After briefly recounting his encounter with Ais today and explaining what he had been working on, Bell carried Loki into the bathroom.
Only after they shed their clothes and sank into the hot water did Loki slowly sort through everything that had happened.
"So that's how it is. That kid's situation really is a mess."
Once Loki understood, a headache followed. She hadn't expected Ais to get herself into this state the moment she looked away.
"No wonder you said she's walking down a path of self-destruction. If she keeps this up, she really won't be far from destroying herself."
Loki naturally understood the limits of adventurer growth.
Regarding Raul, she fully agreed with Bell's analysis. Even if Raul managed to push his ability values past the 500 standard at Lv.5, progressing beyond that was nearly impossible. "Reaching Lv.5 is already the peak that kid can reach on his own."
"He might still grow a bit at Lv.5, but when it comes to Lv.6… he basically has no room left."
To Loki, Raul's true ceiling was Lv.5.
So why did he have the qualifications for Lv.6 now? That was entirely because Bell had scripted it—pulling punches, leveraging Authority, forging Rune Stone. Without those conditions, Raul never would have gotten a ticket to Lv.6.
Honestly, Loki wouldn't be surprised if Raul didn't even have the qualifications to approach Lv.6.
This thought made Loki sigh.
"If that brat can't even reach the 500 threshold, that's even crueler than being stuck below Lv.6 forever."
That would be the Falna System outright pointing at Raul's nose and saying, "You, a nobody, think you deserve Lv.6?"
And Loki's worry wasn't unreasonable. Given Raul's situation, things really could turn out that humiliating.
Bell, sitting beside her, scooped hot water into his hands and splashed his face, clearing his mind a little.
After a calm breath, instead of responding to Loki's words, he simply looked at her.
Steam drifted through the bath, but Loki's silhouette under the water was still clearly visible, her skin flushed red from the heat.
And right now, lost in thought and still pitying Raul, she seemed completely unaware of her own appearance.
In this moment, she almost looked… motherly.
"Huh? You…"
When she didn't hear Bell reply for a long moment, Loki turned—and caught him staring straight at her.
That made her tense up instantly. She instinctively used her hands to shield her submerged body.
"We're talking business. What are you staring at?"
She tried to sound serious, but her tone carried an unmistakable hint of sulking.
"Nothing."
Bell chuckled and looked away. Knowing Loki's thin skin, he didn't dare keep staring, or she really might explode.
"Back to the topic."
Only after feeling his gaze move did Loki let out a quiet breath. Being stared at like that was too much for her to handle.
"So—you talked that long with Ais, even made plans to meet her tomorrow. Have you figured out how you're going to trick her?"
"How can you call it 'tricking'?"
Bell straightened with all the dignity of a righteous man, as if deception had never crossed his mind.
"I only want to give that 'Sword Princess' a bit of mental stimulation. Without nurturing her spiritual growth, expecting her to speed up her future development is nothing more than wishful thinking."
"That child… if no one guides her, she really might walk straight into madness."
At that, Loki's expression tightened with genuine worry.
A desire for strength that intense could indeed accelerate growth—but the direction that growth took would be pure destruction.
"Bell, I have only one request. Don't break my Ais-tan."
"Don't worry."
Bell gave Loki a reassuring look.
"No matter what, she's the key to my ascent to Lv.9. I won't let anything happen to her."
"The push I'm giving her is only to help her grow faster. She's still young… but my time isn't."
If Bell weren't short on time, he could have used far gentler methods to guide Ais's growth—steadier methods that would let her develop more completely.
Unfortunately, he no longer had the luxury of waiting for Ais to grow at her natural pace.
So he could only press the accelerate button.
"Are you sure she won't break down during this kind of growth?"
Loki's worry wasn't baseless, and Bell understood that.
"No need to worry."
"The Falna System enhances gently. It's nothing like my power, which grows rapidly and violently. As long as Ais only touches the Falna System, she won't go insane in the process."
Bell wasn't concerned about Ais's growth at all. As long as he corrected her direction, her development would proceed without issue.
Of course, if Bell wanted to push Ais even faster, he could take measures that would certainly shatter her.
And precisely because the consequences were so severe, Bell had rejected that path outright.
If Ais really did break down… Loki would definitely glare him to death on the spot.
Loki rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm telling you to be careful. Don't let your power rub off on her."
"Just because you're unaffected doesn't mean everyone else will be. I don't believe anyone could be unaffected by that power."
In truth, after seeing Dionysus and Thanatos corrupted, Loki already understood—Bell's power could influence any mortal or god.
"…But your power really is strange. When it was inside me, it barely affected me. Even Hephaestus only had some facial… issues. But the moment it returns to you—when you hold it—its corruption becomes overwhelming."
Bell didn't deny it.
From the beginning, he had suspected the "Seven Deadly Sins" possessed strong corruptive properties, which was why he'd been so careful when first facing "Envy."
Who would've thought that while lodged inside someone, the power behaved itself, but once back in his hands, it completely unleashed.
"I'm not entirely sure either. I'll figure it out eventually."
"But for now… shouldn't we be thinking about something else?"
Saying this, Bell pulled Loki close.
Meeting the desire in Bell's eyes, Loki's breath hitched instantly.