In DanMachi, Freya Set Her Sights on Me from the Start! Chapter 32

Hyacinthus suppressed his dissatisfaction and walked toward Cao Ye.

Apollo smiled when he saw this. It was as though he could already see himself "getting" that child. He was greatly looking forward to how he would "dote on" him later.

Meanwhile, the disgruntled Hyacinthus arrived at Cao Ye's side. Seeing Cao Ye eating and drinking there only made him dislike him more.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

Interrupted so suddenly, Cao Ye looked over in confusion.

He did not know anyone at this banquet. Even Finn, whom he had just met, had been called away by Loki. Where had this guy come from?

"My god wishes to see you. Come with me."

His very first words carried an arrogant tone, along with undisguised hostility. Both displeased Cao Ye.

I even dared to cop a feel off my own goddess. Who the hell are you, acting all high and mighty in front of me?

"Which god is yours? Why should I go with you?"

Hyacinthus immediately became angry upon hearing that. In his heart, Apollo was an absolutely sacred existence.

Being granted an audience with Apollo was already an honor, yet this guy before him was so disdainful. It infuriated him.

"My god is Apollo, the host of this banquet as well. Come with me."

However angry Hyacinthus was, he still had to carry out Apollo's orders. Thus, he forcibly suppressed his anger and spoke again.

"Apollo? That dead gay?"

"Bastard!"

He did not know what "dead gay" meant, but it definitely was not anything nice.

Cao Ye was also startled by the other man's sudden outburst.

Then he realized that calling someone else's god "gay" right in front of them was indeed a little too much. He really had no filter.

"I'll give you one more chance. Come with me to see Lord Apollo, or don't blame me for getting rough."

Looking at Hyacinthus, Cao Ye did not know who he was, but he could guess that the man held no low position within the Apollo Familia.

But what did your high status in the Apollo Familia have to do with me, a member of the Freya Familia?

Taking another step back, I'm from the Freya Familia. Do you know what that means? Any one of us could crush your entire Familia. Who do you think you're talking to?

Apollo Steps In!

Cao Ye gave Hyacinthus a disdainful smile, not taking his threat seriously at all.

If he were from the Loki Familia, Cao Ye might have been somewhat wary. But the Apollo Familia? Their entire Familia only had a single Level 3 holding up the fort. Where did he get the nerve to act so arrogantly?

Hyacinthus's expression changed when he saw Cao Ye's disdainful look.

"You ungrateful bastard. It is your honor to receive Lord Apollo's favor."

"I can't bear such an 'honor.'"

Cao Ye's tone grew heavier as he looked at the man before him.

This finally enraged Hyacinthus. In his heart, Apollo was absolutely supreme. Though he was jealous that Apollo had taken an interest in Cao Ye, Cao Ye's arrogance now directly provoked his fury.

"Then don't blame me for taking action and bringing you before Lord Apollo."

As he spoke, he walked toward Cao Ye, clearly intending to make a move.

Cao Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. He was not someone who liked causing trouble, but he was certainly not the type to sit and wait for death. Since the other side intended to tear away all pretenses, Cao Ye would not spare him any face either.

However, this was a banquet. There were quite a few gods and accompanying adventurers nearby.

Without exception, no one who could attend a banquet held by gods was ordinary. These adventurers in particular all possessed keen senses.

For a time, Cao Ye and Hyacinthus became the center of attention.

Hyacinthus, especially, drew many gazes as he prepared to act. Of course, most of them simply wanted to watch the show.

As for the gods, every last one of them loved a spectacle. It would be a blessing if they did not fan the flames.

"Hm? Isn't that Freya's child?"

Sharp-eyed Loki noticed what was happening on the other side and spoke in surprise.

Finn, who had just escaped from troublesome socializing, also saw the scene.

"Is the Apollo Familia planning to go to war with the Freya Familia?"

Finn was somewhat astonished. Cao Ye was a member of the Freya Familia. Where had the Apollo Familia found the guts for this?

"That guy probably has no idea who Cao Ye is."

"Hm? That would explain it."

Still, understanding was one thing. When Finn looked at Hyacinthus, there was an extra trace of pity in his eyes.

Of all people to provoke, he had chosen the Freya Familia. Did he not know that everyone in that Familia was insane? Even Finn himself would not provoke them casually unless he had no other choice.

After all, every member of the Freya Familia was Goddess Freya's "child." As long as Freya displayed even the slightest dissatisfaction, the entire Familia would pay any price to "return" it.

What they cared about was not the unlucky person being bullied. So long as the person belonged to the Freya Familia, they represented their goddess's dignity.

If you struck a member of the Freya Familia, you had insulted the goddess. That was what mattered.

It could be said that the Freya Familia was an extremely contradictory Familia. Its members were enemies with one another, and internal harmony was practically nonexistent. Yet once something happened, they would absolutely stand united.

Internal conflicts were their own business, but matters involving outsiders were another story.

