The End Of Her World Part 3

Wherever he looked, on every corner, there were residents of Orario holding their

heads and keeling over.

Adventurers and deities alike were no exception. They were all leaning against a wall

like Hermes, or bracing themselves against the ground, all grimacing as if suffering a

terrible headache.

And from the windows of the houses lining the street shone the light of countless

hearths.

"Innocent, thoughtless hearth-making… I'd say I did a pretty good job of it…"

The two letters he received from Hestia were the key.

The first was the memo he had written himself, Turn Orario into a hearth.

The other pointed to the location where Hestia's ichor had been stashed away.

Because Hestia could not move while under observation, Asfi had surely stored the

blood in a magic item and carried it out while invisible. It was fixed beneath a table in

the corner of an underground, run-down bar that Hermes enjoyed and patronized

regularly.

Everyone in his familia knew about Asfi's magic items. If she snuck invisibly into the

home where the firewood was being stored, it was highly likely that she would be

noticed. And if that action was reported to Freya by the charmed familia members,

that would be the end of things. So Hermes carried out the finishing touches himself.

Retrieving Hestia's ichor, he spilled a single drop of it on each log that had been

brought in by the Guild.

"Even if I felt something was off, I did not know anything at all about the situation…

And how could I even begin to suspect that following a note written by a mere mortal

like Asfi would somehow lead to the destruction of the sandbox…! There was no

reason for misinterpretation or a reset to trigger…!"

His expression twisted into a smile as a cold sweat formed on his brow.

Hermes had desperately controlled his thoughts in order to prevent the feeling of

something being off from rising to suspicion.

He had already confirmed that, at that level, his memories would not be reset.

Because of that, even if he did not grasp the rules of the sandbox or who the

mastermind behind it was—indeed, he tried not to figure either out—he had little

reason to believe that the act of creating a hearth would be the cause of the destruction

of the sandbox.

For example, suppose there was a special flame sword that could destroy a legendary

demon king.

But for anyone who did not know the demon lord's weakness or that such a weakness

even existed, if someone told them to make a flame sword, they would just cock their

head and wonder why. Without understanding the connection between those two, it

was impossible to see how the sword could lead to defeating the demon lord.

Hermes had not probed the disturbances he sensed and had just quietly gone along

with the plan he had received from outside. He had Lulune and the others carry the

wood that had been prepared with ichor and ordered them to light a fire with it when

they delivered it. All how Asfi had written it in her letter.

The distribution of firewood had been arranged by the Guild and was an annual

occurrence. The residences of Orario under Freya's spell did not interpret it as

something outside the ordinary and suspected absolutely nothing.

"Well, even after getting taken out of the game in a pathetic fashion at the start… there

were still things to do outside the board…"

He could see Lulune, Falgar, and everyone else sitting down, suffering from the effects

after they had finished delivering the wood.

Gratified, Hermes smiled. He felt bad about forcing his followers to carry out a scheme

like that without understanding about it, but even so, he had still continued fighting

from off the board.

"We wouldn't have had any moves left if Freya had turned everyone in Orario into

complete slaves."

Ouranos's voice echoed in the underground chamber.

If she had turned the people, adventurers, and deities all into faithful puppets who

only listened to orders, then there would have been no preventing her victory.

If Hermes had been just another servant to the empress, unable to think for himself,

let alone sense a disturbance, then Hestia would have been unable to move on her own

and Asfi would inevitably have been caught in the not-too-distant future.

"However, Freya did not do that. Or rather, she could not do it. For Orario to cease to

be the city of heroes would mean nothing less than the destruction of the mortal

realm."

If every adventurer save those in Freya Familia were reduced to a puppet, would it be

possible to complete the three great quests, to slay the black dragon?

Was it possible to clear the Dungeon with only slaves who did nothing more than obey

orders?

The answer was no.

By turning them all into puppets and creating a perfect sandbox, the hero that the

deities desired could not be born. Freya knew that, too.

She was still one of the deities who loved the mortal realm and not an evil goddess

bent on destruction.

In order to avoid the destruction of the world, she could not completely twist it.

"And the destruction of the mortal realm… would mean the loss of Bell Cranell, whom

she had just gained. Indeed, since she wishes to push him to become a hero, she

needed to preserve the nature of the city of heroes."

And thus, this result.

The twisted current state of Orario, where people could still live freely, albeit with

certain limitations.

And that distortion was the one and only opening for them to break through.

"What… what are you saying, Ouranos?!"

At the foot of the altar, Fels was flustered… still struggling with the strength of the

charm.

Even the former sage who had lived for eight hundred years and attained great

wisdom was powerless before the unknowable unknown. Fels was still incapable of

comprehending what Ouranos was saying or his divine will.

Fels's outthrust arm was trembling, as if the mage's body was fighting against the

restraints shackling it even now.

"What are you planning to do now?!"

The old god responded solemnly.

"What will occur now is the re-creation of a certain goddess's temple from the

heavens. She will heighten her divine might to envelop all of Orario and purge all

wickedness."

"…?!"

"Her name is Hestia, and her dominion is the sacred eternal flame of protection—the

goddess of the altar where fire is consecrated."

The old god slowly opened his eyes.

"Orario will be transformed into a hearth—into an altar to her."

The silence that he had promised Freya was at an end.

The eyes of the god that evoked the blue skies were revealed, and his lips curled up.

"I'm done entertaining your tantrum, Freya."

The black-robed mage, unable to understand what was happening, unable to act, was

stunned.

But looking up blankly at the god, the mage murmured with eight hundred years of

emotion.

