At the very top of Babel Tower, four goddesses and gods sat together in discussion.
Loki, Freya, Hermes, and Astraea.
Between them, their Familias accounted for half of Orario's power.
Originally, it was meant to be a tea gathering exclusive to Loki and Freya—until the two of them invited Astraea as well.
Freya looked down on Ishtar. Hephaistos was obsessed with forging. Ganesha was too noisy. Among the remaining deities who met their standards, Astraea was basically the only choice.
As for Hermes… he had shamelessly forced his way into the tea party.
That kind of slippery behavior should've earned him a boot, but considering how well-informed he was, the three goddesses let him stay.
Down below, people were talking about "Great Utter Evil," so Loki—who knew the full context—explained it to the others.
"The Dungeon is hostile to us gods. Ais-tan ran into something like this before."
About two years ago, Ais had been tricked down to the twelfth floor by an evil god.
Right in front of her, that god released divine might and summoned a pitch-black wyvern.
Monsters drawn forth by divine might didn't match the strength of the floor they appeared on—they were far stronger than they had any right to be.
"And those things are basically god-assassins," Loki continued. "They're built to kill gods. Even Ouranos's prayer and divine power don't work on them."
That was the conclusion Loki had reached after reporting the incident and discussing it with Ouranos.
Only monsters like that—true god-assassins—could bypass Ouranos's prayer and reach the surface.
Which meant Great Utter Evil was undoubtedly one of them.
If that thing reached the surface, even the gods' own safety wouldn't be guaranteed.
And if a god died to such a creature… whether they'd even return to Heaven was a question mark.
In that case, maybe only the gods capable of hiding their divinity—those who could convincingly pass as ordinary people—would survive.
"We were all played," Hermes said, adjusting his glasses. He wasn't wearing his usual hat, either.
He wasn't nearsighted. He just liked the look—an intellectual scoundrel aesthetic. Someday, he might even gift the glasses to someone.
Right now, though, his expression was uncharacteristically serious.
"That grand spectacle of gods being sent back wasn't meant to crush Orario's morale. It was meant to cover up the truth—an evil god being sacrificed to summon a monster."
Freya couldn't maintain her usual elegance, worry settling into her brow.
If Finn and Cid hadn't noticed the danger in time, they would've been blindsided completely.
They were already at a disadvantage. And on top of that, the enemy had been weaving this kind of scheme.
It was a vicious, decisive strike.
"Still," Loki said with a grin, trying to loosen the tension, "Astraea—do you regret it? Letting a talent like that slip to that short little bean? If you ask me, you took a massive loss!"
Normally, Loki liked Astraea—especially her generous… spirit.
But Astraea had asked Loki to help nurture Hestia's Familia.
Since when did Loki ever accept a deal where she got the short end of the stick?
Now Finn and Riveria both favored Cid, even going out of their way to pave the road for him, yet refusing to poach him outright.
And Loki couldn't stand the thought that one day that short little bean might ride Cid's achievements to expand her Familia until it stood shoulder to shoulder with Loki's.
What rank did that tiny bean think she was?
"She treats Cid well," Astraea replied with a soft chuckle. "I'm at ease."
Cid's performance since leaving her Familia had surprised her, yes—
—but she could only be happy for him.
That child had been raised under her guidance. And he hadn't cut ties with Astraea Familia, either.
When he grew further, Astraea Familia would have a strong and trustworthy ally outside their ranks.
No matter how the future unfolded, Astraea would only profit from this.
If anything, she'd been thinking of helping Hestia Familia more when the war was over.
"Speaking of which," Freya murmured, looking down. A faint glow marked where Cid was. "That boy isn't normal. I can't see through him at all."
Freya possessed the ability to see through a person's soul.
It was how she'd recruited so many rare talents into her Familia.
Mia and Ottar—both Level 6—had joined because she had seen their brilliance.
Which made one thing extremely strange.
