"Ugh..."
Hestia glared furiously at Loki, that thief. Of all things, she had stolen the snacks Bell had prepared just for her. It was like she came just to start a fight.
"Goddess-sama."
"Bell-kun!?"
Hestia, who had been puffed up with anger a second ago, instantly turned around in delight at the sound of that voice. In a flash, she threw herself into his arms at a speed Loki couldn't even begin to comprehend.
'Damn, that's fast!'
The sheer speed made Loki's eyes go wide.
"Mm~ Bell-kun, you're finally back."
"I'm back, Goddess-sama."
Watching their affectionate display, Loki couldn't help but pout.
'I wish my kids were that close to me.'
She knew exactly what the shorty was thinking—and the shorty really was lucky. She had stumbled upon a child who was completely devoted to her. That alone was enough to stir Loki's envy.
Loki had plenty of children herself, but not a single one she could actually get her hands on.
For Loki, appearance came first when it came to children. Riveria and Lefiya both perfectly fit her tastes.
Too bad those two guarded themselves against her like hawks.
In the past, Lefiya had been easy to approach—after all, she was a gentle, soft-hearted Elf girl.
But ever since Lefiya started to toughen up, she'd become much harder to deal with.
And Ais... don't even get her started.
Just thinking about her own kids made Loki tear up. She just wanted a few she liked to cuddle with, but none of them shared that interest.
"Kid, why'd you come back by yourself?"
"Naturally because the expedition team doesn't need me anymore."
Bell shrugged slightly while holding Hestia.
"The goal of the expedition has been fully accomplished. Captain Finn and the others have likely surpassed their previous levels, and the other members who took part in the battle have all gained their share of Excelia. Given that, is there any reason for me to stay with the expedition team?"
You could say the expedition had gone perfectly—completely fulfilling its goals.
Loki Familia had achieved their promotion, Bell had secured the Excelia he needed, and he even obtained a part of the soul of the "Spirit." The rewards were overwhelming.
If only they could avoid being discovered by Freya, it might've been a truly perfect expedition.
"Couldn't you at least pretend a little?"
"...Loki-sama, I'd need a reason to keep pretending."
Faced with Loki's jab, Bell could only sigh.
As she stared at him in confusion, Bell simply repeated what he had told Hephaestus earlier.
Loki's eyes went wide as she listened, then she cried out in shock:
"That woman's completely insane, isn't she?"
The authority that gods wield could easily distort the will of children in Genkai, especially within their soul worlds.
And right now, the fate of the world was resting entirely on Bell's shoulders. If his will were to be twisted... then the world would be doomed.
What that woman had done was nothing short of selfish—she hadn't spared a single thought for anyone else, not even the future of the world.
Bell didn't know how to respond to that. But he did understand just how mad Freya had gone—especially after learning that a god's presence in a child's soul world could twist their very will.
"That woman is absolutely insane!"
Hestia's pretty face darkened completely. She genuinely wanted to slap Freya across the face and ask if she'd lost her mind—how could she do something so outrageous?
Amid her fury, Hestia suddenly remembered something important.
"Bell-kun, you weren't affected by that woman, were you?"
Bell shook his head slightly.
"Maybe it's because my soul world has some unique properties, but I haven't been influenced by Goddess Freya."
Hestia stared carefully into Bell's eyes. After confirming that he didn't show any signs of being "charmed," she finally let out a small breath of relief.
Even though her child hadn't been influenced by Freya, the situation still gave her quite a scare.
Loki observed Bell for a while, and after confirming he hadn't been affected either, she fell silent for a moment before exhaling slightly.
"I think I get why that woman's so fixated on you now. Maybe you really are the one she's been searching for all this time."
Children who could resist "charm" did exist—but not a single one had ever been able to resist the authority of the Goddess of Beauty within their soul world.
The soul world of children in Genkai was a place immune to "Abnormal Resistance." It was the deepest layer of a child's soul, the closest to their heart—and the most fragile part of them.
To resist "charm" even there meant a child had to be born with an innate resistance to divine authority.
Loki knew Freya had always been searching for a child like that—a fated encounter written in the stars.
"Pfft—"
Loki suddenly burst out laughing.
"Oh man, if Freya found out that her destined child turned out to be you, wouldn't she just die from the frustration?"
"She spent all that effort searching Genkai for this child, only for you to scoop him up by chance. And not only that, she completely misjudged you, even letting you grow freely for half a year, missing the perfect window to act."
"Once she realizes all that, she's definitely going to regret it—she'll probably cry her eyes out."
It really was hilarious.
Freya had racked her brain trying to find that one child in Genkai, and it turned out he belonged to the shorty.
Even if Freya had figured it out by now, the best time for her to act was long gone.
"Now that you mention it..."
Hestia's grim expression eased slightly. Just imagining Freya with a darkened face but completely helpless made her chuckle.
"Freya really is pretty pitiful."
The fateful encounter she had yearned for ended up being Hestia's child, who had even accepted the love of both her and Hephaestus. Meanwhile, Freya had gained nothing—not even the ability to use her "charm" on Bell. Honestly, it did seem a little unfair to Freya.
"But I still don't feel sorry for her."
Hestia huffed. No matter how miserable Freya might be, she had zero sympathy.
"That woman's definitely scheming about how to steal Bell-kun from me. Like I'd ever let her succeed!"
...
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