"This is the first time I've ever seen you smile, Ouranos."

"So cooooooooooooold!"

In the sky.

Approximately three kirlos up.

Far removed from the ground, Hestia was being buffeted by the winds.

"Please don't make any sudden moves, Goddess Hestia! I've only flown this high a

handful of times myself!"

"Even if you say that, I can't help it if I'm cold, Asfi! It's almost winter! This is the time

of year when everyone starts breaking out the stoves! See, my teeth are chattering!

Look!"

"Then why did you only wear your usual outfit?!"

"You know, not that it matters really, it's a pretty rare combo for the two of us to be

working together!"

"You're right, it doesn't really matter at all!"

Asfi was holding Hestia as they descended while they bickered.

There were two reasons why they were so high in the sky where they could see clouds

up close and personal.

The first was an abundance of caution.

Hestia had disappeared at some point, and Freya Familia was probably in an uproar

about it.

Even if they failed to discern that Hestia had taken to the skies, the eyesight of uppertier adventurers was a looming threat. The Hades Head's effect was only to make the

wearer and their equipment invisible, and Asfi had only been carrying enough magic

items for her own use, so she could not make Hestia invisible, too.

Because of that, they had to go high enough to escape the eyes of upper-tier

adventurers and use the clouds in order to hide their movement.

Because of that, the atmosphere was thinner, the wind was terrible, Hestia's hair kept

hitting Asfi's glasses, and both of their moods had gotten strange.

And the second reason was—

"I'm going to land on Babel now, Goddess Hestia!"

The tower of the gods that loomed over the city and stretched into the sky.

The wings on her talaria spread out, and just like she'd said, her feet touched down on

the roof of Babel.

After a brief moment of an odd sense of floating, Hestia opened her eyes, which had

been clenched so tightly shut as she clung to Asfi… She was greeted by an autumn

night's sky with nothing interrupting her view in all directions.

There was no decoration on Babel's roof.

There was no edge to prevent falling off or anything like that.

It had never been designed with the intention that anyone would stand there.

The only thing there were stars above, which looked like they were just barely out of

reach of an outstretched hand, and a chill wind.

"Ahhhh, I know I suggested it myself, but I'm glad we actually made it."

"It appears we managed to escape the notice of Freya Familia as well."

Hestia rubbed her arms as Asfi looked at the door to the stairway that was the one and

only entrance out onto the roof.

Babel's top floor was currently Freya's domain, and Freya Familia regularly occupied

it. They would surely be noticed if they had tried to climb the tower the correct way,

so Hestia had suggested the route that only Asfi could take.

Set down by Asfi, Hestia looked all around.

"How pretty… not that we really have any time to enjoy the view."

The gorgeous night scenes of Orario were visible in all directions around the tower.

At the very center of the city and its highest point as well, the view it boasted was the

most luxuriant in all the city. Picking out the lights of stoves and fireplaces amid the

glimmering magic-stone lights that looked as if a jewel box had been scattered across

the city, Hestia narrowed her eyes and undid her hairbands.

"Goddess Hestia, having come this far, it's a bit awkward to admit this, but… I still don't

really know what it is you are going to do…"

Asfi had trusted what Hestia said and brought them to the summit of Babel.

Would this really free Hermes and the others? What would happen to Orario? Her

voice could not hide the unease of those thoughts.

"Hmm… the phenomenon that I administer, bluntly, it's flame, but… well, it's a pretty

plain sort of thing."

"Huh?"

"It's a hearth fire, different from Hephaistos's smithing flame… basically, unlike Take's

martial arts, Soma's wine, or Freya's beauty, it doesn't really do much down here in the

mortal realm."

Asfi's expression grew confused at the sudden strange examples.

As Hestia explained what was part of the reason why her familia had never gathered

many members until Bell joined, the goddess released her long black hair, letting it

hang to her waist.

"But with an altar prepared like this, there are things I can do."

At that moment.

When Hestia quietly raised her right hand to the level of her chest—all around the city,

slender rays of crimson light began to rise.

Dozens, hundreds of pillars of light.

The houses that Hermes Familia had delivered firewood to, or more crucially, the

flames rising from their stoves, furnaces, and fireplaces, swelled.

Asfi's eyes widened.

The light was a different color, but it was familiar.

It was the light of falna—the residual warm glow from her back when her status was

updated.

"We created countless hearths in the city laid out in formation. All imbued with my

ichor. In other words, they are a medium. Those countless lights are equivalent to my

retainers. And with them, I can re-create the Temple of Hestia that exists in the

heavens."

That was when Asfi noticed it.

Hestia's voice. The usual warmth and gentle familiarity in it were fading.

In its place was a mechanical, wholly unhuman voice imbued with divine splendor.

Divinity swelled in Hestia's small body as Asfi subconsciously recoiled, pulling back in

awe.

"Mine is the virginal. Bowing not to the force of charm, resolutely rejecting that.

Wicked is passion, righteous is purity. Cleanse the binding wiles of charm that blanket

this land. Purify wickedness, O cleansing flame."

Her voice wove a sonorous declaration.

It sounded almost like a spell or an invocation of the deities.

The goddess's expression became blank.

Her eyes stared down on the city, aloof and divine. There was no trace of humanity in

them.

The innumerable faint pillars of light reaching into the sky gleamed a vibrant crimson

as if responding to her call. The surging divine might burned into Asfi's eyes.

"Th… this is…?!"

The human reflexively covered her face as the swirling, overpowering divine authority

came blowing in.

The firewood delivered to the points that Hestia had indicated and Asfi had delivered

transformed into a blaze amplifying the goddess's divine authority.

