The man who had asked questions in the tavern left after a few drinks.
But as soon as he stepped into a nearby alley, both his presence and shadow vanished completely—like he had never entered the alley in the first place.
A moment later, Bell, clad in a white coat, appeared atop the building overlooking that very alley.
'I see. So much really has happened in the dungeon over the past two weeks.'
Bell finally understood why that female elf had chosen to charge in headfirst.
While he could respect her "fearlessness," the truth was that her "fearlessness" leaned much closer to "recklessness."
After all, truly fearless people have the strength to overcome the danger before them. Only the reckless knowingly step into peril without the means to handle it.
Now that he understood her situation, Bell could finally put the matter to rest.
The general circumstances matched his initial deduction, though Evilus's method of baiting people was a bit different this time.
Most of the adventurers who died on the 27th floor had been blinded by greed—a common enough fate in Orario. And since this operation had been orchestrated by Evilus, their cruelty was nothing out of the ordinary.
"So this time, Evilus's actions were purely the work of individuals."
Confirming that was important—it would help him track Evilus's movements more precisely.
In truth, Bell knew Evilus wouldn't do anything that drew too much attention right now. Their true goal was still to wait for a chance to strike at Orario and drag the surface world back into chaos.
Until that moment came, they would never openly start a war.
Clearly, that moment wasn't now.
Sitting on the rooftop, gazing down at the lively night market of Orario, Bell found himself relaxing without meaning to.
He wasn't so inhuman as to go without rest entirely. After half a month of constant training, even he would start to feel the fatigue creeping in.
Perhaps his endurance threshold really was around half a month—that's why he always set his training cycles to that length.
Go beyond that, and his mental state would start to fray.
So, for the sake of both body and mind, Bell never lingered in the dungeon for too long when there was no need.
When he returned home, he sometimes rested with his head on Hephaestus's or Hestia's lap.
Other times, he secluded himself in his base's spatial domain to study and work on his own projects.
Having recently obtained the Development Ability "Soul," Bell had naturally been conducting focused research on the subject.
In truth, he had begun studying souls long before this—though his research had been limited to the destruction of souls. After all, Bell had no desire for the humans or monsters he killed to be reborn and appear before him again someday.
After resting for a while on the rooftop, Bell decided it was time to head home.
But as he made his way through the streets, he noticed something unusual. Decorative ropes had been strung between the buildings, and hanging from them were rows of glowing lanterns.
Even Bell, who almost never went out to the night market, could tell this wasn't how the streets usually looked at night.
Orario—the paradise of adventurers—didn't typically bother with such flashy displays.
"This isn't normal."
"Could it be some kind of festival?"
Bell scratched his head, unable to think of what celebration it might be.
After all, he'd only been in Orario for less than a year. Between training and dungeon diving, he'd had no time to learn about the city's customs or traditions.
At best, he did a little research when necessary—but festivals were something he saw as completely irrelevant.
He rarely went out, preferring to stay home. Even when Orario hosted a festival, he wouldn't bother going unless Hestia herself showed interest.
He was a little curious this time, but not enough to care deeply.
After all, festivals weren't something Bell paid much attention to.
...
At that same time, inside the Hestia Familia's base—
Four goddesses sat together, facing one another.
"The annual God Moon Festival in Orario is coming up soon. Shouldn't we decide who's going with Bell this year?"
As usual, the four goddesses had gathered to discuss one topic and one topic only—Bell's company during the festival.
Their eyes met, and all four knew none of them would back down now.
Especially Freya and Loki.
Hestia and Hephaestus, meanwhile, looked completely at ease, as if sitting comfortably atop their thrones.
After all, they were the two goddesses who had formed bonds with Bell the earliest—and had even kept their status as virgin goddesses for his sake. Their positions were solid and unshakable.
Still, even with that confidence, neither Hestia nor Hephaestus intended to let this annual event slip by.
Bell spent most of his days training or researching, leaving little time to be with them. And now that his level was rising faster than ever, that time had grown even scarcer.
That was why moments like these—annual festivals—were precious chances they didn't want to miss.
Freya and Loki, of course, felt the same way.
But then—
"Loki, aren't you supposed to spend tomorrow with your children?"
"...Right, right! Loki, you still have to celebrate with your kids, don't you? They finally broke through to Level 6, didn't they? This festival would be the perfect time to celebrate with them!"
With a single "careless" comment, Freya smoothly shifted the conversation's focus toward Loki.
Hestia's eyes sparkled in instant understanding, and she immediately jumped on the opportunity, determined to eliminate Loki in the first round of this little contest.
"...What are you two doing?"
Loki stared at Hestia and Freya in disbelief, her eyes narrowing sharply at Freya, the expression somewhere between betrayal and outrage.
Once friends, now rivals.
That phrase perfectly described the relationship between Loki and Freya.
"Nothing much," Freya replied sweetly. "I just wanted to speak up for your children. After all, as the Familia God of the Loki Familia, it wouldn't be proper for you to spend the festival away from them, would it? A goddess living elsewhere so often—how unbecoming. It's only right to be with your children on a day like this."
"Oh, you want to play that game, huh?"
Freya's repeated "unbecoming" made the veins on Loki's forehead twitch visibly.