"Holy crap! This kid's worried those bastards might lay a hand on Hestia!? Worried he won't be able to control his killing intent and will butcher every last one of them?"
That reason was far stronger than anything Zeus could have imagined.
But it also carried enormous weight—and with the Bell of today, he really would kill those bastards over something like that.
"Hera, looks like we really do have to go back this time."
"If those idiots actually decide to target that kid, he might turn all of Orario into a slaughterhouse."
Zeus truly feared Bell being exposed. He could barely imagine what would become of Orario if things reached that point.
"Y-yeah......"
Hera was equally stunned into silence by such an absurdly intense motivation.
After a long moment, she sank into her seat, covering her face, questioning her entire understanding of life.
"Strange… wasn't that kid supposed to be introverted? How did half a year in Orario turn him into someone this aggressive?"
Words like "ruthless," "vicious," and "unreasonable" had always been used to describe Hera herself.
Yet now she felt her own cruelty and hard-heartedness couldn't compare to Bell's.
In fact, Bell was even more ruthless than she was.
Just because the gods might harm Hestia, he was already contemplating wiping out every god in Orario.
Even she would only think about something like that; she would never actually act on it and try to kill all the gods in the city.
But judging from the malice and killing intent hidden deep in Bell's eyes, he really would do it.
And the gods he killed wouldn't even have the chance to resurrect—they'd be completely, truly erased.
While Hera was still trying to figure out how Bell had become so hostile, Zeus already understood the reason perfectly.
He let out a short laugh and pointed toward Hestia.
"Hestia is the biggest reason."
"That kid puts Hestia's safety above everything. Any threat to her— even one he only predicts—he'll eliminate without hesitation."
In a sense, Bell wasn't merely ruthless—he was terrifyingly decisive.
Not the superficial kind of cruelty, but the type where someone smiles kindly while stabbing you in the back, then ripping out your spine and scooping out your marrow afterward.
The incident with Dionysus and Thanatos made that painfully clear. Once Bell made a choice, he never reversed it, and he used the most direct method possible to obliterate both gods.
Even though he tossed Dionysus' divine core to the god's child, Dionysus himself had his soul shredded, dying as thoroughly as Thanatos.
Zeus had already figured it out: Bell wasn't introverted. His "introversion" only applied in places where he felt safe. His ruthlessness was reserved entirely for the outside world.
"Beyond the World" was probably created for that very reason.
"A hedgehog covered in spikes… that kid is a hedgehog."
And not just a regular hedgehog—but a super hedgehog that hides its fangs, cares nothing for reputation, and even with overwhelming strength still chooses caution.
"That kid never shows the recklessness or wildness around Hestia that he shows outside."
"He understands better than anyone else—so he cherishes her more than anyone else."
Yes, Zeus was certain now. Hestia was the one Bell cherished most, so everything he did aligned with her.
Everything—absolutely everything—was centered on Hestia.
…
Not only were Zeus and Hera stunned— even the four goddesses present were completely shaken.
Especially because Bell hadn't been talking about his own safety at all, but about how he feared he might lose control and wipe out every god in Orario. At that point, none of them could stay calm.
"Bell, calm down! Please, calm down first!"
For the first time in her life, Hestia felt she absolutely had to stay alive. If something really happened to her, the entire pantheon in Orario might end up buried with her.
"I have the Straw Doll as my substitute. They won't be able to harm me."
Bell shook his head lightly, still wearing that faint smile.
"If they truly manage to hurt you, then death alone won't be enough to settle things."
"The revenge I mentioned earlier assumes you and the Straw Doll I created remain unharmed."
"If they actually injure you… then I'll rip out their divine cores, corrupt their souls, and force them to devour their own children."
"I'll chip away at their sanity, twisting them into real monsters. Then, under the banner of righteousness, I'll smear their names and wipe away everything they ever stood for—tainting every trace of their existence."
"I'll make them understand what it means to have absolutely no reason to exist."
"And finally, when their souls are purified again, I'll seal them forever in darkness… and keep their consciousness intact."
Every step of his revenge went straight for what gods valued most.
Destroying everything they ever built, eroding their will, stripping away the godhood they took pride in, turning them into man-eating monsters, and finally sealing them away in an eternal, conscious darkness.
This entire plan was crafted purely to torment gods—to trample every part of their being until even self-destruction was denied to them.
The thought alone was enough to shake Hestia to her core.
'Oh gods… I really cannot afford to be targeted by those idiots. If something happens to me, Bell will make every god in Orario suffer a fate worse than death.'
'Honestly… wouldn't being killed outright by him be easier for them?'
Compared to the torture he described, dying early would practically be mercy.
"Bell, you need to calm down. I haven't been threatened at all!"
"And besides, wasting time on the gods isn't what you should be focusing on right now."
The smile on Bell's face paused, then slowly shifted into a weary sigh.
"You're right. I don't have time to deal with the gods right now."
"Then that's how it will be."
"As long as the gods don't lay a finger on you, I'll stay calm."
"But if even one god touches you—Hestia, don't try to stop my revenge."