The scared Loki
In a long and dark hallway somewhere in the city of Orario.
Footsteps echo through the corridor, with not a drop of light to illuminate the path, one can only rely on their instincts to navigate here.
A silhouette walks at a pace neither slow nor fast through the corridors.
After a long journey, suddenly, the faint light of a candle was seen, although small in this absolute darkness, even the smallest light shines as intensely as the sun.
As the silhouette approached, a deep, hoarse voice was heard from the depths of the room.
"It seems you've had some rather eventful battles," the voice spoke with a hint of intrigue.
The silhouette continued walking without responding, and after a while, it approached the room, illuminating her face.
The perfect face of a woman with ash-gray hair and closed eyes appeared in the room.
"It was a rather eventful night..." The woman responded with an indifferent tone.
Moving within the room, a man with dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a large scar on his face looked closely at the woman.
He carefully examined one of the woman's arms where there was a cut from the palm to the shoulder, the cut wasn't very deep but still visible.
"It seems Orario is not completely defenseless," Zald commented with a flat face, yet a profound shock showed in his eyes.
Alfia, upon seeing the cut on her hand, remembered the figure that managed to harm her, fiery red hair, an iron will, and a fighting style as fierce as a wild animal.
"It's just a crazy dog," Alfia's eyes narrowed, and she said in an apathetic tone, but if one looked deep into her eyes, Notaries deeply respected.
(For those who don't understand why "crazy dog," I'm playing with the nickname Eris earned in the original story.)
...
"Damn it, the Rozzo family has another level 6!" An adventurer's shout resonated throughout the guild.
Today the adventurer's guild made the morning announcements, of course, unlike normal days, today's announcements have important news.
"Not only that, the Astrea family upgraded all their leaders," another adventurer looking at the bulletin board said in amazement.
"That's right, not only did the Rozzo family add a level 6, but all the leaders of the Astrea family reached level 4," another adventurer said excitedly.
"Eris Grayrat registered no less than a month ago as a level 5, and she's already upgraded to level 6, wouldn't she have the record for the fastest upgrade?" One of the adventurers pointed out.
"I don't think... Eris Grayrat must have been at the limit of level 5 when she arrived, she must have recently accomplished a great feat and upgraded," another adventurer shook his head, not believing that one can upgrade a level in just one month.
"Hey, you know what I heard, there's a rumor going around that the achievement Eris and the Astrea family upgraded with is the same, and it seems to be related to Alfia "The Silent," another adventurer said, whispering.
When the adventurers heard the name Alfia "The Silent," their faces turned pale.
"Damn it, don't mention that name!" Another adventurer spoke with a low shout.
The terror of Alfia in Orario is undoubtedly incomparable, the personification of talent and her multiple titles make even the bravest men shudder.
And the fact that this woman is currently in the dark faction terrifies their hearts even more.
"I-I'm just telling you what I heard..." The adventurer who mentioned Alfia's name said with a trembling voice.
Setting aside the conversation about Alfia, the adventurers continued to discuss the big news from Orario.
"Now with a new level 6, and with three more level 4s, Orario's strength has increased again," with a proud face, the adventurer added with a tone of jubilation.
For all adventurers, the increase in Orario's strength is good news, after all, it means that it's becoming easier to deal with the dark faction.
"Hmph, soon we'll kill those rats and Orario will return to what it was, after all, adventurers grow faster under pressure," an adventurer said with a proud snort.
A hopeful expression appeared on the faces of all the adventurers and receptionists.
Suddenly a shout of joy came from one adventurer.
"Long live Orario, the city of adventure!"
Following his shout, several more adventurers raised their fists in the air.
"LONG LIVE ORARIO!"
...
Hostess of Fertility
At one of the many tables, a woman and a man are seated surrounded by bottles of alcohol.
"You know, Kaylon hic*, I envy you a lot..." A drunken Loki put her hand on Kaylon's shoulder and said with a sad face.
"It's normal for you to envy me, I'm a perfect being hic*," Kaylon, also drunk, nodded naturally, understanding Loki's envy.
Loki looked at Kaylon's conceited face and felt an urge to punch him.
Of course, that impulse soon disappeared, not because she's afraid of Kaylon, but because once she hits Kaylon, he'll hit her back much harder.
When dealing with this scoundrel, gender equality is a normal routine, she says from experience.
"Oh, by the way... Why don't you tell me the truth about where you got those treasures of yours?" Loki, with a clearer gaze, asked Kaylon with infinite curiosity.
Other idiot gods might believe the stupidity that they're from another continent, but how could she, the Goddess of tricks and intrigues, believe such a weak lie?
Kaylon, upon hearing Loki's question, wasn't surprised; he never had any interest in desperately hiding the lie.
With his personal and familial power, if someone dares to interrogate him forcibly, he'll show them the way back to Tenkai.
