The Timid Elf, Teammates Meet.

The next day, Liber and Ais continued their close-quarters combat training in the courtyard.

As the two constantly shifted their positions, they engaged in an intense confrontation.

A petite figure quietly appeared among the ornamental plants surrounding the courtyard.

That figure was observing the two sparring intently, her eyes filled with a look of envy.

Just then, the two combatants paused as their swords locked, then stared directly at one another.

They nodded slightly, pushed off against each other, and leaped back a distance in opposite directions.

Once separated, they stood straight and looked simultaneously toward the figure who had been watching them.

The proximity of the observation and the blatant gaze made both combatants aware of the person standing quietly to the side.

The person being scrutinized suddenly felt the focus of both, and her body trembled.

"Ugh."

Letting out a startled sound, the observer was a petite, pretty, and youthful girl.

The girl appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old.

She wore pink low heels, white thigh-high stockings, and a red skirt cinched at the waist over a corset-style long skirt.

Her upper body was clad in a loose-fitting long-sleeved undershirt topped with a red short jacket; her face was youthful and lovely, and her camellia-colored hair was tied back in a single bundle.

She held her staff with both hands against her chest as if to protect herself, looking at the two who were watching her, her eyes misting over as if she were about to cry.

"Th-that..."

She seemed shy, wanting to say something.

"It's you." Liber raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Lefiya Viridis, is something the matter?" Ais also spoke up, looking at her.

Standing there observing was none other than the girl who had previously notified Liber of the meeting with the executives—Lefiya Viridis.

"I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to disturb you. Ais, I... I have something to discuss with Liber."

Lefiya said to Ais with a blush and a shy tone.

Ais did not press for more details upon hearing Lefiya's words; she sheathed her sword, nodded at Liber, and said calmly.

"Let's stop here for today, then. We'll continue tomorrow."

After Liber nodded in response, he stored his weapon away using magic.

The two exchanged greetings, and Ais nimbly returned to the mansion.

Liber withdrew his gaze from Ais and focused his attention on the girl beside him.

He noticed that Lefiya had been staring at Ais's retreating figure the entire time.

Lefiya Viridis, the elf girl who had notified him to go to the divine chamber a few days ago.

From the information he had gathered at the banquet a while back, she was already a Level 3 adventurer.

Within the Loki Familia, she was one of only two elves capable of using more than three types of magic, possessing a special magic known as Elf Ring.

It was said she was the hand-picked disciple and successor of Vice-Captain Riveria, a promising mid-level member of the Familia who would likely become a high-ranking executive in the future.

With such strength and potential, why would she come to find a newcomer like me?

Liber looked at Lefiya, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Only when Ais's figure had completely vanished from Lefiya's sight did she withdraw her gaze and notice Liber observing her.

Her face flushed red, and she apologized to Liber in a panic.

"S-sorry! I interrupted your training."

"Ah, it wasn't an interruption." Liber replied to Lefiya, then asked her with some confusion.

"But what exactly did you need to see me about?"

"W-well, Riveria-sama spoke with me yesterday. She hopes that I can team up with you for adventures and training. I heard that you and Ais are always training in the courtyard, so I came here today to meet you."

Lefiya spoke to Liber with a respectful tone and a nervous expression.

"You are the teammate I'm being paired with?"

Liber looked at Lefiya, surprised.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm not very mature yet, and I'm not as excellent as the others. If you have any objections, please feel free to say so." Lefiya lowered her head in a panic.

"Ah... I'm not complaining about you." Liber looked at the apologizing girl with a headache.

Last night.

When Liber returned from an adventure in the Dungeon, he went to Loki's divine chamber to update his status.

"Such an exaggerated increase in proficiency again." Loki sighed once more as she looked at the updated status, handing the translated parchment to Liber.

Liber took it and looked at his updated stats.

