"By the way, Lady Astraea, some time ago someone came to our Familia with a letter. It seemed to be an invitation to a banquet. Do you have any intention of going?"
While eating breakfast, Alise suddenly remembered something and looked toward her goddess.
"A banquet invitation?"
Astraea froze for a moment, clearly not expecting that another deity would be hosting a banquet.
At this point in time, although the rampant activity of Evilus had begun to show signs of going underground due to the efforts of the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia, that did not mean Evilus had grown weaker.
Perhaps those hiding in the shadows were merely accumulating strength. Once they had gathered enough, they might very well launch a massive strike against Orario.
Any Familia capable of hosting a banquet at such a time would certainly not be an ordinary one.
"Who sent the invitation?"
If nothing unexpected had happened, it was likely one of the great Familias in Orario, such as the Twin Pillars—Loki or Freya—or perhaps wealthy ones like Hephaestus or Ishtar.
At present, the Familia that hosted banquets most frequently was the Ishtar Familia. It seemed as though she was deliberately flaunting her financial power.
However, the answer Alise gave was completely different from what Astraea had imagined.
"The person who came was wearing an elephant mask. According to his own introduction, it was called... the Ganesha Familia."
"Ganesha?"
For a moment, a certain figure surfaced in Astraea's mind, and she pressed her forehead helplessly.
"I am Ganesha!!!"
The elephant-masked god struck a bizarre pose and let out a soul-shaking shout.
"Lady Astraea, could it be that this God Ganesha... has some kind of problem?"
Seeing the expression on their goddess' face, everyone except Elise began forming slightly unfavorable impressions of this unseen male god.
He wasn't some troublesome deity, was he?
"No, Ganesha is not a bad god. On the contrary, he is a good deity who deeply loves the children of the lower world. He even carries the title 'Lord of the Masses'..."
The answer from their goddess only made them more confused.
"Then why...?"
"He's a good god, but he's just... a little too loud..."
Looking at their bewildered expressions, Astraea sighed.
"You'll understand why I say that once you meet him."
"The Ganesha Familia hasn't developed for very long. Although the strength of its members isn't particularly outstanding, their numbers are enormous."
"This time, they've sent invitations to all the Familias in Orario. They're probably trying to build good relationships with everyone."
Astraea glanced around, confirming that everyone's eyes were on her before continuing.
"For this banquet, I will definitely bring one member of the Familia with me. Is there anyone willing to accompany me?"
As expected, everyone's gaze turned toward the golden-haired figure who was quietly eating.
"For something like this, Captain is obviously the most suitable choice, right?"
"We're all just nobodies. Of course the Saintess of Scales should accompany you."
"If you brought anyone else, Lady Goddess, you might get laughed at."
Whether it was Alise, Kaguya, or Lyra, their opinions were surprisingly unified.
"Elise, do you have the time?"
"Recently, preparations regarding the Stigmata have progressed quite well. I'm not that busy anymore. Taking a day to accompany you to the banquet won't be a problem."
"Then it's settled!" Astraea clapped her hands together. "If I remember correctly, Elise, you don't have a formal dress, right? Before the banquet, let's go into town and buy one together!"
"Alise, Kaguya, and Lyra, you should come along too!"
...
Night.
"I didn't expect you to come to me so quickly..."
"You've found your opportunity?"
Within the Freya Familia's residence, the silver-haired Goddess of Beauty, Freya, looked at the blonde girl before her with great interest.
"Elise, have you truly made up your mind?"
She had originally thought that the plan against Ishtar would require at least a year of preparation. Yet it hadn't been long at all before Elise came knocking at her door.
Ishtar, in the eyes of others, you probably don't even qualify as a stepping stone...
"Of course." Elise answered without hesitation. "I've already investigated. At the banquet hosted by the Ganesha Familia this time, Ishtar will also be attending."
"Isn't that the perfect opportunity?"
Normally, it was difficult to determine Ishtar's exact position within her Familia, and it would take considerable effort to locate her. But now that her route of movement was known, all remaining problems could be resolved.
"So, what is your plan?"
To Freya, Ishtar was nothing more than a minor character. She had never even intended to pay attention to that goddess.
But since Elise wanted to kill Ishtar, Freya would reluctantly take a look—at the ugly spectacle of Ishtar's death.
This time, what Freya cared about most was not what would happen to Ishtar, but what Elise would do.
This was an opportunity to understand Elise better. Freya would not let it slip by.
"In truth, the plan isn't complicated. The strength of the Ishtar Familia holds nothing worth noting in my eyes. None of them are my opponent."
Not only had Elise calculated the members of the Ishtar Familia, she had even taken into account those corrupted spirits from the side story. Even so, she still believed she could eliminate them in a short time.
She didn't need to personally lay a hand on the goddess. She only needed to clear away everything around Ishtar to prevent her from escaping.
"The only thing that requires caution is the charm of the Goddess of Beauty Ishtar. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to get close to her. At that point, I'll have to rely on you, Lady Freya."
"Rest assured. Though we are both Goddesses of Beauty, Ishtar's charm is nothing more than child's play in my eyes. There won't be any unexpected complications."
"But you..."
Freya walked over to Elise and gently opened her arms.
"We're tied together on the same rope now. Aren't you going to get a little closer to me?"
"As long as you don't do anything excessive, a hug isn't a problem. Even a kiss would be fine..."
Freya naturally understood what Elise meant. It was about the time she had used her charm before, causing Elise quite a bit of trouble.
"It won't happen again..."
I won't lose control like before...
Next time, I will make you mine...
This time, I'll determine the full extent of Elise's true strength!
Freya gently embraced Elise and whispered into her ear, "I want to witness your true power... may I?"
"Of course. Just watch carefully."
Elise held no fondness whatsoever for Ishtar and agreed without hesitation.
"My full strength."