"Even if you asked me to kill myself this very instant, I would slash the blade down without the slightest hesitation!"
Freya stared at Elise as she said those words with utmost seriousness.
Yet after hearing them, Elise showed no particular reaction.
Freya simply watched her quietly, waiting for her response.
"You only said something like that because you know perfectly well I would never make such a request, right?"
Ask Freya to commit suicide?
How could that possibly happen?
Elise was still counting on Freya to help her. If she died, who would handle this matter?
"You deliberately exaggerated your words and acted as if you were ready to face death just to improve my impression of you, didn't you?"
Though phrased as a question, Elise spoke with certainty.
Freya absolutely seemed like the type who would do something like that.
"I won't deny it."
Freya tilted her head with a smile and continued.
"So then... has your affection toward me increased?"
"A little."
Elise raised her right hand, holding her thumb and index finger about a centimeter apart.
"Only this tiny bit. Don't expect anything more!"
"This much is already enough."
Although Elise's attitude toward her could hardly be called good, it was not bad either. At the very least, Freya quite liked it.
"Then tell me your request. What do you want my help with?"
"I want you to..."
Elise deliberately paused.
At the same time, she expanded her senses to their limit, carefully observing Freya's reaction.
"Kill the goddess Ishtar!"
With her full concentration, Elise could clearly perceive every strand of hair on Freya's body. Even the slightest microexpression could not escape her notice.
However...
"Oh, so it's that matter. I agree."
There was no surprise.
There was no hesitation.
In Elise's perception, Freya's tone was no different from casually discussing something like, "What should we have for breakfast tomorrow?"
In Ishtar's eyes, Freya had always been a thorn in her side.
But in Freya's eyes, Ishtar was nothing at all. Eliminating her would be absurdly easy.
Wasn't the Freya in the original story just as indifferent toward Ishtar?
"As expected, in your eyes, even Lady Ishtar, a fellow goddess of beauty, isn't worth mentioning..."
Elise could not help but sigh.
Even among gods, the disparity between them was immense. If she ever chose to ascend to godhood in the future, she would need to remember this well.
There were differences even among gods.
"Good that you understand."
Then, as if recalling something, Freya continued.
"May I ask the reason? Why do you want to get rid of Ishtar?"
"Is it for justice? Or do you simply find her unpleasant? Or did she offend you?"
"Of course, if you don't wish to say, I won't press further."
"No, it's nothing that needs to be hidden. I don't mind telling you."
Even Elise herself felt like complaining about it.
"The reasons you mentioned are all more or less correct."
"Partly for justice, partly because I dislike her. And yes, she has offended me, more than once."
"Not long after I first arrived in Orario, I ran into Evilus. To find out who was targeting me, I pretended to be captured by them. I never expected to stumble upon a transaction between the Ishtar Familia and Evilus..."
"After that, whether it was Alise or Kaguya—our newer Familia members—they all more or less clashed with the Ishtar Familia before joining us."
"At this rate, we might as well write 'must have clashed with the Ishtar Familia' directly into the recruitment requirements of the Astraea Familia!"
"If we don't eliminate them soon, I seriously suspect that one of our future Familia members might actually get dragged into the Pleasure Quarter!"
Elise's words made Freya pause briefly before she burst into laughter.
"Haha, hearing it like this, Ishtar truly is guilty of countless crimes. To think she has done so much?"
"Then how do you want her to die?"
"Should I kill her in the lower world and send her back to Heaven? Or..."
"Would you like me to chase her into Heaven and kill her there? That's not impossible, you know?"
"There's no need to go that far. Sending her back to Heaven is enough."
Elise shook her head.
"And don't use the same trick on me twice. This time, my affection toward you didn't increase at all."
"Then forget it."
Elise took a bite of the food prepared by the Freya Familia.
Mm. It wasn't as delicious as her own cooking, but by the standards of the lower world, it was quite good. At the very least, she couldn't let Freya think she was dissatisfied.
"By the way, as repayment, once everything is done, I can agree to one request from you..."
"Then I want you!"
Freya's straightforwardness completely caught Elise off guard.
"One reasonable request! And I reserve the right to refuse depending on the situation!"
"Very well. Then it's settled!"
Freya agreed readily.
Who knew what she was plotting?
Still, Elise had clearly stated she would decide based on the situation. Even if Freya tried to scheme against her, she wouldn't give her many opportunities.
Still...
Dealing with gods whose ages were measured in the hundreds of millions was truly exhausting. They had lived far too long, and most of them were exceedingly shrewd.
If she relaxed even slightly, she might fall into one of their traps.
Both Loki and Freya were this type of god. Otherwise, they would never have stood at the pinnacle of Orario.
"I have another question... Why did you ask me to handle this matter?"
This was something Freya found puzzling.
Given how much Astraea valued Elise, as long as Elise made the request, Astraea would most likely agree, no matter how excessive it was.
So why hide it from her own patron deity and seek out another god instead?
If this were exposed, the entirety of Orario would surely turn against her. No Familia wanted their patron deity eliminated without their knowledge.
"I know very well that if I asked Lady Astraea to do this, she would absolutely agree. And precisely because of that, I cannot let her be the one to do it."
"You mean... it's acceptable if I do it?"
"Exactly. You are the perfect choice."
Using her Prana, Elise formed a fork in her hand.
She gently speared a slice of fruit from the plate and held it to Freya's lips.
It was essentially feeding someone.
And that someone was a goddess.
"If it's done by you—a fellow goddess of beauty who possesses charm even stronger than Lady Ishtar's—it will deal unimaginable psychological damage to her. Being effortlessly crushed by the very thorn in her side... that certainly won't feel pleasant."
Moreover, Elise knew clearly that in the original story, it was Freya who ultimately sent Ishtar back to Heaven.
She was merely advancing that event ahead of time.