General Pov
The protective fury in Max's eyes stalled, replaced by raw confusion. He stared at her, turning the name over in his head as he realized the source of her tears wasn't an immediate catastrophe, but a settled grudge.
Max let out a long breath. The tension dropped from his shoulders, replaced by a weary reluctance. "Hedin? That's what this is about?"
Freya didn't answer, but her silver eyes searched his face, desperate for the truth.
Seeing her distress, his expression softened. He shifted his grip, sliding his hands up to gently cup her shoulders.
"It started after my first dive, when I went to make my first familia contribution," he explained, his voice losing its casual edge. "Once I deposited the money, I looked through the records. There was a negative balance under my name. 150 million valis in outstanding debt."
A faint tremor wracked Freya's frame. The number clicked instantly in her mind. She knew exactly what carried that specific value: the grimoire.
The ugly truth struck her across the face with the force of a physical blow. Hedin didn't just tax a new member. He took a gift she personally bestowed and weaponized it into a crippling chain. It was very calculated and petty act of sabotage designed solely to break the one mortal who dared to look at her without fanatical reverence.
A sickening vertigo washed over her, tilting the room on its axis. She leaned on Max's arms for comfort and to stop herself from collapsing under the revelation.
Feeling her tremble in his grasp, Max squeezed her shoulders. His thumbs traced slow circles against her skin, his voice calm as he tried to ground her. "I asked the clerk who made the entry. He told me it was Hedin. The elf was out on a diplomatic mission at the time, so I couldn't confront him about it."
The clerk knew. The elf did it and simply left the city. The bureaucratic cruelty of leaving a ruinous landmine on a rookie's ledger made hot tears spill from Freya's eyes. Her sorrow was completely swallowed by a suffocating betrayal.
Till now, she convinced herself that her executives, no matter how vicious or bloodthirsty, ultimately shared her vision for the Familia's growth. She believed they were her pillars, actively working to ensure Folkvangr remained the undisputed pinnacle of the world.
That was a lie. A pathetic lie she was completely ignorant of until this moment.
They didn't care about the Familia's development. They didn't give a damn about securing true strength. They only cared about monopolizing her attention. The horrific reality unspooled before her, each realization hitting like another slap to the face: her commanders would eagerly sabotage their own ranks, weaken their own vanguard, and crush a budding prodigy into the dirt, all just to ensure no one else could step into her light.
The betrayal twisted like a rusted blade between her ribs. She was the Goddess of War, yet she had been entirely blind to the rot festering in her own sanctum.
With that sickening clarity, a ghost of a memory surfaced, sharp and unwelcome. Mia's tired voice echoed in her mind, ringing like a death knell before the dwarven woman walked out of her gates.
"You aren't building a family, Freya. You're building a cage of starving wolves. One day, they'll tear apart anything you try to love."
Back then, she dismissed it as the bitter rambling of an exhausted warrior. Now, the prophecy suffocated her. She made herself the sole object of their obsession. She starved them of genuine kinship, and in return, those wolves had nearly torn away the one person who truly accepted her. Max treated her like a woman instead of an untouchable idol. He was the only soul capable of standing beside her for eternity, and her own fatal design had almost driven him away.
The suffocating weight of her failures pinned her to the mattress. For years, she wondered why her familia's overall might only ever equated to Loki's, despite possessing vastly superior warriors. Now she finally understood. Loki built a family that fought for each other; she built a cult that fought over her.
All those monumental blunders crashed down on her at once, dragged into the harsh light by the Devil sitting in front of her.
"Why didn't you come to me?" she whispered, her voice cracking under the crushing weight of her guilt. "I would have settled the issue. If you were apprehensive about my reaction, you could have informed Raymond. He would have brought it to my attention."
"Because I had to claim it," Max interrupted.
Freya opened her mouth to argue, but he held her gaze. The casual confidence in his eyes was gone, replaced by a suppressed anger.
"Please, let me finish," he asked.
She swallowed the argument and gave him a silent nod.
"I didn't want to bother you over a dumb elf, Freya, but it was more than that," Max said, his jaw tightening as he finally let his own vulnerability show. "If I came running to you the second an executive bared his fangs, how could I ever stand beside you? I would just be another dependent hiding behind your name."
