After offloading the most troublesome surveillance tasks, Bell's workload dropped sharply, giving him much more time for daily training.
The ground-level strongholds in Orario were now his main concern. Yet those were also the easiest to locate.
By simply investigating the city's commercial district, it became clear which shops lacked Familia backing yet remained untouched by local thugs—those were unmistakably Evilus bases. Of course, those shops were just the surface. The real strongholds were hidden in nearby warehouse-like buildings.
Over the next half month, Bell methodically inspected every single site.
In total, he uncovered thirty-four Evilus strongholds across Orario's surface, spaced at almost equal intervals. Each one was packed with Fire Stones.
Once he confirmed the contents, Bell's earlier suspicions solidified.
"Those bastards are planning to blow a hole straight through Orario."
They weren't even considering their own survival. It was a full-blown suicide plan.
The reason, however, came to Bell almost instantly.
"Evilus has been cornered. They're ready to throw everything away."
It wasn't hard to see why.
Since his arrival in Orario, Bell had struck at them directly and indirectly more times than he could count. After so many defeats, it was only natural for them to lose control and lash out.
Evilus was now standing on the very edge of madness.
"Looks like they've reached their limit."
Bell was certain they'd been pushed as far as they could go. Their next move was inevitable.
"Tsk. I thought we could stall them longer, but this is it."
"Good thing we've already mapped out every surface stronghold. Next, we just need to seize everything inside."
"The Dungeon side still hasn't made a move. We'll have to keep waiting a bit longer."
Taking the initiative was the right choice—but acting now would drag the battle to the surface. And once fighting broke out in the city, the chaos would be impossible to contain.
So even though Bell knew Evilus was right at its breaking point, he had to hold back.
Still, a trace of irritation stirred within him. Maybe it was the tension of an approaching war.
But Bell forced himself to calm down.
Sitting beneath a tree in the courtyard, he drew in deep breaths of air rich with spiritual energy. As the cool oxygen filled his lungs, the agitation in his chest slowly faded.
"Darling."
After Bell's mind regained its composure, the familiar voice prompted him to open his eyes.
The goddess before him, whose eyes and brows always carried a gentle smile, gave Bell a bright, energetic feeling. The affection hidden deep within her gaze didn't seem nearly as casual as she liked to claim.
"Not resting in your room at this hour? Out here sunbathing instead?"
Though this alternate space was cut off from the world, its internal weather conditions perfectly mirrored those outside. When he first arrived in Orario, it had been spring. Now, half a year had passed. The nights had grown cold, yet by noon, the sun still blazed fiercely, pushing outdoor temperatures past thirty degrees Celsius—it was, frankly, a bit too hot.
Bell had been training and thinking. Standing beneath the sun allowed him to release both his physical tension and his emotions.
"Seeing you looking downcast, darling, I thought I'd come see if there was an opportunity to take advantage of your vulnerability."
A hint of resignation crossed Bell's face. This goddess's heart was pure, yet she had a knack for saying the most startling things.
He ignored the topic of "taking advantage" and smoothly shifted the conversation.
"You could tell something like that?"
"I thought I'd hidden it well enough."
Artemis smiled, unable to resist teasing him.
"Darling, your thoughts are still far too easy to read."
"Lately, work's been overwhelming. We keep finding those troublemakers' hideouts and waiting for their next move, so I guess I'm just getting impatient."
She jogged over and sat beside him, bracing her hands on the ground as her eyes locked with his. The distance between them shrank to barely twenty centimeters...
After thirty seconds of silent staring, Artemis was the first to give in.
"Sigh... Who knew you'd recover so quickly, darling? Just a few dozen seconds, and you've already calmed yourself down."
Bell could only smile helplessly.
"It's merely a habitual protective coloration."
"Protective coloration? Do you still need something like that at your level of strength?"
Artemis tilted her head, clearly puzzled.
Though Darling hadn't yet reached the level of the gods, even now he surpassed the heroes of the divine age—perhaps even exceeded them. Yet he still carried the cautious instincts of his weaker days? That seemed unnecessary.
"Hmm... Well, you could say it's an adaptive mechanism humans have developed over generations. It might sound impressive, but it's really just a way to lick one's wounds in silence."
At some point, Bell had grown used to keeping his troubles to himself, never sharing them with anyone. Maybe that was his protective color—or perhaps just a habit left over from his previous life.
"I don't like showing my vulnerable side. I don't like letting others see me at my worst. I'd rather not make people worry."
Sure enough, after Bell said that, Artemis's adorable cheeks puffed up in protest.
"Seriously, darling, you're being too formal."
"Ah... it's not about being formal. It's just a habit. You're the same, aren't you? There are times when you wouldn't want me to see your embarrassing side."
"No way!"
Artemis clearly didn't believe she had an embarrassing side. She was confident that every version of herself was worthy of admiration.
"I can accept you seeing any side of me, darling."
She said it with full confidence, but Bell only rolled his eyes.
"That's because you haven't experienced an actually embarrassing moment yet."
Artemis playfully stuck out her tongue.
Seeing her like that, Bell couldn't help but relax. His mood, little by little, lightened.