'It seems that "Kokonoe" is just like in the original—Sanjouno Haruhime, who wields this magic, has even greater potential for growth and can take high-ranking Adventurers in the Familia into an entirely new realm.'
After getting this intel from Loki, Bell understood clearly—if Loki Familia was given some time, even a head-on clash with Freya Familia wouldn't leave them at a disadvantage.
Of course, that hinged entirely on whether Sanjouno Haruhime could successfully use her magic.
If the spell failed, Loki Familia would still be one rank below in raw power.
Even if they still seemed a little lacking when facing Freya, they had enough strength to qualify for a true challenge.
'If "Braver," "Nine Hell," and "Elgarm" all reach Level 7 after this expedition, then Freya Familia will be decisively outmatched.'
Their individual power might still fall short, but together, they were more than strong enough.
'Everything is going according to plan.'
Yes, everything was going exactly as planned.
Once Loki Familia reached the level needed to counter Freya Familia, the long-standing power balance in Orario would be shattered—and that would unlock the gateway to the next stage.
'But stepping into the next stage probably won't be smooth.'
Bell knew the biggest hurdle was the Evilus and the Corrupted Spirit-fetus forces lurking in the Dungeon.
With Orario's strength on the rise again, the remnants who had barely survived the Zeus and Hera era wouldn't take kindly to the emergence of another power strong enough to suppress them. Once word got out about Loki Familia's progress, those guys were bound to start stirring.
And that was only natural.
Evilus and the Corrupted Spirits in the Dungeon were obstacles that had to be cleared—non-negotiable conditions for advancing to the next phase.
'No point getting ahead of myself. I need to deal with the problems at this stage before thinking about the next.'
Bell shook his head and closed his notebook.
After a big stretch, his shoulders and body finally relaxed. It was time to get some proper rest before tomorrow's expedition.
He headed for the same room he always used, but just before entering, Bell took a moment to soundproof the interior. Otherwise, the noise inside the house was sure to cause a scene.
"Click!"
Bell pushed the door open and walked in.
The room was pitch black, but as soon as the door opened, voices responded from inside.
"Bell-kun?"
"Bell?"
Hestia and Hephaestus' voices echoed through the dark, sounding a little surprised.
'Are they surprised I suddenly showed up?'
Bell wasn't sure if coming here now was the right move.
He snapped his fingers, and the room instantly lit up. Sure enough, Hestia and Hephaestus were already in their pajamas, clearly having gone to bed.
Bell scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed.
"Did I come at a bad time?"
"I didn't expect you two to already be asleep."
"Of course not."
After the initial surprise, Hestia immediately denied it. Naturally, she wanted Bell-kun to come to their room.
"It's just... Loki suddenly dropped by our place today, so we figured you wouldn't be coming."
"Ah, Loki-sama's presence wasn't really a big issue. I just had to do a bit of soundproofing, and that was enough."
Bell instinctively offered a solution, which caused both Hestia and Hephaestus to blush slightly.
They knew full well they hadn't exactly been quiet, but they had chosen to let loose at home.
Since no one could hear them, there wasn't much reason to hold back.
"Then... then... come on in."
After stammering for a while, Hestia finally let Bell into the room.
Tomorrow was the expedition, and after that, they'd hardly have time to be together—tonight was a moment to cherish.
...
Morning light filtered into the room, waking those with sharp internal clocks.
"Mm... it's morning already..."
Hestia blinked drowsily before slumping back down. Her waist ached terribly—there was no way she could get up right now.
"Expedition... expedition... meow~"
Still groggy, Hephaestus opened her eyes. She remembered what day it was.
Though her body felt just as sore as Hestia's, she still pushed herself up with both hands.
"Hiss~"
Even just sitting up, Hephaestus had to rub her aching waist with both hands.
'Did Bell flip some weird switch or something? Staying up all night right before an expedition...'
Her mind was full of complaints, but her flushed face showed no trace of actual resentment.
'Next time… yeah, next time I need to make that kid hold back a bit.'
A small, contented grumble.
After rubbing her waist for a while, Hephaestus finally got out of bed.
Her children were about to join Loki Familia's expedition, and as their Familia God, she needed to be there to see them off—no time to be dawdling in the room.
After a quick wash in the bathroom, Hephaestus stepped out and saw Hestia still dead asleep on the bed.
"Come on, wake up already! Did you oversleep or what?"
She walked over to the bed, calling Hestia again and again, but the latter was sound asleep. Hephaestus frowned, then yanked the blanket away and gave Hestia's butt a solid smack.
"Smack!"
"Ah!!"
Even before the slap's echo faded, Hestia's scream rang through the whole room.
The pain instantly banished any trace of sleepiness.
"What the hell, Hephaestus?!"
That slap was no joke—Hestia had thought Loki had snuck in to prank her. But when she opened her eyes and saw a fully dressed and composed Hephaestus, her tone turned a little sulky.
"You wouldn't wake up, what was I supposed to do?"
Hephaestus nearly rolled her eyes, opened the wardrobe, pulled out a set of clothes identical to Hestia's usual outfit, and tossed them in front of her.
"Don't forget, today's the expedition."
"Hurry up and get dressed. We're sending off our kids together."
That was when Hestia finally remembered—they had something important to do today.