Five billion... wealth that could feed a city for generations, rebuild districts, or buy half the marketplace if one felt dramatic.
Even Finn and Loki had to admit... it was extremely tempting... no, it was absurd.
Why would Freya go this far?
Honestly, that was not important to them right now.
'With this much money, it will be more than enough to fund our next expedition, and the one after that, and the one after that as well.'
'With this much money, I could buy pretty much the entire supply of wine in the city.'
If this were any other situation... they would have accepted on the spot.
Five billion was far beyond reasonable for a botched ambush.
'I want to jump out of this seat and say we have a deal.'
But...
Looking at Judas who was seated to his side... Finn felt his thumb quivering.
The pallum closed his eyes briefly, weighing the invisible scales only he could see.
'Let's see how this unfolds first.'
Freya wasn't done.
"Of course, this is not everything."
"What you see is only the first billion. Converting the rest into liquid assets can be tedious, but rest assured, I will have the remainder delivered to the Twilight Manor by tomorrow."
She leaned forward, intertwining her fingers as she rested her chin on her hands... her voice dripping with honey.
"Please accept it. And once more, I sincerely apologize on their behalf."
Her eyes softened.
"And my dear Judas, let us get along from now on. I, for one, would love to grow much... closer to you."
'Damn, she got us.'
Loki sighed.
Freya had willingly offered up the compensation herself and handled the situation perfectly.
If the Loki Familia continued to push any further, they would only look petty and unreasonable.
Five billion was not a small amount... excessive, even.
To add context, 800 thousand valis was enough to buy a decent house in Orario.
To cough up that much valis meant Freya had cut a portion of their overall wealth.
This decision... well, it wasn't like the Freya Familia had escaped unscathed themselves.
It was like a snake biting its own tail... or maybe a better comparison would be cutting off one's own limb and offering it as a sacrifice.
Either way, this was probably a decision that had received pushback and dissatisfaction among her familia.
It was only thanks to Freya's authority and the blind loyalty her members had for her that such a thing was even possible.
Loki frowned, then subtly glanced toward Judas, the person who had arranged this meeting in the first place.
So far, he had said nothing... merely watching, assessing, completely unreadable.
Her eyebrow twitched upward.
'Ha. As expected of him.'
Not once had his gaze wavered.
Not once had he been tempted by the mountain of wealth in front of him.
His resolve didn't even crack.
Seeing that, Loki threw her head back with a low, amused chuckle.
And then...
Judas finally opened his mouth.
...
Why was Freya so insistent on not taking the blame for the incident?
Was she the type of person who didn't want to take responsibility for her actions?
Or was there some complicated political motivation behind her refusal?
No... looking at the pile of valis sitting inside the room, Freya had already expressed her stance clearly.
'To make a good impression.'
If charm wouldn't work, and even resorting to force would be difficult with the Loki Familia behind him, Freya judged that this method was the most viable.
It was as simple as that... imagine if you found out you were going to hang out with your crush.
Wouldn't you want to make yourself look the best you possibly could?
Seeing the luxurious dress she wore... instead of the usual revealing attire she had in the anime... it was pretty much a given.
Freya was aware of the anger Judas had directed toward her.
No matter how tolerant a person may be, getting attacked out of nowhere was never a good feeling.
Which was why she deflected the blame onto Hedin and the others.
By taking a passive stance and expressing her willingness to provide compensation, she completely removed any opportunity for the Loki Familia to corner them.
While at the same time, she tried to leave a good impression... to make Judas change his opinion of her.
'It was a mistake to resort to force from the start.'
She had acknowledged her mistake and tried a different approach.
'It's fine if you don't like me now... turning a bad relationship into a good one takes time... but I am confident.'
She was confident... as the goddess of love... that she would win his heart with time.
But that confidence was shaken the moment Judas opened his mouth.
"Freya... or should I say Syr... Am I correct to assume that you are both?"
The room froze.
Every head turned toward Judas with expressions ranging from confusion to outright disbelief.
Freya... who had been smiling serenely this entire time... finally blinked.
Just once.
A tiny, almost imperceptible pause... but enough to crack the perfect goddess façade she always wore.
