A meeting of the gods was underway on the middle level of Babel.
"Bang."
A hand slammed onto the table. The flat-chested, red-haired woman braced herself against it and glared furiously at the person seated across from her.
The people sitting around her had all looked angry too, but they'd been caught off guard by her outburst. At the sound, they jolted in surprise, their faces registering astonishment.
A large, round table stood in the center of the room, surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women.
The spacious room contained nothing but the round table and rows of stone pillars that supported it.
The pillars were carved with exquisite patterns and lines. The ceiling was extraordinarily high, and its vast height gave the room a solemn, imposing grandeur.
With the pillars and the intricate architectural designs of dragons and phoenixes on the walls, the bright, spotless room resembled the grand hall of a solemn temple.
This was a specially renovated room, created by opening up an entire floor of Babel.
It was a place reserved exclusively for the gods, never open to mortals.
The gods of Orario's major familias sat here, whispering among themselves as they watched the furious Loki.
The goddess seated across from Loki wore a close-fitting dress as light as gauze, with a loose robe over it. Her waist-length hair fell smoothly and gleamed behind her.
Bored, she had been examining her palms and fingernails. Only after noticing the commotion across from her did she raise her head slightly to look at Loki.
"Hmm?"
It was only a questioning murmur, yet it carried a girlish innocence. Her voice was sweet and alluring.
The male gods nearby were already captivated by the sound, staring at her with rapt attention.
Seeing her puzzled expression and the lustful look on the male gods' faces, Loki grew even more incensed.
She slapped the table again and glared at her.
"What the hell is that 'hmm' supposed to mean? After causing such a huge mess, you have nothing to say for yourself? Freya!"
The goddess across from her heard Loki out and remained composed.
She placed her hands on the table and slowly straightened up, replying with an air of indifference.
"Didn't I already explain my reasons? What else is there to say?"
Freya was, as her name suggested, the patron goddess of the Freya Familia.
Her familia, together with the Loki Familia, was known as one of the two strongest familias in Orario.
Unlike the Loki Familia, which had a large membership and excelled at coordinated teamwork, the Freya Familia had fewer members and a tense atmosphere. Its members were often at odds with one another, and infighting was commonplace.
But its individual members were stronger than those of the equally prominent Loki Familia. Ottar, the strongest adventurer in Orario at level seven, was its captain.
The reason its members fought among themselves was the favor of their goddess, Freya.
Freya was so beautiful that she had captured their hearts, men and women alike.
As gods from the heavens, they already possessed perfect bodies. Even after descending to the lower world and sealing their powers, their looks remained beyond the reach of mortals.
Even gods who deliberately took on the appearances of old people or children were dignified and handsome, or exquisitely adorable. And there were countless others with beauty enough to bring kingdoms to ruin.
Among such gods, the goddess Freya was peerlessly beautiful. None who laid eyes on her could resist being swept away by her breathtaking appearance.
As mentioned before, the gods of forging, Goibniu and Hephaestus, each had a specialty for which they were renowned, such as forging, fire, or wisdom.
"Beauty" was both Freya's defining trait and the power she governed.
Even with her power sealed in the lower world, her beauty alone could serve as a weapon, effortlessly intoxicating all who laid eyes on her.
Within the Freya Familia, everyone wanted the goddess to keep her gaze on them a little longer.
Even members of the same familia treated one another as rivals. When anything involved their goddess, they would do whatever it took to carry it out.
"Huh? What kind of reason is that?!"
Loki shouted when she heard Freya's answer.
"Talking about husbands and destiny and all that? There's no way anyone's going to accept that, damn it!"
Thinking of Freya's earlier excuse about pursuing her destiny, Loki's eyes widened with anger.
"Our kids suffered plenty because of you, so you need to apologize! Apologize!"
Loki ground her teeth as she spoke, glaring at Freya's nonchalant expression.
"That's right, apologize!"
"Our kids were terrified by this whole mess."
"Our kids weren't hurt, but our shop got smashed to pieces. Looks like we'll have to close for a while."
The familias of the gods present had all been affected to varying degrees by the turmoil. Hearing Loki denounce Freya, many of them voiced their displeasure as well.
Of course, quite a few gods joined in just for the fun of it, laughing as they piled on.
"I haven't done anything wrong, so there's no way I'm apologizing~"
Seeing the gods denounce her, Freya smiled at them and drew out her words, her voice taking on a coy, almost teasing lilt as she radiated astonishing charm.
"That's right, Freya is innocent!"
"Beauty is truth!"
"She did nothing wrong. Why should she apologize?"
Hearing her sweet, almost coquettish voice and seeing her smile, many male gods became utterly entranced and started defending her actions.
"Ah, beautiful Freya, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Don't mind him. Would you visit my familia instead?"
Some of the gods didn't defend her, but eagerly gathered around her, holding her hands and showering her with invitations.
The goddesses present looked contemptuously at the lecherous men fawning over Freya and defending her.
Loki glared at Freya and the gods gathered around her.
"They came right to our door and attacked us. We've been humiliated. If that's your attitude, we won't let this go. Get ready for war!"
""What? Again?!""
The gods nearby stared in astonishment and exclaimed in unison.
Hearing Loki's threat, Freya smiled and glanced around at the male gods. She gently withdrew her hand from the god beside her.
Her smile never changed as she looked at Loki and spoke leisurely.
"Don't be so hasty. I haven't finished speaking."
"An apology is out of the question, but~"
Seeing Loki's expression darken, Freya's smile grew wider. She drew out the last word as if to provoke her.
When Loki looked ready to lose her temper, Freya continued slowly.
"Compensation, however, is possible."
"How much?"
The moment Freya changed her tune and offered compensation, Loki's expression shifted. Her earlier fury looked as if it had been an act.
She eyed Freya slyly, a glint in her narrowed eyes, and quickly took up her offer with a question.
""You changed your tune way too fast!""
Everyone present looked at Loki's sudden transformation and called her out in unison.
"Shut up! An apology does nothing for me. Compensation is a much better deal."
Loki lashed out at the others' teasing.
Watching the commotion unfold, Freya's smile grew wider.
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