Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Riveria POV - February 5, 1977 Magical World - July 31, 2008 DxD.
"So you're really leaving Orario, huh?" Loki said, looking at Ottar. Ottar just nodded.
"My goddess needs me by her side," Ottar said easily. Loki just narrowed her eyes and stared at Ottar. We were in a meeting with the rest of the familia—or rather, only the Loki Familia executives and the former Freya Familia executives were present.
And just as Ottar had said, we were here for him and Horn to announce their permanent departure from Orario so they could move to the Nether.
"Freya's departure already provoked a strong reaction from the gods and adventurers; the departure of 'King' Ottar will cause a similar reaction," Loki said with a humming voice. Ottar didn't even flinch.
"It's not my problem," Ottar said with such honesty that Loki just chuckled.
"Whoa, that's cold." Loki laughed amusedly. "And I suppose the rest of Freya's group agrees, huh? " Loki asked as she looked at Freya's other children; they nodded immediately.
"Ottar will go to take care of our Goddess, that's all we wanted," Hedin said honestly.
"You know that's going to complicate things for you, don't you?" Loki asked, looking at the Freya group. "If Ottar and Horn leave the city, everyone will know it was to follow Freya. Everyone in the city will be looking for answers, and they'll think they can get them from you," Loki said seriously.
"Let them come," Allen mocked. "They won't get any answers, and if they keep insisting, they'll end up dead," he said coldly. Loki sighed and ruffled her hair with one hand.
"It's not really like I can stop you." Loki sighed. "Luckily, most of you are about to level up. Thanks to Prince's items, dungeon expeditions are much more effective and deeper, so everyone is improving at a much faster rate than before."
"Leveling up should distract everyone enough to make them forget about Ottar," Loki said, looking at us. Specifically at Finn, Gareth, and me, and also at Allen, Hogni, and Hedin. All six of us were at level 6, but since we'd gotten Serena's magic items, the number of stats we could gain had increased enough for all of us to level up.
I mean, most of us had already been at this level for almost seven years, we were all pretty close, and based on what Serena had shown me, we would have made it in about five months. Even so, the reduction was quite surprising—a pleasant and welcome surprise.
And Loki was right; if all six of us reached level 7 at the same time, it would shake Orario to its core. Until now, Ottar was the strongest adventurer, the only level 7 in the city. Six of us appearing at the same time would be truly shocking news.
"We can launch an expedition, deep inside, the six of us," Finn said easily. "We did our part in crippling Rakia's forces so that they wouldn't need us. Even though we withdrew a couple of days ago, Rakia is at a standstill with the rest of the families and adventurers."
"The six of us can dive into the dungeon with peace of mind," Finn hummed. Loki blinked and placed her hand on her chin as she thought.
"It's a good idea; with the storage bags, tents, and all of Serena's belongings, they don't need to drag anyone along to carry supplies. They'll be able to move quickly enough without extra luggage."
"If it had been just the three of you, Finn, Gareth, and Riveria, I wouldn't have accepted it, but with Allen, Hogni, and Hedin, it will be a complete enough group to watch each other's backs without any problem."
"They're strong enough to thrive down there, and in case anything goes wrong, with Riveria's newfound abilities, that magic will be enough to keep them all at least safe," Loki said thoughtfully, then nodded. "Good, you're authorized for the expedition," Loki said finally. "If you want to do it," Freya added, looking at the group.
"We'll do it. If it helps Ottar and Freya disappear from public view, then we'll do it," Hedin said without hesitation. Loki snorted.
"Freya will never leave people's minds, but this will distract them enough to give them a break, especially you, and with your new status, no one will bother you." Loki said almost dismissively. The three in Freya's group nodded solemnly. "And you, big guy? I'm pretty sure you're about to level up, too. Don't you want to go with them and make one last push? Maybe even surprise your goddess by leveling up." Loki said, looking at Ottar.
Ottar seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, seemingly struggling between the need to become stronger for Freya and the need to be by Freya's side; ultimately, the latter seemed to win when Ottar refused.
"My Goddess has plans for me," Ottar said honestly. Loki snorted.
"Mysterious and not at all unsettling, just the same old Freya," Loki scoffed. Then she sighed. "Fine, do as you please. After all, you don't have my Falna," Loki said with a sigh before turning to us. "You all, get everything ready. I'll update your Falnas before you leave. I want you to return victorious," Loki ordered firmly.
""" Yes, Loki-sama!""" said the three of us, while the three from the Freya group just nodded.
"I want to go," Ais said immediately.
