"Eradicate… seventy percent…"
Those calm yet cruel words were a massive shock to the ordinary people of Orario.
Truly, they had been just a step away from being wiped out.
Even if thirty percent of Orario's population survived, would those survivors really be ordinary people? Most likely, the majority would be adventurers.
Of course, that wasn't the most terrifying part.
What was truly frightening was that the one who spoke those words might genuinely have the ability to erase seventy percent of humanity.
Having such a thought alone might not be terrifying. What made it horrifying was possessing both the thought and the power to carry it out.
Yet the one most shaken by this was Alfia.
"Zeus, is this really the result of how you raised him?"
When she heard her nephew say those words, Alfia nearly stopped breathing.
Especially when he said, "There is no mutual recognition among humans." At that moment, Alfia almost wanted to slap Zeus twice. Was this the care Zeus had promised her? How did he end up raising the child into this kind of personality?
"…Alfia, calm down first. He's just talking. He hasn't actually done anything like that."
Even as Zeus said this, cold sweat was already soaking his back.
Would Bell really never do such a thing? That assumption felt far too optimistic.
Considering how Bell had consistently refused to form a familia, showing absolutely no trust in others, it wasn't hard to imagine. If this was the Bell they knew, then the idea of erasing seventy percent of humanity probably wasn't empty talk. There was a very real chance he truly had such thoughts.
Alfia said nothing, instead turning her gaze toward Hera.
After thinking for a moment, Hera nodded helplessly.
"If that child had the ability, he really would have such thoughts."
Judging from Bell's personality, his distrust toward adventurers was extremely deep.
That much was obvious from the fact that he was still acting alone even now.
Hera understood the tensions among adventurers very well. In the dungeon, clashes between them were almost inevitable—especially when benefits or profits were at stake.
Hera believed Bell understood this clearly. Perhaps he had witnessed similar scenes during his time as an adventurer, which led him to develop such deep distrust toward them.
"No way."
Hearing even Hera agree with that assessment, Hestia couldn't hold back.
"Bell would never do something like that. At most, he's just saying it out loud. As long as no one crosses Bell's bottom line, he wouldn't go through the trouble of doing something so extreme."
"Bell has never liked killing. He just really hates the behavior of certain adventurers and children of the Genkai."
Hestia went straight to the heart of the matter.
What Bell truly despised was the darkness within adventurers and humans themselves.
The despicable acts of adventurers, bullying the weak, abusing their strength, and robbing others, were all things Bell loathed.
And many of humanity's vile behaviors were hardly any different from those of adventurers.
That was why, from the very beginning, Bell had kept his distance from both adventurers and humans. He never bothered trying to test or probe the depths of someone's heart. To him, that was meaningless.
No matter what was in someone's heart, it didn't matter. He had already chosen to stay far away.
The only people who could stir Bell's sympathy were those who were weak by nature and yet treated cruelly by the world.
For example, Sanjouno Haruhime.
For example, Little Vouivre Wiene.
And those 'Xenos' who hid in the darkness of the dungeon. They had no intention of harming anyone, yet time and time again became victims of persecution.
Toward these pitiful beings, Bell felt compassion and was willing to offer them help.
Because their purity and kindness were instinctive.
But this world was simply too rotten. It never responded to their kindness or goodwill. What it gave them instead was disaster and malice.
In contrast, Bell grew to despise humans and adventurers even more.
Alfia felt a bit more at ease. At least this wasn't the result of Zeus raising him badly.
Only now did she truly look at this petite goddess in front of her.
Clearly, this goddess must have lived together with her nephew.
Or rather, the fact that her nephew, who could reject everything, was still willing to interact with others was probably thanks to this goddess.
'This goddess has had far more influence than Zeus.'
Thinking that, Alfia placed her hands over her lower abdomen and bowed slightly to the small goddess before her.
"Goddess Hestia, my nephew has been in your care. Thank you."
"Eh? Not at all… actually, I'm the one who's been taken care of."
Hestia looked genuinely embarrassed as she said that.
"When I first came down to the Genkai, I didn't even have a single coin. If Hephaestus hadn't helped me out, I probably would've ended up sleeping on the streets."
Thinking back, her situation back then really was miserable.
When she first arrived in the Genkai, she didn't know anything. She didn't even know where to start, so she could only rely on her close friend Hephaestus.
She was supposed to recruit children to form her familia, but things went completely wrong. Before her familia was even established, the children of Orario had already decided it was a dead end. She couldn't recruit even a single member.
Recalling those bleak days, Hestia still felt like crying whenever she talked about them.
Clearly, she was the Familia God, yet from the very beginning, she had been the one receiving help.
"Hmm… this shorty came down to the Genkai just to mooch off others. She stayed at Hephaestus' place the whole time and refused to leave."
Hearing Hestia herself say that, Loki couldn't resist stepping in to stomp on her a bit more.
Starting off completely broke, yet still managing to pull off a winning hand in the end, it really made Loki feel sour just thinking about it.
Is every goddess this unreliable these days? Alfia couldn't help but complain inwardly.
A goddess coming down to the Genkai just to freeload was something she'd never heard of before.
Even though Alfia could sense that this goddess was somewhat unreliable, her nephew had clearly been influenced by her. Otherwise, Alfia was certain his personality wouldn't have turned out this gentle.