Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"What do you guys mean by completely ignoring the opinions of the person involved?!" Hestia, who had been there since early morning, had also actively offered her opinions, but after being completely ignored, she lost her temper on the spot.

"You are indeed Freya's 'Resonators' as well."

Please just call us supporters~

"After all, we have received a lot of care from Lady Freya~ so we always want to lend her a helping hand at times like this, or rather, we should help her even more at times like this... In short, we did have a relationship in the past."

It is an undeniable fact that many male gods in Orario stand on the side of the "Goddess of Beauty (Freya)".

For the sake of their beloved goddess, they sometimes even offer help without being asked.

And the so-called "sometimes" is now; they are all secretly assisting Freya.

"Freya has done something unforgivable this time. Don't you understand that?"

"We've figured it out, but ultimately it can't overcome our 'love' for Lady Freya."

"Of course, we also have the ulterior motive of taking this opportunity to perform well and perhaps receive a reward... In the end, we still hope that Lady Freya will continue to be a queen."

The smiles that Moody and Manny showed were different from their previous filthy ones; they carried a different meaning.

Takemikazuchi couldn't help but sigh.

It's possible that, aside from Takemikazuchi, Mih, and Ganesha, all the other male gods are acting for the same reasons as Manny and the others. This grand assembly of the gods, which has been going on for days with nothing but endless debate, is, in essence, a microcosm of "Hestia's allies" versus "Freya's supporters."

"Actually, we didn't intend to secure any particularly favorable conditions for Lady Freya. In fact, Lady Freya herself probably didn't want this situation to happen."

"But at least we should discuss and come up with some fairly fair conditions, after all, there's a difference in the two sides' fundamentals... As long as it's a 6-4 or 7-3 scoreline, a match format that benefits the faction alliance is acceptable."

"So, don't even think about passing those brainless competitions like the eating contest."

Moody and Manny chatted away, their chemistry as good as brothers.

They made it clear that this was their compromise in order to save Freya's face.

"As for Loki, it's the same. If the guild doesn't give the order, no matter how much Lady Freya scolds us afterward, we will do everything we can to prevent them from participating in the war."

"!"

"Ah~ I understand~ Even if Loki really joins the war, I will still cause internal strife in the faction alliance at the start of the game, such as ordering my subordinates to attack Bell Crane or your family."

"After all, this has nothing to do with fairness, but is simply unreasonable."

Takemikazuchi and Mih watched as Moody and Manny made such a bold statement.

"...What do you mean by 'reasonable'?"

Takemikazuchi asked a question.

"Is it Loki, or not Loki?"

Modi gave a simple and concise answer.

"...Isn't this a bit too extreme?"

Mich frowned.

"Really? I think that's perfectly reasonable."

Manny shrugged.

"As for Hephaestus, it's basically fine. After all, her family are all blacksmiths. Once the war starts, Hestia's family will be the ones to take the lead, and I believe they will be the ones to command."

"But Loki is a different story. If she joins the battle, the competition will be dominated by her family's clan."

“…”

Neither Takemikazuchi nor Mih could refute this point.

"Whether it's command, tactics, or combat power, everything will be tainted by Loki's influence. Even if someone else takes the lead, they will only become a figurehead. At that time, it will no longer be the 'faction alliance led by Hestia,' but the 'faction alliance that Loki has turned the tables on.'"

—In that case, we might as well just start a war game with Loki's family from the very beginning.

—To go further, that would just be a public execution, not a competition, right?

Moody and Manny each added a sentence.

Takemikazuchi and Michal then understood.

Even without the guild's order, Loki would never participate in the war.

"The name is important, but we can't get the 'purpose' wrong, right? This is ultimately a war game between the Hestia Familia and the Freya Familia, and other allies must be subordinate to Hestia."

Their argument is very reasonable.

Although the goddesses, who were eager to see the supreme Queen Freya fall from power and harbored resentment towards her, used all sorts of tricks to scheme against her, the gods, who knew the goddess of beauty's "love," would never allow their evil schemes to succeed.

The divine will of Modi, Manny, and other gods was simply to "fight a good battle and settle things once and for all," nothing more.

"...Will you join Freya's group?"

"Of course not, it's really impossible, since Lady Freya hopes we won't help."

"Although we believers (us) try our best to create a fair fight, this is all we can do. If we were to go to Lady Freya and volunteer to fight alongside her, we would not only be driven away, but we would also get a beating on the spot."

"..."

"When Lady Freya announced the war game, she was determined to fight alone, so we must at least not tarnish the goddess's dignity."

When Moody and Manny uttered their last words, they adopted a solemn expression befitting their divine status.

Takemikazuchi and Mih fell silent, and at the same time, they looked at them with new respect.

It turns out that Modi and his friends also possessed a will that could be called conviction.

"That's it, anyway, we're planning to watch the fight from the sidelines—but do you know what that idiot Dorumur said?!?"

"My Louis has also declared, 'Now is the time to repay Bell Craney!' He won't listen to me at all!!"

Moody and Manny, however, immediately forgot their seriousness and began to cry loudly.

"He seems to be holding a grudge about Aina being tricked! No matter how much our supreme god tries to dissuade him, he won't listen! He even said something like, 'Who wants to take your orders!'"

"Wow! Luvis is such a big idiot! What a useless son!"

Faced with the two male gods crying and wailing, Takemikazuchi and Miho, who had been full of admiration, were dumbfounded.

