"Operator, these beauties are…?"
When Ryuu praised the women, the operator's face immediately lit up with a smug smile.
"Well, it may sound a little crude, but they're all my lovers."
As he spoke, the dwarf's expression radiated self-satisfaction.
"Though it might be improper to say so, I'm quite the romantic type."
"My sincere affections were, of course, reciprocated by them."
"Reciprocated…"
Ryuu glanced at the man's proud grin, then at the vacant, lifeless eyes of the women around him. No matter how she looked at it, nothing about their expressions suggested consent.
"But monopolizing these beautiful princesses would only invite the gossip of the goddesses of beauty, wouldn't it?"
"So, I generously provide a bit of eye candy for everyone. For instance, letting them serve drinks to the guests."
"I see."
Ryuu kept her contempt and disgust tightly in check. This wasn't the place—or the time—to let her emotions show.
Still, she now fully understood this man's depravity and his habit of self-aggrandizement.
The goddesses would never waste even a glance, much less gossip, on a man like this. As if any goddess would deign to look down upon such filth.
Even if the goddesses wouldn't, there were always flatterers willing to do so in their stead.
"Ah, I'm so envious," said a round-faced man beside him, his pudgy cheeks creasing into what seemed like a good-natured smile.
"If only I could have so many lovers one day."
He looked almost innocent when he said it—but his hands were already creeping along the arm of the woman next to him.
As for the operator, he didn't even flinch. His expression remained utterly indifferent.
Ryuu took everything in clearly.
'So these girls really were dragged into this Grand Casino through filthy means.'
'He takes them all for himself, then forces them to entertain the guests like playthings.'
A flicker of anger—a rare one—flashed across Ryuu's heart.
'The guests here won't condemn it. It benefits them, after all. Why would they resist?'
'As the exchange of interests deepens, and more groups tie themselves to the casino's profits, this place will only grow harder to topple.'
The Grand Casino was a festering wound on Orario—a tumor so deeply rooted that cutting it out might destroy the city itself.
'My strength alone isn't enough to tear this place down.'
Ryuu's face remained composed.
She didn't have the power to challenge a network like this. Only the gods could hope to change something so entrenched.
Yet even among the gods, some were likely entangled in the casino's profits themselves.
'No… now's not the time to dwell on that.'
'The priority is saving that girl—Anna Claes.'
"Speaking of which," someone said, "on the way here, I heard the operator recently acquired a peerless beauty."
"Oh, I've heard that too! Brought her back from some faraway land, didn't you?"
The operator didn't show a hint of anger—only mild surprise that quickly turned into smug satisfaction.
"I didn't expect your ears to be so sharp."
The operator glanced at his attendant, who immediately understood, bowed, and left to invite the guest inside.
Soon, the inner door opened.
A beautiful young lady entered, her fair skin glowing softly under the lamplight. The pure white gown she wore accentuated her innocence, and with her delicate, refined features, an aura of fragile grace surrounded her—a beauty that evoked both admiration and pity.
Yet, her face carried no smile. Only confusion and despair clouded her expression, as though she had already given up on her own future.
"She is indeed beautiful."
As an elf, Ryuu couldn't help but admit it—the girl they had come to rescue truly was beautiful.
"Bell, what do you think?"
Freya's sudden question drew Bell's attention. He gave the girl a peculiar glance, then shook his head slightly.
"For ordinary people, beauty is the last thing they should wish for," he said quietly. "It's nothing more than an accelerant that hastens their turn into 'commodities'."
"Is that all?"
Loki-sama's voice broke in, skeptical. Bell tilted his head, puzzled.
"Is there something else?"
Weren't Freya and Loki asking about the same thing?
"Like... this child's looks, for example? Don't you have any other thoughts?"
Alright, Bell realized he might have overthought the question. He hadn't expected the two goddesses to be asking about that.
"She should be... pretty?"
Probably the kind of girl others would call beautiful.
But Bell didn't really care about appearances. After all, could any mortal compare to a goddess?
"Why the question mark?"
Loki's tone was dripping with dissatisfaction. What kind of vague answer was that supposed to be?
Could it be... jealousy?
Hearing the tone beneath Loki's words, Bell couldn't help but consider the possibility.
'No way.'
Though he doubted it, his survival instincts urged him to speak quickly—before he ended up as the next target of divine retribution.
"I mean, she's beautiful, which is why she became the prey of these people," he said hastily. "But honestly, she's only average-looking. The goddesses are far more beautiful."
The moment those words left his mouth, Loki's expression softened noticeably.
Bell, however, was left utterly bewildered.
'She was jealous!'
'Wait, why is Loki-sama's jealousy worse than Hestia's and Hephaestus's combined?!'
A sudden chill crept up Bell's spine.
"Bell," Freya said sweetly, "which goddess were you referring to?"
The air around him seemed to freeze.
Loki had just taken her turn, and now Freya followed up without missing a beat. The two goddesses together were a force that could crush mountains—Bell felt the weight of it pressing down on him.
"Specifically, you could say Hestia and Hephaestus," he replied carefully.
"I meant," Freya added softly, "other than them."
Her tone was calm, but her arms tightened around him ever so slightly.
Cold sweat began to drip down Bell's temples.
"Freya-sama, is it really necessary to be that specific?"
"Hmm~ I think it's perfectly fine to make that distinction," Loki chimed in with a teasing grin.
Oh no.
Freya had just set the stage for a battlefield, and Loki-sama had immediately jumped into the fray with a clang.
'Oh no! It's really turned into a battlefield now!'