"So this is the reason your Astraea Familia is so strong?"
Not only Adi, but all the girls of the Astraea Familia were sprawled across the ground at this moment, staring up at the ceiling of the training room.
Of course, they weren't lying there because they wanted to—they simply didn't have the strength to move.
And the culprit behind all of this, Elise, was sitting beside them, a bright white glow emanating from her hand.
If someone unaware of the situation saw this scene, they would surely mistake Elise for a divine messenger, an angel sent from the heavens to bring salvation.
Unfortunately, everyone present—even Ais—had already seen another side of Elise.
It couldn't be called utterly inhumane... but it was definitely devoid of mercy!
Anyone who could smile while punching someone in the face was absolutely not normal!
And moreover...
"How can you bring yourself to hit a perfect face like mine?!"
Among everyone present, only Adi had been beaten black and blue. If it weren't for Elise's purification removing her injuries and swelling, this narcissistic girl might have tried to fight Elise to the death.
A face was one's facade—whether for a man or a woman, it wasn't something to be casually struck.
Especially for girls who cared about their looks, their face was practically their life. And yet now, Adi had been beaten up!
She could even tell that this person hadn't hesitated in the slightest while throwing those punches!
"What do you think? My face is just as perfect."
Elise decided to let this girl witness what true, unparalleled beauty looked like.
This body already had an exceptional foundation. With the addition of talents and skills, as well as a portion of the power and presence of the goddess Freya, it had become breathtakingly beautiful.
The white robe she wore only elevated that beauty further. Layers of pristine fabric draped from her shoulders like the vestments of a saintess, yet its alluring design embraced her figure with striking boldness.
Blue-trimmed straps framed the swell of her chest, while wide openings along both sides left her slender waist and smooth hips exposed.
Flowing cloth descended from an ornate golden waist ornament in front and behind, leaving the full length of her shapely legs exposed from her smooth thighs down to her delicate feet in heeled gold-strapped sandals.
The elegant ensemble presented an appearance that was both sacred and undeniably seductive.
One could only say it was fortunate that this was a world where the goddesses of beauty existed. If this were an ordinary world, Elise feared that with just a beckoning gesture, countless people would be willing to offer their lives to her.
With that, Elise raised her hand and removed her eyepatch.
Seeing this, the members of the Astraea Familia lying on the ground all tensed up.
Elise's eyes possessed an extremely terrifying ability. Gods might be fine, but if humans of the lower world were to see them, they would likely die instantly.
This had been Astraea's warning to them from the very beginning—never attempt to look into Elise's eyes.
And now, Elise was actually planning to remove her eyepatch?
As if anticipating their thoughts, Elise spoke slowly, "Don't worry. I have no intention of opening my eyes. I just want Adi to see my face."
Elise's appearance...
To be honest, not just Adi—even within her own Familia, aside from Astraea and Est, there wasn't a third person who had ever seen it.
Even in the bath, Elise had never removed her eyepatch, all to prevent her companions from accidentally meeting her gaze.
Could it be that the girl who had never once revealed her face since joining the Familia was finally going to show it?
Gulp!
Even as fellow women, they couldn't help but swallow nervously.
In the end, the moment the eyepatch came off, everyone's eyes turned vacant.
Of course, this wasn't because Elise had used any charm or soul-devouring ability—they were simply stunned by a beauty beyond imagination.
For a moment, several people even lost the light in their eyes.
"Sigh... I used charm without even realizing it. Looks like it'll take quite some time to master this power."
That overwhelming beauty didn't linger long in their sight before Elise covered her eyes again with the eyepatch.
It had to be said, an eyepatch didn't actually cover much—just the eye area—but the difference it made to her overall presence was enormous.
Most importantly, the charm emanating from her, derived from Freya, would still unconsciously leak out even if partially concealed. Together with her soft curves and bold clothing, that faint aura only made her seem more dangerously attractive.
She was truly beautiful...
Adi stared blankly at the scene, completely captivated by that charm.
"So, Adi..."
"Am I beautiful?"
Noticing the dazed Adi beneath her, Elise leaned closer with a smile.
Although she asked the question, Elise hadn't expected a response. After all, Adi was like Alise—a somewhat narcissistic beauty.
Alise had already been subdued by Elise, so as for Adi...
"Beautiful... truly beautiful!"
The sudden, faint reply made Elise pause, looking at Adi in surprise.
What was going on?
She seemed a little... off?
From her perception, everyone had been affected by her charm, but among them, Adi's reaction was the most pronounced.
Her face was flushed with an unnatural redness, and faint heat even escaped her lips... no matter how one looked at it, this reaction was strange.
Did charm have this kind of effect?
Wait!
Freya... was a deity who appealed to both men and women, wasn't she?
Then the power of charm also...
Elise didn't dare continue that line of thought. If it was really that serious, then Adi's reaction... did that mean...?
At that moment, a pair of small hands tugged downward at the golden hip clasp fastening Elise's robe, making the fabric slide lower and reveal a little more of her hips.
"Ais, what are you doing?!"
That's right—the one who had taken action was none other than six-year-old Ais!
So young, yet already so bold... wait, no, what kind of nonsense was that!
"Hehe, Mom Elise... I like you!"
While Adi was also in an abnormal state, the trembling of her body showed she was trying to resist.
Ais, on the other hand, had no defenses against Elise at all. The moment the charm was activated, she fell the fastest.
"Get a hold of yourself!"
Iron Fist Judgment!
Thud!
Without hesitation, a punch landed squarely on Ais' little head. Under that strike, everyone present finally regained their senses.
"Ugh... Elise, that's so mean!"
