Chapter 26

One month. It took only one month for Kojiro to reach level two. To say there was an uproar in the Stardust Garden was an understatement. To say that Orario as a whole was in disbelief was like saying water was wet. The announcement of his level up caused many people to approach the home of the Astraea Familia, much to their displeasure. At some point Arash was forced to shoot them with arrows, non lethal ones of course, to keep them out of their front door. Naturally everyone else, even Astraea, made their displeasure known at Kojiro for his reckless stunt. Yet no matter how much the veteran ladies like Kaguya and Lyra lectured him on how idiotic that was, no matter how much Hestia chided him for worrying them so much... The swordsman kept an easy smile on his face as he recovered. Suffice to say, it might have been one of the reasons Solaris threw herself into the Middle Floors as much as she did. In a way, Kojiro showed that he was better than her and it must have stung more than it did to Bell. She was the captain after all. Naturally, the week that passed by, with Bell having to solo the Upper Levels as Solaris had to be dragged back by one of the Astraea members occasionally if she pushed too far, was a bit awkward. Bell didn't have a lot of memories of what happened during that time. Only that it felt... unfulfilling. He didn't imagine his time in Orario to feel like that but compared to the Far East, Rakia and Altena, here he felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. It was a bit depressing, imagining that he would have been happier if he never came here. That he had stayed with Haruhime, Welf or Brunhilde.

Of course all routines had to come to an end. In this case, it was the bustling, celebrating streets, as a certain festival was occuring. The Monsterferia, the event that the Ganesha Familia organized to show off their tamed monsters. It was a weird thing to consider, the job of a tamer. Bell had to think back to the Violas attack in Yggdrasil, how the monsters heeded the call of the terrorists. Did it work in the same way here in Orario? He wasn't quite sure why the Ganesha Familia would do that, which were essentially the Guild's closest allies. To show off? Ganesha seemed like such a person, from what he could gather, but something in his gut told him there was more to it. Still, the event was a welcome distraction, in a sense. For the first time ever since Kojiro leveled up, the Hestia Familia were spending time together properly. Kojiro sighed in content, having become a bit antsy being stuck in the bed, as he wanted to test out his new skills as soon as possible in the dungeon. He did show off his new status in the backyard of the Stardust Garden, showing off even superior speed and dexterity than ever before. However, in his words, it was not the same as it would be to test his new abilities, the "Swordsman" Developmental Ability among them, against a proper enemy. Suffice to say, the Familia was a bit worried by his decision, as the lack of Abnormal Resistance meant that poison would be a bigger risk as he went down. On the other hand, Solaris didn't have it either, instead having gone for Hunter, the skill that increases performance against monsters already fought. Naturally Hestia couldn't keep him down forever, misgivings or not, but she had one simple condition in order for Kojiro to get back his permission to return to the dungeon.

Which led them to now, wandering through the bustling, celebrating streets of food stalls and what not, on their way to meet up their goddess who went ahead to 'prepare'. For what, none of them knew. Anyway, Bell liked to think it was something that was pure joy. Sadly, reality wasn't so kind. It was only natural, as they gained the looks of others, as Kojiro himself finally revealed himself in the public. The suspicious looks, the glares, the sneers, they were all directed at them and ruining his and Solaris' taste of the steamed potato they had in their hands. Kojiro on the other hand munched away casually before wiping his mouth, his relaxed smile never wavering. It only intensified the bad attention they were getting. Clearing his throat, Bell turned to Kojiro with a frown.

"You ain't bothered by any of this?"

People claiming there was foul play involved. That Solaris or someone else had to have weakened the Infant Dragon and he swooped in for the kill. Many theories and excuses in how the Falna could've failed. Yet Kojiro merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why should I?" He looked around, wanting to meet the accusers in the eyes. Naturally they all coughed awkwardly, even ashamed sometimes and looked away. With a smug expression he crossed his arms with a nod to himself. "I know I succeeded. Let them be jealous. Let them doubt. It does not matter."

Bell pressed his lips together. If only he was as immune to the public opinion as Kojiro. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. He really needed more training. Meanwhile Solaris rolled her eyes openly before letting out a scoff as she hit her chest a few times.

