After taking the initiative with Hephaestus, Hestia puffed up her cheeks as she helped Bell prepare for his level-up.
Once the data was updated and she confirmed the level-up—seeing Lv.4 jump to Lv.5—it marked Bell's official entry into the realm of the true powerhouses in Orario.
Aside from resetting the status values from the previous level, the other major point was the selection of a Development Ability.
That's what Hestia had expected. But when the level-up was complete and she turned to check the Development Abilities, just one glance left her completely stunned.
"Hephaestus... come take a look at this."
"Hm?"
Hephaestus leaned in for a look, and right at the top of the list—above all the familiar options—was a completely new direction.
[Godslayer].
The word itself gave Hephaestus a jolt. She hadn't expected Bell's level-up to generate such a drastic and unheard-of Development Ability.
"But... why did this ability show up?"
"I have no idea."
Neither Hephaestus nor Hestia could make sense of it. Normally, a Development Ability reflected one's experiences or potential in that domain.
But Bell had never done anything remotely like slaying a god. So how did this show up?
The two goddesses exchanged confused glances, then turned toward Bell.
"Bell-kun, have you... killed a god?"
"???"
Bell was equally baffled. He tried to recall if he had ever done something like that—but came up completely blank.
"I've never done anything like that. Killing a god isn't something you just do on impulse. It takes preparation, research... a lot of groundwork. If I had to pick someone, I suppose the god I'd most want to kill would be Ishtar, who was banished back to Tenkai."
"But even then, Ishtar still had her own uses. Compared to killing her, having her around to attract Loki-sama was a lot more useful."
Yeah, that didn't sound like it. The two goddesses agreed—something was off.
Bell was always cautious and methodical. He wouldn't go after a god unprepared. And in the past six months, the only god to be discovered and forcibly sent back to Tenkai had been Ishtar. All the others were still very much alive.
As for actually slaying a god? That was just absurd. If something that serious had really happened, the gods in Orario would've erupted by now. There was no way things would be this peaceful.
Bell, seeing the confusion on their faces, hesitated before asking,
"Does this mean my Development Ability is related to slaying gods?"
Hestia and Hephaestus looked at each other, then nodded. There was no use hiding it—Development Abilities had to be chosen by the individual anyway.
"Yes. After your level-up, [Godslayer] appeared as a Development Ability. But Development Abilities represent deep personal growth or inclination. If you've never slain a god, then in theory, this ability shouldn't exist."
Hestia had never heard of such a Development Ability, and Hephaestus, who had descended to Genkai earlier and seen far more, agreed.
"It's only a theoretical possibility. In practice, there's never been a case where [Godslayer] actually appeared, even when a mortal child in Genkai 'killed' a god."
In both theory and reality, this sort of thing simply shouldn't happen.
Even Hephaestus understood that "killing" a god didn't mean actual death. Rather, it referred to triggering the divine self-seal. When a god received a fatal blow, they'd automatically be forced back to Tenkai.
"Besides, children of Genkai don't actually have the ability to kill gods. What they call 'killing' is really just a form of banishment. So regardless of theory, something like this shouldn't be possible."
"Mm... that's true."
Hestia nodded in agreement. The so-called 'killing' done by mortals was simply sending a god back to Tenkai—it wasn't death in the true sense. So for a Development Ability like [Godslayer] to appear even theoretically, it would require someone to have truly killed a god.
Hephaestus and Hestia's reasoning also reaffirmed to Bell that he had never killed a god. But the Development Ability wasn't fake—it had shown up for real. Which meant... he really had killed a god?
Could it be...? A possibility flashed through Bell's mind, and his expression turned slightly awkward. If what he was thinking was right, then yes—he really did have the experience of "killing" a god.
But the context was...
Bell's gaze flickered, and after a brief internal struggle, he raised his hand despite the embarrassment.
"If it's killing a god in another sense... then I think I understand."
"In another sense?"
The two goddesses didn't immediately grasp what Bell was trying to say. Seeing that, Bell had no choice but to press on.
"I believe... I've killed two virgin goddesses."
"..."
In an instant, Hestia and Hephaestus both froze. After a moment of silence, the meaning of "killed" in Bell's context dawned on them—and their faces instantly flushed red.
As former virgin goddesses, that part of their identity had indeed been "ended." It was just that the method of "killing" was... a bit different from what they'd initially imagined.
...
That's what he meant by killing! Hestia and Hephaestus both screamed internally. After all their speculation, it turned out the problem lay with them all along.
If that's how it was defined, then it made perfect sense.
That experience really was a "Godslayer" moment—specifically for virgin goddesses.
A sharp weapon + penetration + bleeding = the downfall of a virgin goddess.
The equation was uncomfortably accurate. So yes, it could be seen as a form of god-slaying... just a version limited to virgin goddesses.
Looking at it that way, Bell's Development Ability appearing as [Godslayer] during his level-up suddenly made sense. Because, well... it did happen.
But as the two "slain" goddesses in question, both Hestia and Hephaestus were now absolutely mortified.
At this point, neither of them could even look directly at the words "Godslayer" anymore.
"Ahem! Hestia, you... help Bell choose his Development Ability. I'm going to my room."
Hephaestus turned on her heel and left the courtyard in a hurry, not giving Hestia the slightest chance to respond.
"You... I..."
Left behind, Hestia fumbled for words for a long moment. In the end, she just blushed furiously and quietly helped Bell complete his post-level-up Development Ability selection.
This time, she worked through it at lightning speed. And as soon as it was done, Hestia fled the courtyard just as fast.
For now, she absolutely didn't want to talk about anything related to "Godslayer." Especially not in front of Bell.