"...The summoner."
Seated at the very top of Babel Tower, in the heart of the Labyrinth City Orario, Freya whispered the name as her silver eyes gazed down upon the city below.
"Loki's even stingier than I thought. She actually found a child like that and decided to hide him all for herself."
Her tone was full of complaint, yet Freya completely understood why Loki would do it.
Of course she's guarding against me.
Freya's lips curled into a small pout.
"My, my... seems like my divine friend's gotten quite distant lately. Everyone's learned to be wary of me now."
She sighed theatrically. "As if Loki can really be so sure I'd steal her child. That's just slander."
Still, she had to admit—under the current circumstances, the boy from the Loki Familia had piqued her interest.
Not his soul—Freya didn't sense that kind of connection. It was simply curiosity toward something amusing, that's all.
The massive black pillar behind her stirred as a man stepped forward.
"Shall I bring him here?"
"...I'm not a bandit, Ottar."
Freya exhaled helplessly. Sometimes, even Ottar misunderstood her. Just because she was curious about Loki's child didn't mean she intended to snatch him away.
The ones she truly desired were those whose souls shone brilliantly—souls that had endured countless lives, whose radiance testified to extraordinary experience and talent.
In this world, souls could reincarnate. A soul that had lived many times accumulated those experiences in its essence. The brilliance of a soul reflected the depth of its journey.
"I'm only a little curious about Loki's child," Freya murmured. "What kind of power does he possess, that she's keeping him hidden so carefully?"
She suspected it had everything to do with the boy's abilities.
If she wanted to dig into Loki's secrets, she'd have to start from the cracks in her defenses.
And the "Extraordinary Man" incident was the perfect place to begin.
Of course, if she could think of that, others surely had as well.
Like Ishtar.
That woman had even sent one of her courtesans to lure him—afraid Loki might not notice otherwise.
But with Loki's cunning, the moment she decided to protect that child, she would've sealed her Familia tighter than an iron fortress. Leaving a flaw like "Extraordinary Man" was obviously intentional.
In other words, that entire affair was bait—information Loki deliberately released.
Freya understood that much. Ishtar likely did too.
Which meant Ishtar was now playing the long game, waiting for time to wear down the defenses so she could gather more intel.
A dull method, Freya thought, but not entirely wrong.
You can guard against one or two attempts, but not forever.
Even heroes fall in the lap of temptation. And that "Extraordinary Man" certainly wasn't a hero.
Whether Ishtar obtained her answers would depend on how long that man could hold out.
Freya herself preferred a far more direct approach. If it were her, she'd never bother with such tedious patience.
...
"Loki, what's so special about your new child?"
Loki stared across the table at Freya, utterly dumbfounded. Her lips twitched—was this woman seriously just coming to ask that straight out?
"Freya, you don't actually think we're close enough for me to tell you something like that, do you?"
"So you admit he's special, then."
"...I really don't want to see you twice in one day."
"Now, now, don't be mad." Freya smiled playfully. "As fellow goddesses, you should understand—divine curiosity is hard to suppress."
Loki rarely saw her act so frivolous, but that smug air of control still made her itch to punch her in the face.
Loki gave a short, sharp laugh.
"Then you should also understand I have every right to ignore your questions—and your curiosity."
"Besides," Loki added, "you've already been investigating, haven't you?"
"Why not trust your own ability to dig things up?"
At Loki's biting tone, Freya's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"You knew from the start that my investigation wouldn't yield anything."
"You knew I wouldn't use Charm on your child—or maybe you're confident that even if I did, it wouldn't matter."
"So that means your new recruit is even more special than what Ishtar's been probing."
"The so-called 'Extraordinary Man'... all the information that came out of his mouth was what you deliberately wanted leaked."
"And from how he managed to bypass a goddess's ability to detect lies, it's clear your child possesses some sort of cognitive skill—something that lets him subtly alter others' perception. That's how he slipped past Ishtar's first test."
"Ishtar probably believed what she heard, but she must've realized it was incomplete. That's why she's being patient, trying to uncover the rest."
That damn woman...
Loki ground her teeth, feeling a headache forming. She could already see it—Ishtar pushing for more information, squeezing Raul for every scrap.
And this woman sitting across from her? Freya had known from the very beginning that the intel Raul let slip was fake.
Freya's smile widened as she watched Loki's tiny emotional shifts.
"I hit the mark, didn't I?"
"I love seeing that look on your face—the one that says you want to kill me but can't."
"You're adorable like this."
You've gotta be kidding me...
Loki clenched her teeth so hard it creaked. For once, she was genuinely at a loss for words at Freya's insanity.
...And to think Tsuna once told her what Freya was capable of in another timeline. Now Loki finally understood—the gods had underestimated just how terrifying this woman could be.
Freya waved her hand lightly. "Well, that's enough teasing for now."
Her tone shifted as her smirk faded into something almost graceful. She knew Loki's temper—push any further and the red-haired goddess might actually explode.
"Anyway," Freya said smoothly, "I've got the picture now."
"The way you guard that child, the way you used 'Extraordinary Man' to fool Ishtar—it tells me how precious he is to you."
"How about you let me meet him?"
"Absolutely not!"
Loki didn't even think before snapping back. The idea of Tsuna standing before Freya made her skin crawl. It was way too soon for that.
"Hah... you're as stubborn as ever, Loki."
Freya sighed in mock disappointment, but Loki only gave her a cold glare.
"Call it stubbornness if you want," Loki said flatly. "If you set your sights on my kid, why the hell would I thank you for it?"
"I'd rather keep you curious forever than let you lay eyes on him."
Seeing that unwavering resolve, Freya could only chuckle and shake her head.
"Your caution really is impressive."
"Oh well," she murmured, rising gracefully from her seat. "There'll be other chances. I'll just keep my curiosity—and wait. Let's see how long you can keep that child hidden from me."
The goddess of beauty smiled faintly, her eyes gleaming with playful menace as she turned away.
The game had only just begun.
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Note: Well we didn't make the top 15. Take this extra chapter anyway. The offer still stands for tomorrow, though.
You can read up to chapter 150 on patreon.com/NiaXD.
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