Chapter 64 – Freya: It Seems I Underestimated You, Shirou Emiya
Inside a warmly lit tavern decorated with wooden interiors, the goddess Freya sat alone at a booth table.
To hide her overwhelmingly striking beauty, she wore a deep blue robe.
However, that alone could not conceal her aura.
Anyone who laid eyes on her would almost instinctively be drawn in, unable to look away.
That was precisely why she and Loki had chosen such a remote tavern's private booth for their meeting — any public appearance by Freya would have caused an immediate uproar.
"Yo—have you been waiting long?"
Loki's tone was as casual as always. Even when facing a fellow god on the same level — the goddess of beauty, Freya — she strolled over nonchalantly and sat directly opposite her.
"No, I just arrived," Freya replied, accustomed to Loki's mannerisms.
She pulled back her hood, revealing her astonishingly beautiful face, and gave a gentle smile — not to Loki, but to Shirou, who stood beside her.
"Hey!!!"
Seeing Freya's action, Loki immediately panicked.
She hadn't expected Freya to be so shameless, activating her divine charm on Shirou right off the bat. Instinctively, she moved to shield Shirou from Freya.
"What's wrong?" Shirou looked confused by Loki's flustered reaction.
To him, it simply seemed like Freya had greeted him.
"Shirou, you okay?" Loki asked in surprise. "Didn't Freya's charm affect you?"
"…Was it supposed to?"
Shirou didn't quite know how to respond.
Yes, he had been briefly stunned by Freya's beauty, but that was it. There were no deeper thoughts or urges.
Still, he could tell from Loki's reaction that this wasn't normal.
Freya's charm should have easily overwhelmed any ordinary human.
All three of them seemed to draw different conclusions from the outcome — especially Freya, whose charm had failed to work. Rather than being angry, she looked even more intrigued.
"So even Freya's charm doesn't work on you, huh?" Loki exhaled in relief. "Well, I brought you here because I trusted you could resist it."
"You originally thought I could resist it?" Shirou asked.
"Well, you even resisted Soma's divine wine — I don't know why, but I figured Freya's charm wouldn't top that," Loki said, waving it off.
"Oh? So this Shirou has even consumed divine wine?" Freya seemed familiar with Shirou, but hadn't known that detail. "You're becoming more and more fascinating."
"Back off! This kid already promised to become part of my familia!"
Loki urgently declared her claim over Shirou.
Freya just smiled. "Is that so? But from what I know, Shirou is still with Hestia Familia, and your deal won't be fulfilled until five years from now."
"Ugh… you even looked that up…"
Loki sighed in defeat, unsurprised — clearly she knew Freya was already interested in Shirou.
"Well, this kid's not one to be easily swayed," Loki said confidently. "Even you, Freya, won't get him that easily."
Freya chuckled as if to say otherwise.
"Anyway, it's time you officially introduced him," Freya said, now speaking more seriously to Loki.
"What's with the act? You probably know more about him than I do," Loki retorted.
"Hehe, I'm not like you. I don't dig into others' private lives. I know little about him."
"Then let Shirou tell you himself. He's the main player today, not me," Loki said, stepping aside and letting Shirou sit across from Freya.
Shirou gave a wry smile at Loki's overconfidence in him but took the seat without resistance.
"My name is Shirou Emiya, a member of Hestia Familia," he said quietly. "I'm here to speak with you about the Apollo Familia, who've taken control of the Orario casinos."
"…Apollo Familia," Freya repeated without showing any reaction. Her expression remained unreadable.
Shirou had mentally prepared for talks with a goddess of her level and continued: "The casinos are expanding unchecked, exploiting and deceiving the lower-tier familias. Many adventurers have lost everything. I want to restore order to the casino system."
Freya listened in silence and, after barely a second of thought, replied: "And what use is telling me this? Wouldn't the Guild be a more appropriate place for matters of law and order?"
"According to Loki's intelligence, the Apollo Familia is colluding with the Guild and Ganesha Familia behind the scenes. Reporting to the Guild won't do anything."
Freya still looked indifferent. "I see. So, you're hoping to borrow the power of my familia to correct the casino situation."
