Chapter 47. The Blocked View
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"This is so delicious, teacher!"
Bell skillfully dismantled the lobster in front of him and happily began eating, his face glowing with satisfaction.
"No wonder Lady Hestia would say such inappropriate things," Cyd said, gently swirling the wine in his glass. "The color and taste are absolutely top-notch, and every dish here is of the same caliber."
"Mhm, mhm," Bell nodded enthusiastically. During his early days as an adventurer, Hestia had once brought food from a divine feast, and it had made everything he had eaten before taste like dirt. Now that he could enjoy it fresh, he was determined to eat until he was stuffed—this way, his goddess wouldn't have to worry about bringing food back for him anymore.
"Enjoy it to the fullest," Cyd chuckled, patting Bell on the back.
"Cough, cough," Bell hesitated for a moment. "But isn't this banquet being held for you, teacher? As your student, I feel like I should be more mindful of my image."
"Don't worry about it, Bell. You're fine just as you are," Cyd pinched Bell's cheek. "One day, you'll be the star of these divine banquets."
"Really?" Bell's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Of course…" Cyd's tone softened. "You've already proven that you're destined to become the greatest hero."
"No, second best!" Bell said, embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. "You're the greatest hero, teacher."
Cyd paused for a moment, then helplessly patted Bell's head. "You cheeky kid. Just focus on eating."
"Got it!"
"You two have such a great relationship," Ais said with a hint of envy. "Is that why Bell has become so strong?"
"Probably… When responding to expectations and promises, people can become stronger than even gods," Cyd laughed, patting Bell's back as he nearly choked from eating too fast.
Ais tilted her head. "If I have a good relationship with you, will I become as strong as Bell too?"
Bell's face turned bright red, and he pounded his chest frantically.
"No!!!" Loki, suddenly bursting with energy, flipped Hestia, who had been pinning her down, off of her.
"Aren't we already close?" Cyd asked, patting Ais on the head.
"Mhm," Ais's face immediately flushed, and her voice became as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Bang!"
Loki's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.
"I never thought there'd come a day when Ais would leave me, but now that it's here…" Loki lay on the floor, clutching her chest. "It really hurts!"
"Alright, alright, don't embarrass yourself in front of the kids," Hestia sighed, rubbing her forehead. She grabbed Loki by the back of her collar and dragged her over to where the other gods were seated so they could see Loki's disgrace.
"The stage is perfect, and the most troublesome clown is quiet," Freya observed from the second floor, gazing down at the banquet below. "It's about time to bring the show to its climax. But first... Ottar, go and greet them."
"Yes," a tall figure emerged from the shadows.
Freya raised her glass, smiling gracefully.
For her, the most problematic gods at this event were Loki and Hephaestus. One was as strong as her own Familia, and the other was troublesome in a different way. She was most wary of Loki because she was unpredictable—a jester who could both disrupt and aid others at will. Loki's masks were too many to count, even for Freya, but now...
Seeing Loki in her current gray, listless state, Freya nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed that this time, Loki had truly lost her fighting spirit.
As for Hephaestus, Freya couldn't imagine that plain, timid god being able to attract Cyd's interest.
Looks like I've won!
You're thinking that, aren't you?
On the other side of the second floor, Apollo and Hermes both smirked.
"I bet twenty seconds until Freya retreats," Hermes pulled out a coin from his pocket.
"One second," Apollo said with an air of cold confidence as he produced his own coin.
"No way. Cyd wouldn't be that rude, would he?" Hermes widened his eyes. "He'd at least give her a few words."
"Freya made a mistake," Apollo closed his eyes. "She's too arrogant. Even when she fails, she thinks it's because she didn't take things seriously enough. She's fallen back into her old habits."
"Oh ho," Hermes watched Ottar approach Bell and Ais with keen interest. "As always, she fills the stage with actors, then knocks them down one by one to claim the spotlight. Do you think Orario's ultimate weapon can defeat our hero?"
"I don't think you'd ask such a foolish question," Apollo opened his eyes slowly. "He is our most beloved child, our proof, our hope."
Cyd's eyebrow twitched as he noticed the tall figure descending the staircase from the second floor.
The once lively banquet became eerily silent with Ottar's arrival. Adventurers who had been subtly trying to approach Cyd immediately backed away, as if wolves retreating from the presence of their alpha.
Because this man was Orario's ultimate weapon—the one and only Level 7, Ottar.
However, two people remained unaware of the tension: Bell, still focused on the food in front of him, and Ais, who appeared indifferent as if she hadn't noticed Ottar's presence at all.
"Hmm…" Bell blinked, sensing something off.
Why is everyone looking at me like there's a beast behind me?
"Teacher?" Bell slowly turned, but all he could see was Cyd's back and his flowing white hair.
"It's nothing. Nothing is happening," Cyd said without turning around.
Although the atmosphere had clearly shifted, Bell completely trusted Cyd and resumed concentrating on the crab that had just been served to him.
"Bell, are you serious right now?" Hestia anxiously paced around. "Ottar would never come without a reason!"
"No, he probably doesn't see," Loki said, now regaining her color. "Cyd is blocking Bell's view."
Hestia blinked in surprise, then widened her eyes. Bell, after all, was just a teenager and not particularly tall. Cyd's positioning was perfectly obscuring his entire view.
"But Bell shouldn't be so oblivious to keep eating," Hestia muttered, feeling a headache coming on.
"It's probably trust," Loki exaggeratedly grinned, placing a hand on her waist. "Men are truly incomprehensible sometimes."
"Aren't you a man?"
"…"
"Lately, I've been a bit on edge," red marks appeared on Cyd's face, his eyes glowing coldly as he stared at Ottar. "May I ask, what business do you have here?"