"Even if that's how you put it, Loki would still blow a fuse."
Freya couldn't help but smile, as if picturing Loki stomping around in a fit.
"...In that case, please go easy on me, Freya-sama. I still have quite a few dealings with Loki-sama—I'd rather not offend her over something like this."
Bell looked completely exasperated. He really didn't want any of those words to reach Loki-sama's ears. If they did, he'd undoubtedly be locked in her resentful glare for days.
There was something oddly charming about Bell's miserable expression that always drew Freya's attention. She rested her chin on the back of her hand, as if this angle let her enjoy the sight of his flustered frustration even more.
"Back in Tenkai, Loki had a temper that could go off at any moment. But as long as you didn't cross certain lines, she could actually carry on a proper conversation."
"Her temper's definitely noticeable. Goddess-sama often says, 'Loki used to start fights between the gods all the time. That girl loves war and blood, but after stirring up a mess, she'd just laugh off to the side like a madwoman.'"
"Well~ Hestia isn't wrong."
Freya agreed with Hestia's assessment. In fact, Loki really was that unhinged in Tenkai. But Freya could also understand why.
"Gods live far too long. At some point, not being mad becomes the abnormality. Even if we're all-knowing and all-powerful in Tenkai, that omnipotence is nothing more than a massive cage."
"It's like someone placed a flock of canaries in a sealed chamber for some mysterious purpose. Eventually, all of them would go mad. And the ones who didn't—those would end up looking out of place in a room full of the insane."
"...So you've always known, Freya-sama."
Bell suddenly realized—this goddess had always been aware.
Freya simply gave a quiet, almost emotionless smile.
"I've already gone mad, too. Among all of us, it's probably only Hestia who still seems remotely normal. She doesn't get swayed by outside circumstances. She stays true to the Authority she governs."
"That's why I placed my heart in someone who was never supposed to exist. Only by doing that could I keep myself from completely losing it before breaking out of that cage."
She had long since gone insane. Her composure came from channeling the obsession and madness within her into that intangible, unreachable half of herself. That's how she endured that torment.
"That's why everyone went completely mad when we learned we could descend to Genkai. But once we arrived, that madness gradually faded. And in its place, we all carried a certain idea deep in our hearts..."
"Like a 'mission' that had been burned into us."
Seeing the mockery in Freya's gaze, Bell understood exactly what kind of 'mission' the gods had been forced to accept. And honestly, it was absurd. Why would the gods even have such thoughts? Perhaps from the very beginning... their fate had already been set.
"A fixed destiny... Freya-sama, that isn't completely mandatory, is it?"
"No, not completely. It's more of a subconscious influence. Most of them probably haven't realized it. Still, there were a few gods who noticed it—and it was that awareness that led them to seal away their own powers."
"So in the end, it really is mandatory."
"Yes. Absolutely. Only gods who voluntarily seal their divine power can pass through the barrier of Tenkai and descend to Genkai. The seal imprints onto the barrier, and once it's lifted—or if a god suffers a fatal wound—they're instantly sent back to Tenkai. The conditions for descending are extremely strict."
Freya recalled how she, too, had once sensed that subtle influence. It was that slight awareness that made her extra cautious upon arriving in Genkai. But that caution alone had led her to uncover so much. And because she knew, Freya had managed to test the very limits of that seal.
Pushing aside her drifting thoughts, she turned to Bell with a meaningful smile.
"For someone who's just a normal adventurer, you sure know a lot of secrets."
Bell's expression twitched slightly at her words, but he quickly returned to his usual calm and shamelessly nodded.
"Yes, for an ordinary adventurer like me, I know way too much. That's why I have to be extra careful walking around Orario. And it's also why I avoid showing my true face."
Freya let out a soft sigh. This child really did act like this no matter the situation. He hid himself completely, never letting anything slip—just so he wouldn't expose himself.
"Let's set that topic aside for now."
She knew he would never voluntarily reveal anything, so there was no point in pressing further.
"But if you came to Orario in pursuit of power..."
Just as the conversation reached that point, an overwhelming wave of magic suddenly engulfed the entire tavern.
The abrupt interruption made a cold gleam flash through Freya's eyes—but she quickly concealed it.
"Freya-sama!"
A cat person, one of the waitresses who had been standing quietly nearby, immediately rushed to Freya's side.
The other waitresses also sprang into combat readiness.
The staff of the "Hostess of Fertility" were not to be underestimated. None of the waitresses here were pushovers.
Mia Grand, the tavern's owner, was a solid Level 6. The other four key waitresses were all around Level 4, with only Syr, the poster girl, being the weakest among them.
The tavern's interior was now wrapped in a strange red hue from the magical pressure. Everyone inside felt a heavy weight pressing down on them, severely limiting their movements.
At that moment, a figure burst in from outside.
Before the waitresses could react, a blade streaking with blood was already bearing down on Freya.
Even a Level 4 adventurer would've had no time to respond. Naturally, as a goddess, Freya wasn't any faster.
But right then, Freya saw the blade clearly—and the person behind it. Still, she continued smiling at the child across from her.
'So... what will you do?'
...
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