"Record holder, becord holder, you aren't catching up to me just yet!"

"I would expect nothing less from my captain."

At Kojiro's wide smile, Solaris stumbled. Staring at him quietly, she visibly deflates, scratching the back of her head with a sigh.

"Thanks I guess... " She ruffled her own hair in frustration, stomping on the ground a few times. "Aaagh, I shouldn't be mad at you! You reached the new level fair and square!"

"Well, I was cheating in a sense." Patting her back, the swordsman nodded. "Experience outranks everything after all."

Tilting their heads, the two other Hestia members stared at Kojiro. It still begged the question where he got that experience from. But then Solaris let out a hum before crossing her arms with a wide smirk.

"Y'know, thinking of you as Lord Quirinus or Arash really does make me feel better!"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Kojiro's lips thinned.

"You make it sound like we are some sort of rare species."

"You ain't?"

"Fair enough," Kojiro chuckled at her blunt question. Nodding, he tilted his head at her. "So, what are your plans, captain?"

"Before we meet up with Lady Hestia, I figured we should organize our trip to the Middle Floors!" Solaris announced, raising her arm in the air. Bell blinked before crossing his arms.

"In what way?"

"Well, we're good enough as a three man cell, what with two leveled up peeps." She snapped her fingers at them. "What we need is a supporter."

"Hm, I do suppose carrying everything by ourselves is counterproductive," Kojiro pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Patting the two of them on the back, their captain grinned.

"No worries, I have the perfect gal in mind! She's super smart, reliable and can carry a lot of stuff!"

They came to a stop in front of a house located in one of the more hidden alleys. Knocking a few times, they waited. THen the door creaked open, revealing a rather small girl with chestnut brown hair. With her body covered by a rather cute, white dress, Bell's eyes widened. Wasn't that girl with Hans before? She didn't look at them, instead spotting Solaris, her eyes going wide the moment she saw her. The captain raised her hand casually, her left hand in her pocket.

"Wassup, favo-"

The door was promptly slammed shut. Bell could feel the silence bearing down on them, with Solaris' hand frozen in the air. Then she hissed and began hitting the door again, this time harder.

"C'mon, don't be like that, Lil' A!"

With the sound of a lock clicking, a muffled huff sounded from behind the door.

"Lili likes to earn money in the dungeon and not gather ashes, thank you very much!"

"Don't act like you didn't get any money at all!" Solaris argued back, only to receive a scoff as an answer.

"Not as much as Lili wanted to!"

"You have a sugar daddy!" She shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. A gasp sounded from behind the door before a snarl sounded.

"Do not call him that!" Lili clicked her tongue in annoyance. "And hell freezes over before he gives Lili more than a simple allowance!"

"Open the door at least so that we can negotiate!" Solaris stepped back, spreading her arms with a frown. "I won't be alone with you this time either! Didn't you see the two buddies with me?"

After a moment of quiet, the lock clicked once more. The door opened, revealing the Pallum in full as she leaned against the doorway, her arms crossed.

"I'm listenin-"

She froze when she spotted Bell. The young man cleared his throat, awkwardly raising his arm.

"Uhm. Hello? I guess we saw each other when you were with Hans?"

"It's Mr. Andersen to you!" Lili shouted immediately, pointing a finger at him. He flinched, causing her to sigh and relax a bit. With a nod, she eyed them with suspicion. "So you are the party. Liliruca Arde."

"Yeah, which means more cash for you!" Solaris said in excitement, ignoring any private space the Pallum had and patting her shoulders. Kneeling down, she stretched her arm out, as of presenting something invisible. "C'mon! Three fighters! One supporter on top and we can make mad dosh down there! Maybe get to the Deep Floors if we work together long enough! You know how strong my flames are and these two are basically like the samurai from the Far East! Martial skill up the kahoots!"

"Hmm... " Shoving Solaris away, she sighed before glaring at the captain. "Alright, but only because I'm not alone with you!"

"Great!"

"However, I have one question... " She pointed at Kojiro and Bell with a huff. "I want to know what your relationship is with Lili's papa!"

