Back in Bahamut's house, she could be seen staring down on Draco's back, a serious expression gracing her features.
There were a few decent abilities that were available to him, making Bahamut have a hard time picking one.
Abnormal Resistance: Negates the effects of abnormalities.
Mage: creates a magic circle under the user that improves their magic power, widens its effective range, more efficient mind usage.
Elemental Claw Attack: enables the user to imbue elemental properties to a certain limit when using natural claws to attack.
Melee fighter: provides a slight boost to the user's Strength, Agility and Dexterity when unarmed or using natural weapons.
Mixing: Improves quality when creating items such as potions.
Spirit Healing: Begin automatically replenishing mind at a small rate after magic use.
Rouge Alchemy: increases the chance of creating new and unconventional potions during potion making.
Hunter: Improves damage against monsters that the user has acquired excelia from.
Bahamut carefully considered the options, her brow furrowed in deep thought.
Each ability had its own merits, and she knew the decision would have a significant impact on Draco's future.
After weighing the pros and cons of each, she soon came to a conclusion.
"The Hunter development ability," Bahamut murmured, her voice soft yet decisive.
'It's the safest option, and the fact that it's only available at level 2 makes it all the more appealing.' With her mind made up, Bahamut completed the level-up process, and Draco was now officially a level 2 adventurer.
Satisfied with the outcome, Bahamut turned to Nikolaos.
"Could you please get a sheet of paper? I'd like Draco to have a copy of his updated status board." she requested.
"Of course, Bahamut-sama," Nikolaos replied, quickly retrieving the requested item.
As Nikolaos returned, Vasileios couldn't contain his curiosity.
"Is it done?" he asked, eager to see Draco's new ability.
He wasn't the only one who was curious about development abilities.
Development abilities were fundamentally different from inborn abilities.
These special abilities had a chance of appearing with each level up, a feature that was uniquely granted to those blessed by Falna, the divine power that guided the progression of adventurers.
Bahamut nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Yes, it is. Though it's a shame he's still unconscious – we should be celebrating right now." she replied.
Clair, her brow furrowed in concern, spoke up. "Is he going to be alright now? she asked.
"Yes, he just needs lots of sleep," Bahamut reassured her.
"Carry him to his room, and he should be up sometime tomorrow, probably." Bahamut instructed.
Nikolaos and Vasileios carefully lifted Draco and carried him to his room, leaving Bahamut, Clair, Dimitra, and Eleni behind.
When they returned, the room was still quite gloomy, but Bahamut was determined to lift their spirits.
"Come on, children," she said, her voice warm and inviting.
"Right now, you should all be celebrating. Draco wouldn't want to see gloomy faces when he wakes up, would he?" she said.
"Bahamut-sama is right. We should cheer up. By the way, what's for dinner? I'm starving!" Vasileios asked, his tone cheerful.
"We made spaghetti and meatballs." Dimitra replied, a hint of a smile on her face.
"Hmm, sounds delicious," Vasileios said, his eyes lighting up.
He turned to Dimitra, Eleni, and Clair with a smile.
"Did you all help prepare it?" he asked.
The girls nodded, their expressions brightening.
"Then what are you waiting for, lead the way so we may partake of the feast you have prepared for us," Vasileios said, his voice filled with excitement.
"Today is a day to celebrate!" he added.
Infected by Vasileios' cheerful demeanour, the room soon brightened up with everyone eager to eat.
However, an uneasy silence soon fell over the group as Eleni realized that Michalis and Vasiliki were nowhere to be seen.
"Come to think of it, has anyone seen Michalis and Vasiliki, aren't they back yet?" Eleni asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
Nikolaos' eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Wait, they aren't back yet? But it's already quite late!" The worry in his voice was palpable.
"Calm down, does anyone know where they went?" Bahamut asked, her tone measured and composed..
"I remember Michalis asking to go exploring the city with him in the morning." Vasileios spoke up.
Eleni nodded in agreement. "He asked me too, but I refused," she added, her expression pensive.
Nikolaos quickly pieced the information together.
"Okay, since Draco nii strictly encouraged us to go out in pairs when going far from home, we can assume that he listened since he asked everyone in this room," he speculated.
The group fell silent for a moment, each nodding in agreement.
