"Lightning Command???"
Bell's expression twisted into confusion as he listened to Goddess-sama's explanation. All he wanted was a magic that could transform his body into lightning—yet what he ended up with was "Lightning Command." And once he learned it was categorized as both "Quick-Cast Magic" and "Lightning Manipulation," he knew something wasn't right. This was overpowered—way more than the "Firebolt" the original protagonist had.
In the original, that was still clearly a spell. But this? Manipulating lightning directly—was that even still magic? It sounded more like an Authority. But could an Authority even be obtained from a Spell Tome? Bell prided himself on being adaptable, but this realization had him stumped. He didn't ask for something so extreme, yet there was no way this fit within the boundaries of normal magic.
After a long silence, he couldn't hold back the question nagging at his mind.
"Goddess-sama… is this magic or an Authority?"
The question triggered an instinctive response from Hestia.
"Of course it's magic. Authority is a special privilege unique to gods. It's a divine authority—completely different from magic. Gods use Authority to govern specific principles, while magic is something expressed through chants and mana, using structured formulas to produce results."
"To put it simply, magic needs to be constructed. Authority, on the other hand, is innate to the gods—it doesn't require construction. Some magics may resemble Authority, but those are just spells designed to mimic aspects of divine authority."
But even as she gave her explanation, Hestia started reexamining the distinctions between magic and Authority. The more she thought about it, the more Bell's newly awakened magic felt off. Something strange crept into her thoughts, and stiffly, she turned to look at Hephaestus.
"Hephaestus… what do you think?"
At that moment, Hephaestus froze.
The moment Hestia reintroduced the comparison between magic and Authority, Hephaestus had already realized the implications. Authority and magic were fundamentally different—magic needed to be cast, while Authority was immediate. Authority was broad, flexible, and powerful. Not something magic could replicate. But Bell's spell… it fit that description far too well.
'Could he have awakened an Authority?'
'But can a child of Genkai even awaken Authority?'
Hephaestus found the idea absurd. Even demigods couldn't awaken Authority—how could a mortal child from the Genkai possibly do it? Then again, if this wasn't true Authority, but something masquerading as magic under the Falna system, wasn't that even more outrageous?
"Hestia… even demigods can't awaken Authority."
"I know. Not even a demigod can seize divine authority, even if a god willingly abandons it. But Bell… everything about this magic—it feels just like Authority."
'Even demigods can't awaken Authority, let alone a child from the Genkai.' Hestia understood that better than anyone. And that's what made it so disturbing. Even she could see it—Bell's magic was deeply problematic. To be blunt, it was Authority disguised as magic. Otherwise, it wouldn't have such an absurdly wide range of capabilities.
And the word "command" was troubling in itself. Can someone "command" magic? Isn't that term reserved for Authority?
The more Hestia thought about it, the more she felt that Bell's magic was completely abnormal. This didn't look like the awakening of a magic—it looked like the awakening of an Authority. If there was any difference, it was that the Falna system was simply labeling it as "magic."
"Maybe... in terms of raw ability, it's just a little lacking."
Even Hephaestus wasn't sure how to describe what was happening. The more she thought about it, the more it felt real—this might be the first time she'd ever seen someone awaken a magic that essentially acted like an Authority. Or perhaps this was the only real case in all of Orario. And if this so-called magic really was just an Authority wearing a magical disguise, then whatever was going on with Bell, Hestia had hit the jackpot.
After descending to Genkai, gods were forbidden from abusing their Authority. Authority was tied directly to divine power, and overusing it would trigger a resonance with that divine power. While gods weren't explicitly banned from using their Authority, they all understood the unspoken rule—cross the line, and it was as good as getting forcibly summoned back to Tenkai.
But if Hestia's child had awakened something that was essentially Authority in the form of magic, then that made her the only god with someone who could wield divine power freely. In Familia terms, that was beyond a jackpot. There was even a chance Hestia's Familia could rise to match the glory once held by the Hera Familia and the Zeus Familia.
The thought made Hephaestus glance at the idiot goddess again.
'This idiot must have saved the world in a past life. What else could explain her luck? A child just walked through her door, and in a few days, ended up with Space Storage, Early Bloomer, and Luck as skills and magic. And now, he's awakened an Authority hidden under the label of magic.'
For a moment, Hephaestus genuinely questioned her own luck. All gods should have decent fortune—unless you were one of the poverty or misfortune gods. And yet, despite having good luck, how did she end up with nothing like what Hestia had? Why did a shut-in like Hestia end up with a child like that just falling into her lap?
'Ah… right, the kid did come to me first.'
Hephaestus paused. Just a few days ago, when the boy arrived in Orario, he'd come to her looking for a way to join a Familia. He had low expectations and was very clear about his own position. She was the one who referred him to Hestia. Realizing this, Hephaestus felt a brief flicker of regret. But the moment she saw Hestia's smile, that regret vanished.
'Well... I guess this is fate, the bond between this child and Hestia. I just didn't expect I'd be the one who tied the thread.'
With a quiet sigh at how unpredictable life could be, Hephaestus gave a small smile and let the whole matter go.