CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402: DRAG HERMES INTO THIS

"Shorty, how do you and Hephaestus feel about it?"

"Authority?"

"What else could it be? When you both were in Tenkai, did you freely use your authority?"

"Um... no. My authority is over holy fire, but I don’t really use it. It’s useless in daily life—no need for that kind of fire just to cook."

Loki stared at the shorty with a strange look.

Only now did she realize this shorty used her authority in Tenkai just to build a fire. Could a god really use his authority like that? It sounded crazy.

Hestia thought for a moment, then looked to Hephaestus.

"I remember you once asked me to use holy fire to forge your weapon, Hephaestus. That was the only time I used my authority."

"Ah, that time. I rarely used Authority—I wanted to see if Hestia’s holy fire could help me forge a better weapon."

"And? Did it work?"

Loki was curious—but Hestia and Hephaestus shook their heads.

"Even though we used our powers, the weapon I forged didn’t exceed past limits. It only matched the highest quality achievable before."

It wasn’t a breakthrough—just on par with past top results. Hephaestus was disappointed.

"The goddess of the hearth and the god of craftsmanship and even together you couldn’t surpass the limit?"

Loki didn’t expect that. It seemed Tenkai heavily restricted Authority.

The holy flame the shorty wielded was Eternal—not comparable to a god of fire’s flame Authority.

Eternal Flame is the highest level of Authority. It can burn a god until the shorty is satisfied, if he wants.

Hephaestus’s forging Authority is also top-tier—her skills rank among the best even in Tenkai.

Together, two gods still couldn’t improve the weapon’s quality. So bizarre.

It meant Tenkai not only suppresses Authority, it also limits what combinations of Authority can achieve.

’So that’s the answer.’

Loki sighed, having reached the conclusion.

"It seems we gods aren’t nobler than the children of Genkai. We’ve even lost our freedom—we exist only to serve a purpose."

It was an extreme answer, but the only one possible now.

Considering the Black Dragon, Bell’s words, and Bell’s insight on the three great quests—which mirror the gods’—perhaps gods are just tools for the Mother of the World to push boundaries.

Only tools fit the world’s rules.

If you can’t transcend, even gods get reshuffled and reset.

It’s not reincarnation—it’s endless testing until someone passes the world’s trial and brings the world forward. Otherwise, gods are doomed to be remade repeatedly.

What a terrifying answer.

What a terrifying reality.

"It seems that way."

Hephaestus shrugged, clearly unconcerned.

"Hephaestus, don’t you care at all?"

"About that? I really don’t see the point in wasting time pondering how gods are born or why we exist. Only someone like you, Loki, would be interested in something like that."

She genuinely had no interest in such matters.

Questions like the origin of the world or how the gods were created only appealed to those with a strong sense of curiosity. Most gods didn’t bother questioning their own existence—it was simply a waste of time.

"Everyone already knows we were created by a higher being. As for why we were created, even if we tried to figure it out, we’d never get an answer. Still, there’s now one simple and direct theory to consider."

Hephaestus pointed to Bell on the screen. For once, Loki was silent.

Fine, she had to admit—this kid Bell might actually be their hope for breaking free of control. If he could overcome the trials set by the world, the gods might no longer have to worry about being reshuffled.

"So, should we give Ouranos a heads-up? Between the Black Dragon and the world reshuffling, things are getting pretty serious. That kid could probably use some backing, right?"

The question made both Hephaestus and Hestia pause and think, until Hestia finally spoke up.

"No, we’re not telling Ouranos. But we can drag Hermes into this."

The first part made Loki freeze for a second. The second part, however, made her face twitch uncontrollably.

"Shorty, I didn’t think you could be this ruthless."

Hermes, as the messenger god, had always been the one passing messages around. The previous information about Bell’s connection to Zeus and Hera had also come from him, so he clearly had some ties with the two gods outside Orario.

Among the gods, Hermes was firmly in the neutral camp and had stayed that way consistently.

Even though Shorty had already somewhat roped Hermes into things before, this time the secret involved the future of the entire world and the gods themselves. Wasn’t this just cornering that neutral weirdo?

And if Hermes knew, wouldn’t that mean Ouranos would know too, at least indirectly?

Maybe even Zeus and Hera beyond Orario would catch wind of it through Hermes. Yet Hestia showed no guilt whatsoever, even puffing out her chest like it was only natural.

"He’s Hermes. It’d be a waste not to use him. He was already on our side last time—this is just making his allegiance a bit more solid."

"...Fair enough."

On this point, Loki completely agreed with the shorty.

She wasn’t going to play the intermediary herself, but Hermes was perfect for the job. Plus, the messenger had full clearance to come and go from Orario without all the red tape, and not even the Guild could stop him.

Getting Hermes involved really was the best option.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

[email protected]/PinkSnake