He reached up, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. "He 'tested' me back when you sent me to register with the Guild. He treated me like a fleeting distraction, and that rubbed me the wrong way. His absence on that diplomatic mission gave me some peace to just focus on my growth in the Dungeon. But the second he returned, he tried to pull the exact same stunts."
Max's eyes darkened, a flicker of protective anger breaking through. "In his effort to put me in my place, he made the fatal mistake of threatening Kairu."
Max let out a low breath, his posture rigid. "I know you promised to protect me from anyone, Freya. But after that? I'd had enough. I needed to deal with him myself. I wanted to earn my place with my own hands."
He leaned closer, a defiant smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "So when he laid hands on Kairu, I happily took the opportunity he presented and taught him his place."
Max offered a triumphant grin, fully expecting the vulnerability of his confession to settle the issue.
Freya stared at him. The words hung in the space between them.
I would just be another dependent.
He didn't hide the debt out of distrust. He didn't keep it from her because he doubted her affection. He hid it out of a foolish mortal desire to prove he was worthy of her. A breathless relief swept through her veins, warm and absolute, completely washing away the paralyzing fear of his rejection.
But as the relief settled, the visceral reality of what he had actually done took its place. He sought out a Level 5 executive. Alone. He provoked a man who possessed a fanatical devotion to her.
The remaining tears drying on her cheeks felt suddenly cold. Her guilt didn't vanish—it ignited. It burned away the weeping woman and dragged the Goddess of War to the surface, fueled by a blinding terror at how close she had come to losing him forever.
"You stupid mortal," Freya hissed as her hands flew up to grip his wrists, her nails digging into his skin. "You hid a blood feud with a Level 5 executive out of pride! What if your certainty was wrong? What if he didn't hold back? You could have been killed over a manufactured debt!"
Max's smirk evaporated and he blinked, caught off guard by the reprimand. "Hey, I had it under control—"
"You will promise me," Freya demanded, cutting him off. Her gaze burned into his with absolute authority, demanding complete submission. "You will promise me right now that you will come to me in these situations. Irrespective of how small or big the issue is, you will never hide a threat to your life from me again."
Max opened his mouth to defend his independence, but the lingering red rims of her eyes stopped him cold. The realization that his silence has terrified her, anchored him.
He let out a defeated sigh, his shoulders slumping. "Fine. I promise."
"Say it properly," she pressed, refusing to yield an inch.
"I promise I'll come to you first," Max grumbled, the fond exasperation in his voice betraying his sincerity.
Freya held his gaze, ensuring the vow seated itself deep in his stubborn soul. Only then did the blinding panic recede. She released his wrists, letting her hands slide up his chest to rest her palms against his collar. The storm passed, but the adrenaline remained.
Max let out a quiet breath, a casual ease settling over him. That was it? A simple promise was all it took?
Once this update finished, he was going to be a Level 4 with the effective stats of at least a Level 6. There wouldn't be many threats left capable of actually putting him in danger. Keeping a promise to report life-threatening situations would be effortless, simply because he wouldn't face any.
He offered her a confident grin, completely oblivious to the trap closing around him.
If Max had known exactly what was going through Freya's mind at that very second, he would have bolted from the room and fled the city immediately.
"Good," Freya murmured.
Unseen by him, a wicked smile touched her lips. To fully ground herself after the emotional whiplash, she turned her mind toward retribution. Her lingering anger sharpened, crystallizing into a cruel satisfaction as she decided on the appropriate punishments for both her foolish Devil and the thick-headed Elf.
"Now, turn back," she ordered, her tone returning to a melodic purr. "We will finish your update, and then I am going to deal with Hedin."
Max chuckled, letting her push him gently back onto his stomach. "Just like that? You're letting me off the hook?"
"Hardly," Freya affirmed.
As he settled against the mattress, her cruel satisfaction melted into pure excitement. She smoothed a damp strand of blue hair away from the nape of his neck, her pulse quickening. Tracing the line of his spine with her silver needle, she imagined the rush of the evening wind, the city lights far below, and the thrill of finally soaring on his wings.
"As compensation for the grief you caused me," Freya whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss against his back. "You are going to take me flying tonight."
"What?!" Max sputtered. He pushed himself up on his elbows, twisting awkwardly to point an accusing finger at her. "Didn't we agree that was only going to happen once I reached High-Class? This is cheating!"
