Chapter 133: A Request from an Old Friend Outside the City (Bonus)

"Hey! What kind of trash do you all take me for?!"

Hermes honestly had no idea why his reputation in Orario had gotten so bad—everyone looked at him like he was walking trouble.

And the truth was, both Miach and Hestia, and even Hephaestus, did see him as nothing but trouble.

"You seriously don't know your own reputation, Hermes?"

Hestia looked at him with clear disdain. She didn't even feel like wasting words on him.

"Whenever you're looking for someone, it's never because of something good."

Hermes didn't know how to argue with that. After all, what Hestia said was basically the truth.

Still, he felt like he had to defend himself—he wasn't always unwelcome.

"This time is different."

"It's true that whenever I'm chasing people down, it's usually because of a task from Ouranos. But I've got plenty of other work too—gathering intel, staying in contact with certain people."

"And the reason I'm here today is exactly that."

Hermes got straight to the point, which made Hestia a little wary.

"You're looking for me?"

"Well, it's actually a favor from a friend who's been exiled from the outside."

Hermes didn't bother sugarcoating it, and the three gods instantly understood what he meant—he was referring to a god exiled from Orario.

But this wasn't the kind of conversation to be having out in the open.

Miach chose to take his leave first.

"Hestia, there's something my Familia needs me for. I'll be heading back."

"W–"

Before Hestia could even respond, Miach was already walking away.

"Hestia, I…"

"Come with me! Don't leave me here alone!"

Like a startled wildcat, Hestia clung to the only lifeline she had left, grabbing tightly onto Hephaestus just as she was about to leave.

"Hermes is looking for you, not me. Why are you holding on to me?"

Hephaestus wanted nothing to do with any of this—especially not something that involved exiled gods. She was all about avoiding trouble whenever she could.

"But… but I just came down to Genkai! What do those exiled gods have to do with me?"

Hestia was genuinely confused. She'd only been in Genkai for less than half a year. She had no connections with any of the gods who'd been driven out of Orario. So why were they looking for her?

Hephaestus paused for a moment, then her expression shifted as she seemed to realize something. Her visible eye, the one not covered by her eyepatch, turned toward Hermes with a deeper, more serious look.

"Hermes… you're not joking with us, are you?"

"Of course not."

Hermes shook his head firmly.

"I've got standards, you know. I wouldn't joke about something like this."

"There really is a god from the outside who asked me to pass along a message to you, Hestia."

"Since I have some connection with him, I agreed to help."

"Hestia, I'd like to go to your Familia's home. We can talk more there about the details. Also, just asking—your child, is he still at your Familia's place?"

Hestia felt a slight unease. She didn't understand why Hermes was suddenly bringing up Bell, but she answered anyway.

"Bell-kun went to the Dungeon today."

"He left early?"

…He really did leave early this morning.

"Hermes, why are you so concerned about Bell-kun?"

"Just covering all bases. There are things that aren't suitable for a Familia child to hear."

Even though Hestia had some doubts, she couldn't deny the logic in that.

Some things were simply better kept from Bell.

Just then, Hephaestus, who had almost made her escape, stopped and walked back. She placed a hand on Hestia's shoulder, her uncovered left eye fixed squarely on Hermes.

"So, Hermes, are you saying that the god exiled from outside was actually looking for that child?"

"Huh?"

Hestia still hadn't fully caught on.

Hephaestus patiently explained beside her.

"You idiot, didn't you just say it yourself? You've only been in Genkai for half a year. And in that time, not a single god has been exiled from Orario. So where would Hermes get some 'old friend' from outside to send you a message?"

"You might know a lot of gods and have pretty decent relationships with many of them, but it's not like any of them are close enough to send messages directly to you."

"But that child in your Familia... he's different."

In that moment, Hestia suddenly understood. Bell's magic and skills might be deeply tied to a god from the outside.

She barely knew any of the gods who had been exiled, so it made no sense for them to be reaching out to her directly.

But if Bell had been raised or trained by one of those exiled gods, then them reaching out through her made perfect sense.

Now under the sharp gazes of both goddesses, Hermes was starting to feel the pressure.

'...Since when was Hephaestus this sharp?'

Hestia's eyes narrowed, locked on Hermes.

"So... you were asked by one of those outside gods to investigate Bell-kun, weren't you?"

Hermes gave a helpless nod under the weight of their stares.

"That child is the orphan of an old friend's former Familia. My friend has been taking care of him ever since. A few days ago, when the child arrived in Orario, I was asked to keep an eye on him."

"But before I could even start, the kid disappeared into the shadows. No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find a single trace."

Hermes didn't really want to say that out loud, but without Hestia's cooperation, there was no way he'd get any intel on Bell.

Since some of the truth had already come out, Hermes figured there was no harm in elaborating a bit more.

'Ah, that sounds like Bell-kun alright.'

Hestia was used to hearing things like that. Her child was always extremely cautious. But that wasn't what really mattered right now.

"So? What now?"

"...And you plan to talk about all this right in front of the Guild?"

Only then did Hestia and Hephaestus realize they were still standing at the entrance to the Guild.

Had any other gods overheard that conversation?

Just as the two goddesses were getting worried, a figure appeared in front of them.

"Hermes-sama, the barrier has been set. I've confirmed that no one overheard the conversation."

"Good work, Asfi."

Praising his captain for her attentiveness, Hermes turned back to Hestia.

"Now, can we find somewhere quiet to continue this talk?"