Cid's soul-light wasn't the pure radiance she loved most, nor was it particularly distinctive.
It was… ordinary.
The kind of dull glow you'd lose in a crowd.
And yet—how could a soul like that accomplish so much?
For Freya to misjudge someone… it wasn't normal.
"Maybe he's just lucky," Loki said pointedly, her tone deliberately dismissive. "Maybe he only has that special ability—'Ultra Instinct'—and nothing else. A pure extra. A background character."
Her words were scornful.
Her heart was sour.
In reality, Riveria and Ais—the two in Loki Familia who had spent the most time with Cid—both held him in high regard.
Ais praised his magic, eyes sparkling when she spoke about it.
Riveria praised his character—steady, unarrogant, possessed of remarkable nerve and restraint.
Riveria had even insisted that Cid's temperament and capability made him the best candidate to become Orario's next leader, and she'd recommended him directly to Finn.
"Ultra Instinct" was a name Riveria herself had coined after recognizing the trait in him.
Every time Loki remembered Riveria praising that boy, she felt like her head was turning green.
"Did Cid do something to upset you?" Astraea asked, genuinely puzzled. "What did he do that was so offensive?"
It was rare to see Loki this rattled.
That kind of bitter sarcasm didn't fit her.
And with Cid's disposition, he didn't seem like someone who could offend a god so easily.
So what had happened?
"This," Hermes said, grinning like a troublemaker, "I happen to know—"
Loki punched him across the room.
Some things were absolutely not allowed.
"Rumor has it," Freya said smoothly, refusing to be stopped, "that the child is pursuing Riveria."
Loki didn't want it spoken—so Freya absolutely wanted it spoken.
Watching her old rival's emotions spike was simply too entertaining.
"Is that so?" Astraea didn't find it shocking. "Cid does like elves. But what's the problem?"
Back when he was still in Astraea Familia, his attitude toward Ryuu had been noticeably gentle.
Still, did that really justify Loki's fury? Her frantic efforts to keep this quiet?
Riveria was at an age where romance was perfectly normal.
And Loki couldn't possibly be forbidding relationships in her Familia, could she?
Orario had plenty of people running around with harems, after all. Even Finn, Loki Familia's captain, had long dreamed of expanding the prum bloodline.
Gods generally didn't meddle in such matters.
Even Astraea—the chaste goddess—had never demanded her Familia remain untouched forever.
In Astraea's experience, only Artemis was strict enough to police love that tightly.
So there had to be another reason.
"Don't say another word!" Loki lunged.
Freya slipped aside with effortless grace, her beautiful face lit with a mischievous smile.
Loki didn't want it said, so Freya would say it.
"It's because Loki likes calling Riveria 'Mommy.'"
The instant the words left her lips, Loki clapped a hand over Freya's mouth.
But it was too late.
The most critical part had already been said.
"A… strange nickname," Astraea said slowly. "And then…?"
She still didn't quite get it.
Though all four were gods, Astraea's brand of "abstract" was nowhere near the other three.
Any other god who enjoyed drama would've understood immediately.
Hermes, crawling back into his seat and adjusting his glasses with a grin that begged to be punched again, supplied the missing link.
"In other words," he said cheerfully, "unless you go with 'different contexts, different rules'… it means Loki is basically calling Cid 'Dad.'"
Astraea's eyes widened in realization.
For a god who loved chaos, that information was lethal ammunition—something they'd use to tease Loki again and again.
And Loki had definitely made plenty of enemies in Heaven.
If Cid really managed to win Riveria's heart, then all anyone would need to say to destroy Loki was:
"Cid is your dad."
At that moment, Loki truly, completely cracked.
A secret this buried had already been shared among three gods.
How far was it from becoming public knowledge?
If nothing else, Hermes absolutely wasn't a god capable of keeping his mouth shut.
Freya and Astraea, though… maybe they could be negotiated with.
Loki made her decision instantly.
She went straight for the source.
"HERMES! I'LL FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH!"
....
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