Hunted by Characters I Drew!!

"Huh? That sound! Not good! Someone wants to steal Alexander!"

In an instant, Hestia snapped out of her food-induced stupor.

Who is Hestia? She's a goddess, of course! Naturally, her hearing is impeccable.

"Ah! How can this be?"

Hestia instantly sprang into action. She dashed to the door and caught the continuation of the voice.

"Alexander! I want it! I want it! Give it to me!"

Hearing the distinctly feminine voice, Hestia couldn't tolerate it any longer. Bang! She burst straight into Alexander's room.

"You beast! Let go of that boy! Let... uh! Loki?! It's you!"

Hestia almost broke down in tears upon seeing who it was. If it had been anyone else, she might not have cared as much, but Loki? Her arch-nemesis? This was a disaster.

"Alexander! How dare you! Since when were you two involved?!"

Hestia's voice was filled with panic. Alexander, on the other hand, could only shake his head helplessly.

"What are you talking about? Stop jumping to conclusions! You'll only cause misunderstandings."

"But... just now... you and her..." Hestia still looked unconvinced.

"That's because Loki was asking me for a tablet. What are you even imagining?"

Hearing Alexander's explanation, Hestia froze. What? She's just here for a tablet? Then why did she say it so ambiguously? 

Angry and embarrassed, Hestia sulked as she sat down on a nearby stool, glaring daggers at Alexander and Loki. Alexander, however, could only sigh at the scene before him: a troublesome goddess begging for something as trivial as a tablet.

Honestly, Alexander didn't care about giving away a tablet—it was a cheap gadget. The issue was Loki's reputation. She was notoriously unreliable in Orario. If word got out, wouldn't everyone know about this?

Alexander had bigger plans for Orario. He wanted to use the city as a training ground for his group, and the last thing he needed was Loki stirring up trouble. Yet here she was, rolling on the floor like a child, refusing to leave without getting what she wanted. 

"Fine," Alexander relented with a sigh. "If I give you one, can you promise not to spread this around?"

"Of course! I swear!" Loki exclaimed. "Besides, you already gave Ais one, so what's the difference? I'll just use hers if you refuse."

Her argument was annoyingly logical. Alexander had already given Ais a tablet, so it really didn't matter if Loki had one too. 

"Alright, I'll give you one. But remember, if you let this slip, I'll take it back."

As soon as Alexander handed over the tablet, Loki snatched it eagerly and started gushing with gratitude.

"To show my appreciation," she said, her eyes gleaming mischievously, "how about joining the Loki Familia? Think about it—our Familia has plenty of beauties! I can offer you handsome men, too, if that's your preference."

"..."

Alexander resisted the urge to facepalm. Do I look like I'm into guys?

"Enough. If there's nothing else, go back to your Familia. Aren't you all preparing for an expedition? Why are you, the Familia's leader, so idle?"

"Oh, right! I nearly forgot!"

Loki suddenly remembered her purpose for being there. She turned back to Alexander, flashing a "gentle" smile.

"Alexander, could you do us another favor? Our Familia is heading into the Dungeon, and you know how dangerous the boss on the 59th floor is. Could you tag along? Just in case something goes wrong?"

"No. I'm not a babysitter."

"But what if something unexpected happens? You know there's someone manipulating the Corrupted Spirit incident. What if the butterfly effect kicks in? You've seen how one additional enemy can turn the tide. If the red-haired LV6 shows up, we could be wiped out!"

Loki's reasoning was sound, and Alexander found himself laughing despite himself.

"Fine, I'll help you. But what's in it for me?"