Chapter 175: Confident Ais~
The man named Fron Argon had grown.
And that growth had made him into a renowned and respected adventurer.
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The [Loki Familia]'s expedition team once again, unsurprisingly, attracted a huge amount of attention, curiosity, envy, jealousy, and admiration alike.
For most Familias in Orario, the labyrinth city above the dungeon, the [Loki Familia] was the target they had to chase. Not only had they already stood at the very peak of the city and even the world, but they also sought to go further.
The goal of the "Expedition," the unknown floors after the "Deep Floors," was also a secret known to all.
Most people hoped they could create a miracle and break that record.
At the same time, the companions within the Familia were also full of morale, giving their all for this shared goal!
Not only others, even Fron himself was the same. After joining the Familia, he had deeply experienced the benefits that fame and reputation brought…
Walking along Main Street, he could more or less receive admiring gazes. When buying things, familiar shop owners would greet him with a smile and even give him little trinkets as extras.
It was the same when going to the Great Library of the Gnomes. As though he had some kind of privilege, even the restricted section on the third floor was open to him.
After all, this was the Great Library established by the spirit, its collection even greater than that of the Loki Familia.
For example, travelogues outside the city described in detail the conditions and ecosystems of other nations.
Thinking about the knowledge he had gained these past days, Fron carried a satisfied mood toward Babel's plaza.
In front of the facilities at the dungeon's entrance, his Familia companions had already packed the necessary supplies into wooden crates, neatly stacked together, with the banners of [Loki Familia] fluttering proudly overhead.
"Yo, you finally came!" When Fron and Ais arrived, several familiar faces were clearly waiting for them.
"Lulune, and Asfi."
"Ah, I wish you all success on this expedition. This is just a little gift from me, make sure to eat it on the road."
Saying this, Lulune handed Ais a carefully prepared lunchbox, but what puzzled the girl slightly was the pendant tied on top.
"What's this?"
"Shh, just wear it when exploring below. Someone asked me to give it to you."
Seeing the girl's mysterious look, Ais instantly thought of that magician named Fels.
"Alright."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Fron stared strangely at the princess before him, who blushed, turned her head away, and didn't dare look at him.
"Um, Asfi?"
"Ah!! R-right. Here, take this. You'd better do your best. If you fail, I won't forgive you!"
For some reason, the girl raised her voice in shy anger, glaring at Fron with fake ferocity before shoving a small leather pouch into his arms. Then she turned and left, but her somewhat panicked escape looked rather clumsy.
"Wow, Asfi. You snuck that in, huh? So bold!"
"Shut up, you stupid dog!"
"..." Ais stared blankly at the two leaving figures, tilted her head in confusion, and wandered over to Fron.
"Um, this is…"
"I know, it's a charm of some sort."
"Uh, don't you… you know, think anything about it?"
Ais instead looked at Fron with puzzled eyes.
"Fron is excellent. It's normal that other girls like you. A-and, and also that…"
Whatever she thought of made her face flush red. Her eyes wandered, and in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, she said shyly:
"I-if we- if we were to… I-I wouldn't mind if Fron had other… g-girls…"
--??
Fron stared at the blonde girl in front of him, who looked so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole, and listened to her stammered words in shock!
What a bold declaration, and she didn't even mind if he had other girls?
But clearly, Fron didn't interpret Ais' attitude as tolerance, but as confidence.
The confidence of the rightful queen!
"Hey, Ais, Fron! Gather up!"
Tiona stood on tiptoe, waving at them from the crowd.
"Coming!"
Fron grinned, ignoring Ais' struggle, and grabbed her small hand as they walked over.
"S-so embarrassing… Fron!"
"What's embarrassing? Doesn't everyone already know about our relationship?"
"Ah, well…"
Unlike a typical team leader, Finn stood atop the supply crates, raising his head high… [short stature plus commanding presence].
"Everyone, for the glory and reputation of our [Loki Familia], this expedition must succeed! Failure is not an option! I hope in the upcoming exploration you bring forth your courage and wisdom, and give it everything you have!"
"Uoooooohhhhhh!"
With Finn's rousing speech, the expedition team immediately grew fervent, each member raising their weapon and shouting excitedly!
Looking down at them, Finn scanned the group, then raised his own fist.
"Then now, depart!!!"
"UOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!"
...
"This time, Lefiya is assigned to the first squad too?"
In the Upper Floors, led by the trio of Finn and Riveria, with Ais, Fron, the Amazon sisters, Bete, and other executives, plus Raul, Anya, Alicia, and Elfy, Lefiya was also among them.
"Hmph, Lady Riveria acknowledged my strength. Don't think you're the only one getting stronger!!!"
"..."
It seemed Lefiya still held a grudge against Fron. But if stories were any guide… the beautiful girls who opposed the protagonist the most often ended up falling for him.
Fron shrugged, not bothering to reply.
"You two better not act like this in the upcoming battles. The enemy won't hold back, you know."
Riveria shook her head with a wry smile, lightly chiding them.
"Hey, don't you all think something's off here?"
Bete shoved his hands into his pockets, wagging his furry tail as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hm? What did you notice, Bete?"
"Tch. We've been walking for about half an hour, and we haven't run into a single monster. Don't you think that's weird? Even on the Upper Floors, we'd normally bump into some weaklings, right?"
"..."
Everyone looked at each other in shock. That's right… even for first-class adventurers like them, they'd normally encounter a few newly spawned monsters on the Upper Floors. But now… not a single one had appeared.
That was obviously a problem.
Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully.