Behind the Hermes Familia's annex stood a large tree, its thick branches shading the edge of the rear courtyard wall. It was the perfect spot for members of the Familia to cool off during the summer.
It was also here that Asfi, the captain of Hermes Familia, personally led Bell and Hermes.
"Here? You're telling me there's a hidden room right here?"
Hermes's tone was one of complete disbelief—he clearly couldn't imagine something like that existing in such an obvious place. Bell, however, fully understood why Asfi had chosen it, and even found her reasoning impressive.
After scanning the area a few times, Bell nodded, a faint smile of approval tugging at his lips.
"As expected of 'Perseus.' You've set up so many magical devices to maintain the barrier nodes—confusion fields, perception distortion, mental interference... all just to conceal this workshop's location."
"So this is your true workshop, then."
Asfi blinked in surprise at how accurately Bell had described her setup, though she also caught the praise behind his words.
"Leaving things above ground makes them far too easy to steal. Some items simply shouldn't be stored on the surface—it's much safer underground."
That sentiment resonated deeply with Bell.
"Exactly. I think the same way. I have a concealed workshop within my Familia as well, but when it comes to true secrecy, I built mine below ground too."
"Working in the quiet of an underground workshop helps me focus better. And it's the perfect place to keep items that aren't safe to leave above ground."
"Yes."
Asfi completely understood what he meant. As a developer of magical tools, her greatest fear was that her inventions might fall into the wrong hands. For someone like her, the most important thing was a safe place to store her research and creations.
An underground workshop provided exactly that—a place where she could work in peace.
After all, such a space wasn't merely a storage room. It was a hidden laboratory, a sanctuary for her experiments.
"Let's head down and take a look."
"Please, follow me."
Asfi led the way into her secret workshop.
After passing through the outer barrier, they stepped into a unique illusionary space. Everything within shimmered like a dream—if one strayed from the proper path, the illusions would gently lead them out again.
It was a clever design. Since this was within the Familia's territory, any accidental intruder would likely be one of their own, so there was no need for a deadly defense system. If it were Bell, he might have done something similar.
However, Bell preferred more absolute methods. Rather than relying solely on barriers, he would eliminate the risk entirely—like how he had once relocated his entire Familia to a realm "outside the world," ensuring no one could stumble in by accident.
The internal structure of the barrier impressed him.
"This setup is solid. Basic security is guaranteed. Anyone who wanders inside will have their perception altered by the illusion, and once they step out, their memory of it will be forcibly erased. A rather special kind of barrier."
"Though this space is constructed using magic tools, it's also quite durable. As long as no one looks too closely, it won't be discovered. Still... it could be improved."
The first half of Bell's comment filled Asfi with pride—she had never shown this place to anyone before. But his last words hit like a small sting to her pride.
Even so, she was the type who could admit when she fell short. Her curiosity, however, got the better of her, and she couldn't help but ask:
"What's missing?"
Bell pointed toward the outside.
"Maybe you've already solved the problem of accidental intrusions from within, but it looks like you didn't account for how the barrier appears to those outside. Anyone with magic perception could sense this space."
Asfi froze for a second, then realization struck her. She smacked her palm against her forehead.
"I was so focused on keeping Hermes-sama and the others out of my workshop that I completely forgot—magic barriers are obvious to anyone who can sense mana."
Bell almost couldn't hold back his laughter. She'd gone to such lengths to keep out her own god and Familia members, only to forget about outsiders entirely.
"Well, it's not that big of an issue. Hermes Familia doesn't exactly stand out. Sure, there are always people keeping an eye on you, but none of them seem capable of sensing a magic barrier—otherwise, you'd have been discovered long ago."
"Still, it'd be better to add some protection later, just to avoid problems in the future."
"I understand."
Adding a function like that wasn't difficult for Asfi. A simple reflective spell could easily mislead anyone trying to detect the barrier from outside.
They continued deeper in, soon coming to a stone door beside the massive tree. It was nearly twice the height of a person—and even this door carried a layer of cognitive interference magic.
Bell's eyes flicked briefly toward Asfi's glasses. She really had prepared everything down to the smallest detail.
Asfi placed her hand against the stone door and infused it with her distinct magical energy. A faint blue glow rippled across its surface, followed by the deep grinding of shifting stone. Slowly, the door opened before them.
Beyond it lay a spiraling staircase descending into the earth.
Hermes stood there, utterly stunned, muttering to himself in disbelief.
"There's actually a hidden space like this... and I didn't even know about it..."
This time, Hermes was genuinely shocked. He hadn't even imagined such a thing. His captain had built an entire concealed chamber right beneath the Familia's nose, and she'd kept it secret from him the whole time.
Asfi, leading the way, rolled her eyes and grumbled inwardly.
'Of course I had to hide it from everyone. Otherwise, who knows who might have spilled the secret?'
If Bell hadn't said the thing he wanted to relocate was so important, she never would have revealed this secret room at all.