In DanMachi, Freya Had Her Eye on Me from the Start!

He feared her, but he did not truly respect her. Especially after recognizing her, his attitude toward her had not changed much.

For a goddess—no, more accurately, a goddess who had stood above all others for far too long—this was certainly a unique experience.

Freya had always been searching for her partner, Odr. Every child in her Familia was a potential Odr.

That was why the Freya Familia was so fiercely competitive internally. Everyone wanted to become the best, to become the Odr—her partner—chosen by the goddess.

What they did not know was that the moment they were captivated by Freya's "charm," they lost that qualification forever.

She was the Goddess of Beauty. She had never lacked "love." Whether gods or mortals, as long as she wished it, she could easily obtain their "love"—selfless love, love willing to overturn everything, absolute love, twisted love, and so on.

Conversely, if she were willing to give someone her "love," countless people would fight tooth and nail for it.

Like the dilemma of the wealthy, such "love" had begun to feel empty in Freya's eyes.

Thus, "love" had become a curse to Freya.

She wanted to seek true "love," not the "love" of those who had fallen beneath her "charm." And that was how she acted.

Ever since descending to the Lower World, she had been working toward that goal. Yet she had not found a single such person.

Simply put, as the Goddess of Beauty, Freya obtained everyone's "love" whether she intended to or not. But that "love" was the result of enchantment, not love in the subjective sense.

What she sought was genuine "love," unrelated to her divine authority—love meant for her alone.

(PS: Consider this a patch. It has nothing to do with the original work. I'm a lecher, so I like beautiful goddesses, but I don't like NTR plots. So in this story, Freya is simply a woman who longs to be loved. There will be no messing around.)

(PS: This is this story's setting. Please don't flame me. It's a humble little request from a humble author~~~)

And now, Cao Ye's appearance was undoubtedly a faint glimmer of light in the darkness for Freya, making her instinctively want to seize it.

Why had she ordered Ottar to forcibly bring him back on the street?

Because Cao Ye had not been captivated by her "charm." There was no "love" for her in his eyes. It was the first time in all creation.

It was like a seed had been planted in the goddess's heart. One day in the future, because of certain events, it would slowly sprout, take root, and grow.

"Burp~"

Cao Ye let out a satisfied burp. He had thoroughly enjoyed this meal.

Huge mouthfuls of meat—before being transported here, even if he got a bonus, he would never have dared eat like this. This was amazing.

"How was the food?"

"The taste was pretty good. It was just a little expensive~"

"It's not your money anyway. Are you really going to feel bad about it, Mr. Adventurer?"

"Of course I do. No matter how it came to me, once it's in my hands, it's my money. And this was my..."

He instinctively wanted to brag. Whether at school or after starting work, that had always been his personality.

At the dinner table, he would trade bullshit and boasts with his brothers and friends. Bragging was tax-free, and showing off was not illegal. After doing it enough, he had gotten used to it, and his mouth had become rather unguarded.

But now, Cao Ye's expression froze slightly as he stiffly turned his head.

He saw Syr standing there with her hands on her hips, a trace of anger on her face. Cao Ye instantly broke out in cold sweat.

He had been spending his sugar mama's money in style and spouting nonsense, only to be caught red-handed by the very person who had given it to him. What was he supposed to do? Waiting online, urgent!!!

"Um~~"

Cao Ye's brain started spinning at high speed, but even with his CPU about to explode, he could not think of anything.

"How was your meal, sir?"

"V-very good~"

He swallowed involuntarily. Good lord, what was she planning?

"Then please settle the bill. The total is thirty thousand Valis~"

"What? Thirty thousand Valis? Wasn't one serving twelve thousand?"

"That's right. The big eater set costs twelve thousand. The remaining eighteen thousand is the service charge~~~"

The words "service charge" made cold sweat stream down Cao Ye's back.

He had taken her money to become her kept man, yet he had just enjoyed her "service." It was rather thrilling when he thought about it—using her sugar money to spend at her own place.

"Um~~"

"No credit, and you can't work to pay off the debt either!"

Before Cao Ye could even speak, she directly cut off his escape route.

His heart ached. Thirty thousand Valis, just gone like that? He had stuffed himself silly on the Pleasure Quarter and spent less than a few thousand Valis.

"Here~"

Though he was utterly unwilling, what else could he do?

He took thirty thousand Valis from his money pouch and handed it to Syr standing before him.

Only then did Syr nod in satisfaction at the sight of his expression. That was more like it. If she did not make him feel some pain, she would feel like she had gotten the short end of the stick.

The One Impersonating a Goddess!

Night had fallen. Cao Ye stood in his room, looking out at the night scenery with mixed feelings.

Just yesterday, he had been crammed into a shabby temporary rental. Today, he was living on the top floor of Babel Tower. Life truly was strange.

"My magical attribute is Void. Even though this world doesn't have an 'Imaginary Space,' why do I still feel as though I can use the power of 'imaginary numbers'?"

