Chapter 204 - Freya: Sooner Or Later, You'd Be Mine!
Freya, always seen as the gentle goddess by her Familia, looked anything but gentle right now.
Her sharp gaze was fixed on the windows, but her mind was miles away.
Even when a glass tipped over and spilled all over her dress, she didn't flinch.
Her perfect image? She couldn't care less at the moment.
Ottar stood below, head slightly raised as he watched her.
He couldn't put his finger on why, but seeing Freya act so out of character gave him a weird feeling in his chest.
To him, Freya was untouchable—a divine being beyond reproach.
But right now, that sacred, untouchable aura of hers seemed… human.
Almost fragile.
The thought made him feel guilty.
He quickly lowered his gaze.
Even thinking something like that about Freya felt like a sin.
To him, and to the entire Freya Familia, she was holy.
Perfect.
Freya, though, was too wrapped up in her own head to notice Ottar's inner conflict.
She was too busy reeling from what Mahiro had just done.
Her usual calm was crumbling, replaced by pure frustration.
The most beautiful goddess in Orario, the leader of the strongest Familia, had been outplayed—by Hestia, of all people!
And over something so damn ridiculous.
She'd planned everything so carefully.
Freya had dropped hints to Mahiro, timed the Familia's recruitment announcement perfectly, and waited for him to come to her like a moth to a flame.
But despite all that, Hestia had swooped in and taken him.
It was maddening.
If Freya, the goddess of beauty, had personally gone out to recruit people, she could've built an army in minutes.
"Hestia…" Freya muttered under her breath.
"Maybe I shouldn't have played it so cool. If I'd just gone and talked to him myself, would things have turned out differently?"
She sat silently on her throne, regret gnawing at her.
In her effort to seem untouchable and divine, she'd waited for Mahiro to come to her.
And what had that gotten her?
Nothing.
"Should I just take him by force?"
The thought crossed her mind, but she dismissed it almost immediately.
She wanted Mahiro—badly.
His soul was brighter than anything she'd ever seen, and it had completely consumed her.
One look, and she'd been hooked.
But no—grabbing him now would only make him hate her.
And that? That was worse than death.
She stood up gracefully and walked to the window.
Looking in the direction of the Hostess of Fertility, she whispered to herself,
"This is just temporary. When the time's right, I'll take him back."
She was sure of it.
Once Mahiro experienced the hellish grind of the dungeon, he'd get tired of Hestia and her struggling Familia.
When that happened, reclaiming him would be easy.
"Ottar, cancel the recruitment announcement," Freya finally said.
"Lady Freya, what about the other promising adventurers?" Ottar asked, his tone respectful as always.
"They don't matter. None of them are worth my time," Freya replied coldly.
The whole recruitment thing had been for Mahiro.
Now that he'd joined Hestia's Familia, the rest could go to hell.
"Understood," Ottar said, bowing before he left.
He didn't question her.
To him, Freya's decisions were always right.
***
Over at the Hostess of Fertility…
"Mahiro, congratulations," Syr said, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"You upset or something, Syr?" Mahiro asked, grinning.
"No," Syr replied flatly.
"I'll go back to work now."
She gave a small bow and headed to the kitchen.
Watching her walk away, Mahiro couldn't help but chuckle.
Teasing her was way more fun than he'd expected.
Role-playing games were his thing, after all.
He'd already talked with Syr earlier, so now he was just resting at the same table as the night before.
"What did you and Syr talk about?"
A blonde elf set his food down gently, her expression curious.
"Oh, you're the girl from yesterday," Mahiro said.
"My name is Ryuu Lion. You can call me Ryuu," she replied.
Mahiro nodded.
Ryuu, a pure-blooded elf, was a familiar face from the anime.
She showed up a lot, but she was usually quiet, sticking to serving meals or helping out in the kitchen.
They hadn't talked much.
"Ever since she spoke with you, Syr's been in a bad mood," Ryuu said. "Did something happen?"
Mahiro rubbed his chin, pretending to think.
"Nah, no drama. She's probably just mad I joined a Familia so fast."
"It might've seemed a little impulsive to her."
"I see," Ryuu said, nodding. "Syr's one of the kindest people I know."
"She's probably just worried about you. Don't take it the wrong way."
Mahiro barely held back an eye roll.
Worried? Yeah, right.
More like jealous.
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