In the morning sunlight, dazzling golden hair reflected in his eyes, and in an instant, his mood shifted completely…
------------------------------
No matter when, no matter what mood he was in, as long as Ais appeared before him, Fron could instinctively calm down.
That reminded him of a saying,
A lover is someone whose image fills you with strength whenever you're about to give up.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm standing like a big magic-stone lamp right here, can't you two see where you are before flirting like that?"
Just as the two were gazing affectionately at each other, nearly leaning close enough to touch, Tiona, the "magic-stone lamp", interrupted them.
"..."
"..."
Realizing what she had just done, Ais' face instantly flushed red, and she turned her head away in embarrassment.
Fron, on the other hand, was already used to it, though a faint trace of regret showed on his face.
"Right, who's that?"
Ais' sudden appearance had made Fron temporarily forget about the man standing nearby with Loki.
And then Tiona interrupted again.
"Oh, him! Oh, right! I forgot, you actually haven't met this god before."
This god possessed a level of handsomeness comparable to Hermes's, no, perhaps it was better to say: if Hermes embodied the charming-pretty-boy type, then the man before them, with his perfectly proportioned physique, sharply defined muscles, and bronzed skin, was the kind of strikingly masculine, ruggedly handsome god.
"This is the main god of the Njord Familia, the God Njord."
Recovering her composure, Ais tucked a few stray golden hairs behind her ear and softly introduced him.
"So it really is him."
"Huh? You've met the God Njord before?" Tiona had thought Fron didn't know him, so his response came as a surprise.
Fron raised an eyebrow at Tiona.
"He's on good terms with Loki, and he came looking for her at this time, plus that slightly helpless look on his face... putting it all together, he must be the god Njord from Melen, right?"
Just as he said that, Loki happened to notice the three of them in the corridor.
"Yo, Ais-tan~ Tiona-chan~ Fron~"
"Heh, it's rare to see you up so early, Loki."
As the three walked over together, Fron was the first to joke.
"Tch, it's not like I wanted to! The Familia's so broke we can't even afford booze anymore!"
"..."
So that was it, she hadn't drunk herself into a stupor last night, hence she woke up early.
"Hey, hey, hey~ Fron, the Familia only needs a bit more money to pay off our debt! So maybe…"
"..."
Seeing Loki cling to his arm coquettishly, Fron's expression twisted.
"Let go, let go! I said let go! Fine, I'll agree! I still have a few magic swords left, sell them if you must, alright? Now let me go!!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Yay!!! Finally, I can buy more booze!"
"..."
Watching Loki joke around with her subordinates, the god Njord could only smile bitterly, thinking of his own Familia.
"Loki, you haven't introduced me yet."
It was a polite reminder to the goddess, also revealing Njord's mild temperament.
"Oh, oh, right! I got too excited and almost forgot!"
"You already know Ais and Tiona, but as for this one, you must have heard his name!"
Njord smiled slightly, looking at Fron with admiration.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the legendary adventurer who rose to First Class within just two short years, 'Night Weaver,' Fron Argon!"
"Uh, Lord Njord, please don't praise me like that, you'll make me sound too good. 'Legendary'? I'm just a newcomer, really. Maybe I level up a little faster than others, but I still have a long way to go to match the veterans. There's a lot I still need to learn."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Ais, Tiona, and Loki all gave him strange looks, silently thinking the same thing,
"'A little faster'? Yeah right!"
If Tiona knew the term humblebrag, she'd definitely say: This guy is the king of humblebrags…
"Uh, ah, ha… right…"
Sure enough, Njord had no idea how to continue the conversation after that.
Thankfully, Loki stepped in to change the topic.
"By the way, how's that situation on your end?"
At that, Njord's handsome face drooped.
"Ugh, don't even mention it. Ever since we stopped using magic-stone powder, the sea's gone back to its old self. Monster attacks are way more frequent now, and sailing's become a lot more dangerous. It's been three weeks of chaos already."
Loki, however, didn't seem bothered.
"Your kids could use the training anyway. The monsters in the sea aren't on the same level as dungeon monsters. Even ordinary sailors can handle them with the right skills, let alone your blessed adventurers."
"Ah, I suppose that's the only way."
"Right, that shorty Kali is still at your 'Harbor Hall,' right?"
"Yeah, I've got her tied up at headquarters. Why?"
"Heh, perfect. Things were hectic before, and I still have plenty of questions for her. I'll come with you."
"Fron, Ais, Tiona, you three, come along too."
...
The five of them followed the god Njord to the seafood market area, where they met the sailors selling their catch, then headed further toward the port.
At the northeastern edge of the harbor district, backed by forest and facing the sea, stood a multi-story building shaped like a ship's anchor.
Naturally, this uniquely designed structure was the Njord Familia's base, the Harbor Hall.
Before they even got close, they could already hear someone yelling for mercy.
"You bastard Njord! Even if I lost this time, I demand special treatment as a prisoner! Let me go already, you white-faced but black-hearted god!"
"..."
"..."
"..." Njord's face darkened instantly as he hurriedly pushed open the main doors.
"Watch your mouth, you! You should be grateful the Guild didn't ship you straight back to the heavens, don't go accusing me of mistreating prisoners!"
Nearby, Loki smirked darkly.
"Hehehe, well, well. Didn't expect we'd meet again so soon. Better start talking about everything you know regarding the conspiracy. Maybe I'll even put in a good word for you."
"Hmph, fine!"
"???" Loki blinked, stunned that Kali had agreed so readily.
As for why Kali was here, well, that went back to what happened after the sea incident.
Before they left, Loki had Fron heal the badly injured Bache and Arcana, then asked Njord, who was handling the aftermath, to toss them onto a ship, while asking Kali to stay back as per the instructions from the Guild (Ouranos).