The rivalry between the two goddesses was nothing unusual—after all, Orario had no shortage of them.
Loki and Freya both stood at the pinnacle of the city's divine hierarchy. No matter how close they might be in private, a bit of competition was inevitable. They often clashed due to differences in opinion.
Still, no matter how intense their arguments had gotten before, it had never escalated to the point of starting a battlefield. But now, over a man, the two goddesses seemed ready for war.
'Damn it! Am I some kind of Incubus? I don't even have a skill like that in my skill set.'
'I haven't even finished collecting the deadly sins of lust—how did I suddenly become a humanoid succubus?'
Sandwiched between the two goddesses, the unlucky Bell Cranel trembled like a frightened animal, too scared to even lift his head.
"Don't play dead right now."
"Exactly, Bell. This is the perfect time for Loki to realize her place."
As the two goddesses took turns pressing him, cold sweat began pouring from Bell's forehead.
Gods, he really hadn't expected managing goddess drama to be this hard.
Looking back, maybe the reason Hestia and Hephaestus hadn't had major conflicts in front of him was simply because they got along better.
"This question... I really don't know how to answer it."
With zero experience in navigating this kind of romantic war zone, Bell had no idea what to say.
"Just speak boldly."
"Yeah, don't hold back. If Loki gets mad, I'll protect you."
"Hah? You're the one who should calm down, you lovestruck airhead. Don't let your crow's feet show from fuming too hard."
"Loki, don't act so childish when you're angry—your figure is crying in protest."
Though their voices remained fairly composed, their words had turned into sharp jabs.
Bell was at his limit. If he didn't say something soon, this situation could spiral completely out of control.
"Freya-sama, Loki-sama, you both came here just to watch the show, didn't you?"
The two goddesses exchanged glances and, with clear reluctance, reined in the rage that had nearly boiled over.
"Phew..."
Seeing the two finally stop bickering, Bell let out a slight sigh of relief.
But in that moment of calm, he failed to notice the faint divine flicker in their eyes.
Of course, even if he had, he probably would've assumed the goddesses were genuinely about to clash.
When in fact? Their emotions were far more composed than he realized—they were even slightly amused.
[Ha! He really thought we were going to fight.]
[That's because he's never seen it before. Hestia and Hephaestus would never argue in front of him, so he's clueless about how to handle this.]
Freya had hit the nail on the head.
[Besides, this child already possesses Authority. He might be able to sense our divine power, but he still doesn't understand what it actually means.]
In the end, it wasn't really his fault.
Bell wasn't stupid, but he'd failed to consider that even when standing on opposite sides, these two goddesses would never truly fall out—especially not Freya and Loki.
As the two goddesses standing at the pinnacle of Orario, they understood each other better than anyone else.
Thus, these two goddesses also spent considerable time together behind the scenes. Otherwise, Freya wouldn't frequently invite Loki over for tea. And Loki often borrowed Freya's things to play with—never returning them.
Their relationship wasn't bad at all. In fact, among the gods, they were second only to Hestia and Hephaestus in terms of closeness. Those unaware of their bond could never imagine its depth.
So this time, Bell had misjudged the situation.
[That's quite possible.]
Divine power and magical power were entirely different forces; children of the lower realms normally couldn't sense divine power.
But in Bell's case, Loki genuinely believed he could manage it.
[He can freely wield the power of divine authority. Though he currently channels it as magical power, this doesn't prevent him from gradually developing an affinity that allows him to perceive the presence of divine power.]
Ordinary children of the lower realms lacked this adaptability. Only those who frequently interacted with Authority developed it.
But since Authority wasn't accessible to Genkai children, theoretically, they should never possess such adaptability.
Bell was truly an exception.
...
Returning his gaze to the gambling table, the situation had taken a drastically unfavorable turn—especially for Ryuu and Syr's side.
"Pure skill alone can't overcome such a massive numerical disparity."
Bell could clearly see that neither side was cheating. Yet, when every player at the same table except himself was participating in a coordinated gamble targeting one person, this went far beyond a simple contest of skill.
"It's not hard to figure out their trick."
Freya was well aware of the tricks the Genkai children could pull. This was a gathering place for the gray industry, a hub for gray members—such tactics were merely the basics.
"But if this continues, a real fight is inevitable."
"...No, Freya-sama, a fight is inevitable no matter what. Those two Lv.3s who jumped to Lv.4 are courting death right in front of them. If they keep pushing people like this, this place will become a battlefield in an instant."
"If that happens, those children will be in danger."
Freya's gaze fell upon those poor girls.
Unlike her own children, there was no guarantee the lives of those ordinary children—deceived into the Abyss—would be safe. The Level 4 wouldn't lose against two Level 3s, but the ordinary children present would be in trouble.
So Freya looked at Bell with a pleading expression.
"Bell, could I trouble you with something?"
"I understand."
It wasn't exactly a bother, but Bell felt this was completely backwards from his initial desire to just watch the show.
The situation was indeed troublesome enough. Facing such an unscrupulous match, defeat seemed inevitable.
"But I have little fondness for gambling. I might play a bit rough."
"Hmm, I don't care for these things either."
A chill crept into Freya's voice. To harbor such impure thoughts toward her children deserved divine punishment, no matter how you looked at it.