"It's all gone! Our [Family] has been destroyed!!"

"You only have yourself to blame..."

【Takemikazuchi Familia】, 【Mih Familia】, 【Modi Familia】, 【Manni Familia】 -- Join the battle.

"Those damn heartthrobs! They're always getting in our way—!"

"Now that things have come to this, it's time for all the goddesses to unite! Now is the time to deliver divine punishment to that hateful Freya!"

This is somewhere in the city.

On the night the assembly of the gods concluded, the gods, dressed in black robes, shouted loudly in a strange mansion.

"But we can't invite Demeter! Her faction has suffered greatly and is severely weakened. More importantly, she's very close to Freya! She's the only one Freya ever invited to bathe with her in the sacred bathhouse!"

"More importantly... her breasts!"

"That's right! Those huge breasts!"

"It's so big it's outrageous! She absolutely cannot join!"

"So, Hathor, you'll be the leader!"

"Pause, pause, pause, why is that?!"

One of the goddesses was named.

She has long, simply tied-up black hair and snow-white skin. She wears fig earrings and a necklace, and a bull's head mask that covers the upper half of her face. Her height is 155C (Selchi), only slightly taller than the young goddess (Hestia).

Her face is covered and her figure is similar to that of a young girl. Her name is Hathor. She is one of the goddesses located on the Tower of Abundance in the "Goddess Festival". Among the gods, there is a rumor that "Hatho has the strongest maternal instinct for young girls".

"Because you, like Freya, are both goddesses of abundance!"

"Ishtar, the vanguard of the anti-Freya promotion faction, is no longer with us; only you can shoulder this heavy responsibility!"

"But I don't hate the goddess of beauty (Freya)~ and the abundance I control is just a side effect~"

Hathor, who was resting on the sofa, lazily declined, but he still couldn't stop the goddesses in front of him.

"But didn't you say things like, 'I can't let those popular goddesses with reverse harems get away with this,' and 'Let's show everyone what a real reverse harem is all about!'"

"That's just an exaggeration."

"In short, you're not allowed to make excuses!"

"Hey, that's enough! You're doing it again! Whoa! What are you doing?! Stop it—whoa ...

Goddess Alliance – Join the battle.

Time keeps passing by.

The assembly of gods was held day and night, with constant discussions. The people, who could only look up at the gray-white giant tower, gradually became uneasy, and even the guild had to patiently wait for the gods to reach a conclusion.

During this period, the number of people willing to participate in the war continued to increase, and they joined faction alliances one after another. Looking at the list of participants filled with names, voices gradually emerged among the guild staff that "there might be a chance to win."

"No, there's no chance of winning."

But—

One evening during the week that the goddess announced the start of the war game, Hermes plopped down in a chair.

This is the shrine within the headquarters of the Hermes Familia. After returning from the assembly of the gods, the chief god casually tossed the parchment he was holding onto the table. Asphie, who had been welcoming the chief god's return, only opened her lips after a long while.

"...Isn't it a bit premature for you to say that?"

"It's not early at all. Hestia and Bell are bound to lose."

Faced with Asphie's stern question, Hermes calmly refuted her.

"It has nothing to do with how many combat forces are gathered. It's meaningless if there's a lack of equal combat power (Loki). That's how cruel the battle with Lady Freya was."

"This kind of thing..."

"If Ais could have joined the battle, there would have been at least a tiny chance of victory... but Lady Freya beat us to it. Under these 'conditions,' we're completely checkmated by our opponent."

The male god's tone is different from being optimistic or resigned to fate; it's more like he has a complete understanding of the situation.

Upon hearing the word "conditions," Asifi frowned in confusion and asked again:

"What should we, the Hermes Familia, do...?"

"As long as one member participates in the battle, the entire faction will be considered to have joined the alliance. After Lady Freya wins alone, in order to consolidate her relationship with Brother Bell, she will inevitably put 'collars' on all the defeated gods. We must prevent this from happening in any way possible."

"Huh... You went to great lengths to help Bell and the others back in the 'Closed World,' but now you're backing down?"

"I'm not a hero, and I don't want to throw my bets away in a game that can't even be considered a bet."

“…………”

"Aisha definitely can't stop her... but she's registered with the empty faction (Plutos) in the guild, so it doesn't matter."

Hermes shrugged at Asif's weak and feeble appeals, much like an old man.

It is only natural for the main god to choose to "protect himself" and prioritize the safety of his "kin," so Asphie cannot question or condemn it.

"...If he can turn the tide even in this situation, then he..."

Asphie overheard her idol's soft, almost inaudible mutterings, but no matter how much time passed, the words never came to an end.

Hermes seemed to forbid himself from having any optimistic speculations and refused to continue speaking.

"This time, however... I want to fight alongside them."

In contrast, Asphie, despite knowing that this was not like her usual style, still spoke her mind.

"I don't sympathize with the goddess Hestia or Bell Crane and the like, but... ever since I learned of Leon's 'wish,' I've hoped to offer assistance at least until her return—"

Hermes listened with his eyes closed to his family’s determination, then raised his hand to interrupt her.

And he showed an expression that he completely understood the other person's thoughts, but that saying anything more would only increase the sadness.

"I apologize, but the Conference of the Gods has specifically named [Perseus] as a person who is forbidden from participating in the war."

"Huh!" Asifi was stunned by this unexpected command.

This is why—

Just as Asphie was about to blurt out the question, Hermes handed her the parchment that had been lying on the table.

"This is—"