CH. 335: Her Weakness

Asahi breathed a sigh of relief. He managed to get a not-so-cringy alias. His work here was also done.

Astraea wasn't any less relieved than Asahi. She owed some of it to Freya. The goddess in question seemed busy. Her eyes roamed to each corner of the table, taking in every deity and their soul. She squinted as a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

'They aren't here.'

None of Ishtar's lovers attended the Denatus. Some of their adventurers recently achieved Level 2 status, yet they didn't attend the naming ceremony. They had shut themselves in their Familia since Ishtar departed to Heaven. Many called it grief for losing their beloved goddess, but Freya knew better. Those deities would have snapped out of Ishtar's charm after she returned to Heaven and returned to their usual self. One of them was a god of freedom who shut himself in a house. He even refused to meet Helen on her behalf. Others acted similarly, raising her suspicions.

'I'll have to go myself.'

Something clicked in her mind every time she related their strange behavior to Astraea and her lover. Astraea Familia went to Ishtar's tower with six members, two of which were goddesses. Yet, they defeated a level 5 adventurer and dozens of amazonian women. The strangest thing was none of them died. Nobody knew Ishtar's tenacity and pettiness more than her. If Ishtar knew she had no chance, she'd have taken someone down with her.

'I'm missing a vital piece of information.'

Freya thought with a frown.

The Denatus proceeded normally after that. Loki regained her spirit and splendidly finished her duties as the host.

As Denatus came to an end, Loki stood up and coughed dryly. "Ahem. Some of ya might my Familia's recent expedition. The thing is, Finn and Riveria's breached the 59th floor."

Her words sent the rowdy gods into silence.

"59th floor?" Freya asked in an incredibly calm voice as though the achievement meant nothing. "Congratulations are in order, my friend."

Loki's lips twitched. "As expected of my rival."

"Ottar and his fellow warriors will soon follow your Familia's steps into the land of eternal cold."

Loki revealed a smug grin. "That's ignorance, Freya. The 59th has changed. The floor described by Zeus is no longer there."

Freya slightly tilted her head. "Is the dungeon evolving?"

"It very well is," Hermes said, smiling. "Zeus wouldn't give false information on the dungeon. I can vouch for it."

Loki nodded, knowing all too well the corrupted spirit was behind the transformation. She needed Asahi's support if her Familia were to venture into the 59th floor again. He could bail them out if anything dangerous happened. At the same time, his presence affected the adventurers' performance. They became too reliant on him to deal with everything.

'Guess, I'll let 'em descend the fifties alone.'

She was in no hurry. She had forgotten the fact when she approached Asahi with 'that' deal. She still felt a rush of embarrassment every time she thought about it.

The gods began asking questions. Loki answered a few questions before sending them away. Freya's calm reaction took away her motivation to brag any further.

Freya stood and smiled at Astraea. "I have an urgent task, so we must part here."

"Take care," Astraea said. "I'll pay you a visit later."

"Please do," Freya said and left the hall.

"I'm gonna go too," Loki said and scratched her head. "Have to deal with a mischievous high elf."

Only Hermes, Hephaestus, and Astraea remained. Asahi removed the helm of Hades and strolled toward the table. Hermes looked at him with intrigue.

'Asfi gave it to him?'

Asahi stopped behind Astraea and patted her head. "Good job."

"Uhm..." Astraea kept a dignified face, or she attempted to. Her dignity melted under the headpats. Feeling saliva building up in her mouth, she covered her face with both hands, hiding her drooling face from her friends.

Hephaestus watched her friend doing unthinkable things with wide eyes. What happened to the woman who always sought justice for others with unparalleled confidence? She questioned herself. Nothing made sense to her.

Asahi cut her some slack and took a seat beside her. "What's the deal with the people from the Far East?"

"I don't know," Hermes said, shaking his head. "It may be related to the Gojouno clan's princess."

Asahi knitted his brow.

'Is this Kaguya's arc now?'

(Save the princess and make love to her! A classic fairy tale, my love.)

'Indeed.'

He couldn't leave the beauty after putting a ring on her finger. That would be ungentlemanly of him.

He turned to Astraea who was wiping her face. "Don't worry about them."

"They can't just come in and take my child," Astraea declared. Her statement would be awe-inspiring if a trail of drool didn't leak from the corner of her lips.

Hephaestus shook her head. "Ask me if you need help."

She tried to get up, but an invisible force held her in place. She squinted at Asahi, who revealed a mischievous smile.

"Hermes pal, can I ask you to leave?"

"Goodness. I forgot I had an appointment with a goddess. See you all later."

The god left in a hurry. Asahi checked the surroundings again to confirm if he hid with his magic item.

'Gone. Klyscha.'

(Yep!)

Chiaki immediately appeared before him. She blinked her eyes as she observed the change in her surroundings. It lasted only a moment. She noticed Asahi and threw herself at his face.

"Uh!" she yelped and pinched his cheeks with her tiny fingers.

Hephaestus gulped. This fairy was too cute to be real. Chiaki turned around and beamed at her. The overdose of cuteness melted her heart.

"Hehe," Hephaestus responded with an awkward chuckle. "How are you doing?"

Chiaki darted toward Hephaestus and hugged her nose. Hephaestus took Chiaki and put her on her palm.

"I haven't seen you for days. The fire in you has condensed even more."

Chiaki tilted her head, not understanding Hephaestus's complex words. She got back to her feet and soared, landing on Hephaestus's crimson hair. The goddess crossed her arms and sighed.

Asahi chuckled at her fake act. Even Astraea knew Hephaestus was just faking the troubled expression. Meeting the fairy made her happy. Her smile was undeniable. It had been a while since she saw Hephaestus this happy outside of her forge.

'Will she agree to Asahi healing her?'

Asahi was working on his healing skill. It was only a matter of years before he achieved the ability to heal Hephaestus's eyes. The hardest part was convincing Hephaestus without hurting her confidence. The talk of her eyepatch always sank her mood. It could ruin their friendship.

'Where will I be after years?'

She couldn't predict anything. If it was before meeting Asahi, she'd have confidently replied, "Orario." After seeing the wonders of other worlds, she wasn't so sure.

'I might become a bride…'

She imagined herself in a white wedding dress and blushed.