"You're just noticing that now?" A red-haired figure sauntered over at some unknown point, her squinted eyes brimming with amusement at the spectacle. "She doesn't hide it at all. The shift in personality is way too obvious."
"Loki, you again!" Seeing the newcomer, Furina immediately displayed a hostile expression. She certainly hadn't forgotten how this flat-chested goddess had tried to poach her Familia members right in front of her.
"Do you hate me that much? I actually quite like how you are now, compared to the other Focalors," Loki said with a cheeky grin.
"Hmph. The other me and I both dislike you. Got a problem with that?" Furina glared back, her cheeks puffed out in retaliation.
"Alright, alright, it's my fault. I apologize." Loki instantly brought her hands together, assuming an incredibly sincere expression as she smiled warmly. "Please forgive me. I genuinely want to get along with you, you know. To show my apologies, I know a dessert shop that serves the absolute best mille-crepe cake in Orario. My treat—you can eat as much as you want."
"...S-Since you're being so sincere, I suppose I can reluctantly forgive you," Furina's eyes began to dart around as she stubbornly added, "D-Don't get the wrong idea! It's not because of the cake or anything."
The corner of Hermes's mouth couldn't help but twitch. She's that easy to win over? This Water Goddess's weakness is way too glaring.
"It's a deal, then. It's a shame you don't drink, otherwise I could've gained a new drinking buddy." Loki smiled and patted Furina's shoulder, a trace of regret on her face. "But don't worry. During the naming ceremony later, I'll help advocate for some decent-sounding aliases for your kids."
"That's more like it. At least you know what's good for you." Only then did the storm clouds clear from Furina's face.
"Alright, let's get started!" Seeing that the gods had mostly gathered, Hermes stood up, clapped his hands, and shouted loudly.
The previously clamorous round table instantly fell dead silent.
"The umpteenth Denatus is officially commencing! I, Hermes, will be your host for this session. Please take care of me!"
"Yeah!" A passionate wave of cheers and applause swept through the venue. It was truly an unprecedentedly grand occasion.
"To think it's Hermes. If he's not out traveling, why is he still in Orario?"
"Who knows? Maybe the outside world is just too boring."
"What do you know? The city has been incredibly interesting lately. He just can't bear to leave!"
"Alright! Let's do a quick Q&A. Let's get this over with quickly." Hermes clearly didn't want to waste time on things he had no interest in. "First up is the information exchange. Are there any gods who want to share some juicy topics for us to hear~?"
In the next instant, the venue exploded into chaos as the gods talked over each other, sharing their respective gossip.
From teasing roars of laughter to dead-serious discussions, the conversation at the round table never cooled down for a second, the topics shifting at lightning speed. The atmosphere remained relaxed; the gods spoke their minds as they pleased while simultaneously scrambling to respond to the opinions of their peers.
Attending the Denatus for the first time, Furina was thoroughly dumbfounded. Rather than a solemn assembly, this was more like a massive, chaotic gossip convention.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Hermes hurriedly slammed the table to call for order. He then concisely organized the information provided by the deities, summarizing the main points one by one.
After all, the Denatus was a gathering of the main gods of Orario's major Familias, and it simultaneously served the function of disseminating high-profile intelligence.
Afterward, Hermes calmly continued hosting the meeting. Once he was certain that most topics had been adequately covered... he paused for a beat, a sly arc curling at the corner of his lips.
"Well then, let's move on to the next program. The thrilling naming ceremony starts... now!"
An indescribable sense of tension shot through the venue like an electric current.
With Hermes's declaration acting as the fuse, several deities who had previously been feigning composure and remaining silent instantly turned pale.
This even included Takemikazuchi, who had managed to secure the right to attend. He watched helplessly as the dossier of his child, Ouka, was placed on the table, his heart practically leaping into his throat.
As for the others in the venue, they simultaneously broke into wicked grins. A portion of the Denatus veterans had finally grasped their long-awaited opportunity for entertainment, flashing smiles that could only be described as obscene.
The annual tragedy was about to unfold.
"Has everyone received the documents? Let's get started, shall we?" Hermes announced with soaring enthusiasm. "Then the first batter... will be the adventurer named Ouka from the Potamos Familia."
