The Denatus was a meeting held every few months in Orario.
The gods gathered together to discuss their gains over the past few months and boast about the improvements of their Familia members.
In other words, the essence of the Denatus was idle gods gathering together for casual chat.
Because of this characteristic, the Denatus was also used to resolve internal disputes.
For example, the War Game.
"You are calmer than I expected."
"Well, there's no reason to be nervous, right?"
"That's true, but you used to cry and scream often when you were short on money."
"Huh? Is it really that exaggerated?"
"It's ten times more exaggerated than what I said."
In the hall on the thirtieth floor of The Tower of Babel.
The two goddesses, Hephaestus and Hestia, stood in a corner, chatting about the events that had occurred not long ago.
"So, what's the current situation? Why did you suddenly clash with Soma?"
"Actually, it's not really a clash."
Hestia scratched her cheek. "It's just that I can't stand Soma's attitude towards his children, and Cain happened to suggest that there might be a way to resolve it..."
"So you just supported it?"
"Mhm."
"You're being way too reckless."
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.
She had heard about Soma's negligence and the high-pressure management within the Soma Familia.
However, no matter what, that was an internal matter of the Soma Familia. Outsiders had no right to interfere.
To launch a War Game based solely on reasons like 'can't stand it' and 'there's a way' in a sense, Hestia was also a rather capricious deity.
"So you two are here! I've been looking for you forever!"
At that moment, a new voice came from not far away.
"Tch, the annoying one is here."
Hestia looked toward the approaching goddess.
Compared to her usual casual attire, the other party was wearing a proper suit today.
Her crimson hair was tied back with a ribbon, and a faint fragrance wafted from her. It was clear she had dressed up carefully before coming to the banquet.
As the other approached, a visible hint of hostility appeared on Hestia's face.
"Loki! What are you doing here!"
"Originally, I came to mock someone for not even having formal wear for the Denatus, but it seems I underestimated you a bit."
Loki moved close to Hestia, reaching out to touch the blue dress she was wearing.
"The material is actually silk from celestial silkworms? I remember this stuff is pretty expensive. Where did you get the money, Shorty?"
"None of your business!"
"Alright, alright, let me ask something else then."
A look of curiosity appeared on Loki's face. "Shorty, you do understand what a War Game is, right?"
"Of course I know."
"Then why did you accept the Soma Familia's War Game challenge? There's no way you could win, no matter how you look at it."
The Soma Familia was an established familia in Orario, possessing two Level 2 adventurers and many Level 1s, with a large number of members.
On the other hand, the other protagonist of the War Game, the Hestia Familia, had been established for less than a month, with members countable on one hand.
The disparity in strength between the two sides was so vast that Loki couldn't understand why Hestia would agree to hold a War Game.
"You're not thinking life in the lower world is too hard, and you're looking for an excuse to return to the heavens and continue being a shut-in goddess, are you?"
"How could that be! What do you take me for!"
Hestia snorted coldly. "I launched this War Game with absolute certainty of victory!"
"Absolute certainty? Really?"
"Of course it's true!"
"How many members does your familia have now?"
"One."
"Did you recruit a Level 3?"
"No, Cain is Level 1."
"?"
Then what are you so certain about?
Loki's eye twitched. Suddenly, she couldn't quite understand Hestia.
Despite being astonishingly weak, the other possessed a mysterious confidence.
"Soma is here!"
"Oh oh oh! Finally here, I was almost falling asleep waiting!"
"Brother Soma! Over here, over here!"
A series of voices suddenly rang out.
Hestia and the others stopped their conversation and turned to look toward the entrance not far away.
Amidst the cheers of many deities, a male god wearing loose robes appeared in the hall.
His long, unkempt hair covered his eyes. He stood in place, opening his mouth slightly and making some sounds.
But his words were completely drowned out by the cheers of the deities. No one could hear him clearly.
"Everyone, please quiet down a bit."
