Chapter 33: Chapter 33
"Freya, you really have your eye on that kid, don’t you?"
Loki narrowed her eyes as she watched Hestia leave in a huff, then leaned closer and spoke in a casual tone.
"My, Loki, are you planning to compete with me?" Freya did not deny it at all. She turned and looked at Loki.
"That’s fine. I don’t mind."
Freya’s eyes looked calm, but Loki could see the burning heat hidden behind them.
It was like the sun, ready to burn everything in its path.
"Is he really that good?" Loki asked with interest.
"I have never seen such a bright soul like him before!"
Freya spoke like a poet on a stage.
A deep blush appeared on her face, and even her breathing grew hot.
Loki froze for a moment.
Freya had eyes that could see the true nature of a soul.
She especially loved pure, shining souls, and she was also famous for stealing talented children from other Familias and bringing them into her own.
Compared to Apollo, whose methods were rough and whose reputation was awful, Freya’s image was much better.
The reason was simple: her Charm.
Her Charm was so powerful that even gods in heaven, with their divine power fully released, could not resist it.
The children of the lower world had even less chance.
Because of that, anyone Freya set her eyes on usually had no way to escape. T
he gods whose children were taken could only feel angry in silence, except for the male gods who were already madly in love with her.
And yet Freya, with that kind of power and record, had actually held herself back when it came to Kiriya.
That surprised Loki.
"You can actually hold back?" Loki asked directly.
"Because I’m curious."
Freya smiled and shook her head. Her voice was full of fascination.
"That child’s soul only began to shine so brightly after Apollo helped polish it. If he goes through real hardship after this, I wonder how bright that light will become! Just thinking about it makes my heart race."
Loki looked at the way Freya pressed her legs together and rubbed them slightly, then curled her lips.
This woman really had strange tastes.
"So you didn’t make a move before because you wanted to see that light grow brighter? And if he came under you, protected by the strongest Familia in Orario, that unpolished gem would eventually lose its shine, right?" Loki said.
"Exactly. You understand me very well, Loki!"
Freya looked at her with praise in her eyes.
"Don’t give me that."
Loki immediately rejected it, then spoke with a teasing, slightly wicked tone.
"But aren’t you afraid this will go wrong?"
Freya paused.
"What do you mean?"
"That kid’s growth speed is a miracle no one in the lower world has seen for a thousand years. Maybe by the time you think his soul is bright enough, he’ll already have enough power to sweep everything aside."
Of course, Loki did not really think Kiriya could resist Freya’s Charm.
"My, if that day really comes... maybe I’ll truly fall in love with that child."
Freya laughed softly, her voice clear and sweet.
Loki laughed too.
Why had eternal gods like them come down to the lower world?
Wasn’t it because they were drawn to the endless possibilities of the children here?
If there really was a mortal who could resist the Charm of the goddess of beauty, then that miracle alone would be enough to make any god excited.
Before they separated, Loki asked in a seemingly casual way, "Hey, what trial did you arrange for him next? Tell me. Maybe I can help."
"There is one, but I don’t need your help."
Freya politely refused.
She had always liked enjoying the process of polishing a raw gem by herself.
If she told Loki, the goddess of trickery, who knew what kind of trouble would appear?
...
After the Denatus ended, in the Pleasure Quarter, at the Ishtar Familia’s headquarters.
"Hermes, I already made my request clear. Go there and bring my item back. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Goddess Ishtar, tall and curvy, dressed in very revealing clothes, spoke to Hermes.
"Of course," Hermes said lightly. "Leave it to me. You can definitely trust me!"
As he spoke, the god was about to stand and leave, but Ishtar pressed down on his shoulder and pushed him back into his seat.
Then the lightly dressed goddess sat directly on Hermes’s lap.
"Th-That... Ishtar, is there... something else?"
Hermes’s body went stiff, and even his voice started shaking.
"Hermes, don’t you have any information that could make me happy? Something like that woman’s weakness?"
Ishtar leaned close to Hermes’s ear and breathed softly.
Hermes felt as if a fire had been lit inside him.
The charm of a goddess of beauty really was terrifying.
