Clenching the paper, Noah silently nodded.
As always, unique magic and special skills were closely tied to one's natural gifts, past experiences, and inner world. They were practically an exposure and reenactment of a person's spirit.
Elegy of Light. So that was the name of my magic?
Just as its incantation described, Noah's magic devoured everything. It was more befitting of a Demon King than the Demon King himself—a cheat-level magic that could consume anything, whether matter, magic, or even an enemy's attacks, and convert it into Noah's power.
Of course, nothing in this world was absolutely invincible. Just as water put out fire, but a sufficiently large fire could evaporate all the water, any conclusion that ignored the amount involved was meaningless.
Activating this magic not only wreaked havoc on his body, but also placed an immense burden on his mind.
Killing intent, pain, sorrow, despair, grief, desire... All those emotions would surge into his inner world, too.
Sometimes Noah wondered, Could I be the Demon King?
After all, if he used this magic a few more times and didn't die, he would probably become an avatar of darkness a hundred times more terrifying than the Demon King.
"Anyway, I don't care about the rest, but we're family now. I'm your goddess, so I'm telling you—"
Loki walked over to the bed and smacked Noah on the head.
"—You absolutely can't use that magic carelessly!"
The moment Loki saw that magic, she was reminded of her Familia's problem child and her skill, Revenge Princess.
That skill, powered by hatred, was probably one of the most powerful offensive abilities in the history of the Lower World.
She'd thought her princess was already invincible, but who knew there was someone even more impressive than Ais?
Whose Familia is that kid from? I... Oh, he's mine now.
Well, then. I'll have to look after him!
How had two skills this terrifying appeared all at once?
That kid might look mature and dependable, but his magic and skills made it obvious he was a problem child just like Ais!
Oh, and an older problem child, too!
But whatever. She could just leave them all to Riveria. She was the best at looking after problem children, after all.
The warmth on his head made Noah pause, his mind briefly going blank.
Family, huh?
"Don't worry. I haven't found a reason to use this magic again yet..."
The hero Noah was dead!
Now, he was the adventurer Noah!
Seeing Noah come back to himself, Loki smiled and waved her hand.
"If you're fine now, you can get lost. Go find Riveria and have her arrange what you need to do next. Also, tell Riveria to notify the dining hall—we're throwing a welcome party tonight! Ehehe, now I can have a proper drink!"
After taking his sword back, Noah was about to leave the bedroom when he suddenly stopped and turned around.
"By the way, Loki, does the Familia dining hall have its own cooks?"
"Do I have the kind of money Hephaestus can afford to waste on that? The members take turns cooking."
"In that case, can I take charge of tonight's feast?"
Loki poured herself another drink and gulped it down. Then she raised her slightly tipsy face and looked at Noah in confusion.
"Huh?"
"I'm pretty confident in my cooking!!"
Riveria Was in a Lot of Trouble
The city of Orario, surrounded by towering walls, always welcomed nightfall earlier than the lands beyond it.
While the western sky was still burning red with the setting sun, Magic Stone Lamps had already lit up across the city.
These were unsafe times, so ordinary residents hurried home as early as they could. Only adventurers still lingered in and around the taverns.
Following Loki's policy that "everyone must eat breakfast and dinner together," all members had returned to the Familia's main base, except for those still out patrolling after accepting Guild quests. Whether they'd spent the day taking care of business with other Familias, exploring the Dungeon, or visiting the Guild, they'd all come back.
Twilight Manor consisted of seven towers surrounding the Central Tower, linked by stone skybridges.
Because their goddess had a soft spot for women, the Loki Familia had far more women than men. Accordingly, three of the towers were for men and four were for women.
Common facilities such as the library and dining hall weren't concentrated in one place. Instead, they were scattered among the towers, making the layout rather chaotic.
Here, people talked about what they'd seen that day, discussed plans for the next day, or complained about the trouble they'd run into while carrying out their missions. Conversations of all kinds filled the air.
Amid the hubbub echoing throughout Twilight Manor, a startled shout rang out from an office high in the North Tower.
"What the heck? These magic and skills!"
A huge, scruffy face was nearly pressed against the desk. His enormous, bell-like eyes were fixed on the paper spread across it.
He wasn't the vice-captain, but he cared for and looked after the younger members like an elder, and the Familia members respected and adored him in return. He was a dwarf.
Gareth Landrock, a level-five adventurer whom his goddess had bestowed with the title Heavy Hero, looked toward her.
"Hey, Loki. Are you sure there's no mistake?"
Loki sat on the sofa with her legs crossed. She glanced sideways at Gareth and snorted, which served as her answer.
Gareth scratched his head, then turned to the blond Hobbit beside him.
"Finn? What do you think?"
Finn had just turned forty, but thanks to the Hobbit's natural traits and the effects of his Falna, he still looked like a beautiful young boy. He came back to himself.
Generally speaking, an adventurer's Falna data—including their ability scores, magic, and skills—was confidential, known only to their patron deity and themselves.
After all, Orario wasn't some safe haven. Dark Faction members lurked throughout the city, and adventurers were often attacked by rival Familias in the Dungeon.
If an adventurer's abilities were leaked, their enemies could target them, greatly increasing their risk of death.
That was why adventurers only needed to tell the Guild their level and the deepest floor they'd explored. Some Familias, especially those that saw little combat, didn't even tell their captains.
