That day, upon returning from an expedition full of irregularities and achieving a rank up, the greatest shock of the century struck Lili.
"Geh! Y-You are Liliruca Arde!?"
"Oh? Aren't you... Luan-sama?"
Luan Espel, a former member of the Apollo Familia and a fellow Soma Familia sufferer, hid something behind his back the moment he saw Lili.
Usually, Lili wouldn't get involved in petty illegal goods or troublesome matters. But seeing Luan's expression and riding the high of the omnipotence she felt from ranking up, she approached to forcibly seize the hidden item.
"What on earth are you hiding!?"
"Wait, you... stop it!!"
And then, Lili was astonished by the identity of the item Luan had been hiding.
It was a thin book. The cover featured a drawing of Lili sticking her tongue out like a little devil, and a teary-eyed Bell-sama exposing his upper body.
"Wh-What is thiiiis!!!?"
"Umm..."
While Lili was stunned by the book she seized, Luan tried to sneak away. Using her Level 2 agility, she caught him, dragged him forcefully into a back alley with little foot traffic, and made him spill everything.
"In other words, books depicting Bell-sama doing lewd things with various women are currently being sold in the Pleasure Quarter."
"That's right..."
Even though she was a hated rival from the War Game, being asked such questions by a woman made Luan nod awkwardly.
"And so, Luan-sama bought a book of Lili and Bell-sama doing it..."
"No! That was the only one left, so I had no choice but to buy it! It's not like I bought it because you were drawn in it!?"
"Eeei! No excuses!! The moment you purchased something depicting someone lewdly without permission, Luan-sama became a certified pervert!!"
"Gefu!!!"
Taking Lili's iron fist of rage, Luan collapsed to the ground. Leaving him there, Lili rushed back to the Hearth Mansion to "inspect" the seized book.
"Even so, the art is exquisite, as if cut from a mirror reflection. It's strangely thin unlike normal books... I-I must verify it for future reference."
"Bell-sama, you must be tired from the dungeon exploration. As your supporter, Lili will properly soothe you ♡"
The image of Lili putting her hand on Bell's lower body to "soothe" him upon his return, making the man's thing grow, exuded exactly the "Little Devil Girl" vibe the gods talked about.
Turning the pages, the Lili in the book actively performed acts on Bell-sama that looked like the manifestation of Haruhime-sama's delusions when she's in heat.
"Fufu... If you put Bell-sama's big thing in, Lili might break ♡"
"Awawawa...!!?"
Her voice trembled with sheer embarrassment, but her hand didn't stop turning the pages. She read through to the end in a trance.
"Don't worry. I may look like this, but Lili is older than Bell-sama, you know ♡"
"I've said lines like this, but Lili didn't say them in such a lewd way!!"
"I'm not as big as Hestia-sama, but for a Pallum, I'm on the larger side, you know."
"To be compared to that even in a book! But... Bell-sama looks happy..."
"If Bell-sama's child is made, I will have you take proper responsibility. Papa... ♡"
"You're the one throwing yourself at him, so what are you saying about responsibility, Book-Me!!!?"
Screaming at the version of herself that had turned into a slut on the final page, Lili threw the book aside.
"Uuu... I never imagined a book depicting Bell-sama and Lili like this would be sold. Well, it wasn't... bad."
Calming her heart and head, which were boiling with shame and joy at having physically connected with her beloved (albeit in a book), she confirmed the danger of the situation.
"Even now, somewhere in the Pleasure Quarter, books of Bell-sama doing lewd things with an unspecified number of women other than Lili are being sold."
No, isn't this seriously dangerous? The thought swirled in her head.
Bell-sama is very popular. It makes sense he'd be a model for these books. But what happens if women who like Bell-sama—other than Lili—see this?
They might go crazy with jealousy. Or, like Lili, seeing themselves modeled in a book might blow away their reason, causing them to act out the book's content for real!
"This won't do! Before more of these books circulate, Lili must capture the author!!"
If she caught them, she would confiscate the earnings, obviously. And from now on, she would have them draw books only of Bell-sama and Lili. Ah, but she hated the idea of strangers reading them, so she would keep them for her personal hobby.
Resolving this, Lili hid the lewd book of herself and Bell under her bed so no one would find it, flew out of the Mansion, and ran toward the Pleasure Quarter.