At that moment, a silver-haired goddess who had been sitting quietly at the round table spoke up.
As if a mute button had been pressed, the hall fell into silence in an instant.
"Huh? Freya, you're here too."
Loki found an empty seat and sat down.
She had gone straight to find Hestia as soon as she arrived and hadn't noticed Freya was present.
After greeting the other, she looked toward Soma, who was still standing there daze.
"Hey! What are you still standing there for? Come over for the meeting!"
"...Hello."
Soma silently walked over to the round table.
"Alright, everyone is here. I'll serve as the host for this Denatus."
Loki pulled out a small gavel from somewhere and tapped it on the table, drawing the attention of the deities.
"First, let's confirm the intentions of both parties."
"Soma, Hestia, you two are sure you want to hold a War Game, right?"
"I have a question."
"Confirmed!"
Two voices rang out one after the other.
Loki, who was ready to continue, paused, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Soma.
"What's your question?"
"Why launch a War Game?"
Soma looked at Hestia sitting opposite him.
"The one who initiated the War Game wasn't me, it was your child."
As Hestia spoke, she took out a prepared crystal ball from her bosom.
[Get your god to launch a War Game!]
The figure of Zanis appeared in mid-air.
He waved his arms fiercely, his face contorted. Combined with his words, he looked like he was declaring war.
Of course, it only looked that way.
The deities present weren't fools; they could tell this recording had been taken out of context.
However, as gods who loved drama, they all chose to ignore this fact and didn't step forward to expose it.
"Soma, do you have anything else to say?"
Loki looked at the god in question.
"This was Zanis acting on his own. It has nothing to do with me."
Soma replied calmly.
Although he usually didn't involve himself in affairs, Soma was still a god at his core.
When Zanis had found him earlier, asking him to attend this meeting, he had already sensed something was off.
Now, seeing this recording, he could confirm that Zanis had been caught in a compromising situation by the Hestia Familia.
But... Zanis being caught had nothing to do with him, Soma.
He just wanted to find a place to brew his wine in peace. War Games and such had nothing to do with him.
"My, my, an unexpected problem has arisen."
Loki hadn't anticipated this situation and looked toward the other party involved.
"Hestia, it seems Soma doesn't want to participate in the War Game anymore. What do you think?"
A War Game was a conflict between familias.
Therefore, it required not only the agreement of the familia captain but also the attitude of the god was equally important.
However, just as Zanis didn't want anyone to know about his cooperation with the Dark Faction Remnants,
Soma, as the familia's god, also had a fatal flaw.
"I have a way to make Soma's wine even more delicious."
Hestia played another trump card.
As if jolted awake from a deep sleep, Soma's aura instantly changed.
"Are you serious?"
"If I'm lying to you, I'm willing to accept any punishment after the War Game ends."
"I understand." Soma looked at Loki. "I agree to participate in the War Game."
"Both parties' opinions are approved. Next, we determine the content of the War Game!"
Loki tapped the table with her small gavel, pushing the meeting to the next stage.
"Soma, Hestia, as the main parties, you two can decide the game content yourselves."
"Let's draw lots."
Soma was the first to give a reply.
Although he didn't know what Hestia's confidence stemmed from, it was clear she had come prepared.
Under these circumstances, he couldn't possibly support her proposal. Drawing lots was a better option.
"Then let's draw lots."
Hestia had no objections to this.
The deities present began to move. Soon, a box filled with slips of paper was placed on the table.
"Alright! The lottery box is ready!"
Loki rubbed her hands together. "As the host, I'll now..."
"Loki, let me draw."
Freya's voice suddenly rang out.
"Sure, you can draw."
Loki pushed the box over.
More than being curious about the content of the War Game determined by the lottery, she was now more curious about what Freya was planning to do.
Under everyone's gaze, the silver-haired Goddess picked up a slip of paper from the box and opened it.
[Capture the Flag Game]
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