Chapter 558 Jealousy

At Twilight Manor, the Loki Familia was preparing to set out.

Standing in the aerial corridor, Riveria watched the busy Familia members below. Sensing Finn approaching, she murmured, "I never thought we'd have to head to Melen again so soon after getting back..."

"If a [Demi Spirit] appears on the surface, the threat would be far too great. We can't afford to put this off."

Finn picked up where she left off.

The group had only just returned from their expedition, and there were still plenty of matters to deal with, including turning in dropped materials, repairing weapons, and handling everything related to the expedition rewards. Normally, Finn and the others would have taken care of all of it themselves.

Given the situation, however, Finn had handed those responsibilities over to Anakitty and the others. He was preparing to lead the frontline members to Melen and investigate the Dungeon's waterway exit.

"How likely do you think it is that the enemy is using that waterway to transport Viola and [Jewel Fetus]?"

Riveria asked.

"Very unlikely, but we still have to go."

Finn licked his thumb, frowned, and added, "Judging from both the intelligence we have and my intuition, even if the remnants of Evilus aren't hiding in Melen's waterways, I'm certain we'll find something there."

A dark undercurrent was quietly beginning to stir.

The reason Finn was racing against time was that, from the scattered clues he had gathered, he sensed that something unusual was likely about to happen in the port town of Melen.

"That said, we still don't know exactly what's going to happen. Why not treat it as a vacation after the expedition and invite Bell Cranel along?"

Finn asked teasingly.

As a friend who had fought beside her, he naturally knew exactly who had prompted Riveria's sigh.

The elf princess had never complained when dealing with serious matters. The fact that she was now reluctant to leave on such short notice could only mean that she was already missing the young man.

They had only just become lovers, and they hadn't even had a single peaceful day together yet. It was only natural that Riveria would feel reluctant to leave.

"Don't be ridiculous. There's no way I'd let Bell come with us to somewhere that dangerous."

Riveria immediately rejected Finn's suggestion.

Bell had been invited on the expedition because Loki Familia and the young man shared common interests, and because it would help him gain a broader understanding of the Dungeon. This trip was entirely different. The enemy might already be hiding somewhere in the town, ready to bare its fangs at any moment. For Bell, the risks were completely disproportionate to any possible benefit.

"Riveria, if Loki saw how much you're worrying about that boy, she'd probably start crying again while downing cup after cup of bitter wine."

Finn laughed.

Fighting in a town was even more dangerous. With buildings obstructing their vision, the different groups wouldn't be able to support one another as effectively as they could during an expedition. Finn's suggestion that Bell come along had only been a joke.

In fact, forget the young man. Finn didn't even intend to bring Familia members like Alicia with them.

"Loki is always like that."

Riveria recalled the sorry state her Familia Goddess had been in at the tavern and frowned slightly. "Still, something happened last night that bothered me a little."

"Hm? What was it?"

Finn asked curiously.

"...Nothing. It was probably just my imagination."

Riveria looked in the direction of the tavern and calmly dropped the subject.

Bell's sudden departure the previous night had briefly caught the attention of the women in Loki Familia. They were all curious about where the young man had gone and what had happened between him and the Catgirl from the tavern, but in the end, it was only a minor incident and did nothing to dampen the mood.

After all, everyone already knew that Bell Cranel was on good terms with many women.

Within Loki Familia, only Lefiya and Riveria had shown any hint of jealousy over Bell leaving with the Catgirl.

The golden-yellow-haired elf had been too preoccupied with Bell to notice anything unusual, but Riveria had clearly sensed [hostility] from someone among the tavern staff.

It wasn't the piercing killing intent of a life-or-death struggle, nor was it the sort of rejection born from disapproval of someone's actions. It was a sense of rivalry directed specifically at Riveria, from someone who viewed her as a serious threat.

The perceptive elf princess understood almost immediately. That hostility most likely came from one of the young man's lovers. After noticing Riveria's jealousy, the other woman had begun to regard her as a rival who couldn't be ignored.

The feeling lasted for only a brief moment, and Riveria hadn't been able to determine exactly who had been hostile toward her. Judging from the people working at the tavern, the most likely candidate was the goddess Artemis, though that was only speculation.

"Bell..."

Love shimmered in her jade-colored eyes as Riveria tightened her grip on her wand and turned away.

She had no idea when they would see each other again.

Until then, she would let that rival enjoy herself for a while...

...

Inside the luxurious hall of the Freya Familia, Heith and a gray-haired woman stood respectfully below, awaiting their goddess's command.

"Horn, what do you think of Bell Cranel?"

Freya glanced at the basket on the table and asked softly.

At those words, the gray-haired woman clutched her chest, her body trembling.

"That lecherous beast didn't just steal my virginity... This time, he even went after the Catgirl from the tavern. He's absolutely unforgivable! That horny rabbit needs to be tied up, his hands and feet bound forever so he can never hurt another innocent woman! No... wait, that's not right. I should strip him naked, climb on top of him, and drain him until there isn't a single drop left... No, I hate scum like him more than anything! No, no, no, I never thought that! He's the sun that can warm everything! Scum... sun?... Bastard!"

The woman named Horn grew increasingly frantic, her expression twisting with every contradiction.

"Wait! What are you even saying? You only just managed to calm down before. Stop talking already!"

Heith hurriedly cut her off.

She bowed respectfully, then quickly added, "Freya-sama, she must have been shaken by something. She would never do anything extreme to Bell Cranel!"

"Hmm... Could this be the influence of [Jealousy]?"

Freya murmured to herself.

Then she raised her voice. "Horn, you may leave. Get some proper rest."

"Yes, Freya-sama."

Heron suppressed the turmoil in her expression and respectfully left the hall.

Only the Goddess of Beauty and Heith remained in the spacious room.

"Heith, in your eyes, who is more important, me or Bell Cranel?"

Freya asked a mercilessly pointed question.

"Freya-sama, of course!"

Heith answered without hesitation.

"You understand your task, don't you?"

"Yes! Protect Bell Cranel, and show him as much affection as possible!"

"Then tell me, between Bell Cranel and me, who is more important?"

"..."

Heith froze, unable to answer.

"Answer me."

Freya's voice turned cold.

"You're... equally important."

Heith gave the answer the goddess wanted to hear.

Freya glanced at [Vana Mardoll] and thought for a moment. Then she rose, her long silver hair swaying behind her as she walked away.

Only the goddess's sweet voice lingered in the hall.

"That was a lie, Heith. Since your feelings for him are genuine, try being a little more proactive... I hope the next time I ask, I'll hear a different answer."

***

...

...

If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.

[email protected]/PinkSnake (70 Chapters Ahead).

You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.

***