If there were anyone who could see from a bird's-eye view, they would understand.

The hearth fires dotted around Orario like watch fires were growing, creating

something that resembled a magic circle.

The round tower surrounded by city walls was transforming into an enormous hearth

itself, overflowing with the light of flames.

"Don't go calling me a cheater after what you pulled. This is the way of things decided

by deities. This is my transient mission and endeavor."

It was a silent acknowledgment.

The agreement of the great gods who feared such an incursion and domination of the

heavens and an unwritten rule of the mortal realm.

The virginal goddesses who could reject the force of overwhelming charm were a

counter and a check on the goddesses of beauty. Hestia was allowed to fully wield her

authority—not arcanum but the phenomenon over which she ruled—in the face of a

danger that menaced both the heavens and the mortal world.

"…It was a mistake to retreat from Babel in order to corner Bell, Freya."

For just a brief moment, her tone reverted back to her usual as she turned her eyes to

Folkvangr in the south of the city.

"What you surrendered was the very core of the altar."

Babel stood at the heart of Orario.

And it was also the tower of gods, the point closest to the heavens.

The flames increased in intensity.

The ground shuddered silently.

The city itself seemed almost to become a hearth for the sacred flame.

On the streets, in bars, in plazas, the children and deities alike were collapsing.

"I'll show you Hestia's secret technique, something even you've never known."

It was her trump card, a ritual that only the deities of her homeland knew of.

The ultimate divine mystery, it was a miracle far below the level of arcanum.

Asfi fell silent as she watched the goddess quietly wave her right arm horizontally.

"Dios Aedes Vesta."

An enormous magic power swelled. A tremendous, different divine might roared.

" !!!"

Being so close to the manifestation of that power bent Asfi's body backward as far as

it would go.

An all-purifying light was born.

A cleansing flame.

A crackling fire that rang in the ears of all who had fallen under Freya's charm, but also

a warmth rumbling deep from within them.

The power of the goddess dispersed, engulfing the city in a scorching wave.

The ritual flames rose.

The fire of blessing sang a song of purification.

It spread like a wildfire through all points of the city, but its blaze did not burn anyone.

It was not an inferno that destroyed enemies but a protecting flame to save supplicants.

Like a gentle bonfire lighting the darkness, like the kind crackling fire in a hearth, it

provided a warm comfort and divine blessing to those who were suffering.

It was the crackle of flames signaling the end of a nightmare.

A divine fire the scorched away all binding spells.

On the streets, in the bars, in homes, and towers. The path of the flame that consumed

buildings touched mortals and deities alike.

The messenger god, the smithing goddess, the god of medicine, the god of war, the

trickster goddess.

A prum supporter, a young blacksmith, a girl from the Far East, a renart sorceress.

And a princess of the blade.

The raging flame gently engulfed deities and followers who had fallen to the floor or

the ground with their eyes shut.

The flame of the hearth resembled a spirit's miracle and spread without end, sending

scarlet sparks flying up into the air—and finally, it disappeared.

The city fell silent, as if it had all been an illusion.

"…What was that light?"

Hegni murmured.

Around him, the other members of Freya Familia were struggling to understand as

well.

Their eyes looked up, outside their home, searching for traces of the scarlet blaze that

had lit the night sky, their attention directed above them.

Ghh… Not good, something isn't right!

An unease that was difficult to describe quickly took root in his heart.

The blaze that had been entrapped by the great city walls had not infringed on

Folkvangr. The countless sparks flying through the air had shrouded his body entirely,

but there was no abnormality. But Hegni's cowardly heart was afflicted by an urgency

he could not put into words.

Gripping his black sword in one hand, the dark elf glared straight ahead.

Before him was the battered and bruised fellow elf who was down on one knee with

her back to the wall that separated Freya Familia's home from the city.

"…Surrender. Lay down your weapon slowly and without struggling. Else I shall sever

one of your limbs."

"Ghh…!"

Lyu was surrounded by members of Freya Familia, including Hegni.

Her hard-fought struggle, escaping from underground and rampaging all around the

home, had reached its end once Hegni joined the fray. Just like when she had been

overpowered in the battle during the Goddess Festival, she was forced into an

unfavorable position by the strength of a Level 6, and she had been eventually

cornered on the edge of the field far removed from the main building.

She was surrounded by a semicircle that would not let even the smallest insect

through.

Lyu put the fist gripping her sword on the ground as her face twisted.

"Khh… Bell…"

Her eyes focused on the mansion atop the hill where the boy was surely still being

held. She brushed aside the thought that she had only reached that far and hardened

her heart, which was on the verge of breaking as she stood back up and steadied her

blade.

Hegni felt a great respect for his proud fellow elf, who did not lose her battle spirit

even in such a hopeless situation, and as such, he immediately cast aside all mercy.

"If you would choose honor, then you shall have it in your death!"

He stepped in silently, his figure disappearing from view before appearing right before

Lyu's eyes, swinging down his pitch-black blade.

However—

—Shiiing!

""?!""

There was a shrill metallic screech and a spray of sparks as the dark elf's slash was

parried.

"Wh…?!"

Was it Hegni whose eyes widened in shock, or Lyu who was dumbfounded by the sight,

or was it the others of Freya Familia who could not believe their eyes?

All of them beheld a beautiful golden-eyed, blond-haired girl.

"…Sword Princess…?"

Aiz swung her slender silver blade as Lyu murmured behind her.

All of Freya Familia there save Hegni recoiled at her golden gaze.

"I remember everything."

