"Not even a little. For a goddess of love, you have a terrible sense of humor," I replied with a frown.

"I’m also the goddess of war, you know? I like to spice things up a bit from time to time, you know?" the goddess sitting at the table said, smiling at me. "How is the food?"

"It’s excellent," I grumbled.

Even though this woman had thrown me into a terrible situation, putting even my own member at risk, I couldn’t deny that the food in front of me was really good—better than anything I had tasted in this world.

"S-Should I really be at th-this table, Lady Freya?!" Brandish asked nervously, her hands fidgeting as she held onto her white dress.

"But of course. You and Rick are my special guests. I hope it is to your liking," Freya said to me and her servant before gracefully taking a sip from her cup.

We were in a part of Freya’s palace that I had never seen before, one that looked more like the garden of a mansion. The paths that ran through the garden were made of large white tiles, carving a way through the place. The bushes were trimmed like walls and even formed an arch that an adult could pass through.

We were inside this place, sheltered by the hedges. Beside us, flowers decorated the garden in different colors, each flowerbed holding a specific type of flower.

I would never say this to Freya, especially after the mission she gave me, but the goddess knew how to live with style.

And above all, there was the table of food right in front of us. The warm bread was sliced right before us, with several filling options to go with it—cheese, ham, salad, and chicken were just some of the choices in front of me, at least from what I had eaten so far. A teapot was also on the table.

I ended up getting a bit carried away, because that food was much better than anything I had tasted in the world of SCRL so far, and I ended up choking a little. Brandish got nervous because of that and offered me a cup of tea to help clear my throat.

We had been at this table for a while, and Freya still hadn’t said anything about my mission, so I decided to get straight to the point.

"So why did you call me here, Freya? Certainly not to take part in your tea party."

"Aren’t you being a little rude for someone who just choked on a sandwich?" she said, as if the image of me choking amused her. "But indeed, we do have to discuss some important matters."

Freya placed her cup onto the saucer set before her. The goddess rested her elbows on the table and brought her hands together, interlocking her fingers. Her sea-blue eyes were fixed on me.

"What did you think of your fight against the woman from the Night Apostles?" she asked.

I had expected her to talk about my mission, but it was indeed an important matter. The Night Apostles were a group that actively worked to destroy the world.

"About that," I straightened my posture and said respectfully, "I would like to offer you my thanks, Freya."

"Why be so polite all of a sudden?"

"Because if it weren’t for the power you gave me, I definitely wouldn’t have had a chance to face her. For that, I am very grateful. Equidna, the member of the Night Apostles I fought, was strong, but we were almost at the same level. Although even with one of my Valkyries, I wasn’t able to injure her."

"I see. Tell me, Rick. I heard your conversation with your Valkyries—that you know what happens in our world, as if you had read a book of prophecies."

A webnovel on the internet would have been a more accurate description, but I didn’t bother to correct her.

"Tell me," she continued, "do you think that in your current state you can face Gerard, the Silver Fang, and the Night Apostles?"

I thought about it for a bit, then answered Freya once I had my line of reasoning well established.

"First, I need to make something clear, Freya. I know a good part of this world following the timeline that I learned, but it was a version of this world where Leo was the one who received your blessing," I explained to her. "The moment I got the powers instead of him, I started to mess up the events. I can answer you based on what I know from that version of the world, but whether it will be the same for me or not is a mystery."

"Alright," Freya shrugged. "I only want an estimate. Your opinion, even if it isn’t precise, is already valuable information to me."

"I see. If that’s the case, I’ll be frank with you. In my current situation, even considering the power of my Valkyries, I think it would be difficult to face them head-on."

Freya sighed. "What a bummer."

"Yeah, if I took them all on together, but if I fight them one by one, the story would be different. Of course, I couldn’t defeat Echidna, but with some grinding, I think it’s totally possible to defeat her."

"I see. So I’ll trust in you," Freya said, giving me a small smile.

That was the perfect moment. Freya had lowered her guard. Taking advantage of her good mood, this was my chance to get a new weapon worthy of me.

"But you know, Lady Freya, a new weapon would be very helpful for me to exterminate the Night Apostles. My weapon—I got it from a bandit I defeated some time ago—and the blade is starting to get dull, and..."

"I get it. I get it," she repeated in an impatient tone. "You really want a new weapon, don’t you?"

"Yes," I answered without thinking twice, nodding my head repeatedly in exaggeration.

"Alright. I’ll take care of that—consider your weapon done, that is, if you complete your mission." She must have noticed my disappointed expression, because she then added, "Don’t tell me you thought you were going to get it without finishing your mission?"

She looked at me as if thinking "You don’t think I’m stupid enough to forget, do you?" and Brandish asked me with her eyes "She might be annoying, but she’s not stupid, you know?"

"Of course not, Freya. I would never do something like that." I lied with a crooked smile on my face.

She was still looking at me with a threatening smile, but it seemed she decided to let it go.

"Great. Then come with me so you can fulfill your mission." Freya said to me and then turned to her servant, "You too, Brandish. Come with us."

We followed Freya through the majestic corridors of her palace. My gaze swept over the surroundings as we walked. The ceilings were very high, and the halls were extremely wide, but there didn’t seem to be any guards around.

The only things that resembled soldiers were a few life-sized marble statues of warriors spread throughout the palace. For some reason, I felt as if I was being watched, but whenever I turned around, I only saw the statues.

"Here," Freya said as we arrived at the double wooden doors.

"Huh?" Brandish was dumbfounded when she recognized the place we were heading to. "Lady Freya, this is..."

"Shhh!" Freya placed a finger against her lips. "Don’t spoil the surprise."

Freya then opened the doors, and the three of us entered the room. It was majestic, with a neatly made bed that would be worthy of royalty to sleep on. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"This is my room," Freya said to me.

A possibility began to form in my mind about what was going to happen next, but it couldn’t be. I thought Freya wanted privacy to talk with us in her room, but aside from me and Brandish, there didn’t seem to be anyone else here. My mind raced, trying to find another explanation for why I was in the goddess’s bedroom, but considering her personality, there was only one answer.

Freya didn’t say anything; she simply walked slowly towards her bed, her hips exuding femininity with every step she took. Finally, sitting on the edge of her bed, she called out to me.

"Come closer, Rick."

"L-Lady F-Freya..." Brandish was trembling with nervousness as she stuttered. I think the situation was too much for her shyness.

I was surprised at how quickly things had changed direction. Honestly, I thought she was going to put me through some deadly test, but if it was just sex she wanted, that wouldn’t be a problem for me.

’This would be my first time with an actual goddess,’ I thought inwardly.

I swallowed hard and walked over to where she was until I stood in front of her. Freya tapped the space beside her on the mattress.

"Sit here," she said with a mischievous smile. "Or are you too nervous to be on the same bed as a goddess?"