How Much Longer Do You Want to Chat?

Leo had always known exactly what kind of person Ais Wallenstein was.

She has always maintained a cold attitude towards others, seemingly unpredictable in her thoughts. When she fights, she is particularly cold and ruthless, which is why people have given her titles such as "Doll Princess" or "Sword Princess," revealing how she is perceived by others.

Of course, those who know Ais well know that this girl is not cold-hearted, but simply lacks the ability to express her emotions. In fact, she is a very innocent person, and you could even say she is a bit of a ditz.

Others might see her standing there indifferently and without saying a word and assume that she has no interest in talking to others, but she may just be daydreaming and lost in thought.

Even among the members of the Familia, few knew Ais's true personality, let alone that the girl they regarded as being protected by the Princess actually envied Tiona and Tione for being able to frolic and play with the other members without any reservations. Sometimes, seeing others having fun together made her feel lonely and isolated, like a child who secretly imagined herself as a child, puffing out her cheeks and looking angry.

Perhaps it was because Leo knew what the real Ais Wallenstein was like that he was able to interact with her normally, instead of keeping his distance from Ais and watching her from afar like he did with others.

It is precisely because of this that the relationship between Leo and Ais has progressed so rapidly in just one year. At least a year ago, when Leo had just been brought back by Ais would definitely not have been like this, sitting on a bench in the courtyard after dinner, quietly watching the gate and waiting for Leo to return.

Even so, Leo did not forget that the real Ais Wallenstein was not just what she looked like now.

Just as Loki said, this girl is actually quite reckless.

She often spends her days and nights in the Dungeon, constantly killing monsters. She also has a very strong personality. When she was a child, she carried all the belongings of her clan members and desperately tried to keep up with the main group, to the point that she was so exhausted that she fell into a deep sleep for three days.

Because of her background, she deeply hates monsters and believes that all monsters should be eliminated. In order to slay monsters, she always hopes to become stronger, and she keeps getting stronger. When she first received the Blessing of the Gods and became an adventurer, she often argued with Riveria and others about this, and even ran away from home, causing chaos in the entire Familia.

As a child, she admired the heroes in stories and hoped that there would be a hero who could protect her. Now, however, she only has the determination to become stronger and a deep hatred for monsters.

Faced with Ais like this, Leo hadn't considered it before, but now it suddenly occurred to him that his unusually rapid growth might not be a good thing if Ais, who was obsessed with becoming stronger, found out.

Thinking of this, Leo almost subconsciously changed the subject.

"Loki said that you often sneak off to the Dungeon by yourself when I go Dungeon, and then you always come back before I do. Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Ais's shoulders subtly hunched, and she began to exude a sense of guilt.

"I... I didn't—"

The girl tried to offer a small excuse, but it only made Leo laugh.

Did someone tell you that you're not suited to lying at all?

Leo crossed his arms and looked at Ais with a half-smile. His aura completely overwhelmed Ais, who was a first-class adventurer who was famous in Orario and even the world. If anyone saw this scene, they would probably wonder if the two had been reversed in terms of strength and status.

"You've always entered the Dungeon alone—"

The girl attempted to protest, but the boy remained unmoved.

"How can that be the same?" Leo said matter-of-factly, "I'm just exploring the safer floors, unlike you, who always actively seeks out dangerous places."

Ais immediately avoided Leo's gaze, no longer able to refute him.

This is also the most troublesome aspect for everyone who knows Ais.

If she were just exploring Dungeon normally, even Riveria, who doted on her the most, wouldn't have any objections. But Ais rarely explored Dungeon normally; she always lacked restraint and relentlessly pushed herself, putting herself in dangerous situations.

If Ais hadn't already been a Level 5 adventurer, even if she recklessly ventured deeper into the Dungeon, she wouldn't have been able to reach very deep floors in a single day. At most, she would have just been causing trouble in the middle levels of floors 13-24. Riveria and the others would definitely not have allowed her to enter the Dungeon alone.

The monsters in the mid-level area are at most equivalent to Lv.2. Even if a floor master, who is two levels higher than ordinary monsters, appeared, he would not be a match for Ais, who is Lv.5, and would not pose a threat to her. Knowing this, the leaders of the clans gave the girl a little more leeway, allowing her to freely explore the Dungeon, as long as she could return that night.

Even so, Ais would often return in tattered and ragged clothes, which really gave the leaders of the clan a headache.

This is why Loki often lamented Ais's recklessness in front of Leo. It wasn't that she wanted to complain, but rather that she genuinely felt a headache coming on and wished Leo could talk to her, discipline her, and make her behave herself.

To be honest, Ais has indeed been more well-behaved since Leo joined the Loki Familia.

Perhaps because she felt obligated to care about Leo's situation at home since she had brought him back, Ais paid significantly more attention to Leo during the year, resulting in fewer opportunities for him to cause trouble, which surprised Loki and the others.

As time went on, Leo did start to worry about Ais and feared she might do something reckless. As a result, he now often nagged Ais, just like the elders in his family.

He had completely forgotten that, and after becoming an adventurer, he became quite reckless.

Were we just exploring the relatively safer floors?

Unlike Ais, who always deliberately heads towards dangerous places?

Who was the person who, with full abilities at level I0, directly penetrated to the 7th level and repeatedly encountered life-threatening situations over ten days?

If Loki and the others knew about Leo's glorious deeds, he would probably be scolded every day, just like Ais.

Although Loki and Finn had already guessed something from the fact that he was able to level up----

"It's not that I don't want you to go to the Dungeon, but you just returned from an expedition not long ago, and now is the time for you to rest. Instead of going to the Dungeon every day, how about finding something else to do?"

