After bidding farewell to Finn, Gin went straight to Hel to discuss the alliance proposal.
Now he found himself in Hel's room, sitting beside her on the bed.
He explained his talk with Finn in detail—about the offer to have Riveria as his mentor, and how Finn expected him to become a familia ally in the future.
Hel looked as calm and composed as ever.
Gin thought she would be more invested in this, since accepting meant he owed a favor to the Loki Familia.
Hel nodded as he finished his report.
"The Pallum Hero makes his move as expected. I foresaw this juncture, yet to think he would see your value this early… Loki has found herself a cunning flagbearer indeed."
"My goddess, you predicted this?"
'Hel actually knew this was going to happen?' He couldn't tell if she was being honest or just making stuff up after the fact to sound cool.
Both options were plausible knowing his goddess's personality.
"Umu, I might be the first to lay my eyes on your potential, my champion, but I am not arrogant enough to presume no one else would notice it. Be it soon or in the far future, one of the deities or children would no doubt glance upon your brilliance in awe. The Braver just happened to be the first of many."
Hel was as proud of him as ever.
He sure as hell hoped the potential she saw actually existed.
"My goddess, milady Final Requiem."
Hel nodded at the nickname solemnly.
Gin could see her preen at that. 'Ah, she liked this one. Nice.'
"Are you okay with joining hands with Loki?"
Her expression was unchanging, but he noticed a certain annoyance beneath it.
"I will not join hands with that Trickster, my champion. Even if the world collapses and the lid to hell opens early, I will face it alone rather than consort with that menace. Even at this moment, I seek nothing more than leaving her domain."
'Yikes, I never realized she hated Loki this much.' He thought the offer was too good to pass up, though.
"My goddess. Uhh… I know I'm impressive, but we will probably need more people and money before we can declare our independence from Loki."
Hel, for the first time ever, showed him a pouting look.
She tried to hide it, though.
Dammit, his kokoro took a critical hit from that!
"…Umu. Rest assured, my champion. Take all the time you need; I shall wait for this to pass," she said.
"Make no mistake. I did not forbid you from making a pact with that Pallum Knight, but expecting me to see eye-to-eye with that Joker is a lost cause."
So basically, the Hel Familia and the Loki Familia would be allies, but Loki and Hel would not.
She gave him permission to accept the offer.
Kinda.
She showed her hatred of Loki, though.
"My goddess, may I ask you a question?"
Hel nodded in response, giving him permission to continue.
"Why do you dislike Loki so much?"
He knew Loki wasn't the best goddess out there.
She was a perverted, flat-chested, middle-aged old man in a woman's body. Yet despite her flaws, she still welcomed him and Hel into her home without question.
She wasn't the best goddess, but she wasn't a bad person either.
Why did Hel hate her so much?
"…My champion, do you know what kind of goddess Loki is?"
Gin kept quiet, realizing her question was rhetorical.
"Chaos. That single word encapsulates her existence perfectly," Hel declared, as if telling him something obvious.
"She is not good nor evil. Her sole driving motivation in life, both in heaven and here, is amusement. For her, amusement comes not from the happiness or suffering of you children." She huffed in distaste.
"It is simple excitement."
"There are only two deities that I refuse to deal with. The first is that Bloody Joker, Loki, and the second is that Tasteless Hedonist, Freya."
"I cannot accept those two. If there are no adversaries present, then that Joker will merrily concoct one herself. She might even cast herself as the final wall for you children."
Gin could hear the hatred rolling from Hel's tone.
"That Hedonist is no different. She does not appreciate what is given to her. She always wants more. More beautiful. Stronger. Brighter. More, more, and more. She will corrupt everything she wants, collect them, and then look for the next one. An insatiable beast of desire, that one."
Yikes.
Gin was hoping for something less serious.
Maybe Loki had eaten Hel's pudding without permission or something. It had never crossed his mind that it was something like this.
Not only that, Loki was one thing, but she also hated Freya!? The two goddesses Hel despised turned out to be the two strongest familia leaders in the world.
Gin groaned in the safety of his mind.
His future was bleak if Hel decided to pick a fight with those two.
No… luckily Hel wasn't confrontational.
She wasn't an egoistic goddess who would send him to his doom over her personal dislikes.
He felt his quickening heartbeat calm down at the realization.