The girl who rarely displayed obvious emotion had a clear, unmistakable anger in her

voice.

"Bell isn't part of Freya Familia at all."

She pointed her sword straight at Hegni, whose eyes widened as she placed her left

hand on her chest.

"Lady Hestia's fire… reached me, too."

A warm light like a hearth had been lit inside her.

Even though she was not bound by oath, though she served a different mistress, she

was still a retainer of the goddess of the hearth in that moment, and there was surety

in her voice as she declared:

"She scorched away the power of the charm."

As if that statement had been the trigger, a crowd began stirring outside the walls.

"Eh… what…?"

"Why is Rabbit Foot with Freya Familia…?!"

"Hold up, what is this weird memory?!"

The voices of people returning to their senses in the shopping district, no, everywhere

at once all around the city gave birth to a rising tempest.

It was proof that the domain of the hearth had broken through the domain of beauty.

Sensing on his skin the rising tide of chaos and turbulent confusion, Hegni stood still

for just a brief moment before two more figures leaped over the wall and descended

from above.

"Argggh, I said something terrible to Argonaut, didn't I?!"

"Bewitching all of us like that was a pretty shitty thing to do, you know… You're going

to explain yourselves now, right?"

Tiona had her Urga at the ready while Tione seethed as she leveled her twin kukri

blades at Freya Familia alongside Aiz.

"Loki Familia…! It can't be… Lady Freya's charm has really been…?!"

That sight was enough to make even Hegni shudder.

Freya Familia, who had been so sure of their mistress's absolute dominance, were

thrust into confusion.

Disregarding their panic, Lyu somehow managed to regain her calm.

Facing the back of the swordswoman still covering her, she spoke.

"Sword Princess… to think I would be saved by you…"

Hearing that, Aiz suddenly turned around.

"Umm… where is Bell?"

"Wha?! Wh-why is the first question out of your mouth regarding Bell's whereabouts?!"

"…? Should I not have?"

"I-I wouldn't say that, but… actually, no, you shouldn't have! I don't know why, but you

shouldn't!"

"Why are you getting into it with each other now?!"

Aiz cocked her head in confusion as Lyu struggled to respond, and in the end, her calm

went out the window with a red-faced shout, forcing Tione to be the voice of reason.

Hegni had frozen at the farce unfolding before him before his eyes flared.

"Be it truth or fiction, you have set foot in the goddess's realm! Those who would

barbarically disrupt it will be cut down!"

"All right, let's do it, then! I'm reallllly pissed, too!"

Tiona spun her weapon over her head as she howled back at Hegni.

In an instant, the dark elf's and Amazon's weapons met with a crash while Aiz, Tione,

and Lyu faced forward and began to engage the rest of Freya Familia, who raised a

battle cry.

"—Tch?!"

A tremendous kick smashed into Allen's silver spear.

"You really did a number on us, kitty cat… You can save us both the excuses 'cause I'm

gonna murder you right now."

"…Werewolf son of a bitch…"

Bete Loga was brimming with a savage ferocity with the moon at his back.

The location was the fifth district in the south of the city.

The force that Allen had been pulling back to the home had been stopped in their path

with Folkvangr in sight by the other biggest faction in the city that could stand against

them.

"Sheesh, Bete. Just like Aiz and the girls, not listenin' to a thing I say. But just this once,

I suppose I won't just wait and watch."

The single dwarf grumbled, but his eyes quickly narrowed.

"Aye, I won't be satisfied if I don't pummel your faces in before the Guild can stop us."

"Elgarm…!"

"How was the goddess's will repelled?!"

"That mysterious blaze just now must've been the cause."

"Washed-up old dwarf!"

Right next to Allen and Bete, Gareth Landrock and the Gulliver brothers were staring

each other down.

The dwarf was not holding a weapon, but his boulder-like fists rumbled heavily as the

prum quadruplets expressed both shock and animosity.

As Van and the others gasped, the most hotheaded members of Loki Familia appeared

one after the other, following Bete's lead.

The fact that they had been manipulated lit a fire in the ferocious werewolf and the

great dwarven warrior.

There was a furious clash of arms as a second battle opened.

The residents of Orario who had not yet recovered from the shock cried out in terror

at the scene of a full-on conflict between familias exploding into the open.

"…No way…"

A single prum girl's voice fell weakly, as if her heart had been ripped from her breast.

"No way, no way—no! It can't be! Lilly, Lilly hurt him, hurt Mr. Bell… Noooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

"L-Lady Lilly?!"

An earsplitting scream rocked Hearthstone Manor to its foundations.

Mere moments had passed since the purifying flames appeared and burned away all

the restraints binding them.

The shock of how she had treated the boy who'd saved her, whom she had fallen for

and sworn never to betray again, was too great to bear. Remembering everything in a

spew of memories flashing through her mind, Lilly collapsed onto the floor and

screamed in a voice resembling a broken music instrument.

Mikoto grew pale as she recalled her own actions even as she rushed over to Lilly's

side… when there was another thud.

The sound of knees collapsing to the ground in another location.

"What… what did I… why… That's… I'm… so terrible…"

"L… Lady Haruhime…"

The renart girl had slumped down to her knees, sitting on her heels, as tears

overflowed from her empty eyes.

The opposite of Lilly, she was consumed by a quiet grief and slipped into a hell of selfdeprecation as a chill gripped her heart so tightly as to freeze time in its tracks. Caught

between two impossible despairs, Mikoto froze, unable to do anything.

"…Ghh."

Beside them, Welf, who had been standing in dumbfounded shock, clenched his fists.

