After returning to Babel Tower, Cao Ye buried himself face-first into his blanket.
Although being embraced earlier by the childlike yet busty goddess had brought him a bit of unexpected "benefit," the aftermath seemed to be causing quite a lot of trouble—especially with his own goddess.
At the Hostess of Fertility, everything seemed to have settled down.
But Cao Ye had a strange feeling that the real storm hadn't arrived yet.
Normally at this hour, Chun Ji would have already washed up and be waiting for his affection.
But because of Freya's orders, she wasn't here tonight.
So he could only "sleep alone in an empty room."
Knock knock knock—
Just as Cao Ye was preparing to rest, a knock sounded on the door.
The sound instantly made him nervous.
After all, there were only two people who would knock on his door in the middle of the night—either Ottar or Freya.
He quickly got out of bed, opened the door in his pajamas, and the figure that appeared before him was not Ottar's muscular body—
—but Freya, dressed in black stockings and a slim-fitting cheongsam.
The cheongsam was light purple, embroidered with violet flowers along the collar. It looked incredibly elegant.
"What? Not happy to see me?"
"How could that be? If Lady Freya has come, how could I not welcome you?"
Cao Ye stepped aside and invited the goddess inside.
However, tonight Freya carried a faint fragrance.
Just a slight whiff of it made Cao Ye feel his blood heating up.
As expected of the Goddess of Beauty…
"So, Lady Freya, what brings you here so late at night?"
"What? Am I not allowed to come here?"
"Of course that's not what I mean."
He had already suffered enough losses. He definitely didn't want to make things worse.
Freya wasn't exactly someone with a generous heart. His little savings were limited, and if he pushed things too far, he'd end up crying.
Even though Golden Rule meant he would never truly lack money, being scammed for huge sums still hurt.
Tap… tap… tap…
Freya walked around the room, casually looking through several areas.
Soon she noticed Paimon, sleeping soundly on the sofa.
The beautifully decorated room was large—yet it felt slightly empty.
"Without Chun Ji here, it feels a bit lonely."
"Lady Freya did it for Chun Ji's sake. Her magic means she'll inevitably become a target in the future. She needs the ability to protect herself."
Although Cao Ye had a bit of resentment, he understood that Freya's decision wasn't wrong.
Letting the senior members of the Freya Familia train Chun Ji so she could protect herself was far better than simply assigning someone to guard her.
After all, protection always has loopholes.
Your own strength is the most reliable.
"I thought that after I sent your little lover away, you'd be unhappy. After all, the two of you are still in that inseparable phase."
"Huh? Lady Freya, how do you—"
Halfway through speaking, Cao Ye froze.
Did she know about him and Chun Ji?
If that was the case…
Did that mean he had essentially cheated on Freya?
Was this his sentencing?
"What? Did you think I didn't know about the two of you?"
"Leaving everything else aside, when Chun Ji first arrived, she was still pure. And now? Surely you're not pretending you don't know."
"… …"
Pure?
That was long gone.
Ever since they crossed that final line, Chun Ji had seemingly opened some strange switch.
Now she had practically turned into a seductive fox.
Many times she was even more proactive than Cao Ye.
"Lady Freya… things between Chun Ji and me aren't what you think."
"Oh? If it's not what I think, then what is it?"
"You know how overwhelming your charm is. I see you almost every day—so naturally I've been building up a lot of pent-up frustration."
"And then Chun Ji came along acting like she was 'yours to pick.' How could I possibly resist?"
"So you made your move."
"…Yes."
Cao Ye nodded.
What was done was done.
He wasn't the kind of man who would deny it.
As a man, he wouldn't push the responsibility onto Chun Ji either.
I couldn't resist, so I took her.
That's the truth.
"Accumulating desire because of me… and then taking Chun Ji instead. Listening to you, it almost sounds like it's my fault."
"I wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't dare? Not 'it isn't.'"
"Cao Ye… do you really think I favor you that much?"
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Cao Ye immediately felt a pressure descending upon him—the imposing aura of the goddess Freya.
Yet his expression didn't change much.
His attitude toward Freya had always been simple:
If she offered herself, he wouldn't refuse.
But if she didn't, then so be it.
At first Cao Ye had entertained some fantasies. Freya would occasionally tease him and let him take small advantages.
But over time, she seemed to lose interest in that.
So Cao Ye shifted his attention and captured Chun Ji, the alluring fox.
It was like choosing food.
One dish might be a state banquet delicacy—magnificent, but impossible to obtain.
Another might be a local specialty you could eat to your heart's content.
Which would you choose?
More importantly, Cao Ye now had some confidence.
After countless gacha draws, he was no longer the helpless newcomer he had been two months ago.
Now he believed he could survive anywhere—
Even if he left Orario.
Click.
But things didn't develop the way he expected.
Freya, who had been visibly displeased just moments ago, suddenly smiled.
All the pressure vanished instantly.
In its place came an overwhelming charm.
Freya deliberately released her allure.
And her target was none other than Cao Ye.
She sat close to him.
The cheongsam accentuated her perfect figure. Her smooth white legs crossed elegantly, one resting atop the other.
From Cao Ye's angle, it almost seemed like he could glimpse a tantalizing slit.
Freya looked slightly exposed—
Yet when he looked closely, nothing could actually be seen.
Under Freya's charm, Cao Ye's gaze began to change slightly.
Buzz—
But in the next moment, his eyes cleared again.
"Miracle of Absolute Evil."
Super-domain soul enhancementSuper-domain body enhancementImmunity to negative effects
Charm was considered a negative status effect.
Even when the Goddess of Beauty Freya personally used it on Cao Ye, it was nullified—because she could not use divine power in the lower world.
This was Freya.
If it had been anyone else's charm ability, it probably wouldn't have even activated before being completely negated.
Yet Freya still managed to make Cao Ye lose himself for a single moment.
Even if it was only a moment—
The difference was enormous.