"Heh-heh-hem~♪"
In the home of the Freya Familia, a beautiful woman with hair as white as snow hummed a tune while cooking. She wore a bright, innocent smile, just as she always did.
Step, step—
"Oh? Ottar, is that you?"
"....Yes."
'I worry about him, always going on expeditions alone~'
Ottar stared blankly at the woman before him. However, despite his stoic exterior, his eyes betrayed a profound sense of bewilderment.
The clothes his friend and comrade wore practically radiated the philosophy of their Goddess. She was dressed in what were known as dolphin shorts, paired with a short-sleeved T-shirt that accentuated her figure.
To top it off, the green apron she wore only served to amplify the aura of kindness she projected.
"Exactly who suggested those clothes...."
"Lady Freya did."
"....."
'Lady Freya... what a trial you have set before me....'
Ottar tried to maintain his composure by reciting to himself that his heart belonged only to Freya, but his gaze was helplessly stolen away as the woman tied her hair into a ponytail.
Thud—!
"What!? What was that?"
"It is nothing.... Akumo."
Akumo. An adventurer bearing the epithet [Pioneer], and a legendary woman recognized as one of the strongest current residents of Orario.
Facing her, Ottar fought to keep his sanity by repeatedly bashing his own head against the wall. No matter how long they had known each other, no matter that she had saved him during the Great Feud, given him hope, revitalized the Familia's atmosphere, and was a beautiful woman on good terms with Lady Freya—
Thud—!
"Ottar...? Do you need some medicine?"
"....I shall go see Lady Freya for a moment."
"Is that so? I'm baking a pie right now, so let's eat when you get back!"
"....."
'I must not harbor disloyal, irreverent thoughts....!'
Trying his best to shake the image of her beauty from his mind, Ottar walked down the hallway and arrived at his Patron Deity's room.
Creak—!
He pushed the door open and immediately knelt, posing a question to the Goddess who had orchestrated this situation.
"Why would you give Akumo such clothes...."
"Oh? Did they not suit her? If you find them unpleasant to look at, I'll tell her to change immediately."
"....."
"Fufufu, you really are an honest child beneath it all, aren't you?"
"Ever since I was saved by you, I have looked only to you."
"Is it truly only I who saved you?"
"..."
The hero, rendered utterly weak before his Goddess, closed his eyes and recalled the time of the Great Feud—the moment his friend had saved him and shown him a light of hope.
—'Ottar! Pull yourself together!!!!!'
—'.....Akumo....'
He remembered that back, standing firm before him to block Silence and Gluttony when he was waiting for death after being wretchedly defeated by the heroes of the past.
—'[Broken Curse]!!!!!!!!!'
—'[Hildis Vini]!!!!!!!!!'
To end the Great Feud, she had faced Silence while he handled Gluttony, a shared memory of leading their side to victory.
"I am rooting for you, you know? Thanks to that child, many of my own worries have been resolved as well."
".....I shall take my leave now."
"If you keep being so dishonest, don't blame me when someone else snatches her away, alright?"
At Freya's words, a specific image flashed through Ottar's mind. A scene where his friend brought home some man and introduced him as her partner.
—'Ottar...? Ah, this person is...! Ah! Wait a moment... this is embarrassing... ///'
".....I'll kill him."
Ottar could not accept such a thing. She was a hero; she must never be at the side of some unremarkable nobody. If it came to that, he would rather—
"You're back, Ottar?"
"Tch, back from the expedition already, boar?"
"....Allen."
"What are you staring at?"
Ottar found the sight of the cat before him eating pie at the table with Akumo quite irritating. Crucially, the feline's eyes seemed irritated, as if he were annoyed that he could no longer be alone with Akumo.
"It seems you have quite a bit of free time on your hands?"
"What!?"
"Follow me. I shall test your skills right now."
"Fine, let's have a real fight then!"
Ottar, finding that gaze insufferable, intended to drag Allen Fromel to the home's inner arena for punishment, but he was neutralized when Akumo grabbed his shoulders and forced him into a chair.
"Wait..! Both of you, stop! Ottar, you just got back from an expedition, why are you trying to fight again?"
"...."
