After all, as someone who knew at least a little of the inside story, Shakti truly didn't dare imagine what kind of god in present-day Orario would have such a death wish as to stick their head out and provoke the one sitting beside her.
Judging from the way Lord Ganesha had treated this god with a degree of caution that could only be described as treating a great enemy with the utmost seriousness, anyone who went looking for trouble with him was probably just tired of living too comfortably in the Lower World.
At that thought, Shakti quietly glanced at Tsubaki, who was still drinking and talking loudly, and the corner of her mouth twitched faintly. In the end, she chose to swallow her words.
Some things were still safer left buried in one's stomach until clear permission was given.
Still, Tsubaki's words had caught the girls' attention.
…
"Um…"
Mary, who had always been one of the more well-behaved ones, set down her fork with a puzzled look on her face.
"I'd like to ask something."
"Aren't gods supposed to be noble, benevolent beings who guide mortals forward?"
"Aren't we all children of our gods?"
"And aren't gods all fellow kin to one another?"
"Then why would the Familia of another god want to suppress us?"
"Does Orario really have that kind of petty bullying and scheming, like thugs fighting over territory?"
That question voiced what most of the girls at the table were already thinking.
Gods were supreme beings.
Just like Lord Haimer. Although he sometimes had a mischievous side, that was simply the privilege of the strong.
Since all of them had descended to the Lower World to enjoy life, why would there still be this kind of hostility between them, something that sounded no different from gangs fighting over turf?
It felt far too full of human malice.
"Pfft, cough, cough!"
Hearing that, Tsubaki nearly choked to death on her drink. She hurriedly pounded her chest twice and looked at Mary with a thoroughly strange expression.
"Noble? Benevolent?"
"Fellow kin?"
"Hah!"
"That's probably the funniest joke I've heard all year."
She wiped the liquor from the corner of her mouth and put away the careless attitude she had worn earlier.
"I don't know which third-rate light novel you got that idea from, but you girls need to understand one thing."
"Other than their endless lifespans, and the divine power they aren't allowed to use…"
"gods are basically the same as us."
She pointed across the table without the slightest hesitation.
"Take this one, for example."
In an instant, everyone's gaze followed Tsubaki's finger.
There sat Hestia, chewing on a roasted pig trotter with great effort. Her cheeks were puffed out, and a sesame seed was stuck at the corner of her mouth.
"As you can see, Lady Hestia is also a perfectly legitimate god."
"But do any of you really think Lady Hestia has anything to do with the lofty image of gods in your imagination?"
The moment Tsubaki finished speaking,
"Gulp"
Then, after Hestia swallowed the mouthful of meat with visible effort,
"Burp!"
A long, loud belch rang out in the suddenly quiet corner of the tavern with exceptional clarity.
Apparently realizing the atmosphere had suddenly turned strange, Hestia blinked at the bizarre looks aimed her way, then immediately knit her pretty brows.
"Hm?"
"Why are you all staring at me?"
…
The girls fell silent.
"See?"
Tsubaki spread her hands helplessly.
"This is what normal looks like."
"The gods in the Lower World are just like people."
"There are indeed good gods with noble character."
"But there are also gods who are greedy, jealous, vain, and competitive."
"There are high-minded gods, and there are rotten ones too."
"And because they've lived too long and gotten too bored, those traits often get magnified countless times over."
"Especially for gods, the entire Lower World is nothing more than one giant playground."
"And since it's a game, naturally there are winners and losers, competition and schemes."
"So down here…"
"there are some gods who really are capable of absolutely anything."
"All kinds of twisted plays have been staged countless times throughout Orario's history."
"And some are even worse."
"They'll stir up trouble just to save their dignity, just to vent a grievance, because they've taken an interest in a soul they find amusing, or simply because they're jealous that another Familia found a promising talent."
"And then they'll send their children to do the dirty work."
Gods possessed eternal life, and had stood above the masses in Heaven for ages beyond counting.
For mortals who lived and died in the blink of an eye, it was hard for them to maintain something called empathy forever.
It was like a child crouching on the ground and watching ants move house.
If the child was in a good mood, tossing down a few bread crumbs was a blessing.
If the child was in a bad mood, one stream of piss falling from above was a natural disaster.
As for whether the ants suffered, whether they despaired, that was something the child could barely feel.
And so, that arrogance born from the difference in the very level of life was something the gods of Heaven naturally possessed as well.
Even if many of them disguised themselves as humans, that underlying nature of treating all things as straw dogs was very difficult to erase.
…
The table fell into a brief, frozen silence.
The girls exchanged glances, clearly shaken by this other side of the world.
So beneath this labyrinth city, which seemed so prosperous and full of adventure and glory, such murky undercurrents were flowing as well.
"That's why."
Tsubaki let out a sigh and brought their attention back.
"That's the reason I wouldn't let you casually hire random independent supporters during the day."
"Among those wild supporters, who knows how many are informants for one Familia or another."
"If you really brought one along, then at the critical moment they might stab you in the back, or deliberately lure over a horde of monsters and use the chaos to steal your weapons."
"And when that happens, you won't even have a place to cry."
"Then…"
Tsukuyo, who had been silent until now, tilted her head slightly, her blind eyes turning with perfect accuracy toward Shakti.
"What about Lady Shakti?"
"Isn't the Ganesha Familia supposed to be the city's military police?"
"If an organization like that exists to maintain order…"
"then why are these things still allowed to happen?"
The moment that question was asked, Shakti's fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
"The military police?"
Tsubaki glanced at the silent Shakti, a somewhat complicated emotion flashing through her eye.
"Yes. They are the military police."
"They're responsible for maintaining public order, arresting criminals, and preserving the surface order of this city."
"But in the end…"
"the Ganesha Familia is still a Familia."
"They're also just a group paid by the Guild to do the Guild's work and uphold order."
"As long as nobody openly murders or burns things down in the street, and as long as the Guild's rules aren't broken on the surface…"
"then the dirty dealings in the darker corners are beyond even the Ganesha Familia's ability to fully deal with."
"Because there are unspoken rules between gods."
"Of course…"
"There was once a time, long ago, when there really were fools who would uphold absolute justice even if it cost them their lives."
"There really was a group like that."
"They didn't care whose group they offended, and they didn't care which god stood behind the other side."
"If they saw injustice, they drew their swords."
"They were the kind of people who truly earned respect."
At that point, Tsubaki paused.
A few white-clad figures flashed through her mind.
The Familia of the goddess of justice, Astraea Familia.
The Familia that had once upheld absolute justice in Orario, never sparing evil no matter its color or background.
The Familia that had once struck fear into the hearts of countless dark factions.
"But…"
"Sadly…"
"they're gone now."
"In a world like this, the things that are too pure are usually the first to shatter."
There was a trace of regret in Tsubaki's voice.
…
Shakti lowered her head.
That was also an eternal pain in her own heart, and a wound that would never heal for the entire camp of justice in Orario.
Astraea Familia.
The Familia of the goddess of justice.
The radiant force that had once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ganesha Familia to preserve Orario's order.
And now, not even their bodies could be found.
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