Loki's lip twitched. "You little..."
Hestia: "(=?ω?=)"
With her "bountiful fruits" swaying naturally with every movement, Hestia didn't need to say a word—her silence said everything. Faced with such a glaring disparity, even Loki, who stood at the pinnacle of Orario, couldn't help but feel the sting of defeat. She burst into theatrical tears, trying to dive into Ais's arms for some "consolation," only for the girl to step back, leaving Loki to fall flat on her face.
The hall erupted in laughter. But soon, the atmosphere shifted.
The gods—the male ones in particular—couldn't tear their eyes away. It was as if they were caught in an inescapable gravitational pull toward the entrance. A grey-haired goddess in a shimmering silver-white dress had arrived.
Following Loki, the other goddess at the peak of Orario had entered the stage: Freya.
As the Goddess of Beauty, Freya was well-accustomed to the spotlight. With Ottar looming behind her, she moved with a grace that felt slow yet covered ground rapidly, stopping right in front of Hestia and Loki.
"Hestia. It's been a long time."
Though she was greeting the twin-tailed goddess, Freya's eyes were constantly scanning the room. Hestia scoffed. "Yeah, a few hundred years, at least."
Noticing the hostility from the "Blue Ribbon," Freya blinked in surprise before a look of realization dawned on her.
"Hestia, you seem to dislike me quite a bit?" The grey-haired goddess stepped forward, her right hand reaching out to gently brush Hestia's cheek. "Which is a shame, because I quite like you."
"Save it," Hestia snapped, stepping back. "You know exactly what you've done."
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi : I'm Surrounded by Goddesses (132 Chapters, Ongoing)
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The smile on Freya's face widened. Ignoring Hestia's revulsion, she leaned down, whispering directly into the smaller goddess's ear.
"It's about the 'Divine Protection of the Goddesses' Love,' isn't it?"
"!!!!!"
Hestia's eyes widened in shock. "You..."
How do you know about that?! she wanted to scream.
But Freya didn't give her the chance. "Did you ever see Levi when he was a child? He was... so adorable back then~"
Leaving that cryptic bombshell hanging, Freya—who had already deduced that Levi wasn't at the banquet—ignored the fuming Hestia and turned around with a smile. "Ottar, we're leaving."
"Yes, Goddess."
The brief exchange between Hestia and Freya was witnessed by many, but most saw it as nothing more than a bit of divine entertainment. Loki, however, who viewed Freya as a rival, narrowed her eyes. "It looks like your kid has been targeted by someone incredibly troublesome."
Hestia stood with her arms crossed, grinding her teeth. She had mentally prepared herself for Freya to take an interest in Levi—after all, Freya was the only goddess whose "Love Protection" rank was nearly equal to her own. Or so she thought.
But if Freya wasn't lying... That meant Freya had set her sights on Levi when he was just a child?! They had met long ago!
The thought of the Goddess of Beauty coming all this way just to gloat made Hestia's chest ache with fury. So, I'm the latecomer here?!
Seeing Hestia ignoring her, Loki grew even more puzzled. "Hey, is it really worth getting this worked up? Freya has always been like this—she loves everyone she sees. Just keep that Levi kid hidden, don't bring him out in public, and maybe ask Hephaestus for some help. That should be enough to keep Freya at bay, right?"
Hestia shot her a sidelong glance. "You wouldn't understand."
"???"
I wouldn't understand?What wouldn't I understand?
Loki pointed at herself, completely baffled by the convoluted hearts of goddesses in love—despite being a goddess herself.
At that moment, Hephaestus—the Goddess of Fire and Smithing—returned after finalizing a weapon deal with another deity. Lowering her voice, she asked, "So, what did Freya say to you?"
Hestia looked utterly dejected. "She said she was the one who came first!"
Hephaestus: "Huh?"
"She told me... she met Levi when he was a child."
"Oh boy..."
Hephaestus fell silent, but she didn't let anger cloud her mind like Hestia did. She quickly began to piece things together.
If I remember correctly, Levi only recently arrived in Orario...
In other words, while Freya was traveling in the past, she had visited Levi's hometown and met him personally. Knowing Freya as she did, Hephaestus knew that woman wasn't the type to let a choice piece of meat sit right under her nose. To put it bluntly: back then, Levi hadn't caught Freya's eye.
That was interesting. A child she once overlooked, she now desired above all else.
Freya, you really are something...
Seeing Hephaestus shake her head with a peculiar expression, Loki felt her own curiosity flare up. "So, what's with all the riddles you two are playing?"
Hephaestus looked at her friend, who was still lost in her own world. After a moment of thought, she decided to share what she could. But just then, the magic stone lamps in the hall suddenly went out.
A single spotlight remained, illuminating the center of the room.
The host of the banquet, Apollo—wearing an olive branch crown, a crimson cloak, and a white, open-chested robe—appeared before everyone with his arms spread wide.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my banquet..."
He followed with a toast that was neither too long nor too short. When Apollo wasn't acting like a lunatic, he was actually a fairly respectable deity—after all, he was the primary god of a mid-tier Familia boasting Level 3 adventurers.
Regrettably, "normal" was not on the menu today. He had hosted this banquet with a specific, ulterior motive. True to form, after only a few minutes of being serious, Apollo began his performance.
"Oh my, isn't this my dear divine friend from the Upper World, Hestia?"
As if only just discovering her, Apollo turned his gaze toward the group of goddesses. Hestia, already emotionally unstable from Freya's cryptic words, snapped with a note of pure irritation. "You'd best not bother me right now."
But if Apollo didn't stir up trouble, he wouldn't be Apollo.
"You seem like you don't want to see me. But my children... well, they simply can't stop thinking about yours. Levi Bright, was it? They're practically obsessed~"