Is it wrong to force it?

A series of trifling matters. Various gods chiming in here and there about the ordinary series of events. Recent level ups, potential adventurer aliases. Chatting about who would host the next Banquet of the Gods... which turned out to be Apollo.

It was droll and tiresome, a fact evident by Hestia barely stifling her yawns and Hephaestus fiddling with her sword, as if she couldn't wait to draw it.

In all honesty, Freya felt the same. If she could simply wrangle the gods by their necks and get it over with...

Well, she *could* by using her charm.

Of course, she didn't.

For one, Ishtar was present. And seeing how she kept sending daggers towards Freya, the other goddess of beauty would no doubt try to subvert Freya's plans.

But more importantly...

Freya fiddled with her dress and carefully eyed the one speaking at the head of this Denatus.

Dionysus. A god of wine similar to Soma. Famous in heaven as one of the few manufacturers of ambrosia as well as his elegance and pleasant demeanor.

On a surface level, he seemed to be just that. A relatively handsome, if not meek appearance. Refined clothing, a beautiful white jewel broach. A pleasant voice that was neither grating nor growling, but just the perfect middle ground.

And Freya would have left it at that. But...

'...It's dirty.'

Contrary to the god's appearance, his soul and 'essence' was dirty.

For the most part, it was a pure and vibrant green. But as Freya looked closer to the source, she could see a dense and murky rotted hue. Poisonous and toxic.

Ordinarily, she would have left it at that. It wouldn't be the first god she had seen playing at being kind. But considering the recent flow of events and Hestia's reaction to him at Ganesha's banquet...

Freya shifted her gaze off to the side.

Loki... Her Familia was investigating the aberrations in the Dungeon as well as preparing for another expedition, were they not?

It seemed that Freya was due to have a proper drink with her old acquaintence.

And after that... Yes. That trickster Hermes was there as well. Though loathesome to deal with, perhaps it would be best to exchange some information with him as well...

Just as Freya was finishing her thoughts, Dionysus clapped his hands.

Looking out at the gods, Dionysus smiled and said, "Very good. Then, with those trivial matters out of the way... shall we begin with the main event?" He shifted his gaze towards a table set apart from the other gods.

There, a single man sat. Shaggy black hair, a handsome and serious face. His honed body was on display beneath his colorful vest.

After seeing the gods looked towards him, the man shifted the elephant mask in front of him off to the side and stood up. "I am Ganesha." He slowly looked around, meeting the gazes of every god present and then bowed his head. "This incident... I will take full responsibility."

A harsh-looking god scowled and spoke up. "And how do you plan to do that? Half of my children died because of your little show!"

Another god with a holy aura and glasses nodded. "Yes. And countless lives were lost. The responsiblity here is not simple." Staring at Ganesha, the god adjusted his glasses and said, "Can you bear it?"

Ganesha looked up with a serious face and said, "I will. All I ask is that my children be spared. This was solely a result of my actions alone."

Low murmuring. A shift in attitude towards accepting Ganesha's statement of guilt.

It was quick. Convenient. And something that a majority of the gods present were eager to jump on, considering the reparations that the Ganesha Familia could pay out.

But if it was a question of *justice*...

Freya glanced towards Hestia.

As expected, the Goddess of the Hearth was furious. At the same time, however, she was holding herself back.

Of course.

Although it was unjust, Hestia had too much to lose right now. There was an order of events that had to occur here. A series of actions that had to proceed in sequence in order to mitigate the fallout upon their family.

...At least, that was what Freya would say if Hestia asked her. But the real reason...

"I object." A calm male voice. Miach's.

Standing up from his chair, Miach looked at Ganesha and said, "Although this was a horrific incident, the blame cannot fall upon Ganesha alone." He looked around at the other gods and said, "You all witnessed it. The monsters that attacked were more than those present for Monsterphilia. Moreover, they were changed and mutated."

The harsh-looking god from earlier scoffed and said, "What of it? The bottomline is that monsters on the surface attacked and killed adventurers and civilians alike. Something that would never have happened if someone didn't bring monsters up in the first place." He glared back at Ganesha.

Miach frowned and said, "Even so, some other perpetrator is responsible for the chaos. Ganesha and his Familia may have brought monsters to the surface, but another caused the outbreak."

The harsh god scowled and said, "How do you know it wasn't Ganesha?"

Miach narrowed his eyes and said, "Not every god is as self-interested as you, Dian Cecht."

The harsh god... Dian Cecht narrowed his eyes back at Miach.

A tense silence fell. But then it was broken by a mischievous female voice speaking up.

Loki waved her hand in the air and said, "Yeah, yeah. We can beat around the bush and shift blame all we want later. But we're here to solve a problem, aren't we? And the problem is that there's a tricky bastard running around trying to cause havoc again like ten years ago."

"Tch." Dian Cecht backed down, frowning.

Miach gave Loki a grateful nod and then sat down as well.

