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Seeing her precious cabbage about to be dug up by a pig, the veins on Loki's forehead popped. She lunged between the two of them, throwing her arms out wide in a textbook "Do Not Pass" stance, completely cutting them off from each other.
"Focalors, keep your pretty boy on a leash! Don't let him anywhere near my pure, innocent Ais-tan!" Loki snapped, turning her wrath on Focalors, who had been happily enjoying the drama from the sidelines.
"I wouldn't mind at all, you know," Focalors replied. She elegantly held her wine glass, a sweet, harmless smile on her face, but her words cut like ice daggers. "If the Sword Princess wants to join my side, I'd welco her with open arms."
Focalors held grudges. Loki had blatantly tried to poach Aiden right in front of Furina earlier, thinking Furina was an easy target. Sorry, but the software has been updated. The current Focalors was no pushover.
"Hah?! Are you trying to pick a fight?!" Loki instantly bristled, but internally, she was deeply unsettled.
Is... is this the sa dumb, easy-to-bully Focalors? It feels like a completely different person! Her combat power is way too high! "Alright, alright, Loki, calm down," Hephaestus finally intervened, looking thoroughly exhausted.
"Hmph. For Hephaestus's sake, I'll let you off the hook this ti." Loki glared fiercely at Focalors.
Focalors responded with an elegant smile brimming with the calm grace of a victor. Low physical damage, maximum emotional damage.
"Heh." Realizing she wasn't going to win a war of words, Loki imdiately pivoted her attack, a gloating smirk creeping onto her face. "I saw exactly what happened just now. This kid publicly rejected that crazy woman. You better brace yourselves for the fallout. Being targeted by the Goddess of Beauty is a living nightmare."
"You don't need to worry about that." Focalors chuckled lightly, her tone breezy, as if discussing the weather.
So what if Freya had ideas? If she couldn't take him, she couldn't take him. Focalors wasn't worried in the slightest. Her Charm was useless, and forced conversion was impossible. The advantage was entirely theirs; even with a flying dragon at her doorstep, how could Freya possibly win?
"You're that confident?" Loki's suspicious gaze darted between Aiden and Focalors. She couldn't fathom where they were getting their confidence.
"Whatever, it's none of my business anyway." Loki clicked her tongue and continued, "But I did hear a rumor. Apparently, you guys picked a fight with the Apollo Familia. Beat them up, even. Forget Freya for a second—you better figure out how you're going to survive Apollo first."
Hearing "Apollo Familia," Ais's gaze imdiately shot to Aiden. A faint, barely perceptible trace of worry flickered in her pure golden eyes.
Aiden gave her a relaxed, 'I've got everything under control' smile, which seed to put Ais slightly at ease.
"Tch. Let's go, Ais-tan."
Loki clicked her tongue again. Feeling like she hadn't scored a single point, she grabbed Ais and dragged her away. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she might actually pop a blood vessel from sheer anger.
With Loki's departure, the minor drama finally concluded, and the banquet's atmosphere returned to normal.
Under the guidance of Hephaestus and Takemikazuchi, Focalors began mingling and socializing with the other gods. There were countless deities in Heaven, and the realm was unimaginably vast; even among the gods, not everyone knew each other personally. Many only knew of each other by reputation.
Back in Heaven, Focalors was a textbook shut-in. Aside from handling her divine duties, she spent every day cooped up in her temple. She only personally knew a few close friends; as for the rest, she had only ever read about their ridiculous antics in the divine gossip tabloids.
Luxurious delicacies were brought out to the long tables course after course. Waiters wove through the crowd, offering deep-colored, fruity wines to every guest.
From sowhere in the room, the lodious strains of a waltz began to play. People started stepping onto the brightly lit dance floor in the center of the hall, spinning elegantly to the rhythm. The lights in the banquet hall dimd slightly, enhancing the beautiful performance of the orchestra. The magic stone lamps on the ceiling lowered their output, leaving only the center of the dance floor illuminated, as if bathed in bright moonlight.
Gods and mortals alike began asking their favored partners onto the floor, enjoying this rare mont of leisure.
Lord Takemikazuchi led Mikoto—who was blushing furiously and moving so stiffly she was practically walking with the sa arm and leg forward—in a clumsy spin. On the other side, Lord Miach elegantly took Naaza's hand. The dog-girl's tail was wagging so fast it looked like a helicopter rotor, though she tried her absolute hardest to maintain a dignified expression.
Of course, in a far corner, a very different scene was playing out.
A long line of male gods and adventurers looking to ask Ais for a dance had ford, but a fiercely protective Loki was physically repelling every single one of them. She acted like the Wall of Sighs, shutting out every rabid bee and butterfly that dared to covet her precious Ais-tan.
"What's wrong? Not going to dance? Can't find a partner?"
Hers, holding a wine glass, drifted over to Aiden like a ghost hunting for entertainnt, a wide smile on his face.
"I'm terrible at dancing. I think I'll pass." Aiden shook his head.
Was he kidding? When had he ever danced? In both his past life and this one, he hadn't put a single skill point into that tree.
"Oh co on, going to a banquet and not dancing is a total waste! It's a rare experience, and it's the perfect excuse to get close to a beautiful girl," Hers coaxed, winking exaggeratedly. "Look, my Asfi isn't bad at all, and then there's the Sword Princess. If you want, I can set it up. I'll be your wingman."
"I'm not that close with Miss Asfi, it'd just be awkward. As for Ais... I'm pretty sure the second I reach out my hand, Goddess Loki will chop it off." Aiden deadpanned. "But... if I'm picking a partner... I do have the perfect candidate."
Aiden had to admit, he was swayed. He was already here, after all. Not inviting the girl he liked for a dance would indeed be a sha.
However, he completely ignored Hers's suggestion. He didn't seek out Asfi, nor did he attempt the 'Hell Difficulty' challenge of asking Ais. Instead, he took a step forward, walking straight toward his white-haired Goddess of Water.
It was Focalors.
"My beautiful Goddess, would you do the honor of sharing this dance?"
Aiden stepped in front of Focalors, bowed slightly in a flawless, formal gesture of invitation, and offered his hand.
Focalors blinked in surprise for a mont. Then, a brilliant, genuinely heartfelt smile blood across her face.
She gently placed her delicate hand into his palm, her voice light and musical. "I would love to."
Her slender fingers slipped into his warm grasp. Fingers intertwined, the two of them walked together toward the brightly lit dance floor at the center of the hall.
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