After making a silent vow, Judas shifted his gaze to Syr, who visibly stiffened when their eyes met.
"Judas, are you sure you saw it correctly?"
Syr asked with a hint of urgency in her voice.
Judas raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sure."
Judas affirmed.
He was confident his analysis was correct.
"They disguised themselves to hide their faces, but their styles and features were too distinct for me to mistake their identities."
Syr's fingers twitched.
"Mama Mia."
Loki said, turning to the tavern owner.
"You were once the captain of her familia. Any idea what she's thinking?"
Mia crossed her arms, her expression unreadable.
"I don't know what's going through that crazy goddess's mind... but if I had to guess, I'd say she's got her eyes on Judas."
At that moment, Syr's smile faltered ever so slightly.
"Maybe Goddess Freya just wanted to test Mr. Judas after hearing about his impressive feats,"
Syr interjected, her voice a little too bright.
"That should be a possibility, right?"
Loki narrowed her eyes.
"You seem a bit defensive about Freya, Miss Syr."
"Ah, well... forgive me."
Syr said quickly, waving her hands.
"You should know that Goddess Freya is a benefactor of mine, as well as the entire tavern. I just don't want anyone jumping to conclusions and starting a major conflict."
Loki studied her for a moment, then let it go and redirected her focus to Freya.
After all, both Mama Mia and Anya were former members of the Freya Familia... it wasn't strange for them to have lingering connections.
"Whatever her reasons, when Finn and the others return, Freya's going to pay for this."
Loki turned back to Judas.
"Let's go home."
Judas stood, still feeling the aftereffects of Mind Zero but steady enough to move.
He turned to Ryuu and the others and gave them a grateful nod.
"Thank you for taking care of me."
"It was no problem, Mr. Judas."
Ryuu replied, her voice calm, with a hint of warmth.
She then picked up a sack and handed it to Judas.
"All your gear and equipment are in here... from the damage that I saw, I can only imagine just how perilous your encounter was."
Judas accepted it without a hassle and peeked inside.
"I can't thank you enough."
Judas and Ryuu looked at each other and smiled.
"Keep that cute butt of yours safe nya~"
"I apologize if my big brother attacked you meow~"
"Stay safe out there, kid."
The waitresses waved their arms goodbye as Judas and Loki waved back and exited through the front door.
The walk home was quiet; neither Loki nor Judas spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.
'Syr was acting very strange earlier.'
'Does she have some sort of relationship with Freya?'
He looked back at his interactions with Syr. From the day they met, he had always felt something off about her.
'Is Syr a goddess?'
It was faint and could easily be overlooked, but Syr emanated a subtle aura... one that was unique to the Gods.
'It can't be!'
His eyes widened in realization, his head snapping upward.
Narrowing his gaze, Judas cast a spell to enhance his vision and looked toward the colossal structure towering over Orario.
'Was my guess wrong?'
His brows furrowed in frustration.
There she was... the goddess of love, Freya... seated upon her throne like a queen, with Ottar standing beside her.
'If Syr is still in the tavern and Freya is up there...'
He shook his head with a sigh, discarding the ridiculous thought that he entertained for a moment.
They seemed to notice his stare as the goddess and her follower shifted their gazes toward him.
'Look at this bitch.'
Judas squinted as their eyes locked for a moment, but suddenly, a hand appeared in front of his face, blocking his view.
He turned and saw Loki behind him.
"Kid, I know you're pissed. I'm ticked off too, but it's not a good idea to provoke them right now."
Loki warned, gazing up at the tower.
"Just hold it in until Finn and the others return."
Judas nodded and quickly deactivated his magic.
'If only I had my original strength...'
He wouldn't have hesitated to barge into the Freya Familia's base and devastate everything in his path.
'There's no use crying over spilled milk.'
He tried to recall Syr's role in the show.
On the surface, she was a sweet, cheerful waitress... always rooting for Bell, clearly infatuated with him.
Up until the third season... the last season Alden had watched before he eventually died... there had been almost no hints connecting her to Freya.
'Though now that I think about it, Syr was one of the aliases Freya used in Norse mythology on Earth.'
Alden's knowledge of Norse mythology was surface-level at best, but he could recall well-known facts.
'But what is their connection in Danmachi?'
He racked his brain and rubbed his chin.
The world of Danmachi was inspired by an amalgamation of myths from different cultures on Earth.
However, there were some differences... for example, Loki and Hephaestus, who were male in the original myths, became female in their Danmachi counterparts.
'Wait... there was that one scene.'
'The wargame arc against the Apollo Familia.'
'The short scene of Syr giving Bell that amulet in the original timeline.'
It was the moment just before Bell departed Orario for the wargame.
Syr had given Bell an amulet... an item that protected him during the wargame's final moments.
'How did a seemingly ordinary girl get her hands on something like that?'
That amulet had been a turning point in the second season... a crucial item that helped Bell secure victory.
'I didn't want to think like this because Syr was such a nice girl in the show.'
'But my gut tells me not to trust her anymore.'
As Judas walked through the streets of Orario in the middle of the night, he never let his guard down for a single second.
His eyes darted left and right, constantly scanning his surroundings.
'You can never be too careful, especially if that bitch of a goddess is involved.'
He was wary that the Freya Familia might strike again, and with Loki by his side, things could get perilous quickly.
'The waters of this world run deeper than I thought.'
Even as someone who had watched this story unfold on a screen, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he knew everything.
After all, the anime had only ever shown Bell's perspective.
'Many things operate in the shadows... events that escape the eyes of the original story.'
He understood that much.
'Living here with the mindset that this is just an anime world is ignorant... this is no longer the anime I once knew. This is now my reality.'
'This is an actual, living, breathing world with a rich history spanning thousands of years and populated by people with all kinds of personalities, just like Earth and Celestia.'
His thoughts shifted to another topic.
'The One-Eyed Black Dragon and the final floor of the dungeon.'
'I thought I could just leave it to Belle Cranel to handle it, but because of my existence, there's a good chance she might not unlock her Liaris Freese skill.'
Of course, Belle had already gotten her cheat skill because of him... but Judas didn't know that.
'Well... whatever. If it comes down to it, I'll have to step up.'
There was no point in worrying about every little thing.
Judas lived with the mindset of forging ahead, no matter what obstacles stood in his way.
Without that resolve, none of his achievements today would have been possible.
'Let's take things one step at a time.'
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