Chapter 99: Maid Freya and Departure!
From the moment Torajirou Shiro proposed the wager to Freya, Loki hadn't interfered.
This showed that Loki had been certain of victory from the start. Freya had initially assumed Shiro possessed an ability like Lefiya's, which allowed him to challenge opponents far above his level.
So it was something akin to Divine Authority after all.
She had been outmaneuvered by Loki and a being who was essentially a nascent god.
As Freya sighed at this realization, a strange sense of relief washed over her.
At least she had been defeated by a god-like entity, not a mere adventurer.
She had no desire to be recorded in history as a goddess defeated single-handedly by a mortal.
After dismissing Ottar and the others, Freya led Shiro and Loki to her Divine Chamber.
"In short, I lost. Do whatever you wish with me. But before that, please grant me one final request."
"What is it?"
"Let me see the true essence of your soul."
Freya's gaze turned serious. She was prepared to accept even the most corrupted soul—after all, from the moment she conceded defeat, she could no longer defy any of Shiro's commands.
But the torment of having someone right before her whose soul she couldn't perceive felt like ten thousand ants crawling over her heart.
"I can't do that right now," Torajirou Shiro said, scratching his cheek.
"Why?"
"I can't control that state yet. I'd end up killing everyone nearby. And with the gods unable to use their Arcanum, I doubt anyone could stop me once I go berserk."
Torajirou Shiro did have a way to manifest his soul externally, but doing so would reduce his consciousness to that of a wild beast. He wouldn't dare use it recklessly until he had complete mastery over it.
Just then, Loki nudged Shiro's side with her elbow.
"Hey, Torajirou. Isn't it time to bring that out?"
"Bring what out?"
"The maid outfit you bought the other day. Wasn't it for Freya?" Loki eyed him suspiciously.
She had personally witnessed him buying all sorts of strange clothes from that shop—clothes that, she had to admit, were very much to her taste.
"Wait, how did you know I bought that?!"
"Heh, you were acting so suspiciously that day, so I followed you. Who knew you'd sneak off to a place like that? Next time you want to buy that kind of stuff, just tell me. I've got plenty."
Loki's smug, big-brotherly demeanor made Shiro break out in a cold sweat.
Could he really admit that he'd bought them for Ryuu...?
And so, after the defeat of the Freya Familia, Freya's status changed from a lofty goddess to Shiro's maid. To keep a low profile, this arrangement was kept secret from everyone except Loki for the time being.
After taking some money from the Freya Familia's funds, Shiro went on a shopping spree, buying nearly every specialty product Orario had to offer—all wonderful things he couldn't find in his original world.
Finally, he arrived at Hostess of Fertility.
"Hey, what are you doing here again, brat? If you've come to mock me, get out now!" Mia scowled the moment she saw Torajirou Shiro enter the tavern.
She still hadn't forgotten the terror he'd instilled in her. After all her years as an adventurer, being scared stiff by a mere newbie left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"I'm here to see Ryuu."
"Huh? So you're the lover that foolish elf found?"
It seemed that while Torajirou Shiro was away, the news of Ryuu finding a man had become the talk of the tavern. Even Mia, who had just returned, had heard about it.
"Shiro?"
Hearing the commotion outside, Ryuu poked her head out of the kitchen. Upon seeing Torajirou Shiro, she hurried over and pulled him away from the counter.
"Ryuu, I need to leave Orario for a while."
They entered the kitchen, where only Ryuu was on duty for the moment. Torajirou Shiro got straight to the point.
"Eh? I didn't mean to do that the other day, I just..."
The girl, newly in love and prone to insecurity, immediately assumed he was leaving because she'd kicked him out of her room. She started to explain, thinking she'd upset him.
Seeing Ryuu's guilty expression, Shiro couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and gently pinched her drooping ear.
"I just have some business to take care of. If things go smoothly, I'll be back in less than a week."
"Really?"
Ryuu's eyes instantly brightened again. She lightly swatted his mischievous hand away, then narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Then I'll wait for you here."
Her words made Torajirou Shiro feel a pang of guilt. After all, he was leaving right after taking her virginity—a move that seemed utterly dishonorable no matter how he looked at it.
Just as Torajirou Shiro was debating whether to tell Ryuu about the other world, a slender, pale finger pressed against his lips.
Ryuu had noticed his hesitation and shook her head.
"Don't tell me any important secrets. I can't guarantee I can keep them completely hidden from the gods. All I need to know is that you'll come back. But..."
Ryuu moved her hand away, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a light kiss.
"This is my compensation."
Seeing the sly smile on Ryuu's face, Torajirou Shiro was deeply moved.
He swiftly scooped her up in a princess carry, shouted to Mia at the counter, "Ryuu's taking the day off!" and carried her back to his room.
"Eh?! Wait! What are you doing?!"
"Compensating you!"
Soon, soft sounds began to emanate from the room.
…
"Are you ready?"
Torajirou Shiro and Loki stood in the courtyard of the Twilight Manor. The entire mansion was now empty except for the two of them; Loki had sent everyone else away with a flimsy excuse.
Shiro was curious to see if Loki, with her divine insight, could discern anything about the The Interdimensional Gate. That was why he had called her over before his departure.
"Oh yeah! I can't wait!" Loki exclaimed.
With a thought from Torajirou Shiro, a massive golden gate materialized before him. The gate's decorations were distinctly Western in style, crafted entirely from gold, as if the very word "luxury" had been carved directly above it.
"Well? See anything?" Torajirou Shiro asked Loki, who had been scrutinizing the gate from every angle since it appeared.
"Not really sure for now. This isn't exactly my area of expertise," Loki replied. "But I can faintly sense a hidden coordinate on it. You should wait until you find someone skilled in research to investigate its location."
"Is that so?"
Shiro wasn't disappointed. He had only asked Loki to examine the gate on a whim, so there was no real loss even if she couldn't figure anything out.
He turned his gaze to the numbers on the gate. He guessed they represented the world's timeline.
So, before pushing the gate open, Shiro reached out and tried to change the numbers.
Click... click...
As he touched them, the numbers began to increase again. When they reached 305, he touched them once more to stop the count.
He tried a few more times. No matter how he touched the numbers, they would only increase, never decrease.
This meant he couldn't use the gate to travel back to the past.
Finally, after locking in the coordinates of his original location, Torajirou Shiro pushed the gate open.
A brilliant golden light engulfed him, and the gate slammed shut with a resounding CLANG, vanishing along with him.
Loki was left alone, muttering to herself.
…
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