277 Entering the Dragon's Lair

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/A few minutes later…/

"Phew… That takes care of it." Silver said as he walked on Orario's streets

'After calming down a confused Tsubaki, Silver gave his Halberd to Hephaestus and left her workshop with the scale as he still had one more thing to do before returning to his Goddess, who by now, was likely going after him, either worried of angry he went off on his own somewhere again.'

'He already had his excuse ready, but he was sure that, were he to return, he wouldn't have the chance to come here again anytime soon, so he decided to bite the bullet and finish it now.'

'There was someone he had to visit, something he had to confirm...'

'And maybe even, send out a warning.'

…

/Clang… Clang…/

"I... What am I even doing here... Sigh."

"This is a bad idea… In every sense of the word…" Silver muttered to himself as he stood in front of a large pristine white wall

She's definitely there… Maybe she's waiting for me, watching my every step.

There's no way to tell how far a God sees… I once asked Hermes about Hestia's temple and he jokingly said that the entirety of Genkai could be placed within, and I don't think he was completely ironic when he said that.

"What was my plan again? Right..."

'Silver raised his head, looking at a Golden carving on the wall, the face of a Valkyrie, the emblem of the Familia this massive plot of land belonged to.'

'In all of Orario, there was only one singular Familia who possessed such a massive territory in the Southern District, the richest area of Orario where business was made.'

'Right now, Silver stood before the gates of Folkvangr, Freya Familia's home.'

'And he intended to cross over the rule he wrote himself the very day he entered Orario... To never interact with Freya or any of her followers.'

'All due to his curiosity... And a desire...'

'What man don't do for their dreams... Their folly is exactly what makes the Gods so perplexed.'

/Clang…/

'The faint sounds of weapons clashing could be heard in the distance…'

'No matter the time or day, the children of the Freya Familia were always fighting.'

'Such a shame it was for a completely mundane goal.'

'He could go on and on as to how futile he felt their efforts were, but at the end of the day, it was none of his business to dictate their course of action.'

'After all, Freya was still the strongest Familia around. This stupid daily confrontation was what made her children so strong to begin with, so it worked, even if at a cost she couldn't fully pay.'

"..."

It's now or never… Shit…

'The reason Silver was so displeased with this situation wasn't only because he was literally entering a Tiger's den, but because his previous plan had been soiled.'

'Silver's sole objective in interacting with the dangerous Freya Familia was to get the chance to speak with the King, Ottar, Freya's Captain.'

'So at first, he made his way to Babel, knowing full well Freya lived there... Most of the time at least.'

'He wanted to get the chance to send a letter to him, which he did, only to be refused… Because he wasn't there.'

'Freya lived on the topmost floor of Babel, Together with Ottar who was always by her side, something already said many times and a fact everyone already knew...'

'But of course, Ottar wasn't the only one there, he wasn't a maid, much less a cook...'

'Together with him were a group of the most elite of butlers and maids to make sure all of Freya's attires, daily needs, and desires were followed quickly and swiftly to the highest degree surpassing even that of Royalty.'

'Someone had to clean her room from dust, to make sure her clothes were smooth and pretty… To clean after her, whenever Freya went on a killing spree on her wardrobe…'

'Freya was likely one of if not the biggest customer of some of the shops within Babel...'

'As such, Silver first approached the buttler, which wasn't hard.'

'He entered Babel's elevator, making his way to the highest floor he could get, only to be stopped by a few guards.'

'Thankfully, they recognized him, and went through with his simple request of sending a message up to her room.'

'This was necessary since he wasn't the only one willing to send messages to Freya, although this time, he was replied to quickly because of his Status and the fact he wasn't just another man trying to give Freya something.'

'Either way, a few moments after his arrival, the butler came to him, and they talked for a bit before he received the terrible news that Ottar wasn't there.'

'Everything went as he expected, short, direct, professional, no useless talk, no looking down, the buttler did his job and relayed to him what he should, end of the story.'

'Nonetheless, even if Ottar was present, there was little chance he would follow him, but depending on Freya's mood or how Ottar saw him, there was a chance he would at least come to talk with him.'

'But he couldn't leave Babel, Ottar would never leave Freya alone.'

'Of course, aside from all of that, there was the risk of meeting with Freya directly, which was something Silver wished to avoid at all costs… But fate was often playful.'

'As Freya wasn't here today, being back at her 'true' "home".'

'And if she was there, so was Ottar, and maybe all of her famed warriors as well.'

'More people Silver was unwilling to meet.'

'It is true Silver had past interactions with them, but right now, Silver was uninterested in pursuing the truth behind them, as he was not strong enough to confront them.'

'Maybe strong enough to not die, but definitely not strong enough to keep his Familia in one piece.'

'And also because he knew every single member of the Freya Familia had some sort of mental disorder due to their obsession.'

'Well, it may be not to that degree, but they were indeed an annoying bunch to deal with.'

'The Pallum brothers whose anger was always suppressed, finding out they were just as good with a weapon as they were with their crafting tools...'

'The tyrant Elf King who is too conceited and arrogant to rule over others, and not wise enough to choose a successor...'

'The cowardly Elf King, too foolish to even complete a sentence due to his fear of social interaction, his naivete such he let his empire die due to lack of motivation and his anxiety...'

'The Beast who lost his home and Family, abandoning the sole thing still tied to him by blood to seek out Divine comfort, even if it meant eternal scorn, he never regretted his actions...'

