The graduation of our four new Familia members was pretty simple. Lined 'em up, gave a little speech about how proud of 'em I was, and Hestia gave them all hugs.
Then they got their blessings, and Bell got his Argonaut Skill way too early.
Hestia tried to take it in stride but failed. Oh look, one of her new kids has a unique Skill labeled after one of the most popular heroes in history, and it's a charge up power amplifier.
"Ahaha," she forced out, "Oh look, you got a really powerful Skill, Bell!"
"That's great, my goddess," the boy replies with a broad smile.
"Don't tell anyone about it," I order him, and he looks at me in confusion.
"That's right, tell no one," Hestia agrees, and Bell's expression shifts to her.
"Kid, the gods like amusement, and they like special unique hero-types to add to their collection," I sigh, "They find out you've got a Skill named after one of the big heroes and it's seemingly strong enough to live up to the name? They'll drag our Familia into a fight we can't win to take you from us."
"That's why no one is going to talk about the Skill," Hestia firmly declares, gaze swinging over her pallum children, "Understand? Bell will go deeper with Ken on occasion to practice with his Skill because Ken's high enough in stats he has the best chance of hearing people get close enough to see a low level Adventurer killing far stronger monsters."
"Don't worry, Hestia, we won't tell anyone," Relicadia answers her, Al and Gil nodding in response and sounding their own agreements.
What a headache. I was hoping we had a while before Bell had the potential to rock the boat, but protagonists are going to protagonist, I guess. Even when everything is real, the hero pulls something silly out of his ass.
I'm proud of him though. Pretty sure he got the Skill from just how hard he crammed.
"Come on and I'll update you as well, Ken," Hestia and I cock my head at her in question, "I'm still bleeding, may as well update you too."
I shrug at that and pull off my shirt to take Bell's place on the couch he'd just evacuated. A moment later Hestia was sat on my rear and fiddling with Falna. Shortly after, she made a choking noise.
"You have a potential Skill!"
Oh! Hell yeah! Limit break? I've been busting my ass, and I want that shit sooooo bad!
"Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme," I ramble like a child, "I want it, Hestia!"
She groans and gives a laugh as the newest Familia members crowd around us.
"Is that a Skill?" Al curiously asks, looking at the spot on my back matching where Bell's own Skill had appeared, the other three peering closer at his question.
"Yes," I nod, "Also don't tell anyone about that one. It's got some small effects and a big one that would be annoying if it got out."
The first generation of Hestia recruits nod in appeasement at that while Hestia continues her work on my back. Then, a strangled noise escapes her throat.
"Ken, you," she cuts herself off, "This is…"
Limit break?!
"Heros Magister," she whispers, "A magic Skill."
Apparently not a limit break. Dammit. All that excitement for nothing, but that does sound interesting.
"What are its effects?"
Hestia shifts, glancing at her new children, rolling it around in her head, "You all keep quiet about this, alright?"
They nod, and my interest grows. Hestia only really acts this about Wicca Hazel and just a few moments ago Argonaut.
"It helps you teach people, to start with. Not sure how much, but that's enough to let me know it came from teaching these four," she starts, and I quietly nod, "The slightly bigger traits to it are increase length and strength of spell effects."
"Nice," I smile, "I can get a lot of use out of that. Just having a boost to Modius Temperance and Thiurdos will be a boon and let me go a little deeper than I have-"
"You also have the Mage Development Ability unlocked," she flatly states, prodding a completely different part of my back than the Skill location, "As a side-effect of Heros Magister, apparently."
My mouth goes dry in a moment, and the peanut gallery makes small noises of confusion. I work it over and over in my head. I turned it over and over in my head. Turning the kids into mages was great, but it could be done with work. It was incredible how far they had come, and even Riveria had seemed-
Riveria.
I stare blankly into the distance as I remember that meeting in Mia's. I got pissed at her being dismissive of the lack of natural talent and had decided I was going to prove her wrong just to spite her.
'Wanna bet?' I'd asked her. God, I'd been so damn cheerful about it. Now here I was, with another bullshit target on my back.
"Isn't that a good thing? Development Abilities are like," Bell wracks his brain for a moment, "Like Skills, but they upgrade?"
"You're absolutely correct," I mutter, burying my face into the couch, tone muffling, "How can you be so right, but also completely miss the point?"
"Adventurers don't get Development Abilities until they level up," Hestia flatly states, "But Ken just up and decided to throw that bit of conventional wisdom into the garbage."
"I didn't decide anything," I grumble.
"So, uh," Albritch awkwardly begins, "Congratulations, Captain Crow?"
"No," Gillian shakes his head, "No congratulations. This didn't happen, our Captain didn't get a Skill, or a Development Ability."
"Actually, it would be better to say that I did, and that it increases spell strength and duration," I sigh, "Well, if we get pressed. Gods' lie detection will chew through saying things like 'my captain doesn't have any Skills'. Then they get interested in the lie. Then they start to wonder why you said multiple Skills instead of 'my Captain doesn't have a Skill'. Consider that another lesson, kids, if you need a secret really kept, just don't tell anyone, the opportunity for outing it exists when it goes beyond just you. Basic OPSEC."
"OPSEC?" Hestia's nose wrinkles cutely, "What's that?"
"Operational security; how best to keep secrets in groups from getting out," I smile up at her, then frown, "Actually, I'll have to dust off those old lessons since we just got two bits of information we don't want other Familias and their gods to know."
My frown deepens, "No more drinking outside our home."
"What?!" Hestia screams in panic, eyes whipping around, "Why?!"
"I can't order you to stop anything, Hestia, but if they drink outside then their lips get looser. Loose lips aren't very good at keeping secret information secret."
She cuts the update to my Falna and the glow quickly fades and she presses her head into the crook between my shoulder blades.
"One mug of alcohol should be fine, right?" she whimpers, "That's fine, I won't lose control with just one mug."
"You're the boss, boss," I neutrally respond, and she groans.
"You're killing me, Ken," she grumbles, "I'm an immortal spirit of Heaven, and you're killing me."
"Who knows," I joke, "Maybe I'll get a Skill from that too?"
Hestia slaps my back, unamused, but the kids all laugh. I turn my face back into the couch cushion, dark expression hidden from my Familia. It would seem that the Hestia Familia just became an even juicier target, the only thing keeping us safe is the amount of time it takes for the secret to slip out in a city where a bunch of bored immortals continually stick their noses into each other's business for gossip material.
Loki said I was boring, so I just have to maintain that. Juuust be boring. It's so easy.
It'll be fine. Everything… will be okay in the end.