Is it wrong to try to build a criminal Empire?

chapter 14

Hestia sighed.

The goddess of hearth and home was doing that a lot these days.

She couldn't help it—her only child had become quite the headache.

It had been three weeks since he joined her Familia as her first child, and almost over one week since the last time she had a real conversation with him.

he is mostly away Now, either deep in the dungeon or off to heavens-knows-where until well past sunset.

So much for being the goddess of hearth and home when her only child barely came home at all.

Being the overly concerned type, she stayed up until he returned, hoping to give him the warmth of home. As the goddess of the hearth, she wanted to make him feel at ease and never alone.

But Bell-kun seemed to come home only for status updates, then going straight to bed to get ready for yet another day in the dungeon with his new party member.

He was also probably out flirting with those girls in the red-light district! She could smell women perfume on him sometimes. And though he denied it, insisting he was "busy earning us money," she couldn't shake the suspicion.

Could he be….selling himself for money? Some women do prefer their men cute and cuddly like her Bell-kun...

The thought made her shiver.

Still, she could see he was working hard, bringing in money to support them. Maybe it was her fault for being broke—he was probably exhausting himself to keep them both afloat.

That thought left her feeling a bit ashamed for letting her child shoulder so much of their burdens alone.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the staircase.

Finally, Bell-kun had decided he'd had enough of women and came home.

Her delinquent brat.

"I'm back," Bell said softly as he reached the bottom of the stairs, his expression blank as ever. He was carrying a small white box with a blue ribbon.

Delinquent! Getting gifts for the girls he's visiting!

"Oh~ look who finally decided to 'grace' his goddess with his presence," she greeted him in a chilly, almost threatening tone, making it clear she wasn't a fan of his late-night returns.

He sighed. "This again?"

"This again," she repeated, crossing her arms. "Where were you this time, huh? I know you're up to something in the red district. Just admit it already! That box is making it even more obvious! If I ever get my hands on those girls, I'll—" She launched into her usual rant, shaking her finger at him as she described all the ways she'd "have a chat" with those women.

Bell's expression didn't change; he just looked at her with an exasperated "I'm too old for this" look.

Rude child!

"—so stop visiting those places, or else!" she finished, jabbing her finger in his direction.

Bell's blank expression remained unfazed as he slowly approached her and….handed her the box.

"W-What's this?" she asked, momentarily distracted by the unexpected gesture.

"I heard there's a banquet for the gods. You got invited right? I don't want you making us look poor. How you present yourself is important," he lazily said, heading toward the bed and already starting to pull off his shirt.

Did Bell-kun just imply her outfits were shabby?

She peeked into the box and found an elegant blue Dress, neatly packed with an intricate necklace with a blue gemstone in it's center.