"What is this...?"
"A bed."
"What do you need it for?"
"For sleeping, obviously!"
"You mean... after we're done talking, you're just going straight to sleep? In that case, I won't disturb you later."
"You know perfectly well what I mean, so why pretend not to understand?"
"..."
She got found out.
Still, Elise did not feel embarrassed at all. After all, she had absolutely no intention of doing that kind of thing with Freya. Otherwise, her body would no longer be pure.
"Before discussing serious matters, why don't you first try tonight's dinner? I specifically had it prepared for you."
Freya pulled Elise toward the table. Only then did Elise notice the chairs beside it.
They were placed completely right next to each other.
"For a candlelit dinner, shouldn't the two people sit facing each other?"
Elise felt that getting too close to Freya was definitely not a good thing. Freya might use charm on her without her even realizing it.
"Ah... I've already spent so long watching you from afar. Won't you at least let me get a little closer?"
"Getting closer is fine, but I'm worried you might use charm."
"Haha, so that's what it is..."
Freya smiled.
For the first time before Elise, she revealed a genuinely serious expression.
"I will never use charm on you."
"You are someone I care about deeply. What I want is the real you, not a puppet controlled by charm. Do you understand now?"
"I understand. In that case, there shouldn't be any problem."
Given Freya's prideful personality, Elise did not think she would lie about something like this.
Even so, Elise still kept her guard up. Even if danger appeared, she could immediately escape.
"Then let us sit down!"
Freya pulled Elise into a seat.
One human and one goddess sat almost pressed together, to the point that certain parts before their bodies were completely squashed against each other...
"This is way too close... Is there really any need for this? Am I truly that attractive in your eyes?"
Elise genuinely could not understand Freya's current state.
She had once looked up information regarding Freya.
Apparently, Freya had been searching for a destined partner.
However, one detail needed to be noted.
That partner was supposed to be male.
And Elise's current situation...
As far as her body was concerned, she was unquestionably female. There was no doubt about that.
But her soul had originally belonged to a man...
Originally belonged to a man...
"?"
"!"
Elise's mouth slowly opened.
In that case... wasn't her situation actually pretty dangerous?
The original story had never clarified this point. Freya's destined partner might not necessarily refer to a physical companion. It could also mean a spiritual companion.
Fortunately, she had suddenly realized this.
Elise needed to prepare herself for such a possibility.
Though she was not sure whether Freya could perceive the gender of her soul.
Probably not... right?
While Elise's thoughts spiraled wildly, Freya answered her earlier question.
"That attractive...? Actually, at the very beginning, I didn't feel this way toward you at all."
Freya casually spoke the truth.
"When I first saw you, I merely thought this child was interesting. If I had the chance, I wanted to meet you. That was all. There was nothing more to it."
"Afterward, I continued watching you just as before. I watched you fight. I watched you live your life."
"You become cold and merciless toward your enemies, yet toward those close to you, you're capable of the most meticulous care and tenderness... That side of you truly captivated me! That night, I even couldn't help but... ah, never mind. If I say any more, you'll dislike me."
"I'm already starting to dislike you!"
Elise immediately said exactly what she was thinking.
Freya was not the kind of goddess one could indulge carelessly. Otherwise, serious problems would definitely arise.
"Haha. Even though you say that, I can't hear any true disgust in your voice... Just as you said yourself, you merely dislike me. You don't hate me."
"Just like how you speak to me respectfully, yet carry not the slightest trace of actual reverence. Instead, it feels more like the casual way friends address each other..."
Freya laughed jokingly before suddenly revealing a melancholic expression.
"I really would like to be cared for by someone like you, even if only once..."
"Back in Heaven, my divine authority was too powerful, so all the gods constantly watched me. After descending to the lower world, I was placed high above everyone as an untouchable goddess..."
"Someone like me has never experienced what it feels like to be cared for..."
With a single gesture from Freya, countless gods and mortals would fall at her feet.
But that had never been what she truly sought.
So that was why she pursued Bell in the original story?
Elise felt as though she understood a little now.
And at this moment...
Elise sensed something within Freya that she disliked more than anything else...
Tragedy.
It was not an act.
Because Elise truly felt those emotions, she made her decision.
Perhaps this choice would bring her no small amount of trouble in the future.
Even so, she still chose to do it.
"This is a blessing..."
Elise lightly pressed her lips against Freya's forehead.
"In the future, you will definitely meet the person destined for you."
Elise was referring to Bell.
The future Bell would likely save Freya in some sense.
So she entrusted everything to this world's chosen protagonist.
During this period before then, Elise would personally keep Freya under control.
She was genuinely afraid Freya might cause some kind of outrageous disaster again.
At that instant, Freya froze.
Her expression became blank as she touched her forehead in a daze.
"By the way, if a person does something like this to a goddess, does it count as insulting a deity?"
Elise still remembered that when Astraea granted her divine blessing with the God's Kiss, it had also been a kiss on the forehead.
And now Elise had done the same thing to Freya.
In a sense, this probably counted as blasphemy.
"Mm. This is an extremely serious act of desecration! You'll have to let me desecrate you properly in return!"
"Please allow me to refuse!"
Kissing Freya's forehead was already Elise's limit.
She had no intention of doing anything beyond that.
And being thoroughly violated by Freya was absolutely forbidden!
"How unfortunate!"
Freya helplessly shook her head.
Yet an obvious blush had appeared on her face.
Perhaps... there is no need to wait for the future anymore.
Perhaps I have already met that person now, Elise.
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Now it's time to get to the main topic. What is it you wanted to discuss with me, Elise?"
Freya looked at the golden-haired girl beside her, her expression becoming extraordinarily serious.
"Let me say this first. No matter what request you make, I absolutely will not refuse it! Even if you asked me to kill myself this very instant, I would slash the blade down without the slightest hesitation."