The executives of the Freya Familia stiffened, their bodies tightening like bowstrings ready to snap.
Allen's hand even twitched toward his weapon.
But Judas was not concerned.
He continued calmly, as if he had merely commented on the weather.
"Looking at your reaction, it seems my guess was right."
The only one who showed a different reaction was Loki, who continued smirking throughout.
She recalled the conversation she had with Judas in the past.
...
"Hey Loki, do you know anyone in the Freya Familia with the ability to shapeshift or maybe the ability to change their appearance?"
Judas had said as he stood next to the red-haired, flat-chested goddess.
When he asked this question, Lili... that brown-haired pallum from Belle's party... came to mind.
Because of her, Judas knew such magic existed in this world.
"Hm?"
Loki raised a brow at the unexpected question, but noticing the seriousness in his eyes, she tried to scour her memories.
"I don't recall anyone like that."
She shook her head.
"However, there is one particular member of the Freya Familia that I find odd..."
A human girl named Horn, a level 2 adventurer of the Freya Familia.
"A level 2 adventurer in the city without an alias... which is why people often refer to her as 'Nameless.'"
Judas was also a level 2 without an alias, but the circumstances were different.
"Everything about her is a mystery, and Freya is strangely secretive about her."
It was just a vague clue... not even worth calling a clue.
However, when combined with Mama Mia's words, the hints left behind in the anime, and then referencing the Norse mythology from Alden's memories... which Danmachi was partly inspired from...
The strange feeling he felt from Syr, plus the help from the brains of the greatest trickster in Heaven, Loki...
The puzzle pieces started to slowly fit together.
However, it was not enough. It was just mere suspicion.
It was only confirmed when Judas had seen Horn face-to-face.
"Their auras... it's faint, but... there's a link?"
Freya made her second mistake when she allowed Judas to meet Horn.
Then that suspicion turned to certainty.
"Freya, no... Syr... I am not your Odr."
Judas had also recognized that Syr was Freya's true self, which was why he referred to her as such.
For the first time, Freya's calm expression faltered.
The sound of screeching could be heard as the legs of the wooden chair scratched against the floor's surface.
Freya abruptly stood up, which caused the chair she was sitting on to topple over.
Her mask of composure was nowhere to be seen—that was how shocked she was.
"W-why?"
She questioned with a trembling voice.
She didn't ask Judas how he figured out her secret identity; rather, her question was directed at his earlier words.
I am not your Odr.
That small sentence alone felt like a jolt of lightning passing through her heart.
Who was her Odr?
The fated person who would give her what she truly desired.
For most gods, they descended to the Lower World either because of curiosity or boredom.
But for Freya?
After failing to find her fated person in Heaven, she descended to the Lower World to fulfill her goal of searching for her Odr.
For an unknown number of years, she had been searching to the point of madness, only for it to end in vain each time.
All the wealth, power, and influence that she painstakingly gathered in the Lower World?
Freya wouldn't hesitate to discard all of that just for the sake of her Odr.
Judas did not reply to her words immediately.
"First of all, I'll be taking this."
He used telekinesis and carried the mountains of valis piled up on Freya's side over to Loki's side.
His hand movements were smooth.
For some reason, the people present...even the Loki Familia... couldn't help but think of him as a conniving thief.
Hedin turned his head to look at his goddess, but since the latter didn't say anything, he remained silent as well.
However, the quiet grinding of teeth could be heard.
Meanwhile, Finn quickly motioned for Tione and the others to gather the money.
"Secondly, we accept your apology; however, I am adding two more conditions."
When Judas finished moving the gold to the Loki Familia's side, he suddenly spoke up and raised two fingers.
Why did he say to Freya that he was not her Odr?
Other than expressing what he thought of her... there was another reason.
It was simple... to break her rhythm.
To put a crack in her mask of composure.
When an opponent becomes flustered, they become more susceptible to making mistakes.
Judas had always possessed a hidden sadistic side and dark tendencies within him.
When he captured the Red Dragon that destroyed his village... instead of killing it right away, didn't he torture it first, then break the monster's will to live before ultimately ending its life?
Taking advantage of Freya's emotions, Judas was willing to do the same for the sake of his payback.
