Chapter 984 Loki’s Struggle
"...Unrealistic expectations?" Kisuke's mouth twitched, "That really impeded them? Just how impatient were they for that to happen?"
"Really, really impatient.", Loki sighed and reclined on her seat, "What do you think you look like?"
"...Err... I'm not really sure how to answer that question. Human, I guess?"
Loki raised her foot on the table, "That's exactly it! Regardless of what you are, you look like a Human around 20-30 years old! Yet you have that kind of power. Thanks to that, these kids thought that it is possible to achieve that within a few years... They became desperate."
"...Seriously?" It was then that Kisuke realized his mistake. It's a massive discrepancy that has always been present that he chooses to ignore because it's something that isn't very important and can be changed with the right approach.
In the two previous incidents he was in, it's always mostly true that once you survive an encounter or a dire predicament, you'd always come out stronger and would even allow one to step into a new stage of their power. However, in this world, he almost forgot that people are mostly improving gradually, tackling challenges that they were capable of and taking those experiences in to use in their next challenge.
In other words, 'power and wisdom come with age' rang truer than 'sudden metamorphosis or enlightenment in the middle of a fight' in this world.
"What the hell? I thought introducing Magic and Ki would solve this 'problem' so I didn't think about it any further.", It was Kisuke's turn to sigh, "That means, they still couldn't let go of the concept of 'Levels'. Pretty pathetic, I would say."
"You just underestimated how much a Deity meant for these children.", Loki immediately refuted, "Well, that's the story and the solution we went through after consulting Yoruichi and Hestia was to erase everyone's memory, not just you, but the entire Hestia and Artemis Familia because it's safer and more secure that way."
Kisuke furrowed his brows, "But with the Magic Power and Ki surrounding them, I don't think it would be possible to hold their memories with just Freya's 'Charm' alone. They should have broken it by themselves at some point."
"I don't know what exact spell they used but it's the combination of Freya's 'Charm', Serafall's Magic, and Yoruichi's Kidou... Though I have no idea what the last one is since I only heard it from them."
'Yoruichi's Kidou? That should have been impossible without her tools. It looks like she's been busy with her own thing too.' Kisuke smiled but didn't expressively reveal the reason behind it.
Loki just ignored Kisuke's reaction and continued, "In any case, everyone has been getting desperate and wanted to match you. And as you've guessed, they don't have the proper mindset for it so it'd only end up destroying them. Without much choice, we had to take this step."
"Around what levels did this happen?" Riveria broke her silence and asked.
"Finn, Gareth, and Ais just reached Level 8. There were also some on Freya's side who reached the same Level."
Riveria thought about Loki's words for a moment, 'This is definitely weird... I can't see anything that would make them desperate enough to warrant Loki and the others to erase their memories.'
Seeing her reaction, Loki couldn't help but grin, "Thankfully, you still know them enough. As you've guessed, Kisuke's existence was just the coffin and the nail to it was something different... Or rather, someone. Although there are already several Level 9s, who do you think reached it second?"
The gears in Kisuke's head began to turn and a certain someone entered his mind, 'I see... So that's the whole story... Still, that's pretty pathetic.' Although he agreed with Loki that he underestimated their beliefs, his opinion didn't change. After all, he gave them all the tools they needed and they only needed to use them.
Riveria, on the other hand, was thinking about Loki's question. Finn, Gareth, Ais, or Ottar would have been the obvious answer, but since she's asking if it would have been someone else, "Ottar should have been the first one, but second? I have no idea."
"Ottar did reach Level 8 first but the second one to follow him is the rising star of the Miach Familia, Bell Cranel."
"...Bell Cranel?" The name rang a bell inside Riveria's head, but she couldn't recall him perfectly.
Kisuke, chuckling, interrupted them, "Let me guess, the first one to reach Level 9 was Bell Cranel."
Riveria's eyes instantly widened in surprise. Loki's eyes, meanwhile, sharpened, "That's correct. And right now, he's undeniably the strongest Adventurer in Orario and the Gods gave him the title 'Heaven Defier' after he defeated the 'King'."
"Wh-!? How did that happen!?"
Loki shrugged her shoulders at Riveria's question, "He's just better at almost everything~. Martial Arts, Magic, and Charisma, he's a bonafide genius of this era. Both our Familia and Freya's are just holding up their rank due to our number and influence. Although that might change in the future with the Guild and a number of Familias fully supporting Miach Familia due to his existence."
At that point, a number of people approached the door to their room and both Kisuke and Riveria instantly noticed them, signaling Loki that they are not alone anymore.
Loki sighed and concluded, "Of course, there's a lot more to the story since it's a whole seven-year gap, but that's the gist of it. What about you, Riveria? How did you fare? When you mentioned that you're still a Level 1 last night, they stopped asking how strong you are after those years out of concern for you."
Riveria cleared her throat. She has always wanted to continue that topic, but after the pity she'd received last night, she couldn't find the right time to brag so this is already her chance.
But just as she opened her mouth, so did Kisuke, "Hear me out, Loki-sama. Although Riveria is just Level 1, she trained to the point of complete exhaustion multiple times and studied Magic to the point of her eyes bleeding. Thanks to that, despite the limitation of her Level, if it comes down to it, she's fully capable of going against a Level 6 or 7! If she really pushes it, she could hold back a Level 8!"
Riveria instantly kicked Kisuke's shin, but it was only her who was hurt since she didn't use any protection. Regardless, she furiously whispered to him, "What are you doing!? That's way lower than what we've agreed!"
"Change of plans. They are a lot stronger than we initially expected despite the problems. Since it'll be more advantageous for us to keep your cards hidden until the right time, you should sit on the sidelines for now."
"...But that's..." Riveria really wanted to show off at least a few of her abilities, but she couldn't find any reasons to disagree with Kisuke.
"I stand beside you, alright?"
Riveria instantly understood what he meant, "I'll take that as a promise. When it comes to this... side. Bring me along."
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