"So, what exactly are you here for this ti?"
Loki’s face was written with impatience.
In the past, if Freya had asked her to help set up so connection with Bell, she would have happily agreed. Loki had even enjoyed watching that brat squirm in frustration.
But now, she could faintly sense a peculiar feeling toward that boy.
The thought of helping Freya link up with him again made her instinctively uncomfortable, and she didn’t want any part of it.
Freya, of course, could see this reluctance. She clicked her tongue inwardly, already thinking of another approach. A mont later, she had an idea.
"Recently, I ca across so news—about the Grand Casino."
"Ah... that money-stinking place."
The Grand Casino was one of Orario’s lawless zones, yet also an indispensable entertainnt venue. After all, as the center of the world, Orario had to offer everything—how else could it draw adventurers from every land?
At the gods’ urging, the Guild had persuaded foreign nations to invest their capital, which led to the creation of the Grand Casino.
In truth, it was no different from the Pleasure District—a place where adventurers and gods alike sought amusent.
Because of its gambling nature, the casino inevitably bred gray industries. Thus, Orario had granted it special permissions, officially allowing such practices to exist.
That made the Grand Casino one of the city’s rare lawless zones.
Loki knew the place well, though she personally had little interest in sowhere so reeking of coin.
Even without stepping inside, she could imagine the chaos within.
"Don’t tell that brat’s planning to make a move on the Grand Casino?"
Knowing Freya, Loki understood she wouldn’t gather aningless intelligence, so she asked outright.
"Not that child. With his temperant, he wouldn’t have even the slightest interest in that place."
"That’s true."
With Bell’s "Luck" skill, the casino was nothing more than a money farm.
But scooping up money there ant exposing himself. If he raked in too much, he’d imdiately be marked.
Bell had countless other ways to make money without drawing that kind of attention—there was no reason to risk the casino.
"Then why bother collecting intel that has nothing to do with him?"
"You think I don’t want to know about that child? From the very beginning, his way of acting hasn’t changed at all. If you want to find traces of him in Orario now, normal ans won’t work."
As she spoke, Freya’s face was full of helplessness.
She truly wanted more chances to show herself before Bell, but his way of operating was far too discreet. She simply couldn’t find an opening.
"Pfft!"
Freya’s pitiful expression actually made Loki burst into laughter.
"Well, that kid’s whereabouts are unclear. It’s only natural you can’t track him down."
"It’s not just you—almost no one in all of Orario can pin down that boy’s exact location. His thods are tied closely to his path of growth, and given his unique nature, his Developnt Ability can’t be compared with ordinary people."
"Mm. By ’ordinary people,’ I an my Ais and your Ottar."
To avoid Freya misunderstanding, Loki added that clarification.
In her eyes, Ais and Ottar both counted as "normal," whereas Bell was anything but.
"Has that child’s Developnt Ability also been growing rapidly?"
That was news Freya hadn’t expected at all.
She already knew Bell’s personal growth rate was extraordinary, but she hadn’t realized even his Developnt Ability had skyrocketed along with it.
"Not many know of this. Aside from , only the shorty and Hephaestus are aware."
"Not even Hers?"
Loki gave a small smile and shook her head.
"Obviously the shorty knows what would happen if that errand boy caught wind of it. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, she keeps that kind of information from Hers."
"Quite reasonable."
If it was Hers, then keeping him in the dark was indeed the sensible choice.
Freya understood very well that Hers’s so-called neutrality was only what he showed on the surface. Once he found sothing entertaining, that neutrality always tilted.
Hiding certain matters from him wasn’t a bad thing at all.
"So, do you think Hestia and Hephaestus regret telling you now?"
"...I’d say they probably do."
That question left Loki wearing a complicated expression.
"Anyway, let’s get back on topic. About that Grand Casino you ntioned earlier—what are you planning? You wouldn’t seriously ss with that place at a ti like this, would you?"
Unwilling to dwell on the earlier subject, Loki deliberately steered the conversation back.
"One of my children runs a tavern. Through them, I heard sothing interesting."
Loki arched a brow, waiting for her to go on.
"...A patron at the tavern was frad by a Familia. In a rigged gambling match, he even staked and lost his own daughter’s freedom."
"...What an idiot. People living in Orario still don’t understand ’what you think is just what you think’? Every gambling match is rigged. Only fools step right into it."
Loki could already piece together the outline of the situation Freya described.
’When soone showers you with kindness for no reason, it’s either a thief or a conman.’ In Orario, the least trustworthy people were adventurers stronger than you—they were all liars.
She had assud ordinary people in Orario knew that much, but apparently so still walked straight into the trap.
"That tavern patron’s daughter was pretty, wasn’t she?"
"Mm."
"She was sold to the Grand Casino, wasn’t she?"
"That’s right. My child is preparing to accompany a survivor of the forr Astrea Familia to rescue her."
"...Astrea Familia. No wonder they’d take on such a thankless task."
Every adventurer in Orario knew the rule of self-preservation. But a few Familia were stubborn to the core—Astrea Familia had been one of them.
The goddess who presided over justice and order, Astrea had once been a pillar of stability in Orario.
But five years ago, that overly stubborn Familia had been utterly crushed. Nearly all of its mbers perished, and even Astrea herself was persuaded by her children to leave Orario.
"So, what’s your plan?"
"As their god, I need to see the choice my child makes."
Loki understood exactly what Freya ant, but still doused her with cold water.
"The shorty won’t allow it, will she?"
Freya only smiled, shaking her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Loki.
"Perhaps before. But now, as long as you’re watching, I don’t think Hestia would refuse."
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