"Well, it's nice, right? At least we'll spend a little less on expeditions from now on. We're seriously broke, okay?"
Loki sipped her drink, squinting her divine eyes.
Come to think of it, the [Loki Familia] practically emptied their coffers every time they went on an 'Expedition.' That's a big reason such a large Familia was always strapped for cash.
----------------------------------
Sitting in the main seat, Finn held his teacup with both hands like the old man Gareth, carefully blowing on it twice. Combined with his handsome young appearance—
"Captain~~~"
Tione was already smitten, rubbing herself against Finn repeatedly.
The tiny captain wore a bitter smile as he used one hand to fend off the Amazoness and said with a smile:
"If I were him, I'd make the same choice. Lv.1 is just the foundation for him. The deeper the foundation, the better the results after leveling up. Looks like he had it all planned out. Quite smart. By the way, Lefiya, you said he was pretty good at commanding during your expedition?"
Lefiya, with Ais patting her head, blushed deeply and steamed up.
"Y-Yes, Captain, Fron is amazing. He doesn't seem like a rookie adventurer at all. Though his tactics are kind of weird. The feeling I got—"
"What do you mean?"
Everyone looked at the girl, making her so nervous she stammered.
"It's just—that the way he commanded didn't feel like he was targeting monsters."
"Hah, now that's interesting. If not monsters, then what?"
Lefiya recounted what she remembered.
"Humans."
Ais voiced the truth for everyone.
As expected of a high-level adventurer, she deduced everything from the slightest clues.
When Fron was commanding, he instinctively took human behavior into account.
Monsters, being mindless, always attack with full force, acting straight and instinctively without cunning. Humans, however, are far trickier—ambushes, traps, feints, you name it.
Naturally, this affects how tactics are carried out.
Against monsters, the vanguard holds the line while the mage delivers the finishing blow.
Against humans, you must always protect the rear guard, because "flanking the rear" is a universal tactic.
Loki curled her lips and opened her red divine eyes:
"If I'm right, that kid's like Finn—he's has extraordinary talent in commanding."
"Wha—?"
Finn nodded too: "Yeah, I got the same feeling."
Everyone's expressions changed. A god's judgment rarely misses. Since Loki said so, it must be true.
"Ais, you guys, how about sparring with Fron today?"
Finn and the others were very concerned about the future ace's development. But excessive expectations can cause pressure, so the three executives had always quietly let Fron grow on his own, which they believed was best for him.
Asking now was just to get a better sense of where he was at. His ridiculous growth rate was unpredictable if left unchecked.
"That guy—"
Tione clung to Finn's arm, looking a little unwilling.
"He's really good. Unbelievably sharp. He grasps things instantly and can even speculate based on them."
Tiona laughed happily.
"It's like he instinctively knows some key points, though his body can't keep up yet. But with a little training, he gets proficient quickly. Sometimes he even comes up with surprising ideas."
"Is that so."
The three executives exchanged looks, reaching a shared understanding.
"As expected, it's that skill, huh—"
"'The Reader'—"
Ais bit her lip, recalling their daytime spar.
Too fast. His growth was too fast. In the blink of an eye, he'd already become what he was now.
Like an empty cup quickly being filled with water by everyone's training.
What was even more frightening was that the cup was big—and still growing.
He was standing right in front of them, yet felt out of reach.
Everyone knew it in their hearts—this man, Fron Argon, would soon catch up.
That alone spurred Ais and the others.
"Tch, boring."
"Hey, Bete, where are you going at this hour?"
Tione and Tiona exchanged a glance and smiled.
"The Dungeon, probably."
"Yeah, probably the Dungeon."
"Ais~ let's go to the Dungeon tomorrow too!"
"Mm—"
The girl's expression was calm, but a blazing fighting spirit burned in her golden eyes—that was the obsession of chasing someone's back.
"Hahahaha, youth is great."
The next day, as night and day shifted, Fron had, as usual, pulled an all-nighter—he was yawning on his way home when he noticed something odd at the Familia's mansion.
"Huh, Raul? Why is it so quiet this early?"
Raul, holding his breakfast, looked puzzled.
"You don't know? Everyone rushed off to the Dungeon early. No idea what's going on—even Anakitty, Elfy, and Line left too. Dammit—they left me with all the work!"
"..."
Raul ranted furiously, stuffing bread into his mouth like he might choke.
Sitting across from him, Fron looked dazed.
"What about the training we agreed on today? You all ghosted me???"
"Fron, come find me in the library later."
Just then, the royal elf appeared with her assistant Alicia.
"Hm? Riveria?"
"Ah, your training's postponed for today. You'll be studying magic with me instead."
"O-Okay."
After speaking, Riveria turned and walked off.
"So jealous of you… studying magic and all…"
This Raul's title was "Extraordinary Commoner."
All his stats were C-level. No skills. No magic.
A true stat monster!
"Say, Raul, you're already Lv.4, and must've saved up some money, right? Buying a magic book should be easy. So why—"
"Ughhhhhhh—"
"Hahahaha, Fron, don't bring that up. It's a sad story!"
The beastman Cruz burst out laughing at the mention.
Fron blinked and leaned in toward Cruz:
"Tell me, let's have some fun."
"Pfft—hey, Cruz, I'll kill you if you talk nonsense!"
But Cruz didn't flinch—he looked gleeful.
"I'm telling you, this guy once got obsessed with a courtesan during the Goddess Festival. He even blew all his expedition earnings on her. He's been paying off debt for years. How would he have money for a magic book? Those cost over a hundred million!"
"..."
Fron's jaw dropped, eyes wide—he couldn't believe it. That seemingly honest guy who always acted humble behind Finn, calling himself "your humble servant"—was actually this wild???
"People really are full of surprises, Raul!"
Recovering, Fron looked utterly heartbroken, making everyone around burst into laughter.
Even Riveria and Alicia, who hadn't gone far, trembled with suppressed giggles—those reserved elves were clearly struggling to hold back.
Raul's face turned red as he glared at Cruz furiously.
"Bad—bad friendship! You bastard!!!! What are you telling about that to the newbie?!"
"Oh come on, everyone knows that black history of yours, right guys?"
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
The entire cafeteria was in an uproar, lively and full of laughter.
After a joyful breakfast, Fron tidied up and headed to the library.
Riveria and Alicia were already waiting.
From them, a unique elven aura spread out—Fron was a bit dazed.
"You're here, have a seat first."
"Okay, Riveria."
"Alicia, start by teaching him the basics of ritual setup and simple spells. I'll guide you through basic magic item crafting this afternoon."
"Sorry to trouble you, Miss Alicia."
"It's no trouble. This is Lady Riveria's order, and I'm quite curious about you too. For a human to have magical talent like us elves—it's quite rare."
Fron rubbed his nose and laughed awkwardly:
"Every race has its exceptions. I've seen Pallum mages, human mages, even Amazoness mages—but never a dwarf or beastman mage."