Lady Amaterasu and I were in the elevator, we were heading to the top floor of the Tower of Babel. The floor was the apartment of the Goddess of the most powerful Familia d'Orario. In the elevator with us was the captain of this same Familia. The only level 7 that was in town, Ottar. Suffice to say that the escape was impossible.

As the elevator went up, I had to find a way to get me and my goddess out of this situation. The good news is that my goddess and I are not likely to be hurt or die. Unless I knock Ottar out of him. And I think the only way to do that is to insult her goddess. Something I wouldn't do, even if Ottar wasn't there.

Not just because Freya is a powerful goddess. But also by what, I respect her as a person. Freya respects each of these children, which cannot be said for every god in Orario. She didn't strike me as a bad person. A person who is ready for all for these desires and passions. But who is not going to kill or hurt people for no reason. The only problem I have with her is that she wants me in her Familia.

I'm going to have to find a way so that I dissuade her from recruiting me into her Familia. I'll have to strengthen my mind. Freya is a very good manipulator and a good actress. I can't lie to her, and the bluff won't work against her, because of her ability to see souls.

The elevator has reached the correct floor. The door is open, Lady Amaterasu and I were still silent. Ottar got out and started walking. We followed him through hallways and different doors. Then after a few minutes, we came to a door. Except that it is the only one, where he knocked twice before opening it. We followed him inside.

I recognized this piece from the anime. It was a room with red walls and floors. On one of the walls was a large library. And in front of this library was a huge bay window, which gave a view of the city of Orario. And I must say the view was not bad, it felt like on top of the world. But that's not what caught my attention the most. Because on a golden throne in the center of the room, sat Freya, goddess of beauty.

And I must say that she deserved this name. She was truly exceptionally beautiful. She had long silver hair, purple eyes, and snow-white skin. She wore her iconic black and red outfit. I have to admit that for a few moments, I couldn't take my eyes off her. But after a few seconds, I shook my head to concentrate. So I saw that she was watching me, then she looked towards my goddess.

"I'm back, Lady Freya." Ottar said as they walked over to his goddess. She nods before addressing my goddess.

"Hello, Amaterasu. To tell you all, I didn't expect you to be here. I just wanted to meet your child." She speaks, as she rises from her throne and walks towards us.

"We weren't expecting you to invite my child to your place either, Freya. Especially on the evening when we celebrate his level up." She responds to her with her straight face. You could hear a hint of sarcasm at the word invite.

"Sorry about that. But I was too impatient." She said, but you could tell she wasn't really sorry.

Following this, Freya brought her attention to me again. She approached me and put her hand to my face. Despite all my attempts, I couldn't hide my blush. And as she continued, she spoke to me.

"I have to say, I'm glad I can finally meet you, Ashborn." She told me, and I felt a shiver run through me when she said my name. But after that, I walked away from her. Removing her hand from my face. I could see out of the corner of my eye, that Lady Amaterasu would have acted if I hadn't stepped away.

"I can't say I expected to meet you so soon, Lady Freya. But I would like to ask you, why such an abrupt invitation." I ask her, but I could see that she was watching me, even though I felt like she wasn't really looking at me.

"I just wanted to meet the man, who successfully leveled up in just four months. I couldn't help but be curious." She answers me with a smile. I don't think that's her real reason. But unfortunately, I couldn't tell when someone was lying.

"You can say whatever you want Freya, but you're not cheating on anyone here." My goddess replied, still a little angry at Freya's movement. I can see the two of them staring at each other, then she smiles at each other.

POV Freya

I have to say that the fact that Amaterasu is there, will make my discussion with Ashborn more difficult. But anyway, once he was in my presence, it sealed his fate. But I would only use my last asset as a last resort. I turned to Ashborn.

I got to see this soul up close again. I must say that she is always so fascinating. He is a dark soul, but one who possesses no malice.

"It's true that I was not completely honest. If I invited Ashborn here. It wasn't just what I wanted to meet him for. I had a few questions for him, and a proposal for him." I said, and I could see Amaterasu and her child tensing when I spoke of the proposal. But first, I had a question for him.

"Tell me Ashborn. Why did you choose these people to be part of your Familia? What were your reasons for choosing them?" I've been asking myself this question for a while. Because, I don't know how he does it, but all the people he has chosen for his Familia have an interesting soul. I come to wonder if he does not have a similar ability to me.

He seemed to think about his answer for a moment. I can see that Amaterasu, also looks interested in this answer. But I occupied the majority of her attention. I'm sorry for you Amaterasu, but I can't help myself.