Looking at Loki with a smile, amusement appeared in Kaylon's eyes. "Hehe, why don't you guess, Loki?"
Narrowing her eyes, Loki began to think. "I don't think they're from here; the great talents of Genkai were mostly stolen by the Zeus and Hera family, and finding talents like those of your family is like looking for a needle in a haystack, so there's only one option left—they're not from this world."
Loki is a God with enormous knowledge, so she knows that the Primordials can break the barriers of the world and go to other worlds outside of chaos.
So her idea isn't so far-fetched. Kaylon has the ability to bring people from other worlds.
Kaylon looked at Loki with some surprise. With just deductions and a few factors, Loki had already approached the truth so quickly. Kaylon could only say that it's as expected from the Goddess of tricks and intrigues.
"Is that so?" Loki asked excitedly.
Kaylon remained silent; he didn't confirm or deny anything. It's all left to Loki's interpretation.
"Tsk, what a mysterious guy," Loki, not receiving a response, clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Taking a bottle of liquor, Loki took another deep sip.
She doesn't have the qualifications to interrogate Kaylon by force; if he doesn't want to talk, she can only remain curious.
"By the way, what's your plan for the future of your Family? You know, once the war against the dark faction ends?" Loki changed the subject, asking another topic with interest.
Kaylon found it strange that Loki would ask something like that; after all, she's not the type of person to care about such matters.
Looking at Loki somewhat confused, Kaylon asked, "What do you mean by the question?"
Loki, upon hearing Kaylon's question, knew that her thoughts had been seen. Without beating around the bush, Loki said,
"Well, I'll ask more specifically, does your family want to remain more neutral or?"
Although Loki didn't finish the sentence, Kaylon understood what she must be thinking. She must want to know if he has any ideas of ruling Orario.
Although Loki and Kaylon are good friends, at the end of the day, they are leaders of two different families.
And Kaylon has a family that discreetly is taking the title of the strongest family.
It's understandable that Loki would be cautious about which path the Rozzo family wishes to take.
To put it bluntly, Loki asked if Kaylon has any idea of taking over the leadership of Orario.
It's like in the past, the Zeus and Hera family were the undisputed kings of Orario; the other families could only survive on the scraps of those great families.
The fall of the Zeus and Hera family not only freed the terrifying dark faction but also left the position of Orario's leader open.
Looking at Loki with a playful look, Kaylon leaned in a bit closer and said with a slightly dangerous look, "Ohhhh, an interesting question, then, my dear Loki?, do you... have any strange ideas about my family?"
Loki, who was still somewhat drunk, upon seeing the sinister look in Kaylon's eyes, immediately sobered up.
~GULP~
Swallowing, Loki realized that she seemed to have said too much. Thinking about this, Loki broke out in a cold sweat.
Other Gods might not know well what kind of God Kaylon is, but she, who has been friends with Kaylon for a long time, still knows something about the God's personality.
Kaylon is a God inclined towards order; he's not like most Gods who are chaotic and disorderly. He is fair, impartial, and equitable.
He values stability, harmony, and organization.
Kaylon is often associated with his element, light, so he is usually depicted in a compassionate and fair manner.
Still, most people ignore the fact that light can also be an extremely destructive element.
And Kaylon inherits that temperament, a kind person to his allies, and cruel and ruthless to his enemies.
Loki put on a nervous smile and, opening her normally narrowed eyes, said, "Hehe, Kaylon, don't think too much; I just wanted to know if you were interested in that position; my family isn't interested in it."
In fact, she's not interested in ruling Orario; her personality is too vague, and she has no interest in taking charge.
The reason for her question is to know if Kaylon has any idea of taking the position left by Zeus and Hera; after all, with the power of the Rozzo family and their potential, they qualify for that position.
Kaylon stared into Loki's ruby eyes, then after a while, seeing some sincerity in Loki's eyes, the previous cold and dangerous attitude disappeared, and he returned to his relaxed and smiling attitude.
"Hehe, was that it? Explain better next time so we won't have misunderstandings," with a smile, Kaylon picked up his cup again and continued drinking calmly.
Loki, who saw Kaylon's face change so quickly, sighed.
The previous tense moment really scared her.
Kaylon is someone she truly doesn't want as an enemy, a Primordial who has existed since creation; you never know how deep his mind is.
"Tsk, you scare people," with annoyance on her face, Loki took a large gulp of beer and drank it down.
"Hehe, learn to express yourself then."
...
Night in Orario.
A group of people gather in an open space within Orario's commercial areas.
Inside a tent guarded by several superds, an important conversation is taking place.
"Elinalise-sama, we made contact with a group of people from the dark faction, after a surprise attack, we captured 4 of them," a superd approached and informed Vice Captain Elinalise with a courteous tone.
