Unlike Maria—who had yet to receive Falna from Frigg—and unlike the more than twenty children led by Ray, Fina, and Roux, Lili was already an official member of the Frigg Familia.
Because of that, compared to Bell receiving a priceless Unfixed Grimoire worth over a hundred million valis earlier that day, the gift Renjiro prepared for the Pallum girl was something different—
A training hunting bow.
Yes, a two-star bow-type weapon from Genshin.
This item…
"It was personally crafted by Aether—one of the Twin Stars," Renjiro explained as he placed the Seasoned Hunter's Bow into Lili's hands. Seeing her accept it carefully and examine it with curious eyes, he continued, "Not only does it possess the Unbreakable property, it also has a very convenient trait—automatic size adaptation to its wielder."
Sure enough, the moment Renjiro finished speaking, the bow in Lili's hands visibly shrank, adjusting itself into a size perfectly suited for a Pallum.
This astonishing sight immediately drew the attention of Bell—who was still clutching his grimoire—as well as the surrounding children.
As for Lili…
"T-This… this is far too valuable."
She knew very well that if this weapon were put up for sale, its value would be no less than that of an Unfixed Grimoire.
After all, Ais's sword Desperate alone had cost nearly a hundred million valis to forge—and that rapier only possessed the Unbreakable attribute.
A weapon that could freely change size to match its owner? Lili had never even heard of such a thing before.
She truly didn't dare accept it.
In response to her attempt to refuse—
"I usually believe in the principle of putting things to their best use."
Renjiro slipped both hands into his pockets and made no move to take the bow back. His tone was casual as he continued, "Lili, I've never believed that Pallums are a useless race."
"In my opinion, precisely because of your small stature, Pallums possess natural advantages in dexterity and agility."
"Finn Deimne is living proof of that."
Hearing this—
"But… that's the Braver," Lili said quietly, lacking confidence. "Someone like me… how could I possibly compare to him…?"
"Is that so?"
Renjiro shook his head. "I think your talent isn't inferior to Finn's at all~"
"Eh?"
Lili froze in surprise.
She felt his evaluation was far too generous—so much so that even if it were meant as encouragement, it bordered on overpraising.
However—
"First of all, you are unquestionably an elite among the Pallum race. To put it bluntly—if you were truly mediocre, I wouldn't have taken the initiative to approach you in the first place."
Renjiro spoke calmly and confidently. "You just haven't realized your own strengths yet."
"And I just so happen to be very good at seeing people."
Lili knew exactly what he was referring to—his special ability to perceive an adventurer's skills and magic.
At once—
"First, your skill Artel Assist allows your carrying capacity to far exceed the Pallum limit."
In simple terms, the heavier the total equipment Lili carried, the higher her basic attributes would rise proportionally.
"Which means," Renjiro continued, "your weakness in raw strength has already been partially compensated."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, extending first his index finger, then his middle finger.
"Second, you possess extremely high talent in archery."
"According to what Razor told me, during dungeon expeditions, you can accurately shoot a goblin in the eye from dozens of meters away—even during rapid consecutive fire—with a hit rate of one hundred percent."
"That's something many elves can't even achieve."
What he didn't say was that Lili's greatest strength was her command and tactical talent—one that could rival Finn's.
But since she hadn't yet been given the chance to display it, there was no need to rush things.
So—
Renjiro pointed at the two-star bow now in her hands. "Oh right, I forgot to mention—the third trait of this bow is…"
"It doesn't require arrows."
"As long as you draw the string, an arrow will automatically form."
The black-haired youth smiled. "There's no doubt—it's the weapon best suited for you."
Moments ago, Lili had already been overjoyed by Renjiro's praise.
But now, after hearing this final explanation, she nearly dropped the bow from her hands.
She really… couldn't bring herself to accept it.
Fortunately, at that moment—
"Accept it, Lili."
Syr spoke from nearby.
She walked over slowly. "As the goddess of this Familia, I think it's necessary for me to correct a misunderstanding in your thinking."
"When you joined my Familia, you stopped being merely Liliruca Arde as an individual. You also became a member of the larger whole—the Frigg Familia."
"And when there is an opportunity to make yourself more effective, you shouldn't hesitate and let it slip away… wouldn't you agree?"
"I trust Renjiro-kun's judgment. You should also trust the captain standing in front of you."
At those words—
Lili fell silent for a moment. She tightened her grip on the small bow, then nodded.
"I understand."
"Frigg-sama, Renjiro-sama—I won't disappoint you."
The Pallum girl slowly gained confidence.
And then—
Liliruca: Favorability 4 → 5
To Renjiro, this was simply a delightful bonus on top of everything else.
=======
That night, both Bell's Unfixed Grimoire and Lili's Seasoned Hunter's Bow were, at their core, rewards.
After all, during yesterday's War Game, Renjiro hadn't placed particularly high expectations on either of them. Yet in the end… neither Bell nor Lili had been eliminated.
That result alone deserved recognition.
To be honest, it had exceeded Renjiro's expectations.
And he liked surprises like that.
For no clear reason, it gave him the feeling of watching the kids at home grow up.
And when Renjiro was in a good mood, he didn't mind letting others share in that happiness.
However—
"It's already this late. Where do you think you're going, Bell?"
"Eeek—"
Just past midnight, a certain white-haired rabbit boy—who hadn't even finished putting on his gear—tried to sneak out of Maria Orphanage to have some fun in the dungeon by himself.
The moment he carefully closed the door of the abandoned church—
He ran straight into Renjiro, who was yawning as he blocked the entrance.
Bell was, without a doubt, a boy with overwhelming curiosity—perhaps better described as excessive playfulness.
To put it bluntly, he could be extremely reckless at times.
That was why, in the original timeline of this world, he had rushed straight to the Fifth Floor of the Dungeon shortly after becoming an adventurer.
Most cautious adventurers wouldn't even dare step onto the Second Floor early on.
Why?
Because rookies feared that if danger struck, they wouldn't even have time to escape back to the surface.
In short—lack of experience bred fear.
Bell, on the other hand… was far more reckless than them.
How reckless?
Just look at him now.
"Um… Captain…"
"I can understand how excited you are to test your new magic after awakening it~"
"Uh… hehe…"
"But—"
Renjiro suddenly hooked an arm around Bell's neck while his other hand began drilling into his forehead.
At once—
"Ah—ow ow ow—!"
"Good," Renjiro said with a frown. "If it hurts, maybe you'll remember this. Sneaking out in the middle of the night is bad enough—but running into the Dungeon without equipment? Without even a weapon?"
"Are you tired of living?"
As he spoke, the pressure on Bell's forehead only increased.
"Aaaah—sorry sorry sorry—!"
At that moment, the rabbit flailed helplessly in the hunter's grasp.
To absolutely no effect.
A Level 3 Renjiro, even without activating any skills, was someone a Level 1 Bell could never resist.
After a while—
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Mm…"
Rubbing his aching forehead, Bell looked up at the black-haired youth standing before him, arms crossed and gaze stern. He lowered his head and shrank his neck.
Seeing that—
"Since you know you were wrong, then let's go."
"Huh?"
Before Bell could react, Renjiro slapped him on the back, sending the confused boy stumbling forward. "I doubt you'd be able to sleep tonight anyway."
"I'll let you play in the Dungeon for half an hour. Then you come straight back and go to sleep. Got it?"
With that, Renjiro had already started walking toward the open area outside the abandoned church.
After a moment—
"Are you coming or not?"
"Oh—yeah!"
The rabbit boy broke into a delighted grin and hurried after him.
He really was a troublesome little brother at times.
But… at least he listened.