A moment later, the carriage slowly pulled away from the manor, its wheels rolling smoothly down the streets of Orario as it headed toward Apollo's banquet.
"Hey..."
Loki, who was seated across from him, lazily stretched her arms over her head.
"Other than when you're getting your status updated, we barely spend any time together."
She let out a small sigh before grinning.
"Then again... I suppose I could say the same about most of my children."
Hearing this, Judas shifted his gaze from the passing scenery outside the carriage window to her.
"I guess so. We've both been busy dealing with our own things."
"True enough."
Loki nodded before suddenly smiling.
"Speaking of which... when's your birthday?"
"Hm?"
"You mortals celebrate it every year, don't you?"
She pointed a finger at him.
"I just realized I know surprisingly little about you."
"So, let's start with something simple."
Judas thought for a moment before answering.
"The second of August."
Loki's eyes widened as she quickly counted the days on her fingers.
"Wait, that's less than two weeks away! Your birthday's that close, and you didn't tell anyone?"
Judas simply shrugged.
"No one asked until you did."
Loki stared at him for a few seconds before letting out an amused laugh.
"Hah! Fair enough."
Loki rested her chin on her palm, quietly committing the date to memory.
'August second... I better not forget that.'
The conversation continued for the rest of the carriage ride.
By the time they reached their destination, both of them felt as though the distance between them had grown just a little smaller.
Eventually, the carriage came to a stop.
Glancing outside at the glittering lights and bustling atmosphere, it was clear the party was already in full swing.
Since Loki had a knack for dramatic flare, she had intentionally timed their arrival to be fashionably late, fully intending for the crowd to gasp and gawk as she made her grand entrance.
Just imagining the crowd casting awed and admiring glances her way made her smirk with pride.
Unfortunately, the timing of their arrival couldn't have been worse.
Because just as Loki stepped out of the carriage, Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, arrived a few moments ahead of them.
No matter where she went, Freya possessed a divine charm that instantly stole the room.
Even with the city's undisputed strongest adventurer, Ottar, walking at her side, the moment Freya stepped into view, the surrounding crowd fell into a silent, hypnotic trance.
"Damn that slutty Freya! She took all the spotlight!"
An angry tick mark appeared on the side of Loki's forehead as she stomped the ground in an unladylike manner.
"Loki… it's not that big of a deal."
Judas said, stepping down from the carriage behind her.
"Hmph!"
Although she was annoyed, Loki managed to somewhat regain her composure as she hooked her arm around Judas' and walked beside him.
Despite Freya attracting the majority of the attention, there were still quite a few gazes drawn toward Loki and Judas the moment they entered the building.
"Hey… isn't that…?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"The most talked-about person in Orario right now, Judas Spade."
"The Loki Familia is lucky to have snagged such a super rookie."
"Wow, he is even more handsome in person than in the posters I've seen back at the Guild."
"Oh my… oh my…."
A few goddesses who were immune to Freya's charm began whispering among themselves, eyeing Judas with deep interest.
"Ara, ara~"
A couple of lascivious female deities even licked their lips at the sight of him.
After all, Judas had firmly established himself as one of Orario's absolute powerhouses.
Between his meteoric rise and his recent feat of saving the world, people were already hailing him as a hero candidate alongside Leon the Knight of Knights, Finn the Braver, and Ottar the King.
It was no wonder every gaze in his vicinity carried intense curiosity.
Seeing the attention they were getting, although most of it was directed toward Judas, Loki puffed up her nonexistent chest with pride.
Judas looked around the venue.
Nearly all the gods and goddesses he knew were present, except for Astraea.
But he wasn't surprised.
Knowing her personality, Astraea would rather visit an orphanage or help people in the slums than spend her time at such a lavish party.
"Oh? Isn't that…?"
Loki turned her head, spotting a familiar short figure in her line of sight.
A mischievous grin spread across her face, and she immediately sauntered over like someone looking to start a fight.
Hestia and Belle, both dressed in elegant gowns, were currently chatting with Takemikazuchi, Mikoto, Miach, and Naaza.
Nearby, Hermes was chiming in while proudly showing off his captain, Asfi.
"There you are, you little shrimp. As expected of the poverty goddess, already stuffing yourself with food."
"What's wrong? Can't get fed back at home?"
The moment Loki said those words, Hestia abruptly turned around.
"Loki… when did you get here? You're so flat and unattractive I didn't even hear you sneak in."
The Goddess of the Hearth snapped back, her eyes narrowing.
"Shut up, dork! I don't want to hear it from you."
Loki shouted as the two immediately started arguing, sparks practically flying as they glared at each other.
"J-Judas, good evening. You look great."
Belle stammered, her cheeks turning bright red.
She subconsciously smoothed down her hair, offering him a flustered smile.
"Belle, good evening. How's Alfia? I haven't heard from her for quite some time now."
Judas asked, quietly stepping away from the two goddesses, who were already making a scene.
"Ah, right! She's doing fine… Honestly, she seems a lot healthier than usual lately."
Belle replied happily, referring to her aunt's long-standing illness.
At first, Belle had been too busy to notice, but over time, she realized her aunt was coughing up blood far less frequently.
What she didn't know was that Judas had supplied Alfia with his life energy more than a month ago to forcefully suppress the symptoms of her illness.
While he hadn't completely cured her disease yet, it was more than enough to let her live comfortably.
"I see… that's good."
Judas nodded.
He asked because he was curious, and it had been a while since he had seen his so-called 'Master,' as she seemed to have been laying low lately.
"Hello, my name is Miach, and this is my captain, Naaza. It is nice to meet the famous Venratus Est of the Loki Familia."
The handsome god with dark blue hair introduced himself as he gestured toward Naaza standing behind him, who bowed politely.
"Hello, Lord Miach and Miss Naaza. It is nice to meet you as well."
Judas replied with a polite nod.
Though he had been living in Orario for several months, this was his first time face-to-face with the city's resident natural gigolo.
"Our savior… you have changed a lot since the last time I saw you."
Takemikazuchi piped up from the side, joining the conversation.
"Judas-dono."
Mikoto added, offering him a look of deep admiration.
"Lord Takemikazuchi, Miss Mikoto. It's been a while."
Judas greeted them in turn.
Miach blinked, looking between Takemikazuchi and Judas in surprise.
"Eh? Take… you guys already know each other?"
Takemikazuchi let out a hearty laugh in response.
From the second floor, Apollo watched the entire party with a satisfied expression.
Then his gaze shifted toward Belle's group, and the moment he saw her, the Sun God couldn't help but let a creepy, perverted smirk spread across his face.
He licked his lips as drool dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Lord Apollo."
Daphne spoke respectfully as she handed him a handkerchief.
"Ah, yes. Thank you, my dear Daphne. I always knew that you cared for me."
Apollo said, maintaining his usual creepy smirk.
Although her manners and demeanor suggested otherwise, Daphne forcefully swallowed the disgust she felt as Apollo caressed her hand like a lover.
Apollo wiped his mouth with the handkerchief before handing it back to Daphne, who nearly scrunched up her nose when she saw his viscous saliva clinging to the fabric.
'Damn it… it smells like squid. He didn't even bother brushing his teeth earlier.'
Daphne quickly passed the handkerchief to a passing servant, treating it as though it were riddled with disease.
"Now then, after the dance, have Luan prepare for the act… we have to make sure that he is as convincing as possible."
Apollo commanded, the smile on his face slowly widening into a sinister grin.
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