The courtyard of Twilight Manor.
Mist gathered over the surrounding greenery.
In the quiet courtyard, the crisp clash of weapons suddenly rang out. A young man and woman, each wielding a different weapon, were testing their skills against each other.
Their figures crossed, swords clashing as they fought fiercely.
Neither of them noticed the eyes watching from above.
As the viewpoint shifted, it settled on a tower within Twilight Manor.
A window in the tower stood open. Loki, her short red hair bright against the frame, stood before it and watched the two fighters below.
After observing them for a while, she turned to Riveria and Finn, who were in the room.
"What do you think of having Lefiya and Liber form a temporary party and go on an adventure?"
Finn sat behind a broad desk in the room.
Neatly sorted stacks of documents, piled to varying heights, covered the desk in front of him. They included reports and files on all sorts of matters.
Hearing Loki, Finn set down the supply report he had been reviewing and replied calmly.
"Personally, I'm in favor. Getting Liber used to adventuring in a party will also make it easier for him to join the expedition team later."
"Lefiya is a pure back-line Mage, so this would also be a good chance for her to learn how to protect her companions better.
"But whether it's suitable still depends mostly on what Riveria thinks. Lefiya's own opinion matters, too."
With that, he turned to the elegant woman with emerald hair.
"What do you think, Riveria?"
Riveria had been drinking tea. At Finn's question, she slowly set down her cup.
She rested her slender fingers against her chin and lowered her head, pondering for a moment. Then she raised her head, parted her cherry-pink lips, and spoke slowly.
"That child Lefiya is naturally very capable when it comes to magic, but her composure is still a little shaky. Whenever something happens, she gets so nervous that she hardly knows what to do.
"I support Lefiya and Liber temporarily forming a party. That's precisely why I'm worried the child might interfere with Liber's adventures."
Finn placed the document he had just signed on top of a sorted stack, then picked up a file from another pile.
Reading its contents, he responded to Riveria.
"It seems we're all on the same page about them forming a party. Gareth generally doesn't have much to say about this sort of thing. That leaves whether Lefiya herself agrees."
"Mm."
Riveria nodded as she lifted her tea and replied.
Loki let out a relieved breath and prepared to act.
"Since no one's opposed, I'll go talk to Lefiya."
"Let me handle it. If you go, Loki, you'll scare the child."
Riveria continued sipping her tea and calmly stopped Loki.
"Huh?! Am I really that scary?" Loki protested, a little irritated.
Finn, busy with paperwork, smiled at her words.
"You're not that scary yourself. Riveria's just worried you'll pull another stunt while telling Lefiya and frighten her."
"I'm a perfectly respectable goddess. When chatting with a cute girl, words aren't enough to express your feelings. Showing it through your actions is the best way to grow closer. Getting closer is serious business."
Loki spoke smugly, unconcerned.
Riveria gave Loki a look of utter exasperation, stood up, and sighed.
"Never mind. I'll go talk to Lefiya and see what she thinks."
With that, she headed out the door.
After Riveria left the room, the door closed. The only sounds inside were the rustle of papers as Finn sorted through files and the scratch of his pen.
A little while later, after finishing all the files in his hands, Finn looked at Loki, who was sprawled on the sofa, gazing up at the ceiling.
"Loki." Finn set down his pen and called to her.
"Hm?" Loki, who had been staring blankly, turned toward him.
She saw Finn sitting ramrod straight behind the desk, watching her with a serious expression.
"Even though I know Liber has exceptional potential, with two kinds of magic, you've been paying a lot of attention to this newcomer lately. And now you're arranging for Lefiya to form a party with him. You're showing him a little too much favor in plain sight."
Finn's tone was mild, but his expression was serious, with a hint of curiosity.
"Why are you paying so much attention to him? Other people's gossip doesn't matter before he's grown, but as captain, I want to know why you're so interested. That way, I can handle any disputes that might arise within the Familia."
Loki, who had been lying down, suddenly flipped over and sat up at Finn's serious words.
She sat cross-legged on the sofa, clasped her ankles, and leaned forward with a foxlike smile.
"Hey, Finn, back when you were Level 1, how much did your proficiency increase each time your status was updated?"
Finn furrowed his brow, thinking back to what it had been like.
"Why are you asking? I only remember that my proficiency went up by a few dozen points at a time in the beginning, then the increases slowed down."
Loki leaned toward Finn with a mischievous grin. "You heard what happened last night, right?"
Finn nodded. "One of the members reported it to me. But are those two things connected?"
"Last night, that kid Liber came back in a sorry state. He had everyone on door duty worried sick.
"He'd gone too deep into the Dungeon and ended up in that state. I went to check on him yesterday, and once I saw he was all right, I updated his status while I was at it.
"Take a guess what happened."
Finn looked at Loki, who was acting like a child, and sighed before speaking.
"I assume the increase was substantial. Stop teasing me and tell me why."
"Yesterday, Liber went deep into the Dungeon. It was his second status update.
"Would you believe it? His total proficiency increased by more than six hundred points, nearly seven hundred. Add that to the increase from his first update, and in a short time, he's gained almost eight hundred points of proficiency since receiving his Falna."
Loki rocked back and forth on the sofa, her face alight with excitement.
Finn stared at her in shock, stunned by her exaggerated behavior.
"That growth rate... It's truly..."
Seeing Finn's astonished expression, Loki laughed triumphantly.
"Ha ha ha! That's the face I expected you to make!"
Finn rested his head on one hand and composed himself.
Looking at Loki's over-the-top reaction, he could only shake his head helplessly.
"I understand why you're paying so much attention to the newcomer. He certainly seems worth looking after. But, Loki, was there really any need to react so dramatically to my surprise?"
Loki stopped her exaggerated movements and stared at Finn with a cheeky grin.
"Actually, I didn't expect him to grow this quickly, but I'd already suspected he had great potential. I was planning to wait until he'd grown a little more, then tell everyone out of the blue and give them a shock. Instead, he's the one who surprised me."
"Honestly, you... Never mind. So, next—"
The sounds of training in the courtyard suddenly stopped. Finn's sentence broke off as well.
"Looks like the youngsters have finished warming up. Loki, I thought you might be getting too concerned, but it seems I was worrying for nothing."
"Hee hee. There's nothing wrong with showing a little extra care."
Loki replied slyly.
"Then keep an eye on the newcomer. It looks like he'll be joining the expedition soon, so I need to think carefully about where Liber will fit in."
"Sure, leave it to me. They've finished training, so I'll go ask Ais how it went with her and Liber."
Loki hopped off the sofa and cheerfully left the room.
Watching her go, Finn rose from his chair and walked to the window.
"So, the newcomer's growth..."
He looked up at the sky. Not a cloud marred it, and the sun hung high overhead.
Standing by the window, Finn felt the warmth of the weather and watched the young man and woman in the courtyard finish training, exchange greetings, and part ways.
He smiled faintly.
"I really am looking forward to it."
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