'This bastard... he is a scumbag.'
'The flow of the conversation... it has turned in Judas' favor.'
Right now, at this moment, those with quick wits... like Hedin and Finn... realized this.
Hedin turned toward Allen and whispered,
"Allen..."
It was a signal, which the vice-captain of the Freya Familia received.
As a result, Allen stood up with a face full of anger and slammed his hand on the table, causing it to break in half.
"How dare you show such insolence before the Goddess!"
"After shamelessly taking all that money, you want to ask for more?"
"Don't push your luck, you piece of shit!"
The black-haired cat person shouted.
He then turned toward his goddess.
"Lady Freya, please allow me to silence this fool."
He said as he gnashed his teeth.
"If you try to hurt Judas, I will cut you."
The next second, Ais stood up and glared with her golden eyes. Following her was Tiona, whose usual cheerful face was nowhere to be seen.
Riveria frowned and tightened her grip on her staff.
Even the rest of the Loki Familia subconsciously moved their hands toward their weapons.
However, Judas and Freya ignored the commotion around them and only stared into each other's eyes.
"Why?"
Freya asked again.
"Why do you say you are not my Odr?"
"I am Freya, for goodness' sake—the goddess of love."
She didn't even think about the fact that Judas had demanded a second condition; her focus was still completely on the words he spoke earlier.
"Is it not obvious? ...I don't like you, not one bit."
Judas said it bluntly, without a change in his expression.
Freya's eyes trembled. In her mind, Judas was already her chosen Odr; for him to say such a thing with a straight face had a huge impact.
"Heh..."
A self-deprecating snicker escaped her lips... a dark flame suddenly took root in her heart, and her eyes turned hollow.
For some reason, something about that look unsettled even Judas.
It seemed like she was about to turn yandere and explode...
But before she could...
"However... after seeing your sincerity (your money), I was moved a little."
The carrot and the stick.
A metaphor for using both rewards (the carrot) and punishments (the stick) to motivate behavior or encourage compliance from others.
A strategy where positive incentives are offered alongside threats of negative consequences to achieve desired outcomes.
Right now, Judas was using such a strategy.
His sudden words brought Freya back to reality.
With wide eyes, she lifted her head and stared at Judas.
"If you can accept my two other conditions, I am willing to let bygones be bygones."
"Blasphemy! Goddess... we don't have to listen to what he has to say! And you, Finn—are you just going to let this brat run his mouth? Do his words represent the entire Loki Familia?"
Hedin shouted as he rose from his chair.
However, Freya did not listen to him.
"Hedin, be quiet."
The only response he received was a brief, curt, and sharp set of words.
"Judas, state those conditions."
She was aware she was being manipulated, like a puppet with her emotions as the strings.
But she didn't care.
If it meant getting closer to him, Freya was willing to do anything... even throw away everything she had built.
Judas recalled some memories he got from Estelon.
Whenever he attended negotiation meetings, whether with an organization, a country, or even an empire, he was like a snake that squeezed out every bit of benefit he could manage.
Other than the Spirit King, there was another, more niche nickname that Estelon bore...
The Silver-Tongued Serpent.
Right now, to deal with someone as difficult and emotionally volatile as Freya, Judas had to dig deep and pull out Estelon's dark side.
It was the side of him that viewed conversations not as exchanges, but as battlefields... where emotions were weapons, pauses were traps, and every word carried weight.
The part of him that was willing to prod at open wounds, exploit hesitation, and twist sincerity into leverage if it meant securing victory.
He didn't enjoy using it.
But against someone like Freya, hesitation was fatal.
Finn bit the tip of his thumb's nail as he let out a silent smirk.
'What a sadist.'
He was aware of the tactic Judas was using.
'Ha... it's as if he has a lot of experience with this kind of situation.'
A level of slyness and emotional manipulation that even Finn couldn't easily pull off.
To be honest, Finn had planned to intervene if things didn't go Judas' way.
But after seeing this development... it seemed Judas' method was far more effective than the one he had come up with.
"Number one... I want you to double the compensation money."
"And number two... let's play a game."
Judas said, his eyes fixed firmly on the goddess of love.
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