"P-Please, have mercy...!" A certain main god positioned at the fringes of the meeting pleaded.
"Denied." The assembled gods rejected the plea in flawless unison.
Given the gods' deep affection for lower-world culture, it wasn't hard to see that celestial beings and mortals actually shared quite similar tastes. Despite existing as beings transcending humanity, their sensibilities weren't vastly different from those of their children.
However, naming sense was the sole exception to this rule.
Was the problem with the gods, or were the mortals simply too ignorant? Were the gods too trendy, or were the children simply not advanced enough for their era? The truth remained unknown.
In any case, there undeniably existed certain tragic names that would make the children's eyes sparkle with awe, yet force those deities to wince in unbearable secondhand embarrassment, their toes curling in sheer agony.
"——It is decided. The adventurer Ouka Sety's alias shall be [Thunder Hammer User]."
"That's so humiliatingggg!"
And the Denatus was precisely the super factory that mass-produced these tragic names.
Simply to mine jokes that would leave them gasping for air, a few gods with exceptionally wicked dispositions would continuously churn out countless aliases that inspired awe in the recipients themselves, but made bystanders want to turn tail and run.
The proud child receiving the alias, versus the other deities going mad from excessive secondhand embarrassment—those wicked gods would just point at both sides and roll on the floor laughing every day.
"Crazy... They're all completely crazy..." Furina shivered, even contemplating letting her other self log in to take over.
No one told her before she came that these gods, who acted so high and mighty on a daily basis, were this unhinged behind closed doors! How did they even come up with such terrifyingly chuunibyou-level aliases?!
What was even more terrifying was that, aside from the gods, these aliases were actually incredibly popular among the adventurer community! She was extremely thankful that her children possessed normal aesthetic standards and weren't like those abnormal adventurers.
"You'll get used to it. Aliases can always be changed later, so there's no need to stress over it too much," Loki said with a beaming smile beside her, speaking from the perspective of an experienced veteran. "This is nothing. Just a small scene. A minor spectacle."
At the Denatus, particularly during the alias naming ceremony, newly initiated gods generally suffered miserable fates. Those deities leading high-ranking Familias and holding positions of authority, leveraging their seniority at the assembly, would constantly seize the opportunity to viciously haze the newcomers.
On one side were endless miserable wails and collapses; on the other, fist-pounding, hysterical laughter.
Observing the stark contrast between the two camps, Furina felt it was too gruesome to watch and couldn't help but look away.
"Alright, next!" Hermes's voice rang out again. "From the Takemikazuchi Familia... Kashima Ouka. A very burly kid, huh? Hailing from the Far East."
His eyes fell upon the dossier submitted to the Guild beforehand. Aside from the name, it contained the individual's profile and featured a realistic portrait sketched when they registered as an adventurer.
The surrounding gods flipped through their thick stacks of parchment, issuing collective gasps of admiration.
"Oho, it's actually a kid from the Takemikazuchi Familia."
"Yeah, a kid belonging to that penniless Takemikazuchi."
"Perfect. Now we can really have some fun."
The gods exchanged glances, flashing incredibly malevolent smiles in unison.
There were a few methods to avoid receiving a wicked alias at the Denatus. The most direct and crude approach was to grease the palms of the influential gods before the meeting. However, those gods would often demand exorbitant sums, which was virtually impossible for developing Familias lacking solid financial backing.
Alternatively, if the adventurer themselves garnered immense favor among the gods, they might receive a normal alias. Naturally, this was far easier for female adventurers to achieve.
Poor Takemikazuchi had neither money nor a delicate child—his kid was a massive, hulking brute of a man.
Feeling the hostile glares that had practically materialized into physical weight, Takemikazuchi hurriedly stood up.
"Takemikazuchi, this is all your fault."
"You natural-born gigolo..."
"You tricked away both the goddesses and the children..."
The deities' expressions contorted, black miasma of resentment practically seeping from their bodies, brimming with pure malice.
"Alright, I'll be the one to send this child off on his final journey! [Imperial Fierce Tiger]!"
"You bastards!" Takemikazuchi gnashed his teeth, glaring at the deity who made the nomination.
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