'Harmless.'
'I see. So that's why they let that child appear before the gods?'
Freya, knowing the truth, could tell from the reactions of the surrounding deities what Hestia and Loki were plotting. They wanted to shape Bell into an adventurer with a special output but weak combat ability, making him less likely to be targeted by other gods.
But knowing it was one thing—Freya would never warn the others.
This was the child she had set her sights on. Why should anyone else know?
Watching the faces of the other gods, Freya could easily guess their thoughts.
'They think that child sacrificed his own future just to secure a Development Ability. Hah~'
To Freya, such an idea was laughable.
A child from Genkai had worked so hard to create this situation, and yet these naive gods actually believed it.
Her smiling eyes carried a faint trace of sarcasm.
'As for that child… it seems unless I take the initiative, he won't reach out to me.'
'I'll need to find a chance to build a closer relationship with him.'
To her, this was crucial—especially with a boy so cautious he bordered on paranoid. She could clearly feel it—his wariness toward her was stronger than toward anyone else.
'But even so, he doesn't really have a way to deal with me. It must be because I've been patient with him.'
That, at least, was good news.
Freya's smiling gaze swept over Hestia, though the corner of her eye twitched involuntarily.
It was obvious she still minded the fact that Hestia had snatched away the child destined for her. Especially after learning that Hestia and Hephaestus had already made their move, Freya found it hard to contain her feelings.
...
An hour slowly passed.
To the Familia Gods, whose movements were currently restricted, an hour wasn't long. Yet in that short time, the news that Evilus had killed Ikelos had already spread throughout Orario.
For the city's adventurers, it was nothing less than an earthquake.
"Wait, wasn't Ikelos killed by Hermes? But now they're saying Evilus killed him? Is that true?"
"Of course it's true! The Guild gathered all the gods to discuss it—that was their conclusion."
"They say the Guild originally wanted to hide news of Ikelos's death."
"Why? Wouldn't covering it up now only make people more suspicious?"
"Don't be stupid. If word of Ikelos's death spread right now, wouldn't it throw Orario into even greater chaos? And since we're already locked in a death struggle with Evilus, you think they'd pass up the chance to exploit it?"
Plenty of adventurers could understand that logic.
But many also noticed something didn't add up with the Guild's announcement. It didn't take long for them to realize what was going on.
'This whole thing is probably aimed at Evilus.'
The sharper ones immediately sensed the inconsistency.
The Guild's claim was that Ikelos had been killed by Evilus infiltrating their very halls.
To most, it sounded plausible enough. But anyone with a shred of intelligence could see the flaw.
If Evilus was truly strong enough to sneak into the Guild itself, wouldn't Ouranos, the Guild's own Familia God, already be in danger?
And if they really had the power to kill gods, why target Ikelos of all people? Wouldn't it make more sense to go after the key deities?
At the very least, Loki-sama, Freya, or Ganesha would have been prime targets.
Yet after all was said and done, the one who died was Ikelos—already in custody. That was what made the whole thing so suspicious.
"But the death of God Ikelos shouldn't have anything to do with the Guild."
"...Bro, isn't this exactly what the Guild ordered?"
The speaker looked at his companion as if he were an idiot.
"If it was the Guild's doing, would God Ikelos have died inside their own halls?"
"Besides, after being detained, Ikelos was already facing banishment and expulsion. Why would the Guild go out of their way to kill him? That would only cause more trouble for themselves!"
"Even if, for argument's sake, the Guild had the power to kill a god, why would they make things spiral out of control like this? Does the current uproar look beneficial to them?"
That was the moment when the realization finally sank in.
The Guild would never create a mess for itself like this. A lie so full of holes—one that could hardly be patched over—surely wasn't their doing...
If it really were the Guild, they wouldn't have handled it so clumsily, leaving it wide open to suspicion.
Which meant Ikelos's death most likely had nothing to do with them.
"So you're saying... there's a third party in Orario?"
The man's expression showed clear surprise.
"Exactly. And one strong enough to cause trouble right under the Guild's nose."
"But for now, that third party killed a god from Evilus. We don't know if they're connected to us in any way. Maybe that's exactly why the Guild doesn't want Ikelos's death made public."
Hearing this, the man finally nodded in understanding.
...
Meanwhile, the two goddesses who had sparked these rumors sat at the same table, laughing loudly.
"Pffft—hahahaha!"
Once she sat down, Loki clutched her stomach, laughing so hard it hurt.
"Those idiots actually believed it!"
Their reactions were so ridiculous she was practically dying of laughter.
Didn't they know she was the God of Lies? And yet they took her words at face value.
"I never thought they'd all fall for it. I figured a story that absurd would make them doubt it."
Hestia replayed the day's events in her mind. Things had gone far too smoothly—so smoothly she couldn't help wondering if the other gods were really that stupid.
But Hephaestus understood why they had believed it.
"Hey, you two shouldn't treat them like total fools. One of the main reasons they bought it was because of the Guild's support. If they weren't certain the Guild wouldn't tarnish its own credibility, today's story would've fallen apart instantly."
"True."
Loki's grin eased into a satisfied smirk. The lie had only succeeded thanks to the Guild's backing. Without it, anyone could have exposed it with ease.
"Still, it worked out in the end."
Her eyes shifted toward Bell, standing off to the side.
"Now that we've officially gone underground, you must be happy, huh?"
...
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