Although Hestia's smug grin made Hephaestus itch with annoyance, she wasn't truly upset. After all, they'd known each other for a long time. She understood that with someone as unique as Bell, Hestia had no choice but to show off a little—though only to someone she trusted. There was no way Hestia would dare flaunt him in front of others. She'd be targeted in an instant.
"I don't really mind that. But seriously, how did you awaken such an absurd skill?"
Luck-type skills were among the rarest in existence. If they came with limitations, that was one thing. But if there were none, it was essentially like enhancing your own fate. Even the gods had no way to manipulate fate like that. The stronger the Luck skill, the stronger the "destiny" it implied. Of course, this was just a figure of speech. Not even the gods could fully grasp what luck truly was. In a way, to wield Luck was to wield Destiny itself.
That said, Hephaestus knew better than to take such sayings literally. Still, awakening something as rare as a Luck skill was already outrageous. First it was a spatial ability, then the Early Bloomer skill, and now Luck—all within just two days. It was as if Bell had single-handedly scooped up every rare magic and skill in Orario.
'How is this kid so special?'
It baffled Hephaestus. Bell was supposed to be a simple country boy from the lower world—yet somehow, he'd awakened skills and magic that were anything but ordinary. She had spent enough time down here to know how rare this kind of thing was. And she'd never seen anyone as ridiculous as him.
As for Bell, the question left him a bit speechless. In truth, he really was just an ordinary soul—just a lucky transmigrator.
'Personal Training' came from a Craft Essence granted by the system. Who knew how that had ended up classified as a skill in the Falna?
'Four-Dimensional Space' was also a built-in storage feature from the system—another transmigration perk. It wasn't something he awakened on his own.
And as for 'Heaven's Luck,' maybe that was just the reason he'd been chosen to transmigrate in the first place. Whether it was a blessing or a curse… well, that was up for debate.
All three of those traits had been with him since he crossed over. There probably wouldn't be any more outrageous abilities beyond that. Bell didn't expect to awaken any new skills either. After all, he was nothing like the Bell from the original story.
"Hephaestus-sama, I'm not really sure myself. I'm just an ordinary person—how would I know how I ended up with skills and magic like this?"
Hephaestus nodded, not particularly surprised. The Falna was designed to accelerate the growth of lower-world children. And while it couldn't be controlled or chosen by the recipient, the skills and magic that emerged were deeply tied to the child's inner nature.
Falna itself couldn't be manipulated—but the more unique a child's soul, the higher the chance they'd awaken something special.
'Looks like this kid has an especially remarkable soul. Soul… It suits Hestia, sure, but the more exceptional he is, the more likely that woman will come after him.'
A subtle worry began to settle in Hephaestus's heart. If that woman caught a glimpse of Bell's soul, there was no doubt she'd think, 'This child belongs to me.' The other gods might not sense it as long as Bell kept a low profile. But that woman? She'd see right through it.
"Hestia, you'd better watch out for Freya. If that woman sets her sights on this child, with her personality, she'll definitely try to take him for herself."
Hestia puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. As one of the gods, she was well aware of the threat. Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, was one of Orario's two reigning powers. When she fancied someone, she'd stop at nothing to make them hers. Right now, she was the last god Hestia wanted to deal with.
"That's exactly why I don't want Bell to get on her radar. That woman's nothing but a seductive fox—any man she sets her eyes on, she wants to devour. My Bell is still just a kid. I can't let her target him."
With that, she spun around and threw her arms around Bell, holding him tightly. Her eyes shimmered as she stared up at him.
"Bell-kun, you won't fall for that woman, right?"
Bell, caught in her embrace, felt a surge of pressure. Of course he wished he had some sort of resistance to charm effects, but the truth was, he was just a regular human. If only the Type-Moon System could help him out here, he might at least have a shot at standing firm. But no such luck.
"Goddess-sama, I think the real problem isn't whether I'll fall for her—it's whether she'll resort to... physical methods."
"She wouldn't... right?"
Hestia paused, then glanced nervously at Hephaestus. The smith goddess simply shrugged, clearly resigned. Many gods had their boundaries, but Freya wasn't one of them. If she wanted a child, she'd stop at nothing to get them.
"Others might go through proper channels, like a 'War Game,' to take someone. But Freya? She doesn't play by those rules. She prefers her targets to come willingly, so using extreme methods isn't out of the question for her."
"Ugh..."
Now even Hestia was starting to lose confidence. Freya was a beauty goddess. She couldn't use divine power in the lower world, sure—but as the Goddess of Beauty, she possessed a mesmerizing charm. That was her "Authority." Since it wasn't divine power, it wasn't restricted by the same rules.
"She's completely out of line, using her Authority so freely in Genkai."
Authority?
The irritation in Hestia's voice reached Bell's ears loud and clear.
Hephaestus let out a sigh. Every god possessed a unique Authority. While divine power was restricted in the lower world, Authority—at least in its simplest forms—didn't require divine power to activate. That's why goddesses like Freya were so dangerous. Their charm could directly influence the children they had their eyes on.
"Authority isn't bound by divine power restrictions. Still, gods in the lower world are expected not to overstep. Most of them avoid using their Authority recklessly. If they go too far, it causes divine resonance. And if a god's divine power use exceeds the limit, Ouranos will forcefully send them back to Tenkai."
"Tch! Why not just ban it outright?"
Hestia grumbled without holding back. If the gods had already chosen to descend, they shouldn't bring their divine baggage with them. To her, it was nothing short of cheating.
Hephaestus rolled her eyes.
"You think all gods are like you? Just because you don't use your Authority doesn't mean the rest shouldn't. The gods were granted the right to use their Authority precisely so they wouldn't just turn around and head back to Tenkai. For most gods, their Authority is the only reason they can stay grounded down here. Even Ouranos can't completely ban it."