Freya blinked, momentarily taken aback by his sudden petulance. Then, an amused smile broke across her face, shattering the last lingering remnants of the morning's heavy tension.
She rested a delicate hand against her cheek, adopting an innocent expression of contemplation. "Oh? Are you scared of something?"
Max felt his pulse spike. He was desperately hanging on to the very last frayed threads of his 'sagehood'. Taking the Goddess of Beauty flying into a romantic night sky was a guaranteed way to obliterate whatever restraint he had left. He could not let this woman ruin his discipline today, especially not while she was weaponizing that feigned curiosity against him.
He let out a sharp breath, scrambling to reclaim the high ground. "I am accepting the moral responsibility for the grief I caused you," he declared, his tone adopting a mock severity. "So, I will take you flying. But in the evening."
He pressed his hand flat against the mattress, firmly establishing his boundary. "Nighttime flights are strictly reserved for when I hit High-Class. Those are the rules."
Freya studied his determined expression. The fondness in her chest swelled, fully replacing the cold edges of her earlier panic. She tilted her head, conceding the battle with a graceful dip of her chin. "Very well. Evening it is."
Max let out a breath of relief and dropped his chin back on his arms with a thought. Crisis averted.
"Now," Freya murmured, raising the silver needle once more, her voice dropping back to a soft hum. "Lie still, my Devil. Let us see exactly what you have become."
-◈ -
Status:
Maximus Stilbon
Freya Familia
Devil (Mid Class)
Level: 3*
[*Notice: Level Up available.]
Stats:
Strength: I0 - EX5243
Endurance: I0 - EX5356
Dexterity: I0 - EX5142
Agility: I0 - EX5076
Magic: I0 - EX 5683
Lineage Powers:
Devil
Destruction
?
Magic:
Ars Magna
Independent Action
Skills:
Lux Tenebris
Developmental Abilities:
Fortune - F
Devil - G
-◈ -
Freya pressed the parchment flat against his back. The Falna pulsed one final time, the black script bleeding into the paper to translate his soul into hard metrics.
She pulled the sheet away, bracing herself for another absurd anomaly. But the numbers staring back at her completely shattered her estimations.
Again? she thought, her mind stalling as the ink settled. Every time she prepared herself for the impossible, he casually stepped right over her expectations. Instead of the usual four thousand points he previously achieved, every single parameter rested entirely in the five thousands, as if his soul was bored of its old limits. The sheer ridiculousness of the metrics threatened to break her composure, forcing her to swallow hard and release a controlled hum just to keep her jaw from dropping.
Feeling that unnatural stillness behind him, Max glanced over his shoulder, his brow furrowing. "Is something wrong, My Lady?"
"No," Freya murmured. Her voice lacked its usual melodic lilt, hollowed out by raw disbelief. "Nothing is wrong. But it seems... you have completely abandoned reason."
With those words, she handed him the parchment.
Max took the sheet, skipping past the flashing Level Up notice to land directly on his stats. He blinked, and a low whistle escaped his lips. In his previous updates, the five thousand threshold had felt like a solid wall—a hard ceiling for a Low-Class body.
His promotion to Mid-Class had utterly obliterated that assumption. Every single stat rested comfortably over the 5000 mark.
His gaze snagged on the final line.
Magic: I0 - EX 5683
"Halfway to 6000," Max muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a wry smile. "I honestly thought 5000 was the absolute peak. I didn't think the system would even register numbers this high."
Watching him brush off the anomaly, Freya's mind frantically ran the arithmetic of his growth. Most adventurers bled for years just to clear 900 points before leveling up. Max has stacked over four times that limit for three levels straight.
The sheer weight of those numbers clicked into place, sending a sharp shiver down her spine. Before today, his accumulated foundation already made him the equivalent of a high Level 6, perhaps a low Level 7. Now, stepping into Level 4 with another 5000 points welded to his soul... his actual combat power would comfortably match a high Level 7. Perhaps even an 8.
She leaned closer, the terrifying reality settling deep into her bones. "You are going to fight like a high Level 7 after this," she breathed. "If not a low Level 8. Max... you are becoming a true monster."
Max just smirked, leaning back on his hands. "Mid-Class is supposed to be ten times stronger than a Low-Class Devil. High-Class will be ten times stronger than this. Considering what I've been doing, these numbers actually make sense."
