The gods of Orario gathered at the Tower of Babel from time to time for meetings—mostly to introduce new faces in their familias and share the latest amusing incidents in the city.
In truth, it was little more than a tea party for the deities.
And today happened to be one of those gatherings.
"Ugh, so boring..."
Hestia slumped forward, burying her face into the table.
Casting a sidelong glance at the gods around her, she saw their lazy smiles, some even chatting animatedly in groups. In the past, she had once longed for a life like theirs.
But now that she was actually living it, she realized just how dull it all was.
'If I had this much time, I'd rather stay home with Bell-kun.'
"Endure it a little longer."
Hephaestus, seated beside her, could fully sympathize with Hestia's mood. She herself was already growing weary of this tedious Denatus.
"But this is taking way too long!"
Hestia's face was scrunched with complaint. They had been here since morning, and yet the meeting still hadn't ended. It was absurd.
"Of course... What else do you think could hold us up for an entire morning? Why else would the Guild refuse to let us leave?"
"It's about Ikelos."
Just as Hestia reluctantly began to wonder, a calm voice nearby cut in with the answer.
Clad in white robes with a distinctly Eastern air, hair tied into a curious topknot.
Hestia knew him well—once upon a time, they had sold food side by side at street stalls.
"Takemikazuchi, you know?"
"I know a little. I overheard some adventurers at the stalls yesterday and guessed something must have happened with Ikelos."
"Ikelos? Ah..."
Hestia finally realized whose affairs the gathering was about, though she looked at Takemikazuchi curiously.
"That guy's situation has already spread among the vendors?"
"Yes. I was curious myself, but by the time I sent my children to look into it, the news of Ikelos's disappearance had already spread everywhere."
Hestia's expression shifted in surprise, and even Hephaestus frowned.
They knew full well what Ikelos's so-called "accident" really was. After all, he had died right before their eyes yesterday—how could they not?
But Bell had handed Ikelos's corpse over to Hermes for disposal. How could it have been handled, and yet by the very next day turn into a rumor sweeping all of Orario?
"Huh? You two haven't heard?"
Takemikazuchi found it surprising. The Ikelos incident had blown up so much that by yesterday evening the whole of Orario already knew about it—even ordinary citizens were talking. Yet Hestia and Hephaestus clearly looked clueless.
"I only have one child, and with Evilus running wild, I was told to stay home and not go out. How would I know anything?"
Hestia smoothly tossed out the excuse.
"Oh, that's right—you already have a child. I completely forgot to congratulate you."
Only now, half a year later, did Takemikazuchi remember that Hestia wasn't living alone anymore.
"Mm... Takemicchi, don't you think your congratulations are just a bit late?"
"Well, whose fault is it you stopped going out once you had a child? And do you really need to keep your kid locked away so tightly? It's been almost half a year, and I still don't even know their name."
On that point, Takemikazuchi had plenty he wanted to complain about, and this time he couldn't hold it back.
Everyone knew Hestia had founded a Familia six months ago, but since then, she hadn't mentioned her child once. The way she guarded them like a state secret was absurd.
"Ehehe~"
Hestia's forced cuteness was a clear attempt to deflect, and Takemikazuchi didn't bother calling her out on it.
"I suppose that explains why you wouldn't know."
He shook his head slightly, drawing a jab from Hestia.
"So even Takemicchi only learned about it while working part-time?"
"Ahem. Anyway, the news about Ikelos actually came from his own children."
With a light cough, he dropped Hestia's remark and cut straight to the point.
"According to Ikelos's children, the Falna they received from their god has disappeared. From that, they concluded Ikelos must have been sent back."
So it was his children.
Hestia and Hephaestus had assumed the information had leaked from somewhere else—never expecting it to be spread by Ikelos Familia themselves.
But hadn't Ikelos moved his entire Familia into the Dungeon?
They had thought so, yet it turned out he had kept some behind.
"So it was banishment, huh."
Hestia feigned realization, though she truly couldn't understand why something as simple as a banishment would cause such an uproar across Orario.
"It's just banishment. Do they really need to make such a fuss? Didn't Ishtar set the perfect example not long ago?"
She ground her heel into Ishtar's already banished reputation.
Since Ishtar was already gone, a few more kicks hardly mattered.
Hephaestus even found herself nodding in agreement.
Takemikazuchi, however, sighed in exasperation.
"You two... if you really believe Ikelos was banished, then where was the light pillar yesterday? Normally, a banishment always produces one. What, did Ikelos get banished to another world instead?!"
That made Hestia's face twitch uncontrollably.
Only then did she understand why Ikelos's children had made such a commotion.
"So, they suspect Ikelos is already dead?"
Takemikazuchi nodded.
"Exactly. That's what Ikelos's children believe."
Hestia's face tightened. She hadn't expected something so simple to become so complicated.
She also hadn't realized Ikelos still had children in Orario.
If they'd prepared in advance, they might have erased Ikelos from Orario completely.
But now... it was already too late.