After twitching her lips a few times, Loki responded with clear irritation.
"I'm just thinking that Orario hasn't been safe lately. I need to find a secure place to stay."
"Ah! So it really is because of that bandit logic of yours!"
If it had only been a guess before, now Hestia was nearly certain that Loki wanted to butt in for exactly that reason.
Her reaction left Loki feeling incredibly frustrated.
'Why does this shorty always know exactly what I'm thinking?'
And Hestia, as if reading Loki's expression perfectly, continued with a cold snort.
"Hmph! You only ever talk about serious things in such a flippant tone when you're lying."
With just a single sentence, she exposed Loki's "true intentions."
Despite always bickering with Loki, Hestia wasn't clueless. She could tell better than anyone else when Loki was being genuine or when she was full of it.
After all, Hestia was one of the top social players in Tenkai. Even those gods with the worst social skills managed to get along well with her. Even Zeus, Hera, and Hades had solid relationships with her.
In a way, Hestia's social skills were truly exceptional.
It didn't matter what kind of god it was—very few ever ended up on bad terms with Hestia.
That had a lot to do with her naturally disarming personality and her unintentional ability to see through the facades of other gods.
If it were anyone else getting close, people might wonder what they were up to.
But when it was Hestia, there was no need to overthink—she was either there to hang out, grab a meal, or just make a friend. That was Hestia, plain and simple.
Because of that, she'd built up a massive social circle in Tenkai, especially among the goddesses.
In fact, if she really wanted to, Hestia could probably grow her Familia in no time.
After all, the first step to building a powerful Familia was having a leader with strong connections.
But because she'd fallen straight into Bell's lap at the start, her Familia had never really had the chance to expand.
Right now, Hestia was glaring at Loki with clear displeasure.
"If you're here because of that ridiculous bandit logic, then you'd better leave."
"No way!"
Loki rejected that idea without a second thought.
"We agreed that our plan would kick off during the expedition, and I need to monitor how it progresses. I'm not going anywhere until our kids are back from it."
"Don't you have a 'Projection Device'? And don't your kids carry 'visual capture devices'? You can see everything from your place, can't you?"
"That only lets me see what my kids see. What about yours? You think that brat's going to move around with mine the whole time?"
"Humph..."
Loki's retort made Hestia puff up her cheeks—because she was right.
The key to this plan wasn't Loki's children; it all hinged on the one executing it—Bell.
If they wanted to see the full scope of this expedition, then staying inside Hestia's Familia and watching everything unfold firsthand was the only way.
Seeing how things had escalated, Bell had no choice but to step forward.
"Loki-sama is only staying here during the expedition."
"On one hand, Orario really hasn't been safe lately. Loki Familia is setting out tomorrow, and most of their forces will be gone. That means their home will be basically undefended."
"On the other hand, it's because of the agreement we made with Loki-sama. Most of the responsibilities for the plan fall on me, which is why I went to install a spatial portal in her room. A lot of the more secretive aspects of this plan aren't suitable for the rest of Loki Familia to see."
Of course Hestia already knew all of this.
Bell and Loki had laid out a plan to aim for "Lv. 7." This expedition was meant to create the opportunity for three of Loki Familia's children to reach that milestone.
The plan was critical, and it needed to be executed under the radar—so it really did make sense to isolate Loki.
"Hmm... fine, fine."
Knowing the real reason Loki was staying made it easier to accept, even if it still rubbed Hestia the wrong way.
"But only during the expedition. Once it's over, Loki—you're moving back."
"We'll see."
Loki smiled breezily and waved it off with a half-hearted reply.
Please—if living here turns out to be this comfortable, why bother heading back to the old place? Spending the night here, same as Hephaestus, sounded way more appealing.
Of course, she wasn't about to say that out loud. Not now, at least—not when it would stir up trouble.
"I'm going to find a room. Hey, kid—make sure you link the spatial coordinates to my room later."
With that, Loki strolled off like she owned the place, casually searching for a room she liked.
Watching her go, Hestia didn't look happy at all.
"Ugh! Don't tell me she's planning to stay here forever!"
"What do you think?"
Hephaestus gave a slight shake of her head. It's easy to invite a god in—sending them away? That was another matter.
"She's always like that. Unless you block her from the start, she'll find a way to sneak in."
"She's not blind. Compared to this place, 'Twilight Manor' is nowhere near as nice. Her kids can't be around to protect her all the time, but here? This place is a natural safe zone. Think she'll pass up the chance to hide out here when things go bad?"
At that, Hestia's face puffed up in anger.
But Bell gently shook his head.
"Hestia, I don't think Loki-sama will come over that often."
"When she saw you and Hephaestus just now, she froze—then shuddered. I don't think she wants to be stared down by you all the time."
"Hmm… ohhh~"
Hestia immediately caught on to Loki's earlier reaction. She proudly stuck out her chest and grinned smugly.
"So she knows her place after all. She's well aware I'll tease her if she shows up around here."
"Heh—let's see if she dares come back after the expedition. If she does, I'll be sure to bring up her figure a few more times."
At that moment, Hestia's smile took on a sly, mischievous edge.