Bell let those words wash over his mind, that voice, those words, they always gave him strength to do what was right.
He relaxed his back against the bedrest fully, determination rising in his eyes, which were earlier filled with confusion and internal struggle.
Bell had come to a decision about what to do, and with that choice came a deep calm, the emotions of his heart quieted down, the turmoil of his mind dissolved into silence.
He knew what to do, not what was needed of him, nor what was better for him, but what was right for him to do, what he could live with afterwards without regret.
What he was about to do was way harder than rejecting to join her Familia, or even joining her Familia by taking advantage of her.
It asked from Bell more than he was willing to give, yet he resolved himself to do it, because it was the right thing to do.
Goddess Astraea came back after Bell finalised his path, and casually sat on the wooden chair besides the bed while looking at the flames of determination blazing in his eyes, exactly like small embers starting to burst into flames.
"Child, about joining my Familia⎯⎯" Astraea spoke with a hint of internal struggle but was cut off by Bell.
"Goddess Astraea, Gods can tell whether mortals are lying or not, right?" Bell asked with a serious voice and expression.
"Eh? Yes, we Gods can instinctively tell when mortals are lying in front of us, but why?" Goddess Astraea was pulled out of her internal struggle by Bell's words and the seriousness surrounding him.
"I see, then," Bell conformed once again about what he knew about the innate lie detector every God had and continued with seriousness.
"Goddess Astraea, please help me save the lower world from destruction." Bell spoke in a voice full of sincerity and seriousness while bowing his head towards her. The words he spoke were hard, even for him to speak.
"..." Silence followed as Astraea's eyes opened wide in incredulity followed by scepticism and doubt.
"My senses tell me you are indeed not lying child, it means that what you are saying is indeed what you believe, but what you believe true might not be true. So, tell me child, from where did you come across information this sensitive." Astraea asked with a serious and grave expression while asking Bell to elaborate on his sources.
Bell took a deep breath, and slowly started to speak, his voice breaking in between but he continued nonetheless with tense muscles.
"Goddess Astraea, I-I have knowledge about what will happen it the future of the lower world." Bell spoke in a single breath, his tense muscles relaxing slightly after blurting her a half truth.
Astraea went quit for a while, digesting his words, her senses telling her that what Bell spoke was true, at least he believed it was.
"Child, I know that what you've said is not the whole truth, you're still hiding some things from me, but I can understand that we've only just met some time ago, that you were willing to share such a huge secret of yours with me shows me your sincerity and trust." Astraea spoke while keeping her eyes on Bell as his tense muscles relaxed after vaguely blurting out his secret of transmigration.
"But I still can't quite believe your words, even if you yourself believe them wholeheartedly. Tell me something that will make me believe your words." Astraea spoke after seriously trying to wrap her head around a child from the lower world having memories of the happenings of future.
"Ryuu....Ryuu Lion, The Gale Wind." Bell spoke those words with a sigh while watching as Astraea's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before going back to normal.
The important thing in those words, were not the 'Gale Wind' epithet, nor even the surname of 'Lion' but the name of 'Ryuu'.
As far as Bell knew from reading *Danmachi* , and reading the Wiki, only the girls of the former Astraea Familia knew the name of Ryuu, people outside of their Familia only knew that she was called 'Lion' by her Familia members, hence in Orario she was referred to as 'Lion', no one knowing her real name.
In Orario, the Gale Wind was considered the last member of the former Astraea Familia which was destroyed due to the plans of Evilus.
But even then, no one knew her true name, some even considered 'Lion' as her name.
That is why Astraea lost her composure the moment he spoke those words to her face, since besides Astraea, and Ryuu, there should exist no other person who knew Ryuu's true name.
Astraea was overwhelmed by Bell's words, because if he knew something that was a secret only she and Ryuu knew, then what he was saying earlier might be true, about the lower world being in the danger of being destroyed.
That was a calamity which she dared not dismiss lightly.
"Bell.... you've certainly opened my eyes today, give me some time to process this... and we'll talk about this after I've gotten my bearings back." Astraea spoke with a shaken tone while getting up from the chair and walking to another room to digest all the revelations somewhere alone.
Bell let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his whole body, an invisible weight lifting off his shoulders, about carrying all the pressure of knowing the future threats alone.
In the end, Bell chose the path that was the hardest for him to follow, but also which was the most right way to do things.
He did not take advantage of her kindness.
He did not reject her kindness.
He became honest with her.
He gave her the freedom to choose on her own.
His first gift to the Goddess Of Justice was,
Freedom.