The Guild's underground altar was cold and damp. The light from the magic-stone lamps cast flickering shadows across the ancient stone walls.
Genichi stood beneath the altar, his back straight, calmly looking up at Ouranos seated above him.
The great god's body was hidden beneath the shadows of his robes, making his expression impossible to read. Only those golden eyes shone brightly in the darkness, like two lamps studying the young man before him.
"Ishtar has been sent back to Heaven. From this point forward, the Pleasure Quarter will temporarily be placed under the Guild's administration."
Ouranos's voice was deep and imposing, echoing through the vast altar chamber.
Hearing this, the corner of Genichi's mouth lifted slightly, his eyes narrowing a fraction.
Of course he knew what Ouranos was worried about.
The Guild taking control of the Pleasure Quarter meant Ishtar's influence had been completely uprooted. It meant the Goddess of Beauty faction's foundation in Orario had been shaken, and the entire city's balance of power was about to be reshuffled.
Ouranos needed a guarantee.
A guarantee from the victor that the situation would not deteriorate any further.
It wasn't because he feared Genichi. He simply needed stability, balance, and for the city to regain order as quickly as possible after the upheaval.
"Don't worry."
Genichi's voice remained calm, without the slightest fluctuation in his eyes.
"Ishtar was the only one I was after. As for who manages the Pleasure Quarter afterward, that's none of my concern."
He gave his answer without hesitation.
He didn't care who controlled the Pleasure Quarter, as long as it wasn't Ishtar.
He had no interest in the Pleasure Quarter, no interest in Ishtar's businesses, and no interest in anything else connected to her.
That woman was finished.
She had been sent back to Heaven and would never again be able to return to the Lower World. Everything she had built here had crumbled along with her.
For Genichi, that was enough.
After receiving his answer, Ouranos finally nodded.
"Then we'll leave it at that. What Orario needs now is peace."
There was a hint of relief in his voice, along with exhaustion and an unspoken warning.
Peace did not mean compromise or surrender.
It meant that there were lines that could not be crossed.
If Genichi broke that peace, he would become a common enemy, opposed by the gods and targeted by the Guild.
Genichi looked at him, his expression unchanged.
"As long as nobody comes looking for trouble with me, I won't go looking for trouble with anyone else."
His voice was quiet, yet carried a firmness that allowed no doubt.
That was his bottom line.
He wouldn't start trouble, but he wouldn't back down from it either.
If anyone dared provoke him, he wouldn't show mercy.
With that, Genichi casually waved a hand, turned around, and left.
His footsteps echoed through the empty altar.
One step.
Then another.
Then a third.
Gradually, the sound disappeared at the far end of the corridor.
Ouranos stared in the direction he had gone and remained silent for a long time.
That young man was smarter and calmer than he'd expected.
He wouldn't create trouble on his own, but neither would he silently endure it.
He wasn't a sharpened blade.
He was the man holding the blade, someone who knew exactly when to draw it and when to put it away.
Genichi left the Guild and made his way through the streets of Orario.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Demeter Familia's living room was completely different from when he'd left.
An eerie silence filled the room, like the stillness before a storm.
Demeter stood beside the sofa with a bitter smile, helplessness written all over her face.
Astraea sat on the sofa with a calm expression, but her eyes remained fixed on the woman opposite her. Her lips were pressed into a thin line while her fingers tapped rapidly against her knee.
Artemis stood beside the window. Her aqua-blue hair shimmered softly in the sunlight, while her emerald eyes were filled with vigilance.
Hephaestus leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her single visible eye carrying a trace of anticipation, as though she were waiting for the show to begin.
And Loki and Freya sat directly across from one another like two statues.
Loki had one leg crossed over the other, holding a glass of red wine that had long since gone cold.
Her expression was calm, but there was a faint trace of smugness hidden in her narrowed eyes.
She wore a dark dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Light makeup adorned her face, making her appear far more refined and composed than usual.
Freya sat opposite her, her back perfectly straight and her hands elegantly folded on her lap.
She wore a long white dress. Her silver-white hair fell around her waist, and her exquisitely beautiful face remained completely expressionless.
But suppressed anger burned within those gray-blue eyes.
The two had been facing each other like this for quite some time.
Ever since Ishtar had been sent back to Heaven.
Ever since Loki had announced that she'd kissed Genichi.
Ever since Freya had declared that he was the man she had her eye on.
They had simply sat there, staring at one another.
Neither spoke.
Neither backed down.
The tension in the room continued to rise, becoming heavier and more oppressive, like a bowstring pulled so tightly that it could snap at any moment.
Demeter stood nearby, inwardly suffering.
She had tried mediating.
She had tried changing the subject.
She had even tried using tea and snacks to ease the atmosphere.
Nothing worked.
Loki and Freya simply ignored her and continued their silent confrontation.
Demeter had even called Astraea, Artemis, and Hephaestus over to help.
Unfortunately, those goddesses had ended up doing little more than standing around and watching, with no idea what to do either.
The moment Demeter saw Genichi return, her face immediately lit up as though she'd just spotted her savior.
Her eyes brightened, and her lips parted slightly, as though a ray of light had appeared in the darkness.
She immediately hurried over, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him into the room.
Her strength was great enough to surprise even Genichi.
She pulled him across the living room and shoved him directly between Loki and Freya.
Genichi stumbled a few steps before steadying himself.
He stood there with Loki on his left and Freya on his right.
In front of him was Demeter's visibly relieved expression.
Behind him were Astraea, Artemis, and Hephaestus, all watching him with complicated looks.
His mind went blank.
He had absolutely no idea what was happening.
He'd merely gone to the Guild.
He'd only spent a dozen minutes talking with Ouranos.
How had the atmosphere become like this by the time he returned?
Why were Loki and Freya glaring at each other like two fighting roosters?
And why had Demeter shoved him between them?
"What happened?"
Genichi's voice sounded slightly dry, carrying both confusion and caution.
Demeter looked at him helplessly.
"Ask them yourself."
Her voice was soft, but it carried the unmistakable resignation of someone who had completely given up.
She backed away several steps until she was standing beside Astraea, then joined the other goddesses in quietly watching Genichi as though they were waiting for the next act of a play.
Genichi took a deep breath and turned toward Loki.
"Loki, what's going on?"
His voice remained calm, though there was a trace of scrutiny in his eyes.
Loki looked at him and spread her hands, wearing the innocent expression of a cat that had just stolen a fish.
"Nothing much. Someone just heard that I kissed you and completely lost it."
Her voice was light and utterly unconcerned.
She glanced at Freya.
There was provocation in those narrowed eyes, along with smugness and an unmistakable hint of amusement.
The corner of Genichi's eye twitched.
He turned toward Freya.
She remained seated with her back perfectly straight, suppressed anger burning within her gray-blue eyes.
She looked directly at Genichi.
There was no expression on that exquisitely beautiful face, yet her eyes held scrutiny, accusation, and even the faintest trace of grievance that she herself hadn't noticed.
"Genichi."
Her voice was soft, but her tone allowed no room for evasion.
"What exactly is your relationship with Loki?"
(End of Chapter)
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