Chapter 203: Chapter 203: When in Doubt, Go to Loki (Bonus)
Born into such a harsh environment and influenced by the Divine Wine, even Finn found this kind of beginning deeply troubling.
In a place like this, to have been corrupted only to this extent was already a sign of strong will.
And yet, this naive Pallum girl still believed she could save up enough to leave the Soma Familia.
But in this world, there's no such thing as leaving a Familia just by paying some money.
"It's not your fault. It's only natural you'd think that way when you were led to believe it from the start."
"Besides, you were born into the Soma Familia and had nowhere else to go. Of course they'd treat you like a piggy bank, or even a toy."
His words were a bit harsh, but Finn said them out of concern—for someone of his own kind.
"Our Pallum race has always struggled with low Status. It's not just your problem—I face it too. We lack strength, durability, even magical aptitude. The only things we excel at are agility and dexterity."
Status affects an adventurer's capability and combat style.
Without physical strength to rely on, Pallums are forced to rely solely on speed and nimbleness, which severely limits their path forward.
The higher the level, the more pronounced this limitation becomes.
It's the racial ceiling Pallums must contend with.
"Most Pallums aren't suited for combat and lack natural talent, so most of them in Orario end up working as supporters."
"Of course, there are exceptions—like the 'Bringar' from Freya's Familia. They're all Level 5, and when they team up, they can even take on Level 6 opponents."
"But for most of us, living in Orario is far from easy."
Unintentionally, Finn let a bit of his own frustration slip.
Even though he worked tirelessly to help Pallums rise up in Orario, the path forward was impossibly steep.
"So, did you come to me hoping I could help you escape the Soma Familia?"
Liliruca shook her head lightly.
"Actually, I should've died in the Dungeon today. Someone from my own Familia caught hold of my weakness and threatened to expose me."
"But someone suddenly appeared and helped me."
"I don't know who he was, but he said something to me: 'The strong only give charity to the weak once.'"
"Braver-sama can only help me once. No matter what, I still have to face the Familia God myself."
'Charity from the strong to the weak...'
Finn didn't find anything wrong with those words, and he even felt a small sense of gratitude toward the person who had given this Pallum girl a chance to live.
At the same time, he understood the unwavering resolve in her eyes.
She was truly prepared.
Even so, Finn couldn't help but worry. Facing a god alone was simply too dangerous.
Based on everything he'd just heard, Finn was sure that Soma was a god who didn't care about his own Familia. Which meant, even if this Pallum girl managed to meet Soma, the odds of her dying were still alarmingly high.
"Wait here."
Finn didn't have a good way to deal with a god directly—but Loki was different.
He genuinely sympathized with this fellow Pallum girl.
And with her kind of resolve, he couldn't just do nothing.
As for the questionable things she'd done in the past, he didn't deny they were unsavory. But this was Orario.
In Orario, adventurer infighting was nothing out of the ordinary.
To survive, to make money—countless people had done the same things.
Almost every adventurer had climbed up by stepping over corpses. No one was clean.
So then, were those so-called "mistakes" really wrong?
At worst, they were just more underhanded than doing things in the open.
Finn turned and headed deeper into the Familia. For this matter, he needed Loki's help.
He knew where her room was, so he quickly arrived at her door.
There was already someone familiar standing outside.
Line Arshe—an adventurer in charge of rear-guard healing, Level 2.
"Captain."
"Line, Loki's inside, right?"
"Yes, Loki-sama is doing a Status update for two new members."
Finn figured Loki couldn't resist getting involved.
"Go call Loki for me. I need to talk to her."
"Understood."
"Knock Knock"
Line turned and knocked on the door.
"Loki-sama, the Captain wants to speak with you."
"Huh? Finn's looking for me?"
Loki's voice came from inside, tinged with confusion and irritation. Finn could already imagine what must've happened in there.
Looking closer at the door, it seemed like it had just been slammed back into place.
'Riveria, most likely.'
The only one who could throw Loki out of a room like that was Riveria.
Loki teased Riveria so often, she was probably the only one who'd mastered the technique to shut her up.
The door opened quickly.
Loki appeared, a large bump on her head, squinting with clear annoyance written all over her face.
"What the hell, Finn? I was just getting into it."
"Loki, can you at least deal with that bump on your head before talking?"
Loki's expression twitched. The pain, delayed until now, suddenly hit her.
"Ow! Dammit, Riveria went way too hard!"
Finn let out a helpless sigh. Even ten flirtatious gods in a day would be easier than dealing with this.
After rubbing the bump until the pain dulled, Loki shot Finn a curious look.
"Weren't you in the middle of banquet prep? What brings you up here?"
"There's something I need to confirm with you."
Seeing Finn's slightly serious expression, Loki's irritation cooled a bit.
"It's about the Soma Familia."
"Soma? You still interested in that shut-in?"
The name immediately reminded Loki of one word: "shut-in."
Finn instinctively ignored her nickname for Soma.
"No. One of my kin was born in the Soma Familia. She came to me today asking for help."
"Oh boy, one of those poor kids who got cursed just for being born into that guy's Familia?"
Even Loki couldn't hold back a whistle.
Given what she knew about Soma Familia, it was practically a miracle for a child to survive growing up there without being killed.
"Your kin's really lucky to still be alive."
"Normally, kids like that don't last long in that shut-in's Familia."