Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

She opened her squinting right eye and gave a malicious smile.

"What, the guild members are actually making contact with our [Family]... Is that what that old man Uranus is planning, claiming to be neutral while harboring ulterior motives?"

"No, no! I am...!"

"This child is my guest. You are not allowed to slander her."

"Oh, is that so? Since you're Rivera's guest, then it's fine. I'm sorry, little sister Eina. Please forgive me."

"I...I don't mind. Please don't take it to heart..."

Seeing Rivera's calm gaze, Loki shrugged listlessly and gave a wry smile.

She slammed down on the sofa with a thud.

"Alright, enough with the formalities, let's get straight to the point. You brought something I like, so you must have something to ask me, right?"

"...Then I shall respectfully comply and ask directly. If you know anything about the Soma Familia, I hope you can tell me."

"So that's why you brought Soma along, is that right? Haha, I see."

Loki, holding a glass of wine in one hand, rudely filled the glass in his other hand as well. She tilted her head back and gulped it down, then exhaled with a "puff" as if enjoying it, turning her face, now flushed, towards Eina.

"I'm not exactly on good terms with that idiot Somo. I might not be able to meet Eina's expectations, but... well, I'll just say a few words off the cuff. What do you want to ask?"

"...Do you know anything about the reason for the anomalies surrounding the Soma Familia?"

"Hmm, you got straight to the point right from the start. ...But how do I explain that?"

Loki swirled the glass, watching the liquid sloshing within.

After a brief pause, she drank the liquid in the glass in one gulp.

"Alright, let's talk about how I met Soma! Ah, the Soma I'm talking about is the Soma of divine wine, right? Definitely not that silly god, okay?"

"Uh, um."

"Speaking of which... I really love drinking, I love it to death. I can go from one bar to another in a day, trying all kinds of alcohol and comparing them. I get drunk, throw up, pass out, it all comes out. Just when I was living this happy life of endless cycles, one day... I finally came across it, and that was this alcohol (Soma)."

Rivera sighed, saying, "I can't understand," while giving Loki a cold look, but she didn't seem to care and continued:

"Is this what they call a fateful encounter? I fell in love with it after just one sip! I don't care which [Family] made it, I bought up all the Soma in Orario like a fangirl... And then, right as I was doing that, something interesting came to my ears."

"Something interesting...?"

"Can you believe it, sister Eina? This wine (Soma) is said to be a failure."

"What...?" As luck would have it, Eina made the same reaction as Bell when she heard what Lily said.

Loki's smile deepened.

"Isn't that intriguing? If the failed attempt tastes this good, what about the 'finished product'? So, I barged right into the Familia that makes Soma."

Eina was stunned, and Riveria was utterly speechless this time. Although they weren't enemies, for a god to brazenly step into another god's stronghold was practically asking them to attack her.

There are also etiquettes among the gods. In addition, to prevent information leaks, it is naturally impossible to allow other [familia] members to easily invade the headquarters.

"I stood in the entrance hall and shouted, 'Soma! It's me, marry me!' But no one paid any attention to me. I was so lonely... In a fit of anger, I went into the headquarters without their permission."

Eina's head started to ache, and she pressed down on her shaking head.

On the other hand, she was also puzzled by the fact that the Soma Familia was so indifferent to the interference of other factions.

"It was empty inside. There wasn't a single person there. This was supposed to be the headquarters, right? Everyone's gone out, isn't that right? At that moment, I started to feel a chill down my spine... no, I was starting to get excited. I was breathing heavily as I rummaged through drawers and cupboards."

"..."

"Please, Loki. Stop embarrassing your own people."

"Gurgle, Riveria is so mean. Okay, whatever, I looked around and didn't find any real sake (Soma). So I got bored and was about to leave... when I saw him, that god (idiot)."

Perhaps recalling that time, Loki lowered his head and suppressed a laugh.

"I said 'Hi,' and that idiot actually said 'Welcome'? I have to clarify, this was our first meeting! He didn't even look at me, and was busy tilling the garden with a hoe. Later I heard that their wine is made from their own plants. Ah, they don't use anything dangerous as fertilizer."

