MTLNOVEL Chapter 386: A Natural Conclusion
At the moment, Hestia and Hephaestus were having their usual communication.
"Bell-kun, did you know? Everything that happened this morning was pinned entirely on the Evilus."
"Blamed on those guys? Looks like they're not going to have it easy for a while."
"Yeah. Ouranos directly issued an announcement to launch a full assault on the Evilus. Some gods even proposed allowing the killing of Evilus-affiliated gods."
"Killing gods is allowed now? That means the Black Dragon's influence is far more serious than we imagined."
While staying at his temporary base, Bell hadn't expected the Guild to issue such a bold announcement. This basically meant Orario was now at war with the Evilus.
'So... is this Ouranos being biased, or does he truly believe the Evilus have crossed a line and need to be dealt with?'
Bell already knew the answer in his heart.
"Hestia, there's no doubt. Ouranos has chosen to side with us."
"Everything he's done is for the survival of Orario, the gods, and the people of the Genkai. I doubt that ancient god failed to connect the Black Dragon's reaction to me. He's just riding the wave and guiding Orario toward a better future."
Whether that was the truth or not, Bell was already sure of it. Given the mindset of such an ancient deity, there was no question in his mind.
He said with absolute confidence:
"I believe Ouranos has already confirmed that the Black Dragon reacted because of me."
Back in the Familia, Hestia was momentarily stunned by his words.
No way... really?
Seeing her disbelief, Bell went on:
"Loki Familia's expeditions have happened regularly in the past. To Orario, they're nothing unusual."
"But this time, something different happened—namely, the Black Dragon's reaction."
"So, thinking logically, what was added to this usual expedition that caused such an unusual outcome?"
"The answer's obvious. Some special Adventurers were involved."
It was a perfectly reasonable deduction. That's why Bell was sure Ouranos had identified him as the primary cause of the Black Dragon's roar.
This explanation made both Hestia and Hephaestus suddenly understand.
"So that's what it was!"
Now Hestia finally understood why Ouranos had so decisively shifted the blame to the Evilus. It was because from the start, he already knew the Black Dragon's reaction was tied to Bell.
"No wonder Ouranos acted so quickly."
Hephaestus couldn't help but cover her forehead. After hearing Bell's speculation, she understood why Ouranos had reacted that way.
But then another person came to mind.
She remembered how that woman had echoed Loki word for word at the Denatus, immediately seconding Loki's opinion when Ouranos questioned them.
That meant the woman had likely reached the same conclusion as Ouranos.
"Bell, maybe Ouranos isn't the only one at the Denatus who figured this out."
Seeing the slight displeasure on Hephaestus's face, Bell immediately caught on.
"Freya knows too?"
That outcome wasn't particularly surprising to Bell. In fact, there were only a handful of gods in Orario who actually paid attention to him.
The Black Dragon incident had caused a massive stir.
With something that big, the gods were bound to take interest. Naturally, they'd start speculating what triggered the Black Dragon's sudden roar.
And through that logical deduction, all eyes would eventually fall on him.
"Even if the timing is inconvenient, I doubt Freya would do anything troublesome right now."
"She's definitely interested in me, but as long as she sticks to the promise she made last time, it shouldn't be an issue."
At the moment, Freya might still be a significant variable, but her influence on Bell had lessened considerably.
Bell had a fifty-fifty shot against "King Ottar," and avoiding detection wasn't all that difficult.
They really thought Runes were just for show?
Besides, Freya had already made her stance clear—she wouldn't resort to force to win him over.
"Freya hasn't confirmed whether the trait she's seeking actually exists in me, so she's still looking for me. At the very least, she wants to confirm it with her own eyes."
"My combat ability might not be the strongest, but stealth is what I'm best at right now. Trying to find me through normal means is extremely difficult."
Bell wouldn't claim to be the strongest, but when it came to staying hidden, he had countless options.
His Development Ability leaned toward stealth, and with Runes backing him up, staying off the radar wasn't hard at all.
Gods take their promises seriously—what they say isn't just empty talk.
So for now, Freya wouldn't be a problem.
"But I don't think Freya will give up trying to track me down."
"From what I know of her, she'll probably try to use Loki as her entry point."
You nailed it!
Hephaestus twitched slightly at the mouth—it was exactly as Bell had guessed. Freya really was planning to use Loki to break through.
And Bell kept going.
"If I'm right, based on the relationship between Freya and Loki, Loki probably won't give up much."
"But knowing Freya, she'll definitely use some underhanded method to force it out of her."
Freya wasn't some soft, passive goddess—she was someone who dared to challenge the rules of the world.
That power of charm she had? Practically mind control. Not even gods were fully immune.
Otherwise, how could she have played the gods so easily all this time?
Even if she was less of a problem now, Bell would never underestimate her abilities.
"So what do we do?"
"No need to worry too much. Even if Loki-sama gets caught off guard once, she won't fall for the same trick twice. And honestly, whatever she's let slip so far is probably just stuff people could figure out anyway."
Bell offered some reassurance to the worried Hestia.
Even though things were still uncertain, the overall situation was tilted in their favor.
And besides, Bell had full confidence in Loki.
She had a reputation as a trickster goddess—no way would she step into the same trap twice.
That's why, next time, it'd be much harder for Freya to use Loki as her way in.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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