"We want to go." Bete grumbled from the side. "We're on level 6 too." He added, and Tiona and Tione nodded beside him. Loki grunted and ruffled her hair.
"No," Loki said immediately. The four seemed about to argue, but she simply raised her hand to stop them. "I can't send all my executives at the same time, you know that. Not when Rakia is invading. However weak Rakia may be, it will look like we don't care about Orario and are leaving it unprotected."
"We're the strongest family in the city, the only family of our caliber. We might have gotten away with things before, but now we're much more public than before," Loki said, annoyed. "Besides, you guys only leveled up a few months ago; they need it more."
"Once you return, and things have calmed down in the city, I'll let you go on an expedition." Loki said, looking at her. The four of them almost seemed to argue before backing away with a grimace. Loki sighed wearily. "Very well, get ready. You'll leave tomorrow." Loki said, looking at us. We all nodded.
Rakia, it really wasn't a problem. We had stopped the main wave, and all the enemy soldiers had practically retreated, so we left the rest to the others.
The only real problem was Ares' kidnapping of Hestia, but that would be resolved as well, especially with Ais and the rest up here.
"As long as it doesn't last several weeks, it's fine." I said immediately, and everyone looked at me. "Commitments with Serena." I said without hesitation. Everyone blinked.
"Devil stuff? Like yesterday?" Loki asked curiously, pouting. I stopped and hummed.
Actually, I hadn't explained Serena and Bellatrix's marriage to anyone, mainly because... it was complicated to explain.
According to the Paper Trail, they were actually married in this world, and that's how they had announced it to them. Even though it was mentioned that it was simply a convenience to announce it that way, Loki and the others also knew about the underworld. It's possible they would have wanted to attend.
But the wedding is in the magical world, so we'd have to tell them about other worlds. Which… wasn't the best idea. So, even though I didn't like it, it was best to be slightly vague about it, much to Loki's annoyance. But I suppose I didn't really have to hide it. I shook my head.
"It's just a meeting, nothing really important, but as part of Serena's peerage, I'm expected to be there. It's a gathering of young devil heirs that will take place in a few weeks," I said honestly, smiling. Loki blinked and wrinkled her nose, but nodded. She didn't fully understand, but she still seemed to calm down visibly.
"So one's going to be terribly boring." Loki said easily, and I hummed along without commitment.
"It's... mostly a social event; it serves its purpose of getting to know the other heirs," I said neutrally. Loki snorted.
"Boring then." Loki snorted. I just smirked. "So, when can I go back to the underworld?" Loki asked excitedly. I raised an eyebrow before shaking my head. Honestly, a goddess so eager to visit the underworld was truly rare.
But I suppose that, for Loki, someone who had come down to the mortal world to find 'fun', the underworld was the same.
"Unfortunately, Serena is busy this week, and I'll be on the expedition, so I'll take you when I get back." I told Loki easily. Loki groaned loudly.
"Great! But we'll have a party to celebrate leveling up! One here with the familia and the other in the underworld! I hope your fiancée throws you an amazing party!" Loki demanded, and I smiled slightly.
"I think we can manage something," I said playfully. "And I think... you'll be surprised, there's... a new attraction in Pentagram City that will amaze you." I said honestly. Loki's eyes widened slightly and shone brightly.
"Oh? That sounds like a promise. Don't say anything you can't keep, Riveria," Loki said expectantly. I just smiled slightly.
"You'll be surprised, I promise," I said honestly. I saw Horn's expression, almost as if she were certain of what I was saying. I just nodded.
Taking Loki and the familia to Distracted Globe was, at best, a minor concern. Taking them to Pentagram City was convenient; most of the inhabitants there were demons, so there wouldn't be any questions from others. But Distracted Globe? The sheer number of humans and supernatural beings from various groups coming and going was truly enormous.
So much so that some hidden gods had even been sighted coming and going, I'd have to ask Serena for a way to hide Loki from detection.
The other problems arose when other humans or supernatural races started talking about things Loki didn't know about, like the human world or similar matters, but we could resolve that later. Orario had no problem with different races, so it wouldn't be difficult to convince her that many different races lived in the underworld or other similar realms.
"Great! I'll be waiting for it!" Loki said cheerfully. "Now... ugh, I'll go to the guild to inform them of Ottar's departure and your expedition," Loki groaned in annoyance.
"I'll take care of it." I told Loki. She turned quickly and looked at me with a hopeful expression. "I have some errands to run at the guild," I added. Loki just nodded.
"Very well, Riveria! I'm leaving it to you!" Loki said with a grin before practically running off, before I could change my mind. I snorted playfully. Finn just sighed and looked at me.
