"Just stay calm, act natural, and maybe—just maybe—they won't notice me."
Blake sighed, casually turning his face away. It wasn't like he was avoiding responsibility. If it were just Ais, he could apologize and move on. But with Loki—the mischief-loving, trouble-making goddess—standing right there? Yeah, no thanks. She'd turn this into a full-blown spectacle.
Of course, the gods had a twisted sense of humor, and the more he tried to avoid trouble, the faster it came charging at him.
With a sinking feeling, he watched as Loki, grinning like a cat who'd found a cornered mouse, made a beeline for Hestia.
"Well, well, if it isn't the little virgin goddess," Loki teased, her smirk growing. "What are you doing at the guild? Shouldn't you be at Hephaestus' place, freeloading as usual?"
Hestia froze, her hair practically standing on end. "WHAT did you just say?!"
She spun around, hands clenched into fists, glaring daggers at Loki. This goddess was a menace—constantly getting under her skin.
"Hmph! If you must know, I'm here to register my familia!" she declared, puffing out her chest.
Loki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? A familia, huh? So you finally tricked some poor sucker into joining?"
Hestia turned red—partly from rage, partly from the sheer audacity of that statement. "I DID NOT TRICK HIM! Blake joined willingly!"
At that moment, Ais, who had been standing quietly, suddenly tilted her head. Her golden eyes locked onto a silver-haired figure trying (and failing) to disappear into the background.
"It's him," she murmured.
Loki immediately perked up, her eyes snapping toward where Ais was looking. The moment she spotted Blake, her smirk widened.
"Silver hair, blue eyes... Ais, is this the guy you ran into yesterday?"
She had come to the guild to issue a bounty, but this was way more interesting.
"Hehehe, meet my first familia member—Blake!"
Before Blake could even think about slipping away, Hestia grabbed his arm and yanked him forward, practically bouncing with pride.
Loki's grin turned into a glare. "Oh, so the guy who spied on my Ais while she was bathing is your familia member? That's really annoying."
Blake's eye twitched. Oh, for the love of—
Hestia, caught off guard, sputtered for a moment before snapping back, "Spying?! Don't you dare slander him! Blake was with me all night! There's no way he could've been peeping at Ais!"
Blake coughed. "Uh, maybe rephrase that last part—"
"AND even if he was just some ordinary adventurer, do you really think he'd survive after sneaking a peek at Ais?! Your familia would've killed him on sight!"
Loki paused, eyes narrowing. "Ordinary adventurer?"
For the first time, she actually studied Blake instead of just messing with Hestia.
"Just an adventurer?" she muttered, eyes flickering with interest. "You seriously expect me to believe that? This guy fought Ais yesterday and walked away without a scratch. You expect me to believe a rookie pulled that off?"
Ais, meanwhile, was still staring at Blake, tilting her head slightly. She didn't look mad. If anything, she looked... curious. The brief exchange they had the night before was still fresh in her mind. If he was truly a beginner, she wanted to know how he did it.
Before Blake could respond, another voice cut through the conversation.
"Hey, hey, little brother, are you really a newbie adventurer?"
Blake barely had time to react before two hands—one on each arm—grabbed him.
On his left, a tanned Amazon girl with a wild grin leaned into him. Her outfit resembled a dancer's attire—thin cloth barely covering her chest and a long skirt wrapped around her waist, exposing her toned legs.
On his right, a girl with waist-length hair and a more refined, composed aura mirrored her sister's appearance. They were twins, but their personalities were night and day.
Blake gave a strained smile. Well, this escalated quickly.
Before he could say anything, an angry ball of divine fury launched at them.
"WHAT do you two think you're doing?!"
Hestia, burning with jealousy, yanked the Amazon sisters off Blake and wrapped her arms around him protectively.
Loki chuckled, watching the scene unfold like it was premium entertainment. "Hey, silver-haired kid, you sure you're just a newbie adventurer?"
Blake exhaled through his nose. "I'm not a kid. My name is Blake."
Loki's grin stretched. "Feisty. I like that."
Before the situation could get any worse, another voice rang out from the crowd.
"I can confirm that Blake is a new adventurer."
Blake turned, raising an eyebrow.
A young half-elf girl stepped forward, dressed in a guild uniform. She had a calm, collected air about her, and her voice was soft but firm. The second she spoke, the chaotic energy of the room dimmed.
Blake studied her, a flicker of recognition sparking in his mind. That voice...
It was the same one that had given him that heartfelt warning the night before.
Oh, fantastic. Just when I thought this mess couldn't get any crazier.