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

Seeing the tenderness in those narrow, crimson eyes, and recalling Loki's wild and unrestrained nature in the heavens, Freya felt that she had truly changed.

"So, could you please tell me why you invited me here?"

"Yeah, I just haven't had a casual chat in a while."

"He's a liar."

Seeing Freya's cold smile hidden in the shadows of her hoodie, Loki, abandoning his earlier playful demeanor, boldly raised the corners of his mouth in a smile. The atmosphere between them had instantly undergone a complete 180-degree shift.

Unfortunately, the waiter who came to take orders was so intimidated by the immense, quiet power emanating from the two deities that his facial muscles twitched, and he stood frozen in place as if bound by iron chains. As for Ais, her expression remained unchanged, and she did not disturb the two deities, simply observing quietly from the side.

"I'll get straight to the point. What kind of good deed are you planning?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about, Loki?"

"Stop pretending to be confused, you idiot."

Freya gave the immobilized waiter a gentle smile, at which point his eyes widened, and his face flushed as if he had a fever. He then turned and fled the scene at breakneck speed.

As the others dispersed, she turned her gaze back and saw Loki's narrow eyes, sharp and alert like those of a raptor.

"You've been too restless lately. You shamelessly claimed you had no interest in the 'banquet' but then went anyway, and judging from your tone just now, you were obviously gathering information... What trick are you planning this time?"

"What kind of trick is this? Don't put it so harshly!"

"Stop arguing."

"Whenever you do something strange, it's never anything good"—this is the meaning behind every word Loki speaks. Her crimson eyes clearly convey her message: Dare to cause me trouble, or I won't be so polite.

The two exchanged glances. Freya met Loki's gaze with a smile, a gaze that could kill even a snake. The two gods unleashed a dangerous divine power invisible to the naked eye, and by the time they realized it, the shop was already empty, effectively rented out by Freya and her companions.

As Ais watched, the silent exchange between the two gods seemed destined to continue for eternity.

However, Loki gradually became tired and weak.

She no longer maintained her previous attitude and said in a definitive tone:

"Men?"

"..."

The goddess didn't answer. She simply smiled beneath her hoodie.

But Loki seemed to take her smile as an affirmation.

Loki let out a long sigh of annoyance.

"Sigh... So you've taken a fancy to a child from a certain clan, right?"

Freya's promiscuity... to put it bluntly, she was fickle and promiscuous, a fact well-known among the gods.

As soon as she spotted a boy she fancied—who was always a child from the lower realms—she would immediately launch her offensive, using her unparalleled "beauty" to claim him as her own. Countless people have fallen under the spell of her alluring beauty, which could also be described as bewitching, and become her captives.

Freya's target this time is probably members of other [Familia].

She will attend the "Feast of the Gods" in order to find out which "familia" the child belongs to.

Needless to say, attacking a child who has already made a pact with another celestial being—stealing their love—would inevitably cause conflict. If the target of the provocation were a powerful [Familia], Freya would likely suffer considerable losses and be severely disadvantaged. Therefore, she did not act rashly, but instead first traveled around gathering intelligence. This was Loki's speculation.

Freya did not deny what Loki said.

"I can't stand you, you slutty goddess. You're in heat all year round, don't you ever consider your partner?"

"Oh dear, that's not right. I also have my own choices."

"You're talking nonsense. Don't you even think about who's been playing around with all those idiotic male gods?"

"Building connections with them can make things easier. You can get things done in many ways."

Loki made a "cough" sound in his throat. Hearing her mercilessly berate him for being tasteless, Freya slightly, really just slightly shrugged her thin shoulders.

Loki seemed to have no more questions to ask, leaning his entire weight against the back of the chair and making a "squeak" sound.

She seemed to have nothing better to do, so she put her hands behind her head and leaned back slightly. Freya also picked up her cold glass, brought it to her lips, and settled into the space where the question-and-answer session had ended.

Beside them stretched a cloudless sky. The clamor of the main road assaulted their ears.

A gentle breeze blew in through the open window, softly caressing Freya's robe.

"so what?"

"...?"

"What kind of kid have you taken a liking to this time? When did you find out?"

Tell me, Loki said, a smirk playing on his lips.

By demanding that Freya reveal at least this much information, she completely exposed her god-like love of watching the drama unfold.

Her eager eyes seemed to say: You're not leaving until you tell me.

"..."

"You've made me go through all this trouble, I have the right to hear your side of the story."

When Loki pressed her with flimsy reasons, Freya turned her face toward the window on her left.

Before her were many children walking on the street. She seemed to recall some scenes from the past, her silver eyes deep within her hoodie gazing into the distance.

"...He's not strong. Compared to your or my family's children, he's still completely unreliable. He gets hurt by the smallest things and bursts into tears in no time...that's the kind of child he is."

"But," her delicate lips trembled.

"He's so beautiful. So clear-eyed. That child has a color I've never seen before."

So he stole my attention and captivated me, she said.

