Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

The situation, which had initially seemed certain of victory, was completely reversed. This time, Freya, who was being held to death, became expressionless, as if she were wearing a mask.

Her hand fell limply to her side.

"How do you think this will end, Loki?"

The walls surrounding the palatial mansion.

Behind them, Allen and Bert's groups were locked in fierce combat, while below them, two other groups led by Hegny and Ais were engaged in a heated battle. Finn stared straight ahead and posed this question.

Loki, standing beside him, glanced at Modo and his group, who were preparing to rush into the "battlefield" because Ais and the others had already started fighting, before finally answering.

"Although it's very frustrating... the guild cannot allow this 'war' that could overthrow Orario to continue to escalate. Even if we take action now, we will only force it to end when neither side is satisfied."

From behind, one could faintly hear the shouts of guild members who had finally reached the main road on the south side, desperately issuing a ceasefire order.

"However, the adventurers are furious about this and will not let it go so easily."

Finn dismissed God's answer as if it were none of his business.

Their gaze was fixed on the top floor of the mansion, which was still surrounded by a crowd. It was the goddess's chamber that had recently been invaded by the figures that seemed to be the "omnipotent one" and the young goddess.

"In that case, there is only one solution."

Loki gazed in the same direction as his retinue, and slightly opened one of his crimson eyes.

"War Game".

"Hestia—I'm going to start a 'War Game' with you."

““!!””

Hestia and Bell were stunned by those words.

Even when Asphie, who had been completely distraught, came to her senses, Freya calmly continued speaking.

"If I lose, I'm at your mercy, even if you want to send me back to the heavens... But if I win, I'm taking Bell with me."

"...Stop talking nonsense, Freya. Do you think I would accept a challenge under these circumstances? You've already lost, so get ready to face the consequences."

Hestia raised her eyebrows and rebuked in a low voice, but the "goddess" remained unchanged and continued to maintain her queenly demeanor.

"The guild will indeed punish us severely, but that's about it."

"Huh...!"

"Orario hasn't completed the 'Three Great Adventurers' Requests' yet, so it's impossible for them to forcibly disband the largest faction in the city (us), nor do they have the resources to let us idly go about our business. I'll bet you if you want. As for me... after things calm down, I might accidentally go off to play another 'prank'."

"...!!"

"Under these circumstances, can you really feel at ease?"

Having clearly cornered Freya, Hestia was now being outmaneuvered, and the once dominant position began to waver. Bell, standing nearby, shared the same reaction.

Judging from Asphie's silent reaction, Freya's words will come true.

Time seemed to stand still because of the atmosphere at the scene.

Hestia and the others, however, had no energy left to think of a countermeasure.

The reason was that there was a commotion coming from the stairs. After discovering that there were intruders, the goddess's kin were gradually approaching the area.

"This is the strength of my [Familia], and the status I have built up to this day."

The goddess's attitude was so unruly that it bordered on shamelessness.

"I'm willing to use all of this as a betting chip."

She declared that she was willing to gamble her wealth, reputation, and honor, including herself, in this battle.

Hestia and the others were stunned once again.

The challenge issued was made with the willingness to stake everything on the "war game".

If defeated, Freya will lose everything and become a queen with nothing.

"You can bring as many helpers as you want; you can ask the Familia gathered outside for assistance. I will only send my own Familia to fight."

She proactively proposed this unfavorable condition to demonstrate her awareness.

The goddess threw her crown at her feet, devoting all her heart to winning over one person.

"Let's settle this once and for all, Hestia... and you, Bell."

A moment of silence fell over the scene.

Three gazes intertwined and clashed.

Asphie, who was observing from the sidelines, swallowed hard. Hestia was the first to speak.

"Freya... After this incident, I'm certain I really hate you. I can't sympathize with what you did, nor do I feel any pity for you."

"..."

"You used the lives of Miss Supporters to threaten me, and you hurt Bell like this... I hate you, and I will despise you for the rest of my life."

"..."

"...But why are you so obsessed with Bell?"

Hestia's expression was just as fierce as when she spoke, revealing a hostile and contemptuous look as she posed the question to Freya.

"Is it because you're the goddess of love? Or is it simply because you genuinely like Bell? What made you decide to go all out like this?"

With this series of questions, Hestia changed her previous contemptuous attitude and put on a pair of clear eyes.

She set aside her position and power, and raised questions from the perspective of a fellow goddess.

"Freya... what is your real intention in doing this?"

This question ultimately went unanswered.

Letting the cold wind blowing in from the broken window and the pale moonlight gently caress her cheeks, however brief it was, almost a fleeting moment, the silver-haired goddess turned her gaze to the ground.

