Chapter 62 – Freya's Territory (Hestia's PoV)
The Ganesha Familia headquarters in Orario's central district looked quieter than usual.
In the main reception room with its high ceilings and magnificent elephant carvings on the walls.
Eina and I sat in silence without talking or moving much.
I was sitting on the edge of my chair with my back straight, hands resting on my knees in a stiff, wary position.
My eyes were staring at the large door at the end of the room with unwavering intensity.
Next to me, Eina sat a bit more relaxed, but her fingers playing with her glasses revealed the same anxiety I was feeling.
The silence was broken by the sound of heavy footsteps echoing from the corridor.
The door opened with a low creak of hinges, and Ganesha's figure entered the room.
What was surprising was the absence of his usual dramatic shouting.
No loud, bombastic "GANESHA IS HERE!"
Ganesha entered quietly, his aura serious and controlled... something I rarely saw from his usually theatrical persona.
"Hestia," he greeted with a deep voice that didn't echo like usual.
"Sorry for making you wait."
I stood up from my chair quickly.
My blue eyes immediately searched for answers behind the golden elephant mask covering Ganesha's face.
"It's okay. But please, tell me why you suddenly wanted to meet? Did something happen to Kaen-kun?"
Ganesha was silent for a moment, like he was carefully choosing his words.
His large hands moved behind his back, in a posture that showed he was carrying something heavy.
"There's been a development," he finally said.
"But not what you're thinking."
My heart beat faster.
"What kind of development?"
"After considering all aspects of this case," Ganesha walked toward the large window facing Babel Tower in the distance.
Moonlight reflected off its crystal surface, creating moving shadows on his mask.
"I realized there's greater tension behind all this. Tension that could endanger Orario's stability if not handled wisely."
Eina straightened up, her professional instincts as Guild staff immediately reacting.
"What tension do you mean?"
Ganesha turned to face us, his posture showing unusual hesitation.
"Freya has expressed... strong objections to the possibility of Kaen's release. She considers this an attack on her familia members."
Those words hit me like a physical blow.
I stepped back, my blue eyes widening with a mix of shock and fear.
"Freya? Why does she... why does she care about this case?"
I knew from Hephaestus that Syr's workplace was run by a former Freya Familia captain.
Honestly, I was hoping Freya wouldn't want to get involved but...
"The victim is staff at the Hostess of Fertility. Technically, she's under Freya Familia's protection."
Ganesha explained with a heavy tone.
"And Freya considers this a direct attack on her familia."
I felt my legs go weak.
Fighting the justice system was already hard because you need strong evidence.
But if Freya Familia got involved...
Orario could be in chaos.
The Guild would never side with a single Level 1 adventurer if it meant losing the strongest familia.
"But there's..." Ganesha stopped, looking hesitant.
"There's another possibility."
I looked up quickly.
"What possibility?"
"Freya is willing to meet with you directly. She wants to hear your defense herself."
Eina immediately reacted, "That... that could be an opportunity, Goddess. If you could convince Freya directly—"
"Or it could be a trap," I interrupted, my mind racing.
I had met Freya before when she made me doubt Kaen.
So I was very wary of her.
"Freya never acts without reason. Why would she want to meet with me?"
Ganesha shook his head.
"I don't know her motives. What I know is, this might be the only chance to save Kaen. If you refuse Freya Familia's request... Kaen might not be able to go free, even if he could, it would be difficult."
I was silent, weighing my options.
There were no good choices.
But at least meeting Freya gave me a chance to free Kaen.
"Where?" I finally asked.
"The top of Babel Tower. Her territory."
Eina whispered to me.
"This is clearly meant to intimidate. She wants us to feel small and powerless."
I nodded, but my eyes were already determined.
No, my resolve was already set.
So...
"When?"
"Now," Ganesha answered.
"She's waiting."
•••
Babel Tower is owned by the Guild to oversee and manage the Dungeon.
The first twenty floors are filled with businesses, facilities, and Familia money exchange services.
