Chapter 24: Pressure

The events that took place in Loki's divine room were known only to the executives of Loki Familia.

But from that day on, members of Loki Familia were surprised to find out that, for some reason, the executives like Bete, Tiona, Tione, and even Ais, who had recently become even more silent than before, were constantly running outside every day.

The frequency of their appearances in Twilight Manor dropped drastically, with them ignoring the handling of loot and even skipping celebration banquets upon returning from the expedition.

This puzzled many members of Loki Familia, leading to widespread speculation.

"Yo, what's the deal with them?"

"Why are they running outside all the time?"

"Is there some urgent business they're dealing with?"

"I heard someone spotted them venturing into the dungeon before sunrise and not coming back until way past bedtime. Is this some spontaneous burst of determination?"

"But seriously, why?"

The members were filled with questions, and some even approached the three top executives for answers, only to receive a more confusing response.

"They're just feeling pressure. Don't bother them; let them go."

This was the consistent response from the three, leaving the Familia members who got wind of the information somewhat at a loss.

"Pressure?"

"Do the executives feel it too?"

"Who could be putting pressure on them?"

This was the most perplexing aspect.

Unfortunately, the three top executives had no intention of explaining, just smiling and brushing off the matters, leaving the Familia members curious but unable to press further.

Riezel also learned about this, and although somewhat surprised, he didn't find it surprising.

As Loki had mentioned, anyone with a competitive spirit and ambition would feel pressure when chased by someone with a cheat behind them. Especially these executives, who were originally talented.

They were not like the three top executives, who were older and more mature. It's natural for them to have some competitiveness and refusal to lose.

In terms of age, the executives were quite young after all.

For example, the Amazoness twins, Tiona and Tione, despite being Level 5 first class adventurers, were only 17 years old, the same age as Riezel in this life.

Ais, the strongest swordswoman in Orario, the record holder for the fastest ascent to Level 2, was only 16 years old this year, one year younger than Riezel.

Bete was a bit older at 22 this year, but compared to the three top executives, he was still a youngster.

Finn, the seemingly young Pallum, was already 42 years old, and Gareth was 56. Riveria, as a High Elf with a long lifespan, was said to be only second to Loki in age within the Familia. No one dared to ask, fearing that a careless question might turn them into ashes.

Compared to those three, Ais and the other executives were indeed young, explaining Gareth's complaints about them being restless and not growing up.

In this situation, although Riezel was a rookie, he was in the same age group as the four executives.

Given that, being seen as rivals was only natural.

Even though Riezel was well aware that, if he counted the age from his previous life, he was definitely the elder among the executives, with an age only slightly younger than the three top executives in the Familia. However, in the eyes of outsiders, he undeniably appeared as a young junior.

This greatly stimulated the competitive spirit among the group of talented boys and girls.

'Loki clearly knew this would happen, so she deliberately used me to stimulate them, right?'

Riezel understood this point but had no objections.

It was normal for the God of Familia to want their children to work harder and progress further. If his joining could stimulate the talents in Familia to work harder, it would undoubtedly be a good thing.

Of course, considering Loki's personality, that Goddess probably also wanted to enjoy the spectacle for her own entertainment.

For this reason, Riveria protested to Loki for a while, making the Goddess laugh off the matter for quite some time before the tension eased.

Riezel did hear Loki mutter something once.

—The only thing to worry about is Ais. That girl, if she gets too stimulated and does something reckless, I'll probably get my head knocked by Riveria's staff.

Riezel took her muttering to heart. Because, he also noticed that since learning the details of his status, Ais's emotions seemed to become somewhat unstable.

Originally not very good at expressing her emotions, the girl who seemed a bit aloof was often referred to as the 'doll princess', appearing silent and difficult to understand.

However, after that day, Ais not only became even more silent but also returned home late and always dirty. When she saw Riezel, who came back in a sorry state every day due to exploring the floors beyond his safe ability, she was even more stubborn.