"Do you really have something to do there?" Finn asked playfully, and I nodded.
"Yes, I need to talk to the guild," I said easily. Finn nodded, and I could see he seemed relieved, too. I snorted and shook my head. "I'll handle it," I told Finn.
"Can we go too?" Hedin asked without hesitation, and I nodded, understanding the question.
"Of course, you don't have to ask every time. Freya will receive you as always in the underworld," I said honestly. Everyone in the Freya family smiled slightly. "Are you staying to say goodbye, or would you prefer I send you now?" I asked Ottar. He just shook his head.
"There's no need to say goodbye, we'll meet again." Ottar said easily. I nodded and looked at Horn.
"I've already prepared everything necessary for Freya. I have everything ready," Horn said without hesitation. I smiled and nodded.
"Very well, I'll be sending you to the mansion." I told them both, and they nodded. Then I walked up to a wall and created a portal to the mansion. I couldn't create portals as Serena did in mid-air, which combined with the benefits of The Company and allowed her to connect to other worlds, so I had to create The Company's portals on flat surfaces. I could only send people as far as the mansion, which was sufficient.
Ottar and Horn crossed without hesitation, and I closed the portal. I nodded and looked at the others, especially Finn. There were many things to organize for the expedition, and I needed the bare minimum details to mention them to the guild.
Once we finished, I headed towards the guild. I went inside quickly, looked towards Eina Tulle, and approached her.
"Riveria-sama! What can I do for you? Do you need me to call someone?" Eina asked, confused. I shook my head. Eina wasn't our advisor or guild contact, so I rarely spoke to her, but she was someone's main contact.
"I need to see Royman. I've come from… our friend in red with the big hat." I murmured, just low enough for Eina to hear. It was a lie, but I needed to meet with Royman, and that elf would probably ignore me if I didn't have a good excuse. Eina's eyes widened slightly, and she nodded quickly, then smiled.
"Of course, Riveria-sama, please come to one of our rooms. I'll call someone to attend to you right away." Eina said calmly. I nodded as I followed her, sat down in the room, and waited quietly. Royman and Eina quickly entered the room.
"Ah, Riveria-sama, I believe you have news of Mr. Alucard?" Royman said quickly, and I nodded.
"Actually, I'd like to discuss it with Ouranos-sama. I have another... matter pending with him, equally or even more urgent." I said without hesitation, Royman's smile trembling slightly.
"Now, Riveria-sama, I'm sure I can resolve any concerns you may have," Royman said without hesitation. I just hummed.
"Ottar is leaving town," I said immediately, and it seemed to freeze both guild members in place. Royman's smile tightened and trembled violently.
"Excuse me, Riveria-sama, I may have misheard you, but you just said that…" Royman said tensely.
"Ottar is leaving Orario, or rather... he's already left. Today, he said goodbye to the Loki familia." I said immediately. This time, Royman paled, his eyes widened, and he stood up sharply. Eina wasn't any better.
"Ottar-sama left!? Where to?!" Royman yelled in a panic. I just looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Where else would Ottar go?" I asked casually. Royman stopped stiffly, then paled even more, and his face seemed to go through a hundred expressions.
"Is he going with Freya-sama?! Does he know where she is?!" Royman asked, his eyes wide, then he looked at me intently. "Did Freya-sama say anything to you? Do you have any messages? Do you know where she is?! " Royman asked quickly as he approached me.
"I have a message, yes, from Freya, but only for Ouranos-sama's ears." I said without hesitation. Royman opened his mouth as if to protest, but finally closed it and nodded seriously, then quickly left the room. Eina was still in shock at the door. We both waited in silence until Royman came running back, slightly tired, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
"Ouranos-sama will see you, Riveria-sama," Royman said politely. I nodded and followed him. We positioned ourselves behind the guild and continued walking until we reached Ouranos. "Please, come in," Royman said, gesturing to the door. I nodded.
"By the way, the Loki familia will soon be starting an expedition to level up," I said to Royman from the side. "Finn, Gareth, Hedin, Allen, Hogni, and I will descend to the deepest depths tomorrow. We'll emerge when we're ready to level up." He stopped in shock, his eyes widening slightly.
"You six are…" Royman tried to ask, but I nodded.
"We're ready to level up; we just need one last push. Could you prepare the necessary paperwork, please?" I said easily, and Royman nodded firmly.
"I'll have it ready, Riveria-sama! Best of luck with your talk and your expedition," Royman said before quickly turning away. I glanced at the door and went inside. It was time to see Uranus.