Chapter 146: Hephaestus’s Blessing (Bonus)

After leaving the basement, Bell didn't head straight to the Dungeon like he usually did.

After spending so much time down there, what he needed now wasn't more grinding to build up his Status. What he really needed were combat skills that matched his current level.

Another reason behind his decision was that he had fully mastered all eighteen Rune Characters. The next step—comprehending and internalizing them—wasn't something he could accomplish overnight.

Since he had reached a temporary ceiling with the Rune Characters, he decided to shift focus to other studies that hadn't hit a bottleneck yet and catch up there.

He pulled out the "Kuji Kanesada" from his four-dimensional space and began by steadying his breathing. He didn't jump into sword practice immediately. Training required a clear mind, and that meant temporarily setting aside all distracting thoughts. Otherwise, the quality of his training would plummet.

Caution was Bell's natural style, and adapting to circumstances was a life skill he'd sharpened through daily discipline.

Just a few seconds of deep breathing were enough to settle his mind.

"......."

With his mind calm, Bell's hearing became sharper. He could clearly make out approaching footsteps, breaking his concentration once more.

The unexpected interruption pulled him out of his training state.

'Those footsteps are a little heavy... It's Hephaestus-sama.'

He reacted immediately.

'Wait... could it be that Hephaestus-sama was awake just now?'

'That doesn't seem right. If she were awake, I definitely would've noticed.'

Before he'd done anything, Bell had carefully monitored Hephaestus-sama's breathing and heartbeat. The whole time, she hadn't shown any emotional disturbance.

Still, facing her now felt a bit awkward. He had, after all, taken a quick peek earlier. But aside from that, Bell had a clear conscience.

He could honestly say he hadn't done anything inappropriate.

As the footsteps grew nearer, Hephaestus-sama came into view, wearing a white shirt and black slacks.

Bell's eyes instinctively drifted toward her legs.

It really was a reflex—probably because the image from earlier had flashed in his mind.

But that brief glance didn't escape Hephaestus's notice.

"You little perv."

A hint of bashfulness flickered in her wine-red eyes, but her words were anything but gentle.

With hearing as sharp as his, Bell caught it loud and clear—and nearly lost his composure.

'She was awake and saw!?'

Now he was sure she'd noticed him staring earlier. Otherwise, Hephaestus-sama wouldn't be reacting this way.

He quickly tried to smooth over the awkwardness and avoided looking anywhere inappropriate.

"Good morning, Hephaestus-sama."

"Morning."

Noticing the fluster hiding beneath his calm expression, Hephaestus's smile deepened. Her earlier shyness had faded significantly—especially now that she realized the one who'd snuck a peek was just a clueless young boy.

"You're acting awfully calm for someone who was just staring at me."

"Ahem!"

Bell's expression was really starting to crack.

"Hephaestus-sama, that was an accident."

Now in a mischievous mood, Hephaestus no longer felt the discomfort she had at first.

"Was it nice?"

'How am I even supposed to answer that?'

Bell was truly at a loss now. That question completely threw him off.

Of course it was nice—those fair, shapely legs really were beautiful.

But if he really said that, wouldn't it sound way too sleazy?

And wouldn't that basically be admitting he'd been staring at Hephaestus-sama's legs on purpose?

"Hoo~"

"Hahaha~"

Seeing Bell so caught up in his own awkward dilemma, not knowing how to respond, Hephaestus couldn't help but laugh. At the same time, she slowly walked over to him. Under Bell's gaze, she suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the neck.

Hephaestus, tall and statuesque, stood half a head taller than Bell, who hadn't fully grown yet. With that motion, she pulled him right into her side—his face ended up pressed firmly against her chest.

And just like that, Bell froze, not daring to move an inch.

Hephaestus-sama's figure wasn't the least bit inferior to any other goddess. If he even turned his head now, it'd truly look perverted.

But instead of acting shy, Hephaestus—who had seemed a little bashful earlier—now looked perfectly at ease. She leaned in close to whisper teasingly in his ear...

"You little pervert. You sure had the guts to keep sneaking peeks at my legs."

"...Hephaestus-sama, I told you that was an accident. Will you believe me?"

"I'll believe you once. But twice? Should I still believe you then?"

Hephaestus had clearly felt his gaze land on her legs not just once—but twice.

'She really was awake!?'

Now Bell was almost certain—Hephaestus-sama was totally baiting him.

Right now, Hephaestus was thoroughly enjoying the conflicted look on Bell's face. In that moment, she kind of understood why Loki found so much joy in messing with people. Maybe all that teasing was just to see faces like this.

Still, Hephaestus wasn't the type to take it too far.

After subtly puffing out her chest, she leaned closer to Bell's ear again.

"But, since you helped fix my right cheek... I'll let it slide this time."

Those words were enough to make Bell breathe a sigh of relief. For a moment, he'd really thought Hephaestus-sama was about to hold it against him.

A soft smile spread across Hephaestus's face. Just as the boy relaxed, she took the opportunity to quickly lean in—her rose-red lips brushing gently against his cheek.

"Chu~"

A simple kiss on the cheek. It lasted only a second, barely a moment.

But that was all it took to leave Bell completely frozen.

'Huh?'

'What just happened?'

Hephaestus's wine-red eyes now shimmered with a softness she rarely showed. This was the first time she had ever given a kiss like that to someone from Genkai.

Even more surprising—it wasn't her own child she had blessed, but the child of her best friend.

"This is a blessing from a goddess to the mortal she favors. A goddess's kiss is only for one person."

"Make sure you remember that."

With that, Hephaestus turned and started walking back toward the church.

Her hands clasped behind her back, a bright smile blooming across her face. As she turned her head, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

She stole a glance behind her—and sure enough, the boy was still standing there, completely dumbfounded.

Smirking at the sight, she couldn't help but mutter softly.

"What a little pervert."