To be honest, Renjiro never really believed in fate.
After all, the very concept of it was far too abstract, too ephemeral to grasp.
But today…
"Could it be that people with the Eastern double surname are all influenced by this… special kind of fate?"
Mindlessly, Renjiro didn't even notice how he ended up walking arm-in-arm with Syr all the way to the temporary Assembly of the Gods.
Of course, he wasn't the only one bewildered.
For example:
"Syr? Freya-sama? Uh… huh?"
Not long ago, a certain cat-person youth tasked with secretly protecting Syr's safety was utterly dumbfounded.
Well, being used to Allen, even though he lacked the divine insight of the other gods, he could usually tell the real Freya apart from her maid Horn.
Horn's imitation always carried a subtle "offness."
For most core members, this subtle difference was obvious.
But today…
"That wretched woman (Horn) has gotten good at this?"
Allen, vice captain of the Freya familia, could only guess.
Still, he was thoroughly puzzled.
Even though Freya had always prioritized the safety of her children—allowing Horn to act on her behalf—she had never shown such intimate closeness before.
And now… that expression, like a mischievous little sister finding her confidante elder—what was that about?
By now, they had already reached the 30th floor of Babel; Allen couldn't even follow to see what would happen next.
Looking at Renjiro…
"Don't speak too much. Yes, keep quiet. Better just shut up the whole time."
He entered with Syr and soon took the seat reserved for "himself (Freya)."
"Ah, it's Freya-sama."
"Still as stunning as ever."
"Truly worthy of the Goddess of Beauty."
…
…What do I do… I really want to kill a god.
Hoo~
Renjiro took a deep breath.
If the heart is pure, the heavens won't fall. If the heart is pure, the heavens won't fall…
He began self-hypnosis, attempting to reach a state of complete ignorance of the outside world.
Meanwhile, in the hall…
At the center of the Sky Temple sat a round table.
The rarely-seen Soma had already taken a seat on one side, while the empty seat opposite was for Syr.
This was customary during the War Game—the opposing familias' main gods would sign agreements outlining the designated events, rules of operation, and post-war rewards and obligations.
Syr calmly took her seat, smiling, and immediately began negotiating the details of this War Game with Soma.
She showed no nervousness whatsoever… which made sense.
The essence is right there.
However, compared to Syr's calm and fluent demeanor…
"Hey, Freya."
Renjiro, hoping to avoid divine attention, was suddenly addressed by one of the most troublesome gods.
A red-haired, flat-chested goddess plopped herself beside him, shoving the male god originally sitting there aside, and casually asked:
"You and Frigg are really close… huh, I never heard you mention that before~"
"You knew she was disguising herself as the human Syr Flova all along… hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
…So annoying.
Really, why isn't there a Hulk to smash through the doors right now?
Renjiro just wanted to sit quietly and wait for this temporary Assembly of the Gods to end.
But Loki, the squinty-eyed iron-hearted fool, kept pestering him.
Helpless…
"I see Frigg is having fun, so of course I won't ruin it by pointing it out~"
Ugh. His sister's tone—playful yet flirtatious—was really hard to mimic.
Surprisingly, though, it didn't feel awkward.
"Oh?"
Loki, seeing Freya finally react… well, she wasn't going to stop talking.
Casually, she continued:
"You're bold, letting such an excellent 'hero candidate' get so close to Frigg's kids. If something happens to your assets, I'll be waiting to laugh at you."
Hearing this…
"You're wrong, Loki."
Freya squinted, speaking like a riddle, "Even you can't see the true nature of those children."
"What do you mean?"
"Figure it out yourself."
"Tch~"
This teasing skill was like a whole family entering another's home—annoying but impressive.
Loki finally stopped talking.
Though he enjoyed teasing others, he hated being teased in return.
At the table…
"Next, for this War Game, let everyone participate. Each writes a proposal, then we draw lots to decide."
Playful Syr suggested this idea.
Even before revealing her divine identity, Syr had been extremely popular among the gods.
The only mortal rival in fame seemed to be the guild's Eina, a workplace beauty.
So now that she revealed she was also a goddess, it caused a huge stir.
Naturally, her influence grew further.
No surprise—a cute little trickster girl could get away with anything.
You might say: cute doesn't matter in front of sexy.
Sorry, Syr (Frigg) had both.
Meanwhile…
"I have no objections."
Soma, hearing Syr's suggestion, didn't object.
He just wanted this troublesome War Game over quickly so he could hand the guild leader role to the cat-person bartender from another world.
Honestly, if someone knew he was trying to 'step down first,' he'd probably explode on the spot.
At this moment…
"Let's brainstorm, everyone."
Each god received a slip of paper.
Even the virgin goddesses Hestia and Artemis were present.
Luckily…
"Good thing I learned the sacred script."
Renjiro didn't want to mess things up for himself. He quickly wrote down "Siege Battle" as his suggestion.
After all…
One-on-one duels are fine, but a Siege Battle is far more satisfying… at least for me.
He planned to go big this time.
Accumulating power meticulously before was just to allow moments like this.
Against a catastrophe, he would still be cautious. But a Lv.2 adventurer? Not worth fretting over.
Suddenly…
"Let me see what you wrote… whoa~ you're really cunning."
Loki leaned over to check. Seeing Freya's "Siege Battle" proposal, he assumed the playful goddess was setting her friend up.
After all, the Frigg familia only had three members present, while the Soma familia had nearly two hundred.
One-on-one duels were manageable, but a Siege Battle? That's where the numerical advantage truly mattered.
A lone Lv.3? Impossible.
At this moment…
"Well, it's a lottery anyway. My proposal might not even be chosen. Just writing casually~"
Freya said lightly,
"And… the Frigg familia's love for their children isn't so weak that a mere Soma familia would be an obstacle."
Indeed, very in-character for the real Freya.
But…
"Why am I so familiar with this?"
Renjiro muttered to himself.