He began ticking exploits off his fingers with infuriating nonchalance. "I slaughtered hundreds of Level 4 monsters on Floor 37, which multiplied my excelia thanks to Lux Tenebris. I killed the Amphisbaena. I cleared out the small fries. And then there are the magic contracts running in the background, the Trinitas rings, the teleportation network..." And the clones, plus a few passive drains I'm definitely forgetting, he added internally.
Freya frowned, his casual list snagging on one specific detail. She tilted her head. "What do teleportation and magic contracts have to do with making you stronger?"
Max chuckled, realizing he had skipped over the fundamental mechanics of his own race. Shifting on the bed, his expression turned thoughtful as he gathered the words.
"A long time ago, Devils used to eat human souls for food," he began. "But over time, they realized it was unviable. Hunting souls drew the hatred of humanity and provoked the Church. So, they found a cleaner way to harvest power: wish fulfilment."
He tapped the parchment resting in his lap. "By preying on desire, a Devil fulfills a wish in return for payment. But the payment isn't the only benefit. In the process of granting that wish, the Devil absorbs a permanent power boost. The size of that boost depends entirely on the intrinsic 'value' of the human making the wish."
He offered a light shrug. "I don't think my race ever entered into contracts with anything other than humans. But since all the mortal races in this world share human characteristics, it allowed me to form contracts with them without restriction."
Freya didn't respond immediately, letting the heavy implications of his history settle into the quiet of the room.
Intrinsic value.
She turned the phrase over in her mind, mapping it against the timeline of his monstrous growth. She didn't know if he held external contractors, but he certainly held contracts with the Guild, and as of yesterday... her entire executive line.
Her gaze lifted slowly from the parchment to his face.
The strongest mortals in the city. Warriors who had bled for decades to reach the pinnacle of the first-class ranks. If intrinsic value equated to strength, the collective weight of those contracts must have flooded him with an unfathomable surge of power. Without swinging a single sword in the Dungeon beside them, Max had harvested their worth simply by putting ink to paper. It was a staggering gain, entirely separate from whatever drops and materials his slime managed to salvage.
A fleeting part of her knew she should feel tricked. He had essentially leeched off the elite vanguard she had spent many years building. But the terrifying scale of his racial capabilities smothered that indignation the moment it formed.
He wasn't hiding this mechanic. He was sitting on her bed, openly handing her the most exploitative secret of his strength. That absolute trust shattered any lingering annoyance, replacing it with a yearning affection. Her mind spun, imagining the apocalyptic heights his status would reach once he finally hit High-Class.
She thought briefly about the agonizing pain Lux Tenebris must inflict to multiply his excelia. But looking at the staggering numbers on the parchment, she realized whatever physical toll his body paid was entirely negligible. The results eclipsed the cost.
Her eyes glowing with dark anticipation, Freya smoothed her hand flat against his spine. "Lie back down," she commanded softly.
She raised the needle, ready to push the Level Up through his Falna. The black script shifted across his skin, rearranging itself into the next Level. As the ink cooled, she looked down at the new Developmental Abilities offering themselves to him.
-◈ -
Developmental Abilities:
Swordsman – Allows for efficient usage of the sword with most swings landing true.
Chain Attack – Increases the power of attacks delivered continuously.
Supreme Attack — Considerably amplifies the power behind the user's strikes in proportion to the power of the blow delivered.
Magic Resistance — Reduces the effect and damage of magic on the host.
-◈ -
Freya let the ink settle, giving Max a moment to read the options while she ran her own calculations.
Three offensive abilities. One defence.
She dismissed Swordsman and Chain Attack instantly. He wouldn't waste a slot on them.
That left two. Supreme Attack was a rare prize. It belonged to the coveted 'supreme' tier of abilities, sitting on par with anomalies like Mystery or Luck. Considering he already channeled the equivalent of Mystery through Kairu and possessed an advanced form of luck with his Fortune, it shouldn't have surprised her that he managed to unlock it. Still, earning it at Level 4 was extraordinary. Even Ottar hadn't been offered that choice so early.
If he asked for her guidance, she would point him toward the supreme ability without hesitation.
But she knew her Devil.
Magic Resistance was a common choice for mages and vanguards. It simply reduced incoming damage, letting the user tank enemy spells. It was purely practical. She knew Max would look at the options and choose the shield, confident that whatever stunts he pulled this level next would just force the Falna to offer Supreme Attack to him again at Level 5.
