Leon's praise barely changed Demeter's expression; she kept up her elegant smile. For a goddess who held dominion over the earth and the harvest, creating delicacies came as naturally as breathing.
To her, it was nothing at all, a matter of a little time and effort at most.
"You know, every one of these treats was made entirely by Persephone's own hand."
Under the raised-eyebrow gazes of Jeanne and the others, Demeter affectionately hooked her arm through Leon's, leaning her whole body against him as she strolled along with the crowd.
"Don't you think this hardworking girl deserves a little holiday reward?"
She glanced teasingly at the ever-expressionless Persephone.
If he hadn't noticed the atmosphere around Persephone growing steadily colder, he might have fallen for Demeter's attempt to stir up trouble!
"Ahem. Persephone, you've worked hard these past few days."
The mature beauty pushed up her glasses, and catching sight of the man's put-on display of heartfelt sincerity, a faint blush spread across her pale cheeks. She turned her face away with a soft huff:
"Good that you know it."
Wait! Aren't you supposed to be an aloof, icy, no-nonsense boss? Since when did you have a tsundere setting? How did I not know about this!?
Leon froze where he stood, staring dumbfounded at Persephone's graceful back beneath that well-tailored brown coat.
Persephone had clearly made a special effort today, evident in everything from her exquisite makeup to her carefully chosen outfit.
A black lace top paired with a knee-length winter skirt revealed just the right stretch of calf beneath sheer black stockings, that hint of a curve drawing Leon's gaze again and again.
She wore black suede, pointed-toe heels with open sides, their ten-centimeter stilettos making her posture even more striking. The whole look was refined and poised.
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and keep up."
After the group had walked a dozen or so meters, unable to bear that increasingly heated gaze at her back any longer, Persephone stopped and turned, her cheeks faintly red even as she forced an indifferent tone.
She was terrified that the moment she showed any weakness, this bastard would take advantage, try every trick he knew, and eventually overwhelm her defenses.
Just look!
Even the goddess Demeter, along with Jeanne, Rose, and the rest, hadn't they all been completely wrapped around this philanderer's finger?
She, Persephone, was determined to be a modern, independent woman!
She absolutely could not be dominated by Leon!
Just as she reached that resolution, Leon caught her slender waist from behind without warning. She shivered and instinctively went limp in his arms.
Persephone bit her lower lip, her lashes trembling, her head ducked low as she urged him in a tense whisper:
"Mngh... y-you, let go of me right now!"
Leon's lips curved up, his warm breath brushing past her ear:
"Don't squirm. Otherwise, to everyone watching, this is going to look exactly like you're... acting all coy. That hardly fits the image of a Priestess of Desolation, now does it?"
"You wouldn't want to leave everyone gobsmacked, would you!"
At that, Persephone's body did stiffen slightly, and she stopped struggling.
She keenly felt the gazes coming from all around, especially not far ahead, where Jeanne, Rose, Demeter, and the others had already turned to look. The knowing smiles in their eyes made her ears burn red and her breathing quicken.
"You... you're absolutely shameless!"
...
Some distance away, Jeanne stood among the crowd.
Watching that intimately posed pair not far off, she felt a sour pang in her chest, some indescribable emotion stirring restlessly inside her.
Here it is again... this stifling feeling. Could it really be like Rose said, that this is... jealousy? No, no way! Why would I ever be jealous over a fickle bastard like that...!
As she wrestled with the thought, a powerful premonition struck!
"?"
A trace of bewilderment crossed Jeanne's pale purple eyes, but she quickly realized what was happening.
Jeanne's expression shifted from conflicted to calm. Without changing her posture, she swept her gaze discreetly over the people passing by. Following the faint guidance of her Revelation, she soon pinpointed several figures giving off an aura of malice.
Jeanne wasn't all that surprised.
Evilus pulling something at the festival was well within their expectations. What truly unnerved her was this: in such a short span she'd already singled out five or six suspicious individuals mixed into the crowd. If she extrapolated from that ratio, just how many people had the other side mobilized for this operation?
No, it probably wasn't only Evilus!
Thinking of the assassin organization that had previously moved against the goddess Demeter, the evil-god cultists sowing chaos everywhere, the vagrants from the slums, the gamblers and other unruly types, Jeanne frowned slightly.
She quietly adjusted her position to guard Demeter's side, bringing the goddess within her protection.
Rose, who had been keeping an eye on her, immediately caught the subtle movement. The two exchanged a knowing glance, and Rose shifted to Demeter's other side so that they flanked the goddess protectively.
Demeter quietly drew her gaze back from the "flirting" pair and traded looks with Jeanne and Rose. Surveying the festival scene brimming with laughter and warmth all around her, the goddess let out a soft sigh, a complicated look rising in her eyes:
"Is it those lunatics... back again?"
Kureha, Laurier, and Aura immediately grew serious. After a moment's confusion, Iri and Margaret caught on too: Demeter meant the persistent threat posed by Evilus.
Iri blinked her clear eyes and asked softly, puzzled:
"Not everyone in Evilus has received a Falna, right? But then why... do even ordinary people without one follow those evil gods who preach chaos and slaughter so fanatically?"
"Could it be pure faith?"
She tilted her head slightly, her face filled with sincere confusion:
"I don't understand."
The goddess Demeter stroked Iri's lovely silver hair and explained gently:
"It can't be faith alone. Those evil gods probably promised them something. That would explain why the followers throw their lives away so fanatically."
"Something like... once your soul returns to the Heavens and your reincarnation is complete, you'll get to be with your beloved again in the next life, that kind of pie-in-the-sky nonsense."