Footsteps approached rapidly from outside.
Then the front door of the Hostess of Fertility was thrown open with enough force to rattle the hinges.
BANG!
It would have slammed straight into the wall if Mia’s large hand had not caught the edge of the door first.
The towering proprietress did not even look up from the mug she was polishing.
“If you break my door, you pay ten times the repair cost.”
The small goddess standing in the entrance froze.
Loki slowly removed her hand from the door and carefully guided it back into place.
“I was merely opening it with enthusiasm, Mia.”
“Your enthusiasm has already broken two of my tables.”
“Don’t let insignificant events from the distant past damage our friendship.”
“I seem to remember you still haven’t finished paying for them.”
Loki pretended she had not heard that last sentence.
She straightened and swept her gaze across the tavern.
Then she found the long table occupied by the Astraea Familia.
A wide grin spread across her face.
“Found you!”
The patrons who had fallen silent the moment Loki began shouting outside collectively moved their chairs away from the path between her and the table.
No one wanted to stand in the way of Orario’s most notorious troublemaking goddess.
Especially when three of the city’s most formidable figures had entered behind her.
Finn Deimne stepped through the doorway with his usual composure.
Riveria Ljos Alf wore the expression of someone regretting every decision that had led to this evening.
Gareth Landrock gently closed the door behind them and gave Mia a nod as one old acquaintance to another.
“I brought people to limit the damage.”
“If you fail, I’m billing your Familia,” Mia replied.
“Fair enough.”
“Stop talking as though I’m some monster you brought into the tavern on a leash!” Loki protested.
“Most monsters respond better to warnings than you do,” Riveria said.
Laughter broke out from several nearby tables.
Loki spun around and pointed at the elf.
“Riveria!
You’re supposed to be on your goddess’s side!”
“I am on the side responsible for paying for broken doors.”
Before the argument could escalate, Alice stood and waved.
“Over here, Loki!”
The goddess immediately turned back.
Her narrow eyes found Alice, Ryu, Kaguya, Lyra, and the other women gathered around the table.
The severe expression from moments earlier transformed into a disturbingly delighted smile.
“Ohhh!
All my lovely girls are here together!”
“None of them are yours,” Riveria reminded her from behind.
Loki ignored her.
She marched toward the table with her arms spread as though she intended to embrace the entire Familia at once.
Kaguya placed one hand on her sword.
Ryu subtly shifted her chair backward.
Lyra ducked behind Neze.
Alice alone continued smiling innocently, apparently unaware that she had become the primary target of an incoming disaster, until Astraea caught the back of her clothing and pulled her down into her seat.
“Loki,” the goddess of justice said.
“Didn’t you come here to meet my new member?”
“Oh.
Right!”
Loki temporarily abandoned the assault.
Her gaze swept across the table again.
There was only one man among the entire group.
No introduction was necessary.
The black-haired young man sat beside Astraea, his black-violet coat and natural bearing making the ridiculous rumors about a foreign prince irritatingly believable.
He did not startle at Loki’s arrival.
He did not attempt to retreat when she entered accompanied by three of Orario’s strongest adventurers.
Nor did he immediately lower his head merely because he knew she was a goddess.
Lelouch simply placed his spoon beside his plate.
Wiped the tips of his fingers with a napkin.
Then raised his violet eyes to meet hers.
For a moment—
Loki’s grin stopped.
Their gazes locked.
The first thing Lelouch saw was an undersized goddess who deliberately exaggerated everything about herself.
She was loud.
Restless.
Apparently driven almost entirely by her obsession with beautiful women.
But the details did not match the performance.
Despite barging into the tavern recklessly, Loki had located every exit the moment she entered.
She knew exactly where her own children stood without once needing to turn around.
Before approaching the table, she had already assessed Ryu and Kaguya—both ready to move—and stopped at a distance that would not provoke an actual defensive response.
Her words sounded absurd.
But each one had tested the reactions of those around her.
This goddess wore the mask of a fool.
Not merely to hide herself—
But to encourage everyone else to lower their guard and reveal their own cards first.
At the same time—
Loki saw what lay beneath Lelouch’s refined exterior.
His courtesy was not softness.
His calm expression did not mean an absence of emotion.
And his composure did not come from failing to understand danger.
