Burying her face into her lover's chest, breathing in that familiar scent that soothed her heart, had become Hephaestus's greatest relief lately.
Like a girl being spoiled, she rubbed her cheek lightly against his embrace, a trace of playfulness in the motion.
Her irritation melted away without a trace.
Only then, with her mood settled, could Hephaestus bring herself to talk about Ikelos.
"Bell, you've heard about Ikelos, haven't you?"
"Yeah. Hestia was already complaining to me the moment she got back."
That image of Hestia throwing herself into Bell's arms to gripe about things made Hephaestus's lips curl into a small smile.
"That really is just like her."
She glanced around, but saw no sign of Hestia, which struck her as strange.
"Where's Hestia?"
"She went to see Loki-sama."
"What?"
Seeing Hephaestus's incredulous expression, Bell nodded helplessly.
"She went to ask Loki-sama about what choices the Guild will make next."
"About protecting Hermes?"
Bell gave a small nod.
Hephaestus agreed that the Guild would have a hard time with that. After all, a crowd of gods had already pinned the blame directly on Hermes.
"The Guild must be tearing their hair out over this."
Still nestled against Bell, Hephaestus could almost picture Ouranos looking troubled.
But Bell only shook his head. He didn't think this was something the Guild needed to lose sleep over.
"The Guild doesn't actually need to worry too much about this.
Hermes being targeted isn't really that big of a problem."
"This... isn't a big problem?"
"Mm."
Seeing her confusion, Bell explained.
"The only reason Hermes is being blamed is because Ikelos went 'missing'. We know Ikelos is completely dead, but the gods of Orario don't.
The Guild is trying to cover that up so my identity won't be exposed. And Hermes isn't explaining anything either, because it would push me into the spotlight.
So Evilus isn't just trying to pressure Hermes—they're using this as a way to drag me, someone who can kill gods, into the open.
Their goal is obvious. And because it's so obvious, both the Guild and Hermes are holding back from reacting."
"Isn't that a terrible situation!?"
Hephaestus suddenly sat up from Bell's lap. To her, this wasn't something that could be brushed off so easily.
"No."
Bell shook his head again. He didn't see it as terrible.
"The Guild has dumped so many crimes onto Evilus already. They'll start wondering which ones are truly theirs, and which ones were forced on them.
This time, their move serves three purposes: one, to put pressure on Hermes; two, to test whether there's really a 'hidden hand'; and three, to force the Guild into giving an answer."
"And you still say it's not bad?"
From any angle, it didn't sound good at all.
The worry in Hephaestus's heart flared up again.
"This really isn't the worst-case scenario."
Bell let out a small laugh. He understood Hephaestus's worries, but things weren't nearly as dire as they seemed.
"Evilus is just testing the waters.
They want to force the Guild into submission. They want Hermes shackled, even painted as the 'Godslayer.' That would be the ideal outcome for them. But it's also something they'll never achieve.
As long as the Guild makes Ikelos's death public."
"!?"
That line startled Hephaestus.
Right now, neither the Guild nor Hermes wanted Ikelos's matter exposed. Yet Bell was saying they should reveal his death outright.
"...Wait. Evilus is stirring trouble by using Ikelos's disappearance as leverage. So you mean if his death is exposed, the issue is resolved."
Maybe it was because she'd been too close to it, but only now did Hephaestus understand Bell's reasoning.
Seeing her catch on, Bell smiled faintly, brushing a hand through her crimson hair. His lowered eyes carried a calm, unshaken look.
"Evilus wants to know about Ikelos? Then let them know.
They already know he's dead. What they're after is whether he was killed or banished.
So, give them the answer."
For the gods of Orario, the confirmation of a god's death would no doubt be a huge shock.
But to Bell, did it matter?
No. Not at all.
Maybe it risked exposing one of his hidden cards. But very few would be able to make that connection. Unless he admitted it himself, the truth—that he was the one who killed a god—would remain a mystery to Evilus.
"So that's what you're thinking."
Realizing her fears had been unnecessary, Hephaestus gave him a reproachful look.
"Then why send Hestia to Loki?"
Bell rubbed his cheek a little sheepishly.
"Honestly, I just didn't think it was worth dwelling on, so I didn't explain too much. The Guild can figure this out on their own. My guess is by tomorrow morning they'll announce Ikelos's death themselves."
"I just didn't expect Hestia to act so quickly."
At this stage, the less movement the better. Doing nothing was the best approach.
Still, Bell didn't mind Hestia's eagerness. Apart from Evilus, it wasn't like other gods could resist getting involved either.
After all, this wasn't a banishment. It was a god's murder.
"I think Loki-sama will tell her."
Most likely.
Hephaestus didn't believe Loki would make light of such a matter. If Hestia asked, Loki certainly wouldn't pretend she didn't know.