Chapter 14: Is this clan serious?
____
"Hmmmm... Ais-tan, you're practicing swordplay with great energy today~ Watch me sneak over and secretly..."
As soon as the two entered the mansion, a figure came bounding down the stairs.
Her scarlet hair swayed as she moved, and her eyes curved into playful crescents. She muttered to herself, seemingly lost in thought and paying no attention to her surroundings. She didn't even notice the two people standing directly in front of her.
It wasn't until she was just a few steps away from Izzy and the gatekeeper that she finally came to her senses and noticed their presence.
"Greetings, Goddess ."
At this moment, the gatekeeper immediately straightened his posture and bowed deeply toward the approaching figure.
The woman who had been bounding down the stairs was none other than a goddess—the supreme deity of this Familia, Loki herself.
"Oh? Isn't this Simon? What's with the serious face? Why are you standing here at the gate with such a strange expression?"
Simon—the gatekeeper's name—was spoken in a casual, familiar tone.
After all, Loki wasn't the kind of deity who would forget the names of her own Familia members.
But right now, her attention quickly shifted from Simon to the person standing beside him.
"Goddess, this boy here is someone who hopes to join the Familia. His name is... um..."
Simon began his introduction but suddenly paused. It dawned on him that he didn't even know the boy's name.
"Ize. My name is Izzy Aylward. It's a pleasure to meet you, Goddess Loki," Izzy said promptly, taking the opportunity to introduce himself with a polite bow.
"Oh? A prospective member, huh? The guild sent a notice yesterday saying someone had signed up for that old recruitment announcement. So, it must be you?"
Loki's squinting eyes opened ever so slightly, revealing a gleam of scarlet as she studied him with interest.
"Blond, blue-eyed, and not bad-looking. Very pleasing to the eye. But... you don't have the aura of Falna, do you? Boy, I think you owe me an explanation."
While the gods' powers were limited in the lower world, they still retained traits that set them apart.
For example, Freya, the goddess of beauty, possessed eyes that could pierce into souls and an innate charm that even mortals couldn't resist.
Hephaestus, the god of forging, wielded skills that allowed her to craft equipment of divine quality, making her Familia both powerful and wealthy.
Loki, being the god of trickery, might not possess the specialized abilities of her peers, but she had a knack for seeing through things, including whether someone bore a god's blessing.
That Izzy—a person without Falna—had signed up to join the Loki Familia intrigued her.
"As you can see, I'm a complete newcomer," Izzy began, his tone straightforward but laced with a hint of self-deprecation. "I only arrived in Orario yesterday. I haven't received Falna, nor have I joined any Familia. I used a few small tricks to meet you because I want to join yours~"
Though he had prepared himself for being discovered, Izzy couldn't help but let out a bitter smile as Loki saw through him with such ease.
One cannot lie in front of a god, and Izzy had never intended to try.
After listening to his honest confession, Loki's expression softened into a mischievous smile, while Simon looked at Izzy as though he were some kind of daring hero.
"Not bad. I didn't expect him to be a complete newcomer," Loki said, her voice tinged with amusement. "I like him. A smart kid—and Good-looking~"
After all, Loki is the god of trickery. From her perspective, using clever tricks wasn't necessarily a negative—on the contrary, depending on her mood, it could even be a bonus.
And today, she was in a good mood.
That said, is your Familia serious?
Why does joining a Familia require good looks?
In his heart, Izzy wanted to scream in protest, but his reasoning managed to hold it back, at least for now.
"So, what is your reason for wanting to join my Familia? If you can answer this question to my satisfaction, I'll agree to let you join!"
In truth, Loki had already made up her mind. The only reason she asked was to tease him.
After all, isn't it tradition to mess with newcomers?
"Reasons? Of course… I feel like you and I might get along very well. Well, in every sense of the word," Izzy said with a sly smile.
Originally, he had intended to give a serious answer. But when he saw the undisguised teasing in Loki's eyes, he decided to match her tone and respond in kind.
"In every sense?"
The unexpected answer made Loki blink in mild surprise.
"Yes, in every sense," Izzy replied, nodding seriously.
In a way, Izzy and Loki shared a similar outlook.
After all, they were both straightforward people~
And really, who joins the Loki Familia just because they're powerful?
Isn't it all about how gorgeous the girls in the Familia are?
At this moment, when two serious people meet, it's not surprising if their eyes water with mutual understanding.
Hearing his response, Loki narrowed her eyes slightly, this time with a more serious glint.
There was something about this kid's words…
What was he hinting at? Why did he seem to radiate a sense of familiarity, like he was one of her kind?
"No matter what, Izzy, that's not an acceptable answer, is it?"
Beside them, Simon—who had been trying to remain an invisible bystander—finally spoke up, unable to keep silent any longer.
Even if Loki had a casual personality, surely she wouldn't be swayed by such vague remarks, right?
It seemed to Simon that the free opportunity Loki had given Izzy was about to be wasted.
But then, to Simon's growing confusion, the situation took an unexpected turn.
Loki, who had been pondering with a serious expression, suddenly seemed to relax.
"Forget it. I'm not in the mood to dig into these doubts right now. After all, you're just joining the Familia. There's no need to overthink it. Your name is Izzy, right? I hope we really do get along well in the future~"
Loki's abrupt decision left Simon silently raising a giant question mark in his mind.
As for Izzy, he simply smiled, sensing that Loki had stopped overthinking and had just gone with the flow.
Then, with an indifferent grin, Loki moved forward, patting Izzy's shoulder with a hearty laugh.
"Then it's settled! From now on, you're a member of my Familia! It's been so long since we welcomed a new child!"
She patted his shoulders again for emphasis and laughed wildly, clearly in high spirits.
Since descending to the mortal world, Loki had become far more casual and approachable as a god.
An old acquaintance once joked that she had practically become a background character in her own Familia.
But it was precisely this laid-back personality that had fostered a warm, family-like atmosphere within the Loki Familia.
"It's my honor~" Izzy replied with a grin.
At the same time, the notification "Mission completed. Rewards issued." popped up in the lower corner of his vision, further lifting his mood.
"Simon!" Loki called. "Go tell everyone the good news. The welcome party will be held tonight! I'll take Izzy to complete the ceremony first!"
Loki waved her hand dismissively, grabbed Ize by the arm, and started leading him toward her personal shrine.
At the mansion's entrance, Simon's expression shifted from confusion to exasperation, before finally settling into a helpless smile.
"The Supreme God is really... as casual as ever," he muttered.
A matter as significant as joining the Familia had been decided with just a few casual exchanges.
Still, he could understand why. It had a lot to do with Izzy's completely clean background.
If Izzy had already received the Falna of another god, Loki would never have been so agreeable. After all, intrigue and rivalry among Familias were common in Orario.
But Izzy didn't have any Falna.
That meant joining a Familia depended entirely on the will of the god in question.
In this case, it could be said that the moment Izzy and Loki met, his acceptance into the Familia was already halfway guaranteed.
A welcome party, huh?
Simon smirked faintly.
If Izzy failed to display promising talent after the ceremony, he might just have a good laugh about it later.