At this moment, inside the great hall, the hastily assembled ruling structure of the Areopagus was functioning in orderly fashion.
Scáthach and Skadi were in charge of military preparations, one handling external matters and one internal, their duties clearly divided.
The Queen of the Land of Shadows handled affairs abroad. She was responsible for coordinating and integrating the Norse, Greek, Amazon, and other forces gathered at Icarus Harbor, while preparing all kinds of supplies for the Third Greco-Persian War.
Having lived in Athens for several months and having saved the naval commander who was about to be exiled, Scáthach's influence within the military, as well as her understanding of it, were both quite considerable. Naturally, she handled the integration and coordination of the various forces with practiced ease.
The Goddess of Winter, meanwhile, was restructuring the Academy of Athens, suppressing the rebellion of the divine-blood nobility, and, with the Valkyrie corps as the core force, maintaining order in Athens while crushing any counterattacks from the conspirators.
In any case, she was not close to these Greeks, so she naturally had no hesitation in taking action. Following the order of who had sided where, she killed those who needed killing and arrested those who needed arresting. With one swift, decisive sweep, the situation immediately became far cleaner.
Ana sorted out political affairs. Drawing on her familiarity with the tangled power structure of the Areopagus, she cleared away the problems in Athens's administrative system and selected suitable divine-blood descendants to fill the vacancies left by the purge.
However, because Ana's descent was incomplete and because she herself was not particularly skilled at administration, there were inevitably some gaps in her thinking.
Surprisingly, the pink-haired secretary in plain clothes at her side made up for those shortcomings beautifully. Every time she spoke, her seemingly casual reminders hit the heart of the matter and resolved the problem at once.
Not only that, this fox secretary was also handling information relays and document organization, flitting from one desk to another in the hall. Her discussions with each person in charge complemented them perfectly, like oil in a machine, ensuring that this newly formed power structure ran in smooth order.
By contrast, the once all-encompassing, indispensable Holy King was now entirely without a role to play. Sitting at his desk, looking at the tea and pastries the Valkyries had brought him and the temporary resting area prepared behind him, he could not help feeling somewhat at a loss.
Something's off. Something's definitely off...
Ever since he had slipped back in, not one of these women had taken the initiative to speak to him. Even Skadi, who had caught him red-handed, had only given him a bland glance before returning to her work, as though the exposure of last night's mess had all been his imagination.
Did I sleep myself silly? That shouldn't be possible.
Seeing that no one seemed to be paying attention, Samael cautiously got to his feet and tiptoed out the door for some air. Scáthach, Skadi, and Ana each looked up in turn, then lowered their eyes again as if they had seen nothing and continued finishing their work.
"What, can't figure it out?"
Just as Samael was wracking his brain, the fox secretary came over carrying a tray and offered the Holy King a cup of hot tea, the corners of her lips slightly raised.
"They're... what exactly are they doing..."
The Ancient Serpent stole a glance toward the great hall, where the soft rustle of work still sounded, took a sip of tea to steady himself, then pulled the obvious culprit into a corner and asked awkwardly,
"Seeing how hard you've been working, helping lighten your burden is only natural, isn't it?
"After all, even I, an outsider who has benefited from your kindness, feel a little bad seeing you so busy with state affairs every day that you don't even have time to rest. So I specifically came to help attend you in handling government affairs, hoping to ease some of the pressure you're carrying.
"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, then as those who are closer to you, shouldn't they all the more be helping reduce your burden rather than adding to it?"
Tamamo-no-Mae blinked her bright golden eyes and replied with a smile.
"So that's enough to smooth it over? That doesn't seem right..."
"What, should she have cried and accused you? Or made a scene? Or picked up a staff and fought you to the death? With enemies outside the gates, getting through this together matters far more than internal strife. Don't act like you're the only one capable of sacrifice and consideration."
The fox spirit rolled her eyes at Samael and gave an irritated snort, speaking up on behalf of Skadi and the others inside. Then she cast a meaningful glance over her shoulder toward the busy figures in the hall, shook her head, and added with layered significance,
"Of course, that only works because what you've given them is far, far more... than what you've taken from them..."
Samael felt vaguely guilty, so he quickly changed the subject, looking the fox spirit over as though she were some strange new species.
"Still, I didn't expect you to help clear things up for me."
"What, is there something wrong with repaying kindness? I'm heartbroken. Don't believe me? Then listen!"
"...The truth."
"Tch, fine. From the instant you fled in total disgrace, I was already thoroughly enjoying the sight of you tumbling from a great height straight into the abyss, rolling all the way down in such a sorry state. It's just that this kind of thing is addictive.
"So giving hope to despair, letting you cling to my hand while I enjoy watching you climb back up from rock bottom, that's also one of my favorites.
"A truly entertaining pastime ought to involve falling from a great height, over and over again...
"And a luxurious delicacy ought to be savored again and again, until the last trace of juice and residue has been chewed away. Only then can the flavor of the soul be fully enjoyed. But if someone drops straight into despair right after reaching the peak of hope, that's a little too dull."
Tamamo-no-Mae lowered the hand that had been resting against her pale chest, shot a withering glance at the utterly unromantic man before her, and smiled sweetly as she pressed close to Samael and sniffed at him without the least restraint. Her golden eyes shone brilliantly, full of the teasing delight of a predator toying with prey.
The scent this man carried, so different from the humans and gods of this world, left her deeply intoxicated.
The only regret was that after traveling through so many lands, she had found only this one uniquely flavored existence.
Sure enough, this trash fox really did enjoy cultivating life and souls into food. Souls mixed with all kinds of emotions and life experiences were, to her, the ultimate delicacy.
As she spoke, Tamamo-no-Mae happily closed her eyes like a little dog and deeply inhaled the scent around the prey she had marked. A shining thread of saliva slipped from the corner of her mouth.
Samael caught sight of it and instantly felt his scalp go numb. Veins bulged on his forehead as he finally lost patience, pressed down on the ever-encroaching fox spirit, and rapped his knuckles against her head.
"Uh, sorry. My appetite kicked in. I nearly lost control."
Tamamo-no-Mae snapped back to herself, rubbed her head, wiped away the drool, and gave him an apologetic smile. After slapping and kneading her stiff cheeks a few times, the blood-red, beastlike gleam in her golden eyes gradually faded.
"By the way, when did you get so good at administration?"
Samael glanced back into the hall, saw the administrative group Tamamo-no-Mae had helped assemble running with orderly precision, and asked out of idle curiosity.
"When did I get so good? I was always good at this, alright!"
Tamamo-no-Mae protested irritably. But as she spoke, a trace of nostalgia and a strange melancholy flickered through her eyes.
Always good at it? Could it have been her who helped Emperor Xin carry out reforms?
Turning her words over in his mind, Samael gradually came to an understanding. Lost in thought, he fixed an intent gaze on Tamamo-no-Mae beside him.
After all, the nine-tailed fox had originally been an auspicious beast that brought prosperity to the land in China, not some evil creature that brought ruin to nations.