Artemis stared blankly at the two of them.
"As expected of Goddess-sama, you're so understanding. Now that you've made up, want to eat with us too?"
Bell made the suggestion with a smile.
"There's really no helping Bell..."
Hestia trotted back to her seat and brought her breakfast over to the boy's side.
"Goddess-sama, ah..."
Bell scooped up a spoonful of the thick soup and held it out to Hestia's lips.
"Hehe..."
Hestia parted her small lips and accepted the food Bell offered her.
"..."
Now it was Artemis's turn to be stunned.
Bell had told her that as long as she cooperated a little, Hestia and Artemis would be able to make up completely.
She had trusted the boy, which was why she had forced down her embarrassment and done what she did earlier.
But Artemis had never imagined things would end up like this.
Just what had Hestia said to him last night? How had she become this honest all of a sudden...?
"Orion, I want some too."
Unable to accept being left out by the two of them, Artemis decided to turn the act into the real thing.
"Everyone's eating the same food..."
Bell muttered softly.
"Ah..."
Artemis answered him with nothing but a spoiled, pleading look.
"Stupid Artemis, use your own spoon and eat it yourself!"
"You call yourself a proper Familia Goddess, and yet you make your child feed you? Hestia's the stupid one!"
"..."
Faced with both goddesses attacking from either side, Bell drew out his second weapon, a spoon.
At a speed beyond imagination, he perfectly controlled the temperature of the food and fed both goddesses at the same time.
The whole sequence was smooth and flawless, without spilling a single drop of soup.
"Mmh..."
"Mm..."
While Hestia and Artemis were still chewing, the next attack had already arrived.
The relentless feeding came down like a storm, leaving them no opening at all.
Neither goddess had any chance to vent the jealousy in her heart.
"Mmh... I won't scold Artemis anymore, Bell, so stop feeding me..."
Hestia was the first to give in.
"Goddess-sama is still growing, though. Shouldn't you eat a little more?"
Bell replied with a smile.
"Gods don't grow. Don't treat me like a child!"
Hestia wobbled as she left her seat. "Artemis, come with me to Hephaestus..."
"Mm... Leave the guard duty to me..."
Artemis stood up, then glared fiercely at her former follower. "Rethusa, why were you bringing Orion fresh food just now? Four times in a row?!"
"Th, that... that was everyone's decision!"
Rethusa hurriedly answered.
Even though Hestia had barged in halfway through, the Moon Goddess's blissful, pampered expression had simply been too rare to see.
So the girls ignored Artemis's glare and kept serving fresh bowls of thick soup again and again.
Thanks to that, both goddesses ended up eating three people's worth of breakfast.
"Artemis, you're not eating anymore either?"
Bell looked at the goddess, whose belly was now slightly rounded, and asked in a completely innocent tone.
"W, we need to get going..."
Without the slightest awkwardness, Artemis walked over to Hestia's side.
"Be careful on the way, and don't start fighting again."
Bell reminded them softly.
"O, of course. We're best friends, after all!"
"Mm, Hestia's right..."
As they answered, the two goddesses slunk out of the dining hall.
Cassandra watched the scene with trembling unease.
"The Captain is terrifying... Is that what dual-wielding is used for...?"
"I need to work harder too!"
"Mikoto-sama, practicing that would be pointless, wouldn't it?"
"Eh?"
"Eh...? Don't tell me you want Bell-sama to feed you too? Lili knew it, Mikoto-sama is acting really strange!"
The girls' whispers never reached Bell.
Airmid, dressed in a healer's white uniform, quietly extended her left hand.
"Bell, let's go."
"Mm."
Bell took the Dea Saint's hand and walked out the door with her.
…
A warm breeze drifted by, and the leaves swayed softly.
Birdsong broke the silence, bringing a touch of life to the spacious room.
Following Airmid's suggestion, Bell had come to this peaceful place to rest and recover.
"This is different from the treatment facilities in Babel Tower. There's barely anyone here."
Bell looked out the window and murmured softly.
Hestia had taken responsibility for the dagger matter, so all he needed to do now was wait for the result.
Ever since arriving in Orario, this was Bell's first time lying in bed in complete ease, fully free from thoughts of battle.
"That's because this place belongs to me personally. It's never been opened to the public."
Airmid sat by the bed and answered gently.
This place was far from Dian Cecht's sanatorium. It was the Dea Saint's private space.
But because Airmid had always been so busy with work and had been living in the dormitory arranged by her Familia, this place had long been left unused.
She had asked the other women to clean it thoroughly overnight.
"If it's here, you won't have to worry about anyone disturbing you."
Airmid smiled softly and climbed onto the bed like a cat.
But in the very next moment, the smile on the Dea Saint's face froze.
"I heard there's a young man here who needs treatment. Then let me, Heith Velvet, help out!"
A pink-haired girl walked toward Bell as if she were returning to her own home, moving with the spring breeze.
"Freya Familia? How did you find this place? Wasn't the outer door already locked?!"
Airmid fired off several questions in a row.
Her plan to keep Bell to herself under the excuse of letting him recuperate should have been nearly perfect.
On the way here, she had even made a point of checking whether anyone was following them.
"The lock on the iron gate? It looked like someone crushed it. I have no idea who the culprit could be, though."
Heith set a basket of fruit on the bedside table.
"Wh, what?!"
Airmid's beautiful face was filled with shock. "This is my house. Hurry up and leave!"
"Eh? And here I was, helping you in battle just two days ago!"
Heith puffed out her cheeks and turned away sulkily. "Bell, see you next time!"
"Yeah, see you next time. Heith-san, you've got dark circles under your eyes, so you should get some more rest."
Bell waved to her.
"Okay!"
Heith immediately became as cheerful as a happy rabbit, her steps turning much lighter.
"..."
Before Airmid could make sense of what had just happened, another girl walked in.
"Bell, we came to visit you."
"Nya~"
Syr came in with Chloe, carrying a basket as they walked to the bedside.
"Syr-san?! How did you know about this place?"
The moment Airmid saw the gray-haired girl, she had a very bad feeling.
"You were looking for people to clean the place, right, Airmid? I just happened to hear about it, so I told the others."
Syr replied with a smile.
"And by 'the others' you mean...?" Airmid asked, frowning.
"Mm... quite a lot of people. Let me think... basically, every girl who would come visit Bell probably knows by now?"
Syr blinked and answered as if thinking it over.
Hearing that, Airmid completely froze.
Syr clapped her hands and opened the basket with a smile.
"Let's not talk about that. Bell, I brought you some food."