"Ah, Finn, good morning!"
The red-haired goddess greeted the pallum seated inside as she walked into the room.
"Good morning, Loki."
Seeing that the visitor was Loki, Finn stood up from his seat and neatly organized the documents on the table.
"Something earth-shattering happened last night. Where did you run off to?"
It wasn't just the Loki Familia—most Familias in Orario had been jolted awake by the shockwaves of last night's battle. When they prepared to head toward the battlefield, they were stopped by the Guild.
Although they temporarily obeyed and refrained from approaching, that didn't stop them from investigating in private. Many Familias secretly sent people to gather information behind the Guild's back.
The Loki Familia was no exception.
Although Finn, along with Riveria and Gareth, had gone to observe the battle from the outskirts, it was a pity—they couldn't see what was happening inside at all. One reason was the distance, and the other was the blinding light that made it impossible to even keep their eyes open.
Despite being so far away, Finn could still sense how terrifying the battle had been. Just the residual shockwaves alone were enough to make his fingers ache.
He couldn't help but wonder—if he had been at the center of that battle, would he even survive half a second? Even Gareth, who had the highest endurance among their top three, admitted he wouldn't last.
When had someone that powerful appeared in Orario?
Was it Ottar?
After all, on the surface, the strongest person in Orario was the Freya Familia's sole Level 7—Ottar.
Finn had seen Ottar's strength before, but that had been when he was still Level 6. As for how strong a Level 7 truly was, Finn had only witnessed it during the era of Zeus and Hera.
In his opinion, even if every current Familia in Orario joined forces, they still wouldn't be a match for the Zeus and Hera Familias at their peak.
As for the other possibility—could it have been Elise?
After all, that light resembled the one surrounding Elise. It was easy to make the connection. Although she had yet to officially become a first-class adventurer, she was already close.
The truly strong could fight beyond their level!
"Me?"
Hearing Finn's question, the smile on Loki's face faded, and her narrowed eyes opened slightly.
"Naturally, I went to see something interesting!"
"Who would've thought I'd witness something like that..."
"That lovestruck fool actually... actually... hahaha!"
Loki soon returned to her usual grin, though it seemed even more delighted than normal.
"Did something happen to Goddess Freya?"
Hearing Loki mention a "lovestruck fool," Finn immediately knew who she meant. Aside from Freya, Loki had never called anyone else that.
"I originally snuck in to watch a good show... but who knew that fool had such a hobby?"
Yes—last night, while no one was paying attention—not even her own Familia—Loki quietly approached the Freya Familia. By then, the sounds of battle had already ceased for quite some time.
Loki judged the danger to have passed, so she moved closer—only to witness a scene that left her utterly stunned...
Freya!
One of the three great goddesses at the top of Orario!
The famously lovestruck goddess!
She was running outside like a newborn baby?
(It can only be described this way...)
Incredible. Truly incredible.
Even Loki was impressed.
Among the gods, there were indeed some who did outrageous things like that, but most of them were male gods. Among goddesses, aside from a few rare cases, it was almost unheard of.
Loki didn't think Freya was that kind of goddess...
Well, Freya was indeed quite free-spirited—but not to that extent. As one of Orario's apex goddesses, she still had a reputation to maintain.
So that made it even stranger—why was Freya running around like that?
Sensing entertainment, Loki immediately chased after her, intending to mock her thoroughly. But...
When she finally caught up to Freya, she was shocked by her condition.
Blood streaming from all seven orifices?
She was only a step away from being sent back to Heaven!
Who could have done this to Freya?
A hazel-colored figure appeared in Loki's mind... Well, if it was her, it actually made sense!
Wait!
So that meant...
The two Familias fighting were Freya and Astraea? In other words, the Braver against the Saintess of Scales?
Loki had found the key point!
With that, everything made sense!
All that remained was to confirm it with Freya. But just as Loki was about to wave her down, Freya ran straight past her and continued sprinting outside...
Had that self-righteous Astraea gone a bit too far? Freya's condition looked like her very soul had been damaged—she showed no sign of acknowledging anyone around her.
Loki gave up trying to talk to her.
"That's about it. I don't know anything else."
After briefly recounting what she had seen, Loki casually sat down on the sofa.
"But I'm really curious—what exactly did Astraea do to Freya to leave her in that state?"
"I see... It seems that Goddess Astraea is not someone to be trifled with either."
Finn stroked his chin and continued, "Quite a few Familias tried to investigate yesterday, but they were all stopped by the Guild, so we didn't get any useful information."
"The Guild will definitely issue an announcement soon to explain the situation. Otherwise, their credibility will be ruined."
The Guild had always been an absolutely neutral force in Orario, much like Switzerland in the real world. After this incident, many had begun to question its neutrality—something that was definitely not good for the Guild.
If people started doubting the Guild, Royman would be the first to panic. He would undoubtedly go to consult the old god Uranus.
"So everything depends on how Uranus chooses to explain it."
...
As time passed, a week quickly went by.
However, regarding the battle involving the Freya Familia, the Guild never gave any explanation.
Not even a perfunctory one. It was as if Orario had once again been shrouded in a layer of darkness.
Everyone's trust in the Guild gradually eroded until...
Two Familias jointly stepped forward and issued an announcement—only then did the matter finally come to an end.
These two Familias were none other than the Freya Familia and the Astraea Familia, and the full details of that battle were finally made known to the public.
So it turned out that night, something like that had actually happened.
It seemed that the Freya Familia had come into conflict with the Astraea Familia over something, which directly led to the two powerful Familias clashing. The battle took place at the Freya Familia's base—the Field of War.
This explanation neatly accounted for the cause of yesterday's battle, reassuring the citizens of Orario that it wasn't the resurgence of Evilus.