As Loki spoke, he sipped his drink, his cheeks flushed, and he gradually became slightly tipsy.

The tone of voice rose.

"And then, this god named Soma... he's such an infuriating fellow."

"what?"

"No matter what topic I bring up to talk to him, he either replies with 'Oh' or 'Hmm,' always indifferently. I'm so friendly, but he's only concerned with tilling the field. ...The implication is that I'm not even as good as a field covered in manure."

Perhaps he was recalling the scene from that time, and seeing Loki getting angrier and angrier.

Eina was sweating.

"He's supposed to be a spineless, indecisive god-like guy, yet he dared to treat me like a stupid scarecrow, completely ignoring me... Ugh—it's infuriating, just thinking about it makes me hate him!"

"..."

"And that's not all, Eina!"

"A-Eina beauty?"

"I won't bother with his rudeness, but I sincerely begged him to share some real sake (Soma) with me! I asked him personally! And do you know what that idiot said in the end!"

In fact, Loki thought it would work because she sensed no hostility from Somo. She figured she should be able to get about a liter. So, she was careless.

The seemingly harmless god, however, only stopped what he was doing at this moment, sincerely faced Loki, and gave her four words:

"But I refuse."

I heard that was the only time he showed such a strong will.

"I'm so angry! It's the most infuriating thing to be said that kind of thing by that guy!"

"Loki, let's cut to the chase. Stop rambling and get back to the point."

Loki fumed for a while before calmly sitting back down on the sofa.

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, despite the roundabout way it went, I did manage to ask that idiot about the Familia. He told me as soon as I asked, what an moron, right? That guy really doesn't have the talent to manage a Familia. Or rather, he probably never wanted to do it in the first place."

Eina's delicate eyebrows twitched slightly.

Did you never want to do it from the beginning...?

She couldn't help but wonder if there was some ulterior motive behind it.

"Sister Eina, don't overthink it. In other words, the god Soma only has his own interests on his mind. Aren't there always those guys who are so engrossed in something that they can't see anything else? When those people reach the ultimate and complete state, they become that fool. He has neither ambition nor conspiracy in his belly; he lives purely for his interests—a god of pure interest."

"So, in that sense, even though that guy is a god, he's also like an enlightened immortal," Loki said half-jokingly.

He's one of the strangest gods out of all the weirdos out there.

Eina held this impression of Soma, the god.

"And the problem here is caused by that 'sake (Soma)'. The foolish god established the Familia for his hobby... brewing sake (Soma). But the Familia has never made much money. His hobby is expensive, and it won't last. That guy racked his brains and finally decided to give everyone 'rewards'. That is, to motivate the members to work harder."

Could it be...?

"Yes, it's 'divine wine (Soma)'. I'm referring to the finished product."

Loki stuck out his tongue and licked away the drop of wine that was stuck to his lips.

"Those of you who drank this failed attempt, Eina, should understand that the quality of the finished product is truly exceptional. It will make you 'intoxicated.' Not the kind of intoxication that makes you tipsy, but a complete and utter 'intoxication' from the bottom of your heart. It's called 'heart intoxication.' It's not about controlling people's hearts, but about controlling both body and mind, isn't it?"

Eina felt a chill run down her spine.

She recalled the exhilaration she felt when she drank the failed drink.

There was no other meaning behind it; my consciousness was simply drawn in and seduced by the flavor of the wine. I genuinely felt happy.

An even stronger sense of ecstasy?

Goosebumps silently rose on the body beneath the suit.

Loki first said, "That should make it easier to understand, right?" Then he asserted:

"The children there don't worship Soma, they worship 'divine wine'."

The center of faith is not God, but "divine wine".

In other words, contrary to Soma's assessment, the reason why the Familia has so many members is because they are devoted to the divine sake he created.

Just a sip could give people an irreplaceable sense of euphoria, and believers thus became addicted to the wine of God.

"That idiot god is a true monster. He didn't need the help of 'mysterious' members; he created 'divine wine' solely through the development, blending, and preparation of ingredients. This is the ultimate realm that a genuine idiot who focuses on his hobby can reach."