He was gripped by a nausea and self-loathing that did not pale in comparison to any

of the others, but he turned the flames of that inward to force himself into action.

He walked over to Lilly, who was holding her small head in both hands and pressing

her forehead to the floor as she kept apologizing over and over and over, and he

grabbed both of her arms.

"Wake up, Li'l E! If you want someone to curse you, then I'll give you all you want

afterward!"

And as tears filled her chestnut-colored eyes, he hit her with it:

"If we don't go save Bell now, he will be swallowed whole by that goddess!"

"—Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooo!!"

The next instant, her eyes widened beyond all limits, and a new high-frequency wave

emanated from her.

Mikoto and Haruhime both twitched at the sign that the serious time was over.

"No, no, noooooooooooo! Corrupting a child like Mr. Bell with such extreme seduction!

Lilly will protect Mr. Bell's chastity—!!!"

"Then let's go!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Mr. Beeeeeeeeeeell!!!"

Welf's timely anti-magic fire countered Lilly's despair, setting her off with a screech as

she immediately leaped from the room. Welf shouted at Haruhime and Mikoto, who

were watching slack-jawed.

"You two, hurry it up! We're a familia! We're gonna go get him!"

"Ghh… Right!"

Haruhime wiped away her tears roughly and stood up on her own before running out

as fast as she could, too.

Mikoto snapped out of it and frantically continued after Welf.

Lilly and Haruhime took up the vanguard while Welf and Mikoto left the home close

behind them.

The Eastern girl could not tell whether she was moping in regret or overcome with

emotion as she flashed a clumsy smile at the blacksmith she was running alongside.

And as if she could not restrain herself, she slapped Welf's back and accelerated.

Welf smiled back and shouted as he swung his arms:

"Just you wait for us, Bell!"

"Uwaaaa… How many times is it now that I've caused Bell trouble…?"

In a mostly empty drugstore.

A listless chienthrope girl's voice fell.

"I seriously want to just die…"

"Don't say stupid things like that! We have no choice but to repay what we owe now!"

Nahza was utterly aghast with herself as Daphne grabbed her by the prosthetic hand

and pulled her outside.

Miach chased after the two of them as well as they ran toward the obvious place.

"Even a god committed such a folly. Do not avert your eyes, we must act now!"

"Uwaaah, the prophecy was trueeeee! I saw it in my dream, so why didn't I stand by

him?!"

Cassandra clutched her staff to her chest and ran even as their patron god, who so

rarely raised his voice, shouted.

The tragic seer was crying for a different reason from everyone else as Miach Familia

embarked on the same mission as Hestia Familia.

"He was cornered in such a precarious position again…! Just being his shield won't be

enough to make up for this!"

"Even so, let's go! To help Bell!"

Ouka and Chigusa ran down Main Street while readying their weapons.

The rest of Takemikazuchi Familia continued after them.

"Well now, I've experienced my share of shameful lows since coming down to the

mortal realm, but… this takes it to a new level!"

Despite having only the same physical abilities as an average person, Takemikazuchi

was sprinting at incredible speed across the roofs of buildings like a ninja.

"S-stop! Stop all of the familias running wild!"

Inside Guild Headquarters, which was stirring as everyone regained their memories,

the Guild head, Royman, was screaming frantically.

"Protect Freya Familia!!! Send out the order to halt all fighting!"

"What?! But, sir, surely, we can't forgive what Freya Familia did. I mean, what if it

happens again after we let them off this time…?"

"That's all secondary! If powerful factions, particularly Loki Familia and Freya Familia,

butt heads in the city, Orario will be swallowed in a sea of fire!"

"Eeeep?!"

Misha interjected on hearing the order she could barely believe, but she shrieked at

the furious shout that Royman fired right back at her.

Royman had plenty to say about being manipulated by Freya's charm, too, but he was

calmer than anyone else and more worried than anyone else. More precisely, he

sensed the all-out clash brewing between Loki and Freya that would be more

dangerous than anything Orario had ever witnessed, and he was trembling in fear

because it seemed to be getting more likely with every passing moment.

He leaped into action to extinguish the fuse on an explosive situation that made the

Orario destruction plot, which they could remember now that the charm had been

broken, mild in comparison. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the rest of the Guild

employees paled and started moving.

"We have to stop them…! If not, I'm going to need even more medicine for my

stomach…!"

Grabbing his stomach with one hand, Royman staggered.

As the Guild master, he was desperately trying to remain calm.

And on top of that, he knew better than almost anyone just how impossible it was to

stop rough and wild adventurers in a situation like that.

"E-Eina! I'm not sure how to feel about it, but we should probably do what he…!"

Misha's peach hair swayed as she turned around.

"Ah, she's gone…"

Her half-elf colleague and friend had long since disappeared, rushing out of the

headquarters.

Rage, fear, shock, panic.

While all the people and deities living in the giant Labyrinth City were consumed by

various emotions, by coincidence, they ended up in the same situation as Freya

Familia.

In other words, by being charmed and then having it released, they were aware of the

false input and could grasp the situation without having it explained to them.

"The only one who could do this is Goddess Freya! On the last day of the Goddess

Festival, she charmed all of us…!"

Her memories from around when the charm had been applied were unclear. But just

as the deities and the more perceptive people had realized, Eina immediately realized

that there was only one suspect who could perform such an act.

Running down Main Street, which was stirring with confusion, leaving behind the

people of the city still struggling to figure out what had happened to them, Eina

shouted as her breathing grew ragged.

"I won't forgive her! I won't forgive the goddess who made this happen! Who did this

to Bell, and to me!"

