Within the spacious altar chamber.
A group of figures, faces covered by hoods and bodies draped in long robes, stood in the stone room, arranged in a square formation.
Amidst a solemn and austere atmosphere, the people resembling a secret society spoke in unison, voicing their plea.
"Oh, great deity, we beseech you to bestow your grace and grant our new comrades your blessing."
"Children, I have heard your voices."
Upon the altar, a male god, decadent yet alluring, with long, deep purple hair, gave his response.
He slowly lowered his head, looking towards the several figures standing directly in front, a smile appearing on his face.
"You all still seem to harbor concerns. If you have anything to say, you can open your hearts and tell me."
"Oh god, can I truly have my wish fulfilled?"
A middle-aged man with a weathered face asked.
"Of course, you can."
The alluring male god smiled and said: "I swear by the name of the death god Thanatos that when you give your life for my divine will, I will surely fulfill my vow and allow you to meet your wife in the next life."
Thanatos cut his finger with a dagger, letting divine blood drip onto the man's back, carving the blessing.
After that, Thanatos raised his head to look at the others around him, his voice suddenly rising.
"Everyone! The same goes for all of you!"
"When the appointed day arrives! I shall fulfill your wishes, guaranteeing you the ending you desire in your next life!"
As his words fell, the robed people, as if struck by something, began to tremble violently all over.
Some were even moved to tears, an indescribable thrill surging through their hearts, making them shout out.
"Lord Thanatos! Long live!"
"We offer our hearts to Lord Thanatos!"
The crowd chanted the god's name in unison, shaking the entire stone hall until it rattled.
Facing this scene, Thanatos remained unmoved, smiling as he bestowed blessings upon the remaining few individuals.
After confirming all the newcomers had joined the Familia, he finally stopped his actions and turned to leave amidst their calls.
"Hard work, Lord Thanatos."
In the dim, blue-lit passageway, a woman in a fur coat whistled.
"You look much more the part now compared to when you first started recruiting."
"I am a god, after all, Valletta. You're looking down on me a bit too much."
Thanatos shrugged.
The alluring aura that had surrounded him vanished. The corners of his eyes drooped, and a frivolous smile appeared on his face.
"Ah, it really is hard work. Having to keep my shoulders squared every time I speak before the children... feels like I could apply for work-related injury compensation if this keeps up."
"Idiot, what nonsense are you spouting? If a god wants to apply for compensation, talk about it after you return to Heaven."
"Haha! True, after all, I am a god!"
Thanatos laughed heartily, a stark contrast to his demeanor on the altar moments before.
"By the way, Valletta, you probably didn't come here just to mock me, did you?"
"Ah, right. I came to report on progress."
Valletta followed behind Thanatos. "You remember Ishtar being sent back to Heaven, right?"
"Of course I remember. Honestly, I was heartbroken over it for a long time. I'll have to be more frugal with my spending from now on."
Thanatos let out a sigh.
In her attempt to defeat Freya, Ishtar had provided substantial financial sponsorship when collaborating with the Evilus.
To be precise, about twenty to thirty percent of their usable funds came from Ishtar's sponsorship.
Now that she had been sent back to Heaven, the entire funding chain of the Evilus would be affected.
And as the chief god of the Evilus, the funds Thanatos had available for entertainment would also be significantly reduced.
Thanatos: "Valletta, how's the investigation into the culprit going? Was it really Freya Familia?"
Valletta: "It's still uncertain, but that Goddess of Beauty hasn't stepped forward to deny it yet."
Thanatos: "That's bad news. I don't have the ability to fulfill Ishtar's dying wish."
Thanatos: "Any other news?"
Valletta: "Yes. We received word that nearly all of Ishtar Familia have joined Soma Familia."
Thanatos: "Oh, joined Soma... Hmm?"
Thanatos' steps halted. "Valletta, I recall Soma becoming Hestia's subordinate god, right?"
Valletta: "Yeah, so what?"
Thanatos: "That makes things a bit interesting."
Thanatos stroked his chin, deep in thought.
As fellow Olympians, he had some understanding of Hestia's character.
Under normal circumstances, even if it was the Familia of a subordinate god, she wouldn't easily allow prostitutes to join.
Let alone scooping them all up in one go like this time.
Apart from actively inviting those prostitutes from Ishtar Familia, he couldn't think of a second possibility.
But then, a question arose.
What would Hestia, or the man she chose, want with inviting a group of prostitutes to join Soma Familia?
First, rule out the possibility of strengthening the Familia.
Neither Hestia nor the Lynn she chose would pull people in for such a superficial reason.
Rather than strengthening the Familia, he felt there must be a deeper reason.
For example... sheltering these prostitutes. That would be something the Goddess of the Sacred Flame would do.
"Things seem to be getting interesting."
Thanatos let out a light chuckle. "Valletta, have you sent anyone to investigate Hestia Familia?"
Valletta raised an eyebrow. "Not yet. Why? Is there a problem with that Familia?"
Thanatos: "It's just my intuition, but I feel Hestia might know something. By the way, that key Ishtar had hasn't been recovered yet, right?"
Valletta: "Haven't found it. We searched Ishtar Familia's base, found nothing. Either it was destroyed or someone took it."
Thanatos: "Then, assuming it was taken, go investigate Hestia Familia's situation. With luck, we might have an unexpected harvest."
"Unexpected harvest?"
Valletta raised an eyebrow.
She wasn't a fool, of course she understood the implication of Thanatos' words.
"You think Hestia Familia might be the culprit?"
Thanatos: "It's just a possibility. The specific result depends on your investigation, Valletta."
"Fine, I'll go investigate then."
Valletta stopped at a fork in the path, parting ways with Thanatos and heading down the other side.
This matter concerned the key to the Daedalus Labyrinth. She decided to lead the investigation personally.
...
Time passed, and night fell in the blink of an eye.
After concluding negotiations with Finn, the great Chef Lynn returned to his loyal kitchen.
After working fervently for most of the day, he finally left the restaurant surrounded by the crowd.
"Whew~ Working occasionally feels pretty good. Gives you a sense of striving to live."
Walking with his hands in his pockets in the alley, Lynn suddenly stopped and looked back at the crow perched on the rooftop.
"Of course, it would be even better if no one was watching."
"Thanks to you, I'm reminded of the unpleasant memory of slacking off at work and getting caught by the boss on camera."
...