Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

As one of the strongest Familia in Orario, the residence of the Loki Familia was far from modest.

The Twilight Manor—this was the seat of Orario's dual kings.

A woman in men's attire walked toward it with a bold and cocky stride, her eyes narrowed into slits. In all of Orario, only the flat-chested goddess Loki could strut around Twilight Manor like she owned the place.

BANG! Loki shoved open the parlor doors without hesitation.

"Well, this is rare. Hephaestus, you hardly ever drop by my place! You're not here to collect a bill, are you? Even my booze money's been seized by Riveria to pay debts—I'm flat broke!"

Seated in the parlor, Hephaestus set down her teacup. "Relax. I'm not here to collect."

Loki flopped into the seat across from her with a visible sigh of relief. "That's good! My kids are all off on an expedition. If you came demanding payment now, I'd be defenseless!"

Hephaestus wasn't fazed by Loki's antics. "Still running a tight ship, huh? The Loki Familia's finances really haven't improved?"

At that, Loki groaned and began her complaints. "Our Familia's nothing like yours! You guys making money? More like extorting it! When my kids go on an expedition, we've gotta prep weapons, potions, magic swords—stuff that costs an arm and a leg! The earnings don't even make up for the cost."

Hephaestus heard the underlying complaint: her equipment was too expensive.

But Loki wasn't exaggerating. Despite being one of Orario's strongest Familia, the Loki Familia was always in debt. Equipment from the Hephaestus Familia and the Gubernu Familia, potions from Dian Cecht Familia—those were just a few of their creditors.

As a pure exploration Familia, their income came solely from Dungeon monster drops. Even for regular expeditions, every item had to be prepped in advance—there was rarely any true profit.

And considering how careless her kids were—even weapons with "indestructible" properties needed constant repairs.

This most recent expedition had only dug them into a deeper financial hole.

Hephaestus sighed. "Stop with the act already. Fine, I'll give you a discount on this bill."

Loki's squinted eyes curved with delight into a satisfied grin.

Hephaestus had known Loki for years. She understood her nature all too well.

The Loki Familia really was in a tough spot, but Loki herself definitely wasn't as downtrodden as she made out. This was just her trying to earn some sympathy.

Hephaestus didn't care about a little money. She let her old friend have her moment of triumph.

After clearing her throat, Hephaestus got serious. "I'm not here to chit-chat. I've got business."

Loki may have acted like a fool, but the moment she sensed Hephaestus's tone shift, she straightened up.

"One of my kids ran into Jura of the Rudra Familia in the Dungeon…"

Hephaestus laid it all out—the encounter with the Dark Faction, the battle that followed, and the suspicions that arose from it.

As the head of Orario's strongest Familia, Loki wasn't someone to underestimate. The Trickster Goddess was a master manipulator, even sharper than Hephaestus when it came to schemes. She instantly grasped the magnitude of what Hephaestus was telling her.

"So those Dark Faction bastards think we've been too bored lately, huh? Trying to give us a little 'entertainment'?" Loki smirked wickedly.

Hephaestus took a sip of tea. "You'd better take this seriously. The Dark Faction isn't a game. If you get sent back to Heaven for being careless, that's gonna be real embarrassing."

Loki chuckled. "You really underestimate me. Just leave it to me—I'll get to the bottom of it fast. Problem is, all my kids are out on expedition, so I'll have to wait until they get back."

Hephaestus waved a hand. "Do whatever you need. If you need help, just come find me."

At that, Loki's eyes popped open, ready to speak—but Hephaestus added flatly, "But the bill still stands."

Loki's eyes snapped back into slits as she grumbled, "So stingy, Hephaestus!"

Hephaestus scoffed. "That equipment was forged with my kids' blood and sweat. Giving you a discount is generous enough."

With that said, Loki gave up on trying to weasel out of the bill.

But then, a curious smirk curled on her face. She leaned in and asked, "So… you didn't tell Freya about this?"

Hephaestus shot her a look and sighed. "You're as annoying as ever."

It wasn't strange that Hephaestus had brought this issue to another Familia for support. What was strange was that she went to Loki first—especially since the other "King of Orario" had no expedition underway.

Loki asked what she'd been thinking. Freya's position was… uncertain. At this early stage, with only a hint of suspicion, Hephaestus had chosen to trust Loki instead.

Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, was also one of Hephaestus's closest friends from Heaven. But even back then, Hephaestus had never been able to fully read Freya's heart.

Even Loki—who stirred up divine wars for fun—was less dangerous than Freya in Hephaestus's eyes.

Loki let out a sly laugh but didn't pursue the topic. That was just like her—bringing up a loaded question and then backing off to watch the reaction.

Hephaestus had no interest in bantering with someone whose mind was basically a hive of schemes. She stood to leave. "Alright, it's settled then. I'm leaving this matter to you."

But before she could reach the door, Loki called out.

"Hey, Hephaestus. You're hiding something from me, aren't you? Like… who it was that ran into Jura. No—don't tell me it was your kid who killed him?"

Hephaestus paused, a faint bitter smile appearing on her lips.

She'd done her best to downplay Charles's involvement in her account, but clearly, Loki had picked up on it anyway.

After all, most of her high-level adventurers were also top-tier smiths, and they'd all joined Loki's expedition.

Now, suddenly there was someone capable of going into the lower floors and taking out Jura? It didn't take a genius to connect the dots.

Hephaestus turned back to Loki, eyes blazing like fire.

"Loki, that's my child. If you lay a finger on him—even you won't get off easy."

Loki hugged herself dramatically. "Ooh, I'm trembling in fear! Don't be so serious. I'm just curious."

Hephaestus didn't believe a word of it. She gave her one last glare. "Just remember what I said."

With that, she turned and walked out the door.

As Hephaestus's silhouette disappeared down the hall, Loki no longer looked the least bit scared.

"Looks like Hephaestus's Familia has a new gem. Now I really want to know who he is…"

Outside the Loki Familia's stronghold, Hephaestus glanced back at the gates of Twilight Manor and let out a deep sigh.

She'd been prepared for Charles's existence to be exposed. In fact, choosing to approach Loki instead of Freya had partly been a move to manage that risk.

Loki, at least, knew restraint. Even if she got suspicious, she wouldn't act recklessly.

But Freya… Hephaestus couldn't say the same.

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