Clang—!
Under the blood-colored dusk, the nameless black sword rang out as it was drawn, casting a shadowy arc of darkness across the air. It hovered in place, its edge resting firmly against Freya's snowy-white neck.
The faint sword intent emanating from the blade began to swirl around it.
Sensing the chilling sharpness, a divine brilliance flickered briefly in Freya's gray eyes. She narrowed her gaze slightly, following the blade back to Kai.
His jet-black eyes were deep and tranquil, like the sword he held—filled with unwavering resolve.
That fierce look in his eyes seemed to pierce straight into her soul, making her eyes sting just from making eye contact.
What brilliance! What a magnificent gem!
How many years of blood, tears, and suffering had it taken to forge such a flawless soul?
While marveling at this mortal's luminous spirit, Freya was also… surprised.
Mortals, when faced with gods—even gods suppressing their divinity—would still subconsciously feel fear, born of the inherent difference in their life forms. That fear translated outwardly into reverence, affection, and even blind devotion.
And as the Goddess of Beauty, Freya's very existence was intoxicating—especially to human males. Just meeting her gaze could fill someone with euphoric bliss.
Just now, she had deliberately tried to seduce Kai, even going so far as to release a sliver of divine charm, breaking the divine contract with the Dungeon. For any other mortal, dying from joy wouldn't have been surprising.
But Kai wasn't swayed.
He broke free from her divine power in an instant.
Then raised his sword against her.
Even for Freya, a god who had lived for eons, this outcome was rare—nearly unimaginable.
Especially after descending to the mortal realm, where she was used to everything unfolding as she desired.
Yet in Kai… she saw something new—rebellion.
Ah… this feeling…
Freya's face flushed with desire. Her gaze, when fixed on Kai, grew damp with longing. His cold, piercing gaze only excited her more.
This man—this soul—this male…
Was simply too wonderful.
As for his chilling warning—it only made her legs tremble with anticipation.
"I see now… No wonder Hestia seemed so calm at the Divine Banquet today. She really did find herself a rare gem of a child…"
Not just admiration…
For the first time in millions of years, Freya felt jealousy.
"Ah… what should I do?"
With her back to Ottar, Freya looked like she was going mad.
Love burned through her divine form like wildfire.
Her desperate yearning was setting her sanity ablaze.
As the Goddess of Love, Freya could give love… but she also desperately craved to receive it.
Now, her love for this boy named Kai had reached its peak.
She wanted—no, needed—to be loved back. Even more fiercely than she loved him.
What would he be like?
This cold, sword-like man—when he fell in love, how would his soul change?
"Ottar… what should I do to win this boy's heart?"
"…"
The ever-silent Ottar said nothing.
Though Kai had just raised a sword against Freya, Ottar's murderous intent had vanished completely.
He understood her well—this was her "hunting" phase.
All he had to do was stand behind her quietly.
Receiving no answer, Freya didn't mind. A dreamy smile played on her lips—the smile of a maiden in love.
Then, she stepped forward toward the Black Swordsman.
The black blade was still at her neck.
But she didn't care. Even as it nicked her skin and drew blood, she didn't falter.
Seeing her move forward so brazenly despite the blade, Kai's hand trembled.
Kill a god?
No matter how arrogant he was, that was beyond delusional. Even a hundred thousand of him wouldn't equal a finger of the Goddess of Beauty.
'What the hell is wrong with this crazy woman!?'
Watching her approach, eyes shimmering with lust, Kai couldn't help but retreat and lower his sword.
This wasn't going the way he expected at all!
Shouldn't a god be furious when a mortal threatens them?
Why was Freya… getting more excited!?
Could it be she was a masochist?
Did being mistreated turn her on!?
Kai's mind was in chaos. He didn't know how to deal with her anymore.
Be polite? Not happening.
Act scary? What if that made her happier?
"Heh…"
Seeing the flustered look on Kai's face, Freya stopped moving. She stayed at the spot where his sword had been drawn, lips curled in a sultry smile.
"Hestia's little pup, let's end it here for today."
"…Huh?"
He'd been ready for a drawn-out ordeal, but now she was backing off?
Wasn't this… how she treated Bell in the original?
Always hiding behind the scenes, watching as he bloomed under pressure?
No… she's not planning the same for me, is she?
But I'm not Bell!
Bell is the protagonist—he has plot armor, comeback moments, and divine blessings.
Me? I'm just a stowaway.
If Freya really starts scheming, I'm screwed!
Seeing his complicated expression, Freya chuckled again.
"What? Can't bear to part with me? Want to come give my side a try?"