Her emerald eyes filled with water, which glimmered as it spilled over.

"I'm gonna kill those bastards!"

"W-wait, Aisha! Calm down!"

"I'm begging you, don't go picking a fight with Freya Familia!"

"No! They don't get to get away with this!!!"

The Amazon's eyes were bloodshot, and waves of rage were billowing off her as Falgar

and Lulune tried to stop her.

Not only had she been manipulated, but the renart who was like a little sister to her

had been wounded before her eyes. She shook off their hands and dashed off.

From different directions, the half-elf and the Amazon both set their sights on the

same place.

"Folkvangr!"

Eina and Aisha and all the adventurers from Aiz onward had acted almost

immediately.

Pushed by rage or by a desire to protect their bond with a certain boy, they gathered

at the home of the strongest faction in the south of the city.

Banners were waving in the wind.

Dozens of familia banners were fluttering in the wind surrounding Folkvangr.

"Is this really okay, Milady? Taking positions before Freya Familia's castle with the full

familia?"

"It is. We have more than sufficient cause to merit it."

The master smith Tsubaki Collbrande's question was answered by a Hephaistos

whose voice was filled with wrath.

They stood atop the wall that surrounded the great field, at the head of Hephaistos

Familia, which had deployed almost all their members, including the master smiths,

who were a match for upper-tier adventurers.

Hephaistos was glaring at the manor built at the top of the hill in the center of the field,

as if she fully intended to siege it.

"This cannot be allowed to stand. Even setting aside standing with Hestia and all of

that… you're going to have to pay for this, Freya."

Tsubaki's expression showed just a little bit of fear at seeing her patron goddess so

infuriated—the wrath of the goddess of the forge that had made countless goddesses

cry in the heavens—before she shrugged in acceptance.

"Serves you damn right, Freyaaaaaaaaaaa! This is what ya get for actin' all high and

mighty! Time for a super-ultra burst storm of destruction that'll blow you away, you

sex-crazed idiot!"

"Calm down please, Loki…"

While Hephaistos Familia surrounded the south and the west, Loki Familia had

deployed along the eastern and northern perimeter. As their patron goddess stood

atop the wall and roared with laughter, her eyes gleaming in rage, Finn pressed his

small hand to his forehead.

"Why did you have to make me go all goggle-eyed and babbling while I did everything

you wanted, you piece of shit?! Even after I warned you to never use that while we

were in the heavens, ya damned fool!"

Looking askance at his patron goddess, who was ultimately just enraged at the

humiliation of being ensnared by Freya's charm, Finn tapped the haft of his spear on

his shoulder, holding back an aggrieved sigh.

"I suppose one silver lining is at least Riveria was with the group that went into the

Dungeon… If it became known a high elf could be controlled like this, it wouldn't end

in this city; no elf in the world would be able to look the other way at that."

With that frightening thought, he looked around.

In addition to Loki Familia and Hephaistos Familia, there were also Miach,

Takemikazuchi, and many other familias that had strong connections with Hestia

Familia, all joining the ring around Folkvangr, a show of force and popular

demonstration.

"Hey, Mord. Is this really okay? Getting mixed up in something like this…?"

"D-don't get scared! Loki Familia's here, too. Even if it's Freya Familia, they'll get their

asses handed to them when they're up against numbers like this! If that happens, we

can just slip away in the chaos and swipe whatever money they've got hidden there…!"

There were even crooked adventurers with a keen sense for profit looking to turn a

valis.

Shouting back at the adventurer who had come with him, Mord stared at the home.

"Better hurry up and give that kid back, or else we'll all come crashing in!"

"Captain?!"

In a room in the manor.

Heith's troubled voice rang out as she worked to heal Ho rn.

"It can't be…"

Ottar's eyes widened at the scene outside the window.

"Lady Freya's charm was broken…?"

Atop the hill.

Hedin, who was protecting the mansion, was struck by a true surprise.

The panicked gaze of all the other members turned to him when he took command.

It was not just the main gate, every wall was being overwhelmed, and the number of

adventurers staring down at them undeniably outnumbered Freya Familia's full

forces.

"…I suppose it would be ridiculous to berate the ignorant masses. We were the first to

trample dignity underfoot for the sake of fulfilling the goddess's will."

However, Hedin did not sweat a drop as he adjusted his glasses and struck the hill with

the butt of his rhomphaia.

"But that will not change what must be done. My body is the goddess's spear and

shield. I will protect her from malice and scatter the enemy!"

The wise white elf's face was filled with determination to fight, which quickly spread

to the rest of the familia as well.

They were still einherjar.

As Hegni's and Aiz's groups continued to fight, their morale did not flag, and the

explosive staring contest continued.

And—

""Ahnya!""

Voices rang out in The Benevolent Mistress.

"What's going on meow?! I was just feeling annoyed at not being able to go after that

boy with the nice butt because he was Freya Familia, but it was actually some kind of

mind control, and he was a regular here and part of Hestia Familia! So then who does

his butt belong to, meow?!"

"Just shut up, you! I can hardly believe I forgot everything after getting my ass kicked

by Freya Familia…! Damn it!"

"Chloe, Runoa… you remember…?"

Ahnya was haggard as Chloe and Runoa burst into her room. Her two friends were

seething with confusion and anger as they pressed in on her, but finally, there was

unease and shock in their eyes as they asked.

"Syr… what happened to Syr?"

In the setting that the goddess had created, the blue-gray-haired girl did not exist.

Ahnya's eyes slowly filled with tears at Runoa's questions.

Her face warped as she buried her head in Runoa's chest.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!"

