After finishing his meal at the Hostess of Fertility,
Judas asked some people for directions to the Loki Familia's home.
"Are you trying your luck to get yourself recruited into the Loki Familia, kid?"
An adventurer asked, eyeing Judas up and down as though weighing him with his gaze.
Judas could tell he was being judged, but paid it no mind.
"Yeah, it is one of the top familias in the city after all."
Judas replied nonchalantly.
"Heh, then you're unlucky. The Loki Familia just left on an expedition. You're too late."
Judas raised his brows at the unexpected answer.
'What bad timing.'
He cursed his luck and turned back toward the inn he was staying at.
The sky was beginning to dim, night slowly creeping in after he had spent the day touring around the city.
'I know Hephaestus is a blacksmithing familia, but it doesn't hurt to give it a try.'
He checked his money pouch as he walked and frowned.
'I'm running out of valis already.'
Deep in thought, Judas didn't notice until too late that he had bumped into someone.
The person stumbled and fell flat on the ground.
A familiar red-haired, flat-chested goddess.
"Loki?"
The red hair, the slit eyes, the flat chest — a recognizable set of features that could only belong to one person he knew.
Judas noticed the way people subtly avoided her, and it wasn't just because she was a drunkard mumbling in the streets.
Everyone in the city knew who she was: the patron goddess of the second most formidable force in Orario.
Avoiding her was the same as avoiding trouble.
"Hey."
Hiccup
"Watch."
Hiccup
"Where you're going."
Hiccup
Loki said with a drunken face, still sitting on the ground.
'I wonder if I can use this as a chance to get into the Loki Familia?'
Judas glanced at the empty bottle in her hand, the smell of alcohol radiating from her.
"Are you alright, Goddess?"
He offered his hand.
Hiccup
Loki stared at it and suddenly grinned.
"Catch me, boy."
Before Judas could react, Loki jumped into his arms, laughing like a lunatic.
"Gyahaha! Wooohooo!"
"What are you doing?!"
Judas demanded, forced to carry Loki in a princess hold.
He turned his face away slightly as the heavy stench of alcohol invaded his nose.
"Come on, boy, take me back to the Twilight Manor!"
She ignored his question and pointed in a random direction, being rowdy as ever.
Judas felt the urge to just drop her on the ground, but he restrained himself and started walking.
"Hey, you're pretty strong for a kid without a falna. How old are you?"
Even in her drunken state, Loki had noticed his strength.
As a goddess, she could tell instantly that he didn't have a falna yet.
"I'm fourteen this year."
Judas replied, trying not to breathe in her alcoholic fumes.
"Oh, look at these muscles you've got. Not bad."
Loki groped his biceps and pecs through his clothes.
Though hidden by his baggy outfit, Judas's body was actually well-built, fit, and balanced with muscle in the right places.
"Goddess, please stop that."
Judas spoke bluntly, locking eyes with her slitted gaze.
"Oh, come on. A beautiful lady like myself touching you, and you don't get excited? You're a healthy teenage boy, aren't you?"
Loki teased with a shit-eating grin.
"I'm going to drop you if you don't stop."
His tone was flat, as flat as Loki's chest, but his eyes made it clear he wasn't joking.
"Alright, alright. Just take me home, and I promise you'll get a reward."
Judas sighed in relief and carried her the rest of the way.
After a few turns, they finally arrived at the gates of the Twilight Manor.
"Yoohoo! Open up!"
The guards were surprised to see their goddess being carried around by a boy they'd never seen before.
"Right away."
But they opened the gates without hesitation.
They weren't worried about Judas being an intruder — such was the confidence of the Loki Familia.
"You can put me down now."
Judas didn't hesitate. He set her on her feet, then sniffed himself and almost retched.
'Now the smell is stuck on my clothes. I have to hurry back and wash it off.'
"I guess this is goodbye, Goddess Loki."
He turned to leave, but Loki grabbed his shirt from behind.
"Come inside, boy. Let me give you a falna."
Judas's eyes widened. Slowly, he turned back to look at her.
"Re-ae-ally?"
His voice nearly cracked, which made Loki giggle.
"Hehe. Did you think I didn't notice? You approached me with the intention of joining my familia, didn't you? Well, I found you interesting enough, so why not?"
She grinned as if saying, I can see right through you.
Judas gave a wry smile.
'I almost forgot. Loki acts all goofy, but she's the goddess of mischief, deception, and trickery. She's sharp. She can see through simple schemes with ease.'
"Are you coming or not?"
Loki had already walked past the gates and beckoned him.
Judas smiled faintly. Relief washed over him as he stepped inside the base of the Loki Familia.
'Except for a few guards, this place feels empty, like an abandoned house.'
The silence was so heavy that only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the halls.
Before long, they reached Loki's room. Her face was still red from drinking too much.
"Come inside and remove your shirt. Oh, and watch your step."
When she opened the door, Judas saw glass bottles scattered everywhere.
'What a mess.'
The stench made him wrinkle his nose.
He quickly removed his shirt, sat on the bed, and turned his back to her.
Loki pricked her finger with a needle.
Because she was drunk, more blood spilled out than necessary.
She clicked her tongue at the stain on her bedsheets.
"I'll have to get someone to clean this up."
Judas glanced at the disaster of a room.
'You can tolerate this mess but not blood on your bed?'
He wondered how her brain worked, but his thoughts vanished the moment he felt a mysterious power entering his body.
'This is it.'
A few drops of Loki's ichor fell onto his back, forming the tattoo of a clown, a variation of the Loki Familia emblem.
Loki looked at the blue holographic display in the divine language floating above his back.
At first, she didn't expect much.
To her, Judas was just an interesting kid. Nothing more.
But the next moment, her narrow eyes flew open in shock.
"What the heck is this?!"
Her scream echoed through the room.
A whimsical decision on her part had led her to discover a treasure.
The look of astonishment did not leave her face for a long time.