"If this were back then, 'Wrath' would have definitely been Loki. In Tenkai she was always stirring up trouble and getting angry over nothing. But now? I think she's more likely 'Sloth.'"
Hestia speculated freely on which gods might carry "Sloth" or "Wrath."
Hephaestus nodded in agreement.
"What you said actually fits Loki's change in image quite well."
"In Tenkai and after coming down to the Genkai, she's like two completely different people. If the old Loki was a lunatic, the current Loki is just a lecher."
That much was true.
There was a time when Bell himself thought Loki-sama could easily be carrying the sin of "Lust," or maybe even "Sloth."
Hearing Hephaestus's remark, Hestia agreed wholeheartedly.
"Exactly. Back in Tenkai, that girl might have been crazy, but not that crazy. She must've picked it up from Zeus. I remember Zeus used to do all sorts of peeping, right?"
Zeus always ended up getting a thorough beating for it. And his wife, Hera, was no pushover—every time she heard about his antics, she'd give him a proper thrashing.
"Mm… Hera… she's actually very gentle. She only does that because Zeus is in the wrong. On that point, I think a bit differently from you."
Gentle? Hera?
Hera's ferocity was one of the rare forces in Tenkai. Hephaestus still remembered how even Freya had once been given a harsh lesson by Hera.
Freya's ruthlessness was known across all of Tenkai, yet Hera could make her submit without leaving her any room to argue. That alone said volumes—Hera's temper was not something an ordinary god could withstand.
There were very few gods who could earn Hera's gentleness. Aside from a handful of virgin goddesses, hardly anyone could make her show a friendly face.
Still, Hephaestus suspected Hera's sternness came from knowing just how shameless some gods could be—so she simply refused to humor them.
This, of course, was something Hephaestus had heard from Hestia herself.
"Hera is one of the most serious among the goddesses. You almost never see her laughing or joking. And though she, like Zeus and Ouranos, is one of the ancient gods who retains a youthful form, she's also one of the few who chooses to keep an aged appearance."
Hephaestus guessed this might be because Hera didn't want to attract the attention of those tiresome, lovestruck gods—and thus avoid the public confessions that might follow in front of Zeus.
Hera's goddessly presence was perhaps the most imposing of all, her dignity even outshining the Goddess of Beauty herself.
It was likely for that very reason that Hera always chose to appear as an older woman.
"Eh? Hera-sama has always kept an elderly appearance?"
"She's usually so serious… Why do I feel like I've seen someone like that before?"
Listening to Hephaestus's description, Bell couldn't help but think of an old lady from the neighboring village.
She looked every bit the aging auntie, but her eyes were sharp and full of life—one glance and you'd never think she was an old woman.
Come to think of it, the old man was the same.
Sure, he looked like a lecherous geezer, but his eyes didn't have that dull, clouded look of someone blinded by wine and women.
…Well, Bell still figured the old man was just a lecher, nothing more.
Probably best not to think too highly of an old pervert.
"Bell-kun, later you can check Loki."
"Whether it's 'Wrath' or 'Sloth,' both fit her pretty well—so maybe she really does have one of them."
Hestia's voice pulled Bell out of his thoughts. Truth be told, he'd never actually confirmed whether Loki-sama carried a Deadly Sin.
"If it's Loki-sama, I think she'd probably just agree if I asked her directly."
Whether she had a Sin or not, Loki-sama was definitely the easiest to handle.
"Well, it's Loki, after all."
As long as you weren't trying to poach someone from her, that lecherous goddess was actually pretty easy to talk to since coming down to Genkai.
Back in the day, Hestia would have had to worry about getting smacked the moment they met. Now, at least, they could speak without instantly breaking into a fight.
"The real problem is the last one—'Lust.'"
Hestia's tone grew heavier, her gaze darkening. She and Hephaestus exchanged a glance, both feeling the same weight before speaking the name in unison.
"Freya."
With the divine authority of charm, Freya was without question the most fitting host for Lust.
But confirming it with her would be no easy task.
In the eyes of both Hestia and Hephaestus, it would be like tossing a lamb into a den of wolves.
"Bell-kun, leave Freya for last. Don't try to probe her until you've collected the other Sins."
"That's right, Bell. If you so much as try, that woman will eat you alive—down to the last bone fragment."
...
Bell was well aware of that.
"I know. Even if I found out for sure that 'Lust' was inside Freya-sama, I wouldn't go sniffing around her early."
That would be recklessly careless.
When a Deadly Sin resided in a god, it was an entirely different matter from when it was in a mortal—handling it required the utmost caution. Naturally, Bell had no intention of acting rashly.
With Bell's assurance, both Hestia and Hephaestus visibly relaxed.
'…Do I really seem that unreliable?'
'Sure, I was a little hotheaded when it came to the Xenos, but I'm not that reckless when it comes to gods.'
Bell grumbled inwardly.
Still, he understood their concern.
As a goddess, Freya was far too much of an anomaly, and dealing with her demanded extra care.
Especially now that he knew she had already marked him as a target, Bell understood he would have to be on guard every single time they crossed paths.
For now, the priority was "Wrath" and "Sloth."
'Loki-sama is probably Sloth.'
'Wrath should be Enyo, the one pulling the strings behind the Evilus.'