All shops from floors four to eight are owned by Hephaestus Familia.
Above floor 20 are the living quarters of Orario's most prominent Gods, known as Private Rooms.
Freya lives on the top floor.
Babel has a total of 50 floors.
Right now, we've arrived at the top floor.
The elevator doors opened with a soft sound, and we stepped out into a room I could never forget.
Luxury was too weak a word to describe what we witnessed.
The marble floor gleamed like a mirror, reflecting light from crystals hanging from the high ceiling.
This room was very aesthetic, with several large bookshelves.
It made anyone living here feel like a ruler of the world.
And in the middle of the room, on a throne, sat a figure that made me put on a serious expression.
Freya.
Even after thousands of years of living as a goddess, I was still mesmerized by Freya's beauty.
A transparent black-red gown wrapped around her body gracefully, yet radiated an undeniable aura of power.
Behind the throne, standing like a living shadow, was Ottar's figure...
the Level 7 king of adventurers.
Even without moving, his presence was enough to make the air feel heavier.
Without a sound, her lips formed a meaningful curve when she saw us enter.
A warm, welcoming smile, but somehow made the entire room feel colder.
"Hestia," her voice was as melodious as music, flowing like honey but with sharp undertones.
"It's been so long. And the little staff from the Guild, what an honor." Her purple eyes shifted to Ganesha.
"Ganesha, thank you for bringing them."
Her friendly and warm tone just made the atmosphere feel even more dangerous.
I felt nervous now.
Freya was like a cat playing with its prey before delivering the killing bite.
Three chairs appeared in front of the throne with Ottar's smooth movement.
Eina and I sat carefully, while Ganesha took position in the middle as mediator.
"We're here to discuss the future of a young man... I mean Kaen," Ganesha began with a formal voice.
"And hopefully we can reach a fair solution for all parties."
"Of course," Freya nodded with a sweet smile.
"I always support justice. But before we begin," her purple eyes looked at Eina with intensity that made the half-elf girl feel naked.
"I want to hear from the... defending party first."
I already knew what was going to happen because Ganesha had told us what we would do if we met Freya.
So Eina and I were ready.
I looked at Eina with slight anxiety.
Eina stood up slowly, trying to control her voice.
She opened her small notebook, though her hands were slightly trembling.
"Goddess Freya, God Ganesha," she said with a controlled voice though it sounded slightly hoarse.
"We're here to present facts that show the accusations against Kaen are baseless."
"Please," Freya said with a very soft voice, almost like a whisper.
"I'll listen very carefully."
"First," Eina read with an increasingly stable voice.
"Kaen's record at the Guild is clean without fault. In the past half month, there have been no reports of violence, no incidents with other adventurers, not even complaints from any staff. He's an adventurer who always follows the rules."
Freya nodded with an interested expression, slowly propping her chin with her palm.
"Interesting. Continue."
"Second," Eina flipped the page with slightly trembling movements.
"There's a very striking time anomaly. Based on testimonies, the entire incident lasted less than ten minutes. From the moment of collision to the arrival of help. This makes no sense for the alleged motive."
"Hmm," Freya tilted her head slightly.
"Interesting. And?"
"And third, most crucially," Eina's voice began trembling with emotion.
"His mental condition was unstable because he was a robbery victim a week earlier. Trauma from that incident could explain his excessive defensive reaction when someone bumped into him."
After Eina finished, the room fell into suffocating silence.
Freya looked at us with an unchanged smile, her long fingers tapping the throne's armrest with a calm, hypnotic rhythm.
"Finished?" she asked with a tone that sounded almost bored.
Eina nodded, unsure whether she should feel relieved.
Freya stood from her throne with very graceful movements, like flowing water.
She walked around our chairs with slow, deliberate steps.
"Very... very interesting arguments," she said with a soft voice that contained something sharp.
"And I appreciate your efforts to defend your familia member, Hestia. But let's look at these arguments from a more... objective perspective."