"That crazy woman's definitely not getting her way this time."
Loki shook her head slightly, certain that Freya had completely failed.
Whether she used soft tactics or hard ones, nothing would work—unless Freya was willing to humble herself, and the shorty was actually willing to accept that. But no matter how she looked at it, this was a total defeat for Freya.
The key problem was that kid didn't fall for sweet talk or pressure. Not even Authority worked on him. If Freya could somehow turn things around now, Loki swore she'd eat shit.
"Umm... what about Freya's children?"
Hestia still sounded a little worried. After all, Freya's children weren't exactly pushovers.
"She couldn't handle him herself, and you think her children can?"
Loki let out a cold laugh. Did the shorty really think Bell was some naïve kid?
If that boy were so innocent, how did he manage to devour the "Spirit"? If he were so harmless, how did he hide in Orario for six months without anyone noticing?
Loki admitted Freya's children were all incredibly talented, but when it came to raw talent, who could compare to Bell? Other than his aunt, was there anyone in Genkai who had more ridiculous potential than him?
"Shorty, don't treat that kid like some rookie. He's sharper than any member of Evilus. Freya's kids setting their sights on him—if he doesn't turn around and outmaneuver them, that's him showing mercy."
"And don't give me that crap about how he's weaker than Freya's lot. Do you really think I don't know what kind of monsters this kid's hiding?"
"Hmph! Aside from Ottar, I doubt any of Freya's children can even shake him."
Don't say it's impossible. Loki was absolutely confident Bell could pull it off.
That kid had what it took to face anyone in Orario and walk away unscathed.
If he ever chose to reveal himself, no one in Orario right now could escape from him.
But knowing his personality, he probably wouldn't expose himself until he had overwhelming strength.
'He's ridiculously cautious.'
Sure, it might seem underhanded, but the kid's growth rate more than made up for it.
What took regular adventurers decades, he'd managed in just half a year—already reaching Level 4.
Thinking of Bell's pace and current level, Hestia couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Right, Bell-kun, want me to update your status now?"
"Yes, please, Goddess-sama."
Bell was also curious about his attribute growth over the past two weeks.
He hadn't done much—barely hunted monsters, only fought some enhanced types on the 25th floor.
He didn't get much physical training, but since he'd been using magic a lot, maybe his magic stat had grown.
Hestia followed Bell to a private room to update his status.
Watching the lovey-dovey pair leave, Loki felt the air suddenly grow fresher.
Then her gaze locked onto Hephaestus.
"Hephaestus, what exactly are that kid's status numbers?"
She was seriously curious.
"You had the chance to ask when he was right here. Why wait until he left?"
"I was afraid the shorty wouldn't spill anything."
Loki scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Hephaestus just shook her head, clearly exasperated by Loki's unwillingness to lower herself.
"Bell's status is a tightly kept secret. If you want to know, you should at least try bowing your head to Hestia. I'm pretty sure if you did that, considering how close we all are now, she might just let you take a peek."
"Ugh..."
That left Loki torn.
They had a deep partnership and even publicly declared themselves as eternal allies.
Now with ties to the Guild as well, her relationship with the shorty wasn't bad at all—actually, it was quite good. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to move into the shorty's Familia home.
Even though a Genkai child's status was supposed to be kept secret from all gods, with how closely they were bonded, it didn't seem like that big a deal.
And more importantly, Loki was really, really curious.
What exactly did the peak of Orario's talent look like?
That curiosity had her wavering for a moment... but in the end, she stopped resisting it.
"Ah, I still want to know!"
"Shorty, wait for me!"
In the end, Loki gave in to her curiosity and followed her heart.
"If you were interested, you could've just said so."
Hephaestus shook her head slightly, then smiled and followed after Loki.
Inside Hestia's room stood three goddesses.
Hestia didn't mind sharing the space with Hephaestus—they used to sleep together all the time, and even now they often stayed in the same room.
But the other one, Loki, definitely put her in a foul mood.
"So? What the hell's wrong with you, wanting to see my child's Status?"
When it came to Bell's Status, Hestia didn't want to show it to anyone.
And by "anyone," she especially meant Loki.
So she didn't bother hiding her displeasure in her tone.
"Don't be like that~"
But Loki, with her thick skin, didn't look the least bit fazed. She acted like she hadn't heard a thing. Satisfying her curiosity was all that mattered.
"We're allies, aren't we? And now we're both tied to the Guild too. Sharing a little information about each other's children—it's only natural, right?"
"Besides, your kid totally set me up and threw me in front to take the heat. Isn't it fair to let me see this brat's Status?"
That emotional pitch was hard for Hestia to turn down.
She might not get along with Loki, but they were allies. They'd be standing together on the Guild's side moving forward and handling all sorts of things.
Plus, her own Familia and her child would stay out of the spotlight, so she needed someone like Loki to stand out front, drawing attention and pressure away from them.
With that kind of partnership, exchanging a bit of information didn't seem like too big a deal.
After thinking it over, Hestia decided it was better to pull Loki to her side than risk her leaning toward Freya.
With extreme reluctance, Hestia muttered,
"You can look—but don't you dare leak anything about Bell-kun."
"Got it, got it. My lips are sealed."