Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

"When it comes to direct combat, I admit I'm still lacking. But when it comes to things like this, it's where I excel."

Bell was well aware that his current strength was far below that of top-tier Adventurers. But outside of combat—his other abilities were something even those top Adventurers couldn't match.

Casually, he traced eighteen runes into the air.

"These are the magical runes I've mastered. With just these eighteen characters, I can manifest almost any ability I can imagine. And the energy cost for me is minimal."

Loki gave them a brief glance, but in that moment, one thing became clear.

"Authority... You brat, you've actually mastered something like this?!"

The moment she felt their presence, Loki instantly understood why this kid could speak with such confidence.

A child from the Genkai... wielding a power only the gods should possess.

Loki wasn't blind—those runes had practically no restrictions. They didn't require divine power to activate. This was a form of Authority with low constraints, and more importantly, it could mimic other Authorities.

Trying to keep her shock in check, Loki turned to look at the shorty and Hephaestus.

"So, you two knew all along?"

Hestia and Hephaestus didn't deny it. They had, indeed, known about it for some time. Although, what had shocked them initially wasn't Bell's control over runes—it was another ability of his, one that only wore the guise of magic but was, in truth, Authority itself.

'This is how you treat a fellow god?!'

Loki nearly slammed her hand on the table in disbelief.

A mortal child, freely using Authority? Even they, divine beings, were restricted in how they could use their powers and Authority—and yet a child from the Genkai could wield it unrestrained?

'No wonder I felt my divine power was being suppressed by something more than just a seal that day... So it was Authority?!'

Now she completely understood why Finn and the others had fallen so easily.

Even she hadn't been an exception. After being mysteriously taken down, she had felt a renewed and intense suppression on the divine power sealed within her.

So it had been Authority that subdued her.

Still, that discovery brought her some relief.

Authority—it was the one explanation that made her believe. This was a power mortals were never supposed to wield. A power only gods should have.

"Alright... I'll believe that you can pull this off."

Loki forced herself to calm down.

"The ability to produce different effects through various combinations, to simulate Authority itself—that's honestly shocking."

"You can keep the danger under control, right?"

That was the one concern she still had.

"I can't guarantee complete safety. I haven't conducted any tests yet, and I'll be trying to control monsters that far surpass my current capabilities. I can't make any promises."

Bell didn't try to claim he could guarantee anything—because he knew he couldn't.

Loki didn't push further on that point.

Authority was still Authority. But how a mortal from Genkai wielded it wasn't quite the same as how a god did. If he couldn't guarantee control... well, there wasn't much she could say to that.

"I can only try to minimize the chances of the worst-case scenario."

Loki let out a long sigh after a stretch of silence.

"Alright. I agree."

Adventurers had to take responsibility for their own choices—Loki had nothing more to say on that.

This kid had chosen to use her Familia for exactly that reason. And for Finn and the others, breaking past Level 6 was no small matter.

The biggest concern was safety. Which meant... it was all going to come down to a gamble.

Loki had no idea if she was making the right call. But if they won this bet, then Finn and the others could keep moving forward.

So she understood—this was a gamble she had to take part in.

The weight in Bell's chest finally lifted. Now that Loki-sama had agreed, he could move forward with preparations.

He stood from the sofa and gave a small bow.

"Thank you very much, Loki-sama."

Loki looked at the kid in front of her with a complicated expression. Sure, he'd tricked her more than a few times and made a nice profit off her... but he was still a solid kid.

"This time, it's only because of what you're capable of."

"I understand. That's why I'll do everything I can to help Captain Finn and the others break through."

Loki cast a glance at the shorty sitting beside him.

"Shorty, you must be pretty pleased with yourself now, huh?"

Hestia puffed up her chest proudly, her whole face radiating one word—"Pride."

"Of course! My Bell-kun is the strongest!"

Loki didn't even bother snapping back. With power like Bell's, a little pride was warranted. After all, she'd been in Genkai for so long and hadn't once seen a mortal child who could wield Authority.

"Authority... Just where did you get the luck to find a kid like this?"

That one line made Hestia's smile freeze completely. But Hephaestus, sitting nearby, let out a quiet laugh.

"When he first arrived in Orario, he came to me. He's more self-aware than most kids, and he wanted to join my Familia to transition in."

"So he found you first, huh?"

Loki's face lit with understanding. So that's how this weird kid ended up with the shorty—it was just her ridiculous luck at work again.

She remembered how the shorty had been hanging around Hephaestus's place recently. So yeah, stumbling into this kid must've been pure luck... with Hephaestus's blessing on top.

Which only made Loki feel even more annoyed.

"Why didn't a kid like him come to my Familia when he first arrived in Orario?"

"Loki, what do you think your Familia is? Do you think just any kid can join?"

"Uh..."

Loki froze under Hephaestus's jab, scratching at her red hair in frustration. She really did feel like she'd just lost a fortune.

All she could do was look at Bell, feeling utterly resigned.

"Couldn't you have been just a little bolder? If you had, none of this back-and-forth would've been necessary."

But what was Bell supposed to say to that? He could only smile awkwardly and scratch at his cheek.

"Loki-sama, that's a bit unfair."

"Joining the second strongest Familia in Orario isn't exactly something I could just decide on a whim, you know?"

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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