Elinalise today doesn't have her usual flirty smile.
With a serious demeanor and a majestic aura, Elinalise fully embodies her role as vice captain.
"Did you manage to extract any information?" Elinalise asked calmly.
"Yes, ma'am. After thwarting their suicide attempts, they were subjected to intense interrogation, and after some torture, we managed to extract important information," the superd reported with a flat expression.
Elinalise's face didn't change upon hearing about the torture. Most members of the dark faction have mental issues, so extracting information from them is quite complicated.
The superds, who are veterans in wars, naturally have torture methods, and after verifying the effectiveness of extracting information, it became customary to do so to extract as much information as possible.
They are not like the Astrea family, which always tries to solve problems without extreme violence.
The Rozzo family is full of realistic people who know how the world works, and they understand that being compassionate with your enemies is being cruel to your allies.
So even methods considered dirty, such as murder, ambushes, torture, bombs, traps, and various frowned-upon activities, are carried out by the Rozzo family without any qualms of conscience.
When dealing with their enemies, the Rozzo family will never show mercy.
"Give me the key points of the information you obtained," Elinalise looked at the superd and waited for a summary of the information.
"Yes, ma'am. According to the information we obtained from these men, the dark faction is planning a surprise attack tonight on the main food warehouses of Orario. According to their information, these attacks will be led by a cadre of the dark faction." The superd recounted in detail all the information received from the captured member.
Elinalise, upon hearing the information from the superd, frowned. If the information is true, then this matter is very important; the damage caused to Orario if they lose so much food would be enormous.
"Do you have any orders, Elinalise-sama?"
The superd's question brought Elinalise out of her thoughts. Then, with a firm voice, she said, "We cannot allow this attack to succeed. Gather the elite among our group, then we will hide in the warehouses and launch a surprise attack."
It's not prudent to move large groups of people to the food warehouses; if the dark faction notices, they could escape in advance.
Knowing this, it's better to bring a group of elites from her family, so it won't draw attention from the dark faction, and they can launch a surprise attack.
"Yes, Elinalise-sama, I will inform immediately," the superd bowed and disappeared from the command tent.
Elinalise, who was left alone, didn't hesitate and sent the received information to Riveria, who was at the family's house.
After a few minutes, the crystal rang again with a message confirming the attack on the enemy.
"Well, if all goes well, we'll be able to capture a cadre of the dark faction. By the way, we'll save Orario from a food shortage; I suppose the guild will be generous." After finishing arranging the details of the plan, Elinalise took her rapier and left the tent, ready for the next battle.
...
Food warehouses of Orario.
This place receives 70% of all the food produced by farming families.
The importance of this place for Orario is enormous; if it's destroyed, there will be a serious food shortage in Orario.
"Roxy, do you have your spells prepared?" Elinalise, in light battle armor, asked Roxy.
Roxy, who was preparing several spells ready to unleash at any moment.
This is one of the newly discovered abilities of her Sage ability; now she has the ability to add ready-made spells to her scepter and release them with an extra short chant.
Thanks to this, Roxy can prepare up to five spells in advance. (I thought her ability was too simple, so I added an extra)
"Alright, I saved 5 spells, 3 for attack and 2 for defense," Roxy, who had finished her spells, notified Elinalise.
"Perfect, remember to stay as far away from the battlefield as possible; you're my only mage," Elinalise told Roxy seriously.
Currently, Riveria is busy, and Sylphie is in another group with Paul, so Elinalise's group only has Roxy as a mage.
The power of a mage is essential for this battle, where they'll likely have to face many enemies.
"Understood," Roxy also nodded seriously.
"Aslam, Kal, I leave Roxy's protection to you," Elinalise addressed the two level 4 superds from her family.
"Don't worry, Elinalise-Sama, we guarantee her safety," the two superds patted their chests confidently.
Nodding, Elinalise said no more, Taking her rapier, a first-level weapon made with the best materials by Talhand.
"Rujierd, Rakash, you will go with me to the front; we need the cadre of the dark faction alive, so we have to suppress them forcefully," Addressing her level 5 companions, Elinalise cautioned.
Her group can be divided, and only the elite followed her, so their numbers for this attack are very small.
The numbers of her group are barely a Rujierd and a Rakash, both level 5, Roxy level 4, three level 4 superds, and four level 3 superds.
Fortunately, they have Roxy, who has great firepower, so even if they are outnumbered, they can still remain stable.
"Alright, everything's ready, so now we just have to wait; once the signal to attack is given, Roxy will start with a destructive spell. Roxy, make sure to aim well and cause the least amount of damage to the sector." Giving the final orders, Elinalise disappeared into the shadows.
The rest of the group also disappeared into the shadows, waiting for their prey to attack immediately.
