Hestia's Thoughts: You're A Good Child

Chapter 17 - Hestia's Thoughts: You're A Good Child

Bell's goblin fangs sold for 26.4 million Valis.

Of course, the guild still took a big chunk of the profits.

After all, goblin fangs are just a step below low-tier weapons.

Eina pointed this out, and Bell didn't have a problem with it.

There's always a price difference between buying and selling, and the guild needs to make money too.

With a big wad of coins, Bell quietly left the guild.

To help keep the deal under wraps, Eina gave Bell the money before the identification.

The identification work in the room started after Bell left.

Eina stepped out of the private room and into the guild's main hall. Since it was pretty empty at this hour, the timing was perfect for her.

"Everyone, there's something that needs to be identified."

The guild staff, who were chilling, snapped to attention when they heard Eina.

They all knew that secret deals happened in the private rooms, usually with stuff that needed careful identification.

But had Eina walked in with someone earlier?

Bell had a hood on when he entered the guild and didn't stand out, so hardly anyone noticed him go into the room. And since Eina left after Bell, everyone kind of forgot he'd been there.

But the staff didn't really care.

Secret room deals were meant to be hush-hush, and the seller's identity didn't need to be known.

That's just how it went in the guild.

A few staff members headed to the room and shut the door behind them.

No one was supposed to see what went on in these transactions, so they had to keep it locked down tight.

The guild staff knew the rules and closed the door once inside.

"!?"

But as soon as they stepped in, they were astonished by what they saw.

The entire floor was covered with drop items, all of the same type. A dense pile that, if they weren't careful, could cut them up; Their sharpness obvious even at a glance.

One staff member, crouched down, picked up the item, and checked it out. It was in good condition, almost like it was brand new.

They quickly figured out what it was.

"These are... goblin fangs?"

"No fucking way."

Another staff member picked one up in disbelief.

After taking a closer look, he came to the same conclusion.

"Goblin fangs!?"

These drop items looked damn new.

"So many goblin fangs?"

"The drop rate for these is usually low; you might not see one for months."

"So how the hell did we get so many?"

Seeing the room full of drop items, the staff instantly knew what kind of deal this was. Even though they knew it, they were still speechless.

The two drop items they checked were top-notch, practically new.

The guild could make huge profits selling them. But there were just too damn many of them.

They were piled up so high, it was hard to even count them.

The guild staff hesitated, realizing what kind of mess they were in.

Their faces went pale.

"Eina, do we have to identify all of these?"

Identifying magic stones is easy, but drop items are a whole different story.

Drop item identification needs more attention since the prices for different grades vary, making the job a real pain in the ass.

But that's what the guild staff were there for.

They held onto one last hope, but Eina just gave them a sweet smile.

"Identifying drop items is a big deal, and this is a major transaction for the guild."

"So, yeah, you guys get to do it!"

With that, Eina walked out of the room.

According to the rules, the staff doing the identification can't leave until the job's done.

Looks like dinner was off the table.

The guild staff looked at each other, stunned.

"Did she just ditch us here?"

"Seriously?"

These weren't rookies; they knew the rules. But seeing the room filled with drop items, they went silent.

"Man... Eina really screwed us over this time."

"Whatever, a deal this big isn't all bad."

"Once we're done, we'll get a some commission too. Alas, this is gonna be exhausting."

One of the staff sighed, clearly not thrilled.

It's not like they hadn't seen this before, but this was over the top. These items couldn't be identified in just a couple of hours.

It looked like they'd be stuck there until tomorrow.

They'd just become the unfortunate victims of this deal. But at least the payoff would be worth it.

After all, commissions were part of the deal for big transactions like this.

Eina, now outside the room, let out a sigh of relief and muttered 'sorry' as she glanced back.

She didn't have time to dwell on it.

She had to keep this under wraps from a lot of people.

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[....]

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Bell made his way back to the abandoned church with today's harvest.

Seeing Hestia waiting outside, he picked up the pace.

"Bell!"

Hestia had been worried sick at home since Bell left. This was his first time in the dungeon, and she couldn't shake the fear that something might happen to him. Now that he was back in one piece, she could finally breathe easy.

She rushed over and hugged him before he could even react. Her chest pressed against Bell's stomach, and even though he usually kept his cool, he couldn't help but get flustered. It wasn't that he lacked self-control—Hestia was just way too much for him to handle.

"Umm~ it's really you, Bell, not some ghost."

The solid feel of him reassured Hestia that this wasn't her imagination. She instinctively placed her hands on her chest, feeling her heart finally calm down.

"Hestia-sama, I told you I could handle the first floor of the dungeon."

"It's not about whether you can handle it, Bell."

"Even if you can, I'm still gonna worry."

She gave him a look, finally starting to relax.

"Bell, how did it feel going into the dungeon for the first time?"

She wanted to hear about his experience. As a goddess, Hestia wasn't allowed into the dungeon, so the only way she could learn about it was through Bell.

"The monsters in there are stronger than I thought."

When he thought of the dungeon, Bell's mind went straight to the goblins he fought. Those bastards were smart, ganging up on him when they realized they couldn't take him one-on-one.

"Goblins are quicker and more agile than regular people, and they're strong as hell too."

"And they're not just dumb. They've got some level of intelligence."

"Oh?"

Hestia's eyes widened. She could hardly believe it when Bell mentioned goblins having any sort of intelligence.

She looked at him, trying to make any sense of it.

"Bell, are you sure you're not just imagining things?"

"I don't think so."

"I used the same move twice in a fight, but the goblins that saw me adjusted and countered it."

"That's gotta mean they're thinking, at least a little bit."

Bell wasn't entirely sure, but he figured it out based on how the goblins acted. They seemed smart, but he needed to find out if it was just a one-time thing or if all dungeon monsters were like that.

Hestia fell silent, taking it all in. If what Bell said was true? But how? Monsters were supposed to be mindless. If they had some sort of intelligence, didn't that make them too much like humans?

Adventurers didn't think twice about killing monsters because they believed monsters were just mindless. But if monsters had intelligence, and possibly even human-like capability, would adventurers still go after them like they always had?

Hestia didn't have the answer, and she wasn't sure she wanted to think too hard about it. She stared straight at Bell.

"Bell, what if the monsters in the dungeon end up becoming as smart as humans?"

Bell shook his head. He had no idea if that would ever happen.

"I don't know... but..."

"If someone tries to harm you or me, I'll kill them, no matter who they are."

The world Bell came from was already fucked up beyond repair. He'd given up on bullshit like helping people back in middle school. Morality was a trap, and he'd learned to keep his distance.

If someone's in trouble, what does it have to do with him? If it doesn't, why bother?

"If those kinds of monsters show up, the only way to deal with them is like an adventurer would."

"If they come after me, I won't show mercy."

"Of course, if they help me out, I'll help them back, even if there's a chance they might betray me later."

Bell noticed Hestia's blank expression and wondered if he was being too blunt. He scratched his head and asked, "Hestia-sama, was there something wrong with what I said?"

Hestia snapped out of it and smiled, clearly relieved. "As expected, Bell is a good child."

She didn't know if the dungeon held any secrets, but she was glad that Bell was the kind of person who could make his own choices.

"Good and bad aren't just about morality; they're personal views."

"Bell, just do what you think is right."

Hestia smiled as she spoke.

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Hestia or Freya? Choose wisely.

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[IMG of Hestia]

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