Chapter 281: The Overheating Fox Girl

If you lack the power, stay hidden.

If you have the power, stay hidden—and strike when it counts.

Ultimately, Bell still couldn't accept those kinds of unsatisfying endings.

Compared to Sanjouno Haruhime's situation, the fact that Ishtar might target him due to her enmity with Freya gave Bell more than enough reason to take her out early.

But the members of Loki Familia looked stunned by what he had just said—especially Loki herself.

"I wanted you to say something useful, not drop a bomb like that!"

Loki was absolutely losing it now.

She had expected him to admit it plainly, but she hadn't expected him to bring up something as explosive as "godslaying."

Bell, however, didn't seem the least bit concerned about what he'd said.

"Isn't that what you wanted me to say, Loki-sama?"

"And of course, I didn't act just for some girl I have no connection to. Ishtar-sama was a thorn in my side—so much so that I had no choice but to pull it out."

Loki frowned. Something about that phrasing felt... off.

"You have a grudge against Ishtar?"

"Of course not. I've always stayed in my Familia or trained in the Dungeon. How would I have anything to do with Ishtar-sama?"

"Then why the hell do you have such intense killing intent toward that b—uh, that woman?"

Not that she herself liked Ishtar either. That goddess was the textbook definition of a harlot—so notorious even among the gods that most goddesses couldn't stand her.

But still, why did this kid hate her so much?

To Bell, it wasn't anything he needed to hide—after all, Ishtar had already been sent back to Tenkai by Loki.

"For one, she was tied to the Evilus."

"And second... her antagonism toward Freya-sama."

"Wait, wait! Don't tell me you've got feelings for that lustful goddess Freya!?"

Loki's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Bell's reason for targeting Ishtar to be linked to Freya. Things were starting to get way too tangled.

"Haven't you always been avoiding Freya?"

Bell was beyond exasperated by Loki's constant interruptions—especially since she already knew he had been doing his best to avoid Freya, and yet still tried to twist his words.

"So why, exactly, would someone going out of their way to avoid Freya be interested in her?"

"Didn't you say something like that yourself?"

"...What I'm saying is, Ishtar and Freya are bitter enemies. If someone—like me—catches Freya's attention, and Ishtar finds out about it, things could get very messy for me."

The moment he said that, Loki couldn't help but start drawing her own conclusions in her head.

'That bitch would absolutely do it.'

If it meant causing trouble for Freya, Ishtar would jump at the chance.

So, if she ever found out Freya was interested in some boy, she'd probably go after him—just to mess with her.

"That's why, to prevent that kind of situation, I decided to eliminate Ishtar-sama as early as possible."

Loki gave Bell a strange look as he said that.

His face showed no hint of emotion, like god-slaying was no big deal.

To this kid, gods clearly weren't beings to be revered.

"Then why don't you just kill Freya?"

Bell turned to Loki with a look that said, Are you stupid?

"Do you know the difference between a whore and a nymphomaniac?"

"One's used by everyone. The other is driven by desire."

Loki summed up the difference between Ishtar and Freya in just two words.

Accurate!

If the timing had been better, Bell might've actually given her a thumbs-up.

"So, do you hate a god who sleeps around, or a god consumed by desire?"

Loki had no hesitation.

"Obviously the whore."

"Then please, don't ask me questions you already know the answer to."

In short, it was about instincts.

More specifically, the vibe they gave off.

Ishtar gave Bell the impression of a full-on public use lunatic—a woman who embodied unrestrained lust.

As for Freya, it wasn't just desire—it was obsession mixed with overwhelming possessiveness.

He didn't know exactly what Freya was chasing, but compared to Ishtar, she felt... at least somewhat normal.

The truly absurd part, to Bell, was that despite Ishtar embodying lust in its rawest form, she didn't even carry the "Poison of Lust."

Which made him wonder—did even the Seven Deadly Sins find her disgusting?

That conclusion might sound like an insult to the gods—but honestly, it wasn't his judgment. It was the abstract concepts themselves casting judgment.

Bell shook his head.

He realized he'd talked way too much today.

"Sorry. I got carried away."

Without another word, he vanished on the spot.

Yeah, he really wasn't good at social interaction.

Socializing was definitely his biggest flaw.

Even after he left the Loki Familia office, he could still hear Loki shouting from a distance.

"I wasn't finished talking yet!"

Of course Bell knew Loki still had more to say—but he'd said enough for one day. Even if there was more, it wasn't the time to keep going.

...

"Tch. That kid really bailed at the worst possible moment."

Despite having just uncovered some juicy information, Loki was sure of one thing, judging by how fast that kid fled—she'd just dug up something huge.

"Seriously! He drops 'god-slaying' into the conversation like it's nothing, then acts like he doesn't care?"

"If he really didn't care, he wouldn't have used me."

Loki still felt bitter about that kid. Especially the way he pretended not to care and ended up making Haruhime cry. It really ruined her mood.

Of course, Haruhime herself didn't seem as utterly shattered as before.

"I... I... I..."

Her mind was a complete mess.

It was all too much.

She hadn't known he arranged for her to join the Loki Familia just to protect her.

She hadn't known he'd been ready to kill a god—for her.

It was just too overwhelming for someone like Haruhime, who lacked mental resilience.

In the end, with a soft "Mmm~", Haruhime fainted completely.

Aisha, fully prepared for this outcome, caught her in her arms.

Looking down at Haruhime's flushed face, the sight was all too familiar to Aisha.

"She always passes out with that blissful look on her face."

"This idiot... does she even realize who her opponent is?"