In the meeting room of the gods, Bahamut found herself in an uedly even more challenging situation.

  Despite her best efforts to steer the proceedings in favour of her familia, she had miscalcuted the pettihat some deities could exhibit.

  What was meant to be a serious discussion about aliases for her children and others had devolved into a edic spectacle, much to the delight of some ods present.

  Bahamut had mao redirect the focus of the meeting to seleg appropriate aliases, which was a ary practice whenever an adventurer levelled up.

  The chosen alias typically reflected their achievements, being a signifit part of their identity within the adventuring unity.

  However, as the gods began to throw out absurd suggestions, Bahamut quickly realized that her allies were vastly outnumbered.

  Eaame proposed was more ridiculous tha, with Loki, the notorious trickster goddess, leading the charge.

  As the meeting dragged on, Bahamut felt the weight of embarrassment pressing down on her.

  She hadn’t envisioned her children—brave adventurers who had worked hard to earn their pce—being saddled with names like “Pointy Stick” or “Ice Baby.”

  The ughter that erupted around the room stung, and she could only think of how this would affect the reputation of her familia.

  “What will people think of our familia?” she mented, her forehead resting against her palm in despair.

  It was all too much for her to bear. She sat defted, wishing for the meeting to end, yet aware it would not ge the oute.

  “e on, cheer up,” Demeter said gently, trying to cheer Bahamut up.

  “It wasn’t like you weren’t expeg this.” she muttered.

  “But how will I face the children?” Bahamut mented, her voice muffled by her hands.

  Hephaestus interjected, her some words of support.

  “Sigh, we tried all we could. Besides, I don’t think the names are that bad. They’re only temporary.” she said.

  “Not bad?” Bahamut excimed.

  “What’s the point of a name like ‘Twin fang fury’ or ‘Edger’? They will have to bear these names until their level up!” Bahamut argued.

  Hephaestus fell silent, knowing that the names were indeed absurd.

  The atmosphere around them was thick with amusement, and with each passing moment, Bahamut’s frustration grew.

  “Regardless, the meeting is over now, and the room is quickly emptying out. Shouldn’t we hurry? Freya is missing,” Demeter pointed out, her gaze shifting toward the exit.

  Bahamut tilted her head, questioning what Demeter meant.

  “Remember, Draco is likely outside by the carriage waiting for you,” Demeter eborated.

  Bahamut’s eyes widened in realization.

  Draco, was indeed waiting outside by the carriage.

  If she didn’t hurry, he might run into Freya, and the st thing she wanted was for him to be ensnared by the goddess of beauty’s charms.

  Without another moment of hesitation, Bahamut sprang to her feet, pulling Hephaestus aer along with her as they hurried out.

  Before leaving the meeting room, she didn’t fet to thank the gods who had helped her, albeit relutly aowledging Hermes for his minimal assistanbsp;

  She also shot a few gres at Loki, silently promising to get back at her in the meeting.

  The mischievous goddess merely chuckled, unfazed by the threat.

  Afterward, Bahamut exited the meeting room, making her way dowower with her panions.

  ………………………

  After wandering the streets for a while, Draco returo Babel Tower.

  He had stopped by Nekomata Inn to retrieve the carriage he had dropped off three hours earlier.

  Cleo leased that he kept his promise but felt a bit sad when he left soon after.

  It didn’t take long for him to reach the Babel Tower, but the Denatus meeting seemed to still be ongoing, as he couldn’t see Bahamut or any ods outside.

  ‘Sigh, I hope she is faring well in there’ Draco thought.

  A few moments ter…

  “Finally, the meeting is over,” Drauttered, tightening his grip on the horse straps.

  He was eager to leare of the meeting to know, if they o leave Orario or stay.

  Before long, he spotted Bahamut along with Demeter and someone he reized but was meeting for the first time—Hephaestus.

  “Over here!” Draco called out to let Bahamut know where he was.

  He was now wearing his cloak, something he wasn’t wearing when he dropped her off.

  The area was also crowded and noisy too, so it would have been difficult to identify him.

  Quickly reizing Draco’s voice, Bahamut made her way over with her two friends.

  As they reached him, Draco dismouhe carriage and greeted Hephaestus si was their first official enter.

  “Good evening, Lady Hephaestus. I am Draco Bck, captain of the Bahamut familia,” he introduced himself, removing the hood of his cloak.

  Hephaestus raised an eyebrow, slightly taken ababsp;

  “How do you know who I am?” she asked, curiosity evident on her face.

  It was their first meeting, yet he seemed familiar with her.

  “It would be stranger if I didn’t know the goddess of the fe. Beautiful red hair, a striking eye patch, ruby red eyes, smithing attire, and your aura —so maale signs,” he answered, internally ging at his own flowery words.

  ‘What nonsense am I saying right now. I should have said that I heard from rumours’ Draco thought.

  He had panicked a bit internally when Hephaestus asked how he knew her, his mind failing to work when he .

  Before he k, those flowery words had already escaped his lips.

  Demeter chuckled, “Fufufu, Draco, it seems I uimated your charming capabilities. How did you e up with those words?” She found his sudden fttery amusing.

  Bahamut joined in oeasing, “Pff, he called you ‘Lady Hephi’!”

  Hephaestus, flustered by their baried tain her posure, but the embarrassment was evident on her face ; she hadn’t expected su experience during their first meeting.