The two men blinked in surprise. Bell tilted his head. Hans didn't seem to be the type to be a father. Not to mention... how did brown come from blue? Maybe adoption? While he was thinking about that, Solaris sighed dramatically before waving her hand.

"See that? That's why I call him sugar daddy."

"Enough with the sugar daddy!" Lili shouted with a blush. Kojiro chuckled, shaking his head before pointing at himself.

"I'm an acquaintance from our former work together."

"Like Mr. Starfall?" Lili asked, perking up. When he nodded, for the first time since this conversation started, she cracked a smile "Good enough."

"Where is he anyway?" Bell asked politely. The girl twitched, causing Bell to take a step back with his lips pressed together in worry. Then she breathed out calmly before a wry smile appeared on her face.

"Stuck in his office. For which Lili is glad! It's been ages since he found actual motivation! Most of the time she has to pull him and drag him by his feet!"

"Ah. I see. So he will meet up with you later," Kojiro said in understanding. Lili giggled, nodding in excitement.

"Hm!"

Solaris laughed before raising her thumb with a grin.

"Welp, guess this settles it! You know the address! Just give us a heads up when you got the time!"

"I'll handle the contract with your goddess then," Lili agreed before closing the door in front of them. With that done, the trio left the alley and returned back to the street. The moment they stepped out, Bell was hit by a rather large bag. The individual carrying it stopped and glanced back. The albino was surprised by the get up the man wore. First of all, he was completely covered in cloth. In a way it reminded Bell of a desert getup, the brown cloth covering everything except the pitch black eyes. The individual raised his hand and lowered his head.

"Scuse me," the muffled voice said. Bell smiled and shook his head. Suddenly however Solaris stepped forward with a grin, pointing at him playfully.

"Ah, it's fine."

"Ey, Shirou! Being pack mule again?"

Kojiro froze up for some reason as the two laughed.

"You know it!"

Shirou moved away with the giant bag slung over his shoulder, some things even rattling in it. Bell turned to his teacher who had a thoughtful frown directed at the retreating back of Shirou. Then he turned to Solaris, raising an eyebrow as he pointed at him.

"Shirou?"

"He's a handy man I guess?" Solaris shrugged nonchalantly. "He does a lot of odd jobs. I believe he's around level 2 or 3, since he often goes up to the 20th floor." She paused before giving Kojiro a suspicious look. "Why, you know him?"

"He does seem familiar... " Kojiro muttered before sighing with his arms crossed. "Has anyone ever seen his face?"

"Nope. Not really my business. Or any of ours. As long he doesn't do anything illegal, who cares?"

With that, the swordsman let the matter lie. Bell was curious what made him react that way but it must have been not that important as they moved on. Soon enough they reached Babel. In front of it, a familiar sight waved at them in enthusiasm.

"Heeeey! Here!"

The trio smiled at the bouncing goddess, dressed in a cute blue everyday dress. It was a change from her usual maid get up and Bell had to admit that she was a true beauty. Solaris laughed before hugging their goddess.

"Goddess! Pretty as always!"

"Ehehehe." Hestia threw her arm up in the air with a proud huff. "Hestia Familia, day out, can officially begin!"

"I feel a bit bad that Astraea Familia is missing this," Bell muttered. While it was nice moving with such a small group, the fact that they lived with them made him feel they were lacking something. Solaris shook her head, ruffling his head in comfort.

"Someone's gotta make sure Rivira is safe and what not." Her smile faltered a bit. "Besides, they wanna pay respects."

"Ah."

It was obvious what she meant. The ones that lost their lives in the dungeon. Keeping quiet, they moved on through the stalls, mentally paying their own respects in that small period of silence. Soon enough however their moods lifted as they enjoyed the festival. They didn't go to the arena, as Hestia was against seeing the monster taming show, making it clear it was more or less just bullying a monster into submission, something Solaris agreed wasn't that fun. Kojiro seemed to agree and while Bell was a bit curious, he was outvoted in the end. Instead they essentially went on an eating spree, tasting whatever food they could get their hands on. On their way, they met some acquaintances of Hestia.

"On the house," the god in front of them declared with a warm smile. He brushed his blue hair back a bit as he presented the potions. Immediately he gained the glare from the Chienthrope, who smacked his hand.

