Steam drifted softly out of the bathhouse.
"This place is basically paradise..."
The girl's clear voice swept past Bell along with a light breeze.
Mikoto's bathrobe hung loosely open, leaving her cherry-blossom-toned skin, flushed from the hot water, fully exposed.
"Bell-dono?!"
Mikoto hurriedly reached up and pulled the collar tighter over her chest.
"I'm sorry, Mikoto-san. I didn't mean to. I was waiting for Goddess-sama."
Bell apologized softly.
"N-no, I'm the one who should apologize. I was so overwhelmed by how wonderful the bath was that I didn't even think about the possibility of running into you, Bell-dono. I'm truly sorry!"
Mikoto clutched her bathrobe shut and hurriedly fled the scene.
"Huh... Captain? W-why are you here?"
Cassandra asked shakily.
Without her usual loose robe, her striking figure showed clearly through the steam.
"Sorry..."
Bell gave the same explanation as before.
"Captain, Hestia-sama's condition doesn't seem right."
Daphne said only that before striding off.
"Bell-sama~"
Lili's face was bright with a smile, but the moment she glanced at the girls behind her, her expression turned stormy.
"Ugh... damn it..."
Lili covered her meager frame and ran off in quick little steps.
"Bell, I've already arranged everything, so tomorrow you have to listen to me and get some proper rest."
Airmid smiled gently.
Although the boy's injuries had already healed, after such a brutal battle, he still needed time to settle himself and calmly enjoy an ordinary day.
With that in mind, Airmid had already prepared a place for him to go.
She did nothing too bold. After making the appointment clear, she simply wrapped her bathrobe around herself and slowly left.
"Bell Cranel?!"
"Why are you here?"
"Don't tell me you came to peep because of me?!"
"Guh?!"
In response to that lovestruck outburst from her former follower, Artemis mercilessly answered with a fist.
"Orion, you already know about Denatus and what happened tonight, right?"
Artemis asked softly.
"Yeah, I know the general idea."
Bell answered honestly.
"Hestia is the only one left inside. She still refuses to come out, but don't make her cry, all right?"
Artemis blinked, her cheeks tinged with a shy blush.
Letting her long blue hair fall behind her, she added, "Orion, welcome back. This time, I'll pretend I didn't see your peeping."
With that gentle voice, the beautiful goddess gradually walked away.
White mist swirled upward.
In the silence, Bell took a deep breath and stepped into the bathhouse without hesitation.
"Goddess-sama, I'm coming in."
Bell called out openly.
"Wah... Bell? What are you doing, you idiot?!"
Hestia's voice echoed through the bathhouse.
"Goddess-sama isn't answering. She must've gotten dizzy from soaking too long."
Bell spoke as he kept walking farther in.
"I... I'm fine!"
Hestia answered in a panic.
"I can't hear anything at all. I need to hurry and help Goddess-sama."
Bell removed his clothes and wrapped a towel around himself.
He passed through the changing area, went by the rows of shower heads, and headed straight for the large bath at the very back.
"Ah, there you are."
"Ugh... You definitely heard me, didn't you?!"
Hestia sank deeper into the hot water, her childish face puffed up in an indignant pout.
"Goddess-sama, let's talk."
Holding his towel, Bell slowly stepped into the bath.
"I'm one of the three great virgin goddesses of Tenkai, and yet my Bell... actually did something like this."
Hestia pinched her own cheek, realizing this was not a dream.
"Does Goddess-sama have dreams like this so often that you can't tell dreams from reality anymore?"
Bell asked with a smile.
"N-no, of course not!"
Hestia answered in a panic.
"I'm getting out!"
"Are you sure that's a good idea? The moment Goddess-sama stands up, I'll be able to see every detail of you."
Bell cut off her escape.
"Ugh..."
Hestia puffed out her cheeks.
She had deliberately hidden in the bath to avoid being alone with him, only to end up trapping herself.
"Once we're done talking, I'll throw you the towel."
Bell raised the towel in his hand.
"Bell... why are you doing this?"
Hestia's voice softened a little, as though she had given in.
"If I didn't do this, Goddess-sama would definitely run away, right?"
Bell answered quietly.
"I-I'm very worried about you, so how could I possibly run away..."
"Goddess-sama cried twice. I know all about it."
Hestia stopped halfway through her sentence. The moment she heard that, she understood everything.
Just knowing that Bell had heard those embarrassing things she said made her want to run from this place immediately.
What Bell wanted was true honesty, with nothing hidden between them.
"Bell... you died once in the Dungeon, didn't you?"
Realizing there was no way out, Hestia asked her question first.
"Yeah."
Bell's answer was extremely brief.
But to Hestia, it felt like a thunderclap exploding in her heart.
What happened that night had not been a dream or an illusion. The bond created by the Falna really had been cut off for a moment.
"So it was because of [Sacred Flame] that you came back to life?"
Hestia felt her nose sting.
Even after crying so many times already, tears were still building in her eyes.
"Yeah. The situation was too dangerous then, so I had no choice but to bet everything on it."
Bell answered honestly.
Ais, Lefiya, Filvis, Cassandra... countless lives had hung on a single decision, and Bell had gambled everything he had on [Sacred Flame] and [Luck].
"So it really was like that..."
Hestia murmured softly.
The white mist softened the goddess's lovely youthful face, tracing the loneliness and worry in her expression.
"You didn't tell anyone else about this, did you, Goddess-sama?"
Bell voiced his guess.
"Mm... Artemis was the only one there at the time, and I managed to fool her."
Hestia answered.
If Artemis had found out, she definitely would have worried herself sick.
In the worst case, Artemis might even have led her familia into the Dungeon, which could have caused even more tragedy.
For a boy who wanted to protect girls' smiles, that would have been the worst possible outcome.
That was why Hestia chose to keep it hidden.
"So I was right. Goddess-sama has always been this understanding... I'm really glad I met you and joined the Hestia Familia."
Bell gazed into the white mist and spoke softly.
"And yet before this, you wouldn't tell me anything..."
Hestia complained a little.
"You wouldn't tell me about the dagger either, Goddess-sama."
Bell shot back with the plain truth.
Neither of them wanted the other to worry, so both had been hiding things.
That was one of the reasons Bell had come here.
"Ugh... that's a secret."
Hestia instinctively tried to dodge the issue.
"Goddess-sama, if you don't explain it clearly, I'm not letting you leave."
Bell smiled faintly.
"Besides, Hestia's Knife has already broken in two."
"..."
Hestia froze for a long moment.
Then the surface of the water suddenly rippled.
For an instant, Hestia forgot all about being embarrassed and shot to her feet.
Her full breasts sent up a spray of water, and beneath her loose black hair were her voluptuous figure and cherry-blossom skin.
Hestia's eyes widened, her beautiful youthful face filled with shock.
The next second, her scream rang through the entire bathhouse.
"W-what... what did you just say?!!!!!!!"