"Welcome party?" I asked dubiously, since I did not hear anything about it either from Loki or Riveria.
"Yeah, originally it was supposed to happen yesterday. But something came up, so we postponed it to today. Anyway, boy, hurry up. I can't wait to drink some good booze," he laughed.
I gave him a deadpan look. So that's the reason he seemed in such a hurry.
"Sigh… Sure, old man, let's go."
I was not much of a party person, but I didn't want to be a buzzkill either, so I just followed the excited old man to the main hall.
When I got to the main hall, I was able to see Loki standing in the middle, seemingly waiting for me. I could also see a lot of members of the Familia that I remember from the anime, like Tione, Tiona, Alicia, Lefiya, and also the ones I had already seen, like Bete, Finn, Ais, Riveria, and others.
When I looked at the high elven woman, she gave me a small smile. Looks like she knew about this but did not tell me, maybe she wanted to keep it a surprise for me.
"Oh! Our star for today's party has finally arrived."
Loki sure looked excited, just like Gareth, or maybe worse than him, because she was already gulping her drinks before the party could even start.
"Come here, Arin-kun, let me introduce you to our Familia members."
She practically dragged me into the middle of the room, surrounded by the Familia members from all sides.
"Everyone, this is Arin Kael, a High Human who comes from a faraway world!"
The crowd started to murmur as Loki stopped to take a breath, some looking at me with curiosity, some with wonder, while some looked at me with not-so-kind eyes, mostly the elven members and Bete. I could understand why. Maybe Loki also noticed, as she continued.
"And he is also our new Familia member. Make him feel at home, will ya? Now let the party begin!"
"Ohhhhh!!!"
Everyone cheered as they started drowning in drinks and food.
I also took a table and started eating. I took a glass of juice to drink. Before long, I was surrounded by several curious people, mostly women, as they did not give anyone else a chance to come near me.
"Are you really a High Human? You don't look different."
"Hey, what was your old world like?"
"I read that High Humans are descended from the gods. Is that true?"
"Can you really live forever?"
"Everyone, you are troubling Arin. And Tione, Tiona, your questions are too personal."
Riveria's voice stopped everyone from questioning.
They must have realized their mistake as they promptly apologized.
"Ah! Riveria, sorry, we were just too eager to know him."
"You should apologize to Arin, not me."
"We are sorry, Arin."
All of them said simultaneously.
"It's fine, I was just a little startled, since your questions were coming too fast."
I didn't mind answering their questions, and Ais also seemed curious with the way she focused on our conversation, going as far as to sit next to me.
"Really?" Tiona asked with her innocent voice.
"Yeah," I said while taking a sip from my cup of juice.
Gareth may have noticed that I wasn't drinking alcohol as he spoke.
"Boy, why are you drinking juice? Leaving all this fine booze alone."
"I am not into alcohol, old man. Never liked it," I answered.
"Is that so? More for me then."
He said and took a large gulp and emptied the cup. As he reached for the next one, Loki took it before him.
"Is that a High Human thing too?" Tiona asked.
"No, it's more of a personal thing."
I have seen far too many homes be destroyed because of this, and I developed an aversion toward alcohol.
"That's a good thing. After all, depending on alcohol can be harmful even to high-ranking adventurers. Besides, it never hurts to keep a calm mind," Riveria said.
Now that I remember, she was not a fan of it either. Rather, I don't think Ais, Ryuu, or even Asfi like it either.
"Huh! He's just a kid who can't hold a drink."
Bete, who was silent until now, said out loud in a mocking tone.
Riveria gave Bete a sidelong glance, her voice calm but laced with disapproval.
"Mocking someone for exercising restraint only highlights your own lack of it, Bete. Perhaps try thinking before speaking for once."
"Shut up, old hag," Bete said with a scowl.
Okay, now he starts crossing the line.
"Is being a rude asshole your innate skill, or did you level that up over time?"
Laughter erupted from nearby tables. I even heard Tiona snort into her drink.
Bete's chair scraped back as he stood up, eyes narrowed.
"What did you say, brat?"
But before he could take a step—
"Bete, I said, control yourself."
This time, Riveria's voice echoed, filled with coldness. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"WOW! WOW! What is happening here? Did Riveria finally snap?"
Loki's sing-song voice boomed through the hall as she intervened.
"Tch!"
Bete took the chance to run away.