He was reading her.
Her footing.
The people who had accompanied her.
The distance to the exits.
Astraea’s response.
Even the silence of the surrounding tables was being recorded in those violet eyes.
He did not look at the world as merely a place in which he lived.
He looked at it as a board.
And everyone on it—
As pieces already in motion.
More interestingly—
He knew Loki was reading him in return.
Several seconds passed without a word.
Yet both reached the same conclusion.
The person before them was the same kind of creature.
Someone who concealed several layers of thought beneath a deliberately chosen public face.
Someone capable of laughing through a conversation while simultaneously calculating escape routes, incentives, and future consequences.
Someone who refused to remain a piece on another person’s board when there was still a possibility of seizing control of the game.
Loki laughed first.
Not the exaggerated laugh she used to torment Riveria.
This one was genuine.
The laughter of someone who had just found something far more interesting than expected.
“Ah…”
She grinned.
“I see.”
Loki stopped opposite him.
“So you’re Lelouch.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Loki.”
“You know who I am?”
“If another goddess had been screaming about her harem all the way down the street, I would have to recommend that Orario urgently reevaluate the quality of its deities.”
Finn raised a hand to cover a smile.
Gareth chuckled into his beard.
Riveria gave a tiny nod, as though she could not disagree.
Loki’s grin only widened.
“Sharp tongue too.
I’m starting to like you.”
“I have not yet determined whether that should please or concern me.”
“Both.”
Loki dragged over an empty chair and sat without invitation.
“Bring me some booze!” she shouted toward the counter.
Mia did not even turn around.
“Pay your old tab first.”
Loki immediately pointed at Finn.
“Put it on him!”
Finn sighed and placed a coin pouch on the table for the passing waitress.
“One drink.
Any more and returning home becomes unnecessarily difficult.”
“I’m your goddess!”
“That is precisely why I am limiting you to one.”
Loki grumbled but did not continue arguing.
She propped her chin on one hand and openly inspected Lelouch from head to toe.
“So the rumors weren’t completely ridiculous.
You really do look like some runaway prince.”
“If you came all this way merely to confirm my appearance, I question whether the journey was worthwhile.”
“Oh, I’m not here just because of your face.”
Loki tapped one finger against the table.
“I heard about the mess you made at the Guild.”
Lelouch raised one eyebrow.
“I would hardly call submitting a legitimate proposal ‘making a mess.'”
“You made Royman open the Guild’s purse and promise twenty-four million Valis a year when you haven’t even been in this city for two days.”
Loki snorted.
“If that doesn’t count as making trouble, I suppose we’ll have to call it a miracle.”
“There was no miracle.”
Lelouch’s tone remained flat.
“Only information, incentives, and an outcome the other side could not reasonably reject.”
Loki looked toward Lyra.
“Let me see the contract.”
The Prum immediately hugged her document bag tighter.
“The original is at the manor.”
“The copy?”
“I have it, but—”
“Finn may examine it,” Lelouch said.
“The agreement will become public information anyway.
There is little benefit in hiding it from the Loki Familia.”
Lyra looked at him for confirmation.
Then took out the copy—
And handed it to Finn instead of Loki.
“Why him?!” Loki demanded.
“Because you’re likely to spill food on it,” Lyra answered honestly.
“What kind of person do you people think I am?!”
Riveria looked at the streak of sauce that had somehow appeared on Loki’s sleeve.
“An assessment supported by evidence.”
Finn began reading.
His eyes moved quickly over the terms.
He paused at the certification rules.
The six-month review.
The disclosure clauses.
“Very tight.”
He looked up.
“The Guild can’t deliberately delay certification to avoid reimbursement, but Astraea’s Familia can’t inflate expenses either.”
“A system survives only when neither side can easily exploit it beyond its intended purpose,” Lelouch replied.
“The disclosure clause was yours?”
“Yes.”
“If Royman had rejected the proposal, would you really have sent the report to us?”
“Of course.”
“Even knowing the Astraea Familia would never stop helping civilians?”
Finn’s eyes sharpened.
“The Guild might have considered your ultimatum hollow.”
“The leverage was never based on stopping our work.”
Lelouch folded his hands on the table.
