Ch.183Chapter 183

“Nngh… Damn it, how pitiful is my situation that I’m stuck with a woman like that as my wife.”

Alfodur, who had been pushed away twice, grumbled as he got up. Even as the king of the northern gods, where was his dignity in this humiliation?

“Wife? Please. It’s not like we became a couple out of love. Honestly, I’m the one who should feel wronged, being married to a lecherous old man just because I’m a queen.”

However, Frigg transparently replied while fondling Wendigo’s fingers.

Wendigo was perplexed. Given how much time had passed, it wouldn’t be strange for love to cool, but she was… abrasive to an extreme degree.

Still, they were a married couple. Couldn’t they converse more gently?

Wendigo asked Alfodur with confusion.

“… Was this a marriage by abduction or something? She seems to hate you to the bone.”

“Why would I be crazy enough to abduct a woman like that? Let me warn you about pink-haired women. They’re all snake-like creatures with slippery tongues.”

Alfodur vehemently denied it as if it were a terrible misunderstanding. No matter what, wasn’t it too much to show such disgust toward one’s wife?

‘… Though she did push him away twice, so maybe not.’

“Hehehe, these are the thick, firm fingers that were touching Skadi.”

“……”

Wendigo pushed away the crazy woman—no, Frigg—who was panting and touching his fingers, creating distance between them.

When Frigg let out a disappointed sigh, Alfodur clicked his tongue and grabbed her shoulder.

“I told you to control yourself. You’re acting like a lunatic, making even that decent fellow back away in confusion.”

“Lunatic? Is that how you speak to your wife?”

“Is ‘good-for-nothing’ how you speak to your husband? If you don’t behave, I’ll add a penalty next time I roll the dice. I’m already dissatisfied because of you…”

“That’s because gods don’t understand love! The most joyful and happiest story in this world is a maiden’s passionate love story!”

Watching these beings worshipped as gods bicker over such ridiculous matters made Wendigo feel deflated.

To put it more honestly, he wished they would both just leave. Why did he have to endure these two monstrosities at what should have been a meal shared with Skadi and Geron, his dear ones?

“You seem to be thinking something disrespectful.”

“Who would be happy about uninvited guests? So what’s the purpose of your visit?”

“Well…”

Clank!

The banquet hall door opened, and Skadi entered. Upon seeing Wendigo, she smiled warmly like sunshine…

“Oooh… this is it, this is it~”

Frigg, receiving that innocent smile, grabbed the bridge of her nose and shuddered.

A girl who treats everyone kindly without discrimination, showing such an excited smile when meeting someone she truly loves!

“……”

Wendigo stared at Frigg with a cold gaze at her strangely creepy reaction.

Despite being about a hand shorter than Skadi, she behaved no differently than a pot-bellied middle-aged man.

“Excuse me… who are you?”

“Hehehe, I’m Frigg. A poor woman married to that old man over there. By the way, if you don’t mind, could I touch your hand… Eek!”

“I told you to behave yourself!”

“Aaaack! This is an old man’s tyranny! When other gods visit the middle realm, they get to meet their favorites too!”

“Those gods maintain their dignity, unlike you!”

In some ways, exploiting the fact that she was a woman might make her more malicious than a perverted middle-aged man.

Wendigo sighed deeply as he watched the two gods bickering.

“What a mess.”

As expected, gods were never helpful.

* * *

Even a long exile couldn’t rehabilitate the gods.

They still viewed the world as an object of entertainment, and though less powerful than before, they still had enough strength to control a human’s fate.

But the exile wasn’t entirely meaningless.

“These days are quite busy. The gods are desperate to give something extra to the humans they favor.”

They could no longer grant power to face armies alone or collapse mountains. But because of that, the gods became more deeply invested in those they chose.

Those chosen by the gods offered loyalty and reverence not to divine blessings, but to the “gods” themselves.

Rather than seeking greater power, they burned their lives to prove to the god who chose them that the choice wasn’t wrong.

Even if their stories ended in tragic deaths, they never resented the gods. They breathed their last thanking their deities.

“Not long ago, a warrior covered in arrows like a hedgehog endured through sheer will to save his lover. When he lost consciousness thanking his god before collapsing, it was quite a scene.”

In the past, gods wouldn’t have grabbed another god’s collar over the death of a mere human.

In those days, humans were just toys to them.

But today’s gods were completely infatuated with humans. How could they not love these adorable beings who ran until their bodies turned to ash?

“Well… we can’t just freely grant power. If one starts doing that, others will start pouring power into their favored beings too.”

Alfodur took out dice from his pocket and shook them.

Golden dice with ten faces.

Whenever gods tried to intervene in middle realm affairs, Alfodur would roll the dice to partially permit intervention.

What if the dice showed a low number?

Then the god’s favored being would have to handle the problem alone. They would have to overcome the world’s hardships entirely with their own strength.

“Last time, my luck was bad and I rolled three consecutive 1s, so the God of Mischief grabbed my collar… Hey, would you listen to my story?”

“Huh?”

