Through the full meeting, the Loki Familia had more or less set the tone of their stance.
Regarding the issue at hand, Loki herself, sat quietly to the side throughout, with no intention of interfering.
Clearly, she wanted her children to make their own choice. As their "god," she didn't wish to make such an important decision for them, especially one involving a matter of principle.
When they finally reached their conclusion, Loki showed clear satisfaction.
Compared to Bell Cranel's dream of becoming a "Hero," Loki much preferred seeing her own children acting in unity for the good of the familia, thinking about themselves, not others.
That, in her eyes, was what made a true leader, not someone acting out of selfish impulse.
Fron was sitting quietly on the sidelines, sipping his hot tea, his eyes half-lidded.
After that fierce battle, he was sure his own ability scores must have risen somewhat.
Thanks to his unique skill, "Infinite Super Magic," he was confident that encountering such an entirely unknown race as the Xenos would trigger a skill feedback. After all, this was the first time such beings had appeared in the world.
Combined with the life-or-death fight against the Minotaur and the earlier skirmish with the remnants of the Evilus, for someone like him, a "monster" , it would be stranger if his abilities didn't improve.
Just as he was lost in thought, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.
Turning his head, Fron saw a beautiful blonde girl, her usual emotionless face now carrying a mixture of determination and pleading in her eyes.
"?" Fron blinked, a big question mark practically floating above his head.
"Help me."
"..."
Fron was utterly confused.
He gave Ais a questioning look, silently urging her to explain herself more clearly.
The girl, quick to understand, bit her lip. Her lovely face turned faintly red, whether from embarrassment or hesitation, it was hard to tell.
"H-help me train. I'm still not strong enough."
"..."
Fron's face twitched, nearly falling flat.
If Lefiya, Alicia, or Anakitty had said that, he would've understood perfectly, because, well, they really weren't that strong yet.
But Ais?
Still, he reminded himself: it's precisely because they're weaker and haven't hit their limits yet that they have a lot of room to grow.
By his estimate, several of them already had enough "great deeds" for a level-up. The reason they hadn't yet was likely because their stats weren't polished to their own satisfaction.
As far as Fron knew, in the Loki Familia, anyone who joined the main expedition usually earned plenty of top-grade experience points.
As one of Orario's two great factions, the Loki Familia had an excellent system for training talent, seniors teaching juniors, passing down techniques and battle knowledge, with the upper ranks actively promoting and giving opportunities to the younger ones.
Aside from deep-level dungeon expeditions, most of the upper floors served as training grounds for newcomers.
After all, facing endless hordes of monsters in the Dungeon, as long as a person still feared death and their instincts for survival kept them moving, they'd naturally push their potential to the maximum.
It was this carefully developed system, honed over years, that formed the true competitive edge of the Loki Familia.
As for Ais, she had long since become a first-rate adventurer, a pillar of the Familia.
So when she said she "wasn't strong enough" and wanted to train, Fron could only stare in disbelief.
"You're already Level 6," he thought. "And you're saying you're not strong enough? Then how are the rest of us supposed to live?"
But on second thought, considering the opponents she'd soon have to face… she wasn't wrong.
It wasn't a matter of stats. With her high-level wind magic, Ais could already push her power to the limit even if her base abilities hadn't yet caught up.
When she first reached Level 6, she was already capable of matching high-tier Level 6 adventurers.
Combined with her unique skill 'Avenger', the explosive synergy could even allow her to temporarily exceed her level by two whole ranks.
Of course, using that much power put immense strain on her body and mind, often leaving her physically drained and mentally scarred , but it was a trump card nonetheless.
To Fron, there was a big difference between not having a card and having one but not using it.
He understood that very well.
Faced with the pleading look of the beautiful girl, Fron hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded in agreement.
It was another sign of how much weight he already carried in the Familia. Despite being an adventurer for only two years, Fron's strength alone placed him among the top of the Loki Familia, and his popularity came not only from power, but also from his personality and knowledge.
His broad learning and calm teaching style made him an excellent instructor.
"Finn, I'll skip the rest of the meeting. You know I'm not good at this sort of thing."
Finn glanced at the young man standing up and smiled, nodding in understanding.
Fron greeted the others, set down his cup, and left the hall.
To everyone's surprise, Ais, who usually stayed until the end even when zoning out, stood up right after him and followed.
"Uh… what's going on now?" someone murmured.
The room fell silent, everyone exchanging confused looks.
Only Anakitty's eyes sparkled slyly, you should never underestimate a cat girl's senses.
She had caught every word and glance exchanged between Fron and Ais.
"Fron's personal training, huh? What an opportunity… Maybe I can squeeze in an upgrade before the next war."
Her tail twitched in excitement, and she was already plotting.
"..."
Raul, sitting beside her, blinked in confusion as Anakitty shot him a glare.
"What did I do now?" he thought miserably. "Just because I spent some of our funds at the Pleasure District again? She never lets it go!"
He sulked quietly.
"Still… the girls there smell a lot better than all this stress…"
…
Descending the staircase from the Twilight Manor's courtyard, Fron and Ais stepped out into the front yard.
Each grabbed a training weapon from the nearby rack and faced one another about five meters apart.
Fron's eyes glowed faintly blue as he silently studied Ais.
Surrounded by the scent of trees and flowers, he finally spoke:
"I think I understand your problem. At your current level, Ais, the only way to raise your abilities quickly is through real combat, against people. That's one of your weaknesses."
Unlike those born in this world, Fron's values had long been shaped by his previous life.
In his view, power was never meant just for slaying monsters , it was for protecting oneself, friends, and loved ones.
And enemies… could come in any form.
Most often, they would be human.
So from the very beginning, Fron had trained himself in combat against people.
His monster-fighting techniques were merely secondary, by-products of that philosophy.
That, was the fundamental difference between Fron and Ais.