Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

"Pfft!"

Right after the Denatus, Hestia burst into laughter.

"Hahaha~ Those idiots don't even realize they've been played!"

"It was Bell-kun who caused all this, yet in the end, Evilus is taking the fall."

Just thinking about how it turned out made it impossible for her to hold back her laughter.

Only the heavens knew how many times she almost lost it during the meeting when Ouranos announced the verdict.

"Isn't this the best outcome?"

Hearing that, even Hephaestus couldn't help but smile.

This time, everything Bell had done was pinned entirely on Evilus. The Black Dragon situation? All shifted onto them.

"I doubt even Evilus knows what really happened. For all we know, they might actually believe they did it themselves."

"Heh~ Those guys are the type to pull stunts like this anyway. If they're getting blamed this time, they kind of had it coming."

Hestia felt absolutely no guilt about Evilus taking the blame.

They had been scheming underground to overthrow Orario for ages—they were already public enemies. But now, Orario and even the Guild had formally moved to eliminate them.

In truth, Evilus's sins had long been enough for them to be branded Orario's greatest threat.

The only reason they weren't already on the chopping block was because Ouranos hadn't officially issued the order.

But now, that had changed. Ouranos had declared open season on all Evilus gods and Familia.

As long as someone was confirmed to be part of Evilus, they could be killed on sight—even gods.

Of course, there would still be investigations and verification.

But even so, Evilus had become infamous in Orario once again—and this time, it came with a death sentence.

"Now those Evilus freaks better behave, right?"

Hestia didn't think they could move so freely anymore, not with all of Orario gunning for them.

She had worried at first that things might shift toward Bell—but to her surprise, Evilus ended up shouldering everything.

The result left her truly relieved.

"Even if Evilus wanted to keep acting out, they can't now."

Hephaestus's smile held a hint of amusement. Whether Evilus kept stirring trouble wasn't really her concern—the important part was that Bell had come out unscathed.

"Ouranos must've figured out something... but the fact he still chose to side with Bell is a good thing."

"Yeah, it's good... but not the best."

Hestia had her own thoughts and couldn't help feeling uneasy about Ouranos's intentions.

'What if he's planning to put Bell in danger down the line?'

Hephaestus understood that too. But when it came to Ouranos's methods—was there any real way to stop him?

No. She was almost certain there wasn't.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"You heard the conversation between the Black Dragon and Bell. This isn't just about Bell's decision anymore—it's tied to the fate of us gods. Do you think Ouranos would just let Bell make that choice freely?"

"Yeah... I guess so."

Hestia let out a helpless sigh at that answer.

If she had her way, she wouldn't want Bell facing such danger—especially not when he's caught in a game orchestrated by the gods.

Children of Genkai were innocent. A single misstep in this kind of game could cost them their lives.

"Well, at least for now, we can shelve the Evilus mess and the Dungeon trouble."

She finally allowed herself to relax, lying back comfortably on the couch at home.

But moments like this only made her miss Bell being around even more.

Right now, Bell was still on the expedition—and the chaos in the Dungeon wasn't any lighter than what was happening up on the surface.

"It's only when something big blows up that we get these short moments of peace."

Hephaestus also leaned back on the sofa, her face showing a rare touch of ease.

Despite all the usual complaints, she, too, enjoyed this quiet break.

But as the calm settled, a memory suddenly surfaced for Hephaestus—something she'd seen near the end of the Denatus, when she went looking for Loki. She had caught a glimpse of Freya... sitting right next to her.

"Hestia, just now at the Denatus—Loki and Freya were sitting together."

"...!?"

Hestia immediately shot up from the couch, frowning.

"Freya and Loki... sitting together?"

She knew those two had their share of dealings, but never during a divine council—this was the first time they'd actually sat side by side.

"This had to be Freya approaching Loki."

"I think so too. Freya normally wouldn't sit with Loki like that. The only time they'd keep it civil is when nobody's watching—or in this case, when no one can afford to pay attention."

All the gods' focus had been fixed on condemning Evilus.

The Black Dragon's presence was just too overwhelming—it had drawn all the attention. Even usually eye-catching figures like Freya and Loki were subconsciously overlooked.

But Hestia had caught the critical detail.

"If Freya made the move, she's probably trying to dig up info on Bell-kun."

"Most likely."

Hephaestus sighed, feeling the pressure. Freya having her eyes on Bell was nothing short of a nightmare.

Now she understood why Bell was so cautious. Dealing with Freya was like walking a tightrope—one small misstep, and it was all over.

"And with the Black Dragon incident... if Freya's paying attention, she might piece together a connection to Bell."

"After all, it's the first time the Black Dragon's made such a scene in the Dungeon—and it just happens to coincide with Bell's expedition."

"That... can't be..."

Hephaestus wasn't being paranoid—she was thinking practically. If Freya was sharp enough and kept a close watch on Bell, she really could start connecting the dots.

But Hestia didn't want to believe it.

If Freya ever linked Bell to the Black Dragon... she would become the biggest threat they'd ever have to face.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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