If it weren't for the fact that the other party had done a favor to Ais last time and had just had a conflict with Evilus, Riveria would never have brought an unidentified person into the Twilight Manor.
Of course, more importantly, no one can lie in front of a god. As long as Loki asked, "Will you harm the Loki Familia?", any spy would be exposed. Therefore, there was no need to worry too much about the other party being hostile.
Well, if the other party could even deceive the gods, then he probably wasn't an opponent Riveria needed to worry about anyway.
Ais was very conflicted. After walking for so long, she had finally managed to clear her head. Although she still couldn't sort out the complicated thoughts in her mind, she knew she should at least express her gratitude to her savior first. The problem was that she hadn't said anything.
But if she were to say it now, the timing seemed wrong.
It's so annoying.
Why didn't I think of saying thank you first?
It was the kind of suffocating feeling you get when you're so angry during an argument that you can't think, and then suddenly come up with the perfect counterattack in the middle of the night when the opportunity is long past.
This irritability made Ais puff up her fair cheeks slightly, giving her an adorable expression.
The three of them, each with their own thoughts, soon reached the end of their short journey. It was a tall tower that could be seen from afar, even though it was located on a street surrounded by other houses.
The high-rise complex was much taller and larger than the other buildings around it, composed of several towers stacked together. A clown flag fluttered in the wind from the tallest central tower.
"Lady Riveria! Miss Ais!"
In front of the gate stood seven or eight fully armed adventurers, respectfully greeting their deputy captain and the Familia's highly promising rookie. They then looked at the only stranger among the three.
"Thank you for your hard work. Did anything unusual happen today?"
"Apart from the recent attack on the food distribution and some commotion nearby, there's nothing unusual. It seems the Captain and Mr. Gareth were summoned by the Guild to discuss matters."
"I see. Stay alert."
Seeing that Riveria had no intention of introducing Noah, the guards did not ask any more questions and turned to report inside. "Open the gate!"
While waiting for the door to open, Noah felt several curious eyes on him. He knew without looking that they belonged to the guards. After walking through the gate, they passed a courtyard pond, which, while not spacious, was full of various flowers and plants.
They crossed a red-brick courtyard and entered the mansion that occupied more than 70% of the area within the walls. As if to make up for the narrow ground, they had simply built upward, and the top of this mansion was obviously larger than its base.
Just as the three of them entered the mansion, a figure came running down from upstairs and hugged Ais at a speed that even Noah, who was immersed in thought, could hardly react to.
"Ais-tan! Are you okay?! I heard those bugs attacked the food distribution again. It's so scary!"
She was a woman with short red hair that was the color of a sunset, a mischievous face, and eyes narrowed into crescent shapes. Although her chest was so flat that her female features were almost invisible, her beautiful face, very different from that of a mortal, still allowed people to recognize her identity: a goddess.
Of course, if she hadn't been acting like a pervert, screaming and yelling while rubbing her face against the blonde girl, she might have seemed more god-like.
Well, now Noah was a little shaken about his idea of joining the Loki Familia. Because a god has almost unilateral control over their Familia members, the god's inclinations, personality, likes, and dislikes determine the development direction and upper limit of a Familia.
Every newcomer to Orario would be told that choosing the right God is the most important thing before becoming an adventurer, no doubt about it!
So, was a goddess like this, who was acting like a perverted uncle, really reliable?
Riveria, standing next to him, didn't know Noah was thinking such a thing, but perhaps from long experience, she could feel the complex meaning in his eyes. Although it was not the first time she had been embarrassed in front of outsiders, Riveria still felt her face getting hot.
"Loki!"
The strongest magician in the city clenched her small, pale hand and brought Magna Alfs down on the head of her own goddess. "There are other people here! Seriously!"
There was a crisp "thwack," and Loki let out a scream. She was knocked flat to the ground, where she lay spread-eagled. A wisp of imaginary smoke seemed to rise from the top of her short red hair.
Ais, who finally broke free, took a quick step and hid behind... Noah. She vigorously combed down her messy hair, puffed out her fair cheeks, and stared fiercely at Loki on the ground with her wide, moist golden eyes.
Her mouth was pouting so much you could have hung a bottle from it. She looked like a small, fluffy kitten with all its fur standing on end. In truth, after a year, Ais was long since used to Loki's behavior. She was just flustered this time, and Loki had managed to get the jump on her.
Noah and Riveria were both stunned by this. They even forgot about the goddess still on the ground.
Noah: Why are you hiding behind me?
Riveria: Why are you hiding behind HIM?
The two of them subconsciously met eyes and remained silent. For some reason, there was a hint of resentment in Riveria's emerald-green eyes. Noah, unsure why, felt like he had done something wrong and was almost afraid to look the high elf in the eye.
Time passed quietly in the eerie silence. Loki was lying on the cold floor, but the three people in the corridor tacitly made no move to help their goddess up.
Finally, Loki groaned, slowly sat up, and looked around with hazy eyes.
"Hmm? What happened? Riveria? When did you come back? Eh? And you, kid, who are you?"