"…Ahnya…?"

Ahnya cried out as she clung to Runoa.

Runoa was stunned and stood there weakly before slowly moving her arms, which had

frozen awkwardly, holding Ahnya's trembling back.

Chloe had a chastened look on her face as she moved closer to Ahnya, like an older

sister licking a kitten.

Ahnya continued to sob silently.

"...…"

Outside the open door.

Directly beside it, where the light from the room would not reach, Mia was leaning

against the wall in the shadows, her arms crossed as she looked out the window.

"You really are a foolish woman…"

Her words and gaze were directed toward the goddess's castle.

The adventurers' fervor and the sounds of furious battle were obvious even from the

goddess's chamber on the highest floor.

Bell and Freya were stunned as they stood there frozen, looking out the enormous

window that filled the whole wall.

"My charm was broken…?… If it were possible, then—"

The goddess's stunned expression shifted as her brow furrowed in annoyance.

While Bell could not comprehend what was happening at all, just as Freya guessed

what was going on—the enormous window shattered.

"Whaaaaaat?!"

Bell gasped in surprise as fragments of glass scattered all around.

And in the middle of that rain of glass, as Bell and Freya both covered their faces with

their arms, he saw it.

The needle with a spiral engraved in it that had been fired at high speed to break the

window.

And, of course—

"—Beeeeeeeeeeeell!!!"

"G-Goddess—ghagh?!"

The goddess was charging through the night sky, carried by four flapping wings.

Forcibly leaping from the arms of Asfi, who was controlling the talaria, Hestia dove

head-first into Bell's arms.

He reflexively caught her, but he was sent rolling by the force of her charge. And rolling.

And rolling.

Asfi flew through overhead, flustered by the goddess who had just leaped from her

arms while Freya stared in shock, and Bell held on firmly to her small body.

He finally came to a stop after exactly ten rolls across the floor, then he slowly sat up.

"…Goddess…?"

Hestia snapped her head up when she heard Bell's quivering voice.

"—I'bm zo zorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry, Beeeeeeeeell! I acted so horribly to you! I'm a failure of

a patron goddessssss! Please forgive me for being so powerless!"

The teary-eyed, sniffly goddess wrapped her arms around Bell's neck, hugging him

tight. While Hestia sobbed like a child, Asfi's face twitched at the gap between how she

had looked while unleashing the full force of her divinity and how she looked now.

That was when Bell realized it.

It must have been Hestia who had undone the charm afflicting the whole city, and she

had always been trying to rescue him.

His eyes watered at the warmth of her hug, and he started to sniffle, too.

His face became as much of a mess as hers as he looked into her eyes and smiled from

the depths of his heart.

"Thank you so much, Goddess!… I love you!"

"…Yeah, I love you, too!"

The follower and the goddess shared both tears and smiles.

Hugging one more time, they both stood up together.

They turned their gazes to the goddess of beauty, who was watching with a grim look.

"And with that, Freya! I will be taking my Bell back! Not yours! Mine! My beloved Bell

with whom I have the deepest bond of anyone and with whom I share a mutual love!"

"G-Goddess…"

Bell looked forward and broke into a cold sweat as Hestia decided there of all places

to assert her supremacy.

The empress, who had just had mud thrown in her face, looked clearly displeased.

She did not do something so cliche d as bite her nails, but she twirled her hair as she

stared at Hestia and Bell holding hands.

"Unleashing your divine might to the full limit… using ichor and flames, you

summoned your temple from the heavens… no, re-created it. So you still had a move

to make, Hestia."

Freya swiftly analyzed the information she had available to her, neither detesting

Hestia for destroying her sandbox nor resenting her followers, who had allowed the

situation to happen.

Her anger and disappointment were directed only at herself.

For allowing her heart to be so shaken by the boy's trivial words and actions, for being

so absorbed in her internal thoughts, for being so lax in her attention. If she had been

her usual self, she would have noticed Hestia's actions and Hermes's vain struggle, and

she would surely have stopped them in their tracks.

"Yeah, the full strength of my divine blessing that only the gods of Olympus know! It's

usually not any help at all and almost unusable to boot! But it's just perfect for

someone willing to try every trick in the book like you!"

Hestia accepted Freya's grim gaze head-on.

"It's all due to your halfheartedness, or rather, your kindness in not just sending me

back to the heavens! You won't be getting thanks from me, though!"

Hestia was definitely still upset because she was being more aggressive and cynical

than usual.

Stuck on the outside looking in at the carnage of two goddesses fighting, Bell began

twitching awkwardly. In fact, he was cowering. And Asfi, whom Hestia had gotten

down on her knees to beg to bring her there, was laughing hoarsely. "Ha… ha-ha-ha…

breaking into Freya Familia's home… and smashing a goddess's window to boot… I'm

done for…"

Half out of her mind, she arrived at the same sort of despair, self-abandonment, and a

sense that what will be will be that her patron god Hermes had achieved earlier.

"So… what now, Freya? No matter what you say, this is your loss. The spell you cast on

Orario is broken, and Bell won't become yours!"

With her charm failing to work on Bell, altering the rest of the world was the sort of

last-ditch effort that could work only once.

Even if everyone around him rejected him because of Freya's manipulations, Bell

would not lose sight of himself again, and Hestia as the vestal goddess would not allow

it to happen, either.

Having such an oppressive board state turned about and placed in check herself, Freya

was expressionless.

Her arms hung limply.

"Where do you suppose the point of compromise should be, Loki?"

Atop the wall surrounding the palatial estate.