“It came from making every organization dependent upon the same structure realize that they were bearing costs without possessing any influence over the terms.”
Finn nodded slowly.
“Once enough Familias start asking the same question, the Guild has to negotiate even if Astraea’s Familia continues exactly as before.”
“Correct.”
“And if the merchant associations began asking where their fees were going, the pressure would no longer come only from adventurers.”
Loki gave a low laugh.
“So you never threatened to overturn the board.”
She leaned forward.
“You told Royman that if he refused your move, you’d invite another ten players to sit down around the same table.”
“That is an accurate comparison.”
“You’re nastier than that face suggests.”
“I could say the same of you.”
Loki’s tapping finger stopped.
Her grin narrowed.
“What do you mean?”
“You entered loudly enough to make the entire tavern focus on your imaginary harem.”
Lelouch met her eyes.
“You presented yourself as though beautiful women were the only thing in this building capable of holding your attention.”
The table grew quiet.
“Yet within thirty seconds you counted the Astraea Familia members, identified which ones were prepared to use force, recognized that I was the only outsider, and allowed Finn to examine the contract instead of doing so yourself so you could observe my reaction.”
Loki said nothing.
“If you were truly nothing more than the reckless nuisance you perform as…”
Lelouch’s voice remained perfectly courteous.
“…you would never have raised your Familia to the forefront of Orario.”
Silence spread across the table.
Alice looked at Loki with new uncertainty.
Kaguya narrowed her eyes.
Even Riveria turned her full attention toward Lelouch.
Loki let the silence remain for several seconds.
Then—
She burst out laughing so loudly that she slapped the table.
“Hahahahaha!
Excellent!”
She turned toward Astraea.
“Astraea, where did you find this fascinating little monster?”
“Alice found him,” Astraea replied with a smile.
“But Lelouch chose to remain with us himself.”
“What a shame.”
Loki leaned across the table.
“You’ve realized it already, haven’t you?”
“We’re the same kind of person.”
“If you mean people who prefer examining the entire board before making a move, then denying the similarity would be difficult.”
“Not just that.”
Loki’s narrow eyelids opened slightly.
A glimmer of red appeared beneath them.
“We allow people to believe they understand us.”
Her voice lost some of its theatrics.
“Because a misunderstanding we can control is more useful than a truth we cannot.”
The sentence struck something buried deep within Lelouch.
A black mask.
A cloak.
A name that was not his own—
Yet somehow had been.
Countless people shouting that name.
Pain flashed behind his eyes.
Lelouch buried it without allowing his expression to change.
“Are you complimenting me,” he asked, “or yourself through me?”
Loki’s mouth curled upward.
“Both.”
“That answer suits you.”
“And you still haven’t denied it.”
“Denying something the other party has already seen serves no purpose.”
Their gazes locked once more.
No one else at the table entirely understood what had just passed between them.
But everyone could sense the change.
Certainly not friendship.
It was something simpler.
Recognition.
Each had acknowledged that the other belonged at the table as a player—
Not as a piece.
Mia arrived and placed Loki’s drink in front of her.
“One.
Paid for.”
Loki immediately took a swallow.
“Ah!
That’s good!”
“Slow down,” Riveria warned.
“I know my limit.”
“The problem is that you know it and routinely ignore it.”
Loki stuck out her tongue at the elf, then returned her attention to Lelouch.
“All right.”
She set down the mug.
“The Loki Familia will support your agreement.”
Lyra immediately straightened.
“Officially?”
“Officially.”
Loki pointed a thumb toward Finn.
“Tomorrow he’ll send a letter to the Guild stating that a support program for public-security work benefits Orario and should continue after the pilot period.”
Finn nodded.
“We’ll request access to the performance reports as well.”
He looked at Alice.
“If the system proves effective, the Loki Familia can share crime information gathered along our travel routes and coordinate certain assignments with you.”
Alice’s face lit up.
“Thank you!
If the Loki Familia supports it, the Guild will have a much harder time canceling the program!”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
Loki raised a finger.
“I’m not doing this because my heart is pure and beautiful like your goddess’s.”
She gestured toward Finn, Riveria, and Gareth.
“Every time this city gets into trouble, the Guild asks my children to patrol, reinforce districts, or deal with security problems.”
Her grin returned.