After hours of waiting, when everyone was starting to get impatient, a group of footsteps was heard in the distance.
Everyone's bodies tensed, ready to attack at Elinalise's command.
Elinalise, who had the best vantage point, carefully observed the group of approaching people.
Several dozen individuals with cloaks began to approach the area where the food is stored.
Elinalise observed attentively to see if she could identify the leaders, as it would make it easier to disrupt the enemy group's order and defeat them more quickly.
After observing for a while, Elinalise managed to identify two possible leaders.
Seeing that the people were getting too close, Elinalise didn't hesitate and gestured to Roxy.
Roxy understood and immediately gathered mana in her scepter, preparing to attack.
Preparing a wide-area attack magic, Roxy silently chanted.
"Tomb of Flames."
Like a whisper in the darkness, the chilling chant was completed.
...
"Captain, we haven't seen any activity," a hooded man approached another man in a black cape.
The group's captain lowered his hood, revealing a fierce face full of scars.
"Hah, those Orario bastards didn't even imagine we'd attack here." With a disdainful smirk, the man mocked the adventurer faction.
"That's right, Captain, there wasn't even a single guard in place. It seems they've grown confident after their previous victory." The hooded man chuckled.
"Alright, enough nonsense. Start attacking, burn and explode everything you can, do your best to leave not even a gram of food behind." The captain of the dark faction gave the order to attack directly.
"Yes, sir." Taking the explosives, everyone headed towards the food warehouses.
However, before they could start, a small whisper was heard in the cold night.
"Tomb of Flames."
In the dark and cold night, a small flame ignited, then, like a force of nature, it surged towards the men of the dark faction.
In less than a second, the huge flame engulfed the entire dark faction, with no time to react, most were swallowed up in the furious blaze.
"Ahhh, help!"
"Burn, burn, put it out!"
"It hurts!"
Howls of pain and cries rang out from the depths of the massive inferno.
"Darn it, you useless fools!!!" The captain of the dark faction, seeing most of his men burning to ashes, shouted in frustration.
Seeing the dire situation and knowing that there was no longer any possibility of their surprise attack succeeding, the captain didn't hesitate and fled.
Unfortunately for him, escaping from this place won't be so easy.
~WHOOSH~
Feeling a strong sense of danger, the captain of the dark faction didn't hesitate and quickly rolled on the ground.
A thin rapier passed right where his head was; if the man hadn't rolled, he would be dead now.
"Oh!? It seems the information we extracted from your comrades is true; a cadre of the dark faction led the attack personally." The melodious voice of a woman reached the man's ears.
Turning around, the man saw a beautiful elf with blonde hair and wine-colored eyes.
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Elinalise, vice-captain of the Rozzo family." With a charming smile, Elinalise introduced herself to the man she was about to assassinate.
An expression of annoyance appeared on the man's face; he knew that the woman in front of him was strong, but now that she mentioned her name, the level of danger has increased many times over.
Elinalise Dragonroad, as vice-captain of one of the most powerful families in Orario, is naturally quite famous.
Her great charm and powerful strength have made the elf's name known throughout Orario.
"Ma'am, we can leave things here; although you're powerful, in the end, you and I are on the same level. If we fight, we'll both be injured. Just turn around, and I'll turn around," the man warned the elf with a fierce face.
He wants to avoid this battle; after all, the longer he stays here, the more dangerous it will be for him.
"Oh my god, what a considerate boy! It's a pity you're an ugly and evil guy; otherwise, I could give you the chance to conquer me." Ignoring the man's words, Elinalise covered her mouth, pretending to be moved.
The man's face darkened; if it weren't for fear of more reinforcements arriving, he would have fought to the death with this elf.
"Hey, ugly boy, you don't have to worry about me; after all, I'm not alone tonight." Elinalise said with a mischievous smile.
~THUP~ ~THUP~
Loud footsteps were heard behind the man.
With a heavy face, the man turned around to see a man and a woman appearing behind him.
A bald man with a bandana on his head, and a strong-looking woman with green hair.
The man's senses screamed the same amount of danger from the elf, meaning both of them are level 5.
"Kind sir, how about cooperating with us and answering some questions? If you're cooperative, I promise you a quick death." Elinalise told the man authoritatively.
~WHOOSH~
Without saying a word, the man turned around and fled at maximum speed.
"I guess we'll have to be tough." A look of regret formed on Elinalise's face.
Then, with a serious expression, she gave orders.
"Don't let him die; the amount of information we can obtain is enormous."
"Yes, Elinalise-sama."
--------_-------------------------------------------------
Well, the end of the dark age is approaching, and I'm preparing the chapters for the special one million.
Thank you for the support!
I appreciate the good reviews and constructive criticism. I strive every day to improve my writing, and I hope the changes start to show.
I'm grateful for the power stones and for collecting the book!