Otherwise, panic would have spread throughout the city once again.
Although it sounded like a reasonable explanation, anyone with a discerning eye could tell—it was definitely false.
It was nothing more than a surface-level excuse.
However, once people heard that the conflict involved the Astraea Familia and the Freya Familia, even those who had originally intended to ignore it became eager to know what happened next.
After all, this was Freya and Astraea!
Two of the strongest Familias in Orario!
If they had truly fought, what would the outcome be?
Many believed the Freya Familia would emerge victorious. After all, they had so many powerful members on the surface—surely they wouldn't lose to the Astraea Familia?
The Astraea Familia simply didn't have as many high-level adventurers. Even if they were to rival the Freya Familia, it would take at least a few more years.
Yet the result completely overturned expectations.
The Astraea Familia won?
No way...
Even their strongest member, Elise, was only Level 4. So what if she could defeat Allen? There was still the towering presence of Ottar ahead!
The intimidation of a Level 7 wasn't something just anyone could withstand.
And yet—Elise won!
Not only that, she had faced all eight of the Freya Familia's executives alone—and defeated every single one of them!
At the moment this news spread, everyone reacted in exactly the same way...
Huh?
Elise is that strong?
She's only Level 4, isn't she? That's a three-level gap compared to Ottar!
And as more details of the battle were revealed, the Freya Familia released an announcement of their own.
The eight top executives of the Freya Familia would not be exploring the Dungeon for the time being due to physical conditions.
The Freya Familia would also take full responsibility for all losses caused by the conflict.
These two statements were quite thought-provoking.
Could it be that all eight executives had been crippled by Elise? Was the gap in strength really that great? They couldn't even enter the Dungeon to explore anymore?
And the second statement—taking full responsibility for all losses?
That was no small amount!
Anyone who had witnessed the battle knew just how much damage had been caused.
Many buildings had been left on the verge of collapse due to the previous night's fight.
Although the battle had taken place within the Freya Familia's territory, its effects had already spread throughout all of Orario.
Not only would the Freya Familia have to compensate those affected and repair damaged buildings, they would also face fines from the Guild.
Of course, given their strength, they could simply refuse to pay the fines and face little consequence—after all, aside from the Astraea Familia, no one could force them to comply.
However, they were still a Familia of Orario. Refusing to pay would inevitably strain their relationship with the Guild. If something happened in the future and the Guild chose not to assist them, it would be far more troublesome.
So in the end, they still had to pay.
But that wasn't all—another crucial piece of information was also revealed...
The Freya Familia would compensate the Astraea Familia with 25.8 billion valis for their losses.
Wait!
How much?
25.8 billion valis!
Many people thought they had misread the number and rubbed their eyes repeatedly—only to find it was still the same.
So what exactly had the Astraea Familia lost that was worth so much? Could it be Stigmata or equipment?
Well then!
There was no doubt about it—the strongest Familia in Orario was now the Astraea Familia, and they were definitely the richest as well!
Even forging Familias like Hephaestus or Goibniu probably couldn't compare anymore.
The Astraea Familia also released an announcement.
Elise had successfully advanced to Level 5!
At this point, no one found it surprising.
When she was still Level 4, she had already defeated the entire upper echelon of the Freya Familia. Such a Great Feat was more than enough to earn her a level up.
As for Elise now being Level 5—who in Orario could still defeat her?
The strongest in Orario, without question!
...
At some point within the Astraea Familia.
Elise lay face down on the bed, her back fully exposed, the divine pattern of sword and wings clearly visible upon her skin.
The hazel-haired goddess sat atop her in a seiza-like posture.
Her fingers, stained with divine blood, gently traced across Elise's back.
The room was deathly silent. No one spoke, because they all understood—this level-up of Elise's was far too unusual.
Ordinary adventurers would typically hunt powerful monsters to level up.
Some, however, fought not monsters but other humans. Battles between companions could bring even greater growth.
The Freya Familia was like this—they often engaged in so-called royal free-for-alls, gaining far more experience than from monster hunting, which was why they had widened the gap so much compared to the Loki Familia.
But Elise had long since reached the limit of Level 4. Whether by hunting monsters or fighting others, the experience she gained was minuscule. She had been stuck at the peak of Level 4 for quite some time.
Yet this time, she had finally broken through that shackle and reached the state where she could level up.
However, the method she used was unprecedented—perhaps never to be replicated.
She had devoured a god.
Elise had consumed a portion of Freya and successfully absorbed it. Only Elise, Astraea, and Freya knew of this matter, and they had unanimously chosen to keep it secret. If word got out, it would be far too shocking.
According to Freya herself, it was roughly...
A quarter.
Elise had successfully turned one-quarter of Freya into a part of herself. That was why Astraea had momentarily mistaken Elise for Freya before.
Just how powerful was a quarter of a god?
No one knew.
In this world, the gods were omniscient and omnipotent—this was part of the setting. Even with their divine powers sealed, they were still far from weak.
Yet Elise was an anomaly.
Despite having absorbed it, there seemed to be no visible manifestation?
There was definitely something strange going on.
Even so, for Elise, it was still a tremendous leap in growth.
As Elise's status appeared on her back, Astraea was momentarily stunned before letting out a sigh.
"I expected you would gain a new skill, but this is a bit excessive, isn't it?"
A trace of displeasure colored Astraea's tone, like someone who had carefully saved a cake for a long time only to have it stolen by a stray cat.
"Freya..." Though Astraea ground her teeth at the beauty goddess, things had already progressed this far—there was no use regretting it now.
Elise...
Had already been completely tainted by that woman!
It was obvious just from her skill!