Riezel found this intriguing. After all, he knew what kind of person Ais Wallenstein was and understood the wishes she held in her heart.

—I really want to become strong quickly.

When he asked her to teach him her magic before, he had pinpointed that important line. His line could also be said to be a vivid portrayal of her innermost feelings.

With the appearance of that line, Ais was moved and willing to teach him her magic.

Therefore, he was well aware that the girl named Ais Wallenstein, like himself, was longing to get stronger, an unquenchable desire.

If his growth stimulated her, leading her to act recklessly, he would naturally feel worried about her. So, he decided to talk to Loki about this matter. However, the Goddess seemed completely unconcerned.

"Don't worry; we all know our limits."

In Loki's divine room at night, Loki updated Riezel's status as usual and chatted.

"How much Ais does do crazy stuff, Finn and the others keep a close eye on her. It's not at the point where you need to worry."

Her face showed no signs of worry; instead, she appeared relaxed. One hand slid on his back, and the other held a bottle of wine, drinking sip by sip until her face turned red.

"Are you sure you guys can handle it?"

Ignoring the drunken Goddess, Riezel furrowed his brows as he inquired.

"Relax, relax~" Loki laughed drunkenly. "When it's really unbearable, the 'Mama' can't help but make a move to stop her."

'...Does this Mama refer to Riveria?' Riezel raised a brow.

Indeed, as the senior in Familia, Riveria showed a warmth that typical royal family members did not have, and her care for the juniors could be considered the greatest among the Familia's higher-ups.

Like a mother, she watched over many people in Familia, especially Ais. She practically raised Ais from childhood, and there was almost no difference between her and her own biological daughter.

Even toward Riezel, who had just joined Familia, Riveria showed a caring and loving side. Now, she was probably the one secretly paying the most attention to Ais's situation.

If she judged that Ais couldn't continue like this, it was indeed possible for her to intervene.

"Yosh!"

While Riezel was lost in thought, Loki's relaxed voice rang out.

"Here, this is your latest status."

She handed over the parchment to him, who took it and began reading.

...

Riezel Brynhart

Level 1

STR: D555 → C678

END: D548 → C666

DEX: C623 → B772

AGI: C637 → B793

MAG: I0 → F314

...

"Tch, tch, another exaggerated growth spurt."

Loki, gulping her drink, whether trying to drown herself in alcohol to numb the creeping sensation of Riezel's rapid growth or simply getting used to it, wore a grin.

"With a total proficiency increase of over 850, especially the growth in 'MAG', it's enough to scare any God. You've been using Ais's magic a lot lately, huh?" Loki clicked her tongue in amazement.

She had a point.

In recent times, Riezel indeed focused heavily on practicing magic for the growth of 'MAG', making frequent use of 'Ariel'.

And the results proved it to be a wise decision from the start.

The ultra-short chant magic was very convenient and easy, with an activation speed of just one second. Unlike other magic that would lose its effect after a single blast, enchant-type magic's effects would last for a while, not immediately wearing off. During this time, Riezel was effectively using magic.

Such frequent magic usage was naturally reflected in the growth of 'MAG'. Coupled with the nature of enchant-type magic, which required him to charge into the frontlines and engage in close combat even after using magic, it simultaneously worked as training for other basic abilities.

He didn't lag behind in any aspect of improvement.

"However, the growth speed in other basic abilities has decreased..." Riezel said with a certain uneasiness.

"Be content, kiddo." Loki rolled her eyes, speaking grumpily. "Take a look at the stage your status has reached. If you don't slow down, I might start suspecting you're not mortal but some God's illegitimate child."

As one approaches the S-rank, the growth of basic abilities naturally slows down. With Riezel having two abilities reaching B-rank, the growth of basic abilities slowing down was a fair and reasonable outcome.

"By the way, considering where you're at now, you're probably ready for a level up, yeah?" Loki glanced at Riezel, tossing out a question while holding her bottle of wine. "What's your take?"

At her question, Riezel fell into deep thought.