Magic Stone lamps glittered as the Holy War continued in full swing.
The girls worked up a sweat throughout the venue.
At times they laughed, at times they grew frustrated, and at times they openly accused Syr of sneaking ahead.
When it came to the tailoring contest, the lovers' finished products were wildly varied and often downright strange.
"Bell, this piece of cloth could be used as a blindfold."
Syr brushed back her silver-gray hair and covered her eyes with the untouched fabric.
She deliberately swayed unsteadily, then bumped straight into the boy's arms.
"Uh... isn't that already supposed to be the finished product?" Bell muttered.
"Huh? Did I give myself away already?" Syr said as she playfully straightened up.
Under Ryuu's complicated gaze, Syr failed to earn a passing score.
"Artemis, what exactly is this?" Bell asked, puzzled as he looked at the garment the goddess handed him.
"This is something hunters often use. After skinning beasts, they process the hides to protect against the cold," Artemis explained.
Faint traces of blood still remained on her beautiful face.
"Mm..."
Seeing the goddess like that, Ryuu couldn't help but frown.
Although Bell praised Artemis's bold and straightforward approach, clothing stained with blood ultimately received low scores from both Ryuu and Lefiya.
Compared to the previous two, Airmid's work was far more conventional.
The only issue was that all the clothes were extremely small.
"These are for future children," Airmid said, proudly displaying the tiny, adorable outfits, her face glowing with joy and happiness.
"They look pretty nice."
"Mm..."
"What do you mean, nice?! Th-this absolutely won't do. Zero points. Zero points!"
Hearing Bell's approval, Ryuu was left speechless, while Lefiya blushed deeply and insisted that the score shouldn't count at all.
In the end, under an extremely subjective ruling, Laurier, who had made perfectly ordinary clothing, claimed victory.
Girls with completely different personalities laughed and competed together, giving this Holy War a playful, almost game-like atmosphere.
"As for pharmacology, I won that round outright."
Airmid accepted the boy's praise with a bright, satisfied smile.
"Mm... competing against a healer in this? The outcome was obvious from the start," Artemis said with a wry smile.
Although she wasn't skilled enough to compound potions, she still knew how to treat various injuries.
If Airmid hadn't been so overwhelmingly professional, the victory would have gone to her instead.
"But pharmacology is important," Syr said, emphasizing the fairness of the event. "It'll definitely be useful to Bell."
She could clearly sense the trace of frustration and reluctance lingering in Artemis's emotions.
As the girls' feelings collided, the Moon Goddess was slowly, subtly changing.
"Syr, you never planned on winning from the beginning, did you?" Artemis asked softly.
From start to finish, Syr had been playing around. From a competitive standpoint, she hadn't been serious at all.
"It's just that everyone is amazing," Syr replied with a gentle smile. "I'm really happy, Bell, that you were able to meet such wonderful girls."
After several rounds of competition, Artemis, Airmid, and Laurier were close in points, while Syr lagged far behind.
Yet she showed no sign of impatience, instead enjoying the contest in her own way.
"You really are quite generous..." Artemis said, feeling a hint of envy toward her.
It was a kind of love that was incredibly pure, free of any twisted intentions.
"Artemis-sama, you are mistaken," Syr said with a smile. "I'm actually the one most attached to envy."
She didn't elaborate further, only adding lightly, "The next round is my secret weapon."
"..."
Artemis looked into the girl's eyes, unable to read her true intentions.
As she pondered this, a wave of noise crashed over them like a sudden tide.
"Huh-nya nya?!"
"Th-this is definitely wrong, nya!"
Anya and Chloe shook their heads and swished their tails, shouting in disbelief.
"Mm..."
"Artemis-sama?!"
Most of the supporters stiffened in shock.
"Wh-who picked this event?! Don't tell me it was you, you perpetually horny rabbit?!"
"Cranel-san..."
Lefiya and Ryuu cast icy looks toward the boy.
"No, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding," Bell said hurriedly.
The reason for everyone's panic lay in the content of the next event.
Intimate bedroom techniques.
To see who could win Bell's favor the most.
For the girls, it was nothing less than a bolt of lightning out of a clear sky.
"I was the one who suggested it… Is that really so strange?"
Syr put on an innocently blank expression and blinked.
"Of course it's strange! Rejected! Rejected!"
Lefiya shouted, her face burning red.
"Syr… she's just a tavern girl, but she's a truly terrifying opponent…"
"No wonder Artemis-sama can't handle her."
The twenty girls cheering for the Moon Goddess began whispering among themselves.
"Isn't the [main wife] basically the wife among wives and concubines? If that's the case, isn't this kind of contest perfectly normal?"
Syr calmly argued for the duel's legitimacy.
"Settle that among yourselves when you get back! Don't tell me you're… you're planning to demonstrate it here?!"
Lefiya's cheeks were completely crimson.
Even her pointed ears had turned the same shade of embarrassment.
"Syr…"
Ryuu clenched the hat in her hands, unable to offer her friend a single word of support.
Waves of shyness rose and fell, drowning out every other emotion.
Her gaze settled on the white rabbit stitched onto the black cap, leaving her frozen like a silent statue.
"Syr, that joke is going to invite complaints."
Bell warned her softly.
"Oh? So when we get back, Bell and the others are going to "punish" me? I'll be looking forward to it."
Syr laughed lightly, casting a mischievous glance toward the Moon Goddess.
Artemis stood there, utterly motionless.
It was as if she had pushed open a massive door, revealing a brand-new unknown world beyond.
For an omniscient goddess, such matters had always been dismissed as noise, filtered away without a second thought.
And yet now, as she looked at the boy, an urge to break a taboo welled up inside her.
She hadn't even realized these feelings existed.
But Syr had dragged them into the open, leaving Artemis with no way to look away.
She couldn't help imagining how cruel it would be if a goddess suddenly appeared to stop her from approaching the boy, from exploring that heart-pounding unknown…
And yet, that was exactly what Artemis herself had been doing.
Selfish. Ugly. So repulsive that even she found herself revolted by it.
Her thoughts continued to sink, deeper and deeper, and she remained silent for a long time.
...
On an unnoticed rooftop.
Members of the Freya Familia quietly observed from afar.
They had already made preparations, sealing off the roads in the familia's name to keep outsiders away.
Unfortunately, such warnings were useless against the truly foolish.
In the end, one airheaded girl still wandered straight in.
One of the members spoke respectfully. "Hedin, someone has intruded. Should we stop her?"
Hedin looked toward the blonde girl in the distance and replied softly.
"No. Starting a fight here risks exposing us, and this person is extremely difficult to communicate with. Acting rashly would only cause trouble."
After weighing the will of the god, Hedin reached his conclusion.
"Let her pass."
"Yes."
...
...