Loki came near as she put her hand around me and said in a not-so-whispering voice,
"I must ask what you did to our Mama Elf for her to be so protective of you, Arin-kyun. Which potion did you use? Where do you buy it? I want one—no—ten!"
"Who are you calling Mama, and stop being stupid, Loki. Potions like that don't exist, so stop being delusional."
"Arin-kyun, Riveria Mama is being mean to me."
Loki said and latched onto my back. But she ran away the moment she saw Riveria coming closer.
And that's how my welcoming party came to an end with some banter and laughter.
The next morning, I woke up earlier than yesterday. Before the sun rose from the east, I got freshened up, wore my training clothes, which are also my dungeon diving clothes, and the cloak.
I exited my room and made my way along the hallways of the Twilight Manor to our predetermined location that Ais and I discussed at my welcome party before parting ways.
And that place was the eastern wall surrounding the city. Yeah, I would be training with her on the same walls that Bell did his training on in the anime.
Since it was quite early, the shops were not open, but I was still able to see some people walking around the city. I walked through an alleyway as I reached my destination.
I spotted Ais standing near the edge of the wall, her silhouette outlined against the faint gray of the pre-dawn sky. The sun had not risen yet, but a cold, pale light was beginning to seep into the world, just enough to make out the soft gold of her hair cascading down her back like a quiet flame caught in the breeze.
She wore her usual white and blue combat outfit, the same one I had seen countless times in the anime, only now it felt more real, worn in, slightly creased, shaped to her frame by repetition and effort. Her sword hung by her side.
She was not posing or doing anything in particular. Just standing there. Waiting. Calmly.
For a moment, I just watched her, letting the silence of the early hour settle between us.
Before long, she turned toward me, her beautiful, honey colored eyes meeting mine.
"Good morning. Am I late?"
I was sure about 15 minutes remained before our meeting time, but I might very well have been mistaken as well.
"Good morning, Arin. And no, you are not late. I just woke up earlier than usual," she said in an unsure voice.
"I see. Well then, should we start our training?" I asked.
"Yeah, but before that, I want to confirm something. I can see that you are using the gear from the armory," she observed my sword, the knife I had, and the cloak I was wearing.
"Yeah, is there a problem?" I didn't think there was anything wrong with my gear. After all, Riveria helped me choose them.
"No, they are good weapons for a beginner. What I wanted to know is what stance you use when getting ready to fight. Can you show me?"
"Sure."
I didn't know why she asked since she had already seen it when we had a spar.
I started to pull the sword, but before I could fully unsheathe it, Ais moved, drawing her sword far faster than I. I was barely able to avoid her strike, her speed proving that she had held back significantly in our spar.
"Urgh!"
Before I was able to steady myself, she gave a roundhouse kick to my side, which brought me to my knees.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
Crap, I almost forgot how much of an airhead she can be.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
I got up from my kneeling position to show that I was not injured.
"Sorry, I just wanted to show you that an enemy won't wait for you to be ready."
Her reason did make sense, and it also gave an idea of what type of mentor she is. She believes in showing rather than speaking.
"I understand. Shall we continue then?"
She gave a nod, and we continued our spar. This time, I was more ready than before. I was able to dodge a lot more of her attacks compared to before.
We continued our spar until the sun started rising, an orange streak of light illuminating the city.
"How are you able to get so strong in such a short time?" she asked with her voice laced with a tinge of amazement and curiosity.
"Well, mainly because of my racial traits. And besides that, because it won't work if I am not strong enough."
It really won't do if I am weak. How am I going to protect them if I am weaker than them?
They may be strong themselves. Even Ryuu was strong enough to escape the Juggernaut if she had not lost herself in her rage. Not to mention Ais and Riveria, who will be Level 6 and 4. And Asfi, who plans for everything and always keeps a backup to fall on.
But is it wrong for a man to wish to be strong and swoop in once in a while to support the girls?
"It won't do?" she asked.
"Yeah, I want to be strong enough to help you and the others in times of need," I answered her seriously.
"Why?" she asked again, seemingly more confused than before.
"Hm…"
I thought about whether I should answer or not. Then, coming to a decision, I gave her a teasing smile.
"Well, that's a secret for now," I said, intending to tease her, which I succeeded in doing as she made a pout.
So cute.
"Hmmmm."
She kept pouting and tried to ask me several times as we made our way back home, but I did not budge.
It's far too early for that, after all.