CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 405: THE TOPIC BEGINS TO SHIFT TOWARD PHILOSOPHY

After dragging his feet a bit, Hermes finally arrived at Loki Familia with Asfi.

"You’re late!"

Loki’s voice rang out as soon as Hermes stepped into the Twilight Manor. He turned to see her sitting in the main hall, visibly annoyed, legs crossed and swinging her foot impatiently.

’She’s in a terrible mood.’

Hermes knew better than to poke at Loki’s nerves right now. If he did, he’d only bring trouble on himself.

Forcing a polite smile, he tread carefully.

"Come on, I’ve had my hands full lately. You know how chaotic Orario’s been since the Black Dragon’s roar. I’ve got responsibilities too, you know?"

"Oh~ It’s not every day I see you trying to act serious. You, busy? At a time like this?"

Loki’s face twisted into a cold smile as she slammed her hand onto the table.

"How long do you think we’ve known each other? With that profit-chasing, risk-dodging personality of yours, you’re probably hiding in some corner doing nothing, aren’t you?"

"I just can’t see you out and about right now."

Hermes looked a bit awkward.

To be fair, Loki knew him far too well. She wasn’t wrong—when things got dicey, he was more likely to hang back and watch from the sidelines than jump into action. That was his way.

Loki pouted in irritation. She knew this fast-footed messenger inside and out. He always managed to stay "neutral"—even when he was toeing past the line, he’d still put on a convincing show of staying impartial.

Getting mad at him was just pointless.

"Forget the nonsense. Let’s get to the point."

Hermes exhaled quietly in relief. Truthfully, he didn’t want to sit through Loki’s complaints either. Getting down to business was for the best.

"Before we begin, I need to tell you upfront—this time, it’s serious."

"How serious? Don’t tell me it’s worse than Orario’s survival being at stake?"

"...Let’s just say we’re talking about whether the world ends. You tell me—does that sound serious enough?"

Hermes dropped his usual playful demeanor in an instant. Loki’s expression was dead serious—there wasn’t even a hint of a joke.

"You’re... not kidding?"

Loki didn’t answer. Instead, she stood up from her seat.

"Bring your kid and follow me to my room. This isn’t something we can discuss here. I don’t want one of the children overhearing and spreading it around."

Seeing Loki rise, Hermes’s expression turned grim too. He now truly believed she wasn’t joking—this was no casual visit.

With a heavy heart, he followed Loki to her room.

As the head of Loki Familia, her personal quarters were actually quite well arranged.

The bright glow of Magic Stone lamps lit up the room. White walls, polished wooden floors—everything was tastefully simple, with no unnecessary decoration. The whole space gave off a clean, comfortable feel.

It was clearly understated, especially for Loki. But she’d never been picky about her room. A standard level of luxury was enough for her.

Of course, what she wanted to show today wasn’t the decor.

After bringing Hermes into the room, Loki spoke without even turning around.

"Lock the door behind you."

Hermes didn’t say a word. He stepped in and locked it.

Before he could ask anything, he saw Loki draw the curtains shut. She walked to a corner of the room with something in her hand, and right then, a spatial rift opened up.

"!?"

Hermes’ eyes went wide. He hadn’t realized there was something like this hidden in Loki’s room.

’This has Bell-kun written all over it.’

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Hermes understood the source of the rift.

"Hermes, you and your Captain need to get closer. That kid rigged this passage with all sorts of tricks. If you’re not close enough, you’ll get shredded the moment you go through."

"That definitely sounds like Bell-kun."

Just hearing Loki’s warning gave Hermes a weird sense of comfort. The familiarity was unmistakable—this had Bell’s fingerprints all over it. Still, he hadn’t expected Loki and Hestia to be on such good terms that they’d already set up a spatial link between their Familia bases.

"Heh, it really is that kid’s style. Always cautious to a fault—but you can’t argue with the results. It never hurts to be careful."

Loki wasn’t exactly a fan of that overcautious approach. It was just too much trouble. But even she had to admit—there was value in being thorough.

"This time, things have gotten more complicated. And it heavily involves us gods."

"It involves us?"

No matter how hard he thought, Hermes couldn’t figure out what sort of connection it could have.

The Genkai and Tenkai were two separate dimensions. Even if the Genkai were to fall completely, it shouldn’t affect the Tenkai. Hermes knew that—and so did Loki.

So why would she say this issue involved the gods directly?

"Come with me first. I’ll explain everything once we get to my room over there. Orario’s not safe for this kind of talk. The only place we can speak freely is the ’world outside’ where that little shorty stays."

Was it really that serious? Hermes felt a chill run down his spine. Still, he gave Asfi a glance, signaling her to stay close.

She understood immediately and followed him closely into the spatial rift.

As they passed through, they arrived at the other side—Loki’s private room inside the Hestia Familia.

Once there, Loki finally relaxed. She plopped down onto the big bed.

"Hermes, sit wherever you like."

Hermes looked around curiously. The room’s style was nothing like Loki’s usual place—it had a natural, almost wild atmosphere. It was easy to tell that all the wooden structures were made from living Spirit Trees.

"Every time I see a room like this, I wonder if the person who designed it is actually insane. But if this were my room... I’d honestly hope they were."

With a wry mix of jealousy and admiration, Hermes turned back to Loki.

"So? What’s this all about? The world ending? Now it’s somehow tied to us gods?"

Loki fell silent for a moment. Then she hit him with a question that left him completely stunned.

"Hermes, what do you think is the meaning of our existence as gods?"