"I chose them for several reasons. The main one being that I think they have a lot of potentials, as an adventurer. And to realize my dream, I need a group of talented people. But I didn't choose them just because of their talent. But also by what, I knew that they were people that I could respect and that I could call my family, being proud." He speaks, with absolute conviction in his voice. But I wasn't sure he had power or a skill, which helped him in this task. So I'll have to ask him more directly.

"And did you use a skill or an ability? To know if it would be a good choice for your Familia?" I ask him again. But this time, he didn't take that long to respond.

"No, I didn't have any skills or abilities using any for that." He said I knew he wasn't lying. But I find it hard to believe that he can bring such unique people together, with just luck. No, it's not possible, he must be hiding something.

POV Ashborn

So far, I have managed to keep nothing out of the things I want to keep to myself. Or at least I believe so. She has kept that same little smile since we entered this room. I have to say his poker face is amazing.

But I wonder why she asks about my Familia. Am I not the only one who interests her? Afterward, seeing the people in my Familia, it doesn't surprise me that she is observed to us. But for her to be interested in them, I think I can assume that they have souls that have caught her attention.

"I promised I would get home soon, so unless you have more questions, can we come to this proposal?" I ask her because, after my previous answer, she just kept looking at me. She continued to smile at me before continuing.

"I have heard that joining a powerful Familia does not interest you." She told me, and that sentence confirmed my suspicions about what this offer was. I had to be even more careful with how I respond now. I could also say that she researched me. I remember the only one I talked to about this. Apart from the members of my Familia, is my guild advisor.

"Indeed, joining a powerful Familia was never something I envisioned." I answer her. She, therefore, continued her investigation.

"If I can ask? For what reasons?" I decide to tell her the truth, it's not important information anyway.

"Quite simply, because I find nothing exciting about joining a Familia that is already big and powerful. Maybe that's what most others are looking for. But not me." I smiled at her before continuing. "I find that to create a Familia, and to make it evolved, to compete with the most powerful Familia. It's a goal and a challenge, which will make my adventure even more interesting." I tell her, even though I don't think I'm teaching her anything.

Because of what I just said, I had already said to my advisor. And if her source is indeed from the guild, then she probably already knew that. I think she asked for confirmation, or to see if I changed my mind.

"I see, would you say the same if I offered to join my Familia?" She speaks, and Amaterasu intervenes.

"I'm sorry Freya, but Ashborn is my first child. I don't intend to leave it to you." She speaks while standing in front of Fraya. Looking her straight in the eye.

"If Ashborn wanted to join my Familia, you wouldn't have a choice. I don't think you would hold Ashborn against his will if he wanted to leave your Familia. This is not the kind of person that you are Amaterasu." Freya answers her. And Amaterasu didn't respond to that. And she just looked at me, I could see the worry on her face. I just smile at her, before answering Freya.

"I'm sorry, but even if you offered me to be part of your Familia, I would say no. To tell you the truth, if you had made this proposal to me when I arrived in Orario. I think you could have convinced me to join you. Not just because your Familia is the most powerful in Orario. But because I respect you as a goddess." I said as I looked at Freya. Then I turned to Amaterasu to finish.

"When I arrived in this city. I was looking for a god or a goddess, who did not yet have a Familia. I didn't care who he or she was, as long as he wasn't malicious, and respected those children. If he met these two criteria, I could have created a Familia with them. But I met Lady Amaterasu, my goal changed after that. I no longer wanted to make any Familia that I joined, a great Familia. My dream now is to make the Amaterasu Familia a great Familia." After I finished speaking, I turned to Freya again.

"So I would refuse to be part of your Familia. Because for me, my one and the only goddess are Lady Amaterasu." I finish. I could see out of the corner of my eye, Lady Amaterasu gives me a huge smile, but I could also see, that she had tears in her eyes. But she didn't let them go.

"I see, you know that I am not lacking solutions, to force you to join my Familia." She asks me, and we come to the fateful moment. I had to find a way out of this situation. But, I had to do it by never lying. It was going to be complicated.

"So that's what you had planned Freya. I warn you, I will do everything in my power to keep Ashborn in my Familia." Amaterasu asks, glaring at her.

"It's not my fault you have such a beautiful child. I can't help but want him." She answers her and I can see that Amaterasu is getting closer to me.

I took her hand so that she could look at me.

