"Turns out you were here as well, Loki’s most favored child."
At the moment she saw Riezel, unlike her familia members who behaved as if they were facing a great enemy, Freya revealed an expression filled with keen interest.
"First time meeting... should I say that?" Riezel met Freya’s gaze—eyes that seemed capable of seeing through the soul—and spoke without changing his expression. "Also, Loki’s most favored child is Ais, not me."
"Indeed, now that I think about it, this is our first face-to-face meeting," Freya responded with a charming smile, radiating dazzling brilliance and allure. "I’m not saying it casually either. Recently, Loki has been mentioning you quite often—something all the gods know. It seems the Sword Princess has fallen out of favor."
"Hm, yeah, that’s definitely just you misunderstanding things," Riezel replied calmly, completely ignoring the charm Freya exuded—far surpassing that of Ishtar’s. "Loki’s into cute girls like Ais the most. No matter what, there’s no way it’d ever be my turn."
"What a modest child—or perhaps you clearly know Loki favors you, yet pretend ignorance in front of me?"
Seeing that Riezel entirely ignored her charm, Freya showed no anger and instead seemed even more interested in him, her smile growing ever more radiant.
"How nice. I don’t have a child like you in my familia. I’m a bit envious of Loki."
Freya’s words did not provoke any reaction from Riezel, but they caused an excessive reaction from Allen and the others. Each of these fierce warriors glared at Riezel in that instant, their gazes resembling those of rivals competing for favor.
Only Ottar managed to remain composed.
He had, after all, long known that Freya paid considerable attention to Riezel and held a great interest in him.
In a sense, the goddess’s curiosity toward Riezel was even stronger than her interest in Bell.
If Riezel had not joined the Loki Familia, if Freya had not wished to avoid offending Loki casually, and if Bell had not drawn part of Freya’s attention, then Freya would certainly have done something to Riezel.
In fact, Freya had already tested Riezel twice—once when Riezel had just become Level 4, and once during the Loki Familia’s previous expedition.
In the former, Freya sent Allen.
In the latter, Freya sent Ottar.
Needless to say, this alone demonstrated the extent of her attention and curiosity toward Riezel. In two successive tests, she had dispatched both the strongest captain and vice captain of her familia.
Who else could receive such treatment?
Because of this, a connection beyond simple familia rivalry had formed between Riezel and the Freya Familia.
Riezel’s gaze swept over Ottar and Allen, who stood closest to Freya.
He had faced both of them before and fought them.
Now, both had successfully leveled up—one becoming Level 8, the other Level 7, which was something that had not yet occurred even in the original work, making it particularly intriguing to Riezel.
However, it was clearly not the time to dwell on that.
"Liberator... Why are you here?"
Hedin cast a cold gaze at Riezel as he questioned him.
Beside him, Hogni and the Gulliver brothers instinctively looked toward the massive, charred figure behind Riezel.
"Isn’t that Phryne Jamil?" Hedin questioned again, adjusting his glasses. "You defeated her?"
"More or less..."
Riezel did not care about Hedin’s questioning, answering as if it were nothing.
"I didn’t plan on dealing with someone like her, but I had no choice. I mean, she came at me, and she was too disgusting, so I just handled her while I was at it."
"Don’t worry, I only dealt with this one—the rest are still yours."
"You don’t need to mind me. Just treat me like I’m just passing by."
Right after saying this, Riezel stepped aside and decisively cleared the path, yet upon seeing this, the executives of the Freya Familia did not move and instead stared at him with vigilance, as if fearing it might be a trap.
Riezel’s appearance was entirely unexpected for them, and no one believed he was merely passing by, especially when the Loki Familia was, after all, the Freya Familia’s rival—an opposing familia.
For a key executive of an opposing familia to appear here alone, no one would believe he had no ulterior motive.
