The day before, after leaving Lili in the room he had prepared, Bell, hidden by the darkness of the night, quietly crept up to the cell where Aisha was imprisoned. The warrior still hung by her arms, her body bruised, but her spirit remained indomitable.
— "You shouldn't have come," she whispered when she saw Bell. "If we find you here, it'll all be over."
Bell, his gaze serious, approached.
— "Listen to me, Aisha. I'll get you out of here. But you have to trust me."
She frowned, suspicious.
— "What do you want me to do? I will never report you, no matter what you say."
Bell took a deep breath.
— "I just ask you one thing: denounce me, but without saying my name."
Aisha looked at him, stunned.
- "What are you talking about ?"
— "Listen," Bell said, handing her a small object that he presented as a magical artifact. "This artifact can change appearance. Tomorrow, I will be disguised as an Amazon, with a red ribbon on my right shoulder. When Ishtar asks you who the intruder was, you will only have to point me out, without giving my name. Play on words, simply say what you see. Divine detection will not be able to contradict you."
Aisha, though wary, sensed an unsettling sincerity in Bell's voice.
— "You're crazy. Why are you taking such risks?"
— "Because I refuse to let you be punished for my actions."
She hesitated for a long moment, but Bell insisted.
— "Trust me, Aisha. This is our only chance."
Finally, Aisha lowered her head, defeated.
— "Okay. But if it goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible."
Bell nodded, a reassuring smile on his lips, before disappearing into the night.
Back to the present
In the morning, Bell made every effort to make himself visible and busy, training with Tiamat. He actively participated in the exercises, appearing exhausted but willing, in order to deflect suspicion.
Meanwhile, Lili, disguised as an Amazon thanks to her magic, slipped among Ishtar's warriors. With her adjusted size and precise movements, she managed to go unnoticed, going to the prison where Aisha was being held.
When the moment came, Aisha, weakened but still lucid, pointed out the disguised Lili, as Bell had requested.
— "It was… her."
Ishtar, though incredulous, had to admit that the effect of the truth serum validated her words. She immediately gave the order to search the entire neighborhood for the intruding Amazon.
Bell, who was accompanying Tiamat not far away, heard Ishtar's decision and sketched an imperceptible smile. Everything was going as planned.
Ishtar, unable to confirm a real betrayal on Aisha's part, ends up ordering her release.
— "I'll keep an eye on you, Aisha. Let this be the last time you get involved in such a situation."
Aisha, freed from her chains, was escorted back to her quarters. She collapsed from exhaustion, but a discreet smile played on her lips.
— "You idiot," she muttered, thinking of Bell. "You did it."
In her chambers, Ishtar, although satisfied with the interrogation, could not help but feel a certain frustration.
— "Comb through every corner of the neighborhood. Find that intruding Amazon for me, and bring her back here."
The Amazons obeyed without question. They began a meticulous search, looking for clues about the intruder.
Bell, discreetly observing the scene from the shadows, hid a smile.
— "Good luck," he whispered.
His plan had worked perfectly. Thanks to Lili, he had managed to protect Aisha while sowing doubt in Ishtar. But he knew that it was only a temporary victory. The game had only just begun.
Chapter 50: The Mask of Solitude
Night was falling on the pleasure district. Bell entered his room discreetly, his mind already calculating his next actions. Lili, hidden under the bed with an invisibility cloak, waited silently to avoid detection. Once certain that the place was safe, Bell whispered:
— You can go out, Lili.
She reappeared in her usual plum form, a mischievous smile on her lips. They exchanged a knowing high five before laughing slightly. This moment of levity contrasted with the tension of the previous days.
— Good job, Lili, Bell murmured. Now I'll take you back to Hestia.
The duo quietly left the neighborhood, crossing the dark alleys of Orario. Arriving at Hestia's shelter, Bell spotted Haruhime, sitting peacefully on the couch, immersed in a book. Her soft smile lit up the room when she saw them enter.
— You're back! Did everything go well? she asked, curious.
Bell and Lili recounted their adventures, emphasizing comical details to lighten the mood. Hestia couldn't hold back her laughter, and even Haruhime seemed to momentarily forget the fears that weighed on her.
— Haruhime, be patient a little longer, Bell said with a reassuring smile. We're almost there.
Haruhime nodded slowly, visibly appeased.
Before leaving for his next mission, Bell crossed the ruined church to slip away discreetly. But he felt a presence behind him.
— Hestia?
She followed him, her face serious but imbued with an unusual gentleness.
— Bell, wait, she whispered.
He stopped, intrigued, as she slowly approached.
"I wanted to thank you," she said with disarming sincerity. "You kept your promise. Thanks to you, I'm not alone anymore."
His voice cracked slightly, revealing deep emotion.
—At first, when you spoke of your revenge against Zeus, I saw you as a self-centered young man, blinded by his own ambitions. But...
She paused, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
—But you have a big heart. Even in this desert of manipulation that is your mind, there is an oasis of humanity.
These words touched Bell in a way he didn't expect. He lowered his head slightly, murmuring:
— Thank you, Hestia.
The next day, Bell went looking for Aisha. Despite his efforts, she was nowhere to be found. Worried, he asked Lena:
— Do you know where Aisha is?
— No, maybe she's running away from you, Lena replied with a chuckle.
Those words hit Bell like a blade. Why would she do that?
He continued his search until he finally spotted her in a tavern, having a solitary meal. When she saw him, she looked away and hurried away. Bell followed her to her room, but she quickly locked the door, refusing to face him.
— Aisha! Open the door, he demanded, knocking gently.
— No! I don't want you to see me like this!
His voice was broken, with an unusual fragility. Bell, usually patient, felt a pang in his heart.
"Aisha," he whispered. "It doesn't matter what you're in. Let me help you."
But on the other side of the door, Aisha was curled up on her bed, her knees drawn up against her. Her body was marked with cuts and bruises, reminders of the torture she had endured protecting Bell.
— Leave me alone, Bell. I'm too weak to face you.
Bell remained silent, realizing she wouldn't give in. But a plan was already beginning to form in his mind.
Aisha heard Bell's footsteps fade away and thought he had given up. A wave of sadness washed over her, mixed with a hint of relief. But she didn't know that Bell hadn't said his last word.
Climbing over the rooftops, Bell crept quietly to his bedroom window. Despite the injuries he still carried, he used his natural agility and unwavering determination to help him.
"You won't get rid of me that easily, Aisha," he muttered to himself.
As he approached the window, the fate of the two wounded souls was about to take a new turn...
To be continued
Author's Note
To make it simple for people who didn't understand Bell thwarted divine detection which consists of knowing if the person is lying or telling the truth but if the person is not totally aware, it is not a lie. Bell lied to Aisha telling her that he will use an artifact to change his appearance but only Bell knows that he does not have such an artifact, Aisha does not know it. When she pointed at the Amazon behind, she just trusted Bell, believing that she was pointing at the real Bell when it was not him but she did not know so the detection believed that it was a truth. And when Ishtar asked her questions everything is true, she had taken Bell as an apprentice from the beginning, so she just played on the word avoiding saying his name.