Freya, the goddess of beauty.
She was a divine being who held a significance for me that was far from small.
Even now, the memories remained vivid. The catastrophic incident she had caused.
She had craved love. She wanted someone with whom she could truly share her heart.
Because of that, she became obsessed with me... and she fell into ruin.
The incident had turned all of Orario upside down, and every Familia had risen to condemn her.
But even then, she was a queen. Rather than resorting to half-baked tricks, she had thrown down the gauntlet and challenged me head-on.
Her absolute trust in her own Familia. And an obsession so deep that she refused to retreat even in the face of total collapse.
The battle with her had been more than just fierce; it was desperate. If I had been alone, it would have been an impossible victory.
If not for Mia's support, my master's betrayal, and Otaru's refusal to hold back, the one destroyed that day would have been me, not her.
No, to be precise, we both would have been destroyed.
"Hmm... why aren't you answering?"
"...!"
When I snapped back to reality, Lady Freya was right in front of me.
Seeing her kneeling so close, looking up at me, it was easy to understand why she was the goddess of beauty.
A blend of elegance and maturity. A charm that was simultaneously fresh and intoxicating.
Though her charm had no effect on me, her natural presence alone possessed a terrifying power. She looked innocent and pure, yet held the seasoned poise of a veteran warrior. A heavenly goddess was marking me as her prey.
I had a feeling this might happen...
I had felt her gaze during training, so I had expected this, but the reality was still a bit overwhelming. Especially given our complicated history.
I can't solve this the same way I did in the future... right?
In the first place, she wasn't Syr right now. No, perhaps the entity known as Syr didn't even exist yet.
She was simply Freya, the exalted goddess of beauty. Not a girl writhing in the throes of love.
"What business do you have with me...?"
"Ah, so you will answer. I'm glad. I was starting to think you were ignoring me, and I was almost hurt."
She spoke with a soft, playful smile, radiating enough allure to captivate any man in existence.
Of course, there was a certain woman behind her making retching noises and muttering, "Ugh."
"...?"
I could feel a curious presence behind me. Even so, if the young Ais met her face-to-face, there was a high chance she would be charmed instantly. It was too dangerous to let them meet.
"Oh my... you're not affected by my charm?"
"...!"
In that instant, a chill ran down my spine.
The innocent look in her eyes had vanished, replaced by the overwhelming omnipotence of a god.
Her silver gaze swept over me, scanning my very soul. For a normal person, it would have ended right there.
They would have either succumbed to her charm or knelt before the divine majesty.
That was the standard reaction. The only normal reaction.
But I...
"Oh my."
I simply stepped back a little.
Unfortunately for her, I had already developed a significant resistance. I hadn't lived such a pathetic life that I would be brought down by this.
Still, it wasn't as if I were completely unfazed. I suppose one can never truly get used to the pressure of a god's aura.
"Oh? What's this? Did you just get rejected?"
"...No. Be quiet."
"Rejected! Totally rejected! You were acting all high and mighty, wagging your tail, and you got shot down immediately!"
Mia was snickering, clearly finding the situation hilarious. Lady Freya immediately frowned and glared at her.
With her beauty and divine authority combined, anyone else would have bowed their head in terror, but...
"What."
Mia was no ordinary woman either.
She was a firebrand whose temper wouldn't be outdone even by the Hera Familia. She wasn't the type to care about the opinions of others.
She was the only person capable of clenching her fist and glaring back at Freya's displeasure.
Watching them, I felt a strange sensation.
How should I put it? It felt like watching friends bickering.
Lady Freya was remarkably relaxed during this period.
"What business do you have with me...?"
"Ah."
Coming back to her senses, Lady Freya cleared her throat and straightened her posture.
If the future members of the Freya Familia saw this, they would have lost their minds, but to me, it was just an overwhelming sight.
Even after all this time, dealing with women remained a challenge.
"Honestly, I don't usually like being so blunt... but I don't think you're the type to appreciate beating around the bush, so I'll be direct."
She reached out her hand to me with a benevolent smile—the kind of smile that instinctively made one want to worship her.
"Would you like to join my Familia?"
Lady Freya asked with a bright, beaming smile.
As expected, I must have seemed special even to her back then.
While it was an honor to be recognized by a god, I had my answer.
"...I'm sorry."
I had no intention of joining her Familia now.
Our final parting hadn't been entirely bad, and I knew she wasn't always a god who went completely off the rails. Still, I had no desire to switch Familias.
