The Tower of Babel, thirtieth floor.
Gods who delighted in commotion gathered in one place.
This was not Bell Cranel's naming ceremony, but a hearing convened by certain gods to raise their objections.
The boy had reached Lv.2 in just half a month. Before the uproar from that feat had even settled, he welcomed another level up.
To the gods, this could no longer be described as simply breaking records. It was an unprecedented event, something never seen before and unlikely to ever be repeated.
"That Little Rookie is definitely suspicious. He must be investigated thoroughly!"
A male god shouted loudly.
What answered him was a chorus of careless laughter.
"He's obviously just jealous of that kid…"
"Wow… that resentment is intense…"
"Y-You—what are you saying?! That boy is definitely problematic!"
The male god snapped, his face flushing red.
"Speaking of which, yesterday, with all that Valentine's Day atmosphere, I saw you confess to the flower shop girl. You got rejected, didn't you?"
Hephaestus stood firmly on Bell's side and mercilessly exposed the male god's embarrassing past.
"How could you have seen that?! No, that's a made-up rumor!"
"Huh? Is it really true?"
"Hahaha, what a shame. I didn't get to see that scene myself."
The male god's attack was effortlessly dismantled. He slumped back into his seat and gave up on defending himself.
"It's not just Astraea. Even Artemis has become the Little Rookie's lover."
"I really want to ask her what she was thinking…"
"Isn't Artemis here? Why not ask her directly?"
"Huh? You're kidding, right? Why haven't I seen her?!"
"There. Over there."
Amid the quiet chatter, the gods shifted their gazes.
What they saw was a goddess dressed in an unusual way.
Completely sealed off.
That was the first word that came to everyone's mind.
Artemis wore a hood and a mask. Her long blue hair was tied up, and her clothes were wrapped tightly around her body, not a single inch of skin exposed.
"That's Artemis?!"
If no one had pointed her out, no one would have connected her to the pure and noble Moon Goddess. Instead, they would have taken her for some slightly unhinged god.
"E-Everyone… hello."
Artemis greeted them.
Even with the mask covering her face, the Moon Goddess's clear, captivating voice was completely unaffected.
"It really is Artemis…"
"W-What on earth happened?!"
"Why has Artemis become like this?!"
The once dignified and graceful Moon Goddess was now so conscious of others' gazes.
In everyone's memory, whenever Artemis attended gatherings, she would always step forward to shield the goddesses from idle gossip. She would imitate Athena, striking back at frivolous remarks and maintaining order.
The Artemis of today was something the gods could hardly imagine.
Hestia sat beside Artemis and whispered in a voice only she could hear.
"Mm… if you're that shy, you really shouldn't have come to Denatus…"
"Hestia, you're the one who begged me to come, remember?"
Artemis complained softly.
She had never wanted to attend Denatus in the first place. It was obvious that her romance with the young man would become the center of discussion.
Artemis had only just tasted the sweetness of love. How could she possibly endure such a humiliating scene?
But Hestia had said that the purpose of this Denatus was to discuss the doubts surrounding Bell's promotion. She couldn't possibly handle the curiosity of the gods on her own.
Moved by Hestia's pleading, and because she cared deeply about the boy, Artemis changed her mind and came to Denatus fully armed.
After the wave of shock passed, what followed was the goddesses' playful laughter.
"Artemis, tell us, what were you thinking?!"
"I was just saying Artemis would definitely deal with Little Rookie, and it turns out she did it… in bed?!"
"So how far did you two go… holding hands? Kissing? Don't tell me you crossed that forbidden line?!"
"If Aphrodite hears about this, she'll definitely come running to find you!"
"Don't be so shy, hurry up and tell us…"
The goddesses' questions and laughter completely drowned Artemis out.
She sat stiffly in her seat, her cheeks burning with heat.
Whenever kissing was mentioned, memories of last night flashed through her mind, making her heart pound wildly.
If it weren't for Bell, she would have fled this place long ago.
"Teasing Artemis too much isn't a good idea."
Freya spoke softly.
She looked around at the noisy goddesses, as if stepping in to rescue the blushing Artemis.
"Um…"
"Sorry, Artemis. We got a little carried away."
Under Freya's queenly, icy gaze, the goddesses realized they had gone a bit too far.
These topics were fine to talk about in private, but discussing them in front of so many gods was far too cruel for Artemis.
"But seeing Freya like this is a relief. At least someone isn't interested in talking about romance."
The goddesses smoothly shifted the topic.
"Exactly. You're the Goddess of Beauty, yet you're so close to Artemis. If you keep this up, Ishtar's jealousy is only going to grow."
"Is that so… I've never considered her a rival."
Freya replied coolly as the image of the absent Ishtar crossed her mind.
Among the goddesses of beauty, Freya was the most unusual.
Despite possessing the powerful [Charm], she kept it sealed away, never using her power of her own accord.
Freya remained true to her personal ideals, becoming an exceptionally rare Goddess of Beauty who possessed [Chastity].
Because of that, her relationship with the Three Great Virgin Goddesses was actually better than that of other goddesses of beauty.
It was precisely this cold restraint and aloof dignity that drew Ishtar's envy.
Ever since their days in Tenkai, Ishtar had regarded Freya as her rival.
Freya, however, paid it no mind.
As long as the other party did not interfere with what she cherished, that jealousy was nothing more than tedious noise.
"It feels like the conversation has drifted into rather delicate territory."
Hermes let out a soft chuckle before speaking.
"Why don't we get back to talking about Bell-kun?"
"Bell-kun… Has even the usually neutral Hermes Familia changed its stance?"
Dionysus pointed out Hermes's choice of words, wearing the same easy smile.
"How could that be? I'm quite neutral, Dionysus. If anything, it sounded like you had some strong opinions about Bell Cranel just now."
Hermes narrowed his eyes slightly, as though trying to read the other's true intentions.
"I was just speaking casually. My Familia members are waiting for me down below, so I'd like to leave here a bit earlier."
Dionysus shrugged, his expression showing no hint of suspicion.
His words drew nods of agreement from the surrounding gods.
Hermes did not continue probing and instead spoke up.
"Then next, let's discuss the matter of Bell Cranel's level up."