Well, it couldn't be helped. He could see why Hel didn't like those two. He imagined the three of them as children looking at pictures.
Hel would be the one simply appreciating the pictures, busying herself looking for the parts that fascinated her. Loki would be the mischievous one, getting bored after a few pictures and deciding to cut them up, mix the pieces together, and leave it for other kids to fix. F
reya would be the… artistic one?
She would think a painting could be improved and decide to take it away and paint over it just to satisfy her want for beauty.
Yep, even in his imagination, those two were quite troublesome. If something happened, he would side with Hel without question.
"…Let us leave that matter behind and discuss the more important matter," she addressed him again.
"Do you seek to make a pact with the Loki Familia, my champion?"
"Yes," Gin answered. "I apologize if this will trouble you in the future, my goddess, but to me, this is the correct action to take."
Honestly, he didn't know much about the Loki Familia as a whole, but the ones he'd met were likeable.
Finn was strong and noble, yet not arrogant.
Raul and Aki accepted him as a friend and fought alongside him in the dungeon.
Even Loki, despite her troublesome hobbies, had been nothing but helpful to him… for now, anyway.
They weren't the worst allies to have, that was for sure. Besides…
"I believe my growth is here."
He looked at Hel, waiting for her reaction.
Seemingly noticing that, she turned to him and gave him a calming smile, showing her support.
"Umu, take pride in your decision, my champion. If the future you long for, the ideal self you seek, lays on the path where you take the children of Loki as your confidants, then so be it."
"Thank you, Hel, milady." Gin bowed his head in gratitude.
"The one you set your sights on is that Elf Queen, correct?" Gin nodded. "Umu, she is a powerful mage, a suitable enough master to nurture your growth."
'Suitable enough?'
Hel said it as if Riveria was the one who needed to pass a standard check rather than him.
Gin let out a wry smile at that thought.
Riveria Ljos Alf. Level 5. Vice Captain of the Loki Familia. A mage.
Rehmer had taught him that having a competent mage was a boon, if not a requirement, to thrive on the lower floors.
On the lower floors, where avalanches of monsters appeared frequently, a mage with offensive wide-range magic was often more valuable than a group of skilled swordsmen.
Any familia that wanted to explore the lower floors definitely had at least one or two mages in their party.
For that reason, it was no wonder Orario was thriving with mages.
Yet even with a large number of adventurers having access to magic, the title of the best mage in Orario, and most likely the world, belonged solely to her.
"Yes, she certainly is strong. Riveria Ljos Alf. Nine Hell, Queen of Nine Mystics."
He muttered her alias, the second name given to her by the gods in respect of her strength.
There was one absolute rule about magic.
All children, no matter how strong, skilled, or intelligent, would only learn three spells at most. Yet this single elf managed to bypass that rule.
She had nine spells.
Nine different spells born from modifying the three she originally had. An impossible feat for anyone but her.
Calling her strong was an understatement.
"Umu, Nine Hell, a powerful name indeed."
…And of course, the only thing Hel cared about was her alias.
Wowzers.
"Fret not, my champion. Once I acquire the rights to enter the famed Denatus, I shall bestow you with a designation no less ornate than her own," she nodded to him reassuringly.
Gin nodded back, internally dreading the day that moment would come!
...
The next day, after voicing his agreement to the alliance, Gin found himself standing in Finn's office once again.
This time, however, Hel stood beside him while Finn was accompanied by Loki and two adventurers: a beautiful elf woman and a stocky dwarf man.
The presence of both Hel and Loki here was for the sake of expressing a formal oath.
Hel took a step forward, and Loki did the same, leaving their followers' sides as if showing impartiality.
Now standing in the middle, Hel spread her arms and addressed them one by one.
Loki, meanwhile, just looked at her, smiling the whole time.
"O' Champion of Hel, thou who is loyal to me and me alone. O' Pallum Knight, thou who is ceaseless in your faith to Fianna. O' Royal Fae, thou who leaves your crown behind by your own volition. O' Mighty Guardian, thou who is humble yet unyielding in your conviction."
All four of them took a knee to her and Loki, patiently waiting for her next words.
"Hear my voice. I am the dead, the dark, the silence. I am Hel. Before me, no falsehood shall be uttered, and no vow shall be broken henceforth."
