"Normal intimacy..."
Zeus's eyes nearly fell out of his head. Was this really Loki—the same hopeless woman-chaser he knew? How had she suddenly become someone he barely recognized?
"Old man, has this Loki taken a liking to men?"
Clearly, Hera was also a bit bewildered by the situation.
Zeus nodded, his expression slightly dazed. "Unless my eyes deceive me, you're probably right."
Hera held her head in disbelief. This day had been nothing short of spectacular—not only had she uncovered world-shaking secrets, but she'd also learned of the special relationships between so many goddesses and Bell.
Hestia, she could understand. Freya was relatively normal. Hephaestus was barely acceptable. As for Artemis... well, that was starting to feel a bit off.
And Loki? That situation was downright bizarre. Loki had always been a notorious womanizer in the past. The reason Loki Familia was dominated by women was entirely due to her personality. Yet this very Loki, this womanizer par excellence, has now fallen for a boy.
It was practically a cosmic joke.
But Hera couldn't even laugh at it.
"Has this boy managed to sweep both current kings of Orario off their feet?"
One Freya, one Loki—both utterly captivated by Bell. Hephaestus was a formidable goddess of craftsmen in Orario. If one were to truly tally it up, the power of the goddesses surrounding Bell encompassed nearly the entire Orario at its peak.
Add to that Bell's own Stealth strength...
"If that boy wanted to seize power, even Ouranos himself might be powerless to stop him?"
"If you look at it that way, then yes."
Thinking along Hera's lines, Zeus concluded Bell truly possessed the capability to seize power in Orario. However, there were still matters requiring consideration.
"But Hera, do you think Bell even has any interest in power right now?"
Hera fell silent for a moment, then slapped her own cheek.
"That kid probably doesn't have even the slightest bit of interest.
Hera realized her own thoughts were utterly foolish.
That kid spent his entire time in Orario hiding his identity, which proves he wasn't after fame.
Conquering five goddesses in succession while establishing Hestia's familia "beyond the world" shows he has no interest in power either.
What truly matters to him are likely only those goddesses, including Hestia.
In a way, Bell belongs to the category of the lovesick.
He cares nothing for so-called power or fame, his focus solely on the few goddesses by his side.
It's clear Bell is now pursuing strength solely for this purpose.
And the series of plans Bell is currently executing? Not a single penny of them has anything to do with Orario.
"Weren't you just waiting for this?"
Bell knew this would happen, which is precisely why he hadn't updated the data earlier.
"Wrong! Your attitude is wrong!"
Loki stood proudly with her hands on her hips, pinpointing the core issue.
"Your attitude toward Hestia and the others is completely different from how you treat me."
"You little brat... you don't actually see me as a woman, do you?"
"Oh!"
A light bulb went off in Bell's mind. He finally understood why, despite interacting with Loki frequently, he never felt the same way he did around Hestia. It turned out he'd never once regarded Loki as a member of the opposite sex.
"Now that you mention it, that might be part of it."
"When I interact with you, it feels much more casual than with Hestia and the others. You remind me of those... ..."
Rebellious sons!
In his past life, Bell hadn't had many friends. Even someone infamous had three—so surely he should've managed at least two.
When dealing with those two troublemaking sons, he'd look for every chance to prank them—because they never missed a chance to get him back.
That's how some friendships are: built on playful teasing and mischief.
Come to think of it, his relationship with Loki wasn't all that different from a certain famous father and his pair of rebellious sons.
From initially tricking Loki to their current comfortable rapport, his attitude toward Loki had grown increasingly casual.
Before, Bell truly believed he treated Loki the same as Hestia and the others. But now it seemed his approach toward Loki mirrored how he handled those rebellious sons.
'But how could I ever compare Loki to those rebellious children?'
Bell instinctively glanced downward, and instantly understood...
Yet Loki's expression darkened, especially upon noticing that look of realization on Bell's face when he looked down—it felt like the ultimate insult.
"I may be small, but I still have it!"
"Um..... This I know."
Bell responded with a touch of awkwardness.
He naturally knew Loki had a foundation, just that compared to the others around her, it wasn't particularly striking—much like Nana in the group.
But comparisons between women inevitably exist. Just like when you put Nana and Lala together, it becomes clear that sometimes, size really does stand out.
"Hmph, I knew it."
Loki turned her head, pouting with obvious displeasure.
She'd suspected Bell treated her differently from the others—clearly, he genuinely didn't regard her as an outsider.
Her gaze swept around the room, lingering especially on that shorty... Damn it!
As a goddess herself, Loki couldn't help but wonder how this little runt pulled it off. They were all gods, so why was this shorty the one getting so much attention?
Loki felt like the "World" itself was targeting her, making her lose so badly in the female department.
But the next second, Loki's gaze suddenly locked onto Freya. Her eyes twinkled, and a faint smile curved her lips.
"Bell, at this stage, you should probably focus on gathering the 'Seven Deadly Sins' first, right?"
"Huh?"
"Freya's 'Lust' is already yours. So next up should be my 'Sloth,' right?"
With Loki putting it that plainly, how could Bell not get the hint?
"So... so soon?"
"Soon?"
Loki's mood was anything but cheerful at that moment.
"If I'd been any slower, would Artemis have just handed herself over too?"
This remark made Artemis, who'd been trying desperately to keep a low profile, feel utterly mortified. It felt like Loki was about to pierce through that thin veil of secrecy.
"Now only my 'Sloth' remains. You don't want to wait years to reclaim it, do you?"
"Um..."
So, he had no choice in the matter?