"I'll try to sort this out, Lady Amaterasu. I promised to make our most Familia the most powerful in Orario. Trust me once again." I told her, still holding her hand.

"I have always trusted you until now, Ashborn. I'll let you handle this your way." She tells me, squeezing my hand a little tighter and I thank her in return.

After that, I turned to Freya.

"It's true that you might just ask, a war game with the Amaterasu Familia, to get me to join you. Or I'm sure you could find another method. But I would not be faithful to you, I would be in your Familia by constraint. And if one day there was a way out for me, I wouldn't hesitate to take it. The easiest solution for you is to charm me. Because that will guarantee my fidelity." I told her before starting to speak again, placing myself right in front of her, strengthening my determination.

"How about doing a challenge with me, Lady Freya." I ask her, she looked at me before she grew her smile.

"Why not. I wonder what you have in mind. But who tells you that I will keep my word if I lose, after all, I am in a strong position here." She tells me. Indeed, I don't know, but from what I know about her, I think she is a person who keeps her promises. In any case, I hope so.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know, it's just an impression I have of you. You seem to me to be a person who kept your commitments." I tell her, and she nods at me.

"I promise to keep my word if I think your challenge is right." She tells me, so I explain to her what I have in mind.

"If I can resist your charm as the goddess of beauty, you will no longer seek to recruit me, or any member of my Familia. If it works, well anyway, you can do whatever you want with me." I told her, and I think I could see his smile fail for even a second. But I think I imagined.

POV Freya

he provokes me to use my charm. He's either brave or an idiot. Does he believe he can resist it with a strong will? I can see in those eyes and especially his soul, that he is sure of himself. I have never met a mortal, who could resist my charm. I turned my gaze to Amaterasu, even though she tries to hide it, I can see that she doesn't seem okay with this situation.

But she still doesn't intervene, she has such confidence in him. Amaterasu, who used to be so unmoved when she was to heaven. I have to say that the lower world changed that side of her, or rather it was the meeting with Ashborn, that opened her to these emotions.

"You think you can resist my charm." I ask him. And I can voice, that he looks at me with deadly seriousness.

"I'm sure." He just answers me. I'm amazed he doesn't lie. He said these words with such certainty, that it made me hesitate to accept his bet. But it's true that if I manage to get him into my Familia, and he's not loyal to me. The day he can get out of my grip, he will. It took four months to get to level two. If he continues like this, it can be assumed that in less than ten years he could surpass Ottar. And what will prevent him from leaving my Familia at this time? I have to get his loyalty if I want him in my Familia.

"Alright, if you can resist my charm, I promise not to interfere in your Familia's affairs any longer." I tell him, and he continues to stare at me with his determined gaze.

POV Amaterasu

I don't know what's going through his mind. Challenge a goddess of beauty to use her charm on him. And not just a goddess of beauty, but Freya herself. How can he have such confidence?

"Alright, if you can resist my charm, I promise not to interfere in your Familia's affairs any longer." Freya said, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the words. She will use it, if it works, Ashborn will leave my Familia.

But I can see, that Ashborn looks confident like he's sure he will. That he would manage to resist. The time began to ring for me, all I could hear was the thunderous beating of my heart.

Then I saw Freya use her charm, I saw those eyes light up with a bluish glow. I turned to Ashborn, wanting to see the result, but I can say that, this result shocked everyone in the room. Except for my child, who continued to look at Freya with that same determination, but I could also see great relief in those features.

"It looks like I won the challenge, Lady Freya." Ashborn told her, Freya had lost her smile for the first time since we arrived. She looked at Ashborn, surprised. But her smile returned after a few seconds.

I felt immense relief when he announced his victory. I went to take Ashborn in my arms. I am so happy to know that we will continue to be together. And that we will be able to continue our journey towards our dream, together.

POV Freya

"It looks like I won the challenge, Lady Freya." He told me when he should have been under my spell.

I must say, that I never expected this situation. A man, a mortal who moreover resisted my charm. No other man before, or even women, had achieved this, whether god or mortal.

I was so surprised that my smile slipped from my face for a few moments. But I quickly recomposed. He continued to look at me, he was surely waiting for my answer.

"Alright, you won the challenge." I concede to him. But I'm still curious about something.

"How did you know? That my charm wouldn't affect you? You had such certainty, I guess there is a reason." I ask him, I see him hesitating for a few seconds.

"Say, I was pretty sure I could resist your charm. And the fact that I could resist it, I would like to keep that to myself." He tells me. I cannot say that I am happy with this answer.