Leo, unusually earnest and earnest, offered his advice.

"Like going shopping and relaxing with Tiona? Or going on a date with Lefiya Viridis or something?"

Leo's words didn't elicit a strong reaction from Ais, but for some reason, a commotion seemed to have arisen in a certain corner.

"Um?"

Leo sensed something, and looked up in confusion at the sky corridor in one direction above the Twilight Manor, but saw nothing.

At that moment, Ais's voice also reached Leo's ears.

"I went out with Tiona the day after we returned from the expedition," Ais said seriously. "Lefiya Viridis was there too."

The girl seemed to want to tell Leo that she had completed the task he had given her.

Leo, however, smirked.

"Don't think I don't know. The day after you returned from the expedition, you and Tiona went to repair your weapons and replenish your used elixirs." Leo said speechlessly, "You call that going shopping or a date?"

Ais shut her mouth and stopped talking.

Seeing this, Leo couldn't help but say a few more words, causing the girl's shoulders to shrink even smaller, as if she had become smaller in front of Leo.

Neither Leo nor Ais noticed that several figures were hiding in an aerial corridor, secretly watching them.

"That was close, we almost got caught." Tiona patted her empty chest and complained to the elf girl beside her, "Honestly, Lefiya Viridis, why are you so excited all of a sudden?"

"Who—who let that guy talk nonsense in front of Miss Ais!" Lefiya Viridis's pretty face flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment, she said awkwardly, "A date with Miss Ais —how could that be possible!"

"Really?" Tiona looked at Lefiya Viridis with some suspicion and said, "Why do you seem quite happy to hear that?"

"No way!" Lefiya Viridis couldn't help but raise her voice, retorting, "I'm angry, not happy!"

"Alright, whether you're angry or happy, can you please keep your voice down?" Tione was watching the interaction between the young men and women in the courtyard with great interest when she saw her silly younger sister and clumsy junior talking louder and louder. She rolled her eyes and said irritably, "If you keep getting so excited, we're really going to be discovered."

"Did you hear that, Lefiya Viridis?" Tiona said to Lefiya Viridis with a grin, "Don't get too excited."

Lefiya Viridis's face flushed red again.

This time, he must have been really angry.

"Miss Tiona's voice isn't quiet either—"

Lefiya Viridis was cricketing softly at a certain little Amazonian angel.

"What did you say? Speak louder!"

Tiona, whether she genuinely didn't hear or not, continued to tease her amusing junior.

"Hmph, you were the ones who said we couldn't be too loud."

Lefiya Viridis turned her head and flicked her ponytail forcefully to show her master's indignation.

"Those two are really interesting. Watching them like this gives me the feeling of watching my own kids fall in love too early."

Tione ignored the two of them and continued watching Leo and Ais interact with great interest, arms crossed.

"You talk like you've ever been in a relationship, Tione," Tiona retorted, annoyed by her older sister's attitude. "Finn hasn't even accepted your passionate advances yet."

With a sharp "snap," those words pierced Tione's heart like a razor-sharp dagger.

"What did you say?" Tione's composed demeanor shattered, replaced by a berserk rage as she yelled, "Nonsense! The captain loves me!"

"Really?" Tiona, of course, knew how to deal with her older sister. She turned around with a grin, pretending to leave, and said, "Then I'll go ask Finn and see if he really loves you."

Tione was immediately flustered.

"Stop right there! You stupid sister!"

"Feeling guilty now, aren't you? My silly sister!"

"Looks like you're itching for a fight. We haven't had one in ages, have we? Don't leave later!"

"Hehe, I'm not afraid at all."

The twin sisters immediately started arguing, and the argument escalated, making Lefiya Viridis panic.

"Stop arguing, you two! You'll get caught!"

While frantically trying to break up the fight, Lefiya Viridis watched Leo and Ais still "chatting happily" in the courtyard, and she almost turned to the dark side.

"How much longer does that bastard intend to chat with Miss Ais?"

The elven girl, her face contorted with rage, began to curse silently.

"----What exactly happened?"

In the courtyard, Leo, who was still thinking about Ais, felt that there was some noise nearby, which puzzled him.

"Why do I keep feeling like there's someone nearby, but I just can't seem to spot them?"

It seems I need to raise my stats to the limit as soon as possible to advance to Lv.2.

After the upgrade, both your abilities and your five senses will be greatly enhanced, and then you might be able to perceive something.

On the contrary, Ais, a Level 5 adventurer, seemed to have noticed nothing and spoke up weakly.

"----sorry."

She started apologizing, practically screaming "Master, please stop!"

--

"Be more careful next time." Leo lost interest in nagging any longer. Looking at Ais's weak appearance, his heart softened for no reason. He said, "Rest when you need to, and only try again after you've rested enough. And it has to be appropriate, understand?"

"----Um."

The girl nodded obediently, but Leo's past experience told Leo that she probably wouldn't listen.

At that time, she will definitely put on a clumsy sneaking act, thinking that no one will find out that she went to the Dungeon again.

As Leo was thinking this, to his surprise, Ais was actually serious this time.

"Sword practice tomorrow?"

Ais raised her eyes, looked at Leo, and suddenly said this.

That expression was essentially telling Leo that if she practiced swordsmanship tomorrow, she wouldn't go to the Dungeon.

After all, she had already made a promise to Leo that she would teach him seriously.

The girl's eyes silently conveyed those words.

Leo stared at Ais in a daze for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay," Leo said softly, "Let's practice swordsmanship tomorrow."

Ais nodded very seriously, as if she had made some important promise.

Little did they know, Leo was already thinking about it silently in his heart.

"Try not to show your updated abilities tomorrow."