CHAPTER 394: CHAPTER 394: THE KEY TO BREAKING THE DEADLOCK

"Wow! Lili!"

The moment Loki heard her say, "I believe in Loki-sama," she couldn’t hold back anymore.

Hearing one of her own children say something like that stirred a deep emotion in Loki’s heart as the head of the Familia. It even triggered her maternal instincts, making her want to scoop Lili up and smother her with affection on the spot.

"Looks like that kid really trusts you from the bottom of her heart."

Liliruca’s attitude was clear for anyone to see—Hestia wasn’t blind.

Those words instantly filled Loki with pride. She could finally puff up in front of the shorty.

"Hmph! Of course she does. I was the one who brought that kid back from that shut-in Soma."

"But she still doesn’t compare to my Bell-kun."

"Tch!"

As much as she hated to see the shorty acting so smug, there was no one in all of Orario who could really compare to that kid. Loki knew Lili had a strong will, but she also owed that kid a lot.

Loki hadn’t forgotten why Lili could resist the divine wine back when she was still in the Soma Familia.

She kept her eyes on the screen, staring at Lili, surprised that the girl had been holding her in such high regard all this time. That look of disbelief on her face made Lili seem even cuter than Finn in that moment.

Just look at how full of emotion Lili was—unlike that idiot Finn, who’d assumed from the start that she was the one pushing the Familia into the fire.

As if she didn’t know. Even if Finn hadn’t said it outright, it was written all over his face—that’s exactly what he thought.

’Seriously, can’t any of you consider that maybe I didn’t plan this whole thing? Why can’t the others be more like Lili?’

Loki couldn’t help but complain to herself.

She wasn’t so deranged as to set up an expedition like this out of nowhere. She’d always said the Dungeon was Finn’s territory. Why would she suddenly interfere without reason? It was obvious someone had stirred things up behind the scenes.

Still, it was understandable that no one had thought of that in the moment. Loki wasn’t really mad about it. In fact, she could see why Finn and the others had jumped to that conclusion.

It was probably because she wasn’t the most reliable. Even Loki herself knew that much. So when she saw their reactions, all she could do was grumble to herself.

Bete let out a quiet grunt, arms crossed as he stood silently to the side. But the faint curl of his lips made it obvious he was in a good mood.

He knew, too, that this wasn’t the time to be rude like he usually was.

This expedition might very well be their last. Cassandra’s prophetic dreams had shown as much. It wasn’t hard to imagine how intense the final showdown might be.

When things might reach the point where no one could carry on, this was the moment to say what needed to be said. It wasn’t the time for petty fights anymore.

Still, Bete didn’t have anything in particular to say, so he just stayed quiet.

Seeing that Liliruca had accepted his explanation, Finn relaxed slightly.

"Lili, you and Daphne won’t be part of the final assault. The trial Loki gave us is meant only for us veterans. You’ve just joined the expedition—you’re not yet at the stage where you’re meant to face something like this."

Liliruca’s heart tightened. She understood exactly what that meant.

Finn had spoken plainly so she would get the message.

"You and Daphne are the future of the Familia. That’s why you’ll be staying on the 50th floor, waiting for the results of the expedition. And you’re not the only ones not going. Many of the Level 4s won’t be joining either. The ones participating are all here now."

That explanation made Liliruca draw a sharp breath.

Of everyone present, only she, Daphne, and Cassandra lacked the strength to take part in the final assault, so they weren’t eligible to join. But the others—each one was a core member of Loki Familia.

The Tiona and Tione sisters, the sharp-tongued Bete, the doll-like Ais, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth—the three pillars of Loki Familia—Raul from the second team, the elven artillery Lefiya, the Renard Haruhime, and Tsubaki, the captain from Hephaestus Familia. This was practically the entire main force of the expedition team...

To take down the "Spirit Fetus" hidden somewhere on an unknown floor, they were staking everything.

Liliruca’s heart was in turmoil. She couldn’t speak a word, but she knew she trusted Loki-sama. And because of that, she chose to believe in the captain.

"Captain... you’ll come back, right?"

At that question, Finn fell into a rare silence.

Facing a Level 7 Spirit... even he couldn’t say for sure whether they’d return alive. It wasn’t fear—they simply had no prior experience to draw from.

"We all hope to come back alive. We each have dreams and goals we want to chase. None of us want it to end here, so we’ll do everything we can to return."

Yes, all they could do was give it their all and try to come back.

But Liliruca understood that the odds were likely against them. Against a Level 7 enemy, no one could make any guarantees.

She clenched her fists tightly. She had finally found the family she’d always wanted—only to now watch them walk toward what might be a death sentence.

That helplessness gnawed at her heart. She wanted to cry, but she knew this wasn’t the time. Even with so much sorrow weighing on her chest, she couldn’t let the tears fall.

’That’s right, Lili.’ Finn looked at her, pleased to see her holding back her tears. This was the kind of inner strength he hoped to see in her.

In the future, when she took on the role of command and became a core part of the team, she’d have to think about the group as a whole. Enduring and choosing—those were essential traits for a leader. It might be sudden, but Finn hoped Lili would begin that transformation now.

"This trial is a massive challenge for all of us. Facing a Level 7 enemy is a first for everyone here, so we have to be ready for anything."

"Cassandra."

"Yes!"

"The key to breaking through this time may lie with you. If you have any more dreams about the future when we reach the 50th floor, make sure you record the important details."

"I understand."

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

[email protected]/PinkSnake