"Listen up, I'm not jealous!"
Loki couldn't help but emphasize that as she plopped down onto Bell's lap.
She leaned back fully, nestled into his arms with her legs crossed like she was taking her throne, a smug, triumphant smile on her face.
But that childish display left the other goddesses temporarily speechless. At the very least, everyone understood: this time, Loki was really jealous—otherwise she wouldn't be acting so forcefully and self‑satisfied.
After a moment of triumph, Loki didn't forget what the main point of the meeting was—Freya's situation.
"So then… you sly fox, what exactly did you do last night to get this wooden plank sleeping in your room?"
Wooden plank?
Bell's eyelid jumped involuntarily. Where on earth had that nickname come from?
And "wooden plank" implies his thoughts were rigid, right? But did he think he was that rigid?
"Bell had some trouble come up yesterday, so he came over to talk to me."
Trouble?
That one word made the goddesses present lean in.
They all knew that ever since Bell became an adventurer he rarely encountered problems he couldn't handle himself. Even when he did, his usual instinct was to find a solution on his own, not to go talk with them.
Hestia, who already knew the answer, also understood why Bell had sought out Freya this time.
"You… had trouble?"
Loki tipped her head back in surprise, her forehead nearly touching Bell's chest as she stared up at his chin from an inverted angle.
Bell gently pushed her head down, wrapped his arms around her waist from both sides, resting his chin on her head. He looked visibly more relaxed than usual.
But Loki? She was clearly uncomfortable being held like this.
She could feel the warmth of his hands on her belly, the weight on her shoulders, and the sound of his voice and his breath near her ear—the tickle made her ears tremble.
Yet when Bell went to speak about his own matter, his attention went inward rather than outward. Loki's discomfort went unnoticed.
"I'm not perfect either," Bell began. "Naturally, there will be times when things happen unexpectedly. And after all, I'm just a mortal. Sometimes I feel lost—unsure which way to move forward."
"Freya's words also made me realize something: maybe I shouldn't put all my hope in the 'Blessing System'."
Those words made Loki's body shiver.
"Not putting hope in the 'Blessing System'? That's… quite ambitious of you!"
Just one sentence laid bare the scope of Bell's ambition. Loki, besides being startled, instantly locked her gaze on Freya.
"Lovestruck woman, what exactly did you say to Bell to make him come up with such a crazy idea?"
Bell could only explain it himself.
"Actually, it wasn't really something Freya said to me. It's more like I'd already made up my mind long ago.
The limit of the Falna System is demigodhood, and only a demigod who gains Authority has a chance to ascend to godhood. When I first realized that, I thought that once I reached Lv.10, I should be able to become a god."
The goddesses present all nodded. Upon ascending to demigodhood, one could become a god by mastering Authority.
Mastering Authority was the proof of divinity. Even if a god died, their Authority would never fall into the hands of ordinary mortals. So for a child of the Genkai to reach Level 10 and become a god was nearly impossible.
Bell recalled what he had thought back then—to obtain eternal life and stay by Hestia's side forever. At the time, he simply wanted to become a god...
But now, things were different.
"Back then, I thought becoming a god would be enough to achieve my goal. But now, I realize that just becoming a god probably isn't enough."
A mere god couldn't protect Hestia or anyone else when the world reset.
A mere god simply couldn't do it.
Rely on the world's mercy? Hah. He might as well have started praying at an altar from the beginning and skipped all that so-called training.
"The world's expectations for me probably go far beyond what a simple god can fulfill. Maybe what it seeks is evolution itself. But I don't think it's just this world that feels that way—perhaps another world thinks the same."
Bell's gaze shifted to Artemis, and the others followed his line of sight, turning their attention to her. Artemis pointed at herself in surprise.
"My world too?"
Bell gave a small nod and explained his reasoning.
"If the two worlds weren't connected, then how could I have brought you—someone from another world—here?"
"The intersection between worlds can't be that simple. Especially since what was pulled here was a god's soul and a God core. That doesn't make sense."
When Bell first confirmed that Artemis' soul had independent consciousness, he had already begun to suspect the reason behind it. Now he understood completely—it was a transaction.
The Type-Moon world and the Danmachi world had joined forces, and the one they intended to nurture was likely him, the innocent bystander chosen for this role.
Because of that realization, Bell gradually understood where his growth was truly meant to lead.
It was this very confusion that pushed him to revisit all his past research and questions, piecing everything together until he arrived at this unbelievable conclusion—
Two worlds were working together to build him up, a mere ordinary person.
...
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