The news of Zeus and Hera returning to Orario was truly enormous—so enormous it instantly detonated the entire city.
For ordinary citizens, it was shocking enough. For the gods, it was even more explosive.
"That old lecher came back?"
Several male gods who used to get along well with Zeus wore wonderfully complicated expressions. But their reactions leaned more toward delight than fear.
After all, Zeus himself wasn't the issue. He wasn't a serious type, and he shared the same hobbies as most male gods. Because of that, many gods found him easy to get along with.
The one they feared wasn't Zeus—it was his wife, Hera.
Hera, as one of the ancient goddesses… in fact, you could even remove the "one of." She was the ancient goddess.
Incredibly strict, rigid in personality, and utterly intolerant of nonsense. If Zeus ever messed with anything inappropriate, a thorough lecture was guaranteed.
Of course, that still wasn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem was that Hera didn't only punish Zeus—anyone who happened to be with Zeus got beaten too.
This was why the male gods close to Zeus always felt miserable around her.
Zeus himself wasn't that bad. He didn't go around causing random problems. Aside from being perverted, he didn't really have many flaws as a god.
But his wife Hera was the troublesome one.
Especially in the old days, when the 'Hera Familia' had a Lv.9 Empress supporting them. When she took action, she never held back.
"Zeus coming back is fine, but why bring Hera with him?"
"Sigh…"
The gods gathered there all sighed helplessly.
"But what made Zeus want to return this time?"
"He and Hera were driven out by Loki and Freya back then. Shouldn't he at least ask Loki and Freya before coming back?"
The others glanced at each other, then gave slight shakes of their heads.
"Any ordinary god probably wouldn't dare return. But who are they? They're the creators of the last 'Age of Heroes.' The children they left behind are exactly the information we're most desperate to uncover. With them back, wouldn't it be easier to identify that child?"
That little reminder instantly enlightened the god who had asked, his eyes lighting up.
"That's actually great news!"
"We've been observing Orario for half a month, yet couldn't find even the smallest clue. If their return really helps expose something, that would make everything easier for us."
Seeing the spark in the fool's eyes, the others could only shake their heads.
Because they all saw the truth clearly.
Why did Zeus and Hera suddenly return right after that child's existence was exposed?
Of course it was to shield that child.
Even so, the gods still entertained the hope that Zeus and Hera might flush out the Mystery child.
As long as he appeared, there would be traces—clues—and that meant they could pinpoint him too.
In a sense, they were all welcoming Zeus and Hera's return.
But still, they exchanged looks full of helplessness.
"The problem is whether Loki and Freya will allow it."
"Yeah. Loki and Freya were the ones who teamed up to kick Zeus and Hera out back then. There's no way they'd just agree to let them back in now."
In their eyes, Loki and Freya were the greatest barriers to Zeus and Hera's return.
"I agree."
Seeing the two appear before her, Loki's facial muscles twitched, but she still waved her hand casually.
She didn't hold any deep hostility toward Zeus and Hera anymore. And with the relationship between her and Bell now, there was no reason to let things become tense.
Still, she had some small complaints simmering inside, which was why her expression looked a bit foul at the moment.
"I agree as well."
Compared to her, Freya's expression control was on an entirely different level. Even facing Hera—her greatest enemy from the past—her face showed not a trace of displeasure.
Neither Loki nor Freya wanted to make things awkward with Zeus and Hera right now.
The grudges of the past belonged to the past. Everything had already ended. There was no reason to keep dragging it on.
A sly smile curled at the edge of Hera's lips, like that of a cunning fox.
Both Loki and Freya felt a bad premonition rise in their chests.
Then Hera dropped a bomb.
"Bell tastes pretty good, doesn't he?"
"Pfft!"
Hermes sprayed.
He had been sitting to the side quietly enjoying the show, believing the whole matter had nothing to do with him. But Hera's one sentence felt like it exposed all kinds of information.
He glanced at Loki and Freya's reactions.
Hmm. Freya's response was the same as always, though Hermes noticed that her expression seemed to darken just a little.
Loki's reaction, however, was nothing like Freya's calm one. The muscles on her face were practically trembling out of control.
'No way…'
Hermes nearly dropped his jaw to the floor after catching that tiny detail.
Freya falling for Bell made perfect sense. She had been searching desperately for news about Bell for months, and not long ago had even sided with the Guild just to get closer to him.
But Loki?
Wasn't she supposed to only be into cute girls? How did she end up targeting Bell? And even made a move?
'Tsk tsk~ I wonder if Hestia knows about this?'
Hermes' gossip-loving heart exploded with excitement. There was definitely a spectacular show hidden here.
Clearly, Loki's ability to handle this kind of situation was poorer than expected.
Her expression stiffened, and her voice rose sharply without her meaning to.
"Hera, did you come back just to pick a fight with me?"
Seeing Loki bristle like a cat, Hera's smile widened even more.
"Oh my~ Didn't someone once say that having the loudest voice doesn't make you right? The Loki who once laughed and cursed in front of all the gods—how did she turn into a balloon? A little poke and she's about to pop?"
"You—!"
Hera's teasing made Loki's face grow even darker, though she herself felt both angry and embarrassed.
She hadn't intended to argue with this woman at all today. Why did Hera go for her the moment she arrived?
And Hera seemed to understand her relationship with Bell far too well.
Loki took a deep breath and shot a deadly glare toward Hermes.
"Don't look at me! I don't know a thing!"
Wrongly accused, Hermes immediately denied it. Otherwise, there would be no escaping a beating later.