That evening, just as Loki had promised, the Familia held a welcome banquet.
And the sheer size of the dining hall far exceeded Isis's expectations. He had never imagined it would be large enough to accommodate almost every member of the Familia.
As Riveria's nephew—and a genius personally acknowledged by both Finn and Loki—Isis naturally became the center of attention.
"Everyone, our Familia has a new member—Isis! And he's Riveria's nephew, no less!"
"He's only twelve, so from now on, make sure you all look after the youngest junior in the Familia!"
Standing on a chair, Loki introduced Isis to the crowd.
Seeing Loki act like that, and feeling all eyes on him, Isis was briefly a little embarrassed—but he adapted quickly enough.
After all, it was not as though he had never experienced being the center of attention before. It did not bother him much.
Once he finished introducing himself and politely greeting everyone, Riveria arranged for him to sit beside Lefiya.
Still…
For some reason, the way Loki was acting gave Isis a powerful sense of "Alright, brothers, all eyes on me—I've got an announcement to make."
Meanwhile, Lefiya visibly let out a sigh of relief. Sneaking a glance at Isis, she thought to herself, Finally, someone my own age is sitting next to me.
Though she had already融入 into the Familia's atmosphere, there were very few people around her age. Most members were five or six years older than she was.
The only one who could really be considered close in age was Miss Ais—but Miss Ais was Level 5, so she sat with the executives.
At that moment, Isis was struck by the lively atmosphere around him. It was completely different from the quiet, elegant banquets of the elven forest.
This felt more like a group of adventurers celebrating in a tavern after a victory.
From half a table away, Tiona shouted at him, "Riveria's nephew! You're really handsome!"
Before Isis could even react, Tione had already dragged her sister back down into her seat from behind, while Gareth had started a drinking match with Loki.
"That was Senior Tiona, a Level 4 adventurer. She's a very warm-hearted person, so please don't misunderstand—she didn't mean anything bad by it."
At that moment, Lefiya quietly leaned over to explain.
"I wouldn't think that," Isis said with a light laugh, shaking his head. "I'm just surprised that everyone in the Familia is this warm. It feels like getting along with family."
That was his genuine impression.
The way people lived here, and the rules they followed, were completely different from Alf Forest—freer, more open, and far more comfortable.
For Isis, who had always lived by strict rules in the forest, this environment felt refreshingly different.
"By the way, where are you from, Lefiya?"
Maintaining elegant table manners even as he ate, Isis chatted with her.
Ever since leaving the forest, he had already broken one of its old rules—no talking while eating—so he did not pay much mind to it anymore.
"I'm from Vias Forest, but I went off to the School District when I was nine, so I actually didn't spend that much time at home."
"The School District? That's nice…" Isis's eyes lit up, only for a trace of regret to follow. "Back then, I wanted to go too, but in the end I never got the chance…"
"Otherwise, I'd probably be calling you Senior Lefiya right now."
When he heard that Lefiya had graduated from the School District, Isis brightened immediately, only to sigh inwardly at the old disappointment.
Back then, after hearing from his parents that such a place existed, he had begged them to let him go study there, become an adventurer, and grow stronger.
But in the end, his grandfather had stopped him. The reason was simple: Alf Forest already had its own magical inheritance, so there was no need for him to go elsewhere.
Only later, when they finally could not refuse Isis anymore, did they allow him to leave—but on one condition: he had to join the Loki Familia, with Aunt Riveria acting as his guardian.
"Senior… hehe… Senior, huh…"
The moment she heard the word senior, Lefiya could not help smiling foolishly.
Almost without realizing it, she began imagining a scene where Isis called her Senior Lefiya, and a strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.
Meanwhile, Riveria, who had been quietly speaking with Ais, subtly shifted her attention toward Isis.
When she saw him chatting so happily with Lefiya, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
It seemed she had worried too much. She had been concerned that Isis might struggle to fit into the Familia, but with Lefiya around, he would probably adjust in no time.
