As if telepathically… his words reached the girl's heart without a sound.
"Good night."
--------------------------------
Day and night changed, and the morning light crossing the towering walls pours into the bustling city that is gradually coming back to life.
Compared to usual, the streets are even noisier today.
Shopkeepers have set up all kinds of promotional signs in front of their doors, and adventurers who are rarely seen during the day are now frequently appearing in the streets and alleys.
Street vendors have already set up stalls in the square around the Colosseum, with a dazzling variety of snacks that make people's mouths water.
The tantalizing aroma drifting over from afar is enough to make one drool. With just one glance, there's a high chance you'd feel full from the sight alone.
At this moment, in the courtyard of the Loki Familia's main base, several girls, Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, and others, have already had breakfast and are happily chatting together, seemingly preparing to go shopping. But… things rarely go as planned, like a strange loop.
Now fully sober, Loki came down from the second floor with a beaming smile, and the words she spoke immediately stunned the carefully dressed elven girl.
"Ais-tan, you're coming with me today!"
Such a blunt interception instantly brought displeasure to the girls' faces.
"What the, Loki! We already agreed to go to the Monster Pheria together! How could you do this?"
"Hehehe, sorry, Lefiya. Ais-tan has to come out with me today. I'm meeting another god and I need a reliable escort."
"Eh? But… but, "
"No buts, Lefiya. Some things can't really be explained, but the important part is, it's necessary."
As she spoke, Loki placed her hands on Ais' shoulders and pushed her toward the door.
On her calm face, Ais showed a trace of apology.
"Lefiya, um… sorry. I'll go with you another day, okay?"
"Boohoohoo…"
The elven girl whimpered, twisting her body in frustration, looking like she could melt into a puddle.
"Hehehe, Ais-tan will go with you another day! I'm borrowing her today."
"Y-you bully-!"
Tione and Tiona exchanged glances. Seeing Lefiya's pitiful expression, they could only shrug helplessly.
"Alright, Lefiya, even if Ais isn't here, we're still with you. Let's go watch the performance together, okay?"
"O-okay… But Loki's a bad person, humph!"
"Hehehe, be careful Loki doesn't sneak into your room at night, Lefiya!"
"..."
On the upper floor of the grand mansion, in the sky corridor, Fron leaned against the railing, resting his chin on one hand as he watched the little scene below with a smile. He found Lefiya and Ais' relationship increasingly interesting, truly a genuine yuri elf.
"What, Fron, you're not going to the Monster Pheria with them?"
Finn had appeared beside him at some point, though his words were slightly muffled by the shield in front of him.
"Well, just the thought of shopping makes my head hurt. Especially with girls, once they start shopping, it's like they turn into perpetual motion machines. They never get tired, their energy stays at peak levels, like they've evolved into some terrifying lifeform. It's exhausting."
Just imagining the scene made Fron shiver.
From that day on, he recalled the fear of being dominated by women while shopping…
"Ah-haha, so you have things you're afraid of too!"
Hearing his oddly detailed analysis of women shopping, Finn was momentarily stunned before chuckling.
"…I'm afraid of plenty of things, alright."
Thinking of his deeds in the Dungeon, Finn could only smile and shake his head.
Was Fron really afraid? Probably not. Even the naïve Amazoness Tiona could see the nature hidden deep within Fron beneath his surface facade, how could Finn, the brain of the entire Familia, not notice?
Aside from talent, Finn, as a veteran adventurer who rose from Orario's darkest era, possessed an insight into subtle interpersonal relationships and human nature far beyond what a young man like Fron could match. As the dwarf Gareth would say, these youngsters still have a long way to go.
"Ah, I envy you young folks, you still have the time and mood to stroll around festivals, watch beast fights, and all that. Us old folks have to bury ourselves in the office, swamped with piles of documents… we can't escape the grind."
Huh, Finn could complain like this too? Oh, right, he wasn't wearing his 'Captain' mask right now.
Understanding this, Fron raised an eyebrow, looked him over, and smirked.
"Come to think of it, Finn, with that shota appearance of yours, I bet plenty of girls send you signals, maybe even throw themselves at you, right? For you, attracting admirers is a bit much. Who would guess you're already a middle-aged man in his 40s, flaunting yourself like this?"
