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"Stop running away from your problems because they're not chasing after you, they're stuck and calling for help" - Author
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Artifact testing went on for quite a while, by the time they finished, Loki had already reserved time for Gareth's artifact while Ryuta had gotten quite close with the four executives of the Loki familia.
Finn was the standard competent CEO archetype, a man who was easy to see through but not as easy to match. Ryuta found it interesting, as if it was looking at a mirror just- a twisted one.
On the other hand, Finn's reaction to Pierrot was the same, he found the similarities between them. Both hiding their strength, both moving carefully, associating with a literal reflection was fun but it was also tiring.
Regarding the other members of the Loki familia-
Gareth, he was the standard "bro", he had the sage like temperament of an elder but once you get close to him- he's like that old man you meet at the pub. A wise man who could share his experiences with you when you're down in the dumps, but he could also be the buddy you share dirty jokes with.
Riveria… She was a special case, her interaction with Ryuta was- special, to say the least.
There was a weird air between them, but this air came from a sense of- companionship?
Finn, Gareth and Loki felt that something was off about their interaction. The two exchanged short words and had hushed conversations. They were especially talkative when Maria was testing her artifacts.
Riviera rarely showed emotions and Pierrot was constantly hiding his own- when Loki and the two male executives saw the interaction between the two they felt a weird chemistry between them-
"They're talking about training?"
"Yeah…"
"That's quite brutal…"
"I never thought gravity magic could be used in that way…"
"Fortunately, Riviera doesn't have gravity magic-"
"Finn… it seems Pierrot could make an artifact for that kind of training…"
"..."
"..."
The three had such a conversation after they overheard the conversation between Ryuta and Riveria.
This conversation between the two got even worse when Maria joined in, her words were… scary, to say the least.
"Did she just talk about using them in the dungeon?"
"I mean… it's like a curse but… wouldn't that be a but too- dangerous?"
"Killing a minotaur alone while being under a curse of increased gravity, that would impress me much less other Gods"
Whatever it was that Maria, Riviera and Ryuta were talking about, Finn, Gareth and Loki decided to ignore it.
Loki also made sure to take note of any request Riveria had for additional artifacts. The last thing she wants is to see her whole familia struggling to even walk-
'But wouldn't that make them stronger?'
She shook off such thoughts, making sure that she would never accidentally say it out loud.
As great as the idea sounded, Finn and Gareth would never approve of such plans. Not because they feared the deaths of their comrades, but because they did not want to worry about the amount of resources and effort needed to sustain such training methods.
After all, the three madmen did not talk about "how to do it" but focused on "what if we do this?".
Cursing someone and making them solo a minotaur could increase the speed in their strengthening but it would also increase risk. If a training method leads to death, then it's not a training method is it?
While the three madmen were brainstorming ideas to tort- train people, if such ideas were passed, Finn and Gareth would be forced to think about how to minimize casualties and costs.
Any sane person who had worked in logistics would understand- Leaders could dream of doing something, engineers could craft elaborate plans to make it happen, but it was the people handling the logistics, the movement of supplies and workforce, who ultimately end up scratching their heads wondering how the hell they could get everything from point A to point B-
Due to this interaction, Ryuta found himself stuck in between Maria and Riveria. The two had vastly different reactions, one was clingy for no apparent reason- probably happy for the exponential increase in her power bought by the artifacts.
The other stuck close to him as they chattered about various random ideas-
Leading the three were Loki, Finn and Gareth who were all stone faced. Not because Ryuta was surrounded by women but because the conversations happening behind them contained information they wanted no part of.
As such, this weird group walked through Orario and found themselves standing before a familiar pub-
'This is fine, I have my disguise on, even Zelretch would find it hard to see through this myst- artifact'
Ryuta thought as he followed the Loki familia into the pub.
The group found an empty table and Loki began to order food and drinks.
Ryuta acted calm but his heart was already pounding, he didn't want to believe it but the moment he entered the pub, he felt it-
'That gaze… crap'
Initially he thought he could elude the gray haired woman, previously the thread she had showed that she had great power.
Ryuta thought that she was just another powerful adventurer, a high level member of either the Loki or Freya familia, or probably a hidden member of other familia's.