A few moments later, Max spoke, perfectly mirroring her conclusion. "I'll take Magic Resistance."
A triumphant smirk touched Freya's lips. Knowing his mind so intimately sent a warm thrill through her chest.
Max caught the shift in her expression, his brow furrowing slightly. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," she murmured, simply shaking her head.
She channeled her ichor, sealing his choice into the Falna. She finalized the update, handed the completed parchment back to him, and gestured to Kairu to hop on.
"Come, Kairu. Let us process your update." She called.
Kairu cheerfully bounded across the mattress, settling in front of the Goddess with an eager squelch. Updating the slime was a much faster process. He was an anomaly in his own right, but while his numbers were staggering for a familiar, they hadn't quite reached his master's apocalyptic levels.
__
Status:
Kairu
Freya Familia
Demon Slime - Familiar
Level: 4*
[Notice: Level Up available.]
Stats:
Strength: I0 - EX3732
Endurance: I0 - EX3813
Dexterity: I0 - EX3756
Agility: I0 - EX3821
Magic: I0 - EX4186
Innate Traits:
Storage
Size Manipulation
Assimilation
Rapid Regeneration
Amorphous Body
Magic:
Ars Magna (Medium)
Skills:
Magic Resistance
Familiar Bond
Aqua Vitae
Developmental Abilities:
Devourer - F
Mystery - G
Protection - G
__
As the ink settled on the new Developmental Abilities, Freya paused, her eyes tracing the options offered to the slime.
-◈ -
Developmental Abilities:
Supreme Defense: Considerably boosts the user's endurance in direct proportion to the severity of damage taken.
Mage: Allows the user to access a magic circle which improves their magic's power, widens its effect range, and makes Mind usage efficient.
Cursed: Negates the effect of curses on the user.
Duplication: Allows the user to split themselves. Quantity scales with Level. Duplications will be weaker than the user.
-◈ -
She looked between the two parchments resting on the bed. The master was offered Supreme Attack, and his familiar was offered Supreme Defense. It seemed the tag-team duo was actively bending the Falna to ensure they survived everything they threw themselves at.
But the third option made her tilt her head. Cursed. She wondered what exactly the slime had eaten or endured in the Dungeon to trigger that requirement. Usually, earning this type of Developmental Ability required being subjected to a prolonged hex. She mused that a curse would likely be useless anyway—Kairu had no blood to poison, and with the sheer volume of excelia he had accumulated, his monster core must be as durable as a Monster Rex's by now.
Without delay she produced a second copy of the options and handed one to Max, setting the other in front of the slime. As she had deduced during Kairu's previous update, Max made no move to guide his familiar. He simply studied his copy of the parchment in silence, leaving the choice to Kairu.
Kairu focused his core on the glowing words, letting his logic process the shiny new choices.
Mage. Nope. He rejected it instantly. He still didn't want it.
His core brightened as he looked at Duplication. He wanted to jump on that immediately as he had already figured out how to clone himself, but making it an official ability sounded very fun.
But the first option made him pause. Supreme Defense.
Kairu wobbled thoughtfully. He was torn. Supreme Defense would allow him to shield Master and the Lady so much better. He could already make clones on his own, so he didn't fully understand what difference the Duplication ability would actually make.
He wanted to go with Supreme Defense, but Duplication would be soo fun…
Unsure what to decide, he chose to seek guidance, he stretched out a blue pseudopod and tapped Master's hand.
Words bubbled up onto Kairu's surface. Master, Kairu is unsure. Supreme Defense makes Kairu more capable to Master. Better protection. Duplication, Kairu can do.
A big floating question mark formed above his featureless head.
A goofy smile broke across Max's face at that. The slime's use of text in the air reminded him perfectly of Makoto. He shook his head, thinking clearly of Kairu's question.
Supreme Defense was incredibly useful for combat, yes. But Duplication would scale immediately with Kairu's massive stats. More importantly, Max realized it might solve his biggest logistical headache. Currently, he spent a fifth of his magic reserves just to maintain Rimuru. Adding Gojo back into the mix would drain another twenty percent. He could lower their stats to Level 2 to decrease the cost, but he needed them to be capable of protecting his assets in an emergency. High Level 3 was the sweet spot. He couldn't afford Level 4 clones yet, and he absolutely didn't want to walk around with nearly half his magic locked away.
