"Though this guy started out as a mere insect, when I sent her out to find a Familia member, she went and pulled some stunt."
"Instead of registering her Familia with the Guild or highlighting her strengths, she just rushed into the streets, grabbed Genkai kids, and asked, 'Wanna join my Familia?' When a curious child asked about the Familia's internal situation, she just said she'd just arrived in the Genkai and had nothing yet."
Hephaestus couldn't help but rant about that incident.
At least in her view, Hestia had been a bit out of her mind back then. If she hadn't introduced herself that way, she might have at least tricked a few naive Genkai kids into joining her Familia.
Of course, Hephaestus was sure that if Hestia had actually recruited a few kids into her Familia, Bell would never have joined her Familia.
"So, this dimwit really is incredibly lucky."
Even as Hestia's closest confidante, Hephaestus couldn't help but feel her luck was downright absurd.
After just over half a year of freeloading, she managed to find a dark horse right in her own shop.
Yeah, as dark as they come!
"And then this idiot bumped into Bell—who'd just arrived in Orario and was about to volunteer—right here in my shop... 'That child.'"
"I watched as Hestia freeloaded for half a year, plus her crazy antics made her known as a weirdo to every Genkai kid in Orario... I thought we needed someone fresh off the boat to pull the wool over their eyes, and that kid just happened to walk in. Perfect timing, right?"
From Hephaestus' words, it was clear that the mysterious child joining Hestia's Familia was pure coincidence.
A coincidence so wild it made your scalp tingle.
Hestia's antics had ensured no child from Orario would join her Familia—only for a child fresh from outside to appear.
And this child happened to be exceptionally gifted.
Moreover, this child possessed an extraordinary growth rate.
Furthermore, this child was none other than the "Child of the World."
How the hell did Hestia, that idiot, stumble upon such a coincidence? Even the gods couldn't help but find it strange.
Just then, another screen suddenly appeared.
"Huh~?"
"Another one?"
The sudden projection revealed a youth with a slightly immature face, short silver-white hair, and a pair of crimson eyes. His cheeks held a hint of baby fat, and he wore simple, unadorned clothing.
Yet, when the gods gazed directly into those eyes, they perceived something extraordinary.
A sense of unusual world-weariness for someone so young.
A hoarse voice came from the projection:
"Bell Cranel... My past life is dead."
Huh??? Past life?
Hearing this, the gods instantly understood. This child had awakened with memories of a previous existence. That world-weary gaze stemmed from those memories.
"Thirteen years to reclaim those memories... that's quite a long time..."
"So, this is rebirth, right? Not migration, I suppose..."
"Hmm..."
The youth seemed to feel a twinge of headache, his hands instinctively covering his still-throbbing head.
"Memories of the first thirteen years of my life... until that old man was driven off a cliff by a Monster..."
A trace of sorrow and pain flashed across the youth's face.
"No, that old man absolutely couldn't have just died like that."
"The entire village wouldn't let that old man die."
"After all, that old man should be Zeus."
This single sentence stunned everyone in both worlds, especially the gods still atop the Tower of Babel. Even the five goddesses closest to Bell were bewildered.
Why?
Yes, from the boy's words, it was clear he had just awakened, or rather, just reawakened his memories of a past life.
But why would such a youth instantly recognize who Zeus was?
Was it because of that "past life"?
This question was too vast, leaving people from both worlds speculating wildly.
It seemed like an eternity passed before the youth in the scene finally rose from his silent meditation in the room. "How did this even involve Type-Moon?"
"Was it compensation for me not necessarily experiencing the Awakening of Liaris Freese? And they even gave me a growth acceleration buff?"
"Ah... Things are getting more and more complicated. Making an ordinary person like me bear the fate of 'saving the world'—I'm not that 'righteous companion,' nor am I that 'last Mikoto in human history.'"
The youth paused for a moment, then walked to the mirror and looked at his current self, his entire demeanor slumping.
"Ah, so I'm Bell Cranel... Turns out I'm the protagonist of a 'salvation' story too."
"Me, an ordinary person, asked to 'save the world'? Honestly, I'd rather drag the previous incarnation of 'Argonaut' from this world back here. That smiley guy would totally jump at the chance to take on the 'savior' quest."
"Anyway, time to calm down."
"Let's think about the future first."
The projected image suddenly froze at this moment, as if the silence of everyone in both worlds had also frozen in time.
Everyone's minds now needed time to rest, for the content revealed in this instant had utterly surpassed all expectations.
As for the Dungeon side, Bell naturally witnessed his Mother's actions.
"You actually recorded the moment I just regained consciousness? Mother, do you really enjoy collecting my embarrassing moments so much?"
The moment his past memories resurfaced, Bell's consciousness was still muddled, so his vigilance wasn't as sharp as it was now. Back then, especially right after waking up, it felt like he was constantly spilling shocking secrets.
After all, he had just arrived in such a dangerous world. When danger struck, his mind hadn't yet processed the need for caution.
"Though this is all there is, I'll need to explain it thoroughly to Hestia and the others when I return."
Even now, Bell didn't intend to hide much from Hestia-sama and the others about his past. But information spilled by the "Mother" had a completely different impact than if he'd shared it himself.
Still, Bell didn't have much room to complain.
After all, who could blame him for ending up with a mother like this?