"They've gone inside. Should we follow them?"
Watching the two figures slip into the heavily guarded room, Bell left the decision to the two goddesses standing at his sides.
"Of course we're going."
Loki hadn't forgotten that this was the real reason they came here.
When it came to watching a show unfold, Loki was an expert.
The outcome of this Grand Casino was already sealed. None of the people involved would end well. After all, this was the Guild's reshuffling—a move to bring everything under its control. There was no way these people would have a say in it.
Still, Loki looked forward to the Grand Casino's final act—the moment when those who thought themselves untouchable would come crashing down.
A mischievous, taunting grin spread across her face once again.
"Loki, your smile looks rather dangerous right now."
"Eh?"
Freya's reminder caught her off guard, and Loki hurriedly covered her mouth with one hand. It really was a bad habit of hers—sometimes her thoughts slipped right onto her face without her noticing.
Bell, of course, caught a glimpse of Loki-sama's "healthy" smile.
But compared to the truly radiant smiles he'd seen before, Loki-sama's didn't quite measure up.
He thought back to the once-sunny boy Marik Ishtar.
The pink-haired, lovestruck girl.
If he compared those legendary "expression moments," Loki-sama's grin was barely the level of a gentle breeze under the moonlight.
Still, the sight of her trying to hide it only made Bell want to laugh.
And Loki, with her sharp eyes, instantly caught the faint curl of Bell's lips. It annoyed her to no end.
"What? You think it's funny that I don't want you seeing me like that?"
At that moment, Loki bared her teeth, looking—at least to Bell—more amusing than intimidating.
"Not exactly funny," Bell said lightly, "but I do feel like laughing."
He didn't bother hiding it now. As he spoke, he discreetly set up a barrier around them.
"It's just… the thought that Loki-sama would hide her smile because of me—it's kind of amusing."
Now Bell understood why he'd suddenly sensed something different about Loki before.
The issue lay in that subtle change.
He'd once brushed off her odd reactions, assuming it was just his own overthinking from lack of rest.
But no—he hadn't imagined it.
.....!
Realizing it hadn't been mockery but something else entirely, a blush crept over Loki's face.
The normally prideful goddess suddenly carried a faintly tsundere air.
The brash, tomboyish side she often showed was replaced by something softer—something unmistakably divine.
It had to be said—there truly were no ugly gods.
But Freya... was clearly not pleased.
"Bell, you can say sweet things to Loki, yet you're always so guarded around me?"
...Was she seriously expecting me to answer that out loud?
Still, after a brief moment of thought, Bell decided to speak honestly. After all, only the two goddesses could hear him.
"Because I've already chosen Hestia and Hephaestus. Isn't it natural for me to keep some distance from others?"
"I've willingly cut ties with the rest because I know—once I walk down the path I've chosen, we'll end up going our separate ways."
"As for you, Freya-sama, my involvement was only because of Hestia."
Once he'd said it, Bell felt strangely relieved.
These were words he shouldn't have voiced aloud, but they reflected exactly how he felt.
Hephaestus's situation had truly caught him off guard. Realizing her feelings back then had been just as shocking as learning now that Loki-sama harbored similar emotions toward him.
'My skill list doesn't include [Goddess Killer]... so why do more and more goddesses keep setting their sights on me?'
Shaking his head slightly, Bell found it strange that Loki-sama and Freya weren't reacting the way he'd expected.
He'd been completely straightforward—so why were the two of them so calm?
"I knew this brat would think that way," Loki said flatly, showing no surprise at all.
"Ah... we were still one step too late," Freya sighed helplessly.
In truth, Freya couldn't help but feel she'd lost unfairly.
She'd been paying close attention to the child who'd arrived in Orario—her eyes in the Hostess of Fertility had been watching.
But even so, her sight hadn't pierced the Wall of Lamentation within Bell's soul in time. If it had, she would've gone after Hestia directly from the very start.
Unfortunately, she was several steps behind.
"???"
Their reactions left Bell completely puzzled.
"Loki-sama, Freya-sama... does that mean you agree with what I said?"
"We don't." *2
The synchronized reply made Bell's expression twitch. He'd thought this conversation might finally settle things, but clearly, neither goddess had any intention of giving up.
Loki, still holding onto Bell's arm, let out a teasing laugh.
"Your thinking's obvious, kid. From the start, you've been acting like a hatchling that imprints on the first face it sees, thinking it's its mother."
"Don't expect other gods to act according to your logic."
"Capriciousness is a right every goddess has."
Bell was left speechless. So now being capricious was a divine right?
Then again, he knew it wasn't something granted to women in general—but to goddesses specifically.
Not without reason, either—because a goddess's love was special, absolute, and singular.
Even Ishtar—famously called a "public bus" and now returned to Tenkai—was no exception.
The difference was that Ishtar's "love" leaned more toward lust, which was why she earned that nickname in the first place.
"Selfish? Maybe," Freya said softly. "But not as blunt as Loki makes it sound. Still, you should know—a goddess's love shows no restraint."
"Our encounters with mortals aren't something ordinary people can endure."
"And once a goddess sets her eyes on you... do you really think you can run away?"
"Unless, of course, you send us back to Tenkai."
Freya's words were sharp and absolute, but Bell wasn't about to send either of them back to Tenkai over something like this.
He might have the strength to destroy a flower—but not while being the one under its gaze.
Besides, Loki and Freya were pillars of Orario. Sending a random god back to Tenkai was one thing, but these two? That would only bring him endless trouble.
That was why Bell always preferred to keep his distance—respectful, but distant. As long as he didn't get too close, there wouldn't be a problem.
"...Then please, Goddesses, continue keeping your eyes on me."
...
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