Nikolaos continued, "Knowing Michalis, Vasiliki would be the last person he would ask, but since everyone refused him and are here, Michalis and Vasiliki are likely together, right?" he said.
"Hmm, since he is not alone, he shouldn't cause or run into much trouble" Clair said.
"But it's Vasiliki, so..." her voice trailed off, her expression conveying her unspoken concerns.
Michalis and Vasiliki were known to be the most troublesome of the siblings, and the thought of them being together was quite worrying.
Bahamut, sensing the growing unease, spoke up.
"I don't sense any abnormalities from my connection with them. So I think they are fine," she reassured the group.
Nikolaos let out a sigh of relief.
'I can't still help but worry, maybe we should look around a bit' he thought.
"Alright, Vasileios, come with me. Let's go look around a bit for them," he decided, already grabbing his gear.
"Hmm," Vasileios replied, grabbing his own gear.
Dimitra, Clair, and Eleni exchanged glances, unsure if they should join the search.
"Should we come too?" Dimitra asked, gesturing towards the trio.
Nikolaos shook his head, "No, you girls stay home in case they return." he replied.
"Hmm," Dimitra acknowledged.
Just as Nikolaos and Vasileios were about to exit the house, the door swung open, and Michalis' voice rang out.
"Everyone, we're back! We bought some chicken skewers too," he announced, a proud smile on his face.
The room fell silent, and Michalis' smile faltered as he noticed the glares directed at him.
"Huh, did I do something wrong?" he wondered aloud, confusion etched on his features.
Vasiliki, who had been behind Michalis, pushed him aside and stepped forward.
"Is someone hurt?" she asked, her voice was laced with concern.
Her nose had immediately picked up on the smell of blood as Michalis opened the door and she knew that something was wrong.
The sight of the blood-stained couch and the blood-soaked rags beside it shook her to the core.
It was a lot of blood, meaning that someone was severely hurt.
"Who did this?" Vasiliki asked, her voice turning cold.
She didn't even let anyone answer, her mind already jumping to conclusions.
The temperature in the room began to drop as Vasiliki's magic responded to her anger.
Thwack!
Bahamut immediately stepped forward and hit Vasiliki hard on the head.
"Ouch!" Vasiliki grasped her head in pain.
But Bahamut wasn't done with her yet, she grabbed Vasiliki by the ear, pulling her along till she reach a clean part of the couch where she sat and forced Vasiliki to kneel.
"Michalis, close the door and come kneel here," Bahamut instructed, her voice threatening to smite him if he refused to listen.
Since Draco was unconscious, Bahamut had taken the role as their guardian and was going to mete out punishment accordingly.
The room remained tense as Michalis and Vasiliki knelt before Bahamut, their expressions a mix of confusion and trepidation.
Bahamut's gaze swept over the siblings, her eyes filled with a stern determination.
"Now, I need you both to explain yourselves. Where have you been, and what trouble did you both get yourselves into?" she demanded, her voice leaving no room for excuses.
Michalis opened his mouth to speak, but Bahamut raised her hand, silencing him.
She could already tell that he wanted to make some kind of lame joke to downplay the situation.
"I don't want to hear any excuses. I just want the full truthful story, just so you know, gods can detect lies" Bahamut added.
The room remained tense as Michalis and Vasiliki knelt before Bahamut, their expressions a mix of confusion and trepidation.
Bahamut's gaze swept over the siblings, her eyes filled with a stern determination.
Michalis and Vasiliki exchanged a glance, their usual bravado replaced by a sense of unease.
Slowly, they began to recount their day's adventure, their voices wavering as they recounted the events that had led to their delayed return.
As the story unfolded, the tension in the room shifted, and a sense of understanding began to emerge.
The group listened intently, their expressions shifting from worry to a mix of relief and exasperation.
Bahamut's features softened, and she let out a deep sigh.
"Well, it seems you two have certainly lived up to your reputation," she said, shaking her head.
"But I'm glad you're both safe, and that no one was injured." she said.
"However, you two will still be punished as you have broken the rules" Bahamut sternly added.
With that, the room seemed to collectively exhale, the weight of the earlier concern gradually lifting as the siblings were reunited, and a sense of normalcy began to return.