To Bell, this looked like a child who didn't know what foolish things he was doing and was completely lost.

Hestia realized that this silence would never end, so she let out a quiet sigh, tightened her grip on the hand in hers, and looked up at the person beside her.

"Bell... what have you decided to do?"

The goddess will choose to entrust the task to the boy who was the most deeply affected by the incident and is also a party involved.

She conveyed with her eyes—you are the one most qualified to make that decision.

Upon seeing this, Bell opened his deep red eyes wide while keeping his lips tightly closed.

After a while, he released the hand that was attached to his and took a step forward.

"...If we win, could you please grant my wish?"

"...It's alright, what is your wish?"

Faced with the goddess's indifferent response, the boy spoke:

"Please let me see Miss Seele one more time—no, that's not right."

He shook his head and changed his mind to reveal his true wish.

"Please let me see the real you."

"────"

Freya was speechless, her silver eyes widening in surprise before she lowered her head and looked down.

Her expression was briefly obscured by her falling bangs, but she quickly looked up at Bell.

"Whatever makes you happy. Although I'm not sure what you mean by 'real'."

All the conditions offered by both parties—

Ultimately, they both received the other party's approval.

The All-Powerful One will serve as the witness.

Hermes, the mediator, is the chief god, and based on her testimony, the decision made that day will become the opinion of all the citizens.

"Goddess Freya!"

At the same time, the members of the Freya Familia, who had run up the stairs, pushed the door open.

Freya quietly radiated divine power.

The goddess's aura, like a strong wind shaking the entire space, caused the members who rushed in to immediately stop what they were doing and put down their weapons. Even Hegni and the others who were fighting outside suddenly looked up at the top floor of the mansion.

A complete ceasefire immediately took place within Orario, creating a period of peace.

The astonished Ais, the stunned Ryu, the members of the Hestia Familia, the Loki Familia, and everyone else present all turned their gaze toward the shrine where the goddess and her companions were.

"I understand... Let's settle this once and for all, Freya."

The will of the boy (Bell).

The goddess's (Freya's) resolve.

Hestia faced these two resolves head-on, declaring in a voice loud enough for countless people to hear:

"Let's play a war game!"

The shouts echoed through the sky.

The declaration has been proclaimed to the world.

The agreement reached by both sides is the "greatest war game" in Orario history.

The fierce battle that would later be known as the "faction war" had already begun, with the sound of gongs signaling the start of the conflict.

Volume 17 Double Role I

Perhaps it could be described as ridiculous.

I still vividly remember what happened back then.

It was a chilly early spring morning.

Meeting the child was by chance.

His soul radiance was extremely faint, completely incomparable to that of his followers (such as Otto).

Yet it is so beautiful and dazzling, so crystal clear, and a color I have never seen before.

—I really want it.

The idea came to me the moment I saw it.

The dazzling light, the rare colors, the radiant glow—I, who can see right through to the essence of a soul and am drawn to it, have a well-known bad habit of being a collector. My first thought at that moment was nothing but naked desire.

I chuckled to myself as I stared at the child with burning eyes, then quietly approached him like a little rabbit warily guarding its surroundings, and handed him the "magic stone" I had hidden in my bosom.

"You dropped this."

It was "fake" from the very beginning.

In the end, it's all "fake".

Because the person who saw the child at that time was not the "goddess (Freya)," but the "girl (Seele)."

"My name is Hill Frova, Mr. Bell."

In the past, I would have immediately taken them for myself. If I had known that they didn't belong to any faction, I would have approached them like a wicked witch, and then kidnapped them.

But I chose to restrain myself at the time.

The reason is that I met him as a "girl (Seele)," not as a "goddess (Freya)."

This is a game, a game called "role-playing".

So I decided to change my past approach, restrain my arrogance as a god, and focus on his growth for the time being. Besides, given my personality, I'll definitely lose patience soon and start making my move on my target, so I think there's no need to be too hasty at the beginning.

In addition, I have messed up countless times so far.

My real wish is to find a "partner (Odr)".

The object of my affections could be a god or a child. I searched tirelessly in the heavens and this mortal realm, hoping to find someone who was a match for me. So I held high hopes for that child, for this unprecedented soul, and resolved to be even more careful, more attentive, and more deliberate in guiding his soul to shine brightly.

So I began this “exchange between a boy and a girl” that seemed rather negative and roundabout to acquaintances, a stark contrast to my previous methods.

Looking back now, it might have been a wrong choice.

At first, it was exactly as I expected.