Grayfia entered the living room. Astraea sat there on a chair, staring somewhere far away with an empty gaze.

  "Any reason for this look, Astraea?"

  Astraea turned to Grayfia and touched her own chest. "I feel anxious… something bad is going to happen."

  The feeling wasn't a strange thing to her. She had felt this countless times when her children went on expeditions, but this feeling was like a premonition. An indication of some terrible event.

  "Is it related to Freya?"

  Astraea nodded. "It started after she appeared…"

  Grayfia sat beside her and rubbed her head. "Don't worry about that woman. She can't do anything to my lord."

  "Worrying needlessly has become my habit."

  "You should listen to some music with me. It helps me calm down."

  Grayfia pulled out her phone and put the headphones over Astraea.

  Ryuu entered the room, looking fresh out of the bath. As she looked at Astraea, the goddess also looked at her, the bloodstains on her pale sleeveless to be exact.

  "You went to the dungeon?"

  "I was with Asahi."

  Grayfia's amused smile and Astraea's mischievous grin forced a wry smile on Ryuu's face.

  'Why is everyone bent on sending me to Asahi? Do they see me as a worthless elf who won't ever get a partner?!'

  Astraea pulled a chair for Ryuu. "No need to be mad, Ryuu. As weird as it may sound, I have no intention of monopolizing Asahi."

  She had a Familia to look after, a city to protect, and justice to uphold. She couldn't become a normal lover under these circumstances. If she had to pick a person to be with Asahi, she'd choose her children over strangers any time of the day.

  "Yahoo! We're back!"

  Ryuu turned to the door and smiled at her savior. "Alise, Kaguya."

  "Natsumi chased us away," Kaguya said. "Our Captain here is worse than a wolf in keeping watch."

  Natsumi was utterly furious when Alise left the gate to buy something to eat. She was unaware of Alise being Asahi's lover, or she wouldn't have done it.

  "That's not a bad thing?!" Alise punched Kaguya's shoulder. "I'm no watchdog. I tried my best."

  "Best from our perfect captain wasn't enough."

  "Perfection and watchdog duty are different, I tell you!" She sat down and casually leaned on Ryuu's shoulder. "Hey elf cutie, wanna go on a date together?"

  "Alise," Astraea chided. "You already have a lover."

  "I was just joking… Why is everyone so tense today?"

  Astraea shook her head. "Kaguya, can you find some information on Freya?"

  "Goddess Freya?" Kaguya muttered, curious. "Nobody deals with information on her now. Her dogs bare their fangs to anyone trying to taint their goddess."

  Astraea looked at Alise, her eyes serious. "I hope I'm overthinking, but Freya might know that Asahi isn't a normal adventurer."

  (She knows.)

  Klyscha conveyed this to everyone in the room since they had high affection points with Asahi. Though the elf had suppressed her feelings quite a bit.

  "Is it war time?" Kaguya tried to joke, but it made others even more serious. "It was a joke, seriously. We will be slaughtered without Asahi and his lovers' help. Freya might approach Asahi with a deal to leave this Familia and join hers. It's what I would do."

  Asahi was an invaluable asset even in Goddess Freya's eyes.

  Alise punched the table. "Stealing Asahi from our Familia is unforgivable. We're going to war!"

  Ryuu nodded and unsheathed her sword. "Yes."

  They didn't care if the opponent was the most renowned goddess of beauty. Anyone stealing their Familia member, or lover in Alise's case, deserved punishment.

  Kaguya sighed at their foolish response. "Captain, think with your brain. Can you fight the Gulliver Brothers, the four level 5 dwarfs who can beat a level together?"

  "Me and Saeko will slaughter them."

  "What about Dainsleif, the King of Dark Elves?"

  "Me and Saeko will slaughter them."

  "Hildrsleif, the King of White Elv—"

  "Me and Saeko will slaughter them."

  "Allan Fromel, Vana Freya—"

  "Me and Saeko will slaughter them."

  Kaguya stared at her stubborn captain who intended to kill every Level 5 and Level 6 of the Freya Familia. "Ottar then. What will you do about him?"

  Alise raised her chin as her lips curved up in a fierce smile. "Me and Saeko will slaughter him."

  "You're hopeless."

  "No, Saeko and I make a good team. We rush, we attack, and we kill."

  "……"

  ***

  'Sword Mastery' ranked up to C.

  'Lovely.'

  This was the fruit of observing Sandalphon's sword techniques for nearly thirty minutes. He could rank it up to B-Rank or perhaps A-Rank if he incorporated Saeko's katana technique, Alise's straightforward stab and parry technique, and Ais' lightning-fast sword techniques. His perception had increased to a frightening degree.

  Sandalphon could dance all day and he could watch her without being bored.

  "That's enough for today."

  "But we didn't—"

  He stroked her hair. "Let's do more tomorrow."

  She came to realize why Gabriel was stuck up on getting headpats from him. The warm feeling was addicting; it calmed her thoroughly in seconds.

  Asahi took Sandalphon to Gabriel's room and spent some more time with the Seraphs.