“If Astraea’s Familia has the money, equipment, and manpower to keep handling those things, mine gets more time for Dungeon expeditions.”
“Deeper floors.”
“More materials.”
“More fame.”
“More money.”
Loki spread her arms.
“Improved city security is just a delightful side effect.”
Kaguya raised an eyebrow.
“At least you are unexpectedly honest.”
Lelouch lifted his tea slightly.
“What a profoundly noble motivation.”
His voice was perfectly calm.
“Supporting justice so you can transfer burdens away from your own Familia and redirect their strength toward profit in the Dungeon.”
He inclined his head.
“I am so moved that words almost fail me.”
The Astraea Familia collectively went quiet.
Alice stared at Lelouch as though asking whether he had truly just mocked one of Orario’s most powerful goddesses to her face.
Riveria touched her forehead.
Gareth struggled not to laugh.
Finn looked even more interested.
Loki slowly lowered her mug.
“You’re mocking me.”
“I am praising your honesty.”
“With that tone?”
“This is my normal tone.”
One breath of silence passed.
Then Loki exploded into even louder laughter.
“Good!
Very good!
I really do like you!”
She slapped the table hard enough to make the dessert plates jump.
Mia’s head turned immediately.
Loki caught every plate before it could fall.
“Nothing broke!”
Mia turned away again.
Loki lowered her voice.
“Open self-interest makes for a stable alliance.”
“Virtue changes with emotion.”
She tapped the table.
“But as long as your system makes life easier for my Familia, I have a reason to keep supporting it.”
Lelouch nodded.
“I agree.”
“An agreement sustained by one-sided sacrifice eventually collapses.”
“But a structure in which every participant benefits develops incentives to defend itself.”
“See?”
Loki grinned.
“We really do get along.”
“I still believe that conclusion is premature.”
“You say that, but you aren’t rejecting my support letter.”
“Rejecting a useful proposal merely because I dislike the person offering it would be an emotional decision.”
Loki’s grin turned wicked.
“Then do you like me?”
Lelouch regarded her for a moment.
“I have known you for less than half an hour.”
“There is insufficient data.”
“Hahaha!
Be careful with answers like that.”
Loki leaned forward.
“You’ll make me want to come gather more data every day.”
“Please make an appointment in advance.”
Alice immediately moved her chair between them.
“Hold on, Loki.
You came to support the contract, not steal our new member.”
Loki looked at her.
“Possessive already, Alice?”
“I’m the captain!
It’s my job to take care of all the members!”
“You’ve known him one night and you’re already this protective?”
Alice spread both arms in front of Lelouch.
“Of course!
We brought him in.
He’s our precious rookie!”
“I’m less than one step behind you,” Lelouch said.
“There is no need to announce that.”
“Quiet!
This is a negotiation between a goddess and a captain!”
“You are not a goddess.”
“But I’m protecting ours!”
“That still does not repair the original error.”
Loki laughed and leaned sideways to look around Alice.
“What a shame.”
“If I’d found you first, I could’ve brought a very useful strategist home.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Kaguya set down her cup.
Ryu straightened.
The Amazoness folded her arms and stared at Loki.
Lyra hugged the document bag to her chest as though afraid Loki might take both the contract and Lelouch.
Even Neze stopped chewing her pie.
Alice moved fully in front of him.
“No.”
“I haven’t even made an offer yet!”
“Whatever it is, no!”
“Our manor is larger,” Loki began counting.
“We have more money.
Better equipment.
High-level members to train you.
You’d get a private room, three meals a day, a budget for weapon experiments, and access to a huge bath—”
“Stop using the bath as bait to steal our member!” Alice shouted.
“Isn’t that the part you would care about?” Lelouch asked.
“Not the point!”
Astraea did not join the tug-of-war.
Instead, she looked at Lelouch.
“Would you like to hear Loki’s offer?”
Alice spun around.
“Lady Astraea!”
“Lelouch has the right to choose his own family.”
He looked at the goddess of justice.
She did not use her kindness as a chain.
Even if his departure disappointed everyone, Astraea still offered him a genuine choice.
Again—
Painful familiarity stirred inside him.
A pink-haired girl’s smile.
A voice speaking of a world where people might be allowed happiness.
