Whether in his previous life or this one, Bell had always been alone.
In his past life, he had neither money nor power, and in the end, he was left all by himself.
Now, in this life, he finally had a chance to fight for sothing—and he had already obtained the power he had longed for but never possessed in his previous life. He had also t the one person he wanted to stay with.
But unexpectedly, in this life, soone else had appeared—soone he now had to care about.
Aside from Goddess-sama, Hephaestus-sama had beco soone important too—soone he needed to consider just as seriously.
Especially after receiving her blessing, and with that kiss earlier... the nature of their relationship had beco unmistakably clear.
Hestia watched Bell, who had been zoning out ever since he returned, and curiously leaned in closer.
"Hm?"
As she approached, Hestia’s sharp nose caught a faint fragrance.
’Is that... perfu?’
The realization instantly put her on alert.
And seeing how dazed Bell had been since coming back, her nerves were thoroughly provoked.
’Who is it?’
Her child’s future was supposed to be with her. Which vixen dared to get in the way?
Hestia was in a terrible mood, but seeing Bell, she forcefully pushed that feeling down.
First things first—she had to figure out who that fox spirit was.
"Bell, look at ."
"...Goddess-sama."
It took Bell a mont to snap out of it.
Seeing this only deepened Hestia’s concern. In her heart, she was already cursing out the shaless woman pestering her Bell. She had originally planned to bring it up more subtly—but that plan was now out the window.
"Who is it!? Which fox spirit dared to seduce my Bell-kun!?"
Bell imdiately sobered up. He looked at Goddess-sama in surprise. She could tell sothing like that?
’Wait... did she really not realize it was Hephaestus-sama?’
Thinking about it carefully, there weren’t many won he interacted with often.
There was the Guild receptionist, Miss Eina, and then there was Hephaestus.
As for the others, to be blunt, Bell didn’t trust them at all. Naturally, he had no real contact with them.
"Bell-kun!"
Startled by how close she suddenly got, Bell flinched—but before he could react, Hestia grabbed his face.
"Bell-kun, you said yes, didn’t you!?"
This ti, Hestia was absolutely serious. She was determined to root out the one seducing Bell.
"It was... Hephaestus-sama."
"Hephaestus!?"
Hestia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She could understand other gods setting their sights on Bell—she had even suspected it might be Freya making a move. But never in her wildest dreams did she expect that the one trying to steal Bell would be her best friend—Hephaestus.
"Why would Hephaestus-sama be interested in my child?"
Hadn’t she made it obvious enough?
No, Hestia thought she had been more than clear.
"Bell-kun, have you been spending a lot of ti with Hephaestus?"
"Goddess-sama, I go to the Dungeon every day. When would I have ti to spend long hours with Hephaestus-sama?"
"That’s true."
Bell went into the Dungeon every single day. He really didn’t have extra ti to be with Hephaestus.
But if they hadn’t spent much ti together, then why did Hephaestus set her sights on her Bell?
Just thinking about it felt strange.
Hestia couldn’t help but feel sothing was off.
...
However, Bell already knew the reason.
"Goddess-sama, do you rember Hephaestus-sama’s right cheek?"
"Of course I rember... Ah!"
Hestia froze, then suddenly cried out.
"It was that day!"
Right. She had completely forgotten about it.
Back then, Hephaestus had acted completely normal, so Hestia had just assud she was going to thank Bell by preparing so equipnt or sothing. Who could’ve guessed it would turn out like this?
But it still didn’t sit right with her.
"But that’s just it. Hephaestus isn’t like Freya or Ishtar."
Bell let out an awkward cough.
"Goddess-sama, didn’t you tell Hephaestus-sama about my goal?"
"I did."
"You said that reaching Level 10 ans becoming a demi-god, and demi-gods have the sa infinite lifespan as gods... Hephaestus-sama said that if it was only for a few decades, she wouldn’t get involved."
Hestia twitched at the mouth. So just because she told Hephaestus about Bell’s goal, it sparked those thoughts?
She wouldn’t get involved for just a few decades, but for an eternity, she would?
Thinking about it, Hestia had to admit it made sense.
Gods had infinite ti, but their romantic encounters usually only lasted for a few fleeting decades. Once those encounters ended, many goddesses would return to Tenkai rather than seek new ones.
But if the person they loved could share that infinite ti... wasn’t that the best possible outco for a god?
In fact, that was exactly what Hestia had thought. When she realized Bell had set his sights on Level 10 for her sake, she had been truly happy.
She understood why Bell had done it.
But she never imagined Hephaestus would end up wedging herself into what was supposed to be just the two of them.
...
Hestia lay facedown on her bed, her expression miserable. Right now, she felt incredibly down.
Bell was supposed to be hers and hers alone. And now, Hephaestus had stepped in—just thinking about it made her feel awful.
She stared at Bell with a look full of sorrow and resentnt.
"Bell-kun, are you happy?"
How was Bell supposed to answer that?
As a boy, of course he was happy. Who wouldn’t be in a situation like this?
But he couldn’t just say that out loud.
Hestia puffed her cheeks and sighed quietly. Could this situation be changed?
Unless Bell failed to reach Level 10, there was no changing it.
"What does Hephaestus think?"
Bell hesitated for a mont, then finally spoke up.
"Goddess-sama, Hephaestus-sama said... the heart of a goddess is eternal."
Hestia froze, then her face flushed red.
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