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"Anos?"
Ais tilted her head slightly, Hadn't he just said she should call him Father?
Perhaps it was her natural innocence, or perhaps it was Anos's calm presence, but she didn't feel particularly embarrassed about saying it.
"Yes... Just my name is fine. As I said, treat this world itself as your teacher."
Anos sighed softly.
If they hadn't been surrounded by people, he honestly thought… maybe being called Father wouldn't have been so bad.
"The world itself is the teacher…"
Ais looked around thoughtfully. Her vacant gaze shimmered faintly with quiet inspiration.
"The last condition isn't really a condition," Anos continued. "While you're learning, you may spend a lot of time around me."
"I won't ask you to join my Familia. But occasionally, when I'm not around, help guide Bell a little."
That was his request.
On the surface, it sounded like Ais would simply help Bell But the real implication was something deeper.
If Ais was involved, Loki Familia would naturally keep an eye on things as well.
Familias needed time to grow.
Development couldn't happen overnight.
Anos wasn't always going to remain in this world, so leaving behind a safety net was the smarter move.
"Help Bell…? That's fine."
Ais agreed without hesitation.
Behind her, Loki narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.
This was within the range she could tolerate.
Although Ais saw it as her personal decision, Loki knew the truth. When a core member of a Familia acted, outsiders would never see it as purely personal.
Unless…
That member left the Familia entirely.
Which would never happen.
"Those are my only conditions, If you're free today, we can start training immediately. I actually have plenty of free time."
Anos smiled.
And it was true.
Most of the time he simply used up the daily calculation limit of Absolute Dichotomy before the twenty-four-hour reset. Outside of that, he mostly spent time researching or refining his skills.
Going into the Dungeon to fight monsters was possible, but unnecessary.
If money could flow in while lying down, why bother standing up to work?
Compared to earning money, Anos preferred using his energy to figure out how to become stronger.
The only reason he normally entered the Dungeon was for one thing.
Leveling up.
…
"Well then, Ais, we're heading back. When you're done today, make sure you go straight home to the Familia."
Tiona reminded her.
"Or Anos could just walk her home, right?"
Tione added with a playful grin.
Amazon warriors were famously bold. In their homeland, they often captured men from other races for reproduction.
But Tiona and Tione were different.
They had their own values.
Tione's teasing smile wasn't about dragging Anos away for something scandalous.
She simply thought it might be interesting if Ais and Anos got closer.
After all… if that happened, they would basically become allies, right?
"Heh."
"I can walk her back... No problem."
Anos smiled.
To be honest, he was slightly worried about Ais walking home alone.
The probability of someone tricking her was low But according to his calculations, it wasn't zero.
"Walk me home…"
Ais repeated the phrase softly.
She didn't fully understand why, but hearing those words made her heart skip for a moment.
"Oh right, Ais, before you go, let me tell you something."
Tiona leaned over and whispered in Ais's ear.
As Tiona's expression grew increasingly animated, Ais's ears slowly turned red.
She didn't understand why, but words like "taking off pants" and "being naked" suddenly felt strange when connected to Anos.
Her head felt a little dizzy.
Still, she quietly memorized what Tiona said.
"Ais, remember what I told you."
Tiona reminded her again before leaving.
"Mm…"
Ais lowered her head slightly.
She didn't really understand what it meant, but she trusted Tiona.
Meanwhile, Anos's eye twitched slightly.
He had heard every word clearly.
Tiona's whisper had been:
"Ais, if a man ever takes off his pants in front of you, or tries to get naked, or touches you inappropriately, punch him immediately."
"And if you have a sword nearby, draw it right away!"
That was her exact warning.
"Come on, Ais, let's start by fixing your stance today."
Anos smiled after watching Loki Familia leave. Tiona waved goodbye cheerfully.
"Yes!"
Ais responded with a slightly louder voice than usual.
"Let's go, Hestia."
Anos casually lifted Hestia away from her argument with Loki.
If he let that continue any longer, Hestia would soon have a literal puffed-up face from Loki squeezing her cheeks.
Of course, Loki wouldn't escape unscathed either.
Hestia's chest had already been used as a weapon in that argument.
…
"Is this… Hestia Familia's home?"
Ais stared at the massive villa in front of her, clearly surprised.
She remembered that Hestia Familia had only been registered yesterday.
How were they already living somewhere like this?
What Ais didn't know was that Loki Familia had indirectly helped make this villa possible.
"Of course... I can't let our goddess live somewhere shabby."
Anos smiled.
"She's a god, after all."
"Exactly! My Anos is incredibly capable!"
Hestia puffed out her chest proudly, the blue ribbon across it stretching noticeably.
Anos's eyes lingered on that ribbon for a moment.
He had always been curious about it.
Didn't tying something that tight hurt?
Wouldn't it cause problems?
He had even used Absolute Dichotomy to check once.
The result said there was no discomfort.
Still…
Every time he saw it, he couldn't help wondering.
"This is the training area, Bell, you're joining us too."
Anos led them into a large practice yard and spoke to both girls.
"Huh?"
Bell blinked.
Then her face lit up with excitement.
"I can join too? Really?"
"Of course... Aren't we members of the same Familia? Or does that mean you never saw me as one of your own?"
Anos sighed dramatically and looked toward the sky like a tragic hero.
"No! That's not it, Anos! I just thought…"
Bell panicked immediately.
"And earlier today, you went into the Dungeon without telling me. That really hurt my feelings."
Anos added casually.
"No! I didn't mean—"
Bell's eyes practically spun in circles.
She felt completely overwhelmed.
In fact, she suddenly felt guilty.
If she hadn't gone into the Dungeon alone, maybe she wouldn't have met Ais.
If she hadn't met Ais, maybe Anos wouldn't have gotten involved with Loki Familia.
And if that hadn't happened, maybe Ais wouldn't be here now.
Anos's teasing had accidentally pushed Bell into a deep spiral of thoughts.
"Alright, alright, I was just joking."
He finally laughed.
"I know you were trying to help."
Watching Bell panic had clearly entertained him.
He really was terrible in many ways.
"Ah… okay…"
Bell blinked before finally relaxing.
Even so, she made a silent decision.
From now on, she would never hide anything from Anos again.
If she planned to do something, she would always talk to him first.
"Alright. Time for today's training."
Anos pulled out a measuring ruler.
"What's that for?"
Ais tilted her head again.
A ruler?
That didn't seem related to the warnings Tiona had given her.
Still, she kept watching Anos carefully.
She wondered whether he might suddenly do something suspicious like Tiona warned.
And if he did…
Should she follow Tiona's advice and attack immediately?
Or watch carefully first, then ask her Familia what to do later?
She didn't realize that if she chose the second option and Anos really had been that kind of man, it would already be far too late by the time she returned.
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~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
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