Loki reminded the others that this wasn't a guild meeting nor a power struggle, just a casual chat. In truth, she had wanted to seek some insight from the so-called "justice familia."
Freya, however, seemed perfectly content with Astraea's presence, even if her words sometimes carried a dangerous edge.
"Now that I think about it…" Demeter tilted her head, pressing her right hand into her left arm so that a gentle curve formed beneath the pressure. "…I've never actually met that famous child of yours."
Loki, who had been standing nearby, suddenly had veins popping out on her forehead. She clenched her fists, feeling a sharp pang in her chest.
The pain of the plains!
"I'll take that as a compliment, Freya. As for you, Demeter, Akira is down below, you'll see him soon enough."
"Also, if that's the reason, then what about Ganesha? His children are military police, so shouldn't you listen to him too?"
Astraea, walking by with her usual gentle smile, posed the innocent question.
The answers from Loki and Freya came without hesitation.
"He was too noisy, so I didn't even bother." Loki said flatly.
"Oh…" Astraea gave a sympathetic wry smile.
Why was he always roaring?
If you asked him, the elephant-headed god would give you only one answer.
"Because I am Ganesha!"
There was no deeper reason. None at all.
"I am Ganesha!"
"Wow, so noisy! But somehow I feel refreshed now. Thank you, Ganesha-sama."
"I am! Ganesha! Aa—"
"Oh, so noisy! But I guess I don't have to worry anymore. Thank you, Ganesha-sama."
"I am Ganesha!"
"It's noisy but the robbers ran away. Thank you, Ganesha-sama."
"We are all Ganesha!"
"It's REALLY noisy. But the power is endless. Thank you forever, Ganesha-sama."
His roar echoed through the streets even today, mingling with the cheers of the people.
Still, yes, it was very, very noisy.
"Sis, are you sure you're not going to stop our god?" Adi asked sweetly.
"I don't care. I really don't want to care about anything anymore." Shakti replied, visibly drained.
...
Freya said smoothly, ignoring the distant roar, "Well then, let's start the tea party. Loki, you entrusted Hermes with the job, right?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't me directly, it was Finn and the others. Before I came here, Asfi came alone to our headquarters." Loki replied with a nod.
"It seems we've tracked the movements of the lower-tier organizations under the secret factions outside the city. As Finn predicted, they're all non-combatants with no falna. They've been sending large numbers of believers to carry out outside activities."
Astraea's gentle smile faded, and even Demeter's expression grew troubled.
"That means…" Astraea began.
"Yes, plunder and coercion." Loki confirmed. "They're expanding their influence through violence."
"No matter the era, invasions in the name of faith are terrifying. Even gods can be horrified by them." Demeter said gravely.
Meanwhile, on the first floor of the café.
Akira placed an order for two slices of cake before heading toward the dazed blonde girl sitting alone.
"Good afternoon, Ais."
Hearing the familiar voice, Ais lifted her head quickly, her eyes lighting up. A small smile formed on her lips.
"…Akira?"
Loki continued upstairs, "Among the believers, there's one group acting particularly suspiciously."
"Where are they active?" Freya asked sharply.
"Far north of Orario, in the Dedine region."
"Dedine… Dedine…" Freya muttered, distaste clear in her tone. "What a vile name. I'd rather not remember that place at all."
Loki said, resting her chin on her hand, "According to Hermes, there's been no open disturbance. But their activity level is frantic. Desperation is written all over it."
Her words carried a hidden weight, and Demeter's brows furrowed.
"I can't make sense of it." Demeter admitted. "Evilus is extending its reach beyond the city but to what end?"
"The trigger from the magic stone factory, the sacred tree in the elven forest, and now secret operations in Dedine. What are they trying to accomplish?" Astraea wondered aloud.
They already knew two powerful people were acting as the faction's muscle, but for a group lacking top-tier fighters, such bold moves were suspicious. There had to be another goal.
"We already know what that trigger is for." Loki cut in, pointing at Astraea. "Thanks to your child's intel, Finn ran tests. Looks like it's meant to be combined with Kaensekis to make a self-detonation device anyone can use."
As Finn's goddess, Loki could already picture the danger. Pile enough Kaensekis with the faction's sought-after items, and one wrong move would turn them into a city-level threat.
"Hmm. I didn't know that child was so close to your familia." Freya remarked, eyes narrowing in interest.
Demeter thought, 'I thought my little savior only got along with that war princess girl but it seems he's tied to all of Loki Familia.'
"Jealous?" Loki grinned, raising an eyebrow. "What can I say? Your kid spends all day clinging to you, a nymphomaniac, unlike mine, who actually goes out."
She did feel a headache coming on from Ais' constant daydreaming about that brat, but Loki couldn't deny her high expectations for Akira's unpredictable potential.
Freya's eyes flashed with irritation before she quickly smoothed it over with a silky chuckle. "Jealous? No, just surprised. But don't be too proud. My followers are also unparalleled in their loyalty to me. They are just more willing to show off their charm around me."
"Hah. Charm." Loki scoffed, crossing her arms. "You just seduce kids with your looks. My familia is built on trust and strength."
The two locked eyes, faint lightning sparking in the air.
"Okay, okay." Astraea interrupted with a soft cough. "Now's not the time for this."
Demeter, smiling warmly, tried to diffuse the tension. "Freya, Loki, you two get along so well."
Both deities instantly rolled their eyes and spoke in perfect unison.
"Who gets along with her?!"
"Hehehe." Astraea giggled, sipping her tea.
Loki finally raised his hands in defeat, exasperation clear in her crimson eyes. Dealing with these two goddesses was a battle she simply couldn't win.
"Alright, alright. Back to the topic." She said, almost as if cutting off her own defeat.
There were good reasons for her restraint. First, Astraea's bond with her child was ironclad. If Loki so much as accused Akira of bullying her, it might end with her being scolded instead.
Second, Demeter controlled a frightening portion of Orario's food supply. Anger that particular goddess, and you might just find yourself going hungry.
Loki added, leaning forward with an unusually serious tone, "By the way, that self-destruct device we found? Extremely dangerous. If it goes off close to someone, even Level 1 adventurers could end up seriously injured. Don't say I didn't warn you, make sure your familias know to be careful."
Her words made both Astraea and Freya exchange glances of concern. Loki wasted no time and shared the intelligence about the device to the two goddesses.
Why just two?
The reason was straightforward. Demeter's familia was a commercial one. Most of its members weren't strong fighters at all. In truth, they might not even be capable of defending their own voluptuous goddess in a crisis. This meant that the Demeter Familia would likely not participate in the direct battle against evilus.
Their contribution, instead, would be logistics. Support. Supplies for those on the front lines.
"Alright, I understand." Astraea nodded.
"Got it." Freya echoed.
It was then that Demeter's expression shifted, as if a thought had struck her.
Demeter said, "Speaking of logistics, evilus has been very active lately. Even if they've been plundering and gathering believers, their supplies should be limited. So, where exactly are they getting all these resources?"