"Alright, but now that I know this. I must say that the fact that you are immune to my charm makes me even more interested in you." An adventurer happened to resist my charm. I want it in my Familia. My words seemed to give Ashborn pause.

"You know, I have a dream for myself and my Familia. It is a dream that may seem unrealizable or childish. But that's what drives me since I arrived in this city. Saying it in front of you may sound presumptuous, but I want to make my Familia the most powerful in Orario." He said I'm sure it's a dream a lot of people have in this city. But few would have the courage to say it out loud, even more in front of me and Ottar.

"I am offering you something. When I feel that I and my Familia are ready, I will challenge you in a war game. If you won, I would have failed to achieve my dream, and you can make me join your Familia. My life will belong to you." He challenges me to a war game. Definitely, I cannot know if it is courage or madness. But it gives me another chance to be able to integrate it into my Familia. Without having to force it or break my word. He leaves me that option because he knows that even if he won our bet. I have no reason to honor my commitment. But if I do, he'll definitely be antagonistic to me. He is smart.

"Would you like to make me your enemy?" I ask him if that's what he's getting into. But I see him, shaking his head negatively.

"I don't want to make you my enemy, neither the Loki Familia nor any other great Familia, that I may have to face in the future. I just see you as rivals. I don't think there is a need to kill each other or to see each other as enemies. I see it as friendly fights." So that's his view of things. I must say, that I find it more and more interesting.

"And if, I lost this future war game, what would you ask me? After all, you bet your life." He might want me to bet a member of my Familia too.

"Nothing, why, if I could manage to beat you. I would have fulfilled one of my dreams in this city." He doesn't want me to bet anything. I can't help but let a chuckle escape.

"Very good. I accept your challenge. You can leave if you want. I think we're done for tonight. And you promised you would get home soon, didn't you?" I tell him, he tries to hide it, but I can see he let out a deep breath of relief. So he and his goddess started to leave, but when he was about to close the door. He told me one last thing.

"I have to say, it was a pleasure meeting you Lady Freya. But I don't think you should be too interested in me. I am sure that soon you will meet an even more interesting person than me." He speaks and I answer him, as he closed the door behind him.

"I doubt it, but for me too, it was a real pleasure." I answer him, and he left my room. I immediately walked over to my bay window and observed Orario at night.

"Do you want me to do something, Lady Freya?" Ottar told me, from where he had stood when he entered the room.

"No, thank you Ottar. But I'm just going to bide my time so I can claim it as mine." I said and he was silent after that. I then saw Ashborn and his goddess come out of the tower. You were lucky Amaterasu, to come across him first, he's a magnificent child. Grow up fast Ashborn, the patient has never been one of my qualities.

POV Ashborn

I don't know how I did it, but I succeeded. I walked out of this tower with my freedom. Lady Amaterasu and I were on our way home. But I can see that she seems to blame me for something.

"Why did you challenge Freya in a War Game?" She asks me, as she positions herself in front of me, to confront me.

"I did not have the choice. If there had been another solution, I would have taken it. But in this situation, I did what I could." I told her trying to justify myself.

"Explain yourself." She tells me, continuing to stare at me.

"She had no reason to keep her word. She was in a strong position. But the fact that I could resist her charm, made her even more interested in me. There was a chance she decided to break her word. So I had to give her a second chance to recruit me. Hence the idea of this War Game. It gives us time to strengthen our Familia and become more powerful. It was the best solution I could find." I answer her, I see her as she sighs. And nod his head. So we continued on our way home.

"It's true that we managed to get out of it. But I wonder, how did you know you would resist her charm." She asks me.

"Because I was already under your spell." I told her jokingly. I had the pleasure of seeing her blush. She slapped me on the shoulder and stared at me with a look that asked for an answer.

"The fact that I can resist its charm is thanks to my Skill Familia Monarch. It gives me immunity to mind-altering effects, it seems that the charm of the goddesses of beauty, falls into this category." I answer her.

"It seems? So you weren't sure." She tells me.

"I was almost completely sure. And at least like that, I was able to verify my theory." I tell her.

"Sometimes I wonder how I can trust you." She answers me and I just shrug my shoulders before answering.

"So far, I've never made you regret trusting me." And while we continued to walk. She moved closer to me, and she took my arm.

"It's true, I was right to trust you. I also wanted to thank you, for staying by my side." She tells me. We just continue this walk enjoying the night in the company of the other. We have finally arrived, at our house. So we went through the door.