With tears welling in her eyes, Ais clutched her head and crouched down, perfectly demonstrating a textbook defensive squat.
Seeing this, everyone understood what had just happened. Just as they were about to offer some suggestions, another strange sound rang out.
"Eh?!"
Adi's face turned crimson as she covered her private area, as if something about her had been exposed.
"That's too much..."
"Elise, you've gone way too far!"
Under everyone's confused gazes, Adi suddenly burst into tears and ran out, no matter how much they called after her.
"Elise, maybe you should hold back a bit next time? If this keeps up, some unpleasant rumors might start spreading..."
"Yeah, you're right..."
Elise agreed with her companion's suggestion, because she had just sensed it—Adi's intense reaction had simply been because she had gotten a little wet...
Yes, just a little. Don't overthink it.
After this incident, Elise secretly made up her mind—she had to master the power of charm as soon as possible!
Otherwise, their Astraea Familia might really turn into that kind of Familia!
"I should apologize to Adi later..."
...
The following days in Orario passed without any unusual incidents. Unlike the chaotic period when the rabbit was in Orario in the future, where dangerous events happened one after another, things were calm.
But that was only natural. After all, the rabbit's timeline was the main story—the events readers would actually see in the novel.
If nothing had happened back then, the readers would have started complaining long ago.
Elise spent her time leisurely in her shop. Ever since Lyra had gone off to train and improve her strength, only she and Freya were left to watch over the place.
"What's wrong? You look like you've got something on your mind."
As a goddess who had long been observing—ahem—closely observing Elise, Freya immediately noticed she was deep in thought.
And... she seemed troubled by something?
This was a perfect opportunity!
If she could help Elise, maybe Elise would like her even more!
"If you're having any trouble, you can tell me directly. No matter what it is, I'm willing to do it for you."
"..."
"You really mean anything?"
"Of course. I've long belonged to you, haven't I?"
Elise thought for a moment. What had happened earlier... none of them present intended to speak of it, nor had they told Astraea.
If she wanted to learn about charm... it really had to come from Freya.
"Then teach me—how do I truly control the power of charm?"
"Charm, huh."
Hearing Elise's request, Freya immediately understood, a captivating smile appearing on her face.
"The fact that you're asking me this means you must have used charm on someone recently, right?"
"So... how did my charm feel?"
Freya lifted her slender hand, about to touch Elise's face, but Elise caught it.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop joking."
With a helpless sigh, Freya withdrew her hand.
"Telling you isn't a problem, but..."
Freya's gaze drifted downward slightly, clearly hinting at something.
"Sigh!"
"I get it. I'll give you a reward later."
Elise's lips twitched. Although she had devoured a small portion of Freya's soul and Freya now appeared obedient, Elise had no intention of fully trusting her.
Who knew if Freya might suddenly turn on her?
Or perhaps she was simply biding her time after losing the strength of her Familia, waiting for a chance to recover?
That was why their relationship was so peculiar.
Even though Freya seemed like Elise's servant, Elise didn't dare push her too far. Even a rabbit would bite when cornered—let alone a god.
So whenever Elise asked Freya for help, she always offered compensation.
Though Freya preferred to call it a "reward," which really made Elise unable to keep a straight face.
"Much appreciated!"
With a clear answer, Freya beamed with joy.
"Then let's begin learning about the power of charm!"
Simply put, charm worked by using beauty to immerse the target in an illusion of loveliness.
Here, "beauty" could refer to many things.
Appearance, body, temperament, emotions... even certain parts could be considered beauty—such as depth or length.
As for Freya, she was a god.
She possessed almost everything mentioned above.
And beyond that, there was something no one else could possess...
Concept.
That's right—Freya's charm leaned more toward a conceptual existence. If one tried to explain it rigidly, it would be impossible to fully articulate.
The power Elise obtained from Freya naturally leaned toward this conceptual nature as well.
And that created a serious problem—Elise currently couldn't fully control it.
In this world, gods were omniscient and omnipotent. They possessed divine power that allowed them to control their abilities.
Elise also had something similar.
Faith.
Unfortunately, within this world, Elise couldn't yet use the power of faith. Unless she left this world, any slight loss of control could cause her charm to overflow, leading to undesirable consequences.
Adi's incident was proof of that.
Moreover, charm didn't discriminate by race or gender. As long as the power was strong enough, even non-living things could be charmed.
Just imagine a rock suddenly sprouting limbs and crawling toward you...
Elise shuddered. That would be terrifying. She had no desire to experience being with a rock!
"But don't worry. You carry a part of me, so you'll definitely be able to master charm perfectly. It's just..."
Freya paused.
"Just what?"
"The time it'll take is uncertain. It might be a few days, or it could take several years. Even I don't know exactly when."
So that's how it is!
Truly a god-level charm!
Ordinary people would probably never be able to master such power.
But Elise wasn't ordinary. As soon as she left this world, she would use the power of faith to accelerate the process. By then, she would surely be able to wield charm perfectly!
"Now that you understand... my reward?"
Seeing Elise in a better mood, Freya immediately made her request.
"After we close the shop tonight. If someone shows up like last time..."
Elise didn't finish the sentence, but Freya understood.
Although she didn't mind their relationship being exposed—and even somewhat wanted it—she decided to respect Elise's feelings.
She had already warned Hermes, so at least he wouldn't act recklessly for now.
"Then it's settled!"
"When the time comes, don't hold back out of pity. I thoroughly enjoy that feeling!"
"And if you use purification as well... it'll be pure bliss for me!"
The sensation of her beloved's unique power flowing through her body... just thinking about it was enough to make her lose control.
"Fine..."
And so, the distance between Freya and Elise continued to shrink.