The high elf finally reacted, quickly covering her mouth and coughing lightly to hide her embarrassment. "Um, Loki, this is the gentleman I told you about a few days ago who saved Ais in the Dungeon."
But after hearing this, Loki looked at Noah hesitantly, though Noah couldn't actually see her eyes. "Are you kidding me, Riveria? This kid doesn't have the aura of a Falna at all!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the room fell silent. In the silent air, Ais stopped stroking her hair. She looked at Loki, then at Noah, her small face full of disbelief.
Even Riveria's eyes contracted, and her lips trembled. She looked Noah up and down as if seeing him for the first time, then stared at Loki with a serious face.
"Hey! Loki! Are you sure? Don't be ridiculous!" As she spoke, Riveria found that her voice was trembling. No, her whole brain was trembling.
A person who had never received a Falna was able to rescue Ais from an enhanced Wyvern whose potential was estimated to be at least Level 3. And Loki didn't even know that Noah had just fought the Level 5 Arachnia and had the upper hand...
For a moment, Riveria couldn't help but recall the fear she felt when Orario was dominated by the two monster Familias, Hera and Zeus.
At the Guild meeting that year (the one to subdue Behemoth and Leviathan), the captains were all arguing (discussing tactics), and she, still just a little girl (in elven years), was holding her staff, standing by like a minion, not daring to say a word.
Loki, who had been a little confused, was now wide awake and understood what she had said. She jumped up and stood directly in front of Noah.
Her eyes, which had been narrowed into slits, finally opened, and her brown eyes looked at him with an irresistible majesty.
"...I can't be wrong. Although this kid's aura is a bit scary, he definitely doesn't have the Falna of other gods. It's not that the Falna has been sealed or released, but that he has never received it in the first place!"
Although the gods arcanum was sealed after they descended to the lower world, they still retained many abilities based on their respective domains.
For example, the goddess of beauty, Freya, could still exert a certain degree of "charm." More importantly, she had eyes that could see the depth of souls, allowing her to recruit adventurers with excellent potential, starting her out ahead of most other Familias.
Another example was Hephaestus, the goddess of forging. With her forging skills at a divine level, even a little guidance from her allowed her smiths to almost monopolize the manufacture of top-tier weapons.
Although Loki, the goddess of trickery, didn't have such powerful abilities, it was still easy for her to see whether an adventurer had a Falna or the aura of other gods. Because of this, Loki's usually frivolous look became solemn.
"So, boy, am I wrong? What brings you to our Familia? You can speak freely."
Noah, who had been stared at silently by all three, breathed a sigh of relief. He had been silent because he knew it was useless for him to speak.
"Goddess Loki, you are right."
Under the complex and solemn gazes of Riveria and Ais, who didn't know whether they wanted him to confirm or deny it, the silver-haired boy finally nodded. "I have never accepted the Falna of the gods. I have come here to join your Familia."
While Riveria and Ais's expressions became somewhat indescribable, Loki remained calm and just touched her chin.
"Logically speaking, we should be happy to have someone as outstanding as you, someone who even makes us wonder if he's the descendant of an ancient hero Joins our Familia. But I have to ask, what's the reason?"
"Heroes" referred to the countless mortals who fought against the monster hordes before the gods came. Even without the Falna of the gods, they still destroyed countless monsters, reclaimed the land from a world of darkness, pushed the monsters back into the Dungeon, and created a legacy that made even the gods admire them.
Even with the help of gods and spirits, their will and courage to transcend limits could not be denied. It can be said that the heroes of ancient times were themselves the embodiment of "miracles."
Noah felt a little complicated hearing Loki compare him to an ancient hero. Putting those thoughts aside, Noah looked at Loki, his expression unchanged. "I'm from outside Orario. There's not much else I can say. The only thing I can guarantee is that I have no ill will towards Orario or the Loki Familia, and I sincerely want to join."
Seeing Loki nod slowly, Riveria put aside the last bit of doubt in her heart. Again, an enemy who could hide the truth from the gods wasn't one she needed to worry about.
As for the fact that Noah did not make his identity clear, Riveria didn't think it was a big deal. In Orario, almost everyone had their own secrets and past.
"Well, fine, I accept this answer, outsider. We're friends now. First of all, thank you for saving our wayward little girl." Loki made a face at the pouting Ais, and her expression when looking at Noah changed from one of suspicion to one of intense interest, like she had just found a new and exciting toy.
But that expression looked a little... lecherous.
"So, are you sure you want to join our Familia? Although I hate to admit it, Freya's Familia is probably stronger than ours."
Noah accepted the title of "outsider." After all, a foreign land was a foreign land, and a foreign world was also a foreign world.
"Yes, I want to join the Loki Familia. As for why I didn't choose the Freya Familia, firstly, I don't like their cutthroat atmosphere, and secondly, just because a Familia was the strongest before doesn't mean they will be the strongest in the future."
Noah stared at Loki.
"If I join, then the strongest Familia will be the Loki Familia, right?"
After a long moment of silent staring, Loki suddenly smiled.