"Lord Miach!"

"Errr, I mean... discount?"

Hestia sighed before shaking her head and reaching into her pocket.

"We all know you're struggling, Miach!" She more or less slammed the valis down on the counter with a friendly expression. "Just give us the full price! I have my allowance from Astraea!"

Miach opened his mouth before closing it, sighing in defeat. His follower immediately flashed them a thumb, one that Solaris returned.

"Very well, if you must insist."

High quality potions in hand, Bell tilted his head at their goddess.

"Are you two friends?"

"We had things in common before Astraea took me in," Hestia explained, letting out a sheepish giggle. Solaris in turn let out a snort, shaking her head in amusement.

"Being piss poor."

"Solaris!"

"What? It's the truth." Solaris shrugged before turning back to the albino. "They are struggling since Naaza isn't going into the dungeon anymore. Not to mention that debt. Only reason they still get money is thanks to Cassandra and Daphne."

"Debt?"

At Kojiro's question, their captain clicked her tongue before nodding slowly.

"Naaza's in the same boat as Kaguya."

Bell's eyes widened before turning his head back, looking at how Naaza was dressed. Or rather how she only had one long sleeve as opposed to the other one. Feeling a pat on his back, Solaris gave him a wry smile.

"Better get used to it, buddy. Dungeon ain't nice."

He was about to respond how he didn't want to get used to it before Hestia jumped on Bell's back. As he blushed at the soft mounds pressing against his back, the goddess lightly slapped Solaris' head who dramatically yelped.

"Moh, enough about that! This is relaxation time!"

"Sorry."

Bell laughed awkwardly, his gaze wandering. It was then he felt it. The shiver down his spine. The all too familiar one. SOlaris and Hestia seemed to be affected as well, shuddering and unconsciously steering away. Bell however looked at the direction they were avoiding. The sight caused him to smile a bit.

"Nyx... "

The nervous goddess had an even gloomier air around her than usual. The stall she manned looked like a miasma that people avoided at all costs. Naturally Bell took steps towards it. However an arm grabbed his, pulling him back. Turning around, he saw Solaris stare at him in disbelief.

"Whoa there. She gives really bad vibes. You sure she's cool?"

"Of course she is!" Bell shouted, indignation filling his voice. The girls stared at him in surprise. In the end, Hestia put on a smile, nodding in agreement.

"Alright. Let's be nice, for Bell's sake."

That's all he needed to hear. With purposeful steps, he approached the merchant, waving his arm in excitement.

"Nyx!"

It spoke volumes of how close they became over their journey that the goddess immediately shot up, the miasma disappearing like an illusion. Her face brightened up when she saw him, as much as it could brighten up. Clasping her hands together, she nodded happily.

"B-B-Bell! K-kojiro!" She then saw the girls. Deflating a bit, she hunched her shoulders. "Err... o-o-o-others... "

"My Familia. Meet Lady Hestia and Solaris Crozzo."

"A pleasure to meet you," Hestia said, stepping forward and extending her hand. Nyx smiled wryly, her mouth twitching as she shook the hand.

"N-no need to...t-t-try so hard." She lowered her head. "I….I know my-my effect on p-p-people... "

Hestia and Solaris flinched, visibly guilty. Bell cleared his throat loudly before looking around.

"So how much did you sell?"

Immediately the miasma returned as Nyx hung her head even lower. Biting his lip, he nodded slowly. However Nyx raised her head, presenting a small bag with a nervous expression.

"Want-want s-s-s-some... Night C-cookies? F-free s-sample."

"Allow us to pay," Kojiro objected before putting valis down before the merchant could object. Then the quartet peeked into the bag Bell proceeded to open. It took all their willpower not to flinch away or drop it.

They were pitch black. Dark and deformed, they seemed like creepy creatures that could kill someone with only their looks. Bell gulped before pulling one out. He glanced at the others, who subtly shook their heads. Then he glanced at Nyx, whose bagged eyes sparkled as much as they could. With a deep breath, he gathered his nerves... and threw the piece into his mouth. Chewing with fear, he soon blinked in surprise before humming pleased.

