In the spacious hall, Magic Stone lamps poured down light like slanting moonbeams, reflecting Artemis's breathtaking features.
"Orion..."
Artemis lowered her gaze, her expression heavy with guilt.
"I'll cheer for Artemis, okay?" Bell reached out and gently straightened the goddess's slightly messy hair.
"But I asked them not to get close to you. That was nothing more than ugly jealousy..."
Confusion flickered in Artemis's eyes.
Amid this clash of jealous feelings, she became increasingly aware of just how naïve and fragile her love truly was.
Syr's tolerance, Laurier's persistence, Airmid's patience...
Compared to them, Artemis had done nothing but make selfish demands.
"Whether it's jealousy or anything else, it doesn't matter. I like Artemis. That will never change."
Bell smiled lightly.
The gods often said that no matter how many billions of years passed, a god would never change.
Yet now, Artemis was troubled because of him, stepping toward the unknown and slowly changing.
From the goddess, Bell could see a tender, immature heart of love that belonged to her alone.
"But if I win..."
Artemis looked at the girls brimming with fighting spirit and felt a brief surge of hesitation.
The demand she had made would surely hurt the boy and her other lovers.
Artemis had once believed this to be the [Chastity] she had always upheld, but that barrier had been mercilessly torn down by Syr.
Now, she no longer knew what she should do.
"If you think my earlier demand was too much, you can always think about it again after this is over. Besides, even if Artemis stops Syr and the others from getting close to me, I'll just take their hands myself."
As if deliberately hunting for a loophole in the rules, Bell calmly stated a truth that left her stunned.
Artemis had only made demands of the girls.
The boy himself would still, as always, express his feelings without restraint.
"..."
Faced with such an unreasonable argument, Artemis froze for a moment.
Then she gently curved her lips, relief clearly written between her brows.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's being selfish."
"I've changed my mind. When I win this duel, I've decided to let Orion and I..."
Artemis suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Seeing that the goddess wasn't continuing, Bell asked, "Let you do what?"
"That's a secret."
Artemis didn't explain any further. She simply smiled softly, hid her thoughts away, and turned to walk toward the girls who were cheering her on.
...
Lights flashed brilliantly.
"The [Holy War] begins, nya!"
"Let me hear your cheers, nya!"
Anya and Chloe, dressed in detective outfits, took on the role of hosts.
"Woooo!!"
"Artemis-sama!!!"
Below the stage, just like always, the cheers of twenty girls drowned out everything else.
"Hmm-nya? Lunoire, don't just stand there, nya! Hurry up and cheer for Syr, nya!" Anya shouted loudly.
"Don't make things difficult for people... And aren't you the host? Being that biased toward Syr is a violation, you stupid cat."
Lunoire pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a soft sigh.
"Nya nya?! Th-then... let's just get started already, nya."
Anya hurriedly changed the subject.
"Alright, I'll explain the rules for everyone, nya."
Chloe calmly began outlining the rules that Syr and the others had set.
They were extremely simple.
Without harming anyone else, the participants would compete across various categories.
Physical ability, cooking, sewing, housework, combat...
Anything related to the boy would be evaluated, each with different weightings contributing to the final score.
The judges were Ryuu, Bell, and the relatively objective Lefiya.
"Ugh... why do I have to do something like this..."
Sitting beside the boy, Lefiya felt deeply uncomfortable.
And yet, she also sensed something strangely unfamiliar.
Evaluating other people's lovers together with the boy felt dangerously close to the lofty position of a main wife.
Lefiya only found it novel. She didn't really understand what that light, floating feeling inside her meant.
"Syr..."
Ryuu held the hat the boy had placed on her head.
Staring at the rabbit pattern above, her heart remained in complete turmoil.
Beneath the rational guilt and sense of wrongdoing lay genuine excitement and happiness rising from her heart.
Even if it had only been to escape being surrounded by his lovers, Bell had still handed this hat to Ryuu.
Regardless of what the boy truly felt, the reality he created made others believe that, in his heart, Ryuu was the most beautiful of them all.
As reason and emotion collided, Ryuu could only sit there, repeating apologies to herself without moving.
"Before we start, let the boy say a few opening words, nya~"
After finishing the explanation, Chloe passed the spotlight to the boy.
Bell recalled the Goddess of Justice from the Sword-Smithing City and spoke:
"You've probably all heard that Goddess Astraea and I are lovers."
"She seems to have foreseen this situation and asked me to pass along a message."
"Honestly, it's something I wanted to say as well."
After a brief pause, Bell continued:
"No matter what happens, please enjoy yourselves."
The moment his words fell, cheers erupted from below like a festival in full swing.
"Woooo!! Artemis-sama, do your best!!!"
"Nya! The [Holy War] begins, nya!!"
…
The first event of the competition was physical endurance.
"Why are we competing in this?" Laurier asked, clearly puzzled.
"What if we run into monsters while out on a date with Bell? If you get tired after just a bit of running, you'd only end up being a burden," Syr replied.
"The chances of that happening are extremely low..."
Laurier wasn't disputing the logic itself. She simply felt the match was unfair.
Syr was just a tavern girl, and Artemis was a goddess who couldn't use divine power.
The only one who could truly contend with Laurier was Airmid, who was also an adventurer. But as a healer, her stamina was obviously inferior.
Before the competition even started, Laurier had already decided that victory was hers.
Yet after some time passed, the situation completely overturned her expectations.
"Huff... huff... Artemis-sama really didn't use any divine power?"
Laurier panted heavily, her golden hair in complete disarray.
Sweat covered her forehead, and all the composure she had before the match was long gone.
"Your training is still far from sufficient."
Artemis smiled lightly, winning with ease.
Even in the Lower World, the Moon Goddess often hunted alongside her familia.
She always charged at the front, delivering aid to those in danger.
Slaying monsters. Saving humanity.
Artemis's physical ability was naturally exceptional.
She didn't become carried away by this temporary victory. Instead, she observed her opponents and asked,
"Why isn't Syr here?"
On the designated running course, only Airmid, Laurier, and Artemis remained.
"Syr gave up a long time ago... She was the one who proposed this event in the first place. Could this be part of her strategy too?!"
Laurier frowned.
Draining everyone's stamina in the first round.
Saving her own strength for the later events.
That was exactly the kind of tactic Syr would come up with.
"No, I think she just couldn't keep running... huh?!"
Artemis suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
She turned around, a faint trace of resentment appearing on her face.
Laurier followed the goddess's line of sight.
At some point, Syr had already reached the boy.
She hugged Bell from behind, pressing her body firmly against his.
"Syr, they've already finished," Bell said with a helpless smile, noticing the looks from Artemis and the others.
"Eh? I haven't rested enough yet," Syr replied in a spoiled tone.
Her full chest was squeezed against the boy's shoulder, slightly misshapen by the pressure, adding an extra touch of softness to her neck, damp with sweat.
Lefiya, seated nearby, looked visibly awkward.
Ryuu avoided Syr entirely, not daring to let her gaze fall on the boy.
"Her target was Bell?!" Laurier was momentarily stunned.
"Ah... I shouldn't have pushed myself for so long..." Airmid said regretfully.
Even Artemis, faced with this scene, raised her voice more sharply than usual.
"Syr, come back at once for the next round!"
"Alright..."
Syr lowered herself once more, pressing her cheek against the boy's for a brief moment.
It looked like a provocation, or perhaps shameless flirting right in front of everyone.
In the end, Syr smiled softly.
Reluctantly, she straightened up and returned to the [Holy War].