Chapter 110: The Less You Say, the More Curious They Get

"I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Freya hadn't anticipated Hephaestus, Loki, and Hestia joining forces.

"Loki isn't that foolish. She should've realized Hestia could just as easily join hands with me."

"So even that girl is keeping her guard up against me, huh."

Still, Freya could mostly understand why Hestia made that choice.

After all, her own reputation in Orario wasn't much better than Ishtar's. On the surface, she and Ishtar were nearly indistinguishable. That gave Loki an opening—she could exploit this weakness to keep Hestia restrained.

Yet today, Loki Familia had publicly announced their alliance with Hestia Familia.

And what did that mean?

It meant Hestia had offered terms Loki found agreeable—so much so that she was willing to accept an alliance.

A glimmer of intrigue lit up Freya's stunning face.

"Did you make that move because you knew I'd take an interest in that child?"

She swirled the wine in her glass, watching the divine liquor ripple as her curiosity deepened.

"What a little fool you are, Hestia.

Don't you know? The more you try to hide something, the more people want to uncover it."

To the gods, the concept of the "unknown" held immense allure.

In fact, the very reason the gods of Tenkai descended to the Genkai was their yearning for the unknown.

Of course, Freya wasn't about to start a fight with Hestia over that child.

Until she confirmed whether the boy she had initially overlooked truly possessed a brilliant soul, he remained merely "interesting" to her.

As for the alliance between Hestia, Hephaestus, and Loki, she didn't find it particularly engaging.

The games of Genkai were, after all, just divine pastimes. Forming alliances was simply another way to play.

Freya wasn't concerned about who ultimately came out on top. Her only interest lay in those children whose souls shone brightly.

Watching their growth stirred something in her heart.

It was just a pity—none of the children in Orario right now made her feel like devoting herself completely.

With a soft sigh, Freya sat down and gazed out the window at the Orario nightscape.

Night had fallen, yet Orario was far from quiet—it was alive in a different kind of bustling vibrancy.

...

Bell walked along the edge of the road, avoiding everyone, and arrived at Hephaestus' shop.

He pushed the door open, gave a quick glance downstairs, then headed straight up to the second floor.

The second floor was like a world apart from the floor below.

Thanks to the Rune Stone business, Bell had completely paid off his "200 million small black knives" debt.

The rune trade had turned out to be even more lucrative than he'd imagined. "Body Strengthening," "Weapon Sharpening," and "Fireball" were the top sellers these past few days—whatever Bell produced was snatched up almost instantly.

But that was about it.

In just the past two days, Bell had earned around 230 million Valis.

Of course, that wasn't the price cap for Rune Stones—it was the cap on how many could be sold per day.

Even though Bell was producing an astonishing number of Rune Stones daily, Hephaestus kept a strict limit on how many could be sold.

After all, "Weapon Sharpening" and "Body Strengthening" sold for 500,000 Valis each. Considering their powerful effects and five-minute duration, those two were put under strict sales restrictions.

They were consumables—churning out too many would only devalue them.

Had no one heard of supply and demand?

On the other hand, the more affordable "Fireball" Rune Stone didn't have nearly as many restrictions, since its price was only one-fifth that of the others.

Although not as powerful as the other two types, this direct-attack rune can still turn the tide of battle at the right moment.

Right now, many adventurers in Orario have started treating the "Fireball" Rune Stone as a substitute for magic swords. Regular magic swords are barely on par with it, yet the price difference is ten to twenty times greater. Naturally, that's made the unlimited-supply "Fireball" Rune Stone the top-selling item in Orario—and Bell's biggest source of income lately.

With her debt finally cleared, Hestia hadn't bothered to change out of her waitress uniform. She lay sprawled on the sofa, bored, holding a book.

Her short skirt had ridden up a little due to her lounging position—anyone glancing down would easily catch a glimpse beneath it.

"Hmm... Bell-kun, how long are you gonna keep me waiting~?"

She laid the book flat on her stomach, having lost interest in reading. What she really wanted now was for Bell to come and pick her up already.

At her desk, Hephaestus paid no attention to Hestia's complaints. She was focused on reviewing the day's accounts.

Bell shook his head slightly and walked over to the goddess. He gently smoothed her skirt, which had ridden up from her crossed legs, then deactivated the "Presence Concealment."

"Bell-kun!?"

Hestia shot upright from the sofa.

Bell quickly held down her fluttering skirt and gently pushed her back down before she could spring up.

"Goddess-sama, mind your appearance."

...

"Oh."

Hestia obeyed with surprising meekness, standing quietly while Bell tidied her clothes.

Once he was done, Bell turned to Hephaestus and gave her a small bow.

"Hephaestus-sama, thank you again for everything."

"It's really no trouble."

Hephaestus put down her papers and waved it off casually.

"But what about you? Want to take a look at the past two days' sales reports?"

Bell gave a tired smile and pointed at the red veins in his eyes.

"My apologies, Hephaestus-sama. I've been swamped with work, and I'm still training every day. I haven't had much time to rest, so I'll look over the reports later if that's okay."

Hephaestus held back what she was about to say. She knew Bell had been pushing himself nonstop lately, and letting him rest might ease some of that built-up fatigue.

"Alright, just take the next two days off and get some proper rest."

"Work and getting stronger are important, but you need to pace yourself too. If you collapse, none of it matters."

Bell agreed completely.

Even if he could ease his mental fatigue with Runic Letters, his body still wasn't used to going without sleep. At the end of the day, he was still human—his body had limits.

So, he decided to make time to rest properly.

"Alright, I'll go take a break now."

...

(90 Chapters Ahead)

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