Arrows blotted out the sunlight as they came screaming down.
Before this hellish scene, Lefiya gripped her wand tightly, not moving an inch.
"You are an expert of the bow!"
With each precise and beautiful line of her chant, magic power gathered steadily.
Lefiya entrusted everything to the boy.
She believed in the tactics Bell Cranel had devised.
Keep chanting, even if they call you a fool, because that's exactly what I am—a magic idiot...
Arrows laden with boundless malice tore through the air.
At that hair-trigger moment, the wind rose.
"?!"
The Apollo Familia stared in stunned silence.
The high-speed arrows they had fired were cut off by a violent gale.
Some snapped clean in two, others were caught in the wind and smashed into the city walls.
When the yellow dust finally settled, the rain of arrows had vanished without a trace.
The fierce wind did not die down.
A blue-haired girl now stood in front of Lefiya.
In her slender hands, she held two long swords, both radiating a green glow.
"Magic swords?!"
The Apollo Familia immediately sensed something was wrong.
"How did she even get here?!"
The human in charge of the frontline glared viciously.
They had already tightened security, wary of the enemy approaching the walls under camouflage cloth.
Yet this blue-haired girl had appeared on the battlefield as if out of thin air!
More importantly, the Apollo Familia had no intel on this opponent.
In Orario, Level 1 adventurers and ordinary citizens made up most of the population.
Normally, any adventurer with real strength would have earned a title.
But this blue-haired girl who had suddenly appeared—no one knew where she came from.
"Keep firing!"
"We can't, the wind from those magic swords is blocking everything!"
"Who on earth is she?!"
"Fire! All fifty guarding the gate, charge out and stop that chanting!!"
…
The gale cut off everything, forming a natural barrier in front of Lefiya.
"Oooh! The mysterious beauty who suddenly appeared has blocked the attack!"
The Ganesha Familia member doing the live commentary shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I'm sure everyone's wondering—why have we never seen such a beautiful girl before?!"
"Actually, we've just received the latest intel—she is—"
"I am Ganesha!"
"Ganesha-sama, if you don't want to commentate, then please just go back!!"
"The true identity of the blue-haired maiden—she's from the Astraea Familia!!"
"...."
Hearing the name of that long-remembered Goddess of Justice, the crowd fell into stunned silence.
"Astraea Familia..."
New adventurers who had only heard the stories, but never seen them with their own eyes, were left dazed.
"Astraea-sama..."
Those who had rebuilt their lives beneath the Wings of Justice could not hold back their murmurs.
"That merciful goddess..."
A couple who had been saved by the Astraea Familia during the dark era gazed on with tear-filled eyes.
"The Goddess of Justice... she never left us..."
"Astraea-sama..."
"Astraea Familia!!"
Like crashing waves, cheers erupted among the people, echoing throughout the entire city.
Even from the heights of the thirtieth floor, the gods could hear those impassioned, tear-choked cries.
"Why would the Astraea Familia appear?!!"
Apollo suddenly sprang to his feet, glaring viciously at the divine mirror.
"Her name is Cecil. She came all the way from the Sword Smithing City Solingen specifically to take part in this War Game."
Hermes spoke up to explain.
"I question the fairness of this competition!" Apollo spat through gritted teeth.
"Cecil is only Lv.2, which meets the conditions you set. Are you saying the great Ouranos-sama has failed in his duties?"
Hermes replied in a [neutral] tone. "Though there is one point worth discussing. Cecil is not Bell Cranel's lover, but is participating in this matter in place of her Familia Goddess."
"..."
For a moment, the gods were stunned.
Sharp-tongued Loki was the first to react.
"Hermes, are you saying Astraea and that kid are lovers?!"
"Correct."
At those words, every god showed an expression of utter disbelief.
Their thoughts were just like Hestia's had once been. They were sure this had to be a complete fantasy.
"That Astraea? No way!"
"But that blue-haired girl really is a child of the Astraea family, right?"
"Of course. We can all see through lies, and there's no way Ouranos would allow a mistake."
"Hey... this can't actually be real, can it?"
"No, no, no! She's the understanding big sister we've all dreamed about! The one we've been chasing for hundreds of millions of years and never caught. How could she possibly become lovers with someone from Genkai?"
"We really can't let that girl join the War Game!"
"Apollo, shut up. This is totally not the time for that."
"Damn it, the number one goddess on my lap-pillow wish list is already taken!"
The male gods all wore regretful expressions, while the discussions among the goddesses were the complete opposite.
"That billion-year single Astraea actually has a lover now?"
"I'm going to write her a letter and invite her to a party in Orario—no, forget that, let's just go play in Solingen!"
"Apollo, if anyone from your Familia hurts that girl, we will absolutely not forgive you."
"I really want to see what Astraea looks like right now!"
…
Apollo's cheek twitched.
"Even if Astraea and Bell Cranel are lovers, that girl still absolutely cannot take part in the battle!"
When special situations arose during a War Game, the gods would resolve them by voting.
To them, it was a rare form of entertainment, and using a simple majority-rules system was perfectly normal.
Apollo sensed the jealousy among the male gods and decided to seek their support.
But things went in the opposite direction.
"If it's Astraea, isn't it better to let her child join in?"
"Exactly. I've seen it back in Tenkai, you know, just how violent that goddess can be."
"If she personally joined the fight for that Little Rookie, that city wall would be gone in half a second, don't you think?"
The male gods spoke one after another, deliberately exaggerating Astraea's combat power.
Apollo was completely isolated.
The male gods might feel a little jealous, but that was all.
After countless millions of years in the divine realm, they had long since understood that the pure Goddess Astrea was someone they could never win over.
Forget becoming lovers—if they even tried to tease her a little, they might end up facing some form of payback.
However, there was something special about Astraea.
Unlike Artemis or Freya, she possessed a unique, big-sister-like warmth and tolerance all her own.
Because of that, the male gods she often helped felt more moved than jealous.
On top of that, Astraea Familia had once sown the seeds of justice during the Dark Age.
It was only natural for the gods to support her.
"Tch..."
Apollo's expression twisted.
To think that just one girl joining the battle was enough to make him completely into "the villain."
Hestia stared at Cecil in the mirror, recalling the righteous, gentle, and kind Goddess Astrea.
She was serious.
Letting her beloved Familia member step into a War Game was proof of the goddess's resolve.
Astraea really does love Bell...
Somehow, it all just felt out of her hands now...
Hestia sat there in a daze.
Amid the shouts of the crowd and the playful banter of the gods, she clearly sensed Astraea's determination.
The divine mirror reflected the scene out on the wasteland.
Several members of Apollo Familia charged out, brandishing long knives and sharp swords as they rushed at Cecil.
The battle burned fiercely.
Yet in Hestia's heart, for no clear reason at all, a wave of jealousy and envy welled up.