"You're definitely a freak."
Loki stared at Bell's back, now fully convinced.
One Authority existed outside the Falna System. The other, within it.
Honestly, even if the shorty were gone, this kid could still make a name for himself in Orario just by wielding Authority.
And that was the thing—one of those Authorities didn't even come from the Falna System.
"Loki-sama, I'd prefer you call it luck, not being a freak."
"Luck, my ass!"
Bell's mention of "luck" instantly triggered a sharp retort from Loki.
"Go ask anyone else—have you ever seen some lucky fool gain something as insane as Authority? Not now, not ever. There's never been a single Adventurer who got Authority just by being lucky."
"You really think it's some bargain-bin power?"
"Authority is the manifestation of world laws—only gods can wield it. It's the crystallization of rules themselves, what we call the power of the world."
"Even for gods, what they hold is usually just a fragment of a greater rule. Only a handful of deities hold complete authorities."
As she spoke, Loki's eyes landed on Hestia.
"This shorty right here? She holds a complete rule—'Eternal Flame'. That's why she's got such a high divine rank in Tenkai."
The Authority Hestia possessed was incredibly rare, even among gods. Because of its uniqueness, Hestia herself was a highly unusual presence among the divine.
"There are many split authorities, but I think the one you're most familiar with is 'Charm'—the one all goddesses of beauty possess. The only difference is how well they can wield it."
That much Bell understood perfectly.
He remembered from the original tale—Ishtar's Charm was completely overwhelmed by Freya's. The difference was obvious.
As for Hestia's Authority, he had heard a bit about it. The lore only mentioned briefly that her unique Authority earned her the respect of many ancient gods.
'Maybe that's why Freya's Charm has no effect on her.'
'Eternal' could also imply 'unchanging'—perhaps it was this suppressive quality of Hestia's Authority that made her immune to the effects of Charm.
Though Bell couldn't be certain. His theory was just speculation based on what he observed.
Seeing Bell deep in thought, Loki pouted and added, "You and the shorty are both walking exceptions."
If Authority granted within the Falna System was fate's choice, then the Authority beyond it was Bell's own innate talent.
"You've got those weird runes, and on top of that, you awakened an Authority through the Falna System. I've never seen anything this absurd."
Her tone held more than just surprise—there was clear envy and jealousy in it.
Loki was burning up inside.
She'd already been a little sour when the shorty managed to snatch up a monstrously talented kid right at the last second.
But now that she'd seen the full scope of Bell's "Status," that sourness only deepened.
Two Authorities—both real and functional—was far too exceptional.
And one of them? Not only usable by Bell himself—it could be created, shared with others, even prepared ahead of time for use in battle.
That Authority alone gave him terrifying flexibility in combat.
"I wish you were one of my kids."
That sentence hit Hestia like a shock, snapping her out of her thoughts. She leapt up like a cat with its tail stepped on.
"Bell-kun is my child!"
Loki rolled her eyes with a lazy wave. "Yes, yes, fine—he's yours, alright?"
That half-hearted reply made Hestia's blood pressure spike.
And just like that, their usual squabble was about to erupt again.
But this time, Loki stopped herself.
"Wait—maybe help the kid level up first?"
Hestia shot Loki a look that screamed, 'You're completely clueless,' before pressing the updated status sheet against Bell's back.
"Who levels up that quickly? Bell-kun's potential hasn't even been fully tapped yet. Doing it now would just waste it."
"...What?"
That hit Loki harder than expected—she froze for a moment. When she finally reacted, her finger trembled as she pointed at Bell.
"With stats like these, he still hasn't hit his limit?"
All of his ability scores were over 1200—that was more than enough for an average adventurer to qualify for a level-up.
Normally, besides the requirement of gaining sufficient Excelia, an adventurer only needed one stat to exceed 500 to level up.
Over 1200 across the board? Even the elite could level up with that.
And now the shorty was telling her... that this wasn't his limit?
"Who said Bell-kun was at his limit?"
Hestia thought about it for a second, then answered irritably. She'd never said such a thing.
"You were the one who jumped to conclusions after seeing Bell-kun's data. I never said this was his limit."
Loki stared at Bell, who was now putting his shirt back on, with a conflicted expression.
The numbers were already sky-high, and he still wasn't at his peak? This kid's talent was flat-out ridiculous.
Now Loki truly understood why Freya was so obsessed—her standards really were sky-high.
Watching Bell finish getting dressed, Loki couldn't help but ask,
"Kid, you planning to step into the spotlight this time?"
Bell paused for a moment while adjusting his clothes, then shook his head slightly.
"No, I don't plan to reveal myself just yet. The idea before was to use Loki Familia's influence to make everyone in Orario think I rushed into leveling up because I was lucky enough to earn some Excelia."
"After all, my previous identity was just a Rune Stone crafter—similar to one of Hephaestus Familia's smiths. If I positioned it as leveling up to gain the 'Blacksmith' development ability, then using the expedition return as a reason to come forward would make sense to everyone."
Damn. Loki's eyelid twitched—this kid had used her down to the last detail.
"Kid, even so, people will notice you've only been an adventurer for half a year, won't they?"
Bell just smiled, unfazed.
"Sure, half a year is still fast... but so what?"
"Then what if I just make a few more Rune Stone variations?"
Loki blinked—then burst into laughter, covering her face.
"So you're leaning into the narrative that you leveled up for the sake of a development ability? If that's the case, any god watching will probably assume that's what happened."
This kid really had thought everything through.