Wendigo, who had just caught a pie Skadi was feeding him with his tongue, swallowed it and replied.

“Doesn’t the King of Northern Gods get his collar grabbed too often?”

“… That’s harsh. Aren’t you impressed by this old man who’s trying to make the gods play more gently than before? This is no easy task.”

As they say, late-blooming love burns the hottest. Gods who once knew only preferences and dislikes, not affection, were now burning with love after thousands of years.

Watching their favored ones from waking to sleeping, then gathering to boast about who was more handsome or beautiful—that was the current trend among gods.

Alfodur’s daily concern was establishing rules so these gods could enjoy this game for a long time without causing trouble.

“Honestly, I’m the guardian of Manheimr who sets rules to prevent gods from rioting—”

“Ugh, you’re just a pervert who gets thrills from controlling others. Our sweet Skadi, cover your ears and ignore this old man’s words~”

Frigg’s retort instantly destroyed Alfodur. He looked quite pitiful, grumbling while eating.

But he had nothing to say in his defense, so he just mumbled while nibbling on food.

Wendigo lost interest in Alfodur and asked Frigg:

“So what’s the purpose of your visit?”

“I just wanted to meet you all in person?”

“……”

When Frigg answered cheerfully, Wendigo stared at her in disbelief.

Was he supposed to believe that she came down with Alfodur, the king of gods and current rule master, just to see them in person?

But it was true. At least Wendigo’s nose was signaling that Frigg was being honest.

‘Sometimes I wonder if my nose is broken.’

The reason for suddenly appearing was to meet them in person—if nothing else, it was clear that Frigg wasn’t normal either.

Cherry blossom-like hair, a moderate height that would fit perfectly in a man’s embrace, and a pretty face resembling a cute squirrel.

Finally, her perky breasts that would catch any man’s eye made for an appearance any male would find attractive, but…

“Now that you’ve met us as you wanted, I’d appreciate if you’d leave. Honestly, I don’t have many good memories of being involved with gods.”

Wendigo politely asked them to get lost. But were gods conscientious enough to back down from just that?

“Well, Jurtur did make a bad impression. But we’re supporting good talent as patrons of the university, so don’t worry.”

“……”

When Alfodur clicked his tongue and made excuses, Wendigo was so dumbfounded he swallowed the pomegranate in his mouth.

Did Alfodur not know about the rumors that students were being monitored by birds that flocked around whenever they felt like it?

Alfodur brazenly met his gaze and said:

“Don’t worry too much. We plan to return after the meal anyway. She just used her right to visit the middle realm to follow me, not because we have important business.”

At Alfodur’s words, Frigg nodded so vigorously that Wendigo worried her neck might break.

Was it just prejudice that made Frigg’s eyes look like those of a troublemaker about to cause mischief?

‘I hope it’s just prejudice.’

Wendigo muttered inwardly as he watched Frigg grinning while eating soup.

* * *

Of course, if they had intended to leave quietly, they wouldn’t have come down in the first place.

Having filled her eyes with the sight of Skadi and Wendigo together in the banquet hall, Frigg hummed a tune as she walked around the capital with Alfodur.

The combination of a beautiful woman with bright pink hair and an old man in a worn robe with one eye.

It was a combination that naturally drew attention, but no one looked at them. It was as if no one was there at all.

“So… I let you meet them because you kept singing about wanting to, are you satisfied?”

“You make it sound like you did me a favor when your dutiful wife just asked to meet them.”

“Hah, dutiful wife indeed.”

When Frigg puffed her cheeks and grumbled, Alfodur let out a laugh of genuine disbelief.

In the past, gods were praised and cursed under various epithets, and that was true for both Alfodur and Frigg.

“It’s only natural that I, the Goddess of Love, am a dutiful wife.”

The Weaver of Lovers’ Threads, the Woman Who Bestows Flower Crowns, the Maiden of Spring Breeze…

To those who dreamed of love, Frigg was the guardian of maidens and lovers, the love messenger who rang the celestial bell.

But love wasn’t always reciprocal.

“What kind of dutiful wife advocates for adultery and creates dozens of rivals…”

Alfodur clicked his tongue and shook his head. When it came to infamy, there wasn’t much difference between Frigg and himself.

She advocated for the overflowing love of promiscuous women and stood by as men enchanted by such women abandoned their wives and children.

She didn’t hesitate to start wars to determine which man among dozens loving one woman had the truest love.

Alfodur could assert that she was the god who caused the second most wars after himself.

“Hmph, this time it’s not adultery and there are no rivals~ It’s completely pure love, pure love!”

“Ah, sure. Like that warrior you blessed while squealing about pure love who ended up raping dozens of women… Wait, this time?”

Alfodur, who was about to mock Frigg’s shameful past, looked at her with a sour expression.

Smiling smugly with her arms crossed, Frigg raised her head and nodded.

“Yes! This time it’s really pure love! A devoted and innocent love that transcends species…”

“Oh, Creator God help us.”

He shouldn’t have brought this love-crazed goddess to the middle realm after all.

Alfodur covered his one eye and sighed.