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Chapter 20: Three Top
The next day. The day before the expedition.
"Well, I guess this is it..."
"Thank you so much for everything, Ais-san."
Today marked the final day of their secret training sessions. Bell bowed deeply to Ais, expressing his profound gratitude for all the guidance she had given him.
"I never managed to beat you even once... but someday, I will..."
"Ahaha..."
Up until the very last minute, Ais had failed to secure a single victory against Tsuna. She hadn't even managed to land a scratch. Her violently competitive nature left Tsuna sweating nervously, offering only a dry, awkward laugh in response.
"Good luck tomorrow, Bell."
"Yes!!"
"I'll see you later, Tsuna."
"Yeah."
With a final nod, Ais leaped down from the wall, heading back to her base ahead of them.
.....
After finishing their final training session, Tsuna and Bell returned to the church to wash up. Because of the impending expedition, Tsuna wasn't diving into the Dungeon today. Instead, he was scheduled to visit Twilight Manor in the afternoon to be officially introduced as the expedition's special supplementary member.
Shortly after noon, Finn arrived at the church to escort him. Following the Pallum Captain, Tsuna arrived at the Loki Familia's home base.
"We're here."
It's massive!?
Tsuna stared up at Twilight Manor in awe. Befitting the home of the city's strongest faction, the compound was absurdly large, completely dwarfing every other building in the district. It was a sprawling estate comprised of several towering spires connected by grand, sweeping architecture. At the very peak of the highest tower flew a massive flag bearing the Familia's emblem: the profile of a grinning jester.
It kinda reminds me of the Simon Familia's castle...
The imposing, gothic structure immediately reminded Tsuna of the massive fortress hidden beneath the deserted island where he had fought his grueling war against the Simon Familia.
"Open the gates. He's my guest."
"Yes, Captain."
At Finn's command, the two guards quickly unbarred the massive iron doors. Tsuna followed Finn into the courtyard.
As they walked through the grounds, the various Familia members they passed stopped to stare, openly glaring at Tsuna with expressions that clearly screamed, Who the hell is this guy? Uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny, Tsuna kept his eyes glued to the floor.
"Sorry about the stares," Finn apologized smoothly. "I informed everyone that we'd be having an important meeting today, but I haven't officially announced that you'll be joining our ranks yet."
"Y-Yeah..."
"First, I'm going to introduce you to my two fellow executives. After I brief them on the situation, we'll hold a general assembly and introduce you to the rest of the Familia. However, even if I personally vouch for you, the other members won't just blindly accept an outsider. They are incredibly proud. It's highly likely they'll demand you fight me to prove your worth. I have absolute faith in your abilities, but if you fail to prove your strength there, I won't be able to bring you on the expedition. I apologize for the hassle, but please understand."
Finn outlined the immediate itinerary and the inevitable trial by combat as they arrived in front of his office.
Finn opened the door. Waiting inside were the two figures he had mentioned earlier: Gareth and Riveria.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Gareth, Riveria."
"Finn. Who's the brat? An acquaintance of yours?"
"Does this boy have something to do with the important announcement?"
"He does. Let me introduce him. Tsuna, these two are Riveria and Gareth, the other founding members of this Familia."
"N-Nice to meet you..."
Overwhelmed by the sheer, imposing presence radiating from the two veteran adventurers, Tsuna offered a stiff, nervous bow.
"Let's not stand around. Please, take a seat."
Prompted by Finn, Tsuna awkwardly lowered himself onto a plush leather sofa, clearly uncomfortable in the opulent office. Finn casually took a seat behind his massive oak desk.
"Is the rest of the Familia gathering?"
"Aye. But Loki isn't here. She went to visit Dionysus."
"Understood."
"So? What is this all about?" Gareth asked, crossing his massive arms.
"Is it something that requires briefing just the three of us first?" Riveria added.
"No, this is what I plan to announce to the entire Familia shortly. But I wanted to run it by the two of you first. I knew you'd understand the necessity of it."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll get straight to the point. I'm bringing him with us on tomorrow's expedition."
"...!?" x2
Riveria and Gareth's eyes went wide with shock. But as seasoned veterans, they quickly regained their composure.
"This is you we're talking about. You clearly have some sort of scheme cooked up."
"Aye. You wouldn't suggest bringing an outsider into the Deep Floors without a damn good reason."
"I'm glad you two are always so quick to understand."
Having worked alongside them for years, Riveria and Gareth knew Finn never made arbitrary decisions. Anticipating their rational response, Finn smiled faintly.
"His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. He's an adventurer belonging to the Hestia Familia, but..."
Finn proceeded to explain the entire situation. He detailed Tsuna's background, the fact that Ais had been secretly training Bell to make amends for Bete's drunken insults, and the ensuing complications.
"That idiot Bete..."
"That foolish boy..."
While they had plenty of harsh words for Ais breaking Familia rules, learning that her actions were driven by guilt over Bete's atrocious behavior caused Riveria and Gareth to sigh heavily, rubbing their temples in sheer exasperation.
"I apologize..." Gareth rumbled, bowing his head. "We caused you and your Familia a great deal of trouble..."
