"This identity... truly unexpected."
Once Bell fully regained consciousness, he realized he would've been better off not investigating anything at all. Somehow, he'd even dragged the whole "Miniature World" affair into this.
"Bell!"
Before he could think any further, a familiar shout pulled him back.
Looking over, he saw Hestia and the others standing there with reddened eyes.
Bell quickly stood and dispelled every barrier he'd set up around himself.
But before he could reach them, Artemis lunged straight at him.
"Darling!"
He reflexively tried to hold Artemis back, but then he remembered everything that had just happened. Was he really going to deny Artemis the right to worry about him?
He couldn't do that—he knew Artemis's feelings were sincere.
"Darling, you don't even know! Right after Fureia pushed you inside, all these pitch-black things showed up around you."
"Pitch-black things?"
"Yes, pitch-black things. With a mouth, and a single eye."
Artemis's explanation was vague, but it couldn't be helped. Those things really were nothing but a mass of darkness, with a grotesque mouth and a strange eye.
Laḫmu.
Bell's eyelid twitched, the name surfacing instinctively.
Only Laḫmu had such a distinctive look—a giant mouth and a single eye so unsettling they could snap anyone's sanity.
"They didn't get out, did they?"
Bell tensed and immediately checked Artemis's condition.
Among the goddesses living here, Artemis and Hephaestus were unquestionably the strongest in combat. If Laḫmu had really started acting, those two would've been the first targets.
After a thorough check, Bell confirmed Artemis had no injuries.
Hephaestus came running over next. Bell carefully observed her gait and movement. Seeing nothing wrong, he finally let out a breath.
"Whew... Good. Nothing serious happened."
Even so, fear still lingered in his chest.
'I really shouldn't be doing these things at home anymore.'
"Bell, you're not thinking of not doing these dangerous things at home anymore, are you?"
"!"
Bell stiffened. She'd hit him dead-on.
"Hestia, what are you talking about? Why would I think that?"
"Hm?"
Hestia stared at Bell's calm expression and let out a cold, amused exhale.
"Bell, you're way too calm. You were just panicking about whether we were in danger. You switch the topic once and suddenly your face is this calm?"
…Just how perfected is her people-reading skill?!
Bell screamed internally. Whether she had mind-reading powers or not, he always felt completely transparent before Hestia.
Back in Tenkai, Hestia had been infamous as a shut-in. She never cared about being mocked as the "Virgin Goddess," always maintaining that cool, detached attitude.
Someone like her shouldn't be able to read hearts.
And she didn't. She simply approached others with sincerity.
Unlike those gods who treated everything as entertainment, Hestia had genuinely tried to make real friends in Tenkai, not just seek amusement.
Even without any special insight, she always noticed what others overlooked.
Because of that, her connections spanned many divine circles—especially among short-tempered or eccentric gods. In that crowd, Hestia was surprisingly popular.
It was simply her nature.
Naturally, she was always the first to notice the slightest shift in Bell's mood.
And this wasn't new. She had always been like this. She could immediately tell whenever Bell was hiding something.
Their relationship was far closer than ordinary friendship.
Hestia narrowed her eyes and leaned in until she was right in front of Bell.
"Bell, listen carefully. From now on, no matter what dangerous thing you're planning, you do it at home."
After today, Hestia finally understood how complex the things Bell carried were. And she now grasped just how frightening those dangers truly were.
"But…"
"No objections. You can't keep hiding things from me forever. And danger stays danger no matter where you go—but this house is still the safest place..."
"...."
She was right. Bell had always believed home was safest. That's why he'd filled the place with research materials and experimental tools. Half the underground workshop was still in disarray because he trusted this place more than anywhere else.
Why?
Because this was the home he'd built himself. The one place he didn't have to worry about theft or sabotage.
But if he himself had now become the greatest danger in the house, how could he not feel conflicted?
Hestia understood that inner struggle. She gently pulled his face forward so he would look directly into her eyes.
"Bell, I understand how you feel. That's why I need you to listen to me."
Facing her like this, Bell completely lost the ability to refuse. He couldn't force out a single "no."
"...All right."
He still wanted to keep doing things his way, but Hestia's disapproval made it impossible.
And she wouldn't be the only one objecting.
The other goddesses, already on alert, definitely wouldn't tolerate him running wild either.
"Good."
Seeing Bell relent, Hestia's mood brightened significantly.
At least she wouldn't have to deal with Bell sneaking off to that outer 4.3 area for dangerous experiments. Even if some experiments were risky at home, she felt Bell was in far more danger once he stepped outside.
"And earlier—your reaction. It looked like those pitch-black things weren't unfamiliar to you."
With Hestia in this fully awakened, sharp state, nothing Bell wanted to hide stood a chance.
Sure enough, she zeroed in on the exact thing he wanted to avoid.
"So Bell, you don't mind giving us a little introduction, do you?"
She smiled as she asked.
But Bell, who had been watching her closely, couldn't see even a speck of humor in her expression.
This wasn't a yes-or-no question.
It was a mandatory one.