"…?"
Finn was nearly thrown off balance by the abrupt change of topic.
"…It's a racial trait, you humans can't relate. Besides… never mind. You're already Level 4, so it's not exactly a secret."
"?"
Fron tilted his head in confusion, unsure what Finn meant.
But the Pallum captain narrowed his eyes, wearing an expression full of meaning.
"You probably don't know yet, Familia members blessed with Falna experience a slowing of aging as their level increases. For example, I'm already Level 6, so for a Pallum, my theoretical lifespan limit is far from my actual limit. In Loki's words… leveling up is a process of becoming closer to the gods. Once you reach a certain point, maybe you could even become like them."
Fron couldn't remember when he had first heard this secret, but he vaguely knew of it, it was almost an open secret among high-level adventurers.
This was also why every time the children grew stronger, their gods would be so excited, because it meant they could stay together longer. Whether human or divine, the love for family was the same.
Drawing closer to the divine… but was the gap between humans and gods truly vast?
The answer: a gap so great it was invisible even when gazing at the stars.
If Fron's temporary goal was to gain all the world's knowledge, to ascend through magic and approach the concept of "god," then… the view from humanity's peak was still beyond his understanding, let alone the gods, who existed on an entirely different plane.
Unfathomable, unthinkable, unspeakable, a permanent, crushing divide.
"Alright, no need to overthink it. Gods have their lives, we have ours, both are equally brilliant. No need to be envious, living well in the present is what matters." Fron smiled silently.
"Yeah, I'm quite satisfied with my life now. Dreams are like love, the joy is in the pursuit. Once you get it, the flavor changes."
"Hm, that's an interesting way to put it. Anyway, I've got documents to deal with… ugh, what a headache."
"Wishing you a pleasant workday, Captain!"
"I'd rather you not wish me that."
Fron spread his hands with a shrug and a smile. After watching Finn leave, he refocused.
"Alright, I should head out too. Better take care of that matter first. It's in the southeast district, right?"
Shaking his head, Fron donned a cloak and hood, leaving the base as well.
[Soma Familia], led by the god Soma, a master of brewing divine wine.
Their base and wine cellar are located between East Main Street and Southeast Street, in Orario's southeast quarter, District 3.
This Familia had been in Orario for some generations, at least two, as Fron remembered that Lili's parents had been adventurers of the Soma Familia.
Like the Dionysus Familia, Soma's was a mid-tier faction, not particularly strong, but numerous.
Their most famous asset was the "True Divine Wine" brewed by Soma himself.
Note: True Divine Wine.
While Soma's divine wine occasionally appeared on the market at extremely high prices, only insiders and a very few others knew the truth, that the wine sold publicly was all defective product.
Yes, even the wine capable of knocking someone out in one drink or causing hallucinations was just the inferior version.
The truedivine wine was extraordinary, like an illegal drug from Fron's previous life. Just a sip, and… you became Soma's slave.
Completely addicted, willing to do anything, no matter how despicable or without limits, for just one more taste.
Threats, coercion, backstabbing, such things were common within the Soma Familia. With a leader who indulged them and Soma's own disappointment in his children, the situation only worsened, so much so that even the Guild had stepped in.
It was common to see Soma Familia members causing trouble at exchange counters, dissatisfied with the amount of coin they got for monster drops. Fron himself had witnessed it several times.
Their emblem was the crescent moon and a wine glass.
Thanks to the wine's reputation, Soma Familia's base in the southeast district was well known.
Standing outside it, Fron looked up at the castle before him.
Its general structure and layout were similar to the Twilight Manor, with a fortress and a courtyard.
But its design and decoration were far inferior.
Watching the members going in and out, with their gloomy, frenzied, greedy, and slightly lost expressions, Fron sighed inwardly.
"Planning the development direction of a Familia should be one of a god's most important responsibilities."
After all… the god was the core of a Familia. The god's character, interests, preferences, vision, and policies would have a deep impact on every aspect of it.
If the god went astray, then nothing good could come of the Familia.