But the Loki Familia was an exploration Familia that often ventured to the front lines of the deep floors. If Finn and the other two commanders needed to know about a member's abilities, they were more than entitled—if not obligated—to find out.
So, after getting Noah's permission, Loki had shown the data to the three of them.
Even Finn had never seen magic and skills like these before.
He glanced at the data on the paper once more, then slowly nodded from his seat in an oversized chair that dwarfed his small frame.
"I can only say I'm surprised, too. Honestly, he makes me think of those monsters from seven years ago..."
The monsters Finn meant weren't creatures from the Dungeon.
They were beings shaped like humans, yet so far beyond the limits of what was possible that they were even more monstrous.
"Could this kid be descended from the Ancient Heroes? No, he might even be stronger than them!"
At Gareth's mention of the Ancient Heroes, Finn looked toward the wall across the room.
A woven tapestry hung above the white stone fireplace.
Its design, woven from gold and silver threads, showed an armored woman surrounded by spears, lances, axes, hammers, swords, and all kinds of other weapons.
She was Fiana, the fictional goddess worshipped by the Hobbit race.
If the opening act of the Age of Heroes had been started by the "clown" Argonaut, then the main theme that ran throughout the era had been played by the Fiana Knights, made up of Hobbits.
That was the Hobbit race's first—and last—glory.
Even after the Hobbits fell into decline in the Age of the Gods, the Fiana Knights were transformed into the concept of the goddess Fiana and continued to be worshipped by them all.
Finn had always made it his mission to restore the ancient glory of the Hobbit race. He could hardly remain unmoved when faced with someone who might be a descendant of the Ancient Heroes.
"Well, our expeditions have made it clear that the Familia's missing a powerful vanguard to anchor the front line. We were planning to wait for Ais to grow stronger, but it looks like this kid might be just what we need. Once he's grown—"
"Gareth, it's too early to say that. Even the most promising adventurers are weak when they're level one. If no one teaches and protects them..."
The Hobbit captain and the dwarf warrior exchanged a glance. Then the corners of their mouths curled upward, and both of them turned their eyes toward the Elf Royalty who had been sitting silently in the room.
At the words "teach and protect," Riveria, who had been lost in thought, instinctively grew wary and met their gaze.
"Wait... Is it me again?"
Finn shrugged and spread his hands, wearing a flippant smile he would never show the Familia members.
"There's no helping it. You've already got experience with looking after—cough, cough—teaching newcomers, haven't you?"
The old dwarf beside him put on a comical grin, showing off even his big front teeth.
"Yeah, yeah. This newcomer's got huge potential. Riveria, haven't you always worried that the Elf mages can't be protected on the front lines? If this kid grows into his strength, that won't be a problem anymore!"
The Loki Familia had only three level-fives, while the Freya Familia had one level-six, three level-fives, and four level-fours. Judging by their levels alone, the difference between them seemed considerable, yet outsiders still called them the two great factions.
The reason for that was magic!
Besides the Nine Hell, the strongest mage in Orario, the Loki Familia also had a magic unit made up of Elf mages.
In Orario, magic was widely considered the only means of overcoming level restrictions and cutting down higher-level adventurers.
Many adventurers believed that if the two great Familias went to war, the Freya Familia would lose everyone except its top four adventurers unless the likes of the Brave could take down the Nine Hell before she finished preparing her bombardment magic.
So, the two Familias weren't on equal footing because their levels were evenly matched. They were considered equals because both had the ability to take the other down with them.
But—
Who wants to take them down with us?!
Whenever Riveria heard people praise them for being able to take down the Freya Familia with them, she couldn't feel happy about it at all.
Still, it was an undeniable fact that the Loki Familia lacked powerful vanguards like the Freya Familia had.
Finn had to stay in the middle and direct the others, while Gareth was good at defense but lacked speed, making it impossible for him to support everyone.
During expeditions, monsters had broken through the front line many times, causing casualties among the mage unit.
So... she really was glad that a powerful swordsman like Noah had joined the Familia.
But the thought of looking after a child again—a big kid who looked mature but might actually be as troublesome as Ais—made Riveria's temples throb.
Those Who Played at Tactics Had No Shame!
"Honestly, fine. I get it..."
After much hesitation, Riveria thought of the young Elves who respected her and finally nodded, accepting the task.
Still, although it was called looking after him, Noah wasn't a seven- or eight-year-old child. She only needed to teach him some basic things about being an adventurer.
And judging by their first few meetings, Noah seemed like a mature, steady young man. She probably wouldn't have to spend too much time on him... right?
Looking at the magic and skills recorded on the paper, Riveria could only try to reassure herself.
As far as combat strength went, Riveria had no doubt the boy would surpass her before long.
But when it came to whether a junior would be easy enough for a senior to look after, Riveria had a very bad feeling.
An older problem child was harder to deal with than a little girl who was merely obsessive.
Watching the Elf Royalty struggle with her inner turmoil, Finn and Gareth exchanged glances. Their eyes were both gleaming with mischief.
Riveria's keen senses immediately picked up on their amusement. She snapped out of her troubled thoughts and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Laugh while you can. It's hard to say whether you'll still be laughing so happily later.
That kid was absolutely going to be the one who stirred up a storm that swept across Orario.
And as the Familia at the heart of the storm, not one of us would escape!
"There's one more thing I haven't told you. When I ran into him at noon, Noah was fighting the Dark Faction. Do you know who it was?"
Before you continue