"You have my apologies as well," Riveria added, also bowing her head. "We failed to properly discipline our own."
"Ah, no... Like I told Finn, I only got to Orario a few days ago, so I really don't know what you're talking about..."
Just like Finn had done the night before, the two legendary adventurers bowed deeply to apologize. Tsuna frantically waved his hands, trying to tell them it wasn't necessary, but the two veterans kept their heads lowered out of genuine shame.
Once the apologies were concluded, Finn resumed his explanation.
"Now, back to the main topic. Tsuna here ended up sitting in on Ais's training sessions. In exchange for his silence regarding the matter, Ais offered to train him as well. However, instead of training him, she ended up being the one getting trained."
"You can't mean...!"
"Yes. He is significantly stronger than Ais. He is the sole reason she has been acting so strangely this past week."
"...!?" x2
Hearing Finn explicitly state that a rookie was stronger than their prized Sword Princess left Riveria and Gareth entirely speechless.
"I observed their sparring match yesterday," Finn continued. "His strength is absolute and utterly flawless. He effortlessly dismantled everything Ais threw at him."
"...!?" x2
Finn's testimony was absolute. They knew he would never exaggerate a combat assessment. Still, the concept of a boy casually overpowering a Level 6 warrior was so astronomically absurd that they struggled to process it.
"Umm... You said Ais was acting strangely...?" Tsuna asked tentatively.
"Yes. She was incredibly frustrated that she couldn't beat you, and that frustration apparently leaked out into her daily life. Her obsession with defeating you was so intense that the other members were literally too terrified to speak to her."
Just how badly did she want to beat me!?
Realizing that Ais's competitive streak had inadvertently terrorized an entire faction of elite adventurers, Tsuna was profoundly disturbed.
"I'm so sorry... I had no idea I was causing so much trouble..."
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault," Finn chuckled. "I assume she initially challenged you to a single spar, lost, and then aggressively forced you to keep fighting her every single day because she couldn't accept the defeat, correct?"
A perfectly accurate, 100-point deduction!!
I knew it...
Tsuna was astounded by Finn's flawless psychological profiling, while Finn simply sighed, his exact suspicions confirmed.
"Ah, right. Speaking of Ais..." Tsuna started, remembering the other crucial piece of information.
"Did something else happen?"
"Actually..."
Tsuna proceeded to recount the ambush in the alleyway. Because they needed to keep the training a secret, he figured Ais probably hadn't reported the attack to them.
"An ambush... Can you describe the attackers?"
"I didn't see their faces because they were wearing dark armor and visors... but one of them was an incredibly fast Catperson with a spear. The other four were about this tall... probably Pallums, all fighting together. And while I didn't see him, I felt the presence of someone else watching from a distance."
"Them..."
"Aye, sounds like them..."
"Yes. The descriptions match perfectly, and they are the only ones arrogant and capable enough to launch a coordinated assault on Ais."
Hearing the descriptions, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth instantly deduced the identities of the attackers.
"The ones who attacked you were the executives of the Freya Familia."
"The Freya Familia...?"
"The Freya Familia. They are one of the two absolute strongest factions in Orario, rivaling our own. Every single member is fanatically, obsessively devoted to their Goddess, Freya. It is not an exaggeration to say they are a violently extreme organization willing to commit any atrocity if it benefits their Goddess."
"Any atrocity..."
"Yes. The Catperson you described is the city's fastest adventurer, Allen Fromel. The four Pallums are the Gulliver Brothers, renowned for their flawless combination attacks. The presence you felt watching from afar was undoubtedly their tactician, Hedin. But why would they target Ais?"
Finn easily identified the assailants from Tsuna's description, but the underlying motive eluded him.
"The Catperson said it was a 'warning'. I have no idea what he was warning her about, though."
"A warning... What in the world could that mean...?"
Even with the new piece of information, Finn was completely stumped.
"Regardless, their motives are currently unknown, but I am incredibly relieved that you are all safe. If Ais had been caught alone, it would have been a disastrous situation. We are in your debt for being there."
"Oh, Ais didn't fight the executives. She was exhausted from our sparring, so I told her to protect Bell and Hestia while I fought them instead."
"Huh...?" x3
The moment Tsuna casually dropped that bombshell, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth froze, their minds screeching to a complete halt.
"H-Hey, Finn..." Gareth stammered, his eyes wide. "I feel like I just heard him say something completely insane. Tell me my ears are playing tricks on me..."
"Unfortunately, Gareth, your hearing is perfectly fine..." Finn replied, his usual calm demeanor cracking as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "I knew he was extraordinarily powerful, but to fend off Allen Fromel and the Gulliver Brothers simultaneously while keeping Hedin in check... Even I'm starting to think he's a monster..."
"Is it really wise to bring him with us...?" Riveria muttered, looking deeply unsettled. "At this rate, I fear we might end up dragging him down..."
"That is a highly probable outcome..."
"?"
The three legendary adventurers huddled together, whispering furiously among themselves in a state of absolute existential dread. Meanwhile, Tsuna simply tilted his head, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just casually admitted to soloing half of the most terrifying syndicate in the world.
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