It had been a full day since Zeus and Hera returned to Orario.
Their former estates had not been taken over by any other familia and remained almost exactly as they once were.
Inside, however, everything was in utter disarray. Weeds filled the courtyard, dust coated every room, and simply cleaning the place demanded an absurd amount of time and physical effort.
For adventurers, stamina wasn't a problem—but time certainly was.
The remaining members of both Zeus Familia and Hera Familia weren't combat specialists. They weren't fighters, but they excelled in support roles. So cleaning itself wasn't difficult for them.
Even so, the estate was large, and even with their abilities, the cleanup took quite a while.
Zeus made a round through the estate, checking the progress.
"Looks like we're almost done."
"Ahem—"
Stirred-up dust forced Zeus to cough twice.
"Old man, your bad health coming from peeking at Aunt Lisa too much? Worn yourself out?"
"Shut it! Who's worn out? I'm not someone who gets worn out!"
Accusing Zeus of being "worn out" was a line he wouldn't tolerate. The instant someone implied it, he snapped back without hesitation.
"Oh~ So you're not denying peeking on my child, then?"
The change in voice hit Zeus like a jolt.
He turned and saw Hera standing there with a bright smile. Yet even with that smile, Zeus felt a chill run down his spine.
"H-Hera, listen to me—ahhhhhh!"
Before Zeus could finish his excuse, Hera's fist sent him flying.
Her face was filled with unmistakable anger. She hadn't held back at all—she had thrown that punch out of pure fury.
This damned old man had dared say he peeked at her children right in front of her. If she let him off easy, who knew what nonsense he'd pull next?
"Tch! Annoying old lecher!"
After thoroughly punishing him and reminding him that actions had consequences, Hera shifted her gaze around her surroundings.
'I really can't sense anything…'
'But…'
The more carefully she focused, the more she felt a chilling, eerie presence lurking just out of sight.
"Come out."
"I might not be able to sense your aura, but that terrifying pressure of yours is already leaking."
Right after Hera spoke, the space around her distorted. The next moment, the person who had hidden their presence so thoroughly appeared before her eyes.
Their outfit was as simple as always. The inner clothes were almost invisible beneath a white coat, and even their face was entirely hidden.
"You brat."
Hera let out a laughing scold as she relaxed her guard, fixing a reproachful look on the boy before her.
"You brat, you see someone and don't even greet them?"
"…"
Bell stared at the beautiful young woman before him—mature, alluring, radiating charm much like Hestia and the others. But to his confusion, he couldn't recall ever meeting her.
He searched his memory for a long moment. Nothing surfaced. Finally, with awkward honesty, he looked at the woman.
"…Who are you?"
"Hah!?"
This time, Hera was the stunned one.
She had expected a touching reunion. Instead, the brat asked who she was?
At that moment, Zeus—who had been punched across the room—pushed himself up with both hands and managed to stand. The dark bruise around his right eye clearly showed how rough it had been.
He took one look at Hera's shocked expression, then walked over to explain, in the tone of someone doing a good deed.
"Hera, in the village you always kept up a fake appearance, never once showing your real face, right?"
"…I forgot about that."
Hera's expression twitched. She really had forgotten. Of course no one who saw her true face would ever forget it—but for someone who had never seen it, having no impression made perfect sense.
After clearing that up for her, Zeus turned to Bell, who still looked confused.
"Brat, this is the wrinkled old hag of a village chief from the next village over."
Bell jolted as the reminder clicked and he suddenly remembered.
"Oh! So you're that annoying old hag the old man always talked about."
But Bell also remembered that the old village chief next door supposedly had a long nose, wrinkled skin, and looked nothing like the beautiful young woman before him—whose looks and presence were on par with any goddess of beauty.
"I remember you were supposed to look like a witch…"
Bell shot Hera a careful glance—and instantly felt murderous intent swelling in the air. Quietly, he stepped back several paces, keeping himself at a safe distance so he wouldn't get dragged into it.
"Wrinkled old hag of a village chief… annoying old woman… witch…"
Hera echoed the keywords in a stiff, eerie tone, like a puppet with broken strings.
Oh no.
Sensing the danger, Zeus tried to retreat, but he caught only a blur before a shadow fell across his remaining good eye.
"Boom!"
Once again, Zeus was sent flying by Hera's punch.
Bell wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but it really felt like that punch's main purpose was to launch the old man far away.
'Mm, her presence is still here… and that punch was even harder than the last one.'
'Goddess Hera… I never imagined she'd have that reputation in the village.'
Bell honestly couldn't reconcile the wrinkled old crone from the neighboring village with the stunning beauty standing before him. Their auras were worlds apart—though that overwhelming, domineering pressure was definitely familiar.
It did resemble the vibe of the old woman from the next village over.
"Hmph."
After teaching Zeus a lesson, Hera felt much better; the irritation from earlier had finally eased.
"Old man, if you dare use those words to describe me again, see if I don't send you straight back."
As for the other person who insulted her—Hera's gaze shifted toward Bell. But Bell was already out of her reach, and he truly had never seen her real appearance before.
After thinking for a moment, Hera decided not to pursue the matter further.