Freya sat at one end of the table, her back perfectly straight and her hands folded gracefully in her lap.
She wore a long white dress. Her silver hair spilled down behind her, framing a beautiful yet cold face utterly devoid of expression. Only her gray eyes revealed something deeper.
Not curiosity.
Not anticipation.
Scrutiny.
She regarded Loki across the table as though looking at an irrelevant stranger, yet at the same time, as though reassessing an opponent she had thought she understood.
Loki sat at the opposite end with one leg crossed over the other, a glass of long-cooled red wine in her hand.
Her expression was calm, but there was a trace of impatience in her eyes.
She wore a dark formal dress and light makeup, making her appear more refined and composed than usual.
Yet her fingers kept rubbing lightly against the wineglass, producing a faint sound.
The two had already been sitting face-to-face for more than an hour.
Throughout that entire hour, neither had said a single word.
They simply stared at each other.
Like two beasts sizing each other up.
Like two unsheathed blades.
Neither wanted to speak first. Neither was willing to yield even slightly in momentum, and neither wanted to be the first to reveal an opening in this silent confrontation.
They had lived for hundreds of millions of years, witnessed countless storms, and experienced more clashes than either could remember.
In the end, Loki was the one who broke the silence.
"I want you to come with me."
Her voice sounded casual, but the firmness beneath it left little room for refusal.
"You should've heard something about what Ishtar did by now."
She looked directly at Freya.
Loki knew Freya wouldn't refuse.
Not for Loki's sake, but because what Ishtar had done had crossed a line shared by all gods.
Using Charm to affect the entirety of Orario and rewriting everyone's memories was no longer a mere violation of the rules.
It was a direct affront to the entire divine order.
Freya looked back at her, a faint gleam passing through her gray eyes.
"So?"
Loki's voice grew colder.
"We're both gods. I don't believe someone like you could've been controlled by Ishtar. The most likely explanation is that the other gods were affected, but you weren't."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Right?"
The corner of Freya's lips lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.
It was subtle, yet carried the confidence and pride that seemed woven into her very being.
"Of course."
"Someone like Ishtar couldn't possibly control me."
Loki's expression stiffened for a moment.
Not because of Freya's arrogance.
Because of herself.
She had been affected by Ishtar.
A goddess who had lived for hundreds of millions of years had actually allowed that woman to tamper with her mind.
Her memories alone had been altered. Only her perception of Genichi had changed.
But that was still a defeat.
Still a humiliation.
Over the past few days, whenever she thought about Genichi, the false idea that he belonged to the Ishtar Familia had automatically surfaced in her mind.
The sensation had been like a thorn embedded in her chest, making her uncomfortable, irritable, and increasingly furious.
Now she finally knew why.
There had been nothing wrong with her memory.
Ishtar had put her hands inside Loki's head.
"Someone asked me to invite you."
Loki's voice returned to normal, though a faint trace of amusement appeared in her eyes.
"As for why, it's simple. They want you to see what Ishtar looks like now."
"And give her a little personal execution."
Freya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A personal execution?"
Loki nodded, the corner of her mouth curling into a cruel smile.
"The person Ishtar hates most is you."
"If she sees you standing in front of her, still elegant, untouchable, and looking down from above, while she's the one locked naked inside a cage..."
Loki's smile deepened.
"That'll hurt her more than killing her."
"She'll hate it."
"She'll go mad."
"She'll wish she were dead."
Freya fell silent for a moment.
Her fingers tapped lightly against her knee.
She was thinking.
Weighing the situation.
Deciding whether there was anything in it for her.
Freya was not Loki.
She didn't act out of charity, nor did she involve herself in pointless matters.
Everything she did had a purpose, a reason, or some calculation behind it.
If this were merely an opportunity to laugh at Ishtar's downfall, it would cost her nothing.
But if there were something more to gain from it...
"Why should I help you, Loki?"
Freya's voice remained calm, but there was a hint of scrutiny in it.
"And what exactly is your relationship with that boy?"
"Why did he ask you to come get me? Couldn't he come himself?"
A glint flashed through Loki's eyes.
She had expected Freya to ask that.
"You burned down Ishtar's Pleasure Quarter earlier."
Loki's voice was soft, but every word landed with precision.
"I won't bother asking why. You already know the answer."
"Other people might not understand you, but I do."
"When have you ever attacked another Familia for no reason?"
"You didn't burn down Ishtar's Pleasure Quarter because of justice."
"You didn't do it because of rules."
"You did it because she touched someone you consider yours."
Freya's pupils contracted slightly.
Her expression remained calm.
But Loki had hit the mark.
She had exposed the thought Freya didn't want to admit.
The weakness she preferred to hide.
Freya hadn't burned the Pleasure Quarter because of justice.
She had done it because Ishtar had set her sights on Genichi.
That boy.
That soul shining with colors unlike anything she had ever seen.
That existence she could not tear her eyes away from.
Freya would not allow anyone else to stain him.
The moment Ishtar reached for him, she had challenged Freya.
Challenged her authority.
Touched something she had already claimed in her heart.
Freya could not tolerate that.
"Hmph."
Freya let out a soft sound and gave Loki a displeased look.
She disliked being seen through.
She disliked being manipulated.
And she especially disliked being treated as a piece on someone else's board.
But Loki was right.
Freya had already acted.
Her feelings had already been exposed through what she'd done.
"Fine."
Freya's voice was soft, but firm.
"I'll go."
"I do want to see what Ishtar looks like now that she's wishing for death."
"That woman has been causing me trouble ever since I descended to the Lower World. Did she really think I never noticed all those petty schemes of hers?"
"I simply couldn't be bothered to deal with her."
"Now that she's finally gotten what she deserves, how could I possibly miss it?"
The corner of Loki's mouth lifted into a satisfied smile.
She had known Freya would agree.
Not because Loki had been particularly persuasive.
Ishtar had simply offended too many people.
Now that she had fallen, nobody would sympathize with her.
Nobody would come to her rescue.
Plenty of people, however, would gladly come watch her humiliation.
Loki stood and straightened her clothes.
"Then let's go. Don't keep them waiting."
Freya rose as well and walked over to her.
The two left the meeting room side by side, crossed the corridor, descended the stairs, and stepped outside.
Sunlight fell over them, stretching their shadows long across the ground.
They walked through the streets of Orario together, immediately drawing countless eyes.
Two goddesses walking side by side was an exceedingly rare sight even in Orario.
Some people whispered.
Others stopped to stare.
A few even pulled out cameras.
Freya and Loki ignored them all.
They simply continued forward at a brisk pace, heading straight toward the Demeter Familia.
(End of Chapter)
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