Eina noticed.

Loki's use of the term "fool" to refer to Soma also carries a sense of fear.

"He didn't use any of the gods' (our) 'power'. He reached that level with the same abilities as children, no, even less. Can you believe it? To put it bluntly, he made the wine of the gods with human hands. I really want to ask what he's doing in heaven."

"Well, the whole story is almost out. In other words, the god Soma used the divine wine as bait for the group members, in order to..."

"Yes, you're right. After tasting the divine wine once, the members became willing to do anything to get money. It's called a prize, but it's impossible to give it to everyone in the [Familia]. They set a target amount for allocating funds, and those who perform well will receive the divine wine. It's basically an internal competition within the [Familia]. Ah, I remember that if you exceed the target amount, you can get a small sip, right?"

"I can't remember," Loki muttered. Eina didn't react, but she finally understood.

I have witnessed the Soma Familia's unusual obsession with money on several occasions within the guild.

It turned out that it was a thirst for divine wine.

"But the more I hear it, the more it sounds like deadly poison. Can't we just leave that kind of thing alone?"

"Hmm—maybe I'm saying it wrong. Although it 'makes you drunk,' it won't make your mind go blank or go crazy like some dangerous drugs. It will just make you feel moved. It will make you feel shocked. It will make you want to take another hit. However, the drunkenness will eventually wear off. Just like ordinary alcohol."

That's the difference between this and drugs, Loki said.

There are no symptoms of drug withdrawal. The addiction symptoms are not severe.

The believers' ecstasy is only temporary and will disappear after a while.

It is only in the Soma Familia that the intervals between drinking are too short, which makes it impossible for one to ever escape.

"Are you saying that addiction is just a short-term symptom?"

"Yes. Many children probably returned to normal after not getting to drink the divine wine, right?"

One more thing is that even divine sake can cause resistance. It's said that members of the Soma Familia, who consistently rank at the top of their class, never get too drunk and are able to maintain a calm state.

At this point, Eina remembered something. Among the adventurers of the Soma Familia, most of whom were extremely obsessed with money, only a small number who had reached LV.2 appeared relatively calm.

"In conclusion, the foolish god's crude management of the [Family], which is only interested in his own interests, the magic of the divine sake, and the members' thirst for sake—all of these factors combined in a clever way have created the crazy [Family] we have today."

This situation wouldn't have happened if the main god, who is the leader of the [Family], had kept his eyes open.

Because of a powerful statement from the supreme deity, all members of the [Family] must silently obey. If any child dares to disobey the supreme deity, they can expect to be stripped of their "divine grace."

Thinking about it this way, although Soma was harmless, perhaps it was he himself who caused this situation.

"That's about it. So, little sister Eina, is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

"No, this is fine. Thank you so much."

She has already understood the problem held by the Soma Familia.

Their insatiable thirst for alcohol is indeed alarming, but it's not yet time to intervene.

Because they're only interested in alcohol or big money, they're no different from other adventurers who venture into dungeons dreaming of getting rich overnight. Yes, they're only worth fearing when they stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

But if Loki is right, the risk is limited to a segment of the believers. Judging from Bell's previous tone, the supporters he hired were not alcoholics and should be perfectly mentally sound.

At least it shouldn't put Bell's life in danger, Eina breathed a sigh of relief.

As Eina was thinking this, Loki slowly opened his long, narrow eyes and looked at her directly.

"Sister Eina."

"Um?"

"Do you know what happens to the donkeys with the carrot hanging in front of them if they never manage to reach it?"

The strange question posed suddenly startled Eina.

Loki stretched out both hands, raising one index finger at a time, and before she could answer, he continued:

"The weak donkey will fall down and leave the field, while the cunning donkey will try to steal the carrots from the other donkeys, even if it means kicking them."

First, doubt arose in my mind, and then understanding followed.

Eina understood what Loki was trying to say.

"That's the feeling of that [familia] right now. Plus, that idiot is the one hanging the carrots, so nobody's going to stop him."