While Judas was having a conversation with Mikoto and the others, the surroundings around him suddenly went quiet.
Simply because Freya was walking toward their direction, with Ottar following behind her.
Even Hermes, who usually liked to cause trouble, grew silent.
"My dear Judas, it has been a while. Just being able to see you here tonight already makes my visit worthwhile."
Freya spoke in a seductive tone, her gaze completely fixed on Judas.
"Lady Freya, good evening to you as well."
Judas said as he turned toward her, then briefly shifted his gaze to the walking tower of muscle standing behind her.
"Ottar… you are as big as ever."
He added as the warlord fixed his gaze on him as well.
"Judas Spade… no, Veneratus Est. I see that you've grown much stronger than the last time I saw you."
Ottar replied, his expression unchanging, but Judas could feel that the man was staring at him with a gaze that seemed to analyze him from head to toe.
'Oh? Battle intent?'
Judas caught the fleeting gleam in Ottar's eyes.
Hearing of Judas's extraordinary feats recently, it was only natural that the city's strongest adventurer wanted to test the boy's strength for himself.
However, Judas's attention was immediately pulled back as the Goddess of Beauty slowly reached out, resting her slender palm against his cheek.
Her eyes sparkled, gazing at him as if he were her beloved.
"I was wondering if you will give me sweet dreams tonight?"
Judas blinked, staring straight into Freya's violet eyes that seemed as though they wanted to peer into his soul.
Instinctively, she tried to activate her charm, only to stop herself at the last second, remembering that Judas was immune to it.
"I apologize, Lady Freya. I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to have to decline."
Judas said as he gently pushed Freya's hand away from his face.
Just after he said those words…
"Hey! You slut! What do you think you're doing, laying your hands on my child?"
Loki, who had been bickering with Hestia a moment ago, practically materialized out of thin air to put herself between them.
She spread her arms wide, looking like a protective mother hen shielding her chick from a hungry viper.
"Ah, Loki… I didn't realize you were here as well."
Freya remarked, making eye contact with her.
Loki's brow twitched violently.
"You don't have to react like that. I was merely joking."
Freya added, placing her dainty hand over her mouth.
"Joking my foot! I can tell from the look in your eyes that you're horny as fuck… don't think I don't know you, Freya."
Loki snorted, planting her hands firmly on her hips.
Freya offered a light smile and didn't say anything in response before turning to Hestia and the others, who were watching from the sidelines.
After exchanging a few words of greeting with them, she glanced at Judas one more time.
With a quiet grace, she turned to leave.
"Hmph! Yeah, you better run!"
Loki raised her chin.
"Hey, cutting board, she clearly walked away because she couldn't stand looking at your ugly mug."
Hestia jabbed with a "Heh."
"Huh? That's it! You want to get pummeled? You little shrimp!"
Loki ground her teeth and made a gesture of rolling up her sleeves, getting ready to fight.
Just like that, the party continued, with Loki and Hestia picking right back up where they left off.
...
Judas found himself standing alone on a balcony, looking up at the sky, the chatter of the party becoming nothing more than background noise.
As he took a sip of his drink, someone walked up to him and draped an arm over his shoulders.
"There you are. What are you doing out here? See a cute girl?"
Hermes said with a teasing grin as Judas promptly removed his arm from his shoulders.
"Hmm, maybe. Your captain is quite a beauty herself. I was just thinking about asking her out to dinner."
Hermes winced, his grin instantly faltering.
"Hey… hey, Asfi is off-limits, you know? And besides, you already seduced one of my children, Laurier."
Hermes said with a pitiful expression.
"Anyway, the party's in full swing! Why not head out to the dance floor? I saw you dance with Artemis back then... it'd be a crime to let those skills go to waste."
Bouncing back as if the melodrama had never happened, Hermes gestured toward the hall.
"So you were watching that, huh?"
Judas turned to see the dance floor filled with people dancing with their partners as a lovely melody reached his ears.
"Look, the Little Rookie is all by herself."
Hermes suggested, nudging him with an elbow.
"Why don't you go ask her for a dance?"