Seeing that, Loki continued and said, "Look. The Guild has already reported variant monsters in the Dungeon for a while now. Hell, my lovely Ais and Fina even fought off against a variant War Shadow not too long ago. Then there's the fact that Artemis and her Familia disappeared off the face of Orario after accepting a quest..."

Low murmuring.

At that time, Dionysus spoke up. Looking at Loki, he smiled and said, "And what are you suggesting, Lady Loki?"

"I'm suggesting that we've got a snake here." Loki crossed her arms and swept her gaze across the room. "Someone who thinks it's funny to follow after the footsteps of those slimy bastards... Don't you agree, Freya?"

A sudden shift.

At once, the entire room focused their attention on Freya's table. And the fact that she was there with Hestia and Hephaestus didn't go unnoticed.

But she was expecting that.

Freya smiled and said, "I agree. It seems that there are some fools who believe Orario has been a bit too quiet in recent years."

As she said that, she gave a pointed look towards Ishtar.

But Loki didn't let the flow change that easy. "Oh yeah? And you haven't been bored at all not being able to collect any new toys?"

"My." Freya reached up to adjust her shirt and said, "One would almost believe you were implying something, Loki."

"I'm not the one sending <King> with some newbie adventurer into the dungeon. And I'm not the one working on some top secret project that made Hephaestus cancel the order to repair my kids' weapons."

Freya smiled. "Is it wrong to help a friend?"

Loki grit her teeth.

At that time, Dionysus raised his hands and said, "Please, let us be civil." Letting out a pleasant smile, he looked at Loki and Freya before saying, "Baseless accusations will only do us harm."

"Baseless, huh? Fine." Loki glanced at Hestia before looking back at Freya. "Then how about something with some weight? Freya here apparently knew all about the variant monsters in the dungeon and was having <King> hunt them down with the shrimp's new kid. And the shrimp didn't even know about it." After saying that, Loki fixed her gaze on Hestia.

Ah.

It seemed that Freya made a mistake. She didn't think that Loki would recall a comment that was made in passing like that.

Still...

Hestia stared right back and crossed her arms. "What about it, huh? Is it wrong to help other people or something?"

...If she was trying to turn Hestia against Freya or something along those lines, it wouldn't work.

Loki gave Hestia an incredulous look before saying, "Did you get charmed or something, Hestia? Trusting Freya... Do you even know who she is? And you too, Hephaestus. Of all people, considering that Crozzo... You're working with her?"

Ishtar laughed and then gave Freya a sly look. "Yes... Loki makes a good point. Did you finally decide to take the direct approach, Freya?"

A low murmur echoed through the room. The gods exhanging looks while looking at Freya, Hestia, and Hephaestus.

...Ah.

So this was how it was.

Freya glanced at Dionysus.

The god of wines simply gave a pleasant smile back.

A 'direct approach.' Yes, a direct approach would not work on her. Because of that, it seemed like they were trying to assassinated her character. Give enough rope for her hang herself with.

It was a coincidence. Piled misunderstandings that created an opening. Something she wouldn't have allowed if she was still the Freya who had not met Bell.

But now...

Freya let out a deep sigh.

'Love truly is a fatal flaw.'

Carelessness. A moment of it led to this outcome. The flow of the conversation had completely changed against Freya. And as a result, Hestia and Hephaestus were being looked upon with suspicion as well.

Still.

"You think that I would be as shameless as you in stealing men from other goddesses, Ishtar? Or in being shameless enough to use your charm so fragrantly? Because I recall Ganesha being placed under charm at his banquet after having a private conversation with you."

Ishtar's face paled for a moment before flushing red. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Is that so?" Freya glanced at Ganesha and said, "But I am certain that you recall, do you not, Ganesha?"

Ganesha's brow furrowed.

Before he could speak, Ishtar stood up and pointed at Freya. "E-Even if he remembers, how do we know *you* haven't charmed him, Freya?"

A break in the flow. Ishtar's outburst shifting attention away from Freya again.

And not only that, but a break that also caused Loki to look thoughtful, glancing over at Ishtar.

At that time, Dionysus clapped his hands. "Now, now. As I said, baseless accusations will only do us harm. Let us all set this matter aside for the moment until the Guild's investigation is concluded."

Loki frowned. "And who gave you the authority to decide that, huh?"

"Well." Dionysus smiled and looked around at the gods. "I simply wish for us to resolve this peacefully. But if you all wish to descend into chaos and violence, please continue."

Miach spoke up again and said, "Dionysus is right. There's no need to point fingers now."

In the distance, Soma raised his hand and said, "Are we done then? I've wasted enough time here."

Murmurs of agreement. Since the meeting had dragged on long, even if it was important, most of the gods were getting bored.

"Wait."

A male voice spoke up, cutting through the murmurs. After that, the speaker took off his feathered cap, looking straight at Freya. Hermes.

The messenger god adjusted his blonde hair and said, "We've talked around it and left the elephant in the room. But isn't it time we address it?"

