Ishtar's anger was palpable in the main hall of her home. Sitting on her throne, surrounded by her Amazons, she contemplated the recent events with barely contained rage.
— "Haruhime ran away. Customers fled because of the explosions, and now my authority is being questioned," she said in an icy tone. "How did the intruder know about this spell? Who dared to defy my house?!"
Her Amazons remained silent, hesitant to answer. It was then that Samira, one of Ishtar's most loyal warriors, spoke.
— "My goddess, the intruder destroyed Bell's room in his escape. From my observations, Bell was in his room at the time of the explosion. He must be buried under the debris."
Ishtar frowned, her eyes blazing with suspicion.
— "Bell Cranel… that rabbit seemed promising. If he really is dead, it is a regrettable loss." She turned to her Amazons. "Check if his body is really under the rubble. I want to be sure."
The Amazons nodded and went to carry out his orders.
Meanwhile, at Hestia's house, Bell was explaining the details of his escape to Hestia and Lili, while looking at Haruhime, who seemed nervous.
— "For now, Haruhime is not to go out," Bell said seriously. "Ishtar's Amazons will search the city. If they sense her blessing, they will find her immediately."
— "What can we do?" Hestia asked, concerned.
— "She needs to change her blessing," Bell replied. "If she accepts, I think she could join your family. It will confuse the issue and Ishtar will not be able to track her as easily."
Haruhime, moved by the proposal, nodded shyly.
— "I… I would be honored to join your family," she whispered.
As he got up to leave, Haruhime suddenly came over and hugged him.
— "Thank you, Bell-sama… for everything."
Bell blushed slightly, but he returned a friendly pat on the back.
— "Stay here and be careful. I'll make sure they don't find you."
As night fell, Bell, dressed in his usual dark attire, slipped back into the pleasure quarters. Through Ethereal Vision, he observed the guards and Amazons patrolling the remains of his room.
Taking advantage of a moment of inattention, he entered the area, using The Rise to lift pieces of debris. Some of the blocks were heavy, and despite his increased strength, he struggled to move them.
A metal beam suddenly slid down, partially crushing him. Bell winced, feeling a sharp pain in his arm. But he knew he had to keep going.
He found a large enough cavity under the debris and slipped into it, taking care to cover himself with dust and rubble to give the impression of being a corpse. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, feigning unconsciousness.
Moments later, a group of Amazons arrived on the scene, led by Samira.
— "Start clearing. We need to know if Bell's body is here," she ordered.
They began to remove the debris, bringing their search for Bell's hiding place dangerously close. Every movement caused the rubble to crack, sending shards of stone and wood all around.
Bell stood still, praying that his plan would work. If he could convince them that he was between life and death, Ishtar would have no reason to suspect him anymore.
— "I think I see something!" said one of the Amazons.
They intensified their efforts to free the "body" from beneath the rubble, unaware that it was in fact alive and ready to carry out the next phase of its plan.
Chapter 45: Ishtar's Doubts and Aisha's Thoughts
Sitting on her throne, Ishtar pondered the recent events. Although Samira had claimed that Bell was under the rubble, a suspicion lingered in her mind.
— "If he wasn't the intruder, then who could be bold enough to infiltrate my home and steal Haruhime?" she whispered.
She knew that Bell had demonstrated extraordinary strategic potential. "But a Level 2 boy? No, impossible," she repeated to herself to reassure herself. Still, one doubt remained: "If his body had not been found, I could have been certain that he was the intruder."
Meanwhile, Aisha was returning from the pleasure district after observing the damage caused by the explosions. She knew deep down that Bell was behind this escape. Relief flooded her when she heard rumors confirming that Haruhime had disappeared, a sign that Bell had accomplished his mission.
But her relief was short-lived when she spotted a group of Amazons milling around the rubble of Bell's old room. Driven by curiosity, she approached to investigate.
— "What's going on here?" she asked calmly.
Lena, one of the Amazons, answered:
— "We found Bell's body under the rubble. He is alive but injured."
This revelation made Aisha frown. "How could he handle such a complex situation while faking his own death?" she thought, impressed.
Samira, after freeing Bell, checked his pulse and confirmed:
— "He's breathing. He's alive, but he's suffered some injuries."
A mixture of reactions were heard among the Amazons. Tiamat, who had always liked Bell, let out a sigh of relief.