"Finn, do you think we should go help them out?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we step in now and help them out of this, they'll owe us a favor."

Loki said it as though it were only natural. As her earliest child, Finn had an exceptionally close relationship with Loki.

However, Finn could only smile bitterly upon hearing Loki's words.

"Does he look like someone who needs help?"

"Hm?"

Following Finn's gaze, Loki's eyes widened in surprise.

Over there, Hyacinthus, who had just been acting so high and mighty, already had a sword held to his throat by Cao Ye.

The previously arrogant Hyacinthus felt the cold chill against his neck, and the anger in his heart reached its peak.

He had actually been subdued by some unknown brat. It was simply the greatest humiliation.

Seeing Cao Ye pull a sword from "thin air," many people around them had the same thought appear in their minds.

[Spatial Magic]

In Orario, spatial magic and skills could no longer be described merely as rare. They were nearly nonexistent.

Looking across Orario's hundreds of years of history, only a handful of people had possessed spatial magic, which showed just how scarce it was.

Now, in this era, another wielder of spatial magic had appeared in Orario. The ability to pull out a weapon from nowhere proved that it was spatial magic capable of storing weapons.

"Go on, why aren't you talking anymore?"

Cao Ye spoke as he looked at Hyacinthus, whose throat was held beneath his sword.

"Do you know where this is?"

"I do."

"Then you still—"

Sshk—

The blade in Cao Ye's hand moved forward slightly. The sharp edge directly sliced through Hyacinthus's neck.

Blood trickled out, and Hyacinthus instantly shut his mouth. Though he did not know whether Cao Ye dared to kill him, he did not dare gamble on it.

"I really don't get it. Things were going perfectly fine, so why did you have to come provoke me?"

The people around them silently memorized Cao Ye's appearance.

Good grief. At an Apollo Familia banquet, he had a sword to the throat of the Apollo Familia's captain. From the looks of it, he was even ready to bleed the other man. He really had guts.

Hyacinthus desperately wanted to say something threatening, but feeling the burning pain in his neck, he truly did not dare.

Clap—clap—clap—

Just as the atmosphere became so tense, applause rang out.

Everyone's attention was drawn toward it. Cao Ye was no exception. He looked over and saw a man wearing a laurel crown, with short orange hair, walking toward them.

"Lord Apollo!"

Hyacinthus lowered his head at the sight of him. He had failed to complete his task and had even made a mess of it.

Hyacinthus deeply blamed himself for failing Apollo's mission.

"Hello, child. I am Apollo, the god of the Apollo Familia. Whose child are you?"

His tone was extremely "kind," as though the one being threatened was not the captain of his Familia.

This "strange" scene left many people unable to make sense of it.

Yet all the gods wore expressions that said, Just as expected. Apollo's preferences were no secret among the gods.

Back before the gods had descended to the lower world, Apollo had already been one of the most promiscuous among them.

Cao Ye's Ruthlessness: An Arm Severed!

As Apollo approached step by step, Cao Ye saw the "disgusting" smile on his face.

Combined with what he knew about Apollo in the world of DanMachi, Cao Ye felt a wave of revulsion. This guy had actually set his sights on him. What terrible luck.

"Lord Apollo!"

Though he was disgusted beyond measure, he still had to maintain appearances.

After all, Apollo was a god. No matter how disgusting he was, he was still a god.

"Hyacinthus offended you just now. I apologize on his behalf."

"It was only a small conflict."

Although Cao Ye wanted to punch in his dog head, he could not do that.

Glancing at Hyacinthus, Cao Ye put away the black sword and casually flicked the blood from its blade onto the floor, making Hyacinthus seethe with hatred.

The gods around them all revealed faint smiles. They knew the fun was about to begin.

Though they did not know whose child Cao Ye was, Apollo would definitely publicly "confess his love" next. Then, would Cao Ye accept or refuse?

"Child, which Familia do you belong to?"

Though Apollo was already impatient, he still wanted to ask about Cao Ye's Familia for "safety."

If it were a small Familia, he could act without any reservations. If it were a large Familia, he would wait for an opportunity later. At the very least, he could not act openly.

"Lord Apollo, I am from the Freya Familia."

"The Freya Familia?"

In that instant, Apollo's smiling expression froze.

Hyacinthus also froze, his face full of disbelief. How could he possibly be from the Freya Familia? The Freya Familia had not accepted any newcomers in recent years, except for that...

Quite a few people in the banquet hall immediately connected Cao Ye with a certain identity: the man being kept by Freya, the Goddess of Beauty.

Now this was interesting. Freya's kept pretty boy had actually caught Apollo's eye too. He truly appealed to both men and women.

They only wondered whether Apollo would be directly killed by Freya over this matter.

Tap—tap—tap—

Just as the atmosphere stiffened, a stunningly beautiful figure walked over.

"Apollo, what do you intend to say to my child?"