"Just eat your pie. You like the pies Mia-san makes, right? I finally managed to get the recipe this time!"
Nom—
".....It is delicious."
"Right? It was worth helping out at the Hostess of Fertility for!"
She answered Ottar with a bright smile, bringing more freshly baked pies to the table.
As if the scent had wafted elsewhere, before long, the four Gulliver brothers, along with the duo of Hogni Ragnar and Hedin Selland, had gathered.
"I wish everyone wouldn't make such a fuss all the time~"
"That seems unlikely."
"Indeed."
""""Their personalities are far too rotten for that.""""
"You four, shut your mouths."
"Everyone, calm down...."
Akumo sighed, settling the executives down. Lower-ranked members watched the scene, seriously telling newcomers that the only reason the Familia maintained any semblance of peace was because of her. Akumo was an indispensable figure to the Familia.
"If Akumo-san weren't here... our Familia would have probably stayed a collection of individualists only gathered under the Goddess's name before suddenly collapsing..."
"She handles those executives so well, doesn't she? Akumo-san, I mean."
"That's probably because...."
Just as they said, the executives held Akumo in special regard, both professionally and personally.
Allen Fromel's nasty temperament, which remained problematic even after Freya took him in, was only properly corrected after he met Akumo.
The process had involved Akumo meeting Allen's speed head-on and defeating him dozens of times before he improved even slightly, but thanks to that 'education,' his relationship with his younger sister, Anya Fromel, had managed to see some improvement.
"Tch, fine. I get it."
Hogni Ragnar used to be ashamed of his weak-hearted and gloomy nature. But after meeting Akumo and seeing the brilliant light she radiated, he felt a deep sense of respect.
To help Hogni overcome his timidness, Akumo sparred with him frequently and took the initiative to strike up conversations. Knowing he was prone to nervousness, she also went out of her way to look after him during meetings.
".....I understand."
Hedin Selland, the only sane person in a group of muscle-brained fools, felt a sense of camaraderie with Akumo. This led to them spending a significant amount of time talking.
During that time, he was captivated by her dazzling light and hope. He experienced a period of confusion as his feelings for her conflicted with his loyalty to the Goddess, but ultimately, his heart was stolen by her beautiful magic.
"I shall make an effort."
As for the Gulliver brothers, they were originally captivated by Freya's nobility when she tried to save them from the dwarves who exploited them, even going as far as to put her own body on the line. At the same time, they saw a woman who reassured them, even though the dwarves' disgusting proposals had reached her as well.
When the four brothers later went to kill the dwarves upon discovering their proposal, they were captivated by the sight of the beautiful woman who had already demolished the dwarves' building, proving that the Goddess had not been defiled.
""""Understood.""""
Watching their usual, nonchalant responses, Akumo remained full of worry. Having finished her meal and with things to do, she got ready and left the home.
"I should go check on Bell today~"
"Heh-heh-hem~♪"
Before long, she arrived at a dilapidated church. Stepping inside, she found her cute younger brother and Alfia's nephew, Bell Cranel.
"Akumo-姉!"
"My little Bell, have you been well?"
"Yeah!"
"I heard you even manifested magic this time!"
Akumo pulled the adorable Bell into a hug, stroking his hair and doting on him. Bell found her grand 'heart' a bit overwhelming for a moment, but he was powerless to resist Akumo, who had helped look after him since he was a child alongside Grandpa, Mom (Alfia), and Uncle Zard.
C-crack—!
""""...""""
Hogni and Hedin, who had come to observe the boy named Bell Cranel under Freya's orders—though by their own admission, there was a tiny bit of personal bias involved—stared at Bell with chillingly emotionless eyes. Allen clenched his teeth and crushed a nearby stone in his hand.
Beside Freya, who was monitoring the situation remotely, Ottar and the Gulliver brothers also looked displeased, their fists tight with frustration. Freya, seeing the reactions of her 'children,' laughed internally like a mischievous girl and continued to watch.
"What are you lot doing there?"
"Silence....?"
Boom—!!
Of course, having been detected by Alfia, who felt their murderous intent, the observation lasted less than ten minutes before it was forcibly terminated.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 62
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T