Chapter 13: The Secret Instigations of the Gods
"I'd like to register my familia," Shirou said. "Even though I don't have any members right now, that should be fine, right?"
"Ah, of course it is!"
Eina nodded hurriedly, saying with a smile.
After entering the relevant information into the system, Shirou gave a polite, slight nod to the busy elven woman before turning around and leaving the [Guild].
His impressively handsome appearance and overly casual departure left Eina somewhat dazed. After a good long while, she finally snapped back to her senses, returning to her counter seat with a slightly flushed face.
"Goodness... what am I daydreaming for."
Rubbing her slightly warm cheeks, Eina slowly raised her head and looked out at the scenery outside.
The rain, which had grown steadily heavier at some point, was constantly lashing against the windows under the guidance of a rising gale.
"Why did the rain suddenly get so heavy..."
Sitting in her chair, Eina propped her cheek in her hand and gazed out the window.
The dark clouds in the sky danced around, no longer holding back their urge to be unleashed. The people on the ground were greeted by a darkening, gloomy, and oppressive weather.
The rain fell harder and harder, kicking up a hazy layer of mist over the rooftops and streets like a ethereal white veil.
Then a gust of wind swept by, sending that white veil drifting away in wisps, while slanted raindrops struck the puddles on the street, stirring up one water droplet after another.
Eina, who had been slightly lost in thought looking at the rainy scenery outside, didn't even notice her colleague Misiya approaching.
The young girl slumped over Eina's back, sighing heavily over the heavy workload of the day.
"There's so much to do today..."
"Alright, Misiya, get up. You're too heavy."
Eina complained.
"What? I've actually been paying attention to my diet!"
Misiya immediately retorted.
"I wasn't talking about your weight, it's..."
Misiya glanced down at herself, then instantly let out a silly, hehe-ing laugh.
"That sort of thing is just natural, you know~"
"..."
Eina looked at her speechlessly.
At that moment, Misiya's gaze shifted, and her eyes suddenly widened.
Surely you haven't finished processing the proposal for the festival already, right, Eina?
Misiya looked in astonishment at the documents spread out on the desk.
She shoved the stack of papers she was holding to the side and, before Eina could say anything, snatched away one of the sheets.
"Orihara Shirou... I've never heard of that name before. Hehe, Eina, don't tell me you fell in love with him at first sight~"
The simple profile of the individual was written on the paper Misiya was holding. The smile on her face gradually stiffened, her eyes grew wider and wider, and after a brief moment of shock, she let out a cry of astonishment that echoed throughout the entire Guild hall.
"What the—?! Isn't this that god from another world that everyone in all of Orario has been talking about lately?!"
Deep beneath the Guild—the organization holding the greatest power in Orario—within a dim throne room, Ouranos was frowning in deep thought.
"Inscrutable divine power... That reckless fool Loki, I have no idea what purpose this god from another world might hold... Whether they are harmless or harboring ulterior motives, and whether they can bring any impact to the children of the dungeon..."
The entire dungeon was suppressed by the divine might of the motionless primordial god, Ouranos. Without him, all the monsters would surge from the depths to the surface, and naturally, safe floors wouldn't exist at all.
And now, this old deity stepped out from the dim throne, walking toward the location of that god from another world.
At the same time, in Babel, the tower at the highest point of the city, the Goddess of "Beauty" was swirling her wine glass.
She possessed a power that made all the gods drool and their hearts tremble—ultimate "Beauty."
If it were a mortal, catching even a single glance of her would likely cause them to instantly fall hopelessly into the throes of love, unable to extricate themselves.
Possessing a beauty that could easily captivate numerous male deities and mortal objects alike, Freya stood out as the most dazzling among the heavenly host, ranking as one of the exceptionally gorgeous "Goddesses of Beauty" among the pantheon.
Furthermore, Freya's [Familia] ranked alongside Loki's [Familia] as the two major familias of Orario.
"Lady Freya, that's how the situation stands."
The valiant boar-man youth, Ottar, Orario's sole Level 7 adventurer—known as the "Fighting King"—reported respectfully to the goddess.
"Oh, is that so."
Freya swirled her wine glass, a mesmerizing smile blooming at the corners of her mouth.
"A god from another world... This is truly the most astonishing news I've heard since my birth... Another world... A god..."
As if intoxicated by a sense of excitement, she cast a burning gaze out the window toward the city below, searching for the figure of that otherworldly person.
Dark clouds drifted and wind and rain intertwined, draping the city in a thin mist.
This was a room on the very top floor of Babel. Both the decor and the layout possessed the utmost elegance of a grand emporium, and Freya, the mistress of the house, was looking down at the [Guild] not far away.
Suddenly, Freya's pupils flickered slightly. Her eyes, sparkling like stars, closely tracked the red-haired boy walking through the rain.
Though Freya's [Eyes] could not see through the true nature of the [Status] originating from other gods, she could vaguely discern the general condition of color and brilliance, and make inferences based upon them.
"Ah..."
Looking at that dazzling radiance that threatened to fill her entire field of vision, Freya's beautiful eyes revealed a deep, profound yearning.
'I want him.'
The moment she laid eyes on him, that was the thought that crossed her mind.
A feeling she hadn't experienced in so very long—her whole body trembled uncontrollably, a sharp pain twitched in her lower abdomen, and a dazed sigh escaped from the depths of her throat. Just like she had done countless times before, she wanted to turn that being into her own possession. Even if it seemed ugly, a wish as pure as a child's bubbled up within her mind.
The rectangular full-length mirror embedded in the wall clearly reflected the figure of the goddess standing by the window like a spotlight.
Wrapped in a thin black evening gown, her figure was slender yet voluptuously full.
The corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily. Combined with her stunning features, that captivating smile made her even more evocative. Her skin was as delicate and fair as snow, her slender silhouette enough to mesmerize hearts simply by brushing past the air.
A flawless, devilish figure, as if all concepts of the golden ratio had been derived from her very body.
Her long eyelashes looked pitiful and frail, her pair of beautiful eyes otherworldly and transcendent, and her looks were incomparably, peerlessly beautiful.
Her silver hair, cascading nearly to her waist, shone brilliantly as if scattering countless ice crystal fragments.
She combed a strand of hair that had brushed against her cheek, tucking it behind her ear.
Her exposed shoulders shimmered with an illusory, moistened glow under the amber light of the room's magic stone lamp.
Occasionally, she wore the expression of a maiden deeply in love.
Reaching out toward the glass that reflected her own excessive beauty, she—Freya—stretched out her hand as if trying to grab onto something.
Crack—the glass let out a sound of distress.
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