At the very top of the Tower of "Babel," standing tall at the center of the Labyrinth City Orario, two gods were engaged in a conversation that was anything but equal.
The reason for such an imbalance was not complicated. The difference in strength and influence between their familias was incomparable.
Of course, beyond their familias, the goddess herself was extremely dangerous, one of the few divine beings the blond god truly feared.
It could only be said that, after suffering too many beatings in the heavens, an instinct had formed within him, one almost indistinguishable from Stockholm syndrome.
....
Inside the grand hall of the castle where Goddess Freya resided, the blond god removed his hat, bowed slightly, and offered the formal greeting of lowering his hat brim.
Freya gracefully reclined with a wine glass in hand, taking the goblet offered by her loyal boar-man servant. With eyes full of amusement, she sized up the god before her, one she distrusted and detested.
"So then? You bring me such classified intelligence… what do you intend to do with it? You are hardly as pure and righteous as Artemis, are you?"
"...."
The corner of the blond god's eye twitched ever so slightly. That name stirred up grayish memories he would rather not recall.
"I know my own nature all too well. Please don't mock me, Lady Freya. As for this matter, I'm only… somewhat worried about Bell's current situation. Especially since before I arrived here, Loki's familia had already moved against him."
"...."
The goddess's eyes narrowed. The playful smile faded from her refined face, replaced instead with a chill like ice.
"Hermes, surely you don't wish to be expelled from this city forever, or end up like Ishtar, do you? Has it really been so long since the war with the Ishtar Familia?"
"Have you already forgotten what you did to me then? Or is your memory failing you after living too long? Do you need me to remind you?"
"..." Hermes's expression froze. He quickly waved his hands in panic.
"You know very well, that was only out of necessity! I, I stumbled into it by accident back then. Surely you can forgive me just a little?"
"Heh, "
"..." Taking a deep breath, Hermes swiftly shifted the topic.
"I've tried my best to mediate, but… you know Loki's familia. They won't compromise. Wouldn't it be possible for you to lend me a hand? This affair could ruin Bell-kun. Surely even you wouldn't want that rare, dazzling white radiance to be extinguished because of some petty scheming?"
Yes, he knew full well… this was the heaviest bargaining chip of all.
He understood, Freya's affection for Bell had long since grown into something unquenchable.
Deep down, Hermes even suspected: if the time came, would this obsessive goddess go so far as to enchant the entire city, just to possess that boy.
Precisely for this reason, the current situation was not a development Freya desired.
Thinking this, the blond god stole a glance at Freya. He caught sight of her blank expression, her hand absentmindedly swirling the wine in her glass… and the corners of his lips curled upward in satisfaction.
But he did not realize… Freya had already seen through every calculation in his heart.
"The final act of this scene, a 'Hero's Return,' is it?"
"Just as you say." Then, Freya smiled. A dazzling, radiant smile she almost never revealed.
Hermes's heart skipped a beat. His face twitched violently.
With a bitter laugh, the god raised both hands in surrender, no excuses, no apologies, no defense.
Only these words:
"Then, please watch closely, the hero's reversal play."
With that, he bowed, put on his hat, and turned to leave the hall.
Freya remained smiling as she gazed at the slowly closing doors, watching Hermes vanish from sight, before softly speaking:
"Self-righteous scheming… thinking you know all, yet in the end, don't get caught in someone else's trap. Hehehehehe, "
Her loyal servant, Ottar, lowered his head in thought.
"Do you mean… by you, Lady?"
The goddess rose, stepping toward the vast floor-to-ceiling windows. She gazed southwest, toward the Daedalus District, which was descending further into chaos. She took a sip of her treasured wine, crimson lips curving upward.
"Not by me… by that child."
As for who exactly, Freya did not say.
Ottar stood silently behind her, heavy pressure filling the room.
Beyond the seamless wide windows, the black-gray sky stretched endlessly, shrouded in thick clouds.
She stared into the darkness, the sky still veiled in rain and storm.
"'God-created heroes,' or whatever they're called… after all these years, I'm bored of them. Boring gods, boring people, I want no part of that."
Her words carried hidden meaning, pointed and sharp.
Then she chuckled sweetly, tilting her head slightly, brushing a strand of silver hair back behind her ear as if lifting dew with her fingers.
"Unmoving windmills… old, rotten. And now, the opportunity to break this stagnant lower world has finally come. An 'irregular hero' even the gods would betray. Let me see… will you be but a fleeting meteor, or, "
With the goddess's whisper, their figures slowly melted into the darkness, and vanished completely.
....
Surveillance point.
Fron removed his gloves and sat down on a supply crate, warming himself by a campfire against the cold autumn rain.
Looking closely, a rack had even been set over the fire, with skewers of vegetables, fruit, and beef roasting together.
...
More extravagantly, there were even two bottles of mead placed beside him.
This wasn't a mission at all, Fron had turned it into a leisurely camping trip.
"Ssshhh"
"Crackle"
Fat and juices sizzled on the coals, filling the air with fragrance, while his companions cast uneasy glances at each other.
"Uh, um, Fron… isn't this a little inappropriate?"
Cruz, squatting nearby, sneaked a glance at Fron, who was gleefully grilling skewers, and offered a protest.
The situation was so tense. If they behaved like this, surely other familias would resent them.
But Fron, relaxed and carefree, couldn't be bothered. As long as they killed off those rats from the Evilus when they appeared, the rest would sort itself out.
Someone else would naturally step in to handle things. The outcome was already decided, why worry about the process?
"What's there to fear? I'm here to cover you all, so why panic? Not just 'armed monsters' or the Evilus, whatever enemy shows up, so what? Don't you trust my strength?"
Unable to argue, Cruz was instantly silenced.
Just as he was racking his brains for a way to persuade his leader to take things seriously, just in case,
Awooooooo,
A roar tore through the night sky.
The deep, drawn-out howl echoed through every corner of Daedalus Street, reaching even the edge of the city itself.