God of Tricksters

After receiving the news, Theo and Agata continued their training for a month as they were prepared to leave a few days after the new year.

Agata also gathered the necessary information about this partnership while Theo had a discussion with Lorenzo. 

Theo was sitting in front of Lorenzo as they were planning to talk about the members. 

"So, what do you think about the members? As long as they're from the family, we can ask them. Though, I won't know whether they will accept or not." Lorenzo asked, presenting the problem. 

"Hmm…" Theo thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I have no idea. You know more about this family, so it's better if you come up with the proposal first." 

"Is that so?" Lorenzo thought for a moment and turned to Alice, who was sitting next to her. "Alice is one of the members of course. This is the advantage of becoming the first in the yearly competition. You can pick your partner. And while we're at it, there's no way I am going to leave my woman here. I'm sure you're going to do the same, right?"

Theo agreed. "Yeah. I will be bringing her on this mission, but she's not my woman."

"Great. I thought you were going to skip this, you know." Lorenzo winked his right eye, ignoring the second statement.

"Nah, this is a big opportunity. After all, the Poison Fruit is quite useful to have." Theo shrugged.

"Fair enough. If the enemy uses poison, we will be alright." Lorenzo nodded in agreement. "So, there are two left."

"This is quite troubling…" Theo looked down, contemplating whether he should bring more people or not.

"What do you mean?" Lorenzo tilted his head in confusion.

"I mean, we need to share the reward with them too, right?"

"Oh! Even though we will only get six Poison Fruits, which ultimately end up with you and me getting one each. We can extract the fruit to make multiple serums. That's why it's not that big of a deal to share that. You can leave the negotiation to Felice." Lorenzo gave a thumbs up.

"I see." Theo said, "Then, do you have any members in mind?"

"I actually want to bring Luka with us."

"Luka?" Theo tilted his head in confusion. 

"Yeah. Although Luka is kind of barbaric, his strength is undeniable. After all, even though the poison miasma is trapped underneath the snow and ice, monsters can still walk around there. He's going to be useful. Also, his wind affinity is good in this situation."

"Hmm. Then we should bring his assistant as well." Theo added.

"Why? Mara should be the better choice here." Lorenzo furrowed his eyebrows.

Theo pointed at himself. "I am an illusionist. My assistant is an illusionist. You…"

"I am a magic warrior. She is a magician… In addition to Luka, who is a fighter… I see. You need someone to focus on our defense." 

"Yeah. My rabbit can help us with firepower, so there's no need for more." 

"Got it." Lorenzo nodded. "We can even negotiate better terms with Luka then. That's a good idea."

"Yep. I will leave the negotiation to you."

"Sure thing." Lorenzo then turned to Felice. "Anyway, let's move on to the second topic."

"Okay. It's about Russia's members, right?"

"Yeah. Russia has sent their representatives from three big influences. Czar, Alik, and Guseva." Lorenzo showed all the members to him, stunning Theo. 

"Huh?" Theo opened his eyes in shock as he never expected to find this person again. "What is she doing here?"

"I guess it will be a reunion party for you." Lorenzo smirked. 

The name that surprised Theo was none other than his former teammate.

Alea Eilric. 

"How…" Theo furrowed his eyebrows.

"I am the one who needs that information. You are close to her, right?"

"Even I am unaware of this." Theo shook his head. 

"Whatever. According to the information, I don't know how she gets it, but she has been accepted by the empress. She is coming here with the ice princess, Afanasiia. She's probably the one leading this group.

"She posed quite a challenge for me back in the Grand Gaia Competition…" Lorenzo smiled and sighed. "Well, she is dangerous and powerful. I want you to be careful around her.

"Though I won't underestimate any of the four either. From Alik, we have Sofiya and Savin. They're top-tier Knights. They're a powerful heir and heiress, so you can rely on them from time to time. 

"As for those from Czar… They're quite arrogant people. They are sort of rulers in that place as their family has the strongest man in Russia. Though, in overall abilities, Afanasiia is better than them. So, yeah…

"Anyway, your reputation in the War God Family is good but still less than mine. In addition to our age difference, I'm going to be the leader of this operation. I have tried to argue, but my father shut it down, so sorry, you can only be the vice leader."

Theo shook his head. "It's fine. I know my position well."

"Don't worry. You're going to be my vice captain and all decisions will be yours to make. I am just making sure you all work your share." Lorenzo chuckled. 

"Okay. Tell that to Luka and Velio too."

"Sure thing…" Lorenzo's expression suddenly became serious as he looked Theo in the eyes. "Still, no matter what, I won't let anyone look down on you. This is the least I can do."

Theo smiled. "Thank you. I will be relying on you, Lorenzo."

"Hahahah!" Lorenzo laughed out loud as he rose from the seat. "Anyway, I will be contacting you later for the final decision. We're leaving on 5th January."

"Got it."

…

Meanwhile, in Russia, two girls were fighting. 

The first woman was none other than Alea Eilric. She waved her swords and destroyed all the snowflakes that were about to hit her with a calm look. 

Bang. 

The slash was precise and swift, cutting them perfectly in the middle. 

Suddenly, a woman's voice resounded from the front.

"We've got confirmation from the War God Family. It seems your friend is coming with us."

Alea turned around and looked at the white-haired woman. "Is that so?"

"You're not happy? I thought you came here because—." She stopped with a smile.

"Well, it's been a few months… I haven't produced any results yet." 

"You haven't? You're joking, right?"

"Compared to him."

"…"