"None of you are allowed to leave this place!"
Astraea stood alone before the main gate, blocking the way with a solemn expression as she faced everyone present.
"Lady Astraea, are you planning to stop us?"
"You're clearly worried yourself, aren't you?"
"Then why won't you let us go?"
Faced with the questioning of her Familia members, Astraea did not waver in the slightest and continued to stand firm at the entrance.
"You all know how powerful the Freya Familia is, don't you?"
"A Level 7 warrior, the Level 6 Goddess' Chariot, the Black and White Twin Knights, the Level 5 Four Warriors of Burning Gold..."
"On top of that, there are countless Level 4 adventurers. Even if you go, what difference could you make? You would only become a burden to Elise..."
"..."
Everyone fell silent, because they all knew Astraea was telling the truth.
There was nothing they could do!
Thud!
Kaguya slammed her fist against the wall, her expression dark.
"Are we really just supposed to stay here and do nothing?"
Her words voiced the thoughts of everyone present, and unwilling expressions spread across their faces.
All this time, under Elise's direction, every member of the Familia had undergone extremely intense training.
Although they had been dissatisfied at first, that dissatisfaction gradually faded once they realized they were genuinely growing stronger. Compared to the rest of the city, their rate of improvement was astonishing.
Even getting beaten up didn't matter—strength was everything!
But at the same time, one question had always lingered in their minds—why?
Why was Elise so eager to make everyone stronger?
From their daily training, it was clear that although Elise showed some restraint toward her own people, that restraint was far from gentle. It was common for someone to be beaten to the ground and left sore for days.
During the dark age years ago, such training would have made perfect sense. After all, Evilus was no trivial threat—one careless mistake could cost them everything.
Even after the dark age ended, Elise's training remained the same—if anything, it became even stricter.
It was as if she was worried about something.
Sharp as she was, Kaguya had long noticed this change in Elise, but...
What in this world could possibly make Elise worry?
In Kaguya's understanding, Elise was the strongest person she had ever seen—without exception.
So what kind of enemy could make her uneasy?
The only thing Kaguya could think of was the legendary Black Dragon.
But that was far too distant.
And yet now, she seemed to understand why Elise had done all this.
Elise's growth was simply too fast—so fast that even if everyone else combined their strength, they still couldn't catch up.
As Elise grew stronger, the position of the Astraea Familia on the world stage would only rise higher.
At the same time, the dangers they would face would also grow greater!
This could be considered a common flaw of large Familias—the disparity in strength was too great. For ordinary large Familias, it might not be a big issue, but the Astraea Familia followed an elite path.
Every member was outstanding, yet the gap in strength remained enormous!
That was why the current situation had arisen.
Facing the strongest Familia in Orario, the Freya Familia, only Elise could step onto the battlefield. Everyone else could only remain behind and wait for the outcome.
And that was precisely proof of their weakness!
They didn't even qualify to set foot on the battlefield!
Perhaps Elise had ordered them to stay behind because she feared they would be captured by members of the Freya Familia.
For some reason, that thought only made them feel even more unwilling to accept this.
"I'm sorry, Lady Astraea," Kaguya said with her head lowered, her expression hidden. "But I can't obey your orders this time."
"I can't just stand by and watch our captain charge alone into such a den of danger!"
"You can punish me however you want afterward—but I'm going!"
With Kaguya taking the lead, the others quickly followed.
"I'm going too!"
"How could we abandon our companions like this?"
"If we give up now, how can the Astraea Familia still call itself the Familia of justice?"
"People would definitely look down on us!"
"The Freya Familia may be strong—but so what? We'll fight them anyway!"
"Everyone?!"
As expected, every single person present chose to defy Astraea's orders.
"Seeing you act like this truly makes me proud. It means you've all grown."
But...
That wasn't the truth at all.
Elise had indeed forbidden them from going because she was worried about them—but not for the reason they imagined.
It wasn't that she feared they would lose to the Freya Familia.
It was that she feared the aftershocks of her own battle might accidentally wipe them out!
In a fight against a Level 7, even a fraction of the residual force would be enough to kill or cripple them instantly!
Yet looking at the burning determination in her Familia members' eyes, Astraea simply couldn't bring herself to refuse them outright—nor could she reveal this cruel truth.
What should she do?
With her divine power sealed, Astraea wasn't certain she could stop Kaguya and the others.
If they really went to the battlefield, wouldn't that interfere with Elise's fight?
Astraea found herself at a loss, unable to agree yet unable to refuse...
Click!
At that moment, a sound came from the door behind Astraea, instantly putting everyone on alert.
Who would return at a time like this?
Was it Elise, having defeated the Freya Familia and brought Alise and the others back safely?
Or had the Freya Familia won—and come to capture the rest of them?
Astraea quickly stepped aside from the doorway, while Kaguya and the others prepared for battle.
Click!
With another sound, the Familia's gate slowly opened.
The first person to enter their view was a girl with a red high ponytail. Behind her were three others—the very same three who had been captured by the Freya Familia!
"Alise? And Lyra, Ryana, and Ryuu?"
"That's great—you're all safe!"
After seeing who had returned, everyone excitedly moved forward to greet them, but Astraea raised her hand to stop them.
"Wait! Something's wrong with them!"
As a goddess, Astraea could clearly sense the abnormality emanating from the four of them.
It was the power of charm.
Ever since Ishtar left, there was only one goddess in Orario who possessed such power.