It tasted really good. The texture was nice, a good crunch before dissolving on his tongue. Not too much sugar either. Despite the dubious looks they gave Bell, they tried them out as well. Their eyes widened too.

"Oh wow, they're good!" Hestia announced before munching away at more of them.

"Extremely creepy but good," Solaris admitted before being slapped over the head. She winced, rubbing her head as Hestia glared at her captain. "Ouch!"

"Manners!"

"It-It-Its fine... " Nyx muttered, lowering her head to show that it was not fine. Bell swallowed the food before smiling at her.

"I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"I was-was c-c-curious... " She smiled awkwardly as she gave more cookies to them after Hestia paid for more. Folding her hands, she tilted her head at Bell. "It... it's been a w-while…

"Actually I saw you in the past while you were doing a business deal."

Nyx blinked at his words. Slowly, so slowly Bell could hear her neck creak, she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"With... with w-who?"

"You know. The man with the goggles? Dagger at his hip, brown jacket?" Bell described. Yet Nyx only stared blankly at him. Then she lowered her head, her lips quivering.

"Ah. D-d-d-did I... forget... ? I-i-i don't k-know... w-who you m-m-mean... "

Bell sweated nervously. Did he mistake her for someone else? But then again, he was pretty sure he saw Nyx, lack of fear aura notwithstanding. Maybe the man wasn't that important? Anyway, he patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Maybe I saw someone else!"

"Hm." Nyx brushed his hair, ignoring the constipated look Hestia seemed to have and smiled at him. "H-have fun."

Leaving her behind, Bell frowned. Who was that man anyway? He was starting to get worried. Especially if there was a potential copycat walking around... Before he could think about it more, his arm was caught by Hestia, who hugged it with a wide smile.

"Alright, let's split up! I'm taking Bell!"

Before anyone could object, he was being dragged away, leaving Kojiro and Solaris behind. As Bell stammered at his goddess' antics, he didn't hear the comments from his fellow Familia members.

"So is it just me or is our goddess horny for Bell?"

"He has that effect on women."

/

Wanting to be fed by Bell. Watching bards play song and cheering for them. Taking a walk through a park, enjoying nature along the way... this wasn't a date, was it? It would be really inappropriate if it was. While he acknowledged Hestia's beauty... she was a goddess nonetheless. Not to mention, his heart didn't beat like it did with Artoria, much less Aiz. He just didn't see her that way. Yet he couldn't bring himself to openly reject her. He wouldn't be able to bear the thought of breaking her heart like this. He only had to hope that Hestia would realize it on her own and move past him. Being immortal should make that process easier, right?

Even in his head, that hope sounded weak. Still, as the goddess giggled happily, his arm in an iron grip, he couldn't help but smile himself. His goddess was really cute. Which was why it was more shocking when they heard a male voice, causing Hestia's smile to vanish like a drop of water in the desert.

"Hello there, Hestia!"

They turned around, seeing a blonde god tipping his hat at them. Hestia immediately hissed, moving Bell a bit behind her like a possessive mother cat.

"Hermes."

"Hestia, you hurt me! We haven't seen each other for so long and this is how you treat me?" Hermes asked, clutching his shirt as if his heart was in pain. The goddess was immune to his act however, just glaring at him.

"We can't entertain you, go away!"

"So hostile. I was just checking out if it was true you had new kids. I see the rumors were right," Hermes explained, glancing at Bell with a smile. "I am Hermes. I suppose you are Bell Cranel?"

"Er, yessir."

The god winced, scratching his cheek with a wry smile.

"No need to call me sir. It makes me feel old."

"You are old."

"You really need to act more your age, Lord Hermes."

The cold female voices sounded from behind the god. He flinched turning around to see a blue haired lady adjusting her glasses while the black haired elf openly glared at him. He laughed awkwardly before turning around at Hestia again, trying to pretend as if nothing happened.

"This is Asfi, my cute captain, and Filvis, yet another cutie of my Familia! You might be seeing them more often!"

Bell's eyes widened. He heard of Asfi. The one named Perseus, one of the few who possessed the Mystery ability. She was known to be a crafter of many items. Though he wasn't aware of any reputation Filvis might have had. Anyway, Hestia huffed, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Not if Astraea has anything to say about it!"