Was it because she didn't have a chance to cut in at all? Or was it because she was anxious?

Either way, at that time, Hestia huffed and said, "Just let us finish already, Hermes. Aren't you busy too?"

Hephaestus nodded at Hestia's words and then said, "Right. We all have much to do after the incident, so it would be best if we adjourned here."

Hermes laughed and said, "Yes. I am pretty busy. And it would indeed be best if we adjourned here... for you two. After all, we haven't even started to discuss your lovely daughters, have we? You know, the ones that look so much like you?"

Hestia froze.

Hephaestus flinched.

Freya resisted the urge to let out a deep sigh.

What was the old saying? Even the best plan does not survive contact with the enemy?

...Was it too late to do like Ishtar said and take the direct approach? It seemed like spending time around Bell had made her a bit rusty in terms of plotting and scheming-

*BANG*

The door to the gathering hall slammed open. Immediately after, the sound of heels against tiles echoed and a goddess strode in.

"It seems like you're as nosy as ever, Hermes."

A haughty and irritated female voice.

One that made every god present gasp in surprise.

And one that made Loki jump out of her chair. "HERA?!"

Freya blinked and looked towards Hera.

Hera stared back and rolled her eyes.

xxx

At Freya's private room in Babel, a 'shadow' and a 'shell' stood apart from each other. Alfia, revived through miraculous means, and Zald, kept alive after his defeat to Ottar by Freya's whim and one of the <Sage> Fels' inventions.

Silence, one following the brief discussion they had catching up on current events. And then Zald slowly shook his head and said, "I understand your concern, but resorting to that is a bit extreme, is it not?"

Alfia shrugged and said, "Hera owes me that much. Besides, that bastard Zeus deserves a beating or twenty." She let out a faint smile and said, "Selling his location to her in exchange for helping my beloved son and his family leaves only benefits, no?"

Zald chuckled and said, "Well. I suppose that's true. Lord Zeus was always fond of storms so he shouldn't protest too much when one comes his way after the peace he's enjoyed."

"Mm."

"...But I'm surprised." Zald stared at Alfia and said, "For <Silence> to go out of her way to stir up such a noisy event... You've changed."

Alfia paused, turning to look out at the blue skies through a nearby window. Staring at the clouds, she muttered, "I suppose I have changed. But." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then gave Zald a sideways glance. "But do you have a right to say that in your current state?"

"True."

Silence.

At that time, Zald turned to look out at the skies as well before saying, "It's a pity."

Alfia looked at him and said, "What is?"

"Erebus was correct. But he was ten years too early."

"Ah." Alfia looked out at the skies and said, "I suppose he was."

In chaos and despair, true heroism would emerge.

Back then, Alfia and Zald took it upon themselves to act that role on the stage Erebus had laid out. In order to prepare the next generation of heroes, they created and led an artifical 'Evil' to sharpen the fangs of the ones who knew only peace.

It was a partial success. Although far from the standard of the heroes in the past, there were promising seeds in the current generation. Like <Sword Princess>, <King>, and others.

But...

"...Perhaps I should have simply snatched him away?"

An idle thought. If Alfia had not turned away from her son and instead embraced him. And if he had been present in those chaotic times, considering his abilities...

Well. There was still time.

Besides that, if she had, she would not have such adorable granddaughters to spoil.

Zald chuckled and said, "Perhaps. A monster of talent raising another monster... Would the black dragon even stand a chance?"

"Of course not." Alfia let out a proud smile and said, "That beast would be slain within the year."

"If that."

The two laughed.

And then it was silent again.

After that, Alfia stared at Zald and hesitantly said, "So. ...Do you plan to remain here for the rest of eternity? Or would you like me to introduce you to your nephew and great-nieces?"

Zald waved his hand and said, "I will wait a bit longer. Having you and Hera return is enough chaos for Orario. Besides that, I believe Freya will have her own plans for me soon enough considering how smitten she is with your son."

"As she should be." Alfia nodded and said, "My son is a talent that surpasses myself in my prime... despite his flaws of being a natural womanizer." She paused and said, "Though I suppose it was useful if it drew the protection of someone like Freya?"

"Mm. Lord Zeus would be proud. And jealous."

"...Perhaps I should pay that man a visit myself? Give him a little scare or two... Though I do owe him for raising my son at least adequately..." Alfia mumbled and started gathering shadows around her.

Zald smiled.

The shadows flickered, and then Alfia vanished, leaving Zald alone.

After that, his body slumped before leaving just an empty shell of armor. A glowing orb flew out before settling back into a small cage with a jewel resting inside of it.

And then Freya's room was quiet once more, completely devoid of life save for the tiny flicker in the corner of the room.

xxx

A/N: I give up. :tableflip: Between being sick and working and reworking these scenes for so long now... You'll just have to bear with it.

That should be enough setup for now. We'll return to the usual shenanigans after this as consequences slowly reach us.