Chapter 18: The Elf Who Comes Asking Questions.
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A chill ran from the soles of Loki's feet straight to the top of her head. She rubbed her eyes. Cleared her ears with her pinky finger. The scene in front of her remained stubbornly, devastatingly unchanged.
Her most beloved Familia member — the Sword Princess, Aiz Wallenstein — was voluntarily introducing herself to a younger man.
Kihara had gone momentarily blank, which Aiz interpreted as her usual ice-cold composure having frightened him into silence. She made a conscious effort to soften her expression, reorganised her words, and tried again.
"May I know your name?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT—"
Loki erupted like a kettle that had been on too long, and launched herself at Aiz with the intention of physically removing her from the vicinity. She received an immediate and merciless iron fist to the face and was redirected to the floor.
Hestia's reaction was essentially simultaneous. Both twin tails stood fully upright. She bared her teeth, spread her arms wide, and planted herself directly between Aiz and Kihara.
"Who are you and what do you want? Stay away from my child."
"Me? I'm Aiz Wallenstein. And him?"
"His name is Kihara—"
The answer came out before Hestia could stop it. She immediately pressed her hands over her own mouth and turned a look of pure betrayal on Loki, who was hauling herself off the floor with a lump on her head the colour of a ripe tomato.
"That's my Aiz — learns fast no matter what the lesson—!"
She reached toward Aiz's famously well-proportioned figure with an extremely optimistic hand. Aiz caught the wrist, applied rotational force without looking away from Kihara, and Loki produced a sound that cleared the nearby tables.
"IT'S GOING TO SNAP — AIZ — AIZ—"
Aiz wasn't listening. The closer she'd gotten to Kihara, the stronger the sensation had become — that inexplicable familiarity, that baseless pull of recognition. It made no sense, and the things that made no sense were the things she needed to understand. Her eyes had gone sharp with the focused intensity of someone reading a battlefield.
Lili, who had spent enough time around dangerous people to recognise that particular look, was out of her chair and pulling both Kihara and Hestia backward before she'd fully processed the decision.
"Lord Kihara, Lady Hestia — back up, she's shifted — that's hostile intent—"
"Hey — Sword-whatever — what exactly do you think you're doing—"
Finn Deimne, who had long practice in cleaning up after his chief deity's social disasters, stepped smoothly into the gap before things escalated into an inter-Familia incident.
"Goddess Hestia, please don't misread the situation. When Aiz fixates on something, she gets that look regardless of her intentions. She isn't preparing to attack."
What Finn did not know — and could not have known — was that fixating on Kihara was, from Hestia and Lili's perspective, considerably more alarming than any physical threat.
The two of them exchanged a single glance, reached a complete understanding, and moved in unison. Hestia climbed onto Lili's shoulders. They spread their arms to form a combined human barrier between Aiz and Kihara, and spoke simultaneously.
"Whatever you want, come through us first. Keep your eyes off Kihara-sama."
Simultaneously, from the floor, came a sound like the last cry of something dying.
"Nooooo— Aiz taking an interest in a man— At least — at least wait until a hundred years after I'm dead before you start—!!"
Loki had actually noticed the faint spirit-essence around Kihara the moment she'd walked over — it was why she'd come to antagonise Hestia in the first place, hoping to get close enough to investigate. She hadn't anticipated that Aiz's instincts would be sharp enough to pick up on something she didn't even have the framework to consciously identify. The girl didn't know she carried spirit blood in her veins, and yet some part of her had reached toward the corresponding resonance in Kihara anyway — and not only that, she'd spoken to him first, which was more initiative than Loki had ever received in all her years as chief deity.
She lay on the floor in greyscale defeat and quietly stopped processing.
The standoff might have continued indefinitely, but Mia Grand chose this moment to materialise — all one hundred and eighty centimetres of her, proprietor of the Hostess of Fertility, with the kind of presence that made arguments feel suddenly unnecessary.
"The Loki Familia's reputation in Orario is well established," she said, with the pleasant tone of someone who has decided to be reasonable before she stops being reasonable. "That said, this is a dining establishment. Captain Finn — would you mind returning your people to their seats?"
"My sincerest apologies, Proprietor Mia."
Finn issued the verbal apology while making eye contact with Riveria Ljos Alf, the vice-captain — the one person in the Familia with any reliable influence over Aiz, having essentially raised her.
Riveria stepped in without being asked.
"Aiz. Interrupting someone's dinner is poor manners. If you have questions, wait until they've finished eating."
"Understood." Aiz turned back toward the table, delivering her parting words without inflection. "Wait for me after your meal."
She returned to her seat and applied herself to her food with complete focus.
Finn offered Hestia an apologetic smile, collected Loki from the floor, and retreated.
The sentence Aiz had left hanging in the air produced an immediate strategic response. Hestia and Lili looked at each other, reached a consensus, and began ordering everything they'd planned to eat as takeaway instead. It was the first time either of them had genuinely felt the dangers of the outside world — one dinner out, and a tall golden-haired woman was already plotting something.
"Lady Hestia. I think we need a formal vetting process for anyone who approaches Lord Kihara."
"Lili-san, that is an excellent idea. Tonight we draft the criteria."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lili snapped to attention, then divided her attention between the takeaway order and monitoring Aiz's plate from the corner of her eye. The moment it looked empty, she would get Lady Hestia and Lord Kihara out the door, then stay behind to collect the remaining packed food herself.
Mia, apparently having assessed the situation and determined that a swift resolution was in everyone's interest, had the kitchen prioritise their order. Chloe delivered it with her usual cheerful efficiency.
By the time Aiz set down her chopsticks, the table was empty and the Hestia Familia had long since disappeared into the Orario night.
A brief look of genuine disappointment crossed her face. She said nothing. She already had a name and a Familia — whenever she was ready, finding him again wouldn't be difficult.
Ryuu had watched all of it from behind the service counter with the quiet attention she gave to most things, and had confirmed two facts in the process. First: the irritating human from the dungeon was apparently a minor celebrity. Second: he was acquainted with Chloe, which saved her the trouble of asking around.
After closing time, while Chloe was wiping down tables with her tail at its most contented angle, Ryuu approached.
"Chloe. The adventurer from tonight — Kihara. Could you tell me about him?"
Chloe's ears swivelled. "Meow? You're interested in him?"
"Not like that. I'm curious why Aiz Wallenstein would voluntarily speak to someone. That's all."
Chloe's smile widened with the energy of someone who has been waiting for exactly this question, and launched into a detailed and enthusiastic account.
.....
Thank you for reading.