It was Heith Velvet, the level three healer of the Freya Familia.
She was very beautiful, giving off a completely different vibe from Maryuu, who felt more like a dependable older sister.
Heith walked half a circle around Mizuki, mumbling under her breath.
“Hmm… handsome, sharp eyebrows, no mistake about it, it’s you.”
Her gaze swept over him, and she grew delighted when she sensed no adventurer presence from his body.
Excellent!
He was not even an adventurer!
If she brought him back as he was, Goddess Freya would definitely be pleased.
She closed the distance in a few swift steps, putting on a bright smile as she extended a direct invitation.
“Hello, Mr. Mizuki. Please come with me! Our goddess, Freya, invites you as her guest!”
Mizuki paused for a moment.
Freya invited him?
Realization struck him.
So that was it.
No wonder Alise had said such strange things earlier.
She had simply been warning him not to get snatched away by the Goddess of Beauty’s subordinates.
Looking at the girl standing before him with an innocent smile masking a far from innocent motive, he politely shook his head.
“Thank you for the offer, but I am afraid I must decline.”
“Why?” Heith tilted her head, confused.
“Our familia is full of powerful adventurers. If you join us, you will receive the finest resources, and Goddess Freya will surely adore you.”
Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Astraea Familia residence, every head was crowded against a single window.
“Look, the one talking to Mizuki, the girl with the pink twin tails, that is Heith from the Freya Familia.”
The first to gossip was their captain, Alise, who practically glued her face to the glass.
“That’s right, that’s her, the healer of the Freya Familia. Word is she knows that magic puzzle box trick,” Lyra said, standing on a chair and doing her best to peek through the narrow gaps between shoulders.
“Captain, what does she want with Mizuki?” Iska crossed her arms, eyes gleaming with excitement for some drama.
“Looks like the Lucky Boy is turning into quite the ladies’ man!”
Neze, the chienthrope, was already busy brainstorming new aliases.
“You said it. Heith definitely has an ulterior motive. I say, if Mizuki actually agrees to go to Goddess Freya, we beat her up.”
“Good idea, let’s make a plan.”
“First, we brew some herbs that cause an upset stomach, and then…”
Several voices joined the conspiratorial whispering.
“Lord Mizuki…”
Haruhime stood behind the crowd on tiptoe, unable to squeeze her way through.
She desperately wanted to see what was happening outside.
“Please let me see too!” Gathering her courage, Haruhime tried to wedge in from the side.
“No way, Haruhime.”
Alise turned around with a mischievous grin and held out a hand to stop her.
“You belong to Mizuki’s camp, so you are not allowed to listen. If you want to look, go use the window on the other side.”
“Exactly,” Lyra chimed in.
“What if you secretly leak our plans to him?” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Leak?” Haruhime asked, bewildered.
“What are you planning? Does it have something to do with Lord Mizuki?”
“Never mind that, just stay back. If you want to watch, go over there.”
Haruhime looked down helplessly.
Beside her, Kaguya had also been barred from approaching that side of the hall.
Kaguya spoke up in annoyance, “Hey, why are you keeping me away too?”
Alise and the others immediately teased back, “Why do you think? You belong to Mizuki even more than she does! You definitely cannot listen.”
Kaguya’s temper flared, and she marched straight toward the window.
“Not allowed to listen? Then I insist on hearing what you are plotting.”
“Out of my way!”
“No chance!”
Alise and Iska flanked the path like two impassable guardians, matching smirks on their faces.
“You are Mizuki’s official fiancée. What if you go and tip him off?”
Fuming to the point of speechlessness, Kaguya glanced at Haruhime, who had been pushed aside just like her.
She reached out, took Haruhime by the wrist, and pulled the fox girl to her side.
“Haruhime, do not be afraid!”
Gazing at the troublesome bunch ahead, her eyes filled with resolve as she announced, “From this moment on, you and I are an alliance!”
Haruhime blinked in surprise.
“We are going to teach these gossips a lesson!”
Without another word, Kaguya dragged Haruhime forward and charged straight into the blockade.
