This time, Cid didn't disguise the magic he awakened—nor did he try to hide it.
Because this spell didn't belong to him alone.
It belonged to the entire Astraea Familia.
Going forward, he would just need to be careful not to use it while dressed as Shadow. That wasn't a big deal.
The only real pity was that, since the chants of his two spells were similar, he could no longer read the incantation with dramatic rises and falls the way he liked.
A shame.
"Besides, the point of that spell name isn't that it's long—it's that it's cool!"
Cid shook his head repeatedly, convinced that Goddess Astraea simply didn't understand.
If he had named a spell like that, it would just be self-aggrandizing.
But the name had been generated by the blessing itself—that was a completely different matter!
It meant that, somewhere in the unseen workings of fate, the heavens had ordained that his magic really should be that outrageous!
Cid also arrived at a new realization—
If he bragged about how powerful the Eminence in Shadow was, nobody would take it seriously.
But if people around him hyped him up instead…
That was another story entirely.
To be the Eminence in Shadow, he needed an organization of his own.
"Next, I'm going to ask those two goddesses for a favor. If they agree, Cid, you must study seriously when you go."
Astraea didn't pay attention to his little complaint. She focused on what mattered.
Back in Heaven, she had a fairly wide network of divine connections. Getting other gods to help train a familia member wouldn't be too difficult.
Now that Cid had awakened such a powerful spell, what she was doing might not even count as "begging" anymore.
After all, the coming decisive battle concerned all of Orario—she was thinking about the city's safety.
Cid's spell was extremely unusual. With proper training, it might truly influence the upcoming clash.
"...Astraea, the two goddesses you mean—don't tell me you mean Loki and Freya?"
Cid immediately pictured the worst-case scenario.
As Orario's two strongest familias, those two had always been popular.
Among ordinary civilians, their popularity didn't surpass Astraea Familia.
But among adventurers, those two major familias were the most coveted.
Every adventurer who fancied themselves exceptional wanted to join one of them.
Like how most football superstars, once they made a name for themselves, dreamed of transferring to Real Madrid.
"Yes, Cid. I know you dislike standing out, but this is an important time. Could you endure it for now?"
Astraea didn't put on airs as his patron deity. Instead, she spoke gently, persuading him.
"...All right."
With that kind of warmth, Cid couldn't refuse.
"Don't look so disappointed. If you're lucky, the one teaching you might even be the strongest mage of them all."
From Astraea's perspective, Cid got along very well with Ryuu, so she assumed he probably liked elves too.
And hearing her say that, Cid naturally understood exactly who she meant.
…
Orario was a circular city, divided evenly into eight districts like slices of a pie.
Starting from the north and counting clockwise from one to eight, those were the eight zones of Orario.
Astraea Familia's territory lay in District One, while Loki Familia's territory was in District Eight.
By numbers alone, it sounded far apart—but in reality, it was only separated by a single street.
That was why, if a god worked as a clerk at a croquette stall in District One, Loki could take a few steps and see them.
Yes, this is about you—Takemikazuchi, the god famous for being broke.
At this moment, inside Loki Familia's headquarters—the Twilight Manor—Riveria lay face-down on a table, elegant even in exhaustion.
There was a reason she could be called Orario's foremost mage.
She was a Level 5 magic user with three exceptionally strong spells.
Her birth was noble—an elf of royal blood.
In character and in status alike, she was the sort of figure even proud elves respected.
But recently, Riveria had been busy—so busy that, at times, she couldn't even spare attention for her own image.
When Loki returned from an outing, she found Riveria apparently asleep.
"Mom? Mom? You fell asleep? Then I'm going in!"
Seeing no reaction, Loki immediately reached toward somewhere she absolutely shouldn't.
Even as a goddess, Loki was worse than Alise when it came to groping.
Alise's intent had been to compare.
Loki looked like she was genuinely trying to take advantage.
You didn't even need to study her expression closely to taste the sheer sleaziness.
But resting or not, Riveria didn't indulge her.
She caught Loki's hand and flung her away in one motion.
No one nearby reacted.
They glanced once, as if it were routine, then went right back to their own work.
"Don't call me 'Mom.'"
Riveria lifted her head, irritation obvious—then, in the next instant, swallowed the emotion down.
As the elf most revered for her virtue, her control over her own feelings was formidable.
Besides, Riveria disliked the word "mom" to begin with.
In this world, elves could live two hundred years.
Riveria had already passed half of that.
She still looked young, but elves her age had already become mothers.
Yet Riveria had neither married nor had children.
Out of basic courtesy, you shouldn't call a woman like that "mom." It sounded like mockery.
And being called "mom" by a goddess who'd lived for hundreds of millions of years…
That just made it worse.
Loki simply loved jokes like this.
"Riveria, can't you be a little gentler? That throw just now—I almost ascended!"
Loki rubbed the back of her head.
Although divine power was sealed in the Lower World, humans still couldn't truly kill gods.
If a sealed god suffered a fatal wound by human standards, they would be returned to Heaven in a pillar of light—and would be unable to descend again for a while.
Loki had worked hard to build her familia into what it was.
She had no desire to go back to Heaven anytime soon.
"If you've come for something, then say it directly."
Riveria pressed her fingers to her temples.
Big matters, small matters—lately it was all matters, all the time.
She had no energy left to spar verbally with Loki.
"It's like this. Astraea asked me to cultivate a young man. His magic is… fairly special."
Seeing Riveria truly looked unwell, Loki finally reined in her usual clowning.
"Loki, we're at a critical time. And you still want to add to my burden?"
For a moment, Riveria wanted to resign on the spot.
With the Dark Faction causing trouble, Loki Familia—one of the two strongest familias—was already overwhelmed.
As one of the "Three Great Figures" of the familia, Riveria was overloaded even by their standards.
And that still wasn't the end of it.
She also had to take care of Loki Familia's next-generation spearhead.
The child was talented, yes—
But also far too energetic.
Riveria wasn't married, yet she'd already learned the pain of raising an unruly kid.
Busy upon busy upon busy, she truly had no spare strength to take on another responsibility.
"Relax. That boy's from Astraea Familia. He's been good at communicating with little girls since he was young—rumor says even Alise's temperament improved partly thanks to him. You can just hand Ais over to him."
Loki offered her "solution" with a straight face.
"Oh?"
Riveria wavered.
Someone from Astraea Familia would certainly be trustworthy in character.
And if he really was good with children, then yes, that would be convenient.
But there was a problem.
"Loki… you'd actually let someone else get close to Ais?"
Riveria knew her goddess well—Loki was astonishingly petty when it came to the people she liked.
If she favored a member of her familia, she didn't like other people getting near them.
"That's the point, Riveria. Go poach that kid and bring him to me."
Loki opened her eyes slightly, a crafty gleam flashing within.
"Why don't you invite him yourself?"
Riveria had no interest in digging into someone else's wall.
But Loki's stance was firm.
"That kid is leaving Astraea Familia. I heard Astraea already arranged somewhere for him to go next—but she won't tell me who. If she feels the need to avoid me, then it has to be my enemy!"
Loki had no intention of helping an enemy cultivate their own familia.
"Train him, then? Fine. I'll take the assignment."
Riveria pretended not to hear the "poaching" part.
She was an elf of high virtue, after all.
"And don't forget the poaching! That part matters too!"
....
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