Chapter 188: Babel

Astraea waved her Familia goodbye in the morning. As the children left, a nervous smile dawned on her face. She wished that they would return from that cruel, heartless dungeon.

She shook off her worries and gazed up at the tower in the distance with a determined expression. She had to go to Babel for the monthly meeting about the Evilus. The gods had decided to host a meeting every month until Evilus's threat vanishes entirely.

'Please stop this madness. You people are hurting the innocents.'

Astraea walked toward the tower, which overlooked the entire city and acted as a shield to protect the humans from the monsters.

She climbed the stairs to the tower and arrived on the 13th floor, the meeting spot. She opened the door and stepped inside the room with every influential god sitting around a table.

Several gods sent a friendly smile at her; some even threw a flirtatious wink, some merely glanced at her before continuing their talk, while the rest scowled silently.

Astraea ignored the varying reactions and took a seat

"How have you been? I haven't seen you around my home."

Astraea turned to the redhead god, who grinned with her eyes closed as usual. "I'm well enough. Is everyone here?"

"We're missing Apollo," answered a goddess sitting before Astraea with arms crossed under her chest. She had a black eyepatch covering her right eye, making it that she could only see with her left crimson eye. She was Hephaestus, the goddess of smithing. Her Familia rose to the top 3 after Evilus's attack on Orario.

Astraea smiled. "Hephaestus, it's good to see you."

Hephaestus nodded her head, and her wild crimson hair bounced lightly. "You too. I haven't seen you in the shop since Tsubaki upgraded your Captain's sword."

"It's been a hectic month for my children."

"Apollo ain't the type to miss any meeting," Loki said and leaned back on her chair. "Is he too busy with his 'affairs'?"

Quite a few gods laughed at Loki's remark. Apollo's perversion was known to everyone, so no one doubted it.

"Please," said a blonde god with captivating emerald eyes. Dionysus, a god with a face that could charm both men and women, gave an equally charming smile. "Fellow gods, we should give Apollo freedom."

"Should we wait?" asked the goddess of Fertility, Demeter.

Loki nodded. "We got no other choice."

Apollo's Familia was D-Rank. No god dared to sow discord at this time. Well, even if they wanted, they would be shut down by the strongest gods here.

The gods engaged in idle chitchats. Before long, the talk shifted into the new adventurers.

"Anyone heard of that noble from the far east?" a god asked curiously.

"Oh, him. I saw that kid a week ago," an old god said with a chuckle. "Apparently, the adventurers are cursing him for hoarding some of the most beautiful women Orario had ever seen."

"I heard that he joined Apollo Familia," said a wheat-skinned goddess without moving her eyes from the silver-haired goddess sitting quietly.

"Is that true?"

"Really, Ishtar?!"

Astraea and Loki asked at the same time. Astraea remembered what Alise told her—he only wanted to be part of her and Loki's Familia in Orario.

Ishtar shrugged her shoulders. "It's just a rumor."

Astraea let out a sigh and looked at Loki inquisitively, wondering why this goddess got worked up for Asahi. The trickster goddess joined her hands behind her head and feigned ignorance. Astraea realized the goddess's intentions.

'She wants him, or perhaps the women by his side. Alise says the twin sisters are exceptional swordswomen, equal or higher than Kaguya. Not to mention the other women and his own power. He might be safe if he joined Apollo's Familia. If not…'

Thinking up to this, Astraea became worried. He and his women might get targeted by some other god. The majority of the gods had no lines. The only thing they cared about was being entertained.

'I'll invite him to our Familia.'

The door opened at that moment, and Apollo walked in with a sheepish smile.

"I apologize for delaying the meeting."

Astraea and many gods blinked in surprise. Apollo's apology was sincere. Even his smile wasn't fake, unlike his usual, repulsive smile.

'What changed so much—' Astraea's eyes widened as she recalled what Asahi said to Alise when she went to invite him to the Monster Feria.

'He's been taken care of.'

It had to be a coincidence. Astraea didn't believe it. She also couldn't help but think about the possibility of Asahi teaching Apollo a lesson. Still, Apollo would've retaliated with his adventurers and raised hell in Orario. No event like that happened.

While the gods showed shock at Apollo's incomprehensible change, Freya's silver eyes stared at Apollo with a burning intensity. She crossed her legs with a broad smile. "Interesting."

All heads turned to her, but she kept her smile on.

Apollo also noticed other's stares and tried to act normal, but Astraea's curiosity only rose.

The discussion finally started.