Hephaestus sat in her chair in a dignified posture, studying the girl before her.
Stella couldn't help but feel a little flustered. She didn't even know where this inexplicable nervousness came from.
Charles, on the other hand, found it familiar—wasn't this exactly how he'd felt when meeting Stella's parents? Now Stella was getting a taste of what "meeting the parents" was like.
And in a way, it really was like that. The Hephaestus Familia was a big family, with their goddess as the head of the household.
If her own "child" came home with a girl and introduced her as his girlfriend, of course the head of the house would have mixed feelings.
But seeing Stella so tongue-tied and embarrassed, Hephaestus suddenly laughed.
Though her divine power was sealed, as a goddess she could still sense the hearts of mortals.
She could tell that Charles had found a kind and exceptional partner, and had no intention of playing the villain.
At that moment, Charles felt very glad he'd joined the Hephaestus Familia—if it had been someone like Loki, a born troublemaker, even if the end result were the same, the process would likely have been far more chaotic.
Hephaestus smiled and said, "Alright, no need to be so tense. Just think of this as your own home."
Stella let out a breath. "Forgive me. This is my first time meeting a god, so I was a little…"
"Oh? And did I disappoint you?"
"Not at all! Lady Hephaestus is even more beautiful and approachable than I imagined."
Hephaestus' smile grew warmer. Resting her chin in her hand, she said, "Is that so? That makes me quite happy."
Charles coughed. "Lady Hephaestus, about Stella joining the Familia…"
She waved her hand. "No need to ask—she's obviously an excellent child. But first, let's update your status, Charles. That way Stella can see how it works."
Charles thought for a moment, then agreed. He took off his shirt, baring his back.
Stella's cheeks reddened at the sight of his bare torso, quickly forcing herself to focus on Hephaestus' movements.
The goddess pricked her finger with a long needle, letting divine script flow across the emblem on Charles' back.
"My, I don't know what you've been through lately, but it's more than just a jump in stats—you've even earned a great feat for leveling up. Strength and Magic both at S, the rest at A, and your Development Abilities have advanced too. Mystery at E? Wasn't it G last time?"
Even the ever-composed Hephaestus looked surprised—Charles' growth was staggering.
Thinking back, Charles realized he'd been to three different worlds since his last update, gaining knowledge and fighting plenty of battles.
The fight against Acnologia, though unfinished, had far surpassed the intensity of any previous battle. The feat for leveling up must have come from that.
As for Mystery's increase, he'd expected it—it didn't surprise him.
"In that case, please go ahead and level me up."
"Alright, let's see what Development Abilities you can choose this time…"
After a pause, she said, "As expected, there's a long list. Your first two were crafting-based—how about a combat-related one this time?"
"That's fine. Please choose for me."
"In that case, I recommend [Fighter]."
"Fighter? Never heard of it."
"This is my first time seeing it as well. The requirement seems to be maintaining strong fighting spirit during battle, and the effect also relates to willpower. For some reason, I feel it would suit you."
Charles agreed. Ordinary combat abilities like [Punch] or [Swordsman] wouldn't help him much. Even rare ones like [Chanting] or [High Recovery] wouldn't necessarily beat his own skills.
But [Fighter], tied to willpower—that was perfect. His Dragon Slayer magic drew its power from will above all else.
"Then I'll take it. Thank you."
Hephaestus didn't comment further, simply finishing the update. She made a copy on parchment and handed it to him.
Charles put his shirt back on and read his new status:
"Charles Dragneel
LV4
Strength: I (0)
Endurance: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic: I (0)
Magic:
[Fire Dragon Slayer Magic]
· Additional magic
· Chantless casting
· Immune to and absorbs fire-element damage
[A#×*nj]
· XN>%`K, H4#LW_
Skills:
[Dragon Slayer]
· All stats increase against dragon-type foes
· Damage to dragon-type foes enhanced
[Inherent Device]
· Condenses unbreakable equipment from magic
· Boosts all attack power
[Fairy's Blessing]
· Automatically gains Development Ability [Mage] when using magic
· Automatically gains Development Ability [High Recovery] when using magic
· Immune to certain elemental magic damage
Development Abilities:
[Smithing] D, [Mystery] E, [Fighter] I"
Hephaestus turned to Stella. "Now it's your turn."
Charles excused himself from the room, returning only when the goddess called him back.
She handed him Stella's sheet. "Take a look. As expected—another genius."
"Stella Famillion
LV1
Strength: I (0)
Endurance: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic: I (0)
Magic:
[Dragon God Possession]
· Additional magic
· Chantless casting
· Gain the power of dragons
Skills:
[Inherent Device]
· Condenses unbreakable equipment from magic
· Boosts all attack power
[Demonkin]
· Training effects enhanced
· Allows interference with fate"
It was just as Charles had expected—though not at his level, she was still stronger than 99% of Orario's adventurers.
But Stella pouted. "It's so much worse than yours…"
Hephaestus said gently, "Don't be discouraged. Charles is an exception—his abilities even override the divine blessing, letting him start with absurd stats.
"Your numbers are perfectly normal. In fact, having one magic and two skills right at the start marks you as a genius.
"That magic in particular ranks among the finest I've ever seen—comparable even to large-scale annihilation spells.
"And that skill? I've never seen anything like it."
Charles squeezed her hand. "And you'll only keep getting stronger. This is just the beginning—I grew step by step too."
Hephaestus didn't point out that Charles' case was hardly typical.
But watching this prodigy fret over being "too weak" would make any other adventurer grind their teeth in envy.
Then again, since both of these exceptional children were part of her Familia, the goddess couldn't help but feel pleased.
(End of Chapter)
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