— "I knew that boy had a strong will," she whispered with a smile.
Others, however, saw this as an opportunity to "play" with their prey again, while a minority growled, disappointed that he had survived.
Samira picked Bell up and carried him to the infirmary, closely followed by Aisha and a few other Amazons.
Ishtar herself visited the infirmary after hearing that Bell had survived. Standing by his bed, she observed his sleeping face.
— "So you weren't the intruder," she murmured, half-relieved, half-disappointed. "But you're still alive, and that's what matters. As long as you're breathing, I can still use it to counter Freya."
After a while, Ishtar left the room, leaving Bell under the care of the healers.
Later, when the Amazons had left the infirmary, Aisha quietly returned. She sat next to Bell, watching him silently.
His thoughts raced as he took in her sleeping features.
— "How could you orchestrate such a meticulous plan, Bell?" she whispered. "I knew you were a strategist, but not to this extent."
She felt her heart beat faster with every moment. This boy, who she had first seen as a simple, somewhat naive adventurer, turned out to be a brilliant manipulator, capable of outwitting even the gods.
— "There's more to you than meets the eye, Bell Cranel," she thought with a strange admiration.
As she sat there in soothing silence, she realized that she was waiting for him to wake up not only to hear his explanation, but also to be at his side, as an ally, and perhaps more.
Chapter 46: Awakening and Revelations
Morning was slowly breaking over the pleasure quarters. In the silent infirmary, Bell began to open his eyes, still dazed by injuries and fatigue. His unfocused gaze fell on a familiar figure: Aisha, sitting next to him, her face a look of worry and relief.
— "Aisha...?" he whispered in a weak voice.
She leaned forward slightly, crossing her arms as if to hide her emotions.
— "Finally awake, Cranel. Are you still planning on causing so much trouble wherever you go?" she said in a falsely dry tone, but her eyes betrayed deep concern.
Bell smiled despite the pain.
— "I didn't really have a choice this time… It was the only way to free her."
Aisha was silent for a moment, searching his face. She knew Bell wouldn't tell everything, but she felt he had calculated every detail, every risk.
— "You're crazy, you know that?" she finally said. "That plan could have cost you your life, and yet here you are."
Bell slowly sat up, wincing at the pain.
— "I knew you were watching over me, Aisha. If things went wrong, I was counting on you."
These words left Aisha slightly unsettled. She looked away, trying to hide her confusion.
Meanwhile, Ishtar was thinking in her apartments, surrounded by her most faithful Amazons. Doubt continued to haunt her thoughts.
— "Even though Bell's body was found under the debris, something doesn't add up," she said, stroking his chin. "That intruder was far too skilled… If not him, then who?"
Samira, standing next to her, tried to reassure her.
— "Bell was seriously injured. It would have been impossible for him to organize such an operation."
But Ishtar was not convinced. Her divine instincts told her she was missing something.
— "Keep watching him closely. If he's the intruder, he'll eventually give himself away."
Back in the infirmary, Bell and Aisha were talking in low voices to avoid attracting attention.
— "Now that Haruhime is safe, I need to find a way to get her off Ishtar's radar," Bell whispered.
— "And how do you plan to do that?" Aisha asked, crossing her arms.
Bell looked down for a moment, thinking.
— "I will ask Hestia to grant him her blessing. This will permanently break the bond with Ishtar. But we will have to wait for the right moment."
Aisha nodded, but a hint of skepticism lingered.
— "Bell, you're constantly putting yourself in danger. Why? Why do you do all this for people you barely know?"
He looked up at her, his gaze determined.
— "Because no one should be a prisoner of their fate, Aisha. Haruhime deserves a chance to live free, just like everyone else."
These words echoed in Aisha's heart. She looked away again, but this time, a slight smile played on her lips.
— "You really are an idiot," she murmured. "But an idiot I can't help but respect."
As Aisha watched over Bell, the Amazons continued to whisper about the intruder. Samira, though loyal to Ishtar, could not ignore the strange coincidences surrounding Bell.
She went to the infirmary to check on him, but found the room empty: Bell had already left his bed.
— "Where is he?" she whispered, her eyes dark.
In the shadows of the neighborhood, Bell, still weakened, walked cautiously. He knew he couldn't rest for too long.
To be continued