Right now, most of the Loki Familia members were gathered in the dining hall, snacking while watching a movie.
On one wall, a massive black screen had been set up, currently showing—
"Beastman Blockbuster: How Raul Resisted Temptation."
"Holy crap! Raul's living the dream!"
"An elf—no, not just any elf, a courtesan from the Pleasure Quarter! I've been there so many times and never once saw an elven woman working there."
Every man in the room was practically seething with jealousy.
There weren't many elves in the Pleasure Quarter to begin with—elves rarely sank that low.
That made them incredibly rare commodities down there.
And this one? She wasn't just beautiful. She had a killer figure, a gentle-looking smile, and that mature aura that could melt any man's brain.
For all those traits to show up in a single woman—and for Raul of all people to be the one she approached tonight? It was way too much.
Every guy watching couldn't help but feel the same thing: lucky bastard.
The women of the Familia, however, were far less impressed.
"Elven courtesans are already rare enough. For Raul to run into one by chance? Please. He should've realized how off that was from the start."
"Exactly. If he'd used even half a brain cell, he'd know something's wrong. You think he's pretending?"
"No way. That reaction's way too real. Look at his face—his eyes are about to roll out of his head, his nose is practically pressed to her chest, and he's drooling! Actual drool! That idiot's been wrapped around her finger from the moment she smiled."
Every woman present knew exactly what was happening. Raul had taken the bait. Now all it would take was a little more teasing, and he'd spill every last secret like a well-trained dog wagging his tail.
They all sighed and shook their heads.
This was just pathetic.
Tiona pouted. "I knew it! That's how the info about me and Tione got leaked last time—it was Raul running his mouth!"
"Don't even remind me," Tione growled, clenching her fist. "Right now, I really want to punch that idiot in the face."
Onscreen, Raul was completely entranced by the courtesan, his expression slack and helpless. Tione's eyes darkened; she looked about ready to put him through the wall.
Across the table, Loki took a lazy sip of her drink, smirking.
"That guy's always had a thing for mature women. The moment one flirts with him a little, he's done for."
Her gaze slid toward Finn and Gareth.
"So, boys—what do you think of that courtesan?"
The two exchanged awkward looks.
You sure you want to ask us that question?
Their expressions said it all as they both shot a quick glance toward Riveria, whose face was already dark.
Elves were proud and elegant by nature. They lived by their principles—and most of them had extreme aversions to anything they considered "unclean."
Many even refused physical contact with their own kind, let alone others.
So for an elf to end up as a courtesan… even if Riveria understood that everyone had their own fate, she couldn't exactly look cheerful about it.
"Coward," Loki muttered under her breath before turning to Tsuna.
"Hey, Tsuna. What do you think of that fallen elf?"
Tsuna tilted his head slightly. "She's really pretty. Though, honestly, all elves are—never seen an ugly one. Miss Loki, she's probably an adventurer too, right?"
"Most likely. Even if she's a courtesan, she's still an elf, which means she's naturally gifted with magic. Cases like hers are rare, though. I'd bet Ishtar's already claimed her as one of her own."
"Then it makes sense," Tsuna nodded. "I thought so too. Raul's acting like he's under the effect of a Charm."
Loki's expression immediately hardened.
"'Charm,' huh? Yeah… elves with strong magical aptitude often awaken abilities like that. Whether it's a skill or a spell depends on the person's talent. But if she can use it that effectively, she's not just some random woman—she's a capable adventurer in her own right."
"Tch. Guess Ishtar's luck's holding strong," Loki added with a sigh.
The elf courtesan might not have been powerful in a fight, but with a "Charm" ability paired with her job, she was the perfect spy for gathering intel.
Riveria finally let out a quiet breath, her composure returning. Rather than dwell on how one of her kin had fallen so low, she was more worried about Raul.
"Tsuna, is he going to be alright in that state?"
"No problem," Tsuna replied calmly. "To prevent him from leaking unnecessary information, I've already performed a certain suggestion on Raul. Through the dream world Ais experienced, I implanted corresponding memories to ensure he won't leak unnecessary information."
He added lightly, "Of course, I asked Raul first. He agreed to the memory implant himself."
Riveria nodded, reassured.
As long as Raul had consented, there wasn't an issue.
"Ha. So the idiot's that desperate not to screw up this mission—only to end up getting completely owned by Loki anyway," Tione muttered dryly.
Tiona snickered. "Yeah, I bet it's because Loki threatened to crush half of his future happiness."
...Half.
Every male adventurer in the room winced. A sharp, collective flinch swept across the group.
Losing "half" of something didn't mean the other half would still work.
Once one side was crushed, the rest might as well be too.
For any man, that kind of punishment was soul-shattering.
Compared to that, hypnosis, memory tampering, or any other punishment sounded merciful.
Tiona frowned as she looked back at the screen, where Raul was now glassy-eyed and swaying slightly.
"Tsuna, is there any way to counter a Charm like that?"
"No need for anything complicated," Tsuna said. "A normal-level Charm doesn't affect adventurers with Abnormal Resistance too much. Raul only fell for it because that courtesan was using special items or skills to amplify the effect—plus, they were in a confined space."
From his observation, Raul had already been influenced before entering the private room. But the real loss of control had happened after they stepped inside.
"As long as you don't let her drag you into a sealed room like that," Tsuna concluded, "her Charm won't work nearly as well."