Lv.1

"Strength":H151>>G261

"Endurance":H150>>G262

"Dexterity":H153>>G264

"Agility":H152>>G260

"Magic":G200>>F300

It looked like another increase of a few hundred points; a bit less than before, but that was to be expected.

"You didn't go too deep into the Dungeon today, did you?" Loki asked sternly.

"No, I didn't. I only explored the fourth floor today, nothing too deep," Liber explained helplessly.

"That's good," Loki nodded, satisfied.

"Your teammate has already been arranged. She will meet with you soon."

"So soon?" Liber was a bit surprised.

"If I don't arrange it quickly, I wouldn't be able to stop you if you decided to head deep in alone one of these days," Loki said, her tone carrying a hint of complaint.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Liber immediately changed the subject.

"Ha... what kind of person is my teammate, generally speaking?"

"That child is... still a newcomer, I suppose? Well, you'll see her tomorrow, and you'll know once you meet," Loki said nonchalantly.

"You must get along well with that child and not bully her. If you want to go deeper into the Dungeon, you need to learn how to coordinate properly with your companions."

Loki changed her demeanor as if flipping a switch, becoming stern and nagging.

"Sigh," Liber sighed. "Honestly, I wouldn't do anything like that."

Recalling his conversation with Loki from yesterday, Liber looked at the young girl in front of him with a headache.

Where did this newcomer come from, being a Level 2 adventurer? Liber thought, feeling somewhat troubled.

"Lefiya... I can call you that, right?" Liber said to Lefiya, feeling conflicted.

"Yes, you can," Lefiya replied in a fluster.

Looking at the girl's nervous state, Liber said, "If we are going to form a party and fight together, it's better if we are more natural with each other. Don't be so formal, and stop using honorifics with me all the time."

"I-is that really okay?" Upon hearing this, Lefiya felt slightly relieved, but she still looked somewhat uneasy.

"Let's just do that," Liber was not a man of hesitation. Seeing that Lefiya had finally calmed down, he spoke decisively.

"Let's just leave it at that for now. If we really get down to it, you joined the Familia earlier than I did, and your level is higher than mine, so I should be the one using honorifics with you. If you don't agree, then we'll just have to use honorifics with each other."

Lefiya thought about that scenario, and an awkward expression appeared on her face.

"Then... alright?" She carefully observed Liber's expression and said hesitantly.

Seeing that he was still looking at her earnestly, with not a hint of dissatisfaction on his face and a very serious attitude, Lefiya nodded timidly once more.

Seeing Lefiya agree to his suggestion, Liber let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.

Using honorifics occasionally was acceptable, but if they had to use them with each other on the road, the relationship would be too distant and awkward.

"Have you had any experience in a party before?" Liber continued, asking Lefiya.

She shook her head nervously.

"Alright, then I'll take the lead for now," Liber said helplessly.

"Now that we've greeted each other, let's prepare and head to the Dungeon later. It's better to actually team up and get used to each other," Liber proposed.

"Okay." Lefiya agreed with Liber's suggestion, and after saying goodbye, she headed back to the building to return to her room and prepare.

Liber watched her retreating back, standing in place as he pondered the thoughts of Loki and the executives.

There was no doubt that his teammate being Lefiya, the future pillar of the Familia, was a deliberate arrangement by the upper echelons.

In reality, they could have arranged for any other member to team up with him, but placing the Level 3 Lefiya with him undoubtedly showed how much they valued him.

Sending the person known as the successor to the Vice-Captain to his side, and having her team up with a newcomer who had only just joined the Familia to hone their group combat abilities—the significance of this was extraordinary.

To be teamed up with someone who would very likely inherit the position of Riveria in the future meant he must be talent who could also become an executive in the future.

Considering this, the importance revealed by the Familia's high-ranking members in sending Lefiya to team up with him far exceeded the attention he had received over the past few days.

"Do they think I'll become part of the second tier soon?" A curve formed at the corner of Liber's mouth.

He then returned to his room and began preparations for entering the Dungeon as a party.```