"Loki, stop picking on Hermes already. There's no way he'd know anything."
Zeus caught the pleading look Hermes was throwing him—practically begging for rescue—so he stepped forward a couple of paces to speak on his behalf.
"The reason we know is because…"
Zeus hesitated. This wasn't something he should say.
After all, Meteria had been able to hide everything from everyone if she wanted to. If he revealed something now, it would definitely cause
a lot of trouble.
"…some special circumstances."
"Special circumstances? Like what?"
Loki's expression shifted slightly. She had a feeling these "special circumstances" might have something to do with Bell, so she instinctively pressed further.
But before she could utter another word, she felt someone tug her sleeve lightly. Her expression tightened, and she chose to shut her mouth.
Freya, the one who had stopped her, stepped forward with a polite smile.
"Since the circumstances are special, there's no need for us to know."
"But if I'm not mistaken, it should be related to Bell's mother, correct?"
Zeus and Hera both fell silent.
Freya smiled. So she'd guessed right.
"I see. No wonder."
If Bell's mother was involved, then it made perfect sense that Zeus and Hera would know about her and Bell.
But when exactly?
Suddenly, Freya remembered something from half a month ago.
That day, there had been a projection tracking Bell—but that had been Hermes's doing, and naturally couldn't track beyond the 'World Beyond'. But if Bell's mother had intervened at that moment…
"You learned about it half a month ago, then?"
"!"
Zeus and Hera truly hadn't expected Freya to react so quickly.
They weren't surprised she'd deduce the timing. They were surprised that she'd done it almost instantly.
"Impressive, Freya. Quite an improvement compared to the past."
"You flatter me, Hera-sama."
The auras of the two goddesses collided instantly, crackling in the air with audible snapping sounds.
"Hmph!" ×2
The two goddesses snorted at the same time and withdrew their auras.
Ignoring Hera entirely, Freya bowed slightly to Ouranos.
"Since everything is settled, allow us to take our leave, Ouranos."
"Mm."
With Ouranos's permission, Freya turned and tugged Loki along with her.
Since they had entered the Guild together, it was only natural they left together as well.
Once outside, the two goddesses—sharing an unspoken understanding—did not return home immediately. Instead, they headed for the nearby 'Hostess of Fertility.'
It wasn't nighttime yet, and the tavern wasn't open for business. It wasn't accepting customers.
Thus, the two goddesses sat quietly and comfortably on the second floor.
"This time, Zeus and Hera must have returned for Bell."
After the two goddesses sat down, Freya opened the conversation without hesitation.
"Hey—you're just going to talk about it here?"
Loki looked around nervously. In response, Freya only gave her a long, unimpressed stare.
"This is my place."
"I know that. But we're still outside."
Watching Loki act like she'd caught Bell's paranoia, Freya pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly.
"Do you honestly think anyone other than Bell could get close enough to eavesdrop on us without being detected? Who else possesses that kind of ability?"
Loki froze. A beat passed before realization struck—she had been overthinking it.
"Right. If someone that skilled could just walk by freely, the secrets of every god in Orario would've been ripped open ages ago."
She shook her head and forced her expression back into order.
"If Zeus and Hera witnessed what happened half a month ago, then their return makes perfect sense."
"Exactly. The information Bell exposed in public was enough to shake all of Orario to the core. But what he revealed to us was far more serious."
"It's a blessing that the ones who know are Hera and Zeus."
Freya hadn't expected that incident to be revealed right before Zeus and Hera. After all, the 'World Beyond' could effectively shut down nearly all the methods gods relied upon.
What Freya hadn't expected was that "The World"—Bell's mother—would take action.
Fortunately, the ones who learned of it weren't outsiders. Just Zeus and Hera. That was manageable.
Freya brought the topic back around.
"This time, Hera and Zeus likely returned for Bell's sake. Bell said it himself—his identity can only be concealed for a year at most."
"They're probably acting as shields to buy him more time."
Loki agreed. But that buffer wouldn't last long.
"Freya, is there any chance we can stretch Bell's concealment longer?"
But the hopeful question only earned a slow shake of Freya's head.
"Unlikely."
"Even with our help—and Hermes and the Guild assisting in the concealment—a year is the maximum."
"A year, huh…"
Loki murmured the number. Far too short.
Freya thought so too, but there was no better solution.
...
"No matter how well we hide him, once the gods know Bell is somewhere within Orario, he becomes easier to track."
"Neither of us will investigate, and Artemis isn't an issue. Her familia was just annihilated, and she only recently returned to Orario."
"But the other gods will start checking familia by familia."
"And even though Orario has many gods, they'll eventually get around to Hestia."
"The more they investigate, the more suspicious Hestia will look. Bell's real identity is a rune-inscriber under the Hestia Familia."
"But that identity has always been extremely cautious—hidden entirely from the public eye. And unfortunately, it overlaps far too much with the persona Bell revealed recently. It's inevitable some gods will suspect Hestia."
This problem had no solution.
Even with the many gods in Orario and their countless familias and followers, there were limits.
After a year of elimination, the suspicion would unavoidably shift toward Hestia.
Meaning that Bell himself would become a target after about a year.
"And consider where Hestia is living now—if they repeatedly fail to find any trace of her familia, don't you think they'll start noticing something?"
Freya's question made Loki press a hand over her face.
Even she had to admit—there were simply too many suspicious points around Hestia.