At this moment, Apollo wanted nothing more than to turn around and question Loki, but the words refused to leave his mouth.
He could already feel Loki's amused gaze on his back. If he showed even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction, he'd probably receive another "greeting" from her after the Denatus.
That thought smothered all of Apollo's anger in an instant.
Once Apollo quieted down, the other gods began discussing the matter among themselves.
"Never expected there to be a child who can glimpse the future."
"What surprises me even more is that this child originally belonged to Apollo Familia."
It was already turning into a joke.
A gifted adventurer with such a special ability had been handed straight to Loki without Apollo even realizing it. Expecting Loki to spit out a child she'd already secured was about as likely as the dead coming back to life.
"It should be that gloomy kid, right? The one who told the 'Braver' that 'The Beast is Unleashed' before the battle between the 'Sword Princess' and the 'Spirit Elite Troops'."
"Yeah, should be her… Cassandra, wasn't it?"
"Looks like she really is something special."
The gods were curious about this child who could see the future. At the same time, they couldn't help wondering how Apollo had managed to let such a talented child slip away.
"What's wrong with Apollo? He usually acts so shrewd. How did he get this stupid over something so important?"
They were teasing him—openly mocking Apollo's "blind eyes."
As the person involved, Apollo felt painfully wronged.
'I didn't know!!!!'
Right now, Apollo truly wished he could go back and punch himself for agreeing so easily back then.
'I should have realized Loki wasn't targeting my money—she was targeting Cassandra and Daphne!'
'I knew it! Loki drained all my wealth yet still insisted on taking Cassandra and Daphne. So the money was just camouflage!'
Apollo felt utterly devastated.
If he had known before the conversion, he would never have agreed to let Cassandra switch Familia under any circumstance.
But now far too much time had passed since that conversion.
And with the girls already in Loki's hands, what was he supposed to do—bare his fangs and demand them back?
Even assuming it were possible, considering Loki's personality, the moment he voiced that demand, she'd probably send him straight back to Tenkai.
With that thought, whatever faint resolve Apollo had left withered instantly.
He had no choice. He knew full well the strength of his own Familia.
Even if none of Loki's children had reached Level 7, he still couldn't stand against them. And now Loki had three Level 7 children.
So he could only endure.
Apollo forced himself not to turn around, not to respond, and definitely not to give Loki even the smallest opening to destroy him.
'Sister… why won't you say at least one word for me right now?'
If Artemis spoke up, Apollo believed he might still have a sliver of hope. But aside from being strict with him, that sister of his showed none of that strictness toward Loki.
So he could only swallow the bitterness.
Just thinking about it made Apollo feel like he might burst into tears.
Seeing Apollo so miserable brought great satisfaction to the gods he had once disgusted.
He might look pitiful now, but back when he launched the "War Game" to steal their children, he certainly hadn't held back.
Now it was his turn to taste what it felt like when someone stole away your excellent children.
After enjoying that satisfaction, however, the gods found themselves puzzled by another question.
"But why Loki specifically?"
"Yeah, why does it have to be Loki?"
Hearing this, Ais couldn't help having the same doubt.
"If it was just about money, couldn't you have sold the intel to other gods just as well?"
"Like Freya-sama, Hermes-sama, or Ganesha-sama?"
Bell only smiled and shook his head lightly.
"Even though selling the intel to any god would produce similar effects, selling it to Loki-sama is the option that benefits me the most."
"The most beneficial?"
Ais still didn't quite understand what Bell meant by "most beneficial."
"This part goes back to what I call my 'timid' personality."
Bell knew he needed to explain this clearly, and he had to start from the beginning.
"From the moment I entered Orario, I've been extremely careful. If any god were to notice my situation, it would definitely cause trouble."
"Luckily, I've never cared much about fame."
"So from the first day I arrived in Orario, I acted with caution. Up to now, there have only been a few times where I almost got caught."
Even as he said that, Bell showed no pride at all. Instead, he became even more alert, more serious, his voice tightening.
"Then I realized there was one person—one especially troublesome person—who seemed to have taken notice of me."
"Freya-sama."
Bell's tone held nothing but helplessness at the mention of her name.
"I've heard plenty about Freya-sama's reputation. So even though I have special ways to hide my presence, I still don't dare approach the Tower of Babel or the tavern under her control."
"But even then, I kept worrying Freya-sama might fix her eyes on me too early. So I came up with a very good idea."
As he said this, Bell looked straight at Ais.
Ais pointed at herself, and realization dawned on her at once.
"You… want Loki and Freya-sama to confront each other?"
"Exactly."
Bell didn't deny it for a moment. Even though it was bold to the point of madness, that was precisely how he chose to act.
"How could I make Loki-sama clash with Freya-sama?"
"The simplest method was to make sure Loki Familia had enough power to stand on equal footing with Freya Familia. So plans to expand Loki Familia's key personnel—and the idea for their Ascension Ritual—started forming in my mind."
Strengthen Loki Familia with more exceptional adventurers, give them better means to deal with the Spirit of the 59th Floor, and increase the chances of those three achieving their advancement.
It was a frightening explanation—and an even more frightening plan.
"So I persuaded Loki-sama, and worked together with that unassuming fellow from Hestia Familia, to create better, more legitimate conditions for Loki Familia's expedition to advance."
"And everything unfolded exactly according to my plan."
"Captain Finn and the other two successfully broke past the Lv.6 boundary, giving Loki Familia enough standing to finally stand on equal footing with Freya Familia."