After Bell left, Asfi and Hermes sat in silence for a long time in the secret chamber.
Only after thirty minutes did Asfi finally speak.
"So, Mr. Cranel has handed us quite a troublesome problem, hasn't he?"
"It certainly is a big problem—but only after we've dealt with those lunatics from Evilus."
Hermes walked to the stone table and tapped it lightly with his fingers.
"It's impressive he managed to secretly make such a map. That child must have explored every corner of Orario. Otherwise, there's no way he could've created something so detailed."
"Doesn't that mean…"
Hermes gave a slight nod, not stopping Asfi's line of thought, because she was likely correct.
"If that child hadn't realized he couldn't handle everything alone this time, he probably wouldn't have exposed the fact that he made a map of Orario."
Hermes believed that with Bell's personality, he would never reveal something like that unless absolutely necessary.
But what truly unsettled him wasn't Bell's knowledge of every Familia and god's movements in Orario—it was his boundless mindset. Just as gods never regret their actions, Bell carried the same kind of thinking, and in some ways, was even more extreme than the gods themselves.
Hermes didn't voice these thoughts. He knew that the first thing a "Hero" must possess is the courage to face the gods without fear. Only someone capable of standing before them without hesitation could truly be called a "Hero."
'So, this is how you intended to raise him, Zeus.'
The more Hermes thought about it, the more it felt like Zeus and Hera had set this all up as part of a grand game of chess. Even though they had already stepped away from the board, the flow of the game was still under their control.
"Whether this is the outcome you wanted or not, the chaos in Orario really is being suppressed—just like before."
Then Hermes paused for a few seconds.
"No… maybe everything is now moving in a direction completely different from what you planned."
With his hands clasped behind his back, he clenched them slightly. He needed time to think about what came next.
...
"Just bring Hermes in directly."
When Bell returned to his Familia, he immediately reported what had happened with Hermes Familia.
His decision surprised the goddesses, especially Hestia.
"I thought you wouldn't choose to bring Hermes in."
"I don't really have a better option. Hermes has deep ties with every god. I even suspect he's connected to the Evilus."
Bell's statement didn't cause much of a reaction—after all, it was Hermes they were talking about, and everyone understood.
"Well, that guy's always been like that. If you told me he had no connection to Evilus, I wouldn't believe it."
Hestia was completely certain that Hermes had been stirring up trouble behind the scenes for Evilus.
Hephaestus nodded in agreement, sharing her view.
"After all, it's Hermes. He's always been a master manipulator. Back in Tenkai, he was constantly at Zeus's side, handling all sorts of errands. That's why we often called him the errand boy or the messenger. When he got involved with those people, they probably assumed Hermes only joined them for the "fun" of it."
"Hmph! Fun? I think they knew exactly what Hermes was thinking—that's precisely why they wanted him to join."
Loki snorted coldly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Hermes gets along with all the gods, and everyone knows he's a fence-sitter, swaying back and forth between both sides. But it's precisely because everyone knows he's two-faced that he seems so important to those people. In the end, it's just mutual exploitation."
"Plus, Hermes is so slick and smooth-talking that he almost never takes a solid stance on anything. That's why Evilus feels comfortable dealing with him—it makes it easier for them to use him to achieve their goals."
Hearing this, Artemis could only shake her head helplessly beside them.
"So that's exactly why I dislike Hermes's attitude."
She understood his behavior, but that didn't mean she agreed with it.
As a god of principle, Artemis valued integrity above all else. That was why she had such distaste for gods who were fickle and opportunistic.
"That's because you're too stubborn, Artemis."
"Hermes isn't purely a fence-sitter. He's actually more principled than most gods. He just likes to act carefree and unserious, but deep down, he knows very well what can be joked about—and what absolutely can't."
Freya didn't quite agree with Artemis's perspective. In her view, Artemis was too rigid, too bound by her own sense of order, which often made her seem distant and unyielding.
Besides, being a fence-sitter wasn't easy. Among all the gods, only Hermes managed to be one without earning everyone's hatred. Everyone knew he was a fence-sitter, and everyone knew he liked to slip away at critical moments. Yet, despite that, factions from different sides still chose to work with him—and that, in itself, was Hermes's true talent.
"But at this stage, Evilus probably won't keep clashing with Hermes, right?"
"Indeed. Given the current situation, Hermes definitely won't continue dealing with the Evilus. However, he has made contact with a few minor gods among them. That's another reason why the surveillance work was entrusted to him."
"So that's why they handed that map over to Hermes?"
Hestia finally understood why Bell had chosen to hand things off when he felt overwhelmed this time.
"Well, you could call it a form of leverage. The list Hermes has is definitely far more extensive than mine. Right now, my focus should be on the Evilus's surface strongholds, and on when those people in the Dungeon begin to move. As for the rest—that's not something I need to worry about."
Sometimes, Bell needed to separate what was important from what was merely secondary.
...
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