Chapter 105: Provoking the Wrath of the Loki Familia

After signing the alliance treaty and putting down their names, the deal was perfectly concluded.

"Well, the contract is complete."

Hephaestus, acting as the intermediary, immediately split the contract into three copies—one for each party, and one for herself as both intermediary and witness.

After all, the gods take contracts very seriously.

As the witness, Hephaestus would need to keep watch over both sides to ensure they upheld their promises. If anything went wrong, it was her duty to step forward.

"Alright, next up is that child's background."

Loki had already let slip earlier that she knew something about the child.

"Of course."

Bell wasn't about to beat around the bush at this point. Now that the contract was signed, the Hestia Familia was officially Loki Familia's most important ally.

He didn't want anything serious to happen to the Loki Familia while he was still growing.

"Her name is Sanjouno Haruhime. She belongs to the Ishtar Familia."

"In that whore's hands!?"

The word "whore" burst straight out of Loki's mouth.

Not wanting Loki to get the wrong idea, Bell quickly clarified.

"Loki-sama, please don't get the wrong idea—Sanjouno Haruhime isn't one of the prostitutes."

"She's afraid of males. Even now, she's still a virgin."

"Given her special status, her Familia doesn't really care whether she takes clients or not, so she's remained untouched."

'...No way! Still a virgin under that bitch's control?'

Just that fact alone made Loki find her quite the rare case.

Then Loki's usual slightly lecherous expression appeared. She was always lenient when it came to cute girls—and the virgin detail was definitely a bonus in her eyes.

"What about the girl? Is she cute? Does she have a sexy figure?"

Even Riveria, seated beside her, found that expression hard to watch.

But Bell didn't shy away from the question.

"She's a noble among Renards, raised like a princess from childhood—a true royal among her kind."

"Her personality is shy with a hint of allure. She has golden fox ears and a fluffy golden tail."

"She might not be as tall as your vice-captain, but her figure is on another level. Her expressions are also softer, and her smile…"

"Oh!!!"

From that description alone, Loki had already conjured up quite the vivid image.

Noble girl + shy + great figure = Loki's ideal type!

She was practically drooling.

If this weren't a formal occasion, she'd probably already be rolling on the floor.

Exceptional abilities, a beautiful Renard girl, a stunning figure, and a quietly seductive charm—she had it all.

Swallowing her saliva, Loki's lewd face turned more serious.

"For the sake of that adorable Renard girl, we've got to send that whore straight to Tenkai!"

"Yes, I think your decision is absolutely right."

Bell smiled slightly, agreeing with Loki-sama.

"Letting such a poor girl fall into a whore's hands is just tragic."

"That woman's the biggest blight in all of Orario. And while digging around, I happened to run into that ' High Novice' of yours too."

"...!?"

Loki's expression twisted instantly as she turned sharply toward Finn.

"What's this about?"

Loki was generally open-minded about these things.

But that didn't mean she was okay with someone mentioning her own Familia member while discussing intel on Ishtar.

Especially if it involved said member being seen at the Pleasure District.

It made her feel like she'd lost control of her own house.

Finn's expression grew complicated.

Of course, he was aware that Raul Nord, one of their standout members, frequented the Pleasure District. He'd even spoken to him about it before.

He just didn't expect that Raul would be caught during someone else's investigation.

Finn was at a bit of a loss, but Bell still made an effort to preserve Loki's dignity.

"I think he might have the same goal as me?"

Like hell he does!

As if I don't know what kind of dirty thoughts he's always got running through his head?

Of course, Loki couldn't say that out loud. After all, she knew Raul had definitely gone to the Pleasure District looking for some fun.

Bell didn't dwell on it. He just silently prayed for the "High Novice", hoping Loki wouldn't beat him half to death when she got back.

"And then there's the matter of the Evilus and the Ishtar Familia."

"Based on what I've found, Evilus is selling off the people they've kidnapped."

"There are even Elves and Pallums among them."

Finn and Riveria's brows twitched.

"Elf girls tend to be pretty, and even the men are generally good-looking, so there's a market for them. After all, Orario does have people with... unique preferences."

"And Pallums, being small in stature, also appeal to a certain kind of... special interest."

"One of them, the noble Renard I mentioned earlier, was kidnapped by Evilus and sold to the Ishtar Familia."

The audacity!

Finn, who had made it his mission to revive the Pallum race, could barely contain the fire in his eyes. He had no doubt that Evilus would do something like this—they were lunatics. But now, knowing his fellow Pallums were being used to satisfy the desires of others?

If he could turn a blind eye to something like this, then what was the point of trying to revive the Pallum race at all?

Some things you could ignore when you didn't know about them.

But once they were in front of your eyes, pretending they didn't exist was no longer an option.

If he backed down now, his dream of reviving his people would be nothing but a joke.

A flicker of fire sparked in the depths of Riveria's eyes too.

Though she'd left her royal status behind, she still cared deeply for her fellow Elves. Aside from that fat Elf at the Guild she considered a disgrace to their race, she'd always done her best to help any Elf in danger.

But now? Hearing that Evilus was trafficking Elves—

And using them as tools to satisfy lust?

Of course Riveria was furious.

Still, the one most enraged was Loki, whose eyes had shot wide open.

"Those Evilus bastards really have some nerve."

"To do something so blatant... Ishtar must be backing them."

Now Loki was absolutely sure that Ishtar had ties to Evilus.

She forced herself to stay calm.

...

"What was that child's name again?"

"Sanjouno Haruhime."

Then Bell suddenly remembered something else and added, "Loki-sama, during my investigation, I also looked into a prostitute who once tried to help Sanjouno Haruhime escape, though she failed."

"She's currently a Level 3 Adventurer, but according to someone who knows her, she's close to Level 4."

Approaching Level 4—Loki couldn't ignore someone like that, even with all the upper-tier Adventurers in her Familia.

'A kid with special magic, and another nearly at Level 4... Heh, this deal's not bad at all.'

No way Loki was passing on a gain like that.

"What's the child's name?"

"Aisha Belka."

Loki gave a small nod and stood up.

"Phae-Phae, I'll be counting on you this time."

Hephaestus just shook her head, unfazed. It wasn't a hassle for her to act as a witness.

"Not a problem for me, but you're going to have some trouble."

"Digging up dirt on Ishtar won't be easy."

"If Evilus is working with her, it means they're operating inside her territory. Outsiders will have a hard time investigating anything."

...

Loki took a deep breath. She knew that woman wouldn't dare pull anything outside her turf. Still, if she wanted to investigate, it would just take a bit more effort.

"Just a bit more trouble."

"Then, would Loki-sama like some rune stones for the investigation?"

Just as Loki was turning to leave, she froze.

Bell smiled and reached behind his back, pulling out a tightly bound bag.

"These rune stones can scan a 500-meter radius—500 meters above ground, 50 meters below."

"There are twenty in total. It might not cover all of the Pleasure District, but it should be enough to comb through the most suspicious spots."

"You even made these?"

Loki stared blankly at the bag.

Bell just grinned.

"I have to diversify my business, after all."

"They're easy to use—just crush them. For the next fifteen seconds, you'll see a structural map of the area within 500 meters. It also highlights living beings, perfect for finding people."

...Good grief!

This isn't just for finding people—this is military-grade!

"They're samples, and since I made a deal with Loki-sama, they're free."

"If you want rune stones with other effects, you can talk to Hephaestus-sama. I'll handle the customization."

"But since they're custom-made and not sold to the public, prices will vary depending on the function."

Loki looked at Bell, already enthusiastically promoting his product, and let out a helpless sigh.

Just formed an alliance, and he's already pushing merchandise. What a businessman.

"I'll leave the rest to Finn."

She grabbed the bag and bolted out the door. But right at the entrance, she turned around and glared at Hestia.

"Shorty! You better remember this—I didn't lose to you this time!"

With those parting words, she left like a sore loser.

...

(90 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake