Chapter 138: The Love Goddess’s Excitement (Bonus)

That night, news of what happened at the Guild reached Freya's ears.

"Ah~ Hermes has finally made his move."

Resting her chin on both hands, Freya wore a look of anticipation. She was waiting—waiting for Hermes to act quickly and bring forth the scene she longed to witness.

Because of that, Freya wasn't in a rush to take action herself.

"Still, for Hermes to so quickly side with Hestia… there must be a secret behind it."

The thought stemmed from her deep familiarity with how Hermes operated. He was the textbook definition of neutrality, never aligning himself clearly with any side. To do so would jeopardize the carefully balanced position he always maintained. Back in Tenkai, Hermes had always stood firmly in the middle—never tilting, never straying.

Freya also knew that Hermes loved to put on an act.

Whenever she used her Authority to charm the gods, Hermes was the only one who ever pretended to be unaffected. After all, she wasn't just the Goddess of Beauty—she was also the Goddess of Love. She held dominion over desire itself. How else could she keep so many male gods constantly dancing to her tune?

With the power of desire at her command, how could she not know when someone was faking it?

But there were times when it simply wasn't worth exposing a lie.

Unmasking Hermes now would be a waste. What Freya truly wanted was to see if Hermes could lead things toward the vision she so desperately wanted to see.

There was only one thing that left her with a tinge of regret.

"If only I could lay eyes on that child beforehand..."

Unfortunately, that child had vanished—completely—as if invisible within the city of Orario. Even her own Familia couldn't locate him.

Still, even if it was a pity, Freya found herself enjoying the process.

Unlike mortals, gods didn't fear the unknown. In fact, they sought it. With all their vast knowledge and experience, most things became boring. Only the unknown could still spark their interest. That was why the gods descended to Genkai in the first place.

And among them, Freya was the most unique.

Her eyes could see the brilliance of mortal souls. A radiant soul didn't necessarily mean the child would achieve great things in Genkai—but it did mean that the child had potential. All it took was the right opportunity.

And Freya's eyes had seen that future in him.

But this time… things were different.

For the first time, Freya couldn't see the child's soul at all. That very fact ignited her interest even more.

Even if her eyes couldn't perceive his soul, the child's actions told her enough—his soul would shine more brilliantly than anything she had ever seen before.

In that moment, Freya was no longer the commanding goddess of love and beauty. She was just another god chasing after the unknown she so desired.

Right now, her curiosity had reached its peak.

And yet, it was precisely because of that overwhelming curiosity that she reined herself in. In the past, such restraint would've been unthinkable.

As the goddess of love and beauty, expressing her passion freely was her norm.

But now, she was holding back.

Suppressing her curiosity.

Suppressing her desire.

Right then, Freya could feel that unfamiliar emotion building within her. The restlessness, the anticipation—it made it harder than ever to contain her growing excitement.

"I'm starting to feel excited too. What an adorable child."

Freya lightly pressed her dry lips together and reclined on the sofa, gazing out at the view beyond the window.

The nightscape of Orario was even more dazzling than she had imagined.

Boom!

A pillar of white light surged into the sky.

Freya's lips curved into a faint smile. In that blinding brilliance, she saw the soul of an old friend ascending toward Tenkai.

"Looks like we won't be meeting again in Genkai... Ishtar."

…

There had been no complications with Ishtar's repatriation ceremony. The Ganesha Familia had monitored the entire process, and most of the Guild members had gathered to watch.

On top of that, several Lv. 5 members of the Loki Familia were keeping close watch as well. Even if Evilus had planned to stir up trouble, they'd have to think twice about whether it was worth the risk.

At the Loki Familia's base, Loki stood watching the beam of light pierce the night sky, feeling particularly pleased.

Now that Ishtar had been sent back to Tenkai, all her Familia's members had their "Status" sealed.

That seal would remain in place until those former members chose a new Familia and received a god's blessing, at which point the seal would be lifted.

Once the light finally disappeared, Loki turned her gaze away and looked at the two figures seated upright inside the room.

"Well, are you ready now?"

Sitting there were Loki's primary objectives from the Ishtar Familia—Aisha Belka and Sanjouno Haruhime.

Aisha hadn't hesitated at all. Even if she were given another chance, she wouldn't question the decision she made today.

"We're ready, Loki-sama."

She had already steeled herself for joining Loki Familia long ago.

Loki nodded and then shifted her gaze to the other girl.

Sanjouno Haruhime—just like the intel from the shorty's Familia had described—had all the curves in the right places, exactly her type.

Her slightly shy and submissive demeanor practically had "bully me" written on her face.

A Renard princess with soft golden ears and tail, always showing a bashful expression…Everything about her made Loki's mouth water.

If it weren't for the risk of scaring her off, Loki would've already jumped her.

But what really made Loki drool was her magic—it was seriously broken.

She had seen countless kids from Genkai, but none with magic this busted.

Forced level boosting?

Even if it only worked on a single target, it was far from normal.

Still, Haruhime seemed hesitant.

"Loki-sama... may I ask a question?"

"Hmm? Sure, go ahead."

Summoning her courage, Haruhime finally spoke.

"Loki-sama, the one who saved Aisha and me yesterday… who was he?"

It wasn't a particularly important question. In fact, ever since bringing Aisha and Haruhime back, Loki had already figured it out from their descriptions.

But when she looked at Haruhime's nervous, shy, and hopeful face—gathering her courage just to ask—Loki held back the name.

Because in Haruhime's eyes, Loki saw something unmistakable—admiration, and even love.

She wasn't surprised. After all, what that girl experienced was straight out of a fairy tale—like a princess saved by her prince.

Every girl dreams of being rescued by her prince someday, right?

But that little brat had only just brought them in and already managed to capture her heart. That made Loki all the more annoyed.

Still, there was no avoiding it now.

With reluctant lips, Loki finally said the name.

"Bell Cranel... from that shorty's Hestia Familia."

And Haruhime etched that name deeply into her heart.