Inside the camp.
Bell looked up at the sky. The crescent moon and the arrow—symbols of destruction—had disappeared. In their place, a vast night sky filled with twinkling stars stretched out.
"You've truly done something even the gods couldn't imagine." Welf had long lost count of how many times he had expressed this awe. After witnessing the goddess's salvation, his blacksmith's soul burned with a fierce passion.
"Thanks to everyone's help." Bell responded honestly. The plan he had devised could not have succeeded without every single person involved.
After successfully defeating Antares, the group returned to camp while eliminating the remaining scorpion-like monsters. Bell and Mikoto were utterly exhausted, so Artemis and Ryuu led the way.
The women, stained with the blood of monsters after the battle, headed together toward the spring in the forest.
Only Bell, Welf, and Hermes remained in the camp.
"Fellow warriors, has the battle truly ended? No, far from it!" Hermes declared loudly.
He raised the brim of his hat and straightened his back, as if addressing a crowd of thousands.
"..." Bell and Welf silently watched the fierce and imposing god, not interrupting his enthusiasm.
"To overcome suffering, to defy divine will—are you content with that? No! Let us ignite the holy war together!" Hermes's voice swelled with excitement.
"This will be a moment immortalized in history, a night etched into the legends of men across the world."
"Think about it: where we stand now is the gateway to paradise!"
"Small Pallums, noble and beautiful Elves, humans of exquisite form… and the two virgin goddesses, symbols of purity!"
Hermes spread his arms wide and shouted with fervor.
"They've shed all their clothing, basking in the moonlight and the baptism of the spring."
"This is an [unknown] sight even the gods have never seen."
"My divine heart burns, my manly soul roars—no matter how insurmountable the mountains ahead, we must press on!"
"Rise up, comrades! Let us gaze upon [unknown] and become heroes immortalized through the ages!"
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh!!"
Moved by Hermes's impassioned words, Welf raised his fist with excitement.
Bell smiled wryly. "Hermes-sama, do you think you've chosen the right target for your speech? Welf, don't let yourself get carried away..."
The boy had deep connections with many women, and it was clear that he would never allow anyone to spy on them.
"Sorry, I got a little carried away." Welf scratched his head, sat back down, and resumed sharpening his blade.
"Impossible... Could there be a discrepancy in the teachings? What is happening here?" Hermes staggered back a few steps, as though struck, muttering to himself.
At that moment, a woman appeared beside him.
"Honestly, thank goodness I took precautions. I knew you would stir things up like this."
Asfi pulled out a thick rope and bound Hermes without mercy. Although Artemis's presence meant there was no risk of spying, Asfi was still careful to hide, watching to see if the Familia God would cause any more trouble for her.
Just as she had expected.
Asfi sighed softly, then bowed her head to Bell. "I apologize. Hermes-sama was terribly rude."
"Please forgive me. The uphill path on the right side of the camp leads to another spring. You can go there to wash off the filth."
"Alright." Bell replied softly.
"I don't need to. I just swung my Magic Sword—unlike you, I didn't get any monster blood on my blade."
Welf continued to work on the group's weapons, his hands moving steadily without pause.
"Asfi, this is seriously double standard, don't you think?!"
Hermes was tied to a tree, unable to move.
Asfi sighed deeply. "Hermes-sama, if you had even a tenth of Bell Cranel's character, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
"What?! That's blasphemy against the gods!" Hermes yelled, watching Bell-kun's retreating figure. "Bell-kun, don't forget my sacrifice! Peeping is a man's romance!"
"..."
Under the moonlight, Bell-kun's silhouette disappeared into the forest.
The road stretched ahead, and Hermes' words echoed relentlessly in Bell's mind.
"Peeping is a man's romance."
Certain memories stirred inside him, like a chord being struck, overwhelming him with emotions.
"Well done, that's my grandson for you."
"What did you gain today... being held a Big Sister's arms? Hahahaha, keep up that momentum."
"The time for the Holy War has come again, Bell. I'll always stand here watching over you. Go!"
...
It felt as if Bell had opened Pandora's box. A dark miasma swirled around him, and his grandfather's words came rushing in like a storm.
Why did his grandfather's words sound so strikingly similar to Hermes's here?
When had these memories occurred?
Beyond vague fragments, Bell could remember nothing more.
Something like a psychological shadow seemed to have sealed away those memories forever.
A faint thread appeared in Bell's mind, barely visible. He followed it back through his past. Beyond the endless, grueling training, there was something else—something unknown.
Unknowable. Unidentified.
All he felt was an oppressive [Silence].
It was as though he had endured an unbearable [Correction]. Both his rational mind and his emotions resisted these memories.
People, events, things—everything felt distant and unrecognizable.
Bell felt as though he had fallen into an abyssal fog, unable to recall any details.
In the end, only [Silence] remained within his heart.
When Bell finally snapped back to reality, he was clutching his chest in pain, cold sweat running down his forehead.
Unknowingly, he had wandered to an unfrequented spring.
What exactly was that silent memory? Bell didn't linger on it.
Though his memory was excellent, not even a hint of it surfaced.
To dwell on it now, with his grandfather already gone, would only deepen the pain.
The cool spring water calmed Bell's mind.
Just then, the playful voices of girls echoed nearby.
"..."
Bell frowned. Could this be above another spring? He considered the layout of the forest, confirming his suspicion. From his current position, Bell only needed to cross a thicket and jump down a modest cliff to reach the spring where Artemis and the others were bathing.
Realizing this, Bell paid no attention to the laughing girls. A clear conscience fears no evil. After all, the gods could discern lies, so there was no need for him to deliberately flee from this place.
However, perhaps [Luck] had taken effect. A lingering scorpion-like monster appeared from nowhere. It aimed its stinger downward and began slowly descending the cliff.
In the critical moment, Bell was already moving, rushing over swiftly.