The night was deep.
Bell escaped the clutches of the golden-yellow Elf and returned to the mansion.
He had made those deliberately provocative remarks to carry through the mood of their everyday chance encounters, keeping their parting light and playful. Filvis's situation still needed observation and careful thought. For now, obtaining a strand of her hair was enough.
With Filvis's black hair, Bell had gathered all the mementos from his encounters so far. Next, he only needed to visit Hephaestus.
"Bell, welcome back."
Hestia's voice pulled the boy's thoughts back to reality.
"It's so late. You were definitely out having fun with some girl again, weren't you?"
The goddess complained as she handed him a bag of snacks, the package decorated with a heart pattern. "I brought these for you. Guess who made them?"
"Goddess-sama, why are you asking?"
Bell walked over to the table. Instead of opening the bag, he studied the cookies for a moment.
A rich milky aroma drifted from them. Their golden color made it clear they had been baked just right.
"Don't ask so many questions. Just guess."
Hestia looked at the boy with anticipation written all over her face.
"Hmm... Astraea?"
Bell thought over the members of the goddesses' tea party and gave his answer.
"Ugh..."
Hestia instantly wilted.
"Hehe, I win."
Astraea walked in with a smile.
"It is Orion, after all. I knew Hestia would lose."
Artemis followed right behind her.
In only a brief moment, three goddesses had gathered in the room, turning it into a scene of fairy-tale beauty.
"How did you guess so accurately?"
Hestia pressed him, unwilling to accept it.
"Because the cookies made by Goddess-sama and Artemis both still have plenty of room for improvement."
Bell gave the reason behind his guess.
As the [Calamity of North Street], Hestia's cooking was just barely edible. As for Artemis, she was not good at baking cute-style dishes like this. If it were grilled meat, though, she could probably make it close to perfect.
"Waaah... Bell, you idiot! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Hestia pouted and complained.
She pretended to cry, snuck a glance at the boy, then quickly turned her back the moment their eyes met.
"...What kind of wager did you make?"
Bell asked curiously.
"Hehe. The winner gets to spend the night with Bell tonight."
Astraea brushed a hand through her long hazelnut-brown hair and added teasingly, "Hestia wanted to do all sorts of embarrassing things with you, so she was that disappointed when she lost."
The Goddess of Justice's gentle voice drifted through the room, seeming to carry a faintly indecent undertone.
Hestia immediately spun around and shouted, "We did not make that kind of bet! Astraea, what are you even talking about?!"
"Oh? Did I remember it wrong?"
Astraea put on an innocent expression.
"We only bet on who gets to hold Bell's hand the next time we all go out together. Don't go adding your weird fantasies to it!"
Hestia replied, her face flushed.
"You remember that awfully clearly..."
Artemis murmured.
As the witness to the wager, she had not expected Hestia to remember the terms word for word.
Back when they played together in Tenkai, this dear friend of hers had always been scatterbrained. But when it came to the boy, every one of Hestia's bad habits disappeared.
"I understand. But is that really something you need to bet on? I have two hands, so can't I just hold Goddess-sama's and Astraea's hands at the same time?"
Bell gave a perfectly reasonable answer.
"That does sound nice."
Astraea replied with a smile.
"Of course not! Bell, you shameless flirt!"
Hestia complained loudly.
The goddess's voice echoed through the mansion, drawing the other girls over.
Bell took the opportunity to explain to everyone that he would be taking part in Loki Familia's expedition.
This was not an alliance between Familias. He was simply accepting a specific quest as an individual. The Guild would not care about contact at this level. The only thing worth noting was the risk involved in this expedition.
"Bell-dono, I can go with you... no, I wish you good fortune in battle."
Mikoto was about to kneel like a samurai, but after a brief pause, she changed her words into a blessing.
This would be a distant expedition. With Mikoto's level, she would definitely become a burden.
"Bell-sama, Lili will work hard to earn money. Please make sure you come back safely."
Lili did not let the reluctance and worry in her heart turn into selfish words.
Bell had decided to join the expedition after weighing all kinds of risks. Lili had no grounds to object.
"Captain, we can't be of any help, so be careful out there."
Daphne spoke calmly.
Hestia Familia was growing at incredible speed, but even a pace that far surpassed other Familias still could not keep up with the boy's growth.
Perhaps Lili and the others would find that a little sad, but Daphne saw the reality clearly.
From now on, the gap between the members and the boy would only grow wider. What they needed to do was not wallow in pointless sadness, but support the boy while continuing to sharpen themselves.
Even a tiny bit of strength might one day help him at a critical moment.
"Captain..."
Cassandra said nothing more and turned toward her room.
Her heart was full of conflict. She wanted to have Prophetic Dreams and help the boy, but at the same time, Cassandra prayed she would not dream at all, that she would not foresee a tragic future.
"Bell... I really don't want you to go, but I'll take good care of everyone."
Hestia put on the bearing of a goddess.
The expedition would take a very long time. According to the boy, even a conservative estimate put it at more than ten days.
During that time, Bell would be unable to return to the surface.
"With me here, Orion can rest easy."
Artemis gripped the sword at her waist.
"Hearing Artemis say that really does put my mind at ease."
Bell had met many people over the course of his journey, and with the reputation he had built, he was not worried that anything would happen to his Familia while he was away on the expedition.
"Ugh... Why are you ignoring what I said and only feeling reassured by Artemis? Bell, you big dummy!"
Hestia pouted unhappily.
"Hehe. Maybe I should move into this mansion someday too."
Astraea looked at the lively scene before her and gently lifted the corners of her lips.
"That sounds nice, but the Guild would definitely object... Astraea, are you heading back tomorrow?"
Artemis asked.
"Mm."
Astraea glanced at Bell, stopping him before he could speak. "There's no need to see me off or anything. We'll meet again before long anyway."
"..."
Artemis looked at the Goddess of Justice with amusement in her eyes.
She had finally found a chance to get revenge for what happened at the tea party.
They were both the boy's lovers, yet the other goddess had not helped her at all. Instead, she had pushed her straight into the depths of embarrassment. She absolutely had to get back at her.
Artemis hid her mischievous smile and said,
"Astraea, didn't you just say you were going to spend the night with Orion?"