Hermes raised his hand defensively, laughing a bit.

"Alright, alright, I'll stay away for now then."

He glanced at Bell. The young man shivered at the look he received. It was just for a moment but it looked liked the god seemed disappointed. As quickly as it came, he clapped his hands together, a jolly smile on his face.

"Well, I'll look forward to your future feats, Bell!"

With those words, he left with his own children, leaving Hestia and Bell alone for now. The latter laughed awkwardly, trying to get rid of the heavy feeling he felt in his stomach.

"He seemed nice enough."

Hestia scoffed before making the two of them sit down on a nearby bench.

"Well, he's bad news! Even back in Heaven, he was always being the shady time, with his sticky fingers everywhere! That look just now was checking you out in terms of entertainment!"

Bell winced. He wanted to believe his goddess but to hear her sound so harsh... Not to mention, he couldn't forget that look he saw. As his shoulders slumped, his cheeks were suddenly touched. Held up, he was forced to look into Hestia's eyes, her expression soft.

"Bell, please cheer up."

"I-I'm fine!" Bell shouted immediately. But a finger rested on his lips, silencing him.

"Uh-uh! No lying to a goddess!" Leaning back, Hestia smiled at him. "You're a good kid. Never doubt that."

Bell pressed his lips together. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He wanted to believe that. Yet that look of disappointment... Bell knew he had that same look if he looked into a mirror.

"...It's just so hard... I feel like I'm stuck," he muttered quietly. In response his goddess patted his head.

"I wouldn't worry about that." With full confidence, she nodded. "I know if the world really pushes you, you will do great and push right back!" Holding his hands up, she let out a small giggle. "When I first saw you, I saw that spark. That spark of being great. It's just waiting to create a big shining fire beacon. Trust me."

Feeling his face heat up, Bell could feel his chest feel lighter now. Smiling himself, he nodded in gratitude.

"T-thank you."

"Just promise me one thing," Hestia muttered, in a somber tone. He perked up, trying to focus on what she would say. With a sad expression, she squeezed his hands. "Always return. No matter what, with your head held high and a wide smile on your face."

Bell could feel the worry she radiated. The earnest plead. So in the end, he didn't want to disappoint her. Feeling the heat in his heart, he nodded.

"I promise."

/

The fighting from outside could be felt even inside of Babel. The Pallum scoffed at the noises, focusing on dragging the deadweight he was carrying by her black collar. To her credit she wasn't complaining, instead just having a wry smile on her face as she was pulled into her own personal room like a cat. With a click of his tongue, the blue haired Pallum threw her onto her seat. She winced, rubbing her bottom before dusting herself off with a huff. Another vibration shook the tower, causing the silver haired goddess to lick her lips before she leaned her cheek on her right palm.

"Ah, only you can treat me like that." Shaking her head in amusement, she coly batted her eyelashes. "Honestly, Hans, you really should learn how to treat women better."

The young man felt the heat rise up in his heart, that desire of love and proceeded to use it mercilessly as fuel for his words. He crossed his arms, sitting down on his own designated chair and raised a mocking eyebrow at her.

"Who's the idiot that wanted to charm monsters into a riot?"

Another shock ran through the tower. The goddess blinked before humming thoughtfully.

"Do you not pity Ottar for having to protect you like this?"

"Part of him likes the exercise and we both know it, Freya." Groaning, Hans rolled his shoulders before folding his hands with a glare. "Now back to you. What part of this brainless scheme seemed like a good idea to you?"

"Well, something has to make his soul shine and the world certainly isn't doing that. So why not push it myself?" Freya explained in a tone that made it seem like she was explaining why a person had to eat. It was second nature to her, to do anything to make a soul shine, to make it more appetizing before stealing it away and add it to her collection to gather dust until she didn't care that much anymore. Hans shook his head. Why did he ever join this familia? Feeling that forced emotion rear its ugly head, he remembered. Right, he wanted to turn a goddess of love into a real girl. He didn't know if he should be proud it was kinda working, little changes as they were or if he should hate how more ditzy she became in a sense. Rubbing his temples he closed his eyes in agony.

"Next thing you'll do is tell Ottar to train up a minotaur and sic it on the boy."

