"It's over."
Loki watched the end of the spectacle with a hint of disappointment.
"I thought you were going to make a real mess of things, but it ended just like that?"
Bell only shook his head lightly.
"There was no need to cause a scene.
"The Ganesha Familia are still standing guard nearby. If things escalated, some of them would've been sacrificed. But that kind of behavior would only earn Ganesha-sama's ire. Rather than expand the situation further, it's better to stop here."
Compared to drawing Ganeshas displeasure, keeping the matter contained to this level was more than enough.
Besides, the message he wanted to spread had already reached far and wide.
With so many people present, it would be easy for the news to sweep across all of Orario.
The Grand Casino had always been under watchful eyes. Now, with someone acting inside its walls—and that someone likely tied to Evilus—this incident was bound to explode across the entire city.
Even the smaller nations beyond Orario would probably lose their minds over it.
"Also, the two of you should keep an eye on that god over there."
Bell pointed toward the god standing by the corner, preparing to leave.
Loki and Freya both turned their gazes in that direction. It didn't take them long to spot him—and to recognize who it was.
"Bell, what about him?"
Freya's tone carried curiosity. How had Dionysus managed to catch Bell's attention?
"That wine god has always carried the Deadly Sin of 'Wrath' within his body."
"!?"
That was explosive news.
Neither Loki nor Freya had expected that one of the "Seven Deadly Sins" Bell was searching for would actually be residing within Dionysus—and that it would be "Wrath."
"Wrath? On Dionysus? What, is that guy some kind of emotional wreck who can't keep himself in check?"
Loki glanced at Freya, but Freya only sighed and shook her head.
"I wasn't close to him back in Tenkai."
"Come on, you know what most gods were like up there."
They were all mad.
Loki didn't even exclude herself from that group—she was one of them, after all.
Most gods in the Tenkai had gone stir-crazy. After billions of years of confinement, hardly any deity could keep their sanity intact. Many resorted to madness and chaos just to find amusement.
"You're right. With so many gods losing their minds up there, it's not surprising Dionysus was one of them."
Honestly, Loki thought she could fit any one of the "Seven Deadly Sins" herself. Dionysus having one wasn't all that strange.
"No, it actually is strange."
Bell's calm rebuttal drew both Loki's and Freya's attention.
"So Dionysus is… different?"
"Yeah…"
Bell paused briefly to organize his thoughts before continuing.
"Take the 'Sloth' within Loki-sama, for example. I only confirmed it after direct contact—when I deliberately tried to probe it."
"Hephaestus's 'Deadly Sin' was the first one I ever encountered. Back then, I just thought those black mists surrounding her were strange and tried to peel them off. It wasn't until I'd completely removed them that I realized it was one of the Deadly Sins."
"But things are different when it comes to mortals in Genkai."
"Liliruca Arde's 'Greed' and Dix Pérdix's 'Gluttony' were both easy for me to detect."
"So you saw Dionysus's 'Wrath' immediately?"
Seeing that Loki-sama had caught on, Bell nodded slightly.
Then, raising his hand, he projected the vision he had seen earlier for the two goddesses to witness.
A shimmering image formed in the air, showing the scene where Dionysus had stood moments ago.
The image was divided down the middle—one half in color, the other in black and white—splitting Dionysus perfectly in two.
Though the same face appeared on both sides, the colored half looked calm and normal, while the black-and-white side was hideously warped, twisted into something almost monstrous.
The sight startled both Loki and Freya.
"This... is what you saw just now?"
"Yes."
"His inner self is that twisted?"
Loki didn't doubt Bell's vision, but she never imagined Dionysus could have such a horrifying side hidden beneath his usual demeanor.
Freya remained silent for a moment before an idea seemed to dawn on her.
"Bell... have you been keeping an eye on Dionysus for a while now?"
Bell didn't deny it.
"Yes. But my initial attention toward Dionysus wasn't because I had noticed the 'Great Sin' on him."
"In fact, before I acquired the 'Seven Deadly Sins' Skill, I wasn't even capable of seeing the 'Wrath' within Dionysus. This is the first time I've formally witnessed that vision."
"You'd been watching Dionysus all along?"
Loki hadn't expected Bell to have set his sights on Dionysus so early.
"Dionysus's Familia isn't particularly famous in Orario, and the Familia he built isn't strong either—their top member is only around Level 3."
Though Freya didn't speak up, her eyes held the same curiosity.
Bell fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"I first noticed Dionysus when I saw him using his divine wine to bewitch his own Familia members—then transferring their devotion to other gods."
"!?"
Loki's eyes widened.
Holy crap.
She turned toward Dionysus's image in the projection, utterly stunned. She'd completely misjudged him—never in her wildest imagination would she have thought Dionysus capable of such a trick.
To convert his own children to other gods' names? If that wasn't part of some deeper plot, Loki would sooner cut off her own head.
"Didn't think that bastard could fool even me!"
Loki clenched her jaw, realizing Dionysus had played her like a seasoned actor.
"I ran into Dionysus while investigating the monsters created by the Spirit. Back then, he claimed he was also looking into the truth behind those creatures. He even wept—said his children had been killed, and that strange, vividly colored Magic Stones were found at the scene."
Even now, Loki remembered thinking Dionysus had simply lost control of his emotions. She hadn't realized just how literal that loss of control might have been.
But now, everything was clear.
There was only one person in all of Orario capable of orchestrating such things from the shadows—and stirring up this level of chaos.
...
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on P@treon.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
[email protected]/PinkSnake