Without a doubt—it was Freya!
"Alise and the others have been charmed. Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Everyone froze for a moment before reacting. Some raised their staffs, others drew their swords.
Even so, their hands trembled slightly. After all, few could bring themselves to raise a weapon against companions they had lived alongside for so long.
"Go to sleep..."
"Forget... everything..."
A faint murmur escaped from the four of them. Their condition looked terrible, like walking corpses—unsteady and sluggish with every step.
What was going on?
This strange state was difficult to comprehend. Lady Astraea had just said they were charmed, right?
But why?
Right now, Alise and the others looked like a group of friends who had stayed up all night for several days straight and were finally returning from somewhere, completely drained...
Thus, under everyone's watchful eyes, the four of them simply walked past the living room and returned to their rooms.
Leaving everyone else utterly baffled.
"They were... rescued, right?"
Celty spoke uncertainly. If Elise had succeeded, then shouldn't they have all come back together?
So why was Elise nowhere to be seen?
Tap! Tap!
Before anyone could process it, footsteps sounded again from outside the Familia's gate.
There was someone else?
Weapons were raised once more, but upon seeing who it was, they were lowered again.
"Captain!"
"As expected of you, Captain—you brought Alise and the others back!"
"That huge noise earlier—that was you fighting Ottar and the others, right? That was incredible!"
Seeing that all members of their Familia had returned safely, the girls were overjoyed and rushed forward. Only Astraea remained where she was, watching Elise with a puzzled expression.
Surrounded by so many people, Elise looked as if nothing had happened—her clothes were even completely intact.
Was this really someone who had just fought the Freya Familia?
You've got to be kidding!
If she had fought for that long and her clothes weren't even dirty, the gap in strength between the two sides was obvious.
"Captain?"
After speaking to Elise for a while, the members finally noticed that she hadn't responded at all.
What was wrong with her?
"Hm? Everyone's here?"
Only then did Elise seem to notice her surroundings, but her voice sounded extremely weak.
"Sorry... I'm feeling a bit... unwell..."
Forcing a smile onto her face, Elise tried to steady herself, but she soon began to show the same symptoms as Alise and the others.
Her entire body swayed, looking utterly drained.
"I'll have to leave things to you..."
After saying those final words, Elise lost control of her body and collapsed forward.
"Captain!"
"Maryuu, hurry and use your healing!"
"Got it!"
Seeing Elise collapse, everyone panicked.
After all, she was Elise!
That ever-radiant saintess was now showing such a frail and vulnerable state—if outsiders saw this, would they even be able to hold themselves back?
While everyone's attention was focused on Elise, Astraea's expression changed.
She carefully sensed the power within Elise's body, her expression turning incomparably serious—along with undisguisable shock.
Perhaps this was the most shocking thing Astraea had experienced since descending to the lower world.
In the past, Elise had often surprised her, but as time passed, Astraea had grown accustomed to the miracles she brought.
If it was her, accomplishing feats beyond others was only natural—because she was Elise.
Even when Elise's cooking reached a level comparable to the gods, Astraea had only been slightly surprised.
But now, the situation was completely different!
From Elise's body, Astraea could sense Freya's presence...
Not Freya's charm, nor her divine power—but her very existence!
For a fleeting moment, Astraea had even mistaken Elise for Freya.
How was that possible?
Mortals of the lower world possessed limitless potential. They could exceed the expectations of the gods and bring forth the unknown.
But even so, could the unknown really take such a form?
"Could it be?!"
Suddenly, Astraea recalled something.
That ability Elise had rarely used since learning the truth...
Those eyes!
Your eyes will devour the souls of all who meet your gaze—even gods are no exception!
Astraea still remembered the words she had once told Elise, and the sensation of looking directly into those eyes...
If she hadn't harbored no ill will toward Elise at the time, she might have been completely consumed.
And Elise going to retrieve Alise and the others meant encountering Freya was inevitable. Not to mention Freya had long coveted Elise.
Thinking about it this way, Freya must have seen Elise's eyes—and what lay hidden within them...
"What should I do?"
This goddess of justice, who had always been gentle, clenched her teeth, her expression utterly at odds with her usual demeanor—fortunately, no one noticed.
Although Astraea had anticipated that something unexpected might happen, she never imagined something like this.
Elise had actually...
Devoured a god!
The reason Elise had fallen unconscious was likely because she was slowly absorbing a god's power.
Moreover, she probably hadn't completely devoured Freya—because Astraea could only sense part of Freya's presence, not her entirety.
But even that alone was enough to shake Heaven!
Since ancient times, the gods had always held a transcendent status. Mortals could not slay gods—this was a fundamental rule of the world, deeply rooted in the minds of those in the lower world.
Humans, beastmen, dwarves, elves, pallums—all races believed this. Familias themselves were built around the existence of gods.
But now...
A being capable of devouring a god had appeared!
If this news were to spread, no one knew what kind of upheaval it would bring to the world!
Leaving aside the reaction of the children of the lower world, if the idle gods were to learn of this, they would undoubtedly see Elise as a thorn in their side and wish to eliminate her as quickly as possible!
They would surely think...
If Elise could devour one god, could she devour all of us as well?
No god would dare gamble on that possibility.
So they would do everything in their power to kill Elise!
Because Elise's very existence posed a tremendous threat to the gods as a race!
"I have to talk to Freya! There's still... time!"