We found the other members of the Familia, who were waiting for us in the living room. Immediately after we arrived we were bombarded with questions.

" Are you doing OK?" A worried Emilia asked me.

" How did it go?" Yuuki asked us the question.

"Has anyone hurt you?" Rory said worriedly.

"You are not injured." Guts said as he approached.

"don't worry, our goddess and I are fine. Nothing happened to us." I tell them, and I can see it allays their fear. Then Yuuki asked.

"So, what happened?" I decide to sit on a couch before answering.

"The goddess Freya wanted to recruit me for her Familia." I tell them, and everyone turns to me.

"And you answered what." It was Emilia who asked me.

"I refused of course. My Familia is you and no one else. And I would never serve another goddess"

"I don't think Freya is a woman, who takes no for an answer." Guts tell me, and I can't help but agree.

"I had to make a bet with her, for her to consider leaving me alone. And I challenged her Familia to a War Game, to make her decide to let me go tonight." I could see shocked looks on the members of my Familia.

"You challenged the Freya Familia." Rory asked me.

"Don't be too worry, I said we will have this battle when I feel our Familia is ready for it. But as far as I know, Freya is not a very patient woman. I don't want to hang around too much, or she'll challenge me whether I'm ready or not." I told them, I could see that my words could have reassured them if only a little.

"So we have to train to face the Freya Familia, Orario's most powerful Familia. I don't know how long it will take, before Freya's patience runs out." Amaterasu said, but I couldn't help but let a smile spread across my face.

"I don't see how it's so embarrassing." I said, and I got all the attention again. "After all, our goal has always been to climb to the top. And for that, we would have needed to face them, one day or the other. The meeting tonight has indeed accelerated the process. And warned our opponents of our goals. But, we just have to go on like we used to." I told them, and in response, I could also see them regain confidence. And they smiled back at me.

After that, we continued to chat a bit. But we still planned to go to the dungeon tomorrow. Emilia, Yuuki, and Rory, therefore returned home, to rest because of tomorrow. We began our exploration of the middle floors. I wonder, what kind of monsters we are going to meet.

Once the girls left, I went to my room myself. I found Lady Amaterasu there, waiting for me sitting on my bed. I can't say I'm very surprised to find her here. After a day like this.

"Ashborn, I wanted to tell you something." After speaking, she stood up and moved closer to me. The only light in the room was that of the moon. She was reflected against his skin, which made a beautiful contrast to that black hair. I could also see perfectly, those beautiful golden eyes. I was mesmerized by this sight. She continued to talk.

"This morning, I realized, the real feelings I have for you. And your deeds and words tonight. Only gave me more confirmation." After finishing her sentence. She approached me and put her lips on mine.

I had kissed girls in my past life. But I must say, that this one, seemed special to me. I was so surprised and shocked. That I did not govern, as she removed those lips from mine. I just kept looking at her. As she stared at me, with a very noticeable blush on her cheeks.

"I'm in love with you, Ashborn." She tells me, and I think my brain has crashed at this point. In my old life, I was never very popular. Whereas a true goddess, who is moreover as magnificent as Lady Amaterasu, be in love with me. I couldn't believe it.

"I don't know what to tell you, Lady Amaterasu." That's all I could think of to say to her at the time. She smiles at me.

"You can tell me if you feel the same for me." She told me, and I thought about it. Do I feel anything for my goddess? I have come to an answer. So I took her by the shoulders. And I kissed her in turn. I again felt the same sensations as before. After removing my lips from hers, I answered her.

"To tell you all, I'm not sure how I feel. But I think I feel the same for you. Lady Amaterasu." I answer her. After this, we spent the night together. We hadn't done anything sexual. We just spent the night in each other's arms. But, there was something different from other times. I can say, that I had the best night that I have had since I arrived in this world.

AN: Chapter seven finished. Sorry to release this chapter late. Actually, I was planning to release it on the 2nd. But things have happened in my life. We have the discussion with Freya. I hope I was successful in the confrontation she had with Ashborn and her goddess. She is still interested in Ashborn, she just decided that this method would be the most cost-effective for her to use. We have a rapprochement between Ashborn and his goddess. I was hesitant to put an erotic scene here but decided it would be a bit early. I don't pence to write lemon, but erotic scenes are possible. Maybe I would try my hand at writing lemon. But I don't think I would be good at it. For his second name, we will surely have that in the next chapter. I also announced a big fight for the future. A War Game between the Amaterasu Familia and the Freya Familia.