Bell had no good way to deal with such a stubborn fool. He didn’t want to deceive a girl like her, nor did he want to lead her on. But she had already fixated on him—and that left him with little choice.
He was certain she believed in him just for the sake of believing, but that conviction of hers was stronger than any reasoning. Even a scumbag would shake his head at a situation like this. She was just too easy to fool.
But the thing was—Bell didn’t want to fool her.
So, he decided to stop trying to lead her away. If the first and second attempts had failed, there was no point in trying again.
All he could offer her now was one response:
"Do as you like."
What else could he even say?
To Haruhi, those words brought unexpected joy. She knew Bell was once again trying to push her away, just like before. And now it was confird.
’Loki-sama was right... Bell-san really does try to make people hate him on purpose.’
As for the reason behind it—Haruhi understood that too.
"It’s true, just like you said—I don’t want Captain Finn and the others to die here. Their worth isn’t ant to end in this place. They shouldn’t die here. But I still won’t interfere with their choice. That won’t change."
Bell had no intention of ddling in their trial. The decision to challenge the Spirit was theirs, and now that they’d chosen, they had to face the consequences head-on.
But this ti, Haruhi wasn’t the least bit worried. Because Bell-san had said earlier that he didn’t want them to die. That ant those words were a "lie."
And not interfering with their choice didn’t an he wouldn’t support them. Those were two entirely different things—Haruhi knew that very well.
’I knew it. Girls really are scary once they grow up.’
Bell shook his head slightly, then reached out his hand.
"Give the Straw Doll. I’ll set a coordinate."
"Okay."
Haruhi imdiately pulled the "Straw Doll" from her space belt.
Bell took the decoy, glanced around the tent, and placed it in the center. After that, he began setting a spatial coordinate, linking it to the Straw Doll. The setup was completed quickly.
"Place it properly. If you suffer a fatal injury, you’ll be transferred back to this tent. You can also trigger it manually after casting your magic. But you’ll need to strike a vital spot precisely—if you miss even a little, it could end up being lethal."
The Straw Doll didn’t care whether the injury was intentional or not. As long as it registered as fatal, the transfer would activate. That was both its strength and its weakness. But if used well, it could absolutely save your life.
Haruhi imdiately understood what he ant. After casting her magic, she’d be an easy target. So instead of waiting for soone to protect her, she’d deal a fatal blow to herself right afterward to activate the Straw Doll and escape.
’I need to prepare a small knife.’
To make the wound lethal enough, she’d have to ask Aisha which spot to stab.
"Is that enough of a reminder?"
"Yeah, it’s enough."
"Then I’ll be going."
Bell was never good at dealing with girls. Honestly, the only ones he really spent ti with were Hestia and Hephaestus. He rarely interacted with won—sa in this life, and in the one before.
"Please wait!"
Bell’s steps halted, and his body froze.
Haruhi was pressed up right behind him. Thankfully, he wasn’t a virgin anymore—otherwise, this much pressure would’ve absolutely crushed him.
"Bell-san, thank you so much for saving back then. There’s a lot I want to say... but for now, I just want you to know—I won’t give up."
Those words hit like a full-on frontal assault. Bell’s eyelids twitched violently.
’...I’m dood.’
"Ah!!!"
This ti, the scream didn’t co from Loki, but from Hestia.
Seeing her beloved child being embraced by another fox girl—Hestia completely lost it. Bell had already turned her down multiple tis, and yet this girl still shalessly threw herself at him. It was infuriating!
"Loki! What’s wrong with your kid?! Why is she always targeting mine?!"
"Hey hey hey, what do you an ’always’? The only one who’s into that boy is Haruhi. The rest of my children couldn’t care less, so don’t go getting ideas."
This mont mirrored one from the past exactly.
Loki sat back, legs crossed happily, watching her child go all-out on Bell. Seeing Hestia fu with rage only made the wine in her heart taste sweeter.
’This is amazing! I’ve been holding it in for so long—finally, a chance to let loose!’
Watching her child fling herself at Bell like a moth to a fla... well, it was hard not to react. But what could she do? Haruhi had her sights set on that boy, after all.
"Mmmgh..."
Hestia’s face turned bright red with fury—but there was nothing she could do.
Even Hephaestus, standing nearby with her fists clenched tightly at her sides, couldn’t stand the sight. This wasn’t sothing only Hestia found unbearable—she felt it too.
Her lover was being relentlessly pursued by other won—relentlessly, with no way to shake them off. How could she not be angry? But unlike Hestia, Hephaestus still had her reason. She knew now was the ti to stay calm.
There was a ti gap between gods and the children of Genkai. Bell understood this deeply. That was why he kept his distance from others and avoided forming attachnts. If it weren’t for how persistently Loki’s child chased him, Bell would’ve likely pushed her away a long ti ago.
"Tsk... I’m not exactly fond of that kid, but if Haruhi really likes him, I won’t stand in her way. As for that thing he’s so worried about—if there’s a solution, maybe he’ll stop resisting, huh?"
Loki understood Bell’s fears. But was it really unsolvable? Not necessarily.
thods of achieving longevity had existed since ancient tis. Of course, many ca with heavy prices—like becoming undead and losing your flesh.
But if crude thods existed, then less crude ones had to be out there too.
"!?"
That one comnt sent a wave of panic through both Hestia and Hephaestus.
To them, this was absolutely not good news.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
/PinkSnake
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