Even though the Freya Familia did not fear Ishtar Familia and did not even take them seriously, the Loki Familia was different, and the man before them was certainly not someone to underestimate. If they were careless and fell into his trap, even the Freya Familia would likely suffer significant losses.
Hence, despite Riezel clearing the path, no one moved.
Just then, however, Freya spoke with a smile.
"Although I would very much like to have a proper conversation with you, I have matters to attend to today, so this will have to suffice for now," Freya said gently, smiling. "I’ll send you an invitation another day. Make sure to come to my tea party, alright?"
Hearing this, Riezel raised an eyebrow, wondering if this goddess was planning to invite him into her sleeping chamber.
Although she was a Goddess of Beauty—a peerless beauty adored by countless humans and gods alike—Riezel knew very well that this Goddess of Beauty, who appeared far more elegant than Ishtar, actually had a rather chaotic private life.
Beings like Goddesses of Beauty all regarded love as something natural, so to them, physical intimacy was also a form of love—something they could grant to those who sought their favor.
Freya was no exception.
Although not as unrestrained as Ishtar, Freya was still quite indulgent.
To say nothing else, nearly all the male gods in Orario had been toyed with by this Goddess of Beauty, and even some goddesses and mortal women had not been spared.
Especially those with radiant souls—they were her greatest treasures.
For this reason, Riezel had repeatedly been tested by Freya, while Bell had been regarded entirely as her possession.
Because of this, she had not only sent Hedin and Hogni to guide Bell and nurture his talent, but had also instructed Ottar, when Bell was still Level 1, to scout monsters in the Dungeon and provide him with trials—forcing him to awaken as an adventurer and truly begin to radiate the brilliance of his soul.
Under such circumstances, Riezel had every reason to suspect that this goddess’s invitation carried ulterior motives.
It might not be a desire for his body, but it was certainly a desire for his soul.
Otherwise, why would Loki call her a lovestruck fool?
Was it not precisely because this goddess’s private life was so chaotic?
In the end...
"I’ll have to respectfully decline," Riezel rejected with a faint smile, his expression unchanged. "Compared to me, you should hurry and find the child you favor. Goddess Ishtar is not someone to be taken lightly. If you’re even a step too slow, that little white rabbit might be devoured without even bones left."
At these words, the smile on Freya’s face slowly faded, and after giving Riezel a deep look, she said nothing more as she moved with Ottar and the others toward Belit Babili.
However, as the group quietly began to move, one person did not follow and remained behind.
"...Allen."
Ottar called out to Allen with a slight frown.
Yes, the one who stayed behind was Allen, who continued glaring at Riezel—even when Ottar called his name, he did not shift his gaze.
Seeing this, not only Freya but Riezel also turned to look at Allen.
Riezel glanced at Allen’s hostile stare and gave a faint, emotionless smile, as he could roughly guess what Allen intended to do.
And sure enough—
"If you’re gonna save that stupid rabbit, you people are enough," Allen said coldly to Ottar and the others. "I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things."
Everyone fell silent.
"Allen, this is Lady Freya’s order."
Ottar warned in a low voice.
"Heh, that’s exactly why having you all is enough, isn’t it?" Allen sneered. "Or what, you can’t even bring back that rabbit with this many guys? Hmph, that would make all of you utterly useless."
In an instant, his words enraged everyone.
"Are you picking a fight, you filthy cat?"
Hedin looked at Allen.
"Thy venomous tongue shall be purged by my blade. Thy end shall be to fall into an unclaimed pool of blood."
Hogni let out a cold laugh.
"Just a stray cat Lady Freya picked up from the trash..."
"What are you so arrogant about?"
"You sure talk big."
"Don’t think we’ll fear you just because you leveled up, you damn cat."
Frowning, the Gulliver brothers spoke one after another, unleashing a barrage of insults.
Aside from Ottar, who remained silent, the others released chilling auras, as if they might draw their weapons and strike Allen at any moment.