Riveria knew very well how strict all the rules in Alf Forest were. That was one of the reasons she had never wanted to return.
…
As the banquet gradually wound down, Loki lay sprawled across the table hiccuping drunkenly, while two members hauled her back toward the divine chamber.
Tiona was still competing with Gareth over one last drink.
Pulling himself away from the noise, Isis pushed open the side door of the dining hall and stepped out into the courtyard.
Leaning against one of the corridor pillars, he tilted his head back and looked up at the night sky over Orario.
"In the forest, if you look up, you can see the whole river of stars."
A voice came from beside him.
At some point, Riveria had appeared there, a cup of wine in her hand that she had barely touched.
Isis turned his head to look at her.
The night wind lifted a strand of her emerald hair, and the moonlight traced the line of her profile into something nearly flawless.
But that was not what Isis noticed.
What he saw in his aunt's eyes was… nostalgia.
"Auntie… do you miss home?"
The question left his mouth before he had even thought it through.
Riveria's fingers paused for a moment on the rim of her cup.
Then she smiled.
The smile was as poised and proper as ever, but there was a faint complexity hidden within it.
"Yes. When I do, I write a letter. Once I've written it, I don't miss it quite as much."
At that moment, Isis suddenly understood why his mother always said:
Your aunt is soft-hearted, even if she acts stubborn.
They stood in silence for a few seconds as the night wind moved between the great towers, making a low, mournful sound.
"Isis, why did you come to Orario?"
Riveria did not look at him. Her gaze rested on the jester flag fluttering atop the main tower in the distance.
"Before, I thought it was because you couldn't stand the rules of the forest anymore and wanted to come out and breathe."
"But after seeing your Falna today, I don't think that anymore."
She turned her head and looked at him directly.
Under the moonlight, Riveria's emerald eyes were as clear as mirrors, and Isis could see his own reflection in them.
"You didn't come here just to breathe."
"You came here with a goal."
It was not a question.
It was a statement.
Though Riveria had not spent much time with this little nephew of hers, she understood one thing clearly:
A person's Falna reflected their nature.
Isis froze for a moment.
He had originally prepared a whole explanation—wanting to see the outside world, wanting to become an adventurer, and so on. It was the sort of answer that would satisfy most people.
But the look in his aunt's eyes just now made him feel that saying any of that would be an insult to her intelligence.
"Auntie."
"Mm?"
"Don't you think… that when people hear the words mage, the first name that comes to mind being Isis… would be incredibly cool?"
That was why he had come to Orario.
He had come here to have his name written into history—to make people remember the name Isis.
In that other world, Isis Prey had once been called a peerless prodigy.
And because of that, this thought had taken root in him long ago.
When people spoke of mages, he wanted them to instinctively think of a legendary name:
Isis, the Heaven-Favored Prodigy.
Riveria's expression stilled.
She stared at him, momentarily dazed.
Back then, her sister had been about this same age.
And she had worn that very same look in her eyes.
Riveria was silent for a long time. The night wind blew strands of her hair across her cheek, but she did not brush them away.
Then she did something she had never once done in front of outsiders.
She bent down until she was at eye level with him.
Her emerald eyes were suddenly very close.
"Then become stronger."
That was what she said.
"Become stronger than me. Stronger than everyone."
"But protect yourself, too."
Hearing those words, Isis felt his eyes grow warm. He nodded lightly.
"I understand, Auntie."
Riveria straightened once more, returning to the composed, unshakable posture everyone knew so well.
"Tomorrow morning, six o'clock. Training ground. If you're late…"
"Got it, got it. You won't go easy on me just because I'm your nephew."
"Then make sure you prepare yourself."
As Riveria turned away, the faint curve at the corner of her lips was perfectly outlined by the courtyard moonlight.
Since Ais, it had been a very, very long time since she had looked forward so much to watching someone grow.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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