While Bete's group and Allen's force were fighting behind them and Hegni's forces and

Aiz's group were clashing before them, Finn looked ahead as he questioned his patron

goddess.

Standing beside him, Loki eyed Mord and the other adventurers sparked by Aiz, who

might start pouring in at any moment.

"It really pisses me off… but the Guild won't stand for a war that would rock Orario to

its core. Even if we go wild right now, we won't be able to reach any decisive conclusion."

She could barely hear the Guild members, who had finally arrived from South Main

Street and were desperately trying to order a halt to hostilities.

"But it's impossible for adventurers to just set aside their pent-up anger."

Finn spoke as if it was none of his business.

While he maintained the encirclement, his eyes were trained on the uppermost floor

of the manor, where Perseus and what looked like a child-sized goddess had invaded

Freya's chambers.

"Then there's only one thing to do."

Looking in the same direction as her follower, Loki's scarlet eyes opened slightly.

"A war game."

"Hestia—I challenge you to a war game."

""!!!""

Hestia's and Bell's eyes widened at that declaration.

Even Asfi looked up, forgetting herself as Freya continued calmly.

"If I lose, then I'll do whatever you say. I'll even accept being sent back to the heavens…

And if I win, I will take Bell."

"…Don't screw with me, Freya. You really think I'll accept a challenge in a situation like

this? You've already lost, and you're going to be judged for what happened."

Hestia's voice was low, and her eyes narrowed angrily, but the goddess of beauty was

ever the arrogant empress.

"We will suffer a heavy penalty from the Guild. But that's all."

"Wh…!"

"Orario must accomplish the three great quests. They cannot afford to let us go to

waste or forcibly break us up. You can bet on it. And once the heat of the moment has

cooled sufficiently… my hand might slip again. I might just play another trick."

"Ghh…!"

"Can you really live in peace with that thought always looming over you?"

Even while being right where Hestia wanted her, Freya still had her cornered, and

Hestia was agitated even though she should have been in command. Bell was just as

stunned.

Asfi's silence spoke to the truth of what Freya was saying.

Everything slowed to a crawl.

However, they did not have any time to think.

There was a loud noise below, and the familia members who noticed the intruders

were closing in.

"That is the true strength of my familia. The status that I have built up all this time."

Her manner of speaking was haughty and shameless, but…

"And I will wager all of it. My wealth, fame, honor, and even myself."

The three of them were struck by a second shock.

Freya was willing to bet it all, putting everything on the line in a war game.

If she lost, she would lose everything, becoming nothing more than a naked queen.

"You may have as many cooperators as you wish. You can even ally with all of the

familias in the city. I will face everything you bring to bear with only my familia."

She would even provide a handicap, demonstrating the extent of her resolve.

Casting down her crown, the goddess was looking at one person and one person alone.

"Let's duel, Hestia… and Bell."

Silence fell.

Their three gazes crossed and interlocked.

Asfi watched as an observer, gulping hard.

The first to speak was Hestia.

"Freya… I really do hate you. This just made it clear. I can't sympathize with your way

of doing things, and I can't empathize with you."

"...…"

"Holding my followers hostage, hurting Bell… I resent you, and I will scorn you for

eternity."

"...…"

"…But why are you so hung up on Bell? Why would you go so far?"

Hestia's eyes flared with malice and contempt.

"Because you are a goddess of love? Is it really just that you've taken a shine to him?

What has made you so desperate about this?"

Her gaze shifted from scorn to clarity. Hestia set aside her position and her dominion

and was asking as a fellow goddess.

"Freya… what did you really want?"

There was no answer forthcoming.

The cool breeze from the broken window and the pale moonlight lit her profile as the

silver-haired goddess looked downward ever so slightly.

To Bell, she looked almost like a lost child who did not know herself what it was that

she wanted.

Sensing that the silence would never be broken, Hestia quietly sighed, and clenched

the hand she was holding as she looked up to the boy beside her.

"Bell… what do you want to do?"

He was the greatest victim of all in this situation, as well as the goal that would be

fought over in the coming days, so she left the decision to him.

Her eyes saying that she believed he was best suited to decide this.

Bell slowly released her hand and took a step forward.

"…If we win, will you also listen to my request?"

"…Very well. What do you want?" the goddess asked indifferently.

"Allow me to meet Syr once more. No." He shook his head. "Please let me know the true

you."

" "

Her silver eyes widened, and she was speechless before finally averting her gaze.

Her hair quivered, and her expression became blank for a moment before she stared

back at him.

"As you wish. I know not what truth it is that you are seeking, though."

Mutual acceptance.

All the terms had been met.

And Perseus was the witness.

With the testimony of Hermes's follower, the decision reached that day would become

the city's consensus.

"Lady Freya!"

The members of Freya Familia that had rushed up the stairs burst through the door at

that same moment.

Freya quietly unleashed her divinity.

Her power shook the room like a wind, stopping the flood of adventurers pouring in

in their tracks and causing them to drop their weapons. Even Hegni and the rest

fighting outside paused in shock and looked up to the top floor of the home.

A stillness filled Orario, and combat ceased everywhere.

Aiz's eyes widened; Lyu stood in shock; Hestia Familia, Loki Familia, and everyone else

who had gathered all turned their gaze to the chamber where the goddesses were

facing each other.

"Okay… then it's a duel, Freya."

Bell's will.

And Freya's resolve.

Accepting both of those, Hestia spoke in a voice that reached many ears.

"It's a war game!"

Her shout reached the sky.

It was a proclamation.

Orario's greatest ever war game.

The bell had rung, signaling the opening of what would later come to be called the

Familia War.