The night passed quickly.
Dawn was beginning to break, casting its first light upon the world.
Yami woke up later than usual today, having stayed up late the night before and dealing with some unexpected events in the middle of the night.
It was rare for him to get a good night's sleep, so he took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in a bit longer.
"The Holy Moon festival is over, and there likely won't be any time to rest now," Yami muttered to himself. "So, it's time to think about moving on to a new world!"
"However, things might not be as difficult as I initially thought. If I can liberate Avalon, even that bald devil king might not be able to harm me."
"But defeating him won't be easy."
"One step at a time," he mused. "First, I should discuss everything with Goddess Hephaestus and the others."
Murmuring softly, Yami lifted the blanket and slowly got out of bed.
As he stretched, his bones made a series of cracking sounds, eerily loud in the otherwise quiet room. Fortunately, no one else was around to hear it.
After a brief stretch, Yami felt his composure return.
Just as he was about to leave the room to check on Goddess Hephaestus and the other goddesses, a knock sounded at the door—hurried and disorganized, jarring in its urgency.
From the way the door was being knocked on, Yami could already guess who it was.
"Yami, Loki-sama is here looking for you. Come out quickly!"
Tsubaki's voice rang out clearly through the door.
Yami frowned slightly, surprised.
"Loki? What is that troublesome god looking for me now?"
Yami didn't have much of a relationship with Loki. He had only participated in two of Loki Familia's expeditions and had accepted Tiona and Ais as apprentices.
His encounters with Loki had been few and far between.
For Loki to come calling just after he'd returned to Orario was confusing.
"Could it be about Ais?" Yami wondered.
"If that's the case, it's very possible. Loki can be quite the eccentric in certain ways."
Yami quickly made his guess and, without any further hesitation, walked to the door and opened it.
Outside, Tsubaki stood, her face still showing signs of the previous night's hangover. She looked far from her usual composed self.
"What took you so long, kid?" she asked with a serious tone. "Goddess Loki is here, and Hephaestus-sama is entertaining her. Are you planning to leave the goddesses waiting for you?"
Tsubaki, who was usually easygoing, became particularly serious in formal situations like this. If it had been just Hephaestus, she might not have been so strict. After all, as the Familia's captain, Tsubaki was aware of Yami's close relationship with Hephaestus, and she generally didn't make a big deal out of it.
But with outsiders present, it was a different story.
At the very least, she had to uphold the duties of her position.
"I understand, Tsubaki. I'm on my way."
"Good. Hurry up!"
"But, by the way, did you do something so outrageous that Loki-sama would chase after you?"
Tsubaki asked, her face showing a mix of curiosity and concern.
Yami, looking innocent, responded, "How could that be? Tsubaki, you've been with me these past few days—you should know I haven't had the time to provoke Loki-sama or any members of her Familia."
"How should I know why Loki suddenly decided to come looking for me?" he added, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
Tsubaki thought back on the last few days and found herself even more puzzled.
"That is strange," she admitted. "But thinking about it won't solve anything. We'll find out what's going on when you meet Loki-sama."
Suppressing her curiosity, Tsubaki led the way to Goddess Hephaestus's room.
After lightly knocking on the door, Tsubaki turned the doorknob and entered first.
"Hephaestus-sama, I've brought Yami."
"Thank you for your hard work, Tsubaki," Goddess Hephaestus said, offering a faint smile before turning her gaze to Yami.
Yami, meanwhile, took in the scene in the room.
In addition to the familiar faces of Hephaestus, Hestia, and Artemis, there were two other figures present.
One was a flat-chested woman with squinting eyes—the "God of Tricks" Loki.
The other was Riveria, the strongest mage in Loki Familia, known as the 'Nine Magic Princess.'
Both were familiar faces.
"Long time no see, Yami," Riveria greeted him first.
"Long time no see, Riveria," Yami responded, not hesitating to compliment her. "You're looking more beautiful than ever."
As he spoke, Yami's eyes glanced over Riveria's form, a look of admiration in his gaze.
It was true—whether in appearance or demeanor, few races could match the elegance of elves.
"Hey, hey! You bastard! Are you flirting with my 'mom' the moment you meet her?" Loki interrupted, clearly displeased.
"Isn't it enough that you've already stolen my Ais away? Now you're after someone else too? You've got some nerve, you know that?"
"Hephaestus, aren't you going to do something about this?" Loki turned to Hephaestus, seeking support.
"I'm not getting involved in this, Loki," Hephaestus replied calmly. "If you've got business, let's hear it. You asked me to bring Yami here—are you just teasing us, or is there something important?"