Chapter 42: Conspiracy!
"Hey! Shorty! You're here to mooch off food and drinks again, aren't you?" Loki addressed the shorter one among the three goddesses.
This person was none other than Hestia, a well-known otaku goddess in the heavens.
Hestia had always been at odds with Loki in the heavens.
Due to Hestia's late descent to the lower world, she struggled to recruit familia members and ended up overstaying her welcome at Hephaestus, her best friend, and was eventually kicked out to fend for herself.
Impoverished, Hestia would always attend the Denatus to feast, which led Loki to taunt her at every encounter.
"Hah? You're here to make everyone laugh, right? Your flat chest can't even fill out a dress. Without the skirt, I'd have thought it was a man's outfit."
Saying so, Hestia puffed out her chest, causing the two twin peaks to jiggle accordingly.
"What did you say? Shorty!"
"Flat-chested woman!"
Without any further ado, the two started arguing without regard for their image.
"Their relationship is still as good as ever," sighed the other goddess standing beside them.
Her name was Hephaestus, with fiery, slightly curled red hair and a valiant aura.
She was also the goddess in charge of the Hephaestus Familia, skilled in forging and smithing.
"Can their relationship really be considered good?" Another goddess, referred to by Loki as Freya, commented sarcastically.
Remembering what she wanted to do, she immediately stopped Loki, who was entangled with Hestia, and said, "Loki, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Hah? Freya, what are you up to this time? Let me make it clear, anything regarding Finn is off the table. Our familia can't do without him now."
Hearing Freya's request, Loki's hand, which was about to crush Hestia's chest, paused mid-air, and both goddesses turned their attention towards Freya.
"I want to meet that new kid in your familia."
"Huh? Impossible!" Loki immediately released Hestia and jumped up when she heard Freya's request to meet Shiro.
Having known Freya for so many years, wasn't Loki aware of her character?
Half of the chances are that she has a crush on the person she wants to meet, and the other half is that she intends to use the other person as a pawn to carry out some plan.
Loki was determined not to let her succeed in either case.
She still remembered the last time Freya had talked about charming a poor god and then leaving him alone in a room, likely still under the delusion that he had had an intimate encounter with the goddess of beauty.
Such unfortunate gods were not rare in Orario, with probably only she and Ottar, Freya's loyal follower, being aware of the truth.
"It seems you value him more than I thought. Don't worry, I just want to see him. I won't take him away from you," Freya assured, upon seeing Loki's furious reaction, she knew the red-haired goddess wouldn't easily allow her to meet Shiro.
Therefore, she made a promise not to take him away.
Loki looked suspiciously at the goddess of beauty in front of her, but after hearing this, she somewhat let her guard down.
...
The next morning
Loki grabbed Shiro, who was about to go out for training.
"Come with me somewhere."
"Where?"
"You're my bodyguard during the Monster Feria. If it weren't for someone wanting to meet you, I'd have gone with Ais." Loki waved her hand, pondering what Freya was up to.
"Someone wants to meet me?" Full of questions, Shiro was pulled out of the familia by Loki, halting his training plans.
The Monster Feria, which Lefiya and Shiro discussed during their stroll yesterday, is an event where the Ganesha Familia tames and captures monsters from the dungeon and performs in front of an audience.
However, this event has been criticized by many over the years.
Some argue that it's not suitable for a familia that claims to maintain the city's peace to bring monsters out of the dungeon.
Others see it as a shallow attempt to please the citizens.
Heading down North Main Street to the Tower of Babel square, then moving towards East Main Street, they arrived at their destination.
"It's really lively here."
East Main Street was crowded with people of various races forming a long line, extending from the circular arena on the east side of the city to the street, with many vendors around, hoping to make a significant profit on this special day.
As the festival was about to start, Loki and Shiro navigated through the crowd, entering a cafe on the main road.
After walking in, a waiter greeted and led them to the second floor following Loki's whispered instructions.
Upon reaching the second floor, Shiro immediately sensed something was off.
A figure in a deep blue robe sat by the window, looking outside.
However, although the whole body was covered tightly, the customers on the second floor were still looking at the figure absentmindedly.
"Yo, have you been waiting for a long time?"
"I just got here."
Loki walked straight towards that figure, pulled up a chair, and sat on the opposite side.
"Pleased to meet you... Torajirou-kun, I presume? My name is Freya," A few silver strands of hair fell from the blue hood, and the only visible lips curled into a smile as the hooded figure introduced herself to the white-haired boy.
Shiro remained composed outwardly but recalled information about Freya in his mind.
The Freya Familia, alongside Loki Familia, was known as one of Orario's Twin Kings.
However, unlike Loki Familia, most members of the Freya Familia joined because they were captivated by her beauty.
This led to a tense atmosphere within the Familia, where members frequently clashed with each other.
So, being approached by such a troublesome goddess was not a good sign.
"Well, goddess Freya, what do you want with me?" Although he was already wary of the other party in his heart, Shiro maintained a polite facade.
"You must know a boy named Bell Cranel, right?"
"Bell?"
Shiro remembered the last time he chatted with Bell, who was a member of Hestia Familia.
What did Bell have anything to do with the goddess of beauty in front of him?
"He's the white-haired, red-eyed boy. I want you to stay away from him. Your presence is hindering his growth," Freya said, suddenly removing her hood.
Her exquisite face was revealed, capturing Shiro's gaze.
At that moment, everything else faded from his mind, leaving only a desire to possess such beauty for himself.
Thud—
Loki slammed her fist on the table, her red eyes glaring at Freya, "Freya, are you trying to mess with me?"
The noisy surroundings fell silent the moment Freya removed her hood, leaving everyone dazed, except for the two goddesses still conscious and confronting each other.
"It seems that the boy's not so exceptional after all. Don't worry, I've merely implanted a thought of 'staying away from Bell' in his subconscious."
"He'll regain consciousness soon and forget everything about this place. I kept my promise, you see. Nobody's going to remember what happened here."
Freya said, satisfied with the success of her plan, unconcerned by Loki's fury and even flashing a playful smile.
As Loki was about to retaliate, a hand rested on her shoulder.
Turning around, Freya saw Shiro, whose arm was bleeding, having broken free from her charm, his expression dark and foreboding.
"It seems you're quite confident in your abilities, goddess Freya." Shiro said, stepping close to Freya.
Scrape—
A sword rested on Freya's neck.
"So, if I kill you here now, they won't remember how I murdered a goddess here, right?"
There was a tense standoff in a cafe between Loki, Freya, and Shiro.
Freya had a calm expression even with a sword at her neck, held by Shiro.
Loki watched by the side, with an unhappy expression.
The atmosphere is thick with tension, and the cafe's patrons are unaware of the unfolding drama.
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