Judas followed his gaze to Belle, who stood near a marble pillar, watching the dancers with a look of pure yearning.
As if sensing his eyes on her, she turned in his direction, only to flinch and hurriedly avert her gaze, her face flushing red.
"Tsk… tsk… she really likes you… what are you going to do, Judas?"
Hermes said after witnessing the scene before turning back to him.
Judas blinked, took a slow breath, and began walking toward her.
"Hoh."
Hermes's eyes widened slightly as he watched the young man walk away.
'He changed… or should I say… did he finally awaken?'
He narrowed his eyes as he studied Judas' behavior.
To be honest, it surprised him a little.
From what he had seen, Judas had seemed to be a complete herbivore, which was the result of receiving Estelon's memories, as Estelon was unable to fall in love or feel any lust.
'A late bloomer, but nevertheless, better late than never.'
That had been the one trait Hermes found frustrating about him.
As someone deeply influenced by Zeus's ideals, Hermes firmly believed a true hero should always pursue romance.
The only occasion where Judas had displayed any sort of attraction to the opposite sex had been toward Artemis, back when he danced with her at the lake.
But that had mostly been out of obligation because he knew that version of Artemis wouldn't live for long.
However, that was no longer the case after receiving Maxwell's memories.
This was the first time Judas had taken the initiative to make a move on someone.
Judas was someone who acted by listening to his heart.
As of right now, his heart was telling him only one thing…
'I want to dance with this cute girl in front of me.'
Which was why…
Reaching her side, Judas offered a flawless, gentlemanly bow and extended his hand.
"Belle, would you do me the honor of a dance?"
"Eh?"
Hearing this, heat rose to Belle's face, and her mind stopped working for a second.
But she quickly snapped out of it when Judas continued holding out his hand toward her, waiting for her response.
"Y-yes, I would like to."
Belle gulped before raising her hand and shyly placing it in his.
thump
thump
thump
She could feel her heart beating rapidly the moment she felt his touch.
Together, they stepped onto the dance floor just as a new melody began to play.
"Umm… I don't know how to dance. I never learned."
Seeing the other people dancing, Belle realized that she didn't know how to dance, as she had spent most of her childhood being trained by Alfia on how to fight.
"Don't worry. Just follow my lead."
Judas reassured her gently.
The smooth, delicate notes of a violin filled the hall as Judas guided her movements.
"Calm down. Don't look at your feet. Look at me and follow the rhythm."
"Just like in battle, you must read the other person's movements."
With subtle adjustments, Judas effortlessly smoothed out Belle's initial clumsiness.
Crimson eyes locked onto striking purple ones, Belle caught onto the tempo with incredible speed.
Before long, the two were gliding across the floor as if they had practiced together for years.
'She really is a fast learner.'
Judas thought, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"Oh? I was going to offer them a bit of advice, but it looks like they don't need any help at all."
Takemikazuchi chuckled softly.
He was currently dancing with Mikoto, whose cheeks were flushed a bright pink.
"Belle… good job!"
Hestia said with a thumbs-up after seeing Belle on the dance floor, while Loki watched with a complicated expression but ultimately remained quiet.
'The look in Judas' eyes… did something change?'
Loki thought with a frown before turning to Hermes, who was cheering them on.
Up on the second-floor balcony, Freya took a deep, measured breath to maintain her regal composure, though Ottar couldn't help but notice the delicate glass in her hand beginning to spiderweb with tiny cracks.
"Ottar, is it possible to bring a horde of Minotaurs here?"
Freya said with a thin smile, suppressing the envy she felt.
"It is not, Lady Freya."
Ottar replied briefly, closing his eyes.
When the music finally slowed to a soft finish, Judas and Belle came to a stop, sharing a warm smile.
"I am happy… thank you."
Belle said, her eyes curling into crescents as her gaze never left his.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Judas gave a nod.
For some reason, when he looked at Belle at that moment, he genuinely found her to be adorable, and he felt his heart stir.
Unfortunately, the sweet atmosphere was abruptly shattered when Apollo finally made his grand entrance.
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