"Wow~ As expected of a treehouse created with Authority. The entire layout inside grew and evolved completely according to personal preferences."
Loki couldn't help but sigh as she took in the room's design.
Sure, most gods could do this sort of thing—but they used divine power to accelerate growth. That brat, on the other hand, had no divine power at all, yet managed to mature the seed using nothing but magic and Authority.
"Damn! That kid's completely absurd!"
Still, there was nothing to complain about. Children of the Genkai were supposed to have zero Authority. That brat was the lone exception among them—and probably the only one there ever would be.
Continuing her inspection, Loki walked slowly to the window. Outside, the night sky sparkled with what looked like starlight.
But on closer look, those weren't real stars. They were low-level spirits—elemental condensations formed from spiritual energy.
"As expected. An environment leaning so heavily toward the Elf Kingdom would produce unique creatures like these."
This entire space was modeled after an elven habitat. Loki was confident any elf who came here would instantly call it home.
It couldn't be helped. The place was covered in Spirit Trees—even a tree on the scale of the World Tree was being forcibly cultivated here.
Thinking back to the Elf Kingdom she had visited before, calling it a "kingdom" was a stretch. It was really just a settlement blanketed by Spirit Trees and the World Tree itself.
"This place is way nicer than my home."
"Perfect. This'll be my room."
Loki was completely satisfied with the room's atmosphere and decor. If the spatial coordinates were set here, she figured she'd end up spending every night here.
After all, who wouldn't want to stay somewhere safe and cozy?
"Knock knock knock!"
Just as she'd made up her mind, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Loki turned as Bell stepped through.
"I just picked this room, and you're already here?"
"Just a simple guess."
"...You little punk."
Being able to wield Authority to this degree was no small feat. Even Loki had to admit she was impressed by how far Bell had taken it.
Mastering a single Authority to this extent wasn't something that could be done casually. Without extensive study and trial, there was no way to simulate such a wide range of effects.
And Loki wasn't wrong.
As an Authority, Runes were undoubtedly versatile—but they needed to be used in combination with various Runic letters to function properly.
Bell had expanded their utility across numerous fields, pushing the general adaptability of Runes to its limits.
Of course, he knew that came at a cost—less time to refine any one function deeply. He was broadly knowledgeable, but not yet a true master.
That wasn't ideal, but at this early stage, Bell's focus had to be on increasing flexibility. In time, he'd narrow things down and master the Rune applications that suited him best.
"So, Loki-sama, you're going with this room?"
Bell confirmed with a final check.
"Of course… This is a standard room, right?"
"Yes. It's basically the same as the guest rooms. Most of this floor is set up that way."
The upper levels had actually been added later. Originally, the treehouse had only a ground-level floor. But now? Bell had grown it into a real towering structure using large-scale tree shaping. The upper floors were more uniform—functional, but not as finely crafted as the original level.
"Then it's settled."
Now that she knew it was just a regular room, Loki had no more reservations.
"By the way, you and the shorty haven't made any progress yet?"
"Uh…"
"Forget it, no need to explain. I'm guessing you're still underestimating that shorty. Don't go thinking she's some herbivore—she's way more carnivorous than anyone else."
Loki was just giving him a light warning. In her estimation, there was no way this kid had truly seen that side of the shorty yet.
Bell, cut off mid-reply, looked a little awkward. Truth be told, he'd only recently realized just how carnivorous Hestia could be.
"Anyway, let's set the shorty issue aside for now."
Loki temporarily shelved her usual banter with Hestia. Honestly, they didn't have any real bad blood—just a habit of trading jabs.
"You're ready for tomorrow's expedition, right?"
She wasn't worried about Finn's group—they could handle anything. But when it came to Bell, she wasn't quite as confident.
"Oh, and there's also the support items Finn asked you for."
Bell glanced at Loki-sama and gave a small nod.
"Just some safety gear. If it's about keeping someone alive, it'll do the job. But don't expect it to come cheap."
No one could complain about high prices for life-saving tools. When Authority was involved, even the steepest cost was worth it to give her children a fighting chance. Loki understood that well—there was no cutting corners here.
"No problem. Buying a sliver of survival born from Authority? Worth every Valis, whatever the price."
"Haruhime and Cassandra are getting ready for battle too?"
"Yeah. That's why we're prepping as much as we can. If they end up facing those Corrupted Spirit's Fetuses—things even Finn's team can't handle—they'll need Haruhime's power. Otherwise, even if you try to control the fight, they won't last."
That didn't surprise Bell. From the moment the expedition was announced, he knew Haruhime and Cassandra would be drawn into it.
"Just temporarily raising a single level isn't enough. So, her new magic solves that problem?"
"Hmph! Of course. That girl awakened some damn impressive magic."
Loki's lips curled into a small smile. Haruhime's newly awakened spell was a perfect match for her "Uchide no Kozuchi"—a straight-up epic-level upgrade.
If not for that, Loki wouldn't have bet everything on bringing Haruhime. But now, she believed—if they had any hope of pushing forward, it was with Haruhime on their side.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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