Lelouch closed his eyes for only a moment.
Then answered clearly.
“That will not be necessary.”
He looked toward Loki.
“The Astraea Familia gave me shelter, food, and an opportunity when I had nothing to offer them.”
His voice became firm.
“I have no reason to discard that trust merely because another option is more comfortable.”
Alice immediately smiled.
Ryu relaxed.
Kaguya’s lips curved faintly.
Astraea only nodded.
She would not turn his answer into a debt later.
Loki studied him.
“More loyal than I expected.”
“Strategic thinking and betraying one’s benefactors are not synonymous.”
“Good answer.”
Loki sighed dramatically.
“Now I regret it even more.”
Alice immediately grabbed Lelouch’s arm.
“Stop regretting it.
He’s staying with us!”
“Relax.
I’m not interested in men.”
Loki waved dismissively.
“No matter how handsome he is, a man is still a man.
I came here for the girls.”
Everyone fell silent.
Lelouch looked down at the arm Alice was still holding.
“Then what exactly was the purpose of the entire conversation we just had?”
“I wanted your brain for work.”
Loki grinned shamelessly.
“And I could use you as an official excuse to visit Astraea’s girls more often!”
“I am beginning to regret praising your honesty.”
Loki ignored him.
She waited for everyone to relax—
Then launched herself over the chair toward Alice.
“Come to me, Alice-chan!”
“Wait—Loki!”
Alice dodged sideways.
Loki flew past her.
“Ryu-chan is fine too!”
Ryu rose and took one smooth step backward.
Loki changed targets mid-lunge.
“Kaguya-chan!”
Kaguya’s sword slid one inch from its sheath.
Loki stopped in mid-motion.
“Do none of you possess a sense of humor?!”
“If you take one more step, I will teach you Far Eastern humor personally,” Kaguya said.
Loki turned toward Lyra.
The Prum raised a wooden tray as a shield.
“Don’t touch me!”
“You’re all so cruel!”
“Enough, Loki.”
Riveria seized the back of the goddess’s clothing.
“Let me go!
I haven’t greeted everyone yet!”
“Your method of greeting qualifies as harassment.”
“This is affection!”
“No recipient has consented.”
Gareth stepped over and simply lifted Loki from the floor while she continued kicking and reaching toward the Astraea Familia.
“Alice!
Ryu!
Think about it!
My house has money!”
“We have money now!” Alice replied proudly.
“Then I’ll add a bigger bath!”
“No!”
“All meals included!”
“We already have food!”
“Lend us Lelouch three days a week!”
“I am not a relevant component of any of these offers,” Lelouch said.
Mia placed a pitcher on the counter with a heavy thud.
“If you’re going to play tag, take it outside.”
Everything stopped.
Loki, still suspended in Gareth’s arms, immediately raised both hands.
“We’re leaving,” Riveria said.
“I haven’t agreed to leave!”
“No one asked.”
Finn returned the contract copy to Lyra.
Then he looked at Lelouch.
“I’ll send the official letter of support to the Guild tomorrow and provide Astraea’s Familia with a copy.”
“If you’d like to discuss information coordination, visit Twilight Manor.”
“Thank you.”
Lelouch nodded.
“I’ll prepare a reporting format that allows cooperation without exposing either Familia’s internal information and send it for your review.”
Finn smiled.
“I understand why Royman signed.”
“Because the agreement also benefits the Guild.”
“That’s the reason on paper.”
Finn’s eyes remained on Lelouch.
“The real reason is that you made refusing seem like the decision of a fool without once calling him one.”
“I merely displayed the consequences attached to each option.”
“Exactly.”
They exchanged a small nod.
Riveria, still holding Loki’s collar, looked at Lelouch.
“I apologize for the disturbance.”
“From what I’ve observed, you are responsible for containing her rather than causing the disturbance.”
Lelouch glanced toward Loki.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Riveria looked satisfied.
“Hear that, Loki? Get faster updates on g.com.
Even someone who met us tonight understands the situation better than you.”
“I’m your goddess, Riveria!”
“That is the third time you’ve said that.”
Gareth began carrying Loki toward the door.
Then—
“Wait.”
Loki suddenly stopped struggling.
Her voice changed.
No shouting.
No playfulness.
