There was a slight buzz in the air throughout the streets of Orario.
People turned their heads as a steady stream of deities made their way toward the Tower of Babel.
Those who had been in the city long enough already knew what it meant.
"Hey... is it that time already?"
Someone whispered.
"Yeah... the day all the gods gather in the Tower of Babel for their special meeting."
Another replied with a grin.
"The Denatus... can't believe three months have already passed."
A certain god with a feathered hat mumbled to himself with a smile.
The Denatus.
A gathering that took place in the Tower of Babel once every three months, where the deities of Orario convened to discuss the affairs of the city.
What had originally begun as little more than an excuse for the gods to socialize had gradually evolved into something with real weight behind it... a forum where decisions affecting the entire city of Orario were made.
But the highlight of every Denatus was the naming ceremony, where the gods bestowed aliases upon adventurers who had leveled up over the preceding three months.
Because of this, to even be invited to the meeting, a familia needed at least one member who had reached Level 2 or higher.
"Compared to the last Denatus, there's a different energy in the air today."
A deity remarked with an amused look.
"Of course there is. Two remarkable rookies appeared out of nowhere, and everyone is dying to see what aliases they'll walk away with."
"Ah, right... Loki's kid. The one everyone's been talking about."
"And Hestia's, right? Not quite as impressive by comparison, but still extraordinary."
"What a waste! I can't believe that lazy goddess found such a gem."
"Hehe... I can't wait."
The results of the Denatus never stayed within Orario's walls for long.
As the center of the world, every nation and major organization kept their ears open for whatever came out of this meeting.
It was here, more than anywhere else, that adventurers made their names known across the surface world and officially stepped onto the stage.
Inside the Tower of Babel, the upper floor reserved for the gathering was already alive with noise and color.
The air itself felt thick with divine presence.
Gods from every corner of the city filed in and took their seats... lounging, laughing, bickering... their voices piling on top of one another in a wave of barely contained chaos.
Some sprawled lazily across their chairs as if they hadn't a care in existence.
Others sipped wine like they were watching theater unfold for their personal amusement.
To them... it was exactly that.
"Now then... shall we begin?"
A single voice cut through the noise.
At the center of it all sat Ouranos... the god who governed Orario from the shadows.
"Loki."
The old god spoke quietly.
Hearing her name, Loki rose from her seat in a dress and clapped her hands together.
"Let's get this started! I, Loki, will be your host for today!"
The room erupted in cheers.
The opening portion of the meeting quickly dissolved into the kind of noisy chatter that had nothing to do with anything relevant, and it was only the force of Loki's glare that eventually pulled things back on track.
The first half of the meeting began with discussions about recent incidents in the city.
The emergence of new monster species, the death of Hasharna, the incident on the ninth floor, and more.
'No results at all…'
Loki thought as she swept her gaze across every god and goddess present.
One of the reasons she had taken on the role of host was to identify which deity might be connected to Evilus.
'With how well they've maintained their secrecy until now… there has to be at least one or two familias in the city involved with them.'
She was certain of it.
The problem was that the beings sitting in this room had existed for millions of years.
Most of them were sharp in their own ways.
Reading anything meaningful from their expressions was no easy task, even for her.
'Well… except for that pipsqueak, I guess.'
Loki's gaze shifted toward Hestia, whose eyes darted around nervously as she silently muttered, 'I have to get her a good name… I have to get her a good name.'
Loki suppressed a smile.
'I suppose it's time for the main event.'
"Alright, let's move on to the naming ceremony."
She said with a smirk, and the excitement in the room surged almost immediately.
"Please... have mercy."
The only ones who weren't excited were the gods of weaker familias, who were desperately hoping their children would receive decent names.
"Not a chance."
"This is tradition and everyone goes through it."
"So sit back and suffer."
In response to their pleas, the other deities grinned sadistically.
"Ahhh!"
One by one, cries of embarrassment and despair echoed through the hall.
Embarrassing aliases flew out left, right and center without a shred of restraint.
The gods responsible wore the expressions of people enjoying themselves immensely, and for the deities of the families on the receiving end...
All they could do was watch helplessly as their precious children were saddled with one cringe-worthy title after another.
"They really show absolutely no mercy, do they..."
Hestia muttered, gulping as her anxiety continued to rise.
She glanced over to find Takemikazuchi slumped lifelessly in his chair.
"Mikoto... I'm sorry. Mikoto... I'm sorry."
He repeated the words over and over like a broken record.
"I think we've lost him."
Hephaestus said with a sigh, giving him a look of quiet sympathy.
Then it was time for Ais and Bete, both of whom had recently reached Level 6.
However, one foolish god suggested changing Ais' alias from Sword Princess to "Our Wife."
Dozens of male gods immediately clamored in enthusiastic agreement.
Even Hermes applauded, barely containing his laughter.
However...
"Would you like to die?"
Loki said, fixing the room with a look that carried genuine killing intent.
"We're sorry!"
The male gods went pale in unison.
In the end, Ais and Bete's aliases were left unchanged.
The same went for Alise and Kaguya.
"With that settled, the aliases of Ais, Bete, Alise and Kaguya remain as they are."
Loki said as she picked up the final two sheets of paper on the table, each containing the information of the last two adventurers to be given titles.
"Well, well, well..."
She looked down at the familiar face on one of them and felt a grin spread across her face before she could stop it.
"The real main event starts now."
"We will now begin the naming ceremony for Belle Cranel and Judas Spade."
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