The soprano's voice carried a subtle warmth that no one could detect.

"I really discovered him by chance. He just happened to come into my view."

Freya recalled the scene and recounted it in detail. She looked out the window at the scenery, as if trying to relive her encounter with the other person.

"Back then, it was like this too..."

On a hazy morning, on the main street to the west.

The young man was walking towards here from the other end of the road.

Yes, just like it's running past your field of vision right now.

"—!"

Freya stopped moving.

Those silver eyes were fixed on the "white-haired boy" wearing adventurer's armor.

The boy weaved through the bustling crowd, sometimes slowing down, sometimes stopping, and kept running forward.

He headed towards the arena and the monster festival. Just like the surrounding crowd, the boy moved towards the enormous, circular facility. Freya watched his retreating figure, a seductive smile slowly spreading across her face.

"I'm sorry, I have an urgent matter."

"Huh?"

Let's make it another time.

Leaving the stunned Loki behind, Freya got up and left her seat.

She covered herself completely with a long robe and left the shop.

Only Loki and Ais remained in the same spot.

"What's wrong with that guy? He suddenly stood up and left."

Loki stared at the staircase where Freya had disappeared for a long time, a look of surprise on his face.

At that moment, Loki tilted his head, "Hmm?"

Right next to her, at a distance from the window, Ais was gazing outwards.

"Ais, what's wrong? What happened?"

"……No."

"It's nothing," Ais continued, while still looking outside.

Coincidentally, her golden eyes, like the goddess's silver pupils, were also chasing after the familiar white hair.

✲

"Here, this is for you."

"Ooh ooh..."

Hestia sighed with emotion upon seeing the small box handed to her by Hephaestus, who was dressed in work clothes. Even though she had large dark circles under her eyes, her face was beaming with joy.

"Have I met your requirements?"

"Mmm, I'm very satisfied! How could I possibly be dissatisfied!"

Hestia snapped the lid open to check the contents.

A short sword with a black hilt, stored in a black scabbard.

This weapon, entirely black from top to bottom and seemingly unadorned at first glance, is Hephaestus's masterpiece—of course, Hestia also contributed her modest efforts.

Looking at Bell's weapon, which had taken almost a day to complete, Hestia's face showed an unprecedented expression of satisfaction.

"Oh, right, what should we name this weapon, Hephaestus? How about I name it? Let me think... Since it's the fruit of my love with Bell, how about calling it 'The Dagger of Love'?"

"No, the weapon feels rotten... But, well, there's no other way to describe it except as a weapon of a god (you)..."

"It should be called 'Goddess's Blade (Hestia)'," Hephaestus said softly.

Oh dear—how embarrassing! Hestia, who had been smiling all along, put her hands on her head, her face beaming. Her long twin ponytails, tied on either side of her head, swayed in waves as if to express her good mood.

"I'm telling you now, you're not allowed to default on your debts."

"Okay, okay!"

Hephaestus loosened her hair, which was tied up in a bun, and warned Hestia again. Hestia, who was overjoyed, simply nodded with a smile.

While her best friend was sighing, she had already begun preparing to leave without stopping.

"Are you leaving?"

"Um, I'm sorry!"

Hestia seemed unable to sit still for even a second. She quickly packed up and headed straight for the door.

"Hestia, take a short rest!"

She turned her back to the source of the sound and waved without turning her head.

Hestia walked out of the small room next to the studio and left Hephaestus's shop directly.

(Ah, I really want to give this to Belle right away!)

What kind of expression would the child have? Just imagining it made her feel happy.

Will he show his happiness, look at me with respect, or hug me with deep emotion?

Imagining a perfect scene, Hestia wore a disheveled, limp smile. She swayed back and forth alone on the main street, her face beaming with a blissful "hehe" laugh.

After calming down a bit, Hestia walked down Northwest Street, thinking that it might be safer for her to stay at headquarters and wait for Bell to return. She desperately wanted to give the gift to Bell as soon as possible, but she didn't know where he was.

At this point in time, he should have gone into the underground city...

"Hmm?... Haha, I get it."

Hestia was trying to organize her thoughts, but when she saw the flyer posted on a storefront, she smiled to herself, putting on a smug look.

The flyer listed the schedule and program for today's "Monster Festival".

(Today is the annual festival... If that kid who just arrived in the city knew about this festival, he would definitely be interested and want to go see it...!)

In other words, if she went there herself, she might just happen to run into them. The festival must have been packed with people, so things couldn't possibly go that smoothly, but Hestia was so excited that she didn't think of that.

Bell's every move is under my watchful eye! Hestia, displaying her overconfidence, is determined to head to the festival venue.

The destination is East Street.

"Hey, taxi!"

She stretched out her petite body and small hands as far as she could to stop the horse-drawn carriages that were trying to pick up passengers on the road.

A carriage driven by a young man stopped right in front of Hestia. After getting in, she told the driver where she wanted to go: "East Street, please!"