Elsewhere, two other girls who had only just arrived in the city now found themselves in different locations, each harboring the same thought and regretting their decision from the day before. They reflected bitterly that they could not have chosen a worse time to visit.
Even amidst this chaos, some buildings remained untouched, astonishingly unharmed despite lacking the protection of adventurers. One such place stood on East Street, a bar.
Inside, the dwarven proprietress, having felled several evilus soldiers with a single punch, gave a disdainful snort.
"Really? Setting the streets on fire and making a fuss. These evilus types are beyond hopeless."
Mia, the owner, scanned the surroundings. The once-bustling streets lay in ruins, charred houses, heaps of rubble, overturned carriages. The bar behind her, however, stood intact, making it stand out all the more in the devastation. Her staff scrambled to douse the fires creeping closer from every direction, but none had expected the sudden downpour to help extinguish the flames.
"Well, we've done all we can here. Our only option is to head for Central Square."
She glanced into the soot-darkened interior, where people who had been unable to flee now huddled together. They were ordinary citizens, relying entirely on Mia's strength, drawn to her for protection. Seeing their exhaustion, Mia fortified her defenses, turning the bar into a makeshift stronghold.
Yet, the instincts of a former adventurer told her this place would soon be unsafe. Her expression hardened with resolve, and she began preparing to move everyone out.
Meanwhile, with the storm having quenched Orario's burning streets, Akira returned to a quiet tower containing only books and a lone bench. He was the only one left in the room, Freya had seemingly departed.
He avoided the ornate chair at the front, unwilling to sit there in case she returned unexpectedly. In his mind, he pictured the petty, jealous goddess informing Astraea about some imagined slight when next she met the other goddesses, trouble he had no interest in inviting. So instead, he sprawled out on the floor in a large X-shape, planning to rest for a moment.
"Oh, I'm so tired."
He had not anticipated that casting a single spell to envelop all of Orario would drain him so completely. Even his magic reserves, which usually lost little power by day's end, had been reduced by nearly forty percent. Though his strength would return after a short rest, the unfamiliar strain of wielding such vast magic left his body sluggish.
Minutes later, the swelling and ache in his temples subsided. Rising to his feet, he was surprised to see Freya re-entering the tower.
"I thought you'd gone." He greeted.
Startled by the sudden address, Freya replied with a faintly awkward tone. "Um… what is it? Is there something wrong, Morning Star?"
Is this truly the extraordinary adventurer that even Freya-sama holds in special regard?
He… just seems somewhat handsome. And why had she agreed to his request? That, she could not fathom.
Akira studied her closely. The childish air she now carried, the weakened divine presence, the lessened charm, it all made him wonder. Was this a substitute?
A quick flash of blood-red light in his dark eyes revealed the truth. The goddess before him was, in fact, a young girl.
Since his mental strength had grown, so too had his memory. He now recalled forgotten details from when he had first come to this world, including her true identity.
Her name was Horn but her real name is Syr. She had once lived in the slums before encountering Freya, to whom she made a wish, to become the goddess of beauty.
In exchange for surrendering her real name, "Syr Flova" she gained the ability to transform into Freya and even share Freya's memories and emotions. It was as though their very perceptions were intertwined, a dangerously alluring form of magic. The real Freya, meanwhile, disguised herself as "Syr Flova" and worked quietly as a waitress in the Hostess of Fertility.
Knowing this, Akira was careful not to expose her. Her acting, despite the memories she carried, was still far from perfect.
"Well, Freya-sama." He said, stepping to the center of the tower.
"I'm going to take the next step now. Do as you please from here."
"Alright... Oh, and hehe. Let's see what kind of surprise you can show me next."
Freya, or rather Horn, circled Akira expectantly before settling into the Queen's Chair, chin propped in her hands.
'That was close. I nearly said something far too crude.'
Despite her feigned charm, she had barely kept her composure. Just then, the real Freya's voice echoed in her heart.
'Horn, you're too stiff. Relax, be more natural.'
"…Okay."
Akira almost laughed aloud at the exchange, but restrained himself. He didn't dare glance back to see her face for fear of losing control.
Closing his eyes, he spread his arms and began sensing the magic he had hidden earlier. The thought of revealing such secrets to this goddess was laughable, this was far from his ultimate trump card.
Beyond the tower, the growing crowd was close to flooding the area around the Tower of Babel. Among them, evilus spies celebrated inwardly. One man, disguised as a weary civilian, blended in seamlessly with the other refugees and slipped into the shelter in Central Square.
As Freya and Finn had anticipated, several other spies had also infiltrated the refuge. They waited eagerly for the signal, their greatest mission: to assassinate the goddess of beauty.
The next step was clear: strike a decisive blow against the enemy's shelter.
Though they could not kill a god without the help of another god hiding somewhere nearby, they could still wipe out adventurers and civilians alike using the kaensekis concealed in their arms. The man who had pledged himself to evil eagerly anticipated that moment.
"Excuse me, can I sit here?"
"…!"
New refugees had arrived.
In the cramped space, the man, fully disguised as a weary, ordinary civilian, squeezed himself into a small patch of room.
"How terrible. I never imagined Orario would descend into this."
"Yeah… what will happen next…"
The voice belonged to a girl whose beauty shone even through her robe. A scent, incongruous with the battlefield, emanated from her light gray hair.
Her similarly colored eyes scanned the area and she asked calmly, "So, where are the spies like you stationed?"
The moment the man noticed that silver light, his loyalty immediately shifted toward her.
"Three in the east, five in the north, and our god in the west…" The spy murmured, his gaze vacant as he disclosed all their positions.
The girl added more precise instructions, "Stay silent, make no noise, don't look this way, avoid being seen, and answer my questions carefully."
"…"
She continued calmly questioning the man, extracting the necessary intelligence with quiet efficiency. When finished, she quietly departed, leaving the helpless spy behind.
Back at the rear, the man and woman who had been waiting since the beginning observed the scene. They were adventurers and healers, disguised as ordinary citizens.
The girl with pink twin tails finally spoke, "After Charm, then puppetization, you've become more adept, Syr-sama."
"Thank you, Heith. However, it took a long time to locate a spy. Only with the divine sight of the goddess watching over us did I manage, with great difficulty."
The light gray-haired girl, Syr, glanced up at the Tower of Babel.
It was as though Horn and Freya, seated invisibly on the Queen's Chair high above, shared a secret conversation. Both smiled quietly with delight.
Suddenly, a light tap struck her from behind, delivered by a staff.
"What are you doing?" She exclaimed, swatting at the gentle blow and turning to face her assailant.
The girl with pale red hair, Heith, regarded her with mild exasperation. "Please share the information quickly."
Though her tone was polite, the faint jealousy in her voice exposed a sense of envy for the girl's spiritual connection to Freya. Syr gave a fleeting reproachful glance, then quickly masked it with a neutral expression.
"All the information about the lurking evilus members is written here."
"Very well. This should prevent such foolish attempts at assassinating Freya-sama."