No sign of the fool she had been performing all evening.
“Lelouch.”
He turned.
Though Gareth was still carrying her, Loki twisted enough to face him.
Her red eyes were fully open.
“Have you met Freya yet?”
The name altered the tavern almost imperceptibly.
Several adventurers lowered their voices.
The staff continued working normally.
Behind the counter, Syr’s fingers paused over a glass for only an instant before moving again.
Lelouch noticed.
He did not yet understand it.
“I’ve heard of the Freya Familia.”
“But I have not met their goddess.”
Astraea looked toward him.
The answer was correct according to Lelouch’s knowledge.
It was not correct in reality.
Loki knew nothing about that.
She only sighed.
“Then you’re still lucky.”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you’re annoyingly close to exactly what that woman likes.”
Loki’s gaze moved over him.
“Beautiful face.”
“Aristocratic bearing.”
“Scars buried somewhere inside.”
“And a will that doesn’t bow easily.”
Her smile disappeared.
“Freya doesn’t collect only strong people.”
“She likes beautiful souls.”
“And the harder something is to reach…”
Her eyes narrowed.
“…the more she wants it.”
Lelouch thought of the Skill written on his Status.
God-Opposer.
Divine power could not directly affect his body, mind, or soul without consent.
If Freya truly possessed a divine Charm—
It should not reach him.
Loki saw the calm in his expression.
She did not know the details of his Skill.
But somehow, she read the basic thought anyway.
“Don’t make that face.”
Lelouch’s eyes narrowed.
“What face?”
“The one that says you’ve got a defensive card in your hand, so you’re safe.”
Her voice turned sharp.
“Even if a god can’t directly affect you, gods have children.”
“Money.”
“Rumors.”
“Influence.”
“And an entire city full of people they can move.”
Astraea went still.
Loki did not know how precisely she had struck the truth.
“A prison built by human hands is still a prison.”
The goddess continued.
“A sword held by someone else isn’t divine power.”
“And if she can’t force you to look her way…”
Loki’s red eyes hardened.
“…she can change the entire world around you until the only path left points toward her.”
Every trace of humor disappeared from Lelouch’s face.
That warning—
He understood perfectly.
Resistance to mental domination did not protect the people around him.
Immunity to divine influence did not make the weapons of a god’s followers blunt.
And someone unable to command him directly could still destroy every other option until only the desired choice remained.
Had he ever done the same thing to others?
His heart said yes.
His memories remained silent.
“Thank you for the warning.”
There was no sarcasm in his voice this time.
Loki watched him a moment longer.
“Remember this.”
“Someone who says, ‘I belong to no one’…”
Her smile returned faintly.
“…is exactly the kind of thing Freya wants most.”
“I have no intention of changing that statement to satisfy a goddess.”
“That’s the problem.”
Loki grinned.
“That’s exactly why I said you’re her type.”
Lelouch did not answer.
Loki tilted her head.
“Don’t let her take you too quickly.”
“I still want to play a few games of chess with you.”
“I never agreed to play.”
“Even better.
An opponent who agrees too easily isn’t interesting.”
The seriousness vanished as abruptly as it had come.
Loki began struggling in Gareth’s arms again.
“All right, put me down!
I still need to hug the girls before I leave!”
“Time’s up,” Riveria replied.
“I’m your goddess!”
“Fourth time.”
“Alice-chan!
Ryu-chan!
Kaguya-chan!
Wait for me!”
Gareth carried Loki out of the tavern like a very noisy sack of grain.
Riveria followed after apologizing to Mia once more.
Finn nodded farewell to Astraea and Lelouch.
Then the door closed behind them.
Loki’s shouting remained audible through the windows for quite some time.
“Put me down!
I didn’t even exchange addresses with Lelouch!”
Riveria’s voice answered.
“You already know where Astraea’s manor is.”
“That’s not romantic!”
“You said you weren’t interested in men.”
“I’m interested in his brain!”
“That is somehow more concerning.”
Their voices gradually faded.
The customers inside the tavern resumed talking.
It felt as though a localized storm had finally passed.
Mia inspected the front door.
“At least nothing broke this time.”
A temporary helper raised her hand from another table.
“One chair fell over!”
“Stand it back up.
