"Well, just keep doing things at your own pace."
"Even if you're not aware of it, once those kids taste the benefits, they'll start protecting you on their own."
With that kind of bond in place, Loki didn't even need to issue direct orders. Her children would move on instinct.
"Bete's even been drinking less lately. Guess that mutt's decided to protect you in his own way too."
"The only troublesome one left is Raul. But now that he's got an elf wife, he probably won't be sneaking off to the Pleasure Quarter anymore."
"Planting that elf wife at his side was all Ishtar's idea—she just wanted to squeeze more information about our Familia out of him."
"But Raul's not an idiot. At least he had the sense not to buy a house in the Pleasure Quarter. That'd be the same as living under Ishtar's nose."
At least Raul had some sense left in his head. He knew if he was going to settle down, it had to be far away from that district.
Still, that move was purely to guard against Ishtar. And knowing that woman, she probably wouldn't even care.
Ishtar had enough confidence in her little pawns—she believed they'd eventually bring her something interesting.
As for Raul himself? He wasn't worth her personal attention. She was still calculating whether it was even worth tearing things completely with Loki.
Loki snorted softly.
"That woman doesn't care what Raul does. But she's not crazy enough to start a fight with me over some bit of gossip."
"She knows that if she ever crossed me outright, I'd wipe her off the map."
Loki didn't bother to hide her contempt. If that madwoman ever did try something, the picture that followed wouldn't include Ishtar's existence.
"So, Goddess Ishtar won't make a move then, right?"
"Besides," Tsuna added, "Ishtar and Goddess Freya's relationship is all jealousy and envy. She knows about your connection with Freya, so she won't risk upsetting you. At most, she'll just throw a few words around to one-up you, right?"
Loki gave a reluctant nod, clearly annoyed.
"That woman just likes to disgust me—tease me for fun. If we ever really fought, she'd be the one who couldn't handle it."
"As for Raul, that matter's settled. From now on, just have him leak a few rumors every so often—that's enough."
"Keeping her thinking she's in the loop actually makes that whore more useful."
Even if Ishtar mocked her during the next divine meeting, Loki had no plans to discard that pawn.
Better to keep the piece on the board. Having Raul's "wife" stay close was worth more than removing her. It gave Loki a convenient way to toss out misleading scraps of information when needed.
"How did your talk with Finn go?"
"I'm planning to gather everyone tonight," Tsuna replied. "We'll start with a one-week trial, just like you suggested—something the dedicated ones can actually see results from."
"But not everyone will join at first. We'll limit it to a smaller group for the first test."
"Once those results are visible, more people will want in. That's when the real change starts."
Over breakfast, Tsuna and Finn had discussed plenty—who would adapt best to the environment, how to adjust the Familia's inner workings, and how to rebuild morale from the ground up.
They didn't need a huge number for the first phase. What mattered was showing tangible progress. Once that happened, others would volunteer to follow, ready to return to the path of an Adventurer.
"When the whole Familia finally mobilizes, the next phase will begin."
"They'll raise their Status in the Training Space, polish their bodies and technique in the Challenge Space, and build the strength to handle any situation."
"Then, once they've grown enough, they'll head back into the Dungeon to push their limits further."
"If everything goes smoothly, within half a year, there shouldn't be a single low-level Adventurer left in our Familia."
Half a year—to eliminate all the weak links. To raise every low-level Adventurer up by one full tier.
To make Level 2 the new baseline.
"That's pretty fast," Loki admitted.
For her, half a year was a remarkably short time. Most Familias still treated their Level 2s as their main force.
If Loki's Familia could elevate every Level 1 member up to Level 2 in that time, other gods would call it impossible.
"Start by showing real results," she said. "Let them see the proof with their own eyes. That kind of change has to come from within."
"Honestly, it's a good plan."
"They're not lazy—they just haven't seen results from their effort. Like most Adventurers, they've been training without the kind of pressure that forces true growth. No real danger, no real trigger for their Status to evolve."
Loki smiled and patted Tsuna's shoulder.
"Anyway, since you've made up your mind, go all in."
"Yeah."
"By the way," she added casually, "after your Level-up, have you felt anything from your old world?"
"A little," Tsuna admitted.
But it wasn't easy to explain. Then an idea struck him—one that would let Loki feel it for herself.
"Miss Loki, let me try something. I'll let you sense what I'm feeling."
"Oh? That sounds fun."
"Don't move."
Tsuna leaned forward until his forehead touched hers.
Using his attunement to spatial coordinates, he transmitted that faint connection through direct contact—letting her experience it herself.
That distant, almost imperceptible resonance suddenly sharpened in Loki's mind.
A vivid image appeared before her: a mountain peak with a tent pitched atop it.
Inside the tent, faint traces of petrification crept along the fabric. In the center was a mark—so faint it was barely visible.
Beyond that image, she felt something else: walls so solid they seemed unbreakable.
The Barrier of Worlds.
The boundary that separated one world from another—the "World Bubble."
The walls between worlds are even thicker than I imagined.
But to feel another world so clearly… this is a first.
Loki couldn't help but be amazed.
Still, one question lingered in her mind: if the World Bubble was supposed to isolate everything—even the worlds themselves—
Then why didn't it isolate him?
Why could Tsuna connect through something that should have been utterly unreachable?
Her curiosity only burned brighter.