Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

Loki had, for once, put some effort into her appearance—an elegant hairstyle and a violet evening gown. Unfortunately for her, no amount of dressing up could outshine the natural bombshell figure of a certain impoverished goddess. Perhaps this was precisely why the two had always been at odds.

"Tch, what are you doing here?" Hestia was the first to launch the verbal assault.

Loki curled her lip. "Why can't I be here, if even a little pipsqueak like you can get in?"

As they spoke, their foreheads collided with a crack, and sparks practically flew from their locked gazes.

"My, my! You two still get along so well!"

Charles turned toward the voice and saw a goddess in a white evening gown walking over.

For the first time, Charles found himself at a loss for words. He simply couldn't think of a single term that could adequately describe her. Perhaps "beauty" alone was enough.

The goddess of beauty—Freyja. Upon seeing her, Charles finally understood what kind of beauty could enchant all of Orario.

Even Charles found himself momentarily entranced, though he quickly snapped back to his senses. Part of it was thanks to his strong mental fortitude, which resisted some of her charm. But more than that, he felt danger. That's right—when Freyja looked his way, he instinctively felt a shiver run down his spine.

It wasn't malicious intent—it was just his well-honed instinct warning him of danger.

This enigmatic woman… she's plotting something involving me! Charles's mind screamed the moment their eyes met.

He hadn't forgotten that Freyja's avatar had been present the night before, when he'd dealt with Bert.

But Freyja only smiled at Charles, then turned her attention to the other goddesses.

"Hestia, long time no see! And Loki, you're looking quite different today. When's the last time you wore an evening gown?"

Freyja's words momentarily defused the tension. The two bickering goddesses separated—though Hestia ended up falling to the ground when Loki abruptly backed off, and she secretly curled her lip. She had never felt quite comfortable around Freyja, even back in the heavens.

Freyja may have had her flaws, but she was a high-ranking goddess with frightening insight.

Loki and Freyja had a much friendlier rapport. "It's nothing," Loki said, brushing her hair back. "I just heard a certain bean sprout was coming and thought I'd drop by to laugh at a poor goddess who can't even afford a proper dress."

Loki never passed up a chance to mock Hestia. But Hestia wasn't the type to back down, either.

"Hah! That's rich coming from someone who showed up just to make fun of me—when she's the one being laughed at! What's wrong, your poor little chest… chest… chest…"

Loki froze like she'd been struck by lightning. That one word echoed through her mind like a dagger to the heart—repeatedly.

"Ahahaha!"

Hestia stood proudly, hands on her hips, laughing like a queen. Meanwhile, Loki collapsed to her knees, visibly devastated—hard to believe this was the goddess of Orario's strongest Familia.

Furious, Loki grabbed Hestia's face and hoisted her into the air.

The watching gods made things worse, pouring salt in the wound, placing bets that Loki would lose utterly.

Loki tossed Hestia to the ground and shouted, "I'll let you off this time!"

But as she turned away, tears streamed down her face.

"Next time I see you, keep that barren wasteland of yours out of my sight!" Hestia shouted spitefully.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Loki screamed.

Hephaestus massaged her temple. This pair of rivals was hopeless. She was starting to forget why she even came to this Divine Banquet.

Remembering the real reason, Hephaestus turned to Loki. "Loki, don't you have something you'd like to say to me?"

Loki, still not far off, flinched. She had been so focused on bickering with the bean sprout that she'd nearly forgotten the most important issue.

She marched back with a fierce look, but once she reached Hephaestus, her demeanor flipped to a sickeningly sweet one.

"Now, now, Hephaestus! You're being so cold! Raising our gear prices like that? And several of my kids have been complaining that their orders from your place haven't even been delivered!"

Hephaestus pushed Loki away, replying bluntly, "You know why."

Loki's smile stiffened. She had seen everything with her own eyes and had no way to pass the blame.

Freyja, ever holding a wine glass, chimed in, "Oh dear, did something happen? But Loki's always a bit chaotic. Hephaestus, maybe you could go easy on her?"

Everyone except Hestia gave Freyja a look. With her influence, there was no way she didn't already know what had happened. Playing dumb was almost an art form for her.

Hephaestus decided to take the opportunity to state her stance clearly. "If this were just between us, I wouldn't care. But this involves my child. That makes it a very different matter.

You understand, don't you, Loki? If your own child were harmed, what would you do? Depending on your answer, it could mean war between our Familias."

Loki sighed. She knew the gravity of the situation. If anyone had dared harm her own Familia members—especially one she personally favored—she would've crushed them, regardless of whether it was intentional.

If handled poorly, this really could have escalated into a conflict between the Loki and Hephaestus Familias.

She had initially hoped that her friendship with Hephaestus would help settle the matter, but she now realized that was wishful thinking.

With a tired expression, Loki said, "This is giving me a headache. But if my kid caused this mess, then I'll take responsibility. Hephaestus, what do you want to let this go?"

Hephaestus glanced back at Charles. He nodded slightly, signaling that he would leave it all to her.

Charles didn't really expect anything from the Loki Familia. Everything he needed, he earned through his own hands. So it was better to let Hephaestus—someone he trusted deeply—handle it.

So Hephaestus spoke: "Since your Familia caused this mess, then from now on, any trouble that comes his way—you'll handle it."

Loki nodded. That was only fair. Considering how many curious gods were about to descend upon Charles after hearing about his Spirit contract, trouble was inevitable.

Straightening her back, Loki swept her gaze over the surrounding gods. Even with her eyes narrowed, her sharp aura was unmistakable. The other gods instinctively backed away.

"You all heard her, right? If any of you cause trouble for this kid—don't expect me to show mercy!"

A joint front between the Loki and Hephaestus Familias was enough to scare off most of the busybodies.

Hephaestus cleared her throat. "Don't think this is over! Loki, I want fifty percent of your last expedition's loot."

Loki wailed, "No way! My kids risked their lives for that! We need that to fund the next trip!"

"Fifty percent," Hephaestus repeated, unmoved.

"Twenty percent! That's already a lot!"

"Fifty."

"Thirty—final offer."

"Fifty," Hephaestus said again, unyielding.

…

In the end, Loki had to grit her teeth and accept the terms of Hephaestus's ultimatum. She handed over forty percent of their expedition spoils as compensation to the Hephaestus Familia—or more accurately, to Charles.

At this point, Loki deeply regretted attending the Divine Banquet at all. First she got roasted by the bean sprout, now she'd been fleeced by Hephaestus. She must've skipped checking her fortune before leaving home!

With that settled, Hephaestus turned toward Hestia. "Now then, you said earlier that you came to see me for something. What is it?"

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]