  Before the moment could linger, a melodic voiterjected, drawing their attention.

  “Am I perhaps interrupting something?” a voice sliced through the air, smooth and intoxig.

  Draco, Bahamut, Demeter, and Hephaestus turo the sourbsp;

  It was Freya, apanied by a tall, heavily muscur dark-skinned man—Ottar.

  Freya had exited the meeting room earlier than Bahamut, Demeter, and Hephaestus.

  She had spotted Draco but didn't approach him directly due to the ods watg her as, so she waited until Bahamut and her friends were with him.

  Draco’s heart sank at the sight of her.

  He had been warned and wary about Freya’s charm, and now that she stood before him, he could feel the iy of her presenbsp;

  Apanied by her imposing bodyguard, Ottar, Freya’s beauty was as striking as it was dangerous.

  Ottar was the stro mortal that Draco had met so far since he came to Orario, his presehough overwhelming, felt a bit less than he imagined.

  “Freya,” Bahamut said, her tone ced with .

  The goddess of beauty was one of the few deities that made Bahamut uneasy, not for her strength but because her allure could sway even the most devoted followers.

  It wasly something Freya could freely trol, so Bahamut couldn’t pletely fault her.

  Draco, sensing the tension, took the initiative to introduce himself.

  With so many watg, he khat everything he said and did could be scrutinized.

  He g Ottar, who seemed to scowl at him when their eyes briefly met.

  ‘Look at this N…’ Draco thought.

  Uanding that he was already uhe observation of many, Draco decided to showcase his familia.

  Staying behind Bahamut with so many curious gazes in their dire could be perceived as a sign of weakness or cowardice, so he fidently stepped forward to assert his identity.

  From Bahamut’s rea, he could tell that the Denatus meeting had gone somewhat favourably; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so calm.

  Draoved his cloak entirely, revealing his unbuttoned shirt that showcased his muscur physique.

  A golden around his neck shimmered uhe streetlights, and the thick, powerful horns on his head atuated his imposing figure.

  Behind him, his sturdy bck pants cealed a robust, scaly tail that swished behind him.

  ‘Yea, feast your eyes on my awesomeness,’ Draco thought, slightly flexing his muscles, ign the murmurs around him.

  Draained posed, though he could feel the unfriendly gaze of some gods upon them.

  He stepped forward, but kept a good distance, acutely aware of their scrutiny.

  Freya’s beauty was staggering, but he had no iion of being another love-struck mortal.

  “Good evening, I am Draco Bck, captain of the Bahamut familia. You must be the goddess of beauty, Freya; it’s a pleasure to meet you and everyohered here for me,” he introduced loudly enough for the eavesdropping gods to hear.

  It was an introdu almost insinuating that they had all gathered just to see him, something a few deities thought to be desding for a mortal.

  “Oh my, to think that you would know of me; how charming,” Freya replied, stepping closer to him.

  Bahamut wao intervene immediately, but Hephaestus held her babsp;

  “So you are the dragon kin we heard about; truly remarkable,” Freya said, tilting her head slightly, while scrutinizing his features.

  Freya was ag as though, she represehe ods curious about him, closing the distaween them as she spoke.

  Draco although perplexed by her approach, stood his ground, avoiding eye tabsp;

  ‘To think he would ge so mu just a few days,’ Freya mused.

  Draco felt a surge of disfort as Freya’s finger reached out, lifting his to meet her gaze.

  “What beautiful eyes,” she murmured, her voice dripping with entment.

  “Yet they hold strength and mas beh.” she said, gently caressing his cheek.

  Caught off guard, Draco tried to maintain his posure, but he could feel the weight of her charm pressing down on him.

  He quickly broke eye tact, brushing her hand away gently, when her hand began creeping toward his horns, an an that non kin would ever allow just ao toubsp;

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think this is appropriate,” he said, his voice steady.

  Freya’s expression shifted, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, her charm hadn’t been effective.

  ‘Thank goodness my charm resistance is effective. The other mortals nearby look like love-strubies right now,’ Draused, realizing how dangerously beautiful Freya was.

  She was beautiful enough, that even without her charm, many would still desire her and he was no exception, if only he wasn’t aware of her personality.

  ‘Does charms not work on him’ Bahamut observed, it was something that she wasn't aware about.

  “Is something wrong?” Ottar asked his goddess, wanting to step up.

  He noticed that her hand still lingered in the air for a bit too long after being dismissed by Draco.

  “It’s nothing” Freya replied, withdrawing her hand, a strange, fleeting smile appearing on her face before disappearing just as quickly.

  ‘Oh no, should I have at least preteo be charmed? But charm resistance isn’t something I trol, and I’m terrible at ag,’ Draco thought, feeling uneasy under her gaze.

  Bahamut, sensing the tension, intervened.

  “Now that you’ve seen him, isn’t it time for you to leave?” she stated firmly while discreetly ping Draco’s leg.

  She had been startled wheepped forward so boldly.

  Freya didn’t respond, merely smiled before turning away with Ottar.

  “What was her deal?” Demeter muttered, watg Freya exit with a puzzled expression.

  “I don’t know, but I think we should get going. Too many eyes are on us,” Bahamut replied, her voice low.

  With that, the group exged brief farewells before Bahamut and Draco hopped into the carriage, relief flooding over them as they began their journey home.

  The chaos of the Denatus meeting was behind them, but the events of the night left an impression that her them nor the onlookers would soon fet.