That doesn’t count.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
At the Astraea Familia’s table—
The earlier festive mood had become more thoughtful.
Alice was the first unable to endure the silence.
“Lady Astraea.”
She looked toward the goddess.
“Was Loki serious?”
“About Freya?”
“Yes.”
Kaguya folded her arms.
“Loki behaves foolishly, but she had no reason to give that warning if no danger existed.”
Ryu nodded.
“The Freya Familia is one of Orario’s most powerful factions.”
“Their captain is Ottar.”
Her voice became grave.
“A Level Six adventurer.”
Neze’s ears lowered.
“Level Six…”
Lelouch remembered the bullet Alice had casually deflected at Level Three.
Against someone three Levels above her—
His current weapon would be meaningless.
Geass weakened against higher Levels.
And once the difference exceeded three—
Absolute Command became completely ineffective.
Lelouch was Level One.
Ottar stood five Levels above him.
No battle.
No control.
Probably not even a chance to escape if the man truly decided to act.
“Why would Goddess Freya care about Lelouch?” Alice asked.
“Just because of his face?”
The Amazoness nodded solemnly.
“His face is good enough to start a small war.”
“Please do not make Loki’s warning sound more credible for that reason,” Lelouch said.
Lyra rested her chin on one hand.
“Didn’t Loki say Freya can see souls?”
“Maybe your soul has some bizarre color.”
“If it is divine authority…”
Lelouch stopped himself before revealing too much of his Skill in a crowded tavern.
Astraea understood.
“Even if that power cannot affect you, Loki’s warning remains valid.”
She looked at Lelouch.
“Protection from direct divine interference does not protect you from actions others choose to perform of their own free will.”
“I’m aware.”
“What will you do?” Ryu asked.
“Gather information.”
The answer came immediately.
“I need to understand the Freya Familia’s structure.”
“Core members.”
“Interests.”
“Relationship with the Guild.”
“Areas of influence.”
“And the behavioral patterns of their goddess.”
Lelouch folded his hands.
“If she has no interest in me, that information is still useful for understanding Orario.”
“And if she does?” Kaguya asked.
Lelouch looked down at his reflection in the drinking glass.
“Then I need to ensure she cannot turn the people around me into bargaining pieces.”
Alice struck the table with one palm.
“No one in the Astraea Familia would let her do that!”
“The issue is not willingness.”
Lelouch’s voice remained calm.
“A person can be deceived.”
“Pressured.”
“Forced to choose between two things they refuse to lose.”
He looked toward Alice.
“Someone can be made into leverage without ever choosing betrayal.”
That silenced several members.
He was not doubting their loyalty.
He simply understood too well that loyalty alone did not win every situation.
“Then we prepare together,” Ryu said.
“You don’t handle it alone.”
Alice nodded forcefully.
“Exactly.
You’re one of us now.”
“If some goddess wants to take you, she has to go through all of us first.”
Kaguya touched the hilt of her sword.
“Even if it is the Freya Familia, I will not hand over one of ours without resistance.”
“I appreciate the sentiment.”
Lelouch sighed softly.
“But I would prefer that we avoid declaring war against a Familia led by a Level Six adventurer over a threat that has not yet materialized.”
“He is correct,” Astraea said.
“We remain cautious.”
“But we do not condemn anyone for a crime that has not been committed.”
For only a moment—
Her eyes crossed the tavern.
Syr was taking an order from another table.
Her smile looked gentle and completely ordinary.
Without knowing the truth—
Even Astraea might have seen only a hardworking young waitress.
But she did know.
The very goddess Loki had warned Lelouch about—
Was standing less than ten meters away from him.
And Astraea knew that her gaze had already stopped on Lelouch once.
She could not expose Syr’s identity in the middle of a crowded tavern without risking immediate conflict between gods.
More importantly—
There was still no evidence that Freya intended to harm him.
For now—
Freya was only watching.
Only interested.
But with that goddess—
The most dangerous stories often began with the word only.
Syr turned at the same moment.
Gray eyes met Astraea’s across the tavern.
The waitress smiled politely.
No challenge.
No acknowledgment.
Only the smile of an employee greeting a customer.
Astraea smiled back.
Neither goddess believed for a moment that the exchange had been ordinary.
….
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….
I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it