Freya’s belief

After calming down the uncontrolled cat that kept asking questions and making the mischievous waitress beg for fewer workloads, Mia led Kisuke to Ryuu's room so he could properly lay him down. Thanks to Syr and Anya's ruckus, Chloe and Lunoire were able to calm themselves down, but they still couldn't let their guards down completely when they were shown such a massive difference in speed.

Until now, they were always in control, even if a lot of Adventurers came to their pub thanks to their strength. And even if they were stronger than them like the Loki Familia or Ganesha Familia, they were well known with a good reputation. But someone like Kisuke who was relatively unknown until the War Games and thought to be only around Level 2-3 exhibiting speeds way beyond them was very unnerving.

Kisuke, although he couldn't care less about their reactions, still understood where they were coming from, and there was nothing wrong with that, 'Something unpredictable and uncontrollable suddenly appearing within the space where they feel most safe in, I would have done something more drastic.'

"Well then, it's time for me to leave. Please give this letter to Lion-san once she wakes up." Kisuke took out an envelope and gave it to Mia. Just before arriving at the Hostess of Fertility, Kisuke had contacted Yoruichi and told her that Ryuu was already safe. He then asked her to ask Astraea to write a letter to her, which he immediately received, 'It looks like they're still together and Astraea-sama had already prepared this beforehand.'

Mia received the letter and they all saw the insignia drawn on it. Chloe and Lunoire didn't know the origin of the insignia while Anya just simply forgot about it. Mia and Syr instantly recognized it and finally understood the reason why Kisuke had dived into the Dungeon to save Ryuu, "I got it, but aren't you going to explain what happened down there?"

Kisuke just shrugged his shoulders while leaving the room, "I won't do something as useless as that. Since you're going to have a hard time believing my story anyway, just hear it from Ryuu directly. And if she wants to hide something it would be up to her, so I'll be keeping my mouth shut regarding this incident."

Mia nodded and said, "Fair point. It's a bit late, but thank you for saving this employee of mine."

Mia's words reminded everyone in the room what they forgot and still needed to do. One by one, they apologized to Kisuke regarding their behavior and profusely thanked him for saving their important friend.

At the door, Kisuke smiled at them and said, "I don't mind it and I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. Just treat me to dinner next time. But when she wakes up, make sure to give her an earful for being stubborn and reckless."

Anya proudly thumped her chest before saying, "You don't have to say it, nya! I'll make sure that she won't hear the end of it for at least a few hours!"

"That's great. Have a good day."

But before Kisuke could completely leave, Syr came running after him, "I'll walk you on the way!"

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Drowning in the sounds of festivities on the street, Syr finally started talking after a few minutes of walking with Kisuke and she said in a mischievous voice, "I heard you gave Ottar one hell of a beating~."

"What's up with that tone? Shouldn't you be worried? And for your information, he was the one who came after me and I only gave him a proper retaliation."

Syr chuckled at his response, "I know that. I'm already grateful that you didn't kill him despite coming at you with killing intent."

"Well, you can thank my vast experience with those types of people. Although they're not good people, they are not bad either for seeking strength and proving themselves in battles. Their killing intent is more of a 'playful' intent." Kisuke then turned his face to her and asked, "But that isn't what you wanted to ask, is it?"

Syr obediently nodded, "Right. I'm really curious what happened down there for her to have that kind of change. Did you know that ever since I've met her, I've always wanted to see the shine of her soul buried in that 'filth' called revenge? How did you clear it?"

Kisuke looked straight into her eyes and saw the Goddess's inquisitive gaze and sighed, "You really have very good 'eyesight' and because of that, it always worked out for you. However, that also causes you to be 'blind' to certain things. In other words, you believed too much in your 'eyes' that it actually narrowed your vision."

A Goddess like Freya already lived for an uncountable number of years and what she had seen was beyond what Kisuke had seen in his entire life. However, that was only limited to this world already shaped by the Deities themselves and the main cause of its stagnation.

Not to mention that Kisuke noticed Freya depending too much on her eyes that could see the color and shine of the souls, which caused her to have a narrow vision in Kisuke's opinion despite being incredibly wise.

Kisuke's remarks ceased Syr's footsteps but the former continued walking without waiting for her, "Although I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong, for me, those 'filth' were not something that needed to be scrubbed off. The dirt is also part of the soul that completes who they are as much as the gem hidden within it."

Kisuke turned to a nearby alley and disappeared from there.

Left alone, Syr's eyes suddenly changed to silver from her usual light grey, 'So you are saying that I'm not wrong, but also not entirely correct?'

She then looked around and saw the people celebrating. Each of them had a mediocre soul. Not shining because of the 'filth' covering them. She had always thought that by discarding these 'filth' souls would reach its pristine state, similar to that of a newborn, and that only then could someone surpass their limits.

But were they really something that should be discarded no matter what? For the first time ever, Freya questioned her view.

As he made his way to the Hearth Manor, Kisuke tried to guess what Freya would see if she were to meet Issei and Vali, 'Most probably, she'd see an incredibly shiny soul buried within 'filth'. However, that's what truly makes them who they are. Buried in desires which made them move forward. It's a part of their being that they've never thought of rejecting. Maybe, if something changes in her view, instead of 'filth', Freya would be able to see them as another form of 'gem'.'