This tension, which did not feel like a joke at all, would have terrified even lower-ranking members or a god in any other familia, yet within the Freya Familia, it was entirely normal.
They never regarded members of the same familia as companions and instead viewed everyone except themselves as rivals—enemies competing for favor.
What would be seen as a disastrous internal conflict in other familias was simply a daily routine in the Freya Familia. Even these executives constantly sought to defeat those around them, to crush their competitors beneath their feet.
Among them, camaraderie did not exist—only endless internal strife.
In any other familia, such a situation would lead to chaos within the familia.
Only in the Freya Familia could it remain stable.
Because no matter how fiercely they fought among themselves, they all remembered one thing—they had already offered everything to the goddess they loved most.
Besides, that goddess herself was far from orderly.
"Since Allen wants to stay, let him stay."
Not only did Freya not stop this, she instead smiled with interest, as though she had encountered an unexpected source of amusement.
"I’ll leave this place to you, Allen."
Freya granted him permission with a cheerful smile.
"Yes."
Allen put away his harsh attitude and bowed respectfully to Freya.
Hedin and the others glared at Allen, but none voiced any objections.
Since their goddess had granted permission, they naturally had no reason to oppose it.
Moreover, Allen was not wrong.
Given that what they were facing was only the Ishtar Familia, they could handle it even without him.
As a result, even Ottar silently accepted it, suppressing a trace of regret.
If possible, he would have preferred to stay behind as well, but unfortunately, Allen had taken the opportunity first.
"Let’s go," Freya said with a smile. "If we finish quickly, we might even catch an interesting show."
With that, she led the way toward Belit Babili and entered.
Seeing this, the others immediately followed, including Ottar, no longer paying attention to what remained behind.
Riezel did not look at Ottar and the others either and instead locked eyes with the cat person before him, as if sparks were being struck between them.
As Freya and her group departed, the tense atmosphere between Riezel and Allen intensified in an instant.
It went without saying that this was a confrontation after a long time.
One should remember that the last time they faced each other like this, Riezel was Level 4 and Allen Level 6, the gap between them enormous, yet the latter still suffered a significant setback at Riezel’s hands.
Riezel was ostensibly Level 6 this time, while Allen had already reached Level 7.
Although there was still a one-level difference, both of them understood clearly that the gap between them was now negligible.
After all, it was not only Riezel’s first time facing a Level 7 opponent, but his ability to challenge across levels also ensured that, even with a one-level difference, he would not be at a disadvantage.
"Level 6... so you really made it to this level, Liberator."
Allen’s gaze sharpened as he stared at Riezel—it was the look of someone ready to attack at any moment.
In response, Riezel gave a faint, ambiguous smile.
"If you’d shown up just a bit later, I might not’ve been just Level 6."
In truth, Riezel had long surpassed Level 6, but Allen naturally would not know that.
"...I told you before, didn’t I? I remember you, Riezel Brynhart."
Allen raised his spear, taking on a thrusting stance, then lowered his body, one hand touching the ground while the other pulled the spear back.
"I haven’t forgotten that slash you gave me—not for a single moment."
"Today, I finally get the chance to wash away that humiliation."
"You’re not gonna run, are you?"
Allen mocked coldly.
Faced with the harsh words, Riezel simply rested one hand on the sword at his waist, his gaze gradually turning calm.
"Back then, when I was still Level 4, I never even thought about running."
"Now I’m not that same person anymore. Running isn’t even an option."
"But you’ve already gotten yourself ready, haven’t you?"
"I haven’t forgotten that grudge either."
As these words fell from Riezel’s mouth, the already tense atmosphere between him and Allen erupted completely.
Both released hostility, fighting intent, and murderous intent—their overwhelming presences clashing violently.
In the next instant, both of them vanished.
*DING!*
Riezel’s thin, crystal-like sword, which had been drawn at some point, collided violently with Allen’s sharp silver spear, the sound of impact piercing straight into the sky.
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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