In the end, Hermes himself gave a perfect demonstration of the saying: "A scourge lives a thousand years."
Of course, as a god from Heaven, his lifespan was practically infinite, so the phrase was less an observation and more… a curse wishing he'd kick the bucket sooner.
Cough. But let's not get sidetracked.
With Loki and Hermes finally arriving,
"Now that everyone's here… ah, wait. Which Divine Assembly is this again?"
Freya, who had taken it upon herself to act as host this time, paused mid-sentence.
"Thousands by now, surely?"
"4395… or was it 4396?"
"Who cares! No one's counting anymore."
"Just start already, Freya-sama!"
The gods were restless, eyes shining, looking for all the world like hardcore gamers camping overnight outside a store on release day.
Seeing this, Freya smiled gracefully.
"Since you're all eager for today's main event, let's skip the usual information-exchange session and handle it with a quick Q&A instead."
"Wooow~!"
The decision was met with cheers and applause.
"I'll go first!"
A burly man in an elephant mask leapt to his feet. Every divine gaze turned his way.
He clenched his fists, trembling with energy, as though about to unleash something monumental.
For a long moment,
"Ore wa Ganesha da~!" (I am Ganesha!)
The other gods' faces immediately soured.
"Knew it."
"Yeah yeah, Ganesha, Ganesha."
"Cut the crap and get on with it!"
Complaints echoed around the hall.
Even Freya, who had been maintaining a perfect professional smile, couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
Fortunately, as the head of the Ganesha Familia, which oversaw Orario's public order, he didn't waste more time with antics.
He got down to business:
"Recently, my children received reports from outside Orario. The Great Forest Sea has been experiencing frequent monster riots. But the Artemis Familia has already accepted the Guild's commission to investigate. I expect we'll have results soon."
The room buzzed.
"Ohh, the Goddess of the Hunt herself. Then we've nothing to worry about."
"Right. She's basically the Heavenly Morals Committee."
"Anything else?"
It seemed the gods had immense faith in Artemis and her children. The matter was dropped almost immediately.
Next,
"The God of War, Ares, seems ready to attack Orario again."
"…Again?"
"No, say it properly: always him."
"Does he ever learn?"
"Someone please just deal with that idiot already. He's such a pain."
"Well, he is quite popular in Rakia. Lots of mortals believe in him."
"Only because he's handsome."
"His brain's just muscle, though."
Snark flew back and forth, half an hour slipping by in casual bickering.
Freya's gentle smile grew increasingly… ominous.
At last, her patience snapped.
"Everyone, silence."
Instant hush. Clearly, her authority carried weight.
Taking the moment,
"Let me summarize. First, the Great Forest Sea situation is under Artemis' supervision. No need for our concern. Second, regarding Rakia's invasion, Loki, I'll leave that to your children."
"No problem."
Loki waved lazily from her seat near the round table.
"It's nothing big. Grace'll just chop them up with a few swings."
And indeed, adventurers who had reached Level 6 had stepped into the realm of heroes.
For example, Gareth Landrock, the dwarven veteran of the Loki Familia.
A single swing of his axe could cleave the ground for hundreds of meters, the earth itself splitting apart like a localized magnitude 9 earthquake.
Against such overwhelming force, no mortal army stood a chance.
Orario had long since grown numb to Rakia's invasions; sending one or two First-Class adventurers to the battlefield was usually enough to send the enemy packing.
No one could understand why Ares, the fool, insisted on repeating the same mistake again and again.
With those matters settled,
"No more topics, then?"
Freya rose gracefully, eyes sweeping the room.
"Good. Then let's proceed to the next segment, "
"The Naming Ceremony officially begins."
The moment the words left her lips,
Silence.
The expected rowdiness never came. Instead, many gods who had been carefree moments ago suddenly grew stiff, their faces taut.
Around them, other gods, male and female alike, grinned like predators eyeing their prey.
Those targets straightened in their seats, bracing themselves as if facing mortal danger.
Meanwhile, slim booklets were being distributed among the gods.
They had been prepared by Guild staff, files of adventurers who had reached Level 2 in the past three months.
Each booklet included portraits and basic records of the new Upper-Class Adventurers, though not their Skills or Magic, such details were Familia secrets, beyond even the Guild's authority.
Still, most of their growth records were summarized, highlighting their notable achievements.
And today, without question,
"The stars of the show are clearly the two new children under Freya-sama, aren't they?"
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Footnotes
A scourge lives a thousand years – means troublemakers seem to survive forever.
Ganesha Familia – Familia responsible for public safety and monster control in Orario, led by the eccentric god Ganesha.
Great Forest Sea – A vast, dangerous woodland outside Orario, known for high-level monsters and frequent unrest.
Ares – God of War and ruler of the Rakia Kingdom, infamous for repeated failed invasions of Orario.
Level 6 – Considered "hero-class" adventurers, capable of feats far beyond mortal limits.
Naming Ceremony – A Divine Assembly tradition where newly promoted adventurers are officially given epithets (titles) that often define their public image.
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