If Kairu gained Duplication as a system ability, the clones might become self-sustaining, or at least drastically reduce the magic tax on Max's end.
Max wouldn't have interfered if the slime didn't ask. But since Kairu sought his input, Max decided to explain his intent through their mental bond rather than speaking aloud. If he accidentally mentioned his clones in front of Freya, the Goddess would undoubtedly demand a Gojo or Rimuru for her own personal security.
Max sweatdropped at the thought. Pick Duplication, buddy, he sent through the link, briefly sharing the logic of the magic tax.
Kairu grasped his intent instantly. He bounced in a happy affirmative and tapped a pseudopod firmly on Duplication.
Freya watched the silent exchange with an amused smile. With a graceful nod, she channeled her ichor and processed the familiar's final update.
With Kairu's update sealed, Freya pivoted to her final move of the morning.
Bypassing the comms bracelet, she called for Ottar. In less than five minutes, the doors clicked open. Hedin stepped inside, shadowed by the Boaz, who pulled the doors shut and anchored himself by the entrance with crossed arms.
Approaching the foot of the bed, the elf executed a deep bow. He spared a stiff nod for Max and the slime before snapping upright, burying his apprehension behind a mask of discipline. Freya let him hang in the silence for a long moment, studying him with freezing detachment.
At least he came.
"Hedin," she began, bleeding every drop of warmth from her voice. "Maximus has leveled up. He is Level 4, and therefore eligible to become an Executive."
She let the statement drop like a stone.
As the atmosphere in the sanctum fractured, Max shifted uneasily on the mattress. Ottar remained still. Hedin bit the inside of his lip, the muscles in his jaw ticking as he clamped his mouth shut. He knew his Goddess well enough to realize she wasn't finished.
"Aren't you curious about the feat he achieved to reach this milestone?" Freya asked, narrowing her eyes to pin the elf in place.
A tremor racked Hedin's rigid shoulders. It couldn't be. His tactical logic fought a losing battle against his pride. He knew the boy could have harvested the required excelia from defeating him, but confessing that humiliation aloud—in front of his mistress and the boy himself—felt mortifying.
Watching the Chief Strategist teeter on the razor's edge of his composure, Freya felt nothing but cold anticipation. "Enlighten me," she commanded, her tone dropping to a whisper. "Tell me exactly what transpired between you two for such a duel to occur."
Swallowing hard, Hedin forced the words past his teeth. He recounted the confrontation in the Under Garden with measured precision: his initial strike against Kairu, Max's immediate challenge, Hogni stepping in to proctor, and a clinical dissection of exactly why his lightning failed against Max's erasure.
His voice remained carefully leveled throughout the explanation, only fraying when he reached the bitter conclusion.
"I was humiliated in the Dungeon, my goddess," Hedin admitted, the words tasting like ash. "My tactics were rendered obsolete. But... I was also mesmerized by his capabilities."
Lifting his chin a fraction, he made a desperate play to prove his worth. "His potential is undeniable. If he is to stand by your side, he requires discipline. If you will permit it, My Lady... I would ask to take him under my wing. Let me forge him into a proper weapon for you."
On the mattress, Max turned his head just enough to look at the elf. He said nothing. The flat, unhurried stare he aimed at Hedin landed heavier than any insult, carrying a quiet pity that was somehow worse than mocking laughter.
Freya stared at the elf, unable to stop the hollow laugh that scraped its way out of her throat.
The blinding audacity of the request hung in the air. Even now, standing in defeat after nearly driving away the one mortal she truly valued, the foolish elf thought this was just another test. He actually believed he was still playing the role of her necessary villain. He believed he was still useful.
"You believe you are fit to train him?" she asked, her bitter amusement evaporating. "I believe you missed a critical detail in your explanation, Hedin. What about the wager? What about the debt?"
Fueled by the reminder of his sabotage, her anger spiked, fracturing the limits of her mortal vessel. Instead of reigning the slip, Freya deliberately pushed her Arcanum to the brink, flooding the sanctum with every ounce of divine pressure she could manifest without breaking the lower world's restrictions and triggering a forced repatriation to Tenkai.
Choking on his next breath under the sudden gravity, Hedin felt a field of hellfire circling him, inching closer against his skin with every erratic beat of his heart.
