Freya watched the visitor who had come to see her, a faint trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.
The injury to her eyes—burned when she had secretly observed Izumi before—had finally healed.
It had taken considerable effort to recover.
And now, seeing this person arrive…
She truly hadn't expected it.
"Freya, it's been a while."
Apollo greeted her with a pleasant smile.
At his words, Freya, seated in the vast and empty hall, narrowed her eyes slightly.
"What a rare guest."
"Apollo, what brings you here?"
She didn't believe for a second that he had come just to chat.
There had to be a reason.
Apollo chuckled softly. Removing his hat, he spoke again.
"I came to ask about something."
"You're aware of the disturbance that occurred in the sun recently, aren't you?"
"Could you tell me what happened?"
The moment he brought up that topic, a sharp light flickered in Freya's gaze.
Of course she knew.
Even though she had no direct connection to the sun, she had sensed that anomaly clearly.
Something deeply tied to the sun had appeared in this world.
And that something… was connected to Izumi.
During the time she had been healing her eyes, she had never stopped gathering information about him.
Her obsession had only grown stronger.
The more she learned, the deeper her possessiveness became.
Looking at Apollo now, she quickly understood.
As the god of the sun, his interest in this matter was only natural.
At that thought, Freya suddenly smiled.
"I see."
"So that's why you came."
"I do know."
"And I even know where the source lies."
A glint of calculation shone in her eyes.
Perfect.
She could use this opportunity to test him.
She already knew Izumi was strong.
But just how strong?
There was no better pawn than the man standing before her.
Apollo's eyes lit up immediately.
He began questioning her eagerly.
Freya didn't hide much. Instead, she told him selective information.
At the same time, she subtly encouraged him to target the Hestia Familia.
After all, wasn't this exactly Apollo's favorite tactic?
The sun-related power was in Izumi's hands.
If Apollo were convinced that defeating the Hestia Familia would allow him to claim Izumi as the wager…
Wouldn't that be perfect?
Apollo had already wanted to act.
Aside from the sun's power, Hestia's group also had numerous young girls—weak, perhaps, but still to his taste.
Naturally, as Freya continued persuading him, his interest grew.
She even offered support.
Providing several powerful adventurers, for example.
Thus, the two began plotting together.
Freya sought to test Izumi.
Apollo coveted Izumi and his equipment.
Greed clouded his judgment completely.
Even though he still didn't know exactly what the sun-related power was, he didn't care.
He would simply attack first.
And so, Apollo's journey toward his own destruction began.
Meanwhile, at the shop, Izumi suddenly received a message through his bracelet.
It was from Le Fay Pendragon.
Le Fay:
[@Izumi-sama, we've finished learning our skills.]
[Can we go to the second world now?]
Izumi blinked in surprise.
Then he smiled.
Izumi:
[Come over.]
[I've already made arrangements with a certain goddess. She'll grant you her blessing.]
Several people who had been quietly lurking in the group chat immediately appeared.
Gabriel White Tenma:
[Seriously? You're not lying, right?]
[You actually got a god to cooperate with you?]
Vignette Tsukinose April:
[Amazing, Izumi-kun. You've already developed that far in the new world?]
Yui Yuigahama:
[So jealous… We just finished learning skills, and you're already close with the gods.]
More and more messages flooded in.
Izumi chuckled.
He didn't explain further. Instead, he continued.
Izumi:
[Le Fay, bring Megumi and the others directly.]
[@Asagi Aiba, you come too.]
[And bring Megumin along as well.]
He was curious how much Megumin had improved under Le Fay's guidance.
This was the perfect chance to check.
After receiving the message, Le Fay hurriedly finished speaking with the others before preparing to move.
Soon, she would bring Megumi Katō, Asagi Aiba, and the others to the dimensional space guarded by Grayfia Lucifuge.
At the same time, Izumi stood up.
He called Avrora Florestina and Ophis, and the three headed toward the central plaza of Orario.
That location served as the gateway to this world.
Kanon stayed behind to look after the shop.
As they prepared to leave, Hestia hurried after them.
"Where are you going?"
"Take me with you!"
She assumed they were heading out to have fun.
Recently, Hestia had been living quite comfortably.
Ever since staying with Izumi, she could have whatever she wanted.
Her life had become blissful.
Naturally, she didn't want to miss out.
Izumi didn't refuse.
As they walked, Hestia curiously turned to Avrora.
"So, Avrora-chan, where are we going to play?"
Avrora snorted proudly.
"We're not going to play. We're picking someone up."
"Hestia, can't you act your age? You've lived for hundreds of millions of years."
She crossed her arms like a self-important child lecturing an adult.
Hestia's face darkened.
"I'm the last person who wants to hear that from you, you stupid vampire!"
Of all people, she had no right to say that.
Still, over time, the two had become quite familiar with each other.
Although Avrora was a vampire, she was essentially a pure and gluttonous child.
After tasting a single drop of Hestia's blood, she had lost all hostility.
According to her:
"As expected of a virgin goddess. Your blood is the best. Even if you're a god, you're still premium food."
As a result, Hestia had been added to Avrora's list of favorites.
Though, of course, her top choices remained Izumi and Ophis.
Now Hestia was simply another addition.
After all, the blood of a goddess who had remained pure for countless ages…
Was truly delicious.