Chapter 156 – God’s attention
Despite Freya trying to make herself appear gentler to lower Aston's guard, it had no effect and instead made Aston even more cautious.
Especially the last sentence, which made Aston's skin crawl.
That's not "no ill intent" at all; it's full of malice, enough to give someone the creeps.
The situation with Aston also caught the attention of gods from other directions. Upon seeing Freya, the gods were instantly intrigued, setting aside the ongoing matter with the Ishtar Familia to focus on this new drama.
Compared to the predictable outcome with the Ishtar Familia, this scenario involving Freya was far more interesting to them.
Every time Freya took action because she was infatuated, it never failed to entertain the gods, especially since this time, the object of her affection was the captain of the Hestia Familia, the protagonist of the current Familia war, which made the gods even more eager to see what would unfold.
If they hadn't already finished their watermelon while watching earlier, they'd definitely be munching on more right now. But without watermelon, they were content to just watch the show.
"I don't want any involvement with you Freya-sama, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't disturb my life," Aston said, irritation flickering at the edge of her eyes, warning Freya in good faith.
If Freya stubbornly persists, like in the original story, and tries to use her charm to alter the whole of Orario to abduct someone, the one who would end up in trouble would undoubtedly be Freya, Aston assured.
He was not like Bell in the original story, to be manipulated at Freya's whim.
After all, Aston was completely immune to Freya's charm ability that could alter the memories of gods.
And Aston possesses Excalibur, capable of overpowering Ottar. If it really came down to a fight, Freya would be the one to suffer significant losses.
A full-force attack from Excalibur might even vaporize Ottar.
Should it come to that, Aston would even join forces with Hestia to send Freya back to heaven, eliminating future troubles.
This was a kind warning from Aston.
The statement left everyone present in shock.
After the initial surprise, the gods became even more excited, their eagerness to see how things would unfold intensified.
To the gods, Aston's statement was not a warning, but a blatant threat.
They were all curious to see how Freya would react to such a threat, given that she is the chief deity of Orario's most powerful Familia. It was unthinkable that she would succumb to such intimidation.
If they were in her place, with such status, they would never have let such threats slide.
However, Freya disappointed the gods.
Instead of showing any sign of anger or irritation in response to Aston's nearly threatening words, Freya's smile became even more enchanting.
What the gods didn't realize was that, at the moment Aston spoke those words, the soul belonging to Aston in Freya's eyes shone incredibly brightly, almost enveloping everything in her view with its brilliance.
In Freya's vision, Aston's soul illuminated everything, making the entire world seem covered by the glow of Aston's soul, leaving nothing else visible.
How could Freya possibly be angered by such a minor threat when faced with a soul as dazzling as Aston's? Freya's tolerance for Aston was nearly limitless.
This only made Freya more determined to take Aston for herself. However, she knew it would require careful planning.
With her powers ineffective against Aston and Ottar frankly admitting that even the entire Freya Familia might not be able to capture Aston and bring her to the battlefield, Freya needed to think of a new approach.
Perhaps... Ottar's suggestion was not a bad idea.
She needed to find an opportunity for some alone time with Aston.
Holding onto this thought, Freya gave a response under the watchful eyes of the gods that left them disappointed.
"I'm truly sorry, I was improper," Freya said.
"However, I still hope you'll consider my offer."
"If you come to me, I promise to pour all my affection on you."
"No, no need!" Aston immediately refused Freya's renewed invitation without a second thought...
This response deeply disappointed the gods, leaving them sighing internally for the lost entertainment.
However, this incident significantly increased the gods' interest in Aston.
Everyone should know that the Hestia Familia initially made a name for themselves with Aston's rapid leveling. However, the later fame of the Hestia Familia came from War Games, due to the astonishing performances of many of its members.
In such circumstances, even if the rapid growth of the Hestia Familia could be attributed to Aston, the gods' attention on Aston gradually diminished, spreading to other members of the Hestia Familia.
But today's event made it clear to the gods that the most important focus in the Hestia Familia is still Aston, the Familia captain.
Their initial speculation that the rapid growth of the Hestia Familia's members was due to Aston is almost certainly confirmed.
There's no helping it; this is the effect of fame. Being personally invited by the goddess of beauty, Freya, and not getting angry even after being threatened, Aston is the only one in such a situation.
Under these circumstances, if they don't pay attention to Aston and increase their focus, they would be fools.
The gods are very curious about what makes Aston so special that Freya would yield to such an extent.
Especially since Freya's formidable supporter, Ottar, seemed unaffected.
If it were the captain of the Loki Familia, the hero Finn, who threatened Freya like this, even if Freya, due to her divine status, wouldn't show anger towards Finn, Ottar would definitely not remain indifferent as he does now.
It's like this incident didn't happen at all for him.
Just as Freya was about to speak again, trying to connect with Aston, a beam of light soaring into the sky attracted Freya's attention.
No, it attracted the attention of everyone present, including all the gods.
Seeing that massive column of light piercing the heavens, everyone was utterly shocked.
"This is, Divine Recall!" Finn muttered startled.