of thought spread out in every direction like a mind map.
Honestly, now that I'd found a little breathing room, I was already doing this again.
I really was hopeless.
"Anyway, once I get back, I should first find something to give Bell boy and Lili, and then..."
Once the floodgates of thought had opened, they showed no sign of stopping and just kept going.
Because of that, I ended up taking an unintended stroll and didn't make it home until the evening sun had completely set, which later earned me a storm of complaints from Lili.
Before that, I had also nearly had my virgin flower plucked by some cool Amazoness onee-san who had caught me at the wrong time.
But that wasn't very important, so I'd leave it at that.
"All right, it's finished."
The long-awaited day had come.
I looked at the item I was about to hand to Bell boy and smiled in satisfaction.
It was something I had been thinking about making for a long time and had tried to create many times before, only to fail every time—yet at last, it was complete.
So I let my excitement show without holding back and called out its name.
"Yes, your name is...!"
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