“Ah! Kaguya, are you serious?!”
“Quick, hold her back!”
“Stop tickling me! Ahahaha!”
“Haruhime, why are you siding with Kaguya?!”
In an instant, the area by the window dissolved into complete chaos, filled with laughter, scuffling, and playful cries for mercy.
High above on the distant peak of Babel, Freya watched Heith and Mizuki standing before the gate of the Astraea Familia residence, though their voices could not reach her.
She gave a languid wave of her hand.
“Horn, tonight you shall be the goddess Freya.”
“When that child arrives, receive him according to our usual customs.”
Horn replied with a flat, emotionless expression, “Goddess Freya, are you going to indulge in your secret observation game again?”
Back at the entrance of the Astraea Familia manor, Mizuki simply shook his head at Heith’s question.
“There is no particular reason. I just do not wish to.”
Heith stared at him in unvarnished disbelief.
Had she heard correctly?
Was there truly someone in Orario who would turn down an invitation from the Goddess of Beauty, Freya?
Such a thing was unheard of.
“Goddess Freya invited you because she has taken a liking to you,” she pressed.
“We are the strongest familia in Orario, with the greatest treatment. The favor of Goddess Freya is something every adventurer dreams of having.”
Mizuki merely smiled, offering no further explanation.
A dream?
He knew all too well how fickle Freya’s nature could be.
Besides, the members of that familia were obsessive overachievers who did nothing but dive into the dungeon or batter each other in ruthless training.
Even Heith, an exceptional healer, could not cure her own exhaustion under that regime.
On top of that, he already had a wonderful bride waiting for him here, so why would he ever jump into the Freya Familia?
Right then, a louder commotion echoed from the manor hall, carrying the unrestrained shouts and giggles of the girls inside.
“Pardon me, Heith. It was a pleasure meeting you, but I must head back.”
Using the noise as a convenient excuse to leave, Mizuki gave a polite nod of farewell, turned without hesitation, and jogged back through the manor gates.
Heith made no move to chase him.
She simply stood in place, watching his retreating figure.
Even when faced with an invitation from Goddess Freya, he had not wavered for an instant, his gaze entirely clear of greed or hesitation.
This man was indeed extraordinary.
It made sense why even Goddess Freya had set her sights on him.
When Mizuki stepped into the main hall, the scene before him left him at a loss for words.
The entire room was an utter disaster.
The alliance between Kaguya and Haruhime was currently being suppressed by Alise and the rest of the crew.
Alise and the Amazon warrior Iska clung tightly to Kaguya’s arms, completely neutralizing her sword skills.
“Let go of me, you busybodies!”
Kaguya’s cheeks burned red with exasperation.
Haruhime fared no better on the other side.
The chienthrope Lyra had leaped onto Haruhime’s back like a clinging ornament, covering the fox girl’s eyes with both hands.
Meanwhile, Neze crouched on the floor, pinning Haruhime’s legs so she could not take a step.
“Surrender, Haruhime! You are completely surrounded by the champions of justice!” Lyra declared triumphantly into her ear.
“Lady Kaguya! I cannot see!” Haruhime flailed her arms, grasping at nothing but empty air.
“Do not fear, I am coming to save you!” Kaguya struggled to break forward, only to be dragged back by the grinning pair of Alise and Iska.
“Ahahaha! Give it up today, Kaguya!” Alise laughed so hard she could barely keep her grip.
Iska added while holding firm, “Hey, stop wriggling, you are going to ruin my makeup!”
“Um, what in the world are you all doing?”
Mizuki’s voice cut through the air, bringing the chaotic struggle in the hall to a sudden halt.
Lyra hopped off Haruhime’s back.
Alise let go of Kaguya at once, marched up to Mizuki, and planted her hands on her hips in an interrogating stance.
“Confess! You did not get sweet talked into joining the Freya Familia, did you?”
Looking at her dramatic posture, Mizuki spread his hands in amused surrender.
“Of course not. Do I look like that kind of person?”
He glanced past her toward Kaguya, who was busy smoothing down her ruffled clothes, and the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile.