An image flashed in her mind of Kael putting her finger to her lips, "Shh, this is confidential. We can't let my game end early."
Horn, who had taken the form of a Goddess, opened and closed her mouth as realization struck.
The transformation magic was the Freya Familia's greatest secret. Now that Kael had joined the Soma Familia, if his identity were revealed, the Goddess roleplay would end — and with it, all the privileges Horn had gained would vanish.
Freya had allowed Horn to join the Soma Familia partly out of curiosity, but perhaps also out of love for her Familia.
In the Freya Familia, every executive willingly served their Goddess, for she had performed extraordinary deeds for each of them.
She had destroyed a kingdom to free the White and Black Knights from their royal bonds; spent four nights with a dwarf slave master — one for each of the Gulliver Brothers — to secure their freedom; and taken in the orphaned Fromel siblings from their abandoned village...
And now... The same devotion extended to Horn's brother.
She could never reveal Kael's identity. The only path forward was to have him join the Freya Familia and become one of their own.
But...
"That won't work. He hasn't qualified to become a hero yet."
Neither Horn's description of Kael nor Freya's brief glimpse of him had left any lasting impression.
His soul was dim and murky, like countless other fallen Adventurers in the lower world. Though tarnished souls could sometimes regain their brilliance, for now, the child simply wasn't ready.
Rejected by the Goddess, Horn's mood plummeted.
Opening the door, she found Ottar casually tossing a Soma Familia member to the ground, with about thirty others already lying in the hallway.
He spoke quietly, "Playtime's over. Let's go back."
Freya nodded. All she could do now was pray that Kael would have an easier time in the Soma Familia.
"If you're worried, have Heith look after him in the Dungeon."
The Goddess's whisper echoed in her mind once more.
Horn smiled.
Heith Velvet was a core member of the Familia, currently level 2 like Horn. Given Kael's current abilities, even venturing below the 5th floor would be reckless — her strength was more than sufficient.
"Thank you."
The Goddess didn't respond.
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After Freya left the Soma Familia and her charm wore off, Zanis slowly sat down, rubbing his aching head.
"What just happened?"
Charm wasn't hypnosis — the memories of the past few minutes remained. As he sorted through his thoughts, his pupils contracted and his eyes widened.
His teammates, beaten and unable to stand after Ottar's attack, wailed in response.
"It was Ottar! That Ottar attacked us... should we disband?"
"Hiss... Freya? That was the 'King' Ottar? They came for that kid Kael?"
"Damn it, how is that kid so lucky to catch the attention of someone so important?"
They neither dared nor had the courage to hold a grudge.
"Shut up! Get out! All of you!" Zanis yelled at his subordinates.
At this moment, there was only one baffling question he couldn't figure out.
"Kael? Why Kael? Just who is he?!"
From the initial visit from the Astraea Familia to later receiving news from the Rudra Familia.
And now... Even the Goddess Freya had come directly with the city's strongest fighter.
This...
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Kael is just some orphan begging in the slums — his parents were useless trash who couldn't even last a year in the Dungeon. How could he possibly connect with such important people!" Zanis pulled at his hair frantically.
No matter how he tried to explain it, he couldn't understand why both legitimate and underground powers would treat him so specially.
Could his awakened skill be an exceptional "Charm"? No, that couldn't be right!
According to intelligence from the Astraea Familia, Kael's skill was more like "Hardened Skin" — an ability that increases durability!
{T/N: Like Daphne Lauros's skill, Laurus Wreath, which has the same properties. But since she doesn't exist yet, there's no correct name for the ability.}
Regardless...
With all these powerful connections behind Kael, he couldn't be controlled so carelessly anymore.
"Looks like I'll have to be nicer to that kid... even with the Soma..." At the mention of Soma, Zanis paused, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Wait, calm down.
He pushed up his broken glasses, a smile returning to his face, "Freya wants me to give that kid more Soma? Heh, that suits me fine. I can use the wine and Kael's connections to network with more important people!"
"The stronger Kael's network becomes, the more value I can squeeze out of him! He wants Soma? Take it! Though sometimes, more isn't always better!"
Zanis slowly clenched his fist as if Kael were in his palm.
But right now, there were more pressing matters to handle.
Lord Rudra's ignition devices needed to be prepared within the deadline, or else...
"Pass down my orders — starting today, have people place orders for 5 million ignition devices at all magic stone factories! Remember, different people should place orders at different times at different factories. We can't attract too much attention, understood?"
Sitting on the ground, his underlings rubbed their shoulders and shouted their agreement.
Zanis swirled his newly-filled wine glass and looked out the window with one hand behind his back, smiling elegantly. Unfortunately, his glasses finally gave out completely, shattering into pieces on the floor.
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Meanwhile, in a dark corner of God's Throne at the bottom of Babel Tower.
A mysterious sage, shrouded in black robes, held up a black glove adorned with intricate patterns. The owl Familiar's eyes flickered with blue light, resonating with the crystal in the sage's hand.
The sage observed the blue crystal intently before letting out a soft "Oh?" upon seeing a figure emerge from the Witch's House and vanish at the street's end.
"Why didn't you alert me to this anomaly?" Fels tilted his head and muttered to himself.
The Familiar owl mimicked the head tilt, its artificial eyes showing confusion.
Why would I need to alert you about you coming out of your own warehouse?
"Me? I haven't been to that place."
The message transmitted into Fels' mind as he reviewed the scene under the Familiar's surveillance once more.
"It seems the Familiar's training needs to be strengthened, especially when it comes to identifying people."