Hestia was practically drowning in jealousy.
She knew perfectly well that Freya and Bell's relationship was already completely out in the open—she had been the first to notice it, after all. But seeing it right in front of her eyes still made her chest ache with sourness.
'Ugh… I was guarding him all this time, and she still managed to slip in.'
She knew Bell had always avoided Freya before, kept his distance… yet Freya had still succeeded in the end.
Well, this definitely wasn't Bell's fault!
Bell was absolutely not at fault.
No—the real problem was that Freya was absurdly good at slipping through cracks.
After all, if she were a man, she doubted she could resist Freya telling her, "Take your lust with me."
…But honestly, even though Bell already had her and Hephaestus, he still ended up tempted by Freya. Did that mean she and Hephaestus weren't good enough?
While Hestia was sinking deeper into self-doubt, Hephaestus had already finished descending the stairs.
Step by step, she approached Bell, sat sideways on his lap, and cupped his cheeks in both hands.
"You idiot… you really caused a mess this time."
Her scolding came with a gaze full of worry, making Bell's mouth twitch. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her chest.
"Don't worry."
"Even though I exposed a lot this time, and even killed two gods in front of everyone… my true identity is still hidden.
"Ouranos and Hermes will definitely keep covering for me. I estimate… we can keep it secret for a year."
A year sounded long, but Hephaestus knew all too well that it was far too short—so short it terrified her.
"A year is way too short."
She held Bell's head gently to her chest, but even then the worry wouldn't settle. A year was simply nowhere near enough.
"Exactly! A year is way too short!"
Hestia, who had been blankly watching her best friend hold her precious Bell, finally snapped back to reality.
Only one year to hide it from the gods… meaning Bell only had a year to prepare. That was far too little.
But as she rushed downstairs, all fired up, she felt the veins on her forehead throb violently the moment she saw Bell.
Because Bell was still comfortably nestled in Hephaestus's arms.
'Could you at least think about my dignity?!'
Hestia scowled and tapped Hephaestus on the shoulder.
"Hephaestus, that's enough. Let me have him already."
Hephaestus stopped mid-emotion, turning to see Hestia glaring at her. A hint of embarrassment crept across her face.
She knew she had overstepped just a bit.
"Ahem… Bell, listen to Hestia."
She finally released him, but not before giving Bell's head a light flick—her version of a gentle punishment.
Standing from Bell's lap, Hephaestus shot Hestia a slightly awkward look.
"Hestia, go ahead."
Hestia rolled her eyes immediately. If her best friend hadn't swooped in and stolen the moment, would she really be stuck as the "second arrival" right now?
Being second was the greatest tragedy of her life.
But there was no helping it. Hephaestus had been her closest friend for years, and the reality was right in front of her. What could she change?
Hestia had accepted it in her head—but her heart still flared up at moments like this.
"…Bell, one year is way too short."
Even saying it made her feel awkward.
But Bell stood up, lowered himself onto one knee before her, and gently took her hand.
"Hestia, please believe in me."
"I have my own reasons for needing to cross that final threshold."
"I will live. I will absolutely gain a life that never ends. And I will free all of you from this endlessly resetting world."
"So… please trust me."
Bell had reasons he had to survive, and he would never allow himself to fail.
Then his tone shifted slightly.
"Hestia, you don't need to worry that much. One year is simply the maximum time before my identity might be exposed."
"The gods aren't idiots. Even if I build an entirely new persona, even if I go out of my way to erase every trace of myself, they'll still associate this identity with the Hestia Familia's Sign Crafters."
"But by the time that year is up, at worst I'll already be Lv.8. The gods' scrutiny won't be something I need to fear anymore."
The time limit was tight, but Bell knew his growth wouldn't stop after just one year.
However, the moment his identity slipped, trouble would erupt—and the first person dragged into it would be Hestia.
"Hestia, if the gods see through me after a year, I might not be the one in the worst danger. You would be the one facing the real trouble."
"The gods might not be able to find me, but they can find you."
Hestia sniffed dismissively.
"I'm not afraid of those guys. It's just trouble. It's not like they'd dare do anything worse."
Bell, however, saw it differently.
"Hestia… I think they absolutely would do something worse."
"You're currently standing outside the center of the divine stage, so they don't pay attention to you. But the moment you're at the center of the gods' focus, the trouble you attract will multiply."
"And among the gods… there will always be a few whose heads don't work properly. They might target you."
A fierce glint flashed through Bell's eyes—raw killing intent surged up from deep inside.
"If that day truly comes… the real problem won't be what they do."
"The real problem will be that I might have to bury every god in Orario."
Yes—the real danger wasn't what the gods might bring upon Bell and Hestia.
The real danger was whether Bell, once the gods laid a hand on Hestia, would slaughter all the gods in Orario.
And if that day ever arrived, Bell didn't believe he'd be able to hold back his killing intent enough to spare any god who dared to stir up trouble.