The morning in the Loki Familia began in a whirlwind of chaos and chatter.
During breakfast, when nearly the entire Familia had gathered in a massive hall on the first floor, its architecture reminiscent of Hogwarts' Great Hall,
"You've all been waiting for this: the expedition begins three days from now."
"Wow~!"
"Is everyone excited to go?"
"Yes~!"
"Are you afraid of monsters?"
"Yes~~~!"
"Hahahaha!"
Perched casually at the head table, Loki, one foot resting atop the banquet table, threw out this short yet fiery rallying call, prompting a wave of laughter and cheerful shouts throughout the hall.
Although Aether (Renjiro) and Lumine had already eaten before arriving at the Twilight Manor, they had nonetheless been invited to join.
Their seats were right beside Ais and the Hiryute sisters.
Meanwhile, the Three Pillars of the Familia sat alongside Loki at the head table.
To be honest… this kind of warm, big-family atmosphere was something the Freya Familia could never provide.
Once, maybe I would've longed for this, Aether mused. But now… people really do 'get used' to things, don't they?
Just then,
"Today, I'd like to introduce two guests."
Finn, the Familia's Captain, gestured toward the long table where Aether and Lumine sat at the front.
"I'm sure the names Twin Stars are not unfamiliar to you. For the coming days, Aether and Lumine will temporarily accompany our expedition team into the deep floors of the Dungeon. Please give them a warm welcome."
Because it was their highly respected Captain speaking, nearly everyone clapped politely.
But of course,
"Twin Stars? Aren't they the ones who leveled up to Lv.2 in a week, breaking Ais's record?"
"Aren't they part of the Freya Familia?"
"Is it really safe letting them join our expedition?"
Suspicion was inevitable.
After all, Orario's two top Familia, Loki and Freya, were publicly rivals.
Even within the Loki Familia, very few of the core members knew the truth of Loki and Freya's private ties.
And trust… well, that took time to build.
That whole 'just unleash your kingly aura and everyone bows' kind of thing? Yeah, keep dreaming.
Aether had expected this small wave of awkwardness.
He exchanged a glance with Lumine, and together they stood, smiling and greeting the others warmly.
As long as they were friendly and approachable, it was unlikely they'd leave a bad impression.
With casual, easygoing conversation, they could find common topics and break the ice.
And once that first step was taken, opportunities to build goodwill would naturally follow.
Truth be told, Aether sincerely wanted to make some friends here.
After all, many of the people he had known long before his transmigration were now right before his eyes.
For example:
Tiona, the bright and cheerful little angel of the Familia.
Riveria, often called the Mom of the Familia.
Ais, the expressionless powerhouse.
Tione, the fiery Captain-obsessed big sister.
And then,
"This is Lefiya, one of our most promising young talents."
To be fair, Tione could act like a surprisingly dependable big sister, at least when not talking about Finn.
She gently nudged forward a shy elf girl with sun-colored hair tied into a high ponytail. The girl fiddled nervously with her fingers as she introduced herself.
"H-hello… I'm Lefiya Viridis, a mage of the Loki Familia. Currently Lv.3…"
She sounded more like she was giving a job interview than a self-introduction.
To this,
"Nice to meet you, Lefiya."
Aether deliberately held back, letting his sister shine with her natural gift: the Queen of All Girls aura.
After all, girls tend to connect more easily with each other, he thought, smiling and nodding politely at the bashful elf.
So it was Lumine who carried the conversation, gradually putting Lefiya at ease.
Thus, within just the short span of breakfast, Aether and Lumine had already made small inroads with the Familia.
At the very least, they had faces to remember.
Later that morning…
"Eh? When you leveled up to Lv.2, you picked Cooking as your Development Ability?"
Unquestionably, Ais, Lefiya, and the Hiryute sisters formed their own little circle.
But somehow, Lumine had already slipped right into it.
As expected of the Queen of All Girls.
Cough cough. Anyway…
With Finn's instructions to "treat the guests well," and with naturally friendly types like Tiona, plus the emotionless yet open Ais, there was little risk of prejudice over different Familia.
So they decided to take Lumine along for a shopping trip.
After all, with the expedition so close, even though the Three Pillars handled team supplies, individuals still needed to prepare their own gear.
And, well… this was clearly an activity for girls.
I mean, what if they go to a lingerie shop? Do I go in? Do I stay outside? If I do go in, am I just the guy carrying bags? Or… the guy carrying bags?
So Aether wisely excused himself.
When he'd chosen his own Development Ability at Lv.2, he had picked Blacksmithing.
With the expedition drawing near and little chance to dive into the Dungeon beforehand, he decided to visit Orario's two top smithing Familia:
The massive Hephaestus Familia, and
The smaller but elite Goibniu Familia, famed for custom high-grade equipment.
He was confident he could learn a few techniques from their master smiths.
And as for inter-Familia politics, well, Freya had ties with Hephaestus, so it shouldn't be too hard.
But that was Aether's business.
Meanwhile, Lumine,
"Your talent's amazing, leveling up in just a week… So why pick such a weird Development Ability?"
On Orario's bustling main street, heading toward the First District shopping plaza, Ais, Lefiya, and the Hiryute sisters chatted casually with Lumine.
It was Tiona and Tione who asked, the latter looking especially regretful.
In response,
"That has to do with my skill."
Lumine knew the fastest way to form bonds was through shared topics and openness.
Of course, there were things Aether had warned her never to reveal.
But others, those not too secret, or better yet meant to be revealed, were fair game.
"If I find the right ingredients, I should be able to cook dishes with special potion-like effects.
But since my brother's been dragging me into the Dungeon lately, I haven't had the chance to try yet… Uh, what are you guys doing?"
Without warning, the three (minus Lefiya) suddenly surrounded her.
Especially Tiona, who leaned in close, gripping Lumine's shoulders firmly.
"Lumine, what kind of dishes can you make?
Like… those huge juicy steaks? Super~ delicious meat, can you cook that?"
================
Footnotes:
Goibniu Familia, Smaller blacksmithing guild specializing in custom, top-tier equipment.
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