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Chapter 124: Ais in a Gown
The beautiful silver figure was once again swarmed by the fanatical crowd, slowly fading into the distance. Yet, even after Freya had completely vanished from sight, Hermes and the others kept their eyes glued to Aiden. The entire hall remained dead silent.
"Did you... just... reject Freya?"
After a long time, Hermes finally found his voice, squeezing the words out through his teeth in sheer disbelief.
"Yeah, what about it?" Aiden looked completely nonchalant. "Unless it's my own goddess, I don't like other goddesses touching me."
As if that wasn't enough of a shock to the system, he purposefully reached out, taking Focalors's small hand and gently rubbing his cheek against her palm in a natural, intimate gesture.
"...You're insane. I bow to you." Hermes shook his head vigorously, his brain completely crashing.
He couldn't comprehend Aiden's thought process at all. That was the Goddess of Beauty initiating physical contact! An absolute blessing that countless gods and mortals literally dreamed of, and this guy just brushed it off? This was more absurd than publicly announcing he was going to solo the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
It wasn't just Hermes. Hephaestus, Takemikazuchi, Miach, and even Naaza, Mikoto, and Asfi were staring at him like he was an alien.
In all honesty, if Freya had made a move on any of the girls present, not a single one of them would have been able to reject her. It was an absolute, overwhelming charm that bypassed all resistance.
If it weren't for the fact that Aiden was constantly surrounded by girls—being the only male in the Focalors Familia—they might have genuinely suspected his sexual orientation had some "special quirks." But more importantly, even if he did bat for the other team, Freya's omnidirectional allure could violently force anyone straight.
"Aiden, my boy, that move... All I can say is, I am in awe." Hermes patted Aiden's shoulder with an incredibly complicated expression.
"You are the absolute ceiling for completely oblivious guys. The title belongs to you," Naaza muttered, staring blankly.
"Did that crazed nympho just hit on you?"
Just as the atmosphere had sunk into a bizarre silence over Aiden's heroic feat, a mocking, gleeful voice laced with a heavy Kansai accent shattered the tension.
Aiden looked over to see the Goddess Loki, dressed in obnoxiously flashy men's clothing and sporting her fiery red hair tied back. She was strutting over with a blonde, gold-eyed girl in tow.
It was the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein.
Right now, Ais had swapped her usual combat-ready armor for a stunning, light green evening gown. A hint of shy awkwardness colored her fair face; she looked incredibly uncomfortable. It was obvious she had been forced into the dress by Loki, serving as a walking canvas for the prankster goddess's twisted tastes.
But the gown also displayed Ais's beauty to its absolute limits. She looked like a pristine, immaculate princess stepping straight out of a fairy tale, making it impossible to look away.
The light green dress featured a daring low-cut and backless design, fully exposing her slender, pale shoulders and elegant collarbones. The skirt was dotted with exquisite embroidery and luxurious ornaments—it was a given that Loki had personally overseen the tailoring, pouring immense wealth and terrifying passion into the garment.
She wore silky white opera gloves over her slender arms, adding a touch of holy elegance. A portion of her cascading golden hair was intricately pinned up, while the rest fell smoothly down her back, swaying gently with her steps.
Coupled with her delicately flushed face, her slender swan-like neck, the subtle cleavage highlighted by the dress, her unbelievably tiny waist, and the voluminous skirt blossoming beneath it...
If Freya's beauty was like a red rose—passionate, wild, and fiercely aggressive—then Ais's beauty was like a snow lotus blooming on a high peak: pure, cold, and meant to be admired from afar, untouched by worldly desires.
Compared to Freya, it was actually Ais's "emotionless airhead" archetype that caught his eye more.
"Goddess Loki, Ais, when did you guys get here?" Aiden asked, slightly surprised.
"Use honorifics when addressing Ais-tan! Don't act so familiar with her!"
Hearing how Aiden addressed Ais, Loki instantly bristled. Her face twisted into a cartoonish scowl, and without missing a beat, she launched a fierce flying kick right at his head.
Aiden merely took a casual step to the side, easily dodging the aggressive assault.
Loki didn't give up. The moment her feet hit the floor, she threw a flurry of rapid-fire punches, executing a blindingly fast combo. But Aiden dodged every single strike with the relaxed ease of someone taking a stroll in the park. Eventually, Loki wore herself out, gasping heavily for air.
"C-Can't you just let me hit you once? I'm a goddess, you know!" Loki complained, panting heavily, her face full of indignant rage.
"Even goddesses don't get a free pass. Why would I just stand here and let you beat me up?" Aiden pouted, feigning innocence.
"Dammit! Ais-tan, grab him for me! I'm going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget today!" Exasperated, Loki turned to her backup.
"Loki. Stop it."
Ais delivered four flat words, showing absolutely zero intention of helping.
"Ais! You don't love me anymore! Waaahhhh..." Struck by lightning, Loki performed a flawless, dramatic slump of despair, her entire body seemingly turning grayscale.
But her depression lasted barely three seconds before she popped right back up to full health, grumbling angrily, "Just my rotten luck! Why did that nympho have to show up? I was planning on making a grand, triumphant entrance with my adorable Ais-tan and stunning the whole room! Instead, that big-boobed cow stole all the thunder. I'm so mad!"
Aiden suddenly understood.
It seemed Loki and Ais had arrived at roughly the same time as Freya. But because Freya's entrance was so absurdly grandiose, drawing every single eye in the room, the Loki Familia had been completely relegated to background characters. Nobody even noticed them walk in.
Otherwise, given the Loki Familia's status as one of Orario's 'Two Kings', their arrival would have been a massive event. Unfortunately, they clashed with Freya, the ultimate attention magnet, and got totally ignored. No wonder Loki was so pissed off.
"Ais, you look beautiful today."
Aiden ignored Loki, who was still fuming like a steam engine, and gave Ais a thumbs up instead.
"...Thank you."
A rush of red instantly painted Ais's delicate cheeks. She lowered her head shyly, her slender fingers nervously gripping the fabric of her gown.
"Hey! Stay away from my gorgeous Ais!"
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