At that time, his rapid assessment made him escape as he found the woman's thread actively attempting to envelop him.
This was not the first time this has happened but the times it did- they were life changing.
The first time he saw it was when he met Oda Nobunaga, the second, was when he fought against a Heroic Spirit Adept at manipulation.
Both instances involved being placed under the control of another, Ryuta was familiar with the meaning of such an image and ran away.
He had yet to fully understand the system of power in this world, at that time he was already quite sensitive due to the minotaur incident.
Now, after the experiences earlier that day, Ryuta believed that he had a good grasp of the power held by Adventurers. He had forgotten… no-
'I haven't "seen" it yet'
It was then that Ryuta realized, ever since meeting with the Loki familia, he had not used his "eyes".
Everytime he thought of using them, he felt as if the world was staring back at him.
He felt like a spy trying to secretly record a conversation but everytime he tries to hit the record button, the whole world stops and stares at his hands.
'Who's doing that?'
Ryuta took another look at all the members sof the Loki familia, everyone was- normal but…
'Maria was giving me the creeps… no- that's too obvious, a smokescreen? So- Riviera? Finn? Gareth? Or… Loki?'
His mind raced as he tried to find out who it was but as he was thinking, a chilling voice entered his ears-
"Here's your order dear Customers!"
A bright and cheerful voice entered his ears but it brought nothing but a shiver down his spine.
Ryuta turned to the voice and found a short dull gray haired girl standing right next to him-
The short haired girl showed a surprised expression as she leaned in to observe Ryuta before asking Loki.
"Oh? Is this a new member of your familia Loki-sama?"
Her question was innocent but Ryuta could feel it, a hint of hidden meanings-
"Ah! No, just a business partner, he already belongs to a different familia"
Loki answered as if she was responding to a familiar server but Ryuta noticed it.
The slight hidden wince in her eyes, unnoticed even by her own familia members. Loki was straining herself, as a person used to lies and deceit, Ryuta could easily see through her act.
"Oh? Which is it?"
Her question like before, sounded innocent enough but-
"I don't really know, how about you ask him yerself?"
Loki said with a teasing expression as the girl turned to Ryuta, her smile calm as she asked.
"Sorry sir, I'm Syr, if it's not much trouble, I'd like to know what kind of Familia could have "special" partnerships with the Loki Familia~"
At this time she showed a hint of shrewdness, to others it seemed normal.
A waitress serving a table for a powerful force within the city, they noticed a new face among the members.
This was, for any good server a goldmine for information. Ryuta did not know how "realistic" this fantasy world was. But he knew that even the brightest stories had their darkness.
The waitress, Syr, asking for such information playfully was something normal in the business. Pubs were not only places to innocently wine and dine, it was also a hub for gathering information.
It was normal for a waitress to ask questions, to listen in on conversation but-
No matter how much he tried to say this to himself he felt different about the woman named Syr-
'She knows it's me… that gaze of hers- that's the gaze that locked onto me the moment I entered… no- in the dungeon… I thought it was "The Dungeon" observing but- fuck… since when?!'
At this point, Ryuta's mind had already realized and tied together multiple things as he understood-
'A God…'
Coming to such a realization, Ryuta wanted to run but-
"Unfortunately, my familia is rather small and weak, my partnership with the Loki familia is a personal endeavour. I don't wish to bring trouble to my familia and our members, they've supported me for years so how could I bring them problems?"
Ryuta's response was clean but-
"Oh, don't be too formal! But can't you do something for little ol me~"
Syr did not give up, instead she continued her cutesy act which caused some of the patrons to cry out in sorrow.
*Bang*
Fortunately, an elf came up to them, she had long silver hair and bright blue eyes. Ryuta recognized her but he did not show it outwardly.
"Don't disturb the customers!"
She said before bowing to Ryuta.
"Sorry, Syr gets a bit too curious at times"
As the elf dragged Syr away, Loki came up to Ryuta and whispered-
"You lucky bastard!"
To which, Ryuta responded-
"Whatever could you mean?"
Loki did not respond and instead pulled Ryuta up as she loudly declared the cooperation between the Loki familia and the smith Pierrot.
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"The way you interpret the quote at the start is a reflection of yourself, so tell me, do you like what you see?" - Author
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