"Heh… wipe out the Hestia Familia? No, no, no. Tonight's 'main attraction'… might not be them at all."
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There was no need to look. Just from the god's actions, behavior, and tone, Asfi, who knew his true nature very well, already understood that her god was now feeling delighted.
In her mind, at some unknown time, she recalled Fron's words. In his words: "Your god, Lord Hermes, is nothing but a complete, utterly pure pleasure freak. Compared to the evil gods of the [Evilus] who openly and brazenly reveal their nature, exercising their divine authority to bring chaos to the lower world, at the very least your god knows to put on some clothes and cover up his nature a bit, which makes him a relatively 'kind' and 'neutral god'."
'Kind? Neutral?' Asfi's lips twitched subtly as she recalled Hermes' recent actions.
First, he allied with Loki and Dionysus, voluntarily seeking contact with Ishtar to investigate.
He made a deal with Ishtar, retrieving the legendary Killing stone from the Far East.
Then, while enjoying himself with Ishtar, he deliberately acted "helpless" and "careless," and leaked the fact that Freya was interested in and paying attention to Bell Cranel…
All of this, this is what's called neutral?
It was obvious baiting, fishing enforcement.
Now Bell Cranel had been missing for two days. It was clear that he had been captured in the Dungeon by the Ishtar Familia.
The consequences could be imagined.
However, Asfi and Hermes never expected that, before he could even tell Ishtar this news, Ishtar herself had already investigated Bell Cranel.
What she saw shocked her, he had leveled up to 3 in just three months! At such speed… and thinking about her rival's attention on Bell, as well as the information Hermes had revealed, time waited for no one. Ishtar acted immediately.
In the Pleasure District, the home base of the Ishtar Familia, under the orders of their goddess Ishtar, the streets began to be sealed off, armed soldiers blocking unfamiliar intruders.
Meanwhile, in Orario's southwestern district, stood a massive estate like a city within a city, surrounded by walls like a small kingdom. Here too, events were unfolding.
This was "Fólkvangr," the base of one of the two strongest familias in Orario, the Freya Familia.
It stood opposite the "Twilight Mansion" in the north, as if the two locations mirrored and opposed each other, conveying some silent message to the outside world.
At the highest hill in the center of the Fólkvangr, stood a towering, ancient castle marked by the passage of time, endlessly releasing an oppressive aura.
Inside the castle, at the highest tower's top room, through a vast floor-to-ceiling window with an excellent view, lay a bed crafted by master artisans, a luxurious resting place.
Along an entire wall, a massive bookshelf was filled with old books, countless rare volumes collected by its owner. If scholars were to see this, they would surely go mad with excitement.
Clearly, its master was not some empty-headed beauty.
Freya, known by gods and mortals alike as the "Goddess of Beauty." This title came from only her charm, without even using her Arcanum.
But those who truly understood this goddess, who stood at Orario's peak, knew… the title of Beauty Goddess was far from enough to describe her strength.
Because besides "Beauty," her authorities also included titles such as:
Goddess of War!
Goddess of Fertility!
These titles, even just by name, were enough to leave one awestruck.
The goddess sat elegantly upon her throne, her amethyst-like eyes gazing through the floor-to-ceiling window toward the distant cityscape.
"Lady Freya, there is news from Allen."
From the shadows emerged her loyal guardian and steadfast servant, Orario's only Level 7, [The Strongest] Ottar. He bowed respectfully.
"Oh? Let's hear it. If not for that child, I would have died of boredom by now. I hope this time brings me some amusement."
The goddess smiled charmingly, her lips curving seductively.
"That Bell Cranel disappeared in a chamber on the sixth floor. According to Allen's tracking, his scent last remained in the Pleasure District."
"..." The goddess said nothing, but as her eyes narrowed, a terrifying aura spread from her body.
"Continue."
"Yes, as you thought. That one from the Ishtar Familia has set her sights on Bell Cranel and kidnapped him in the Dungeon. Based on intelligence, a small group from [Ishtar Familia] recently took some action, but it seems to have failed."
"From probing, it seems that goddess is in a foul mood lately. Tonight, they sealed off the Pleasure District, as if preparing some action. So I suspect Bell Cranel may be in danger tonight."
"..." The goddess' smile grew increasingly dangerous.
If she still couldn't understand what Ishtar intended, she didn't deserve her throne.
"Ottar, you know what to do next, don't you?"
Her loyal servant placed a hand over his chest, bowed deeply, and closed his eyes in respect.
"Yes, your will is our essence."
"Good. This time, I will also go with you."
"This…"
"Heh, Ottar. You must understand, usually, I can ignore Ishtar's little pranks as trivial mischief. But this time, it's different."
The goddess' narrowed eyes shone with dangerous light, her aura spreading outward.
"Familia war? No… this is something more fundamental, between us two goddesses."
Because of Bell Cranel's capture by the Ishtar Familia, unbeknownst to the other familias, undercurrents began to stir among Orario's top powers.
And the one orchestrating this grand play, Fron, after quietly sneaking out of the Twilight Mansion, did not take the main road, but instead slipped through alleyways using the map in his mind.
With the cover of a black cloak and the shadows, even when he occasionally passed a drunk adventurer, they only felt a chilling breeze and never realized someone had passed. His terrifying speed and stealth of a Level 6 were unmatched.
Without a sound, From circled from the northern base through the eastern industrial district, then across the plaza of the Tower of Babel, heading straight toward the Pleasure District.
He leapt lightly onto a tall building with a broad view. Under the amplification of his "Reader" ability in the dead of night, he carefully observed the complex terrain within the [Ishtar Familia]'s domain.
By coincidence or not, the Pleasure District controlled by [Ishtar Familia] was not far from the Daedalus Street.
From this, it was clear that Ishtar was colluding with Thanatos and Enyo, gaining a favorable position.