It might have been humiliating from her perspective, but it wasn't something I could change.
I met her silver gaze head-on. My single eye stared back at her.
"..."
A faint, wistful light flickered in her eyes. She had likely realized that my mind could not be swayed.
But there was no way she would simply give up. While I could repel her now, the best outcome was to avoid a fight entirely. How was I supposed to persuade her...?
"...I see. Very well."
"I see, but... huh?"
"If you refuse, then there is nothing more to be done."
With those words, she simply turned her back on me.
She seemed a bit stung, but the last expression I saw was one of reluctant acceptance. What happened to her persistence?
"...You're taking this more easily than I expected."
"Oh my, did you want me to beg? Sorry, but I'm not the kind of woman who gives second chances."
Her words were bold, but her voice was practically dripping with sulkiness. If she knew what she would do in the future, she wouldn't be able to say that with a straight face.
"...Honestly, I'd love to make you mine by force if I could..."
She looked up at the sky and murmured softly.
As she stroked her beautiful hair, her voice took on a distant, longing tone.
"It seems you already possess something unshakable."
And it looks like suppressing him with strength would be a pain.
Watching her grumble and withdraw so obediently left me with a tangle of complex emotions.
For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed my mind—a thought I knew I shouldn't entertain.
If she had been like this back then...
She was the same goddess as the one from the future, yet she wasn't the Lady Freya I knew.
She wasn't Syr.
That realization stirred a whirlwind of emotions within me.
What had been different? What had changed?
Had I changed, or had she? Had we both become different people?
I watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.
"Ah..."
As she distanced herself, a pitiful sigh echoed in the air.
"Oh my?"
Ais, who had been standing behind me, was blushing deeply as she looked at Lady Freya.
"Ah."
"It seems she fell under my charm. I must have used it unconsciously."
It appeared Lady Freya's charm had leaked onto Ais. The Ais I knew could have resisted it to some extent, but the current Ais was still immature in many ways.
But of all things, charm... this was going to be a nuisance.
"Oh, if I dispel this girl's charm, will you join my Familia?"
"Eh...?"
"Hey, isn't that a bit too sleazy, even for you?"
"W-what?! This is how everyone does it! It's nothing!"
It was definitely not "nothing," especially compared to when she charmed the entirety of Orario.
Looking back, the fact that she wasn't doing that now almost made her seem conscientious.
Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Lady Freya giggled and asked for my answer.
Her behavior was that of a common extortionist, yet because she was so beautiful, it somehow felt cute. Which was a terrifying realization.
She was literally blackmailing me.
"I'm fine."
I politely declined. Ais was a member of the Loki Familia, so I doubted Freya would actually leave her charmed, but it was safer if I handled it myself.
"Ah...?"
I took Ais's hand and ignited a flame.
The fire blazed up, instantly enveloping her body.
The flames wrapped around Ais like the comforting warmth of a hearth, purging the charm that had clouded her mind.
As the charm broke, Ais's unfocused eyes snapped back into clarity. Confused, she began looking around to assess the situation.
"...A skill that resists [Charm]...?"
"No, to resist a goddess's charm... and it wasn't just resistance, it was a complete dispel. Is that even possible?"
Normally, it would be impossible. But for me, it was.
I was a member of Lady Hestia's Familia, the goddess of the hearth. I was naturally resilient to such things.
The sacred fire allows no impurity, preserving only purity and innocence. My goddess's flame still burned within me, guiding me.
"Haa... so even that didn't work."
"You crazy woman!"
"Ow?!"
Boom!
A giant's fist crashed down right onto the goddess's crown.
The goddess of beauty clutched her head, tears welling in her eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"What are YOU doing?! Using charm on a child! And what was that, 'join my Familia and I'll release her'? You're not a goddess, you're a blackmailer!"
"That's just a figure of speech!"
"Liar! You thought you could drag him in if you played your cards right, didn't you?!"
Suddenly, the two women were locked in a heated argument. I couldn't help but think: we were the victims here, so why were they fighting each other...?
"...?"
"...It's nothing. Let's head back."
I gave Ais a vague explanation as she tugged at my sleeve, and I led her back toward the Loki Familia.
Even as we walked away, the sounds of their bickering echoed in the distance.
To be honest, it was a bit unsightly... but I actually preferred her this way.
Seeing her laugh and argue with Mia made her seem truly happy.
Hiding the turmoil in my heart as the memory of her eventual fate lingered, I quietly continued my walk.