"Hm. I didn't think of that," Freya hummed thoughtfully. With a giggle, she clapped her hands together. "Oh, do you thi-"

In an instance, his hand was holding her up by the collar, seemingly teleporting in Freya's eyes. Hans snarled right in her face, anger filling his mind at the mere thought of her pulling this off.

"Stop being horny for two damn seconds! What the hell are you doing, trying to force this stupid plot development?!"

In return, Freya's smile slowly fell. The air in the room became heavier, as just the hint of divine energy seeped out of her. Frowning in displeasure, she merely stared at Hans, who looked right back with an unyielding glare.

"I wouldn't have to do this if his soul wasn't so muddled with doubt and inferiority complexes." The pressure disappeared and the goddess sighed, shaking her head playfully."If you would just release your next book, I could handle it, but right now? Consider me impatient."

Letting her go, he adjusted his white coat before pushing his glasses up a bit.

"Well, tough shit, good work needs time."

"You keep saying that but I saw you count the tiles instead of doing anything relating to writing," Freya commented with a raised eyebrow. Ignoring the blow at his muse, Hans shook his head before pointing at her.

"Try to pull this off one more time and I'll personally kick you back to heaven."

They both know it was not an empty threat. Even with the entirety of the Freya Familia ripping him apart by doing so, if it meant protecting the stories he wanted to write, he would gladly die for it. It was one of the reasons why the goddess respected him, weirdly enough. Hans would never understand peoples' fetishes and he hated that he could see them like ink drying on the wall. Anyway, Freya sighed wistfully.

"How long am I supposed to wait?" She pouted at him, appearing rather cute if not were her absolutely rotten personality. "It's your fault for teasing me so much. Why did you show me your notes? It's like telling me there is a masterpiece waiting and all I see is the color pallete."

"You took a peek on your own, bitch." He waved his hand dismissively. "So not my fault."

"Hmph." She crossed her legs and leaned back. "I won't promise you I will hold back forever."

"You won't need to, as much as it disgusts me." Hans hesitated before running his hand through his hair. "What I can tell you... is that a proper climax is coming up. So don't bother interfering again. Got it?"

"Is that your wisdom talking once more, my Mimir?" Freya asked, a curious tone in her voice. He in turn rolled his eyes in exasperation. He hated that nickname so much.

"It's an author's intuition, shithead. Once you know what to look for it is nothing more than a parlor trick."

"I hold you to your word then."

Silence fell between the two. It was then that Hans remembered the circumstances leading up to him having to drag the horny woman back to her tower before she caused more trouble. With a return of his anger, he smirked in an evil manner, snapping his fingers at her.

"By the way I'm taking your paycheck for the next three months since you occupied my time from Lili."

For the first time Freya's eyes widened. Indignation filled her expression as she shot up and stomped the ground.

"I already received a paycut from Mama Mia already, do not take this from me!"

"Bitch, you're rich!" Hans countered. Freya let out a scoff before shaking her head.

"You wouldn't understand the value of money you earned yourself! Besides my children would ask questions what I would be doing with their funds!"

"They wouldn't ask shit and you know it! You just wanna role play too hard!" Hans shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "And I don't understand?! Who is the best seller author in here?!" He pointed at her accusingly. "If you weren't such a crappy cook, maybe you would get more!"

The woman flinched before pouting, crossing her arms with a huff.

"I got better!"

"Going from absolute shit to tasteless existence is not a thing to be proud of!" He shuddered at the memories, the absolute torture he had to go through before jabbing his thumb at himself. "Apologize to my stomach!"

"Ottar ate more than you!" She paused, in that moment in which the tower shook once more. Freya sighed, her shoulder slumping for a moment. "Oh, right. Speaking of which, I have to stop the others from wanting to kill you. Again." She gave Hans a pointed look."At least pretend to respect me in public."

"Bullshit, you get off from this and your children hate it," the author immediately denied. Freya raised an eyebrow at that.

"Even Ottar?"

"He hates it too but he also thinks of me as a friend. For some reason."

Freya's lips thinned before nodding slowly.

"You would be so cute if you were more honest."

"I'm always honest, you whore!"