"Wh-Where would I have something like that..." Hermes said, dazed. "If I really knew anything, how could I lie in front of you?"
"Is that so?"
Ishtar narrowed her eyes, then reached down and grabbed his most vulnerable spot.
"Hermes, you’re not being very obedient."
With his weak point in her hand, Hermes could only obey.
The price was too much for him to handle, so Hermes finally gave her a piece of information.
"That Sylvan... Freya seems to be interested in him."
Hermes wrapped the blanket tightly around his chest, tears streaming down his face, looking like a maiden who had just been taken advantage of!
"Hm?"
Ishtar lit a cigarette afterward and narrowed her eyes in thought.
A moment later, she smiled happily.
"I see. A genius rookie adventurer.... If it’s him... then it makes sense that woman would be interested."
"Things are getting more and more interesting."
...
Night fell.
At the Hostess of Fertility.
"Achoo!"
Kiriya had just picked up his wine cup when he sneezed hard.
Luckily, he turned his head quickly. Otherwise, Hestia beside him would have suffered for it.
"What’s wrong, Kiriya?" Hestia asked with concern. "Are you hurt? Are you sick? Are you okay?"
As she spoke, she reached out with her small hands and started touching him all over, not caring at all about the strange looks from the people around them.
Kiriya lightly tapped her on the head.
"My body is fine, but my heart is hurt!"
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Hestia looked genuinely confused.
"Sylvan (War Demon of the Forest)? Really? What kind of weird title is that? Did you not protest at all?"
Kiriya was full of complaints.
He was a handsome, elegant young man.
How had he ended up with such a terrible nickname?
If they had called him something like Fighting Emperor, Sword Saint, or Fist King, he could still accept it.
But War Demon?
You’re the demon.
Your whole family is demons!
For a moment, Kiriya felt endless resentment toward Freya, who had suggested the title, and toward all those gods who only knew how to flatter her and agree.
’Just you wait. One day, I’ll make all of you kneel on the ground, stick your ass up, and i slap those cheeks endlessly.’
Kiriya thought this fiercely, using a bit of mental self-comfort to soothe his wounded pride.
"I did protest!" Hestia quickly defended herself. "But you know how those gods are. They only care about having fun. They didn’t listen to me at all."
Seeing Kiriya’s unhappy expression, Hestia tried to comfort him.
"It does sound like the name of some ugly monster, but it’s also pretty intimidating. At least it can scare off people with bad intentions."
"Are you comforting me or insulting me?"
Kiriya was speechless.
"All right, all right. There’ll be chances to change it later. Today is a day to celebrate, so let’s not talk about annoying things. Come on, raise your cups!"
As Hestia spoke, she lifted a wine cup almost as big as her little head and shouted proudly.
"Everyone, to Kiriya’s victory! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone cheered at once.
"Pwah!"
Although Hestia was small, her alcohol tolerance was surprisingly good.
Before long, she had already emptied her cup and was loudly asking the server to bring more wine.
"Hestia, don’t drink too much," Kiriya reminded her.
"What’s wrong with it? Today is a happy day! We drove that pest Apollo far away and gained a huge amount of money. How can we not celebrate properly?"
Hestia slapped Kiriya’s shoulder hard and laughed.
Before this, because she had come down to the lower world late, she had no power, no followers, and no money after arriving in Orario.
Life had been very difficult.
If Hephaestus had not helped her from time to time, this little goddess probably would have had to go around begging for meals.
Because of that, her old rival Loki always mocked her as a "poor goddess" and a "pitiful unwanted girl." It made Hestia furious, but she could not argue back.
Because it was true.
She really had no Familia and no money.
But now things were different.
She had her own child, and he was even a once-in-a-thousand-years genius in the lower world.
She had also taken all the wealth the Apollo Familia had built up, becoming rich almost overnight.
It really felt like she had finally turned her life around.
So today, with one bold wave of her hand, she reserved a table at one of Orario’s most expensive restaurants, the Hostess of Fertility, and invited the gods she was close with to eat a proper meal as thanks.
Hephaestus, Miach, Takemikazuchi, and the others all came to support her, which made Hestia feel that life was perfect.
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