'And last but not least, the Orphan whose name was unknown to even himself, rescued by a Goddess in search of purpose in the mortal plane, he now wields his weapon in her name, whatever it may mean...'

'These weren't the kind of people Silver wanted to get himself mingled with... Since they were already too far gone.'

'Regardless if shit hit the fan, he could just leave, or try to.'

'He had to be careful not to make Freya pissed or bored, and at all costs, disrespect her.'

'If she got angry and demanded something ridiculous, there was a 100% chance her followers would follow through with it and demand Silver or most likely, force him to comply.'

'And for everything sacred, he did not wish to be the target of her orders.'

'That was why he previously wished to meet with Ottar alone, because of all of her followers, he was the sanest of them all.'

'So much so he may try to argue back at Freya if he believed it was for the best… Though the chance of that varied...'

'But now, here he was, in front of their home…'

"This will certainly come back to bite me in the ass in the future…" Silver said with a sigh as he made his way to the entrance gates

I wonder if this was a coincidence, for her to not be in Babel exactly when I was looking for her Captain… She may not even be here either, though it would be weird if that was the case.

If I were to ask, would she reply? Or would she play around like those other Gods?...

No, what am I thinking? There's no point in trying to interact with that Goddess. If you try to dance with the Devil it'll take out your hands with it after the music's over...

Freya was a troublesome woman...

'More because of her followers than herself.'

'Silver was in a way, intimidated by her antics and beauty, but he felt the latter to be subjective.'

'Her beauty was as high as Babel itself, and if one was not attracted to her, be they man or woman, then there was something wrong with their head.'

'You cannot deny the beauty that is nature itself... However, that is the nature of men.'

'To rule over their minds and shape their own world.'

'For him, there were too many pretty girls around, so over time Silver began to appreciate their personalities more.'

'Even if divine in origin, Silver could not bring himself to enjoy Freya's body and personality… Although he didn't know much about the latter to opine.'

'Still... To find that out, he would need to hang out with her, and Gods forbid him from entertaining such thoughts…'

'If any of her followers were to hear his thoughts, what would they do to him?'

'They're a thousand times worse than Elves whenever Riveria is brought to the table, and that's something alright…'

'If that wasn't enough, one shouldn't forget that Freya isn't all looks, her mind is as sharp as her chest and bottom are round.'

'One would inevitably fall into her words the longer they interacted with her.'

'Because Freya was a Goddess, one who did not care to let herself go even in the mortal world... Which was rather paradoxical, given Freya was something forever cursed with being locked away...'

'Nonetheless, some may say Gods are all powerful in Heaven, but how far can they see, think, and predict?'

'Is it even possible to visualize infinity as men?'

'No, it was not. And Freya knew that, she never tried to hide it anyway...'

'It was already annoying dealing with Gods, Silver didn't wish to make his life harder by interacting with the most troublesome of them all...'

'Silver would exchange Lokis, Freyas, Hermes, and the like for dozens of Miachs and Takemikazuchis any time... But alas...'

/Step…/

'Silver slowly approached the gates, a bead of sweat falling from his forehead…'

'Because he knew that someone could jump him at any moment!'

…

"... A letter? For Captain Ottar?"

"Yes."

"The sender?"

"Captain of the Hestia Familia."

"... Wait here."

"Sure thing…"

/CLACK!/

"..."

Rude fuckers.

'There were two guards in front of the Freya Familia home's Gates, and both of them were Level 4 and clad in gear that would make a First Class adventurer whistle.'

'People often forget the exorbitant health the Freya Familia possed...'

They sure are ostentatious… And conceited… 

But whatever, I don't care how they treat me, I just want to talk with Ottar.

I made the letter pretty well and it's rather respectful, he shouldn't have a problem with it, though I don't he would regardless.

The problem is if he cares about me enough to listen to me… I'm sure there is no lack of people trying to get on his good side as a way to get to Freya or something else.

I could try to contact Finn, Gareth isn't that much weaker than Ottar Physically so I could predict the results, but that would lead to something else I don't quite want to deal with.

Still… If he refuses to meet with me, then I'll just leave and contact them at a later date if I have the chance.

I have no obligation to be nice to them anyway, the same thing can be said for them tough.

Who am I to them?... But who are they to me?

They have ambitions, and they are strong when compared to me, but mine surpasses them despite all of that.

They seek love, and I seek an adventure, but what does their Goddess seek? Isn't it love also?

Unfortunately, none of them can provide that, albeit they believe they can... Or do they?

When did their love turn into a materialistic obsession? From the start? Or...

Well, I don't know them anyway... Hm... Am I that bored?...

... I am an arrogant person, but so are they, yet we both have our own reasons to act like this.

Does it validate anything? Does a side have more worth to be arrogant when compared to the other?

Maybe I'm just bored and am thinking too much…

/Thumm…/

'The giant doors opened, and the guard appeared with the verdict.'

"You may enter, follow me." He said deeply as he quickly turned around once more

"Lead the way." Silver said as his expression sharpened 

No turning back now.

'With heavy steps, Silver followed the man as he entered the home of the strongest Familia.'

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Notes

Not really a chapter but more of a build up for what's going to happen now.

This was my way of pulling the Freya Familia into future plot matters, not that it'll matter much now anyway.

See you all soon :)