"I refuse."
A request that should have been a formality was unexpectedly turned down.
"May I ask why?"
The Guild receptionist, who had come to deliver the request to Freya Familia, was left dumbfounded. She had assumed this was a done deal—surely Freya would accept. But to her surprise, the goddess refused.
Caught off guard, the receptionist couldn't help but ask for an explanation.
Freya's mesmerizing gaze swept over the cute receptionist. Her allure was so overwhelming that even the female receptionist instinctively swallowed, as if momentarily entranced. Seeing that reaction, Freya smiled, satisfied, and gave her reason.
"These aren't the conditions I want."
Taxes? Expedition quotas?
None of that mattered to Freya right now.
With the strength and size of her Familia, she could handle the Guild's burdens even without concessions. So those offers meant nothing to her.
Of course it wasn't going to be something easy.
The receptionist's face fell. She knew it—when her turn came, it was bound to be a headache. What should have been a straightforward job had ended with Freya's refusal.
Thankfully, she had prepared for this outcome.
"In that case, I'll take my leave, Goddess Freya."
She had braced herself for rejection from the start.
After all, Guild requests weren't mandatory. Even if negotiations fell through, it wasn't her place to press the issue or bargain further.
At this point, the smartest move was to exit quickly.
"Loki is busy preparing for the expedition."
"Ganesha is still dealing with Evilus."
"If there were any other Familia in Orario fit to handle this, Ouranos-sama wouldn't have passed it on to me."
Freya had refused the terms Ouranos proposed, but that didn't mean she was unwilling to talk—provided the terms aligned with what she wanted.
"Freya-sama, I'll relay your words to Ouranos-sama."
The receptionist's face twitched a little, but she quickly forced a smile and shifted the conversation.
Matters between gods were well beyond her pay grade. All she had to do was remember Freya's request and pass it on to her superiors.
…
Freya's intentions were quickly relayed within the Guild—more precisely, to the ears of Ouranos and Fels.
"So, she figured something out after all."
Fels spoke with a tinge of admiration. She had never underestimated the gods of Orario, but this time, not a single word had leaked—yet Freya still managed to pick up on something. Fels was well aware of what Freya truly wanted.
"Ouranos, it's Bell Cranel's information she's after, isn't it?"
Ouranos gave a small nod.
"That's just how she operates."
"The Guild's kept the information suppressed, and that child has someone helping conceal things for him too. But all that's done is fuel her curiosity—made her want to know even more about him."
That was typical of the Goddess Freya. Rather than relying on secondhand information, she preferred to see things with her own eyes.
"Should we tell her?"
Ouranos fell silent, lost in thought.
"We don't even have the full picture on Bell Cranel ourselves. Let's just give her what we do know."
Fels hadn't expected Ouranos to take such a bold step.
"Is that really okay?"
Ouranos shook his head, unconcerned.
"Her interest has always been in that child. The connection to Zeus and Hera will only draw her attention more, but it won't bring any real harm to him."
The most crucial information still had to be hidden—like the power Bell possessed, or the fact that he might be the one to carry Orario's future on his shoulders.
Compared to those, the less critical parts could be used as a bargaining chip.
"Besides, Freya won't make a move unless she's certain. At the very least, this buys that child some time."
Fels stayed quiet for a moment before nodding.
"I'll compile what we can share, encode it in sacred script, encrypt it, and have someone deliver it to Freya."
...
That afternoon, the same Guild receptionist returned to the Freya Familia, once again facing the languid goddess sipping wine.
She tried to avert her gaze, but her eyes kept being drawn back to Freya. Slowly, her once-clear eyes sank into desire, becoming glazed and unfocused.
It was charm.
Freya's authority as a goddess of beauty and love—one that could bewitch all beings. Though her divine powers had been sealed, even a fraction of that charm was more than enough to manipulate sealed gods and children in Genkai alike.
Freya attempted to probe the girl's memories, but found nothing of value.
"The Guild's really done a thorough job of protecting him."
Still, even without success, Freya had gleaned enough from Ouranos's attitude.
"Give it to me."
While digging through the receptionist's memories, she had already noticed the envelope Ouranos meant as an offering.
With a blank expression, the receptionist drew an envelope from her chest.
It bore a unique seal.
"They've sealed the intel this tightly… do they want me to know, or not?"
Freya carefully examined the envelope. The seal on it was of a special kind—one only certain gods could break.
Letters like this were common in Tenkai. After all, gods sometimes liked to send private messages, and not all divine correspondence was meant for every god to read. These seals ensured that only specific recipients could unlock them—just like the one on this envelope.
But what was commonplace in Tenkai was anything but in Genkai.
An envelope like this here meant only one thing: "special." With a soft sigh, Freya smiled and broke the seal.
The moment her eyes skimmed the sacred text inside, her pupils widened—then her lips curled into a broad smile.
"So that's how it is… I see… Everything was already set in motion."
"Zeus and Hera… To think that child is tied to those two Familia."
"Then there's only one reason he came to Orario."
He was sent—deliberately.
Understanding that, Freya could only feel a sense of regret. If the child hadn't been special, there was no way he could've escaped her notice.
But that realization came too late. Only if she had known his true identity from the beginning could she have seen through the façade of normalcy and recognized what set him apart.
This information was months late.
Still, while there was a tinge of regret, Freya's curiosity had only deepened.
"What color is that child's soul, I wonder?"