"Not just yours — Loki Familia is willing to help too," Shirou added. "Together, we can break through the Guild's blockade."
"I understand," Freya said in a tone that gave away nothing.
She picked up a cup of coffee, took a sip, and asked: "And what's in it for me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not like Loki. While we both maintain Orario's current balance, unlike her, I have no interest in policing the city's order. Unless it directly involves my familia, I don't care how chaotic it gets."
Freya bluntly refused Shirou's proposal, showing complete indifference to the city's disorder — exactly as Loki had previously described her: someone who wouldn't lift a finger unless it concerned her own interests.
"So I told you, there's no point asking her," Loki muttered with a sigh — though her disappointment revealed she had held a sliver of hope.
"Hehe, I may not care about order, but I do have things that interest me," Freya suddenly added with a sly smile. "If you can offer me something I want, then maybe I'll help."
"Tch… don't tell me—" Loki seemed to realize something and stared wide-eyed at Freya.
Freya, as if she had waited for this moment, said directly: "I'll help with the Apollo Familia — if Shirou agrees to one condition."
"…Condition?"
"Sleep with me. If you do that, I'll take care of the Apollo Familia and the casino problem."
"..."
Shirou frowned — not out of indignation, but at the deeper implications of that condition.
He had learned much about gods since coming to Orario, particularly about their Authorities. While gods were forbidden from using divine power in the Lower World, they still retained innate powers known as Authorities.
For Freya, the goddess of beauty, that Authority was charm — the ability to enchant and enthrall anyone, regardless of gender. But for her to maximize this ability, she needed sexual contact.
Anyone who slept with Freya would become hopelessly devoted, ready to give her their heart and soul.
That was the real reason behind her "condition."
Shirou couldn't say with confidence that he could resist charm at full force — especially one activated through sex.
It might be even stronger than Soma's divine wine.
"Like hell that's gonna happen!!"
Loki, realizing Freya's true goal, shouted in anger and tried to drag Shirou away.
"Wait, Loki."
"What? Don't tell me you're actually thinking of giving in to that bitch?!"
Loki glared at him.
But Shirou calmly shook his head and turned to Freya.
"Don't you want to talk more deeply about the Apollo Familia?"
"What are you implying?" Freya asked, already assuming victory.
But Shirou continued firmly: "During the last joint expedition, I was with Lefiya from Loki Familia and two adventurers from your familia. Together, we witnessed the chaos on the 20th floor of the dungeon — and the mutated monster occupying the whole level."
He continued: "At the time, you even provided special potions to your adventurers to subdue Apollo Familia members. That proves you already suspected something about them."
"Oh, that? I didn't know anything. I just suspected the expedition might have hidden dangers."
"Really? Then why didn't anyone question Apollo Familia afterward? Why did no one speak out against their actions? Could it be that you gods reached a private agreement to keep it quiet?
Also, when their members saw the mutated monster, they mentioned 'test subjects.' And now, Apollo Familia is targeting lower-class adventurers and bankrupt familias. These events are connected.
They're collecting test subjects. That's why they're exploiting and capturing the weak."
Shirou's words caused a rare change in Freya's expression. Even Loki looked stunned.
He wasn't done.
"Recently, my comrade Bell Cranel has been targeted by Apollo Familia. If they're hunting low-level adventurers, then they've likely set their sights on my familia — Hestia Familia. Perhaps even me.
Don't you have anything to say about that, Freya-sama?"
That was Shirou's final, decisive argument — and it hit the mark.
He had already heard from Loki that Freya only acted for what she personally cherished.
And what did Freya cherish most?
Shirou Emiya.
He had guessed this based on hints and the testimonies of Freya Familia members — and now he tested it.
Indeed, upon hearing that Apollo might target Shirou, Freya could no longer stay composed.
She picked up her coffee, took a deep breath, and finally said:
"It seems I really have underestimated you, Shirou Emiya. But for that very reason… I find myself more and more unable to let you go."
"…What do you mean by that, Freya-sama?"
"After all that you've said — I no longer have any reason to refuse, do I?"
Freya smiled at Shirou, her expression so intense it was almost overwhelming.