The feeling was strange. As if to confirm Cao Ye's thoughts, magic power surged in his palm.

A tiny crack slowly tore open. Cao Ye's eyes immediately widened. He had only been trying it out, yet he had actually succeeded.

Imaginary Magic was not particularly common in Fate. The most famous user was probably Sakura Matou.

After becoming corrupted, Sakura Matou could draw attacks into Imaginary Space and render them ineffective. That ability was similar to "spatial banishment."

And this tiny crack let Cao Ye see such a possibility.

He could not sense anything like Imaginary Space, nor did he know what lay beyond the crack.

But none of that mattered. If he developed it according to this idea, he might truly be able to achieve it.

When the time came, in a fight, your attacks would not be able to hit him while his skills could hit you. That would be interesting. It would be downright cheating.

"Let's test it~"

He picked up the unfinished cup of tea beside him, then tore open another crack.

The teacup was sucked right in. But immediately afterward, the magic power inside Cao Ye began draining rapidly. In the blink of an eye, more than half of it had vanished.

The sudden change startled Cao Ye, and he immediately withdrew his magic power. The crack disappeared as well.

"No, I can't mess around. I almost screwed myself over."

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Cao Ye had truly been scared to death just now.

It seemed he should not mess with unknown things so recklessly. One careless mistake, and he could get himself killed.

His wonderful new life had only just begun. If he croaked now, it would be a huge loss.

Knock, knock~

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Cao Ye paused, then understood. His boss probably wanted to see him. After all, this was not just any place; ordinary people could not come here.

Creak~

He walked to the door and opened it. Sure enough, Ottar, like a fierce beast, stood outside.

"Lady Freya wishes to see you."

"Now?"

"Now."

"Then let's go."

Ottar glanced at Cao Ye without saying anything further, then turned and left.

Cao Ye turned back to close the door. No one would come here anyway, but closing the door behind oneself was a good habit.

Since it was right next door, they reached their destination in only a few steps.

"Lady Freya is inside. Go in."

"What about you?"

"... ... ..."

Ottar cast Cao Ye a sidelong glance but did not answer, as though no one had spoken to him.

Cao Ye's mouth twitched at Ottar's attitude. Fine, you're tough. Just you wait. Once I climb into the goddess's bed, I'll make things difficult for you. I'm very good at whispering in someone's ear.

Knock, knock~

Taking a deep breath, Cao Ye forced himself to calm down before knocking on the door.

"Come in~"

Freya's languid voice sounded from inside. Only then did Cao Ye open the door and enter.

From beginning to end, Ottar stood like a door guardian, his gaze as still as an ancient well.

The moment he entered, Cao Ye saw her. Dressed in a gauzy outfit as thin as mist, she radiated unparalleled charm under the dim lighting of the room.

Yet as he looked at her, Cao Ye felt something strange.

"Lady Freya!"

"Cao Ye, come sit here~"

That seductive smile, paired with her breathtaking beauty, made Cao Ye feel his blood rush upward.

Good lord, calling him over in the middle of the night—was she asking him to share her bed? Hadn't she just rejected him earlier? Why had she changed her mind as soon as night fell? Was the night too long, and was she unable to sleep alone?

Perhaps because doubt had arisen in his heart, Cao Ye felt that something was off as he looked at the goddess before him, who exuded endless charm.

The Freya he knew would not act so coquettishly.

Rather than saying she would not, it was more accurate to say she did not need to. As the Goddess of Beauty, merely standing there made her the most beautiful and seductive existence.

The one before him was more like an imitator, using her own methods to imitate the Goddess of Beauty—to imitate Freya.

"Who are you?"

"Hm? Who am I? Cao Ye, we haven't seen each other for a moment, and you've already forgotten your own 'patron goddess'?"

Divine might descended like a prison! Divine grace was unfathomable!

In an instant, an immense divine pressure descended, crushing Cao Ye.

His body dropped to one knee, and his bones cracked and creaked. The terrifying pressure seemed intent on crushing his very soul.

But after this, Cao Ye could be certain that the woman before him was definitely not Freya.

"Impersonating a goddess is an unforgivable crime. Once I capture you, you'll have a hard time of it."

Looking at the "Freya" before him, Cao Ye already had some guesses.

In Orario, there was only one person capable of imitating the goddess Freya. And since this was the top floor of Babel Tower, the other party's identity was naturally obvious.

Bzzzt—

However, at that moment, the dormant "malice" in the depths of Cao Ye's soul began to stir under that divine pressure.

The malice carrying All the World's Evil revealed the tip of its iceberg in this world for the first time. The magic power within Cao Ye was instantly stained black.

Just as the Nameless Holy Grail had been polluted into All the World's Evil.

"What is this~"

Seeing black mist emerge from Cao Ye's body, "Freya" was slightly startled. This was the first time she had encountered such a thing.

Whoosh—

The black mist transformed into a massive hand and reached directly for "Freya."

Cao Ye believed that as long as it caught her, the evil of All the World's Evil would cling to her like maggots on bone.