Ais finally understood!
What she should have done wasn't run away. She should have stayed and found out what Ryoji actually thought.
As Riveria had said, she had to take the initiative if she wanted to seize her own happiness.
She still didn't completely understand it, but it was just like her father and mother. How could her mother have ended up with her father if she hadn't taken the initiative?
Seeing Ais regain her motivation and completely shake off her earlier gloom, Riveria was finally relieved.
"By the way, who was the woman who blew Ryoji that kiss?" she asked casually.
She had to help Ais figure out how to deal with this. After all, this was Ais's first time falling in love!
Riveria herself didn't know much about romance either, but she felt she couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
If Ais had a serious rival, they had to act quickly and eliminate the competition!
"Freya."
"Oh, Freya." Riveria nodded.
Then she suddenly processed what Ais had said, and her brain froze for a moment.
"Who did you say?"
"Freya."
"…Goddess Freya?"
"Yes." Ais nodded seriously.
"…'Hiss!'"
Riveria sucked in a sharp breath. She pressed a hand against her forehead, already feeling a massive headache coming on.
"Tell me everything that happened between you two today. Every single detail!"
......
"Ais?"
Ryoji rushed back to Twilight Manor as fast as he could.
He grabbed a companion whose name shall remain undisclosed and anxiously asked, "Ais? Where is she?"
"Ais? She came back and went straight to her room. She looked like she was in a terrible mood. Riveria has already…"
Before the man could finish, Ryoji had already run inside.
He ignored Alicia and the others who greeted him and rushed straight toward the West Tower.
'I have to make it in time!' he desperately prayed in his heart.
Unfortunately, his fate had already been sealed.
"Ryoji!!"
The moment he entered the tower's main hall, an angry shout came from upstairs.
Riveria stormed down the stairs, her face as dark as a thundercloud.
"Tell me! Are you sleeping with Freya?!"
'I'm screwed.'
Ryoji let out a silent wail.
The moment Riveria's furious shout rang out, the entire Loki Familia exploded into chaos.
"Who?! Prince-sama and who?!"
"Freya? That bitch goddess?!"
"Not Tiona, not Ais, not Lefiya, but the Goddess of an enemy Familia?!"
Shouts came from every direction. Disbelief, angry curses, and even the sounds of weapons being drawn filled the Familia headquarters.
Ryoji remained silent.
Under Riveria's furious stare, his face went pale.
"…It was my fault." Ryoji let out a long sigh, his face filled with regret.
Ais came down the stairs. The moment she heard those words, her face went pale and her body nearly collapsed.
"You're not denying it?!" Riveria was stunned.
Deep down, she had desperately hoped Ryoji would deny everything.
That would have been better for Ais and better for the Familia.
Otherwise, not only would Ais be heartbroken, but the entire Loki Familia would be placed in an incredibly awkward position. One of their own members had gotten involved with the Goddess of an enemy Familia.
How could that possibly end well? Eventually, the two Familias would inevitably come into conflict.
That was precisely why Adventurers usually chose partners from within their own Familia rather than marrying across Familia lines.
If the two Familias went to war, whose side would you take? And if the couple had children, which Familia would they belong to?
There were countless problems like that.
If Ryoji denied the relationship, everything would still be manageable.
"I won't deny it. If I did something wrong, then I did something wrong." Ryoji shook his head, his expression filled with turmoil. "I'm not the kind of man who makes a mistake and then refuses to take responsibility. You can punish me however you want, I have no objections."
"I only regret that I was too impulsive and couldn't resist the temptation of revenge…" He sighed heavily, his face filled with sorrow.
More than half of Loki Familia had gathered in the hall by now. Everyone who happened to be at the headquarters had been drawn here by the commotion.
After hearing what Ryoji said, they all stared at one another in bewilderment.
"Wait." Riveria suddenly frowned. "What exactly do you mean? What does 'I couldn't resist the temptation of revenge' have to do with your relationship with Freya?"
She felt as though she had just stumbled onto some hidden secret.
Ais raised her eyes slightly, a faint glimmer of hope appearing in them.
"Now that things have come this far, I suppose I should tell you the truth." Ryoji let out a long, nostalgic sigh. "It goes back to a few days ago, when we first learned that Ishtar's key was in Freya's hands. Loki and I went out together… Actually, we went to meet Freya."
Riveria remembered that. Loki and Ryoji had gone out together and returned with the key.
At the time, everyone had wondered how Loki had managed to get it. Freya wasn't a Goddess who could be easily satisfied, but Loki hadn't been willing to explain, so they hadn't pressed her.
"Could it be…?" Riveria suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility. "Loki told you to… seduce Freya?!"
She practically ground the word 'seduce' out through clenched teeth.
"No! This was my fault!" Ryoji looked utterly devastated. "All these days, I've been thinking about avenging Line and the others, about getting revenge for what happened in the artificial labyrinth! In the end, I couldn't control myself. I gave in to the anger I should never have allowed to take hold of me!"
"Prince-sama!"
"That really is just like you, Ryoji!"
"I knew you weren't that kind of person!"
The girls looked at him with deeply moved expressions.
So that was what happened!
Everyone knew how much Ryoji cared about his companions. They had even heard that he once stood in the rain for hours at Line and the others' graves.
It had to be Loki! This was all because Loki had come up with such a terrible idea!
Why on earth would she tell Ryoji to seduce Freya? Even if he could resist the Goddess of Beauty's charm, what was the point of throwing a meat bun at a dog?
"Loki! Where's Loki?"
"Loki, get out here and take your beating!"
The girls immediately turned their anger toward Loki, their furious shouts echoing throughout the Familia.
"That damn Loki! How could she come up with such a horrible idea?!" Riveria gritted her teeth, absolutely furious.
The hand gripping her Magic Staff was starting to itch. She really wanted to find someone, no, 'find a god', to beat some sense into.
Ais puffed out her cheeks, feeling genuine anger toward Loki for the first time.
Ryoji sat dejectedly in a chair in the hall, looking like a man quietly waiting to receive his punishment.
"What happened? What's going on?"
It wasn't until evening that Loki finally returned, reeking of alcohol.
The moment she walked in, she was stunned by the scene before her.
More than twenty beautiful girls stood there holding sticks and clubs, glaring at her furiously. Even Riveria, Ais, and Tiona were among them.
"Get her!"
At Riveria's command, everyone charged forward like a pack of wolves and pinned Loki to the ground.
"AAARGH! Owwww!"
Loki howled in agony.
Even after it was all over, she still had absolutely no idea what had happened.
(End of Chapter)
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