The cold wind swept away the morning drowsiness.
As usual, Ryuu was practicing her morning drills on the grass, swinging her wooden sword.
The wind whistled, and the cranes called out, their sounds blending with the sharp rhythm of Ryuu's blade. Yesterday's shameful confrontation with Hestia slowly faded away as the dance of the sword grew more intense.
Just when Ryuu thought she had cast aside all distractions, Syr's voice appeared beside her.
"Ryuu…"
"Hm? Syr...?!"
Shameful memories surged like a demon, shattering Ryuu's previously composed stance.
She stumbled, as though tripped by the grass, and fell to the ground.
"Ryuu, are you okay?" Syr stepped closer.
"I... I'm fine... Did something happen that you needed to find me so early?" Ryuu quickly steered the conversation away from the shameful topic.
"Actually... Bell didn't come to see me last night. Could you go in my place to check on the situation at the Hestia Familia's church?" Syr spoke softly.
She had prepared herself to spend the night with the boy, but after searching for the cat together yesterday, Bell had disappeared.
In the past, even when he didn't plan to stay overnight at Syr's, he would always let her know beforehand.
"I understand."
Ryuu frowned, sensing something was off.
"I'll go check it out right now..." She said, but something seemed to cross her mind.
Glancing at her sweat-soaked training shirt, she hurried toward the dormitory.
"Ryuu..." Syr watched her friend rush off to change. She felt a mixture of relief and a small twinge of jealousy.
"Where the hell did Bell run off to...?" Syr murmured softly.
She started to regret not keeping a closer watch on him.
...
Hestia woke with a pounding headache.
"That damn fox spirit! Bell actually stayed the night with her! Argh, I'm so furious!"
She had only said it out of anger, but how could Bell take it seriously and not come back?!
It was all that fox spirit's fault!
Hestia had already vented to her drinking buddy, Miach, countless times.
And then that god had the nerve to side with Bell, claiming that as the Familia Goddess, she should support her Familia member's dreams.
Hestia knew all this, of course. She, too, wanted to see Bell become a hero.
When it came to wishing for the boy's happiness, Hestia could guarantee she was the one with the most intense desire of all.
But the harem...
That was truly a different matter!
Not just the elves, even Astraea had become lovers with the boy...
Most crucially, Hestia had confirmed it—they all supported Bell's harem dream.
That fox spirit was even willing to follow him through life and death.
The thought made Hestia want to grab Bell and shout to the others, "This is my Bell! None of you can have him!"
Of course, she couldn't act so selfishly.
"Bell... He can't possibly be in that fox spirit's bed right now..."
As Hestia murmured, footsteps approached the door.
"Bell?!"
Hestia jumped off the bed and rushed forward.
But when she opened the door, it was only the tavern girl standing there.
"Fox spirit?!"
Ryuu's cheek twitched at the mention of the name.
She set aside the biased nickname and asked, "Cranel-san... Did Bell return here last night?"
"Hm…"
Hestia's post-drinking headache flared up at that moment.
Was this woman here to mock her?
"No! Didn't he go to the fox spirit's bed?" Hestia retorted, her voice dripping with indignation.
"..."
Just as Ryuu frowned, Bell's figure appeared from the passageway.
"What's going on?" Bell asked, seeing Ryuu there.
"Bell, welcome back! Where did you go last night?" Hestia immediately cut to the chase.
The gazes of the goddess and the elf girl were sharp, each of them silently aware that Bell had gone elsewhere.
"Goddess-sama..." Bell spoke softly.
Gods could discern lies, and stammering would only raise suspicion.
So, Bell chose to answer truthfully. "I spent the night in the Pleasure District."
"Wh—what?!"
"...?!"
Hestia swayed backward, collapsing onto the sofa.
Seeing the goddess's reaction, Ryuu knew Bell's words were the truth, and she frowned as well.
"Bell... Did you go there because I wouldn't let you come back?" Hestia pressed.
"No, I just took a cat-finding quest and happened to pass by that area," Bell replied.
"Then you should have come straight back... Did you... Did you sleep... with that girl there?" Hestia's voice trembled as she asked. As a virgin goddess, this reality was unbearable for her.
"Yes." Bell's words hung in the air before he could even finish.
Ryuu collapsed against the wall, like a kite with its string cut—lifeless. She desperately wanted to believe the boy, but the goddess's reaction spoke volumes.
Bell Cranel had gone to the Pleasure District and slept with a prostitute?!
Faced with this shocking truth, Ryuu didn't know how to tell Syr. What's more, the proud elf girl herself refused to acknowledge this as reality.
Unlike Ryuu, who stood frozen in place, Hestia let out a wail.
"Bell! How could you do such a thing! Pervert! Scum! Idiot!" Hestia cursed him, biting into the boy without mercy.
"Ow... Goddess-sama, please hear me out..." It took Bell a long time to explain the entire situation clearly.
…
"I'm sorry. If you'd told me earlier how tragic that girl's background was, and that 'sleep' didn't mean what I thought, I wouldn't have bitten you so hard..." Hestia pursed her lips and bowed her head in apology.
"But you didn't listen to my explanation, did you, Goddess-sama?" Bell glanced at the bite marks on his hand and smiled faintly.
"I was wrong..." Hestia apologized sincerely.
She hadn't expected the reason Bell had entered the brothel to be tied to Apollo Familia.
"That group... seems to have some unsavory rumors attached to them," Ryuu cut to the heart of the matter.
She had narrowly avoided the chaos caused by Syr and yesterday's delusions. Had she been in a clearer state of mind, upon learning that Bell spent the night at a brothel, she would have already grabbed her wooden sword to deliver righteous punishment. At that point, it would likely have been Ryuu herself, not Hestia, who would have been apologizing humbly.
"Anyway, now that things are clear, I'll keep an eye on Apollo Familia. You all should be careful too." Bell wrapped up the conversation.
…
In a secluded passageway, adventurers from Apollo Familia whispered among themselves.
"That brat got the best of us yesterday. Today, we'll make sure he knows his place!" Their goal was to provoke the boy into a fight. Once they had proof of a physical altercation, they could claim righteous vengeance against Hestia's familia.
But unexpectedly, not only did the boy escape, but they also lost their valuables.
"What if we use the money we lost as an excuse to start trouble with Hestia's familia?"
"Pointless. We taunted him first. Both the gods and the other adventurers will side with that kid."
In the friction-filled city of Orario, a youth who faces ridicule and responds with such calculated revenge would only earn admiration.
"So, what do we do now? He really can take it." The boy must be prepared. Even if they provoke him again, he likely wouldn't strike first.
"I have an idea. Let's target his two harem members..."
…
In the morning breeze, Syr and Lefiya shivered. Their reactions were different. One was gentle, the other shy.
Yet both felt certain the boy was thinking of them.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (70 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.