Watching him desperately cling to his pride against the weight of her aura dragged Freya violently back to the darkest realizations of her morning. She remembered the terror of knowing her own executive nearly drove Max away. A vicious part of her wanted to unleash her Charm—to rip directly into Hedin's mind, seize his will, and force him to repent in a waking nightmare.
But that wouldn't satisfy the cold fury burning in her chest. She didn't want him blissfully unaware or mind-controlled; she wanted him fully conscious of exactly what his arrogance had cost him.
"Hedin Selland," her voice resonated—bypassing the air to vibrate directly against their bones.
Hedin flinched as if physically struck. His composed hands began to tremble.
"For your actions against Maximus, and for placing him and the future of this Familia in jeopardy, you are hereby stripped of your Executive position."
The verdict struck with the force of a falling anvil. Hedin's eyes went wide with horror as the discipline of decades came apart all at once. He swayed, staggered back a single step, and dropped heavily to his knees, the impact echoing through the silent room. "My goddess, have mer—"
"You are banished from Folkvangr," Freya continued, ruthlessly cutting off his plea before it could form. "You will not step foot in this manor. Furthermore, since you harbor such disdain for him, you are permanently banned from using any part of the infrastructure created by Maximus. No teleportation. No contracts. You will survive on your own strength."
Staring blindly at the floor, Hedin's breathing turned ragged. His lips moved once, but nothing came out. The punishment was systematically stripping away everything he had spent his life building—his rank, his home, his privileges.
But Freya wasn't finished amputating the rot.
"You will receive no status updates for a year," she declared.
A choked gasp escaped Hedin's throat. For an adventurer, the Falna was their ultimate lifeline, making a denied update equivalent to being crippled. He would be forced to watch his peers ascend into the apocalyptic new era Maximus had ushered in, remaining entirely stagnant and locked out of the power he had just witnessed.
Freya let him hang in the crushing gravity for a long moment, allowing the reality of his stagnation to settle deep into his bones before delivering the final cut.
Looking down at the trembling elf, she emptied her glowing eyes of all pity.
"And finally," she whispered, her voice slicing cleanly through his despair. "You are not permitted to contact me, or Maximus, in any way. If there is an emergency, you will report to Ottar. You are no longer mine to command."
The final sentence severed something deeper.
Crumpling forward, the elf cracked his forehead against the stone floor. He didn't scream. He simply folded into himself, his body wracked with silent convulsions. To be killed in battle was a punishment he could accept, but to be cut off from her voice and banished from her presence while forced to live in the shadows of the era he had tried to prevent... it was a torment worse than hell.
Freya let him lie there. She let the heavy silence dictate the rest. Only when his devastating sobs had worn themselves down to pathetic shudders did she raise her hand and snap her fingers.
Crossing the room without a single moment of hesitation, Ottar hauled Hedin up by the collar of his uniform. The Boaz dragged the broken elf out of the chamber, his toes dragging uselessly across the stone before the doors slammed shut behind them.
--> Devil in a Dungeon <--
AN:
Apologies for the delay folks! I went through the chapter yesterday and felt it was inadequate for the amount of stuff it is dealing with and decided to revise it to improve it, hence the delay.
I hope the chapter makes up for the delay as I did my best to make it as best as I could.
What do you think of Hedin's punishment? Do you think it was appropriate or a it soft?? Balancing everything was my best biggest hurdle in the chapter and I hope I managed it well enough. I am up for your suggestions if you have any ideas on how to improve the chapter.
Do you want the consequences to be spread across Orario or keep it silent? My current plan was to let it be silent as one, unless Hedin/Freya leaks it, it is hard for anyone to get a whiff of the news and they won't leak due to the sheer embarrassment it would cause the familia and I have a plan for Hedin as well.
And Max was not off the hook as he will get his share of the punishment in the next chapter as I felt the ending was apt for the chapter.
The next chapter will Max's punishment and them going on a flight and possibly Loki familia's return unless something else strikes me ;)
Do share how you felt the chapter was. Was it good or did you feel it was a bit forced? Please share your feedback/suggestions on how to improve the story in a comment/review.
If you'd like to read 10 chapters ahead(around 50k words), support my work, check character images for free, read a free chapter(Ch 51.5), or commission a story idea, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m/b3smash
Please note that the chapters are early access only, they will be eventually released here as well.
Next update will be on Friday.
Ben, Out.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.