With that thought in mind, Loki gave a firm nod.
"If that's the case, then I accept."
"Wait for my message."
Hearing her answer, Izumi nodded in satisfaction. Then his gaze shifted toward Ais Wallenstein.
Ais also looked back at him.
She tilted her head slightly, clearly confused. Why was he staring at her?
Without hesitation, Izumi granted her a fragment of authority from his world.
To him, that authority was equivalent to a divine seat.
If one day Ais grew strong enough, she would ascend—becoming a true goddess, gaining divinity and a divine core.
The moment Loki saw this, her eyes narrowed in alarm.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't tell me you're setting your sights on my Ais-tan?!"
"Damn it, I knew you weren't trustworthy!"
She was already regretting her decision. Maybe she should have rejected him outright.
This guy was clearly up to something.
Why else would he target her precious Ais?
Izumi grinned and stood up.
"Come on, don't say that."
"I'm just giving Ais the chance to become a goddess."
"Well then, everything's settled. I'll be going."
"If you need anything, just come to my world."
With those words, he vanished.
After he left, Loki clicked her tongue.
Beside her, Ais spoke in a soft, uncertain voice.
"What should I do now?"
"Should I remove this mark?"
Within the imprint, she could clearly sense a connection to another world.
With a single thought, she could travel there.
Loki waved her hand dismissively.
"No, it's fine."
"I won't let that guy take advantage of you."
"Don't worry. Ais-tan will always belong to me!"
"As for the mark, keep it."
"Maybe when you reach Level 10, you'll really become a goddess."
"And then we can stay together forever."
A glint flashed in her eyes.
She wasn't stupid.
If Ais could truly ascend, her lifespan would become eternal.
Right now, Ais was already Level 6, but time would eventually take its toll.
Even with her half-spirit blood, she would grow old.
She would eventually fade away.
But now, with this authority, that future could change.
Even if Izumi had ulterior motives, Loki couldn't refuse such an opportunity.
Ais lowered her head, silent.
No one knew what she was thinking.
The others watched quietly, deeply shaken.
Izumi had left Orario behind in chaos.
The death of Freya caused an uproar throughout the city.
Although there was no proof, everyone knew the truth.
Only one person could have done it.
And the fact that he disappeared overnight only confirmed their suspicions.
Some members of the Freya Familia were so furious they even planned to cross worlds in pursuit.
But all of them were eliminated at the entrance by Grayfia Lucifuge.
Of course, those were matters for later.
After leaving the world of the Dungeon, Izumi returned to that mysterious interdimensional space.
Grayfia greeted him with a respectful bow.
"Welcome back, Lord Izumi."
He smiled.
"Thank you for your hard work, Grayfia."
As he spoke, he stepped forward and gently patted her head.
It was the first time anyone had treated her like that.
Surprisingly, she didn't dislike it.
After chatting with her for a while—and teasing her with some playful games that left her flustered—he prepared to leave.
Before departing, he also granted her authority over his world, allowing her to visit whenever she wished.
After all, she still had to guard this place for three more months.
That was a long time.
Soon after, Izumi appeared once again on the school grounds.
His sudden return attracted the curiosity of many students currently attending class.
Although some had returned earlier, those had all been emergency withdrawals due to injury or danger.
So when people noticed someone reappear, they assumed it was another unfortunate dropout.
But when they saw Izumi, they were stunned.
No one expected him to come back early.
Everyone in the academy knew how powerful he was.
Yet here he was.
At that moment, Natsuki Minamiya suddenly appeared in front of him.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You gave up the trial?"
Izumi looked at her strangely.
"Do you really think I need it?"
"It got boring, so I came back."
"Oh, and the others are back too. That place couldn't improve our strength any further."
With that, he released everyone—Megumi Kato, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, and the rest.
Seeing so many return together, Natsuki was shocked.
But when she sensed their strength, her eyes widened even more.
Every single one of them had grown tremendously.
In her perception, Eriri and Megumi had already reached D+ rank.
Koneko had advanced to C+.
Even the usually timid Asia had reached C-rank.
The speed of their growth was absurd.
She knew students became stronger in those worlds.
But this was ridiculous.
It was faster than any method she had ever seen.
Izumi couldn't help but feel satisfied at her reaction.
After all, the girls of his Familia had worked hard to train them.
In the Dungeon, having experienced adventurers guide you made all the difference.
Combined with their newly learned magic, they would gather hordes of monsters—
Then wipe them out with large-scale spells.
With a system like that, their growth rate couldn't possibly be slow.