The formal alliance agreement had begun.
"Speak your oath, O' Children."
"I, Finn Deimne, Braver, Captain of the Loki Familia, hereby vow that from this day forth, we from the Loki Familia shall view the Hel Familia as our brothers and sisters in arms. No matter who stands against us, we shall return triumphant," Finn declared solemnly.
Gin immediately spoke his own vow.
"I, Gin Hvergel, hereby vow that from this day forth, I, as the representative of the Hel Familia, shall accept the Loki Familia as my brothers and sisters in arms. No matter who stands against us, we shall devour them all." Gin sent a confident smile to Finn, which he returned.
"None of you utter a falsehood in my eyes," Hel stated solemnly. "Stand up and show me your resolve, O' Champions."
She took up a small dagger and pointed it at both Gin and Finn.
The two of them walked up to her and presented their thumbs. Gin felt a small sting as the dagger pricked his finger.
He watched a drop of blood form on his thumb before raising it toward Finn, who did the same.
Both of their thumbs made contact with each other, signifying the exchange of blood.
And thus the blood oath was done.
It was official.
The Hel Familia and Loki Familia were now allies!
"Yay! Good for you, huh, Gin!" Loki slapped his back repeatedly.
"You are officially a bro now. And! More! Importantly! HEL-TAN is officially MY LITTLE SISTER!"
"Be silent, you delusional maniac. Elgarm, restrain your goddess before I send her to heaven with my Flying Heaven Governed Sword Style." Hel took a stance as if holding a longsword rather than a dagger.
"Aye, I'm sorry for her disrespect, Goddess Hel." The stout dwarf, most likely Gareth Landrock, the Elgarm, took Loki in his arms and practically carried her out of the room.
"Come on Loki, we aren't needed for the next part. Let's stop bothering our ally."
"Oh, right." He stopped before exiting the room and turned to Gin. "Nice to meet you, Gin. I am Gareth. Heard you've got some appetite. Let's get some grub when you're free to celebrate this. My treat."
"Sure! Thank you so much, Sir Landrock." Gin's eyes lit up at the invitation. "Word of advice, though: you are clearly underestimating my appetite!"
"Hah! I knew a guy with a voracious appetite. Now your everyday glutton won't surprise me at all. So better hope you live up to the hype, eh Gin?"
"I'll stop eating when the restaurant owner begs me to stop."
Gareth let out a bellowing laugh at his response. "You know how to boast, at least. I'll wait for the occasion then. See you later, Gin. Farewell to you too, Goddess Hel."
Free all-you-can-eat dinner? It was official.
Gin decided in his heart: Gareth Landrock was the saint of the Loki Familia!
"Sir Landrock is a nice person," Gin said to Finn.
"You judge people so easily." Finn chuckled. "But yes, he is. I am proud to call him an ally."
People who gave food to those who needed it were nice.
That was a rule.
Gareth offered him free food, and it just so happened that Gin always needed food.
So he was a nice person. Simple.
Gin wondered if he had picked Gareth as his mentor, would an all-you-can-eat frenzy every day be possible?
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you will not receive any sort of treat with me as your mentor, Gin." A voice pulled him out of his reverie.
Gin flinched and turned toward his actual mentor.
Riveria Ljos Alf stared at him in exasperation.
Her beautiful face was marred with what he identified as a sort of resigned amusement.
"Did I say that part out loud?"
"No. I am glad that you are an easy-to-understand person, at least," she huffed. "I am Riveria Ljos Alf. From now on, I will be your mentor in everything that relates to either adventuring or being a leader of a familia. I will expect you to show your utmost effort to learn, for I will do the same with my teaching. Am I understood?"
"Understood, Lady Riveria."
"Hoo… You are unexpectedly quite the formal person, Gin."
'Should I try a less formal name to endear her?'
"Then… Big Sis Riveria?"
"I don't remember having a little brother like you," she riposted calmly.
Gin noticed a little smile, though, so it didn't seem to bother her that much.
'So it's better if it's not straightforward formal, but not that personal? Then…'
"I understand. I will be in your care." Gin bowed to her. "O' Queen of Nine Mystics."
"Umu, Queen of Nine Mystics," Hel echoed beside him.
"…Sure, why not."
The first meeting with his mentor ended with her resigned sigh.