She crossed her arms, pressed up her chest, and smiled seductively.
"No thanks. I need to find my goddess. Goodbye!"
With that, Kai turned and practically fled.
"…Milady."
Watching Kai disappear, Ottar finally spoke.
"Is it really alright to let him go?"
He knew her. She never let go of a man she set her eyes on.
"Ottar…"
Freya's love-dazed expression slowly faded to calm as she stared at the corner where Kai vanished.
Then she asked something Ottar didn't understand.
"Have you ever seen a shooting star?"
Of course he had—many times.
But why was Freya asking him such a question? Did it carry some deeper meaning?
After thinking for a moment, and realizing he still couldn't grasp a god's thought process, Ottar nodded and answered honestly, "I have."
"Then Ottar, do you think shooting stars are beautiful?"
"...They probably are."
"Probably?"
Hearing Ottar's ambiguous answer, Freya gave him a sidelong glance, then gently shook her head with a smile.
"I forgot, you don't really have a concept of beauty... Let me rephrase. Do you like shooting stars?"
"No."
Ottar shook his head bluntly, even more confused about Freya's reason for asking such questions.
"Then why not?"
She turned to him, watching his ever-expressionless face reveal a trace of confusion. Freya smiled joyfully.
"Shooting stars... are far too brief."
Under Freya's gaze, Ottar recalled the shooting stars he had seen in the past, then continued, "They burn intensely, releasing all their brilliance at once, then fade quickly, never to shine again. I don't like that feeling."
"Exactly." Freya looked at Ottar with approval, then lifted her head to the twilight sky that had shifted from golden-red to deep blue, and sighed, "That child... his soul, to me, is like a shooting star that could ignite at any moment. But he's too strong—unyielding, charging forward relentlessly. Once he begins to burn, he'll shine briefly and then fall. I don't want to see him collapse like that, which is why I didn't push him too hard."
Freya, the goddess of beauty who descended into the mortal realm, had sealed away her arcanum. But she still possessed the ability to see directly into a person's soul.
And among the few entertainments in her long divine life, watching the brief flashes of mortal souls was one of her favorites.
But what did she just say?
She didn't want to see Kai fall after briefly shining?
Was this goddess... being serious?
Ottar's expression finally changed—he absolutely couldn't allow his goddess's radiance to be sullied by a mere mortal.
"My lady..."
"—Ottar."
Freya raised a hand, cutting off Ottar's words. She gazed at a twinkling star in the far reaches of the sky, her tone full of longing.
"You don't need to worry. The reason I care about that child so much is because in his soul, I saw... a sliver of hope."
"Hope?"
Ottar frowned, completely unable to understand what Freya meant by hope.
"Yes, hope." Ignoring Ottar's confusion, Freya continued gazing dreamily at that far-off star in the night sky. "The hope that a shooting star might become a fixed star... and I want to witness where that hope will ultimately lead him."
At that, Freya finally turned her gaze from the starlight. A smile appeared on her face—one Ottar had never seen before. A smile so beautiful it made people forget to breathe, forget their heartbeat, and scatter their thoughts.
"Ottar, don't you think it's fascinating... I have a feeling this Black Swordsman will soon shine again before me."
…
After quickly escaping the inner city, Kai finally let out a breath.
"Are all gods this terrifying, seriously..."
Thinking back to Freya's insane behavior earlier, Kai couldn't help but shiver.
Thank goodness Hestia was a normal god.
He shook his head, trying not to think about Freya, and instead focused on what title he might receive.
What kind of title would it be?
He used a sword, so it should probably be sword-related. But no way would it be something embarrassing like "Black Holy Sword Wielder." After all, Hestia had promised she'd try to get him a normal title.
In the original, Bell only got the title "Little Rookie."
So it should be fine now, right?
With that hope in mind, Kai soon returned to the slums on the outskirts of Orario.
The renovated church glowed warmly from the windows. Smiling brightly, Kai pushed open the church door and stepped inside.
In front of the altar, Hestia was kneeling. When she saw Kai enter, she immediately prostrated herself.
"Uh… Lady Hestia, what are you doing...?"
"—Kai!"
Still with her forehead pressed to the floor, Hestia's voice trembled with guilt. "I've wronged you!"
Wronged me? What did she do?
Just as Kai was about to ask, Hestia spoke again, "The title... I got it..."
Hearing her bring up the title, Kai's heart skipped a beat.
"Wh-What title?"
"Black... Black..."
Still kneeling, Hestia curled up like a pangolin, then stammered out the full title.
"Black Holy Sword Wielder..."