Chapter 113: Who Could Possibly Not Fall for Goddess-sama?

After an hour of work, Bell finally managed to plant Spirit Trees on all the stone pillars connected to the walls surrounding the Familia's land. Then he guided the vines to spread across every part of the wall, even raising its overall height in the process.

From the outside, the walls already gave off a forest-like vibe, though the interior was still bare and needed further improvement.

The main building still had to be constructed within the large tree. Clearly, this part of the project was massive—there was no way it could be finished in just two or three days.

Bell had long understood that he wouldn't be able to complete the treehouse in one day. It could be built in stages.

However, the lowest level, which would serve as the living quarters for now, could be completed right away. After all, constantly sleeping in the basement wasn't a sustainable solution.

They hadn't taken this direction earlier because maintaining a low profile had been necessary, and they lacked the ability to pull it off. Otherwise, Bell would have remodeled the Familia's base long ago.

But if he wanted to overhaul the interior, this alone wouldn't be enough. The treehouse also extended underground.

Naturally, Bell didn't plan to completely destroy the basement where he and Goddess-sama used to live. Even if the treehouse aboveground was completed, the underground space could still be preserved. It would be a place they could return to often, to reminisce about the early days of their Familia.

'In that case, I should go wake Goddess-sama first.'

To be honest, Bell was hesitating—was it really a good time to wake her?

Goddess-sama had let him sleep on her lap last night, and she herself had slept while sitting upright. There was no way a night like that had been restful.

'Maybe I should let Goddess-sama sleep a little longer?'

Bell couldn't help but struggle with the thought.

"Mmm..."

In the basement, Hestia slowly stirred awake from her slumber. She looked around at her surroundings and the bed beneath her.

"Mmm... did I fall asleep too?"

She glanced around. The magical lights in the basement were still glowing, but the person who mattered most was no longer there.

She didn't need anyone to tell her.

"Bell-kun must've gone upstairs again."

"He looked so adorable when he was sleeping yesterday... but the moment he woke up, he was back to his usual energetic self."

As a god, Hestia wanted to uncover more sides of Bell.

Unfortunately, her child always wore a thick mask, and his overly cautious mindset kept him constantly on edge. It made it hard for her to see different aspects of him.

It was a bit disappointing—but only a little.

Bell's dependable nature was already more than enough to satisfy Hestia.

Those rare moments when he let down his guard and showed vulnerability... were his most precious and adorable sides.

"Hmm... I wonder how long it'll be before I get to see Bell looking that cute again."

Hestia felt a genuine twinge of regret. It was the kind of regret that came from not properly capturing her child's rare, helplessly adorable expression.

Swinging her small feet on the bed, Hestia kicked off the blanket, slipped into the slippers beside the bed, and got up.

"Let's go check if Bell is still outside."

Yesterday, Bell had been working outside clearing the ruins, and in just half a day, most of the debris was already taken care of.

'Maybe while I was sleeping, Bell woke up and finished the rest of the work?'

She made her way up the stairs with light, careful steps.

"Hm?"

As soon as she stepped outside, Hestia immediately noticed a sweet fragrance lingering in the air. She was sure that yesterday the ruins of the church still smelled musty and unpleasant—there definitely hadn't been this kind of sweet scent.

'Did Bell set up a purification spell?'

Hestia continued walking outside.

The farther she went, the stronger and richer the fragrance became. When she stepped outside completely, warm sunlight hit her face, and the sudden brightness made it hard to see clearly for a moment.

It took a while for her eyes to adjust, and only then did Hestia take in the scene before her.

All the surrounding walls were now wrapped in a thick layer of vines.

'Did the walls get taller too?'

Hestia couldn't quite remember if they had been this high yesterday. She looked around and noticed other differences from the day before.

'Weren't there stone pillars at the wall corners yesterday? How did they all become trees now?'

'And... these trees look so familiar...'

There was something about their appearance that gave Hestia a strong sense of déjà vu, as if she'd seen them somewhere before.

But she didn't dwell on it. Her attention was quickly caught by the sight of Bell standing in the center of it all, wearing a conflicted expression.

With a big smile, Hestia happily skipped over to him.

She didn't give Bell a chance to react—just like always, she leapt at him.

"Bell-kun!"

Hearing Goddess-sama's voice snapped Bell out of his thoughts. He turned his head just in time to see her throwing herself at him, and quickly reached out to catch her.

However, even as he caught her, Bell couldn't help but look exasperated. He really wished Goddess-sama wouldn't always leap at him without warning.

Every time he told her to be more careful, she'd just do it again anyway—completely unabashed.

"Goddess-sama, please be more careful next time."

"Hehehe~ I'll definitely be more careful next time."

Hestia answered with her usual cheerful smile, but Bell knew full well she'd do the exact same thing next time too.

He was already used to it. Besides a bit of helplessness, he didn't feel anything else.

After all, with someone like Goddess-sama—a cute, busty, loli-like beauty—throwing herself into his arms, even the most stoic man would find it hard not to react. Not to mention she had a truly breathtaking face.

With her personality, figure, and looks all rolled into one, how many people could actually resist Goddess-sama?

At the very least, Bell didn't think he could.

Of course, Bell didn't mind her being affectionate. But what he did mind was her habit of launching herself at him without any warning.

If he ever failed to catch her in time, she'd probably end up sliding across the ground face-first.

...

(90 Chapters Ahead)

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