Chapter 204: Freya's Misgivings!
The moment they returned to Orario, everyone naturally split up.
After all, each of them had their own matters to handle. Even Hestia, though she said she was satisfied with Ethan's arrangement, had no intention of giving up her Jagamarukun job.
After all, the owner had taken her in when no one else wanted her. So even if she no longer had to worry about food or living expenses, she would not quit.
As for Ethan, he naturally returned to Tower of Babel to meet Freya.
He had been gone for so long, and on the surface, he had gone out to have fun with Artemis. Freya, who had been "confined" to Tower of Babel, was naturally a little unhappy.
"You finally decided to come back?"
Sure enough, the moment he returned, Freya's resentful voice rang out.
"Don't say it like that. No matter how far I go, I'll always come home in the end."
"Hmph."
Calling this place his "home" had to be said to calm Freya's anger a little.
However, before Ethan could breathe a sigh of relief, Freya's expression suddenly changed. It became even uglier than before.
"Freya-sama?"
Looking at Freya's shifting expression, Ethan spoke carefully.
"The scent on you isn't only Artemis's."
"Uh…"
Freya's words instantly made Ethan's face stiffen.
What did she mean by not only Artemis's "scent"? Did a great goddess also have a side job? Was her sense of smell really that sharp?
"A goddess's mark."
Looking at Ethan, Freya's expression changed.
On Ethan's body, there were special "marks." They were like tags. Even if Ethan died and reincarnated, those marks could be used to find his next life among countless people.
All gods could use such a method, but gods usually would not do so.
Because there was no meaning in it. Once a human soul reincarnated, it could be treated as a new individual. A new life would give birth to a new person.
For example, even if someone was a top adventurer in their previous life, they might not succeed again in the next.
Under such circumstances, the humans who received such "marks" were usually those truly "loved" by gods.
Even after you reincarnate, I will still find you.
This was the love of a "god." It was not mutual love between humans, but pure possessiveness.
I like you, so you belong to me. Even your next life belongs to me.
And on Ethan's body, there were three such marks.
Although Freya liked Ethan, she liked his potential, strength, and "body." She was not deeply in love with him, so she had not left her own mark on him.
But now, Ethan had only gone out once, yet he had three more marks on him.
In other words, behind Ethan, there were now three gods. And if nothing unexpected happened, they were all goddesses. After all, a male god would not place such a mark on a man, except perverts like Apollo.
Aside from the known Artemis, Ethan was actually connected to two other goddesses.
How could Freya's mood possibly be good?
Her little wolfdog, whom she had spent money to raise, had finally grown up and started fooling around behind her back?
"How impressive, Ethan. You went out once and gained the hearts of three goddesses. I never realized you were this popular."
Hearing Freya's words, cold sweat immediately flowed down Ethan's back.
Although he did not know how she had discovered it, Ethan now felt the panic of a man who went out to cheat and was caught by his wife after returning home.
"Well…"
After thinking for a long time, Ethan still failed to come up with an excuse.
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
"Freya-sama, I promise you, I will always stand on your side. The Freya Familia will always be my home."
"So, aside from Artemis, who are the other two?"
"..."
Silence.
Facing the angry Freya, Ethan really did not want to tug a tiger's whiskers. But the tigress was already furious. If he added fuel to the fire now, he would definitely die even worse.
"You're not saying?"
A cold light flashed in Freya's eyes. Her little wolfdog was becoming somewhat disobedient.
"H-Hestia…"
"Mm. And the other one?"
Hestia. Freya had an impression of her. Previously, when Hestia got drunk, she had clung to Ethan and refused to let go, insisting that Ethan liked her and was her child.
With Hestia's personality, it was not impossible for this boy to trick her.
After all, Ethan was someone from another world. Deep in his bones, he did not have that kind of reverence toward gods.
"H-Hephaestus…"
"Who?"
The second name immediately stunned Freya.
Hephaestus. As her divine friend, Freya was naturally familiar with her, and she also knew many things about her.
As a supposedly flawless god, Hephaestus had such a defect on her body. Because of that, she had been very unwelcome in heaven.
Aside from Hestia, almost no god would take the initiative to approach her.
After descending, it was only because of her title as the God of the Forge that she quickly gathered many dwarf children. From there, she gradually developed to where she was today.
Although their relationship looked harmonious on the surface, in Freya's heart, she looked down on Hephaestus.
After all, Freya was a "Goddess of Beauty."
As for Hephaestus, she happened to be the "ugliest" among the gods.
Even so, their surface relationship had to remain decent, and Freya had always done that.
Now, Ethan had not even spared Hephaestus. This made Freya somewhat dissatisfied.
"How far have you gone with her?"
Looking at Ethan, Freya asked a seemingly random question.
"What do you mean by… how far?"
"Stop talking nonsense with me."
"What should have been done, and what shouldn't have been done… I did it all."
After saying this, Ethan's gaze wandered a little.
Aside from the drunken first time, Ethan had been very reckless over the following days. After all, she was a goddess. For a man, that carried a special desire to conquer.
After hearing Ethan's answer, Freya's expression immediately changed.
The way she looked at Ethan also shifted slightly.
The goddess she looked down on had actually been taken by Ethan. Freya found this somewhat hard to accept.
"All right. Go back first."
"Hm?"
Hearing Freya say this, Ethan was slightly stunned.
That was it? She was not punishing him?
Although it sounded a little shameless to think that way, had this matter really passed just like that?
However, Freya did not give Ethan a chance to ask. She directly drove him out.
This left Ethan completely confused.
What was going on?
(PS: Sorry everyone, I don't usually share much about my personal life, but I'm currently facing a very difficult situation. As you may have heard, Nepal has been struck by a devastating flash flood. It's one of the worst disasters to hit the country since the 2015 earthquake. Unfortunately, I've also been directly affected, as I live here.
Because of this, I won't be active on Webnovel, Wat-tpad, or P-atreon for the time being. Thankfully, I had already scheduled uploads in advance for the next week or two, so you should still receive regular updates.
I'm posting this using my phone with an unstable connection, and I expect it will take me about a week to manage my personal affairs and reach the capital.
Thank you for your understanding, and goodbye for now—I'll be back in about a week, hopefully...)
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