Because he knew that if he told her, Ryu would immediately do something he didn't want to see…
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As a gentleman, and even more as a lover, Fron naturally fulfilled his duty, which was to send Ryu back to the home she had found, "The Hostess of Fertility."
Passing through the complex bustling streets and alleys from North Street, they quickly arrived at West Street.
Compared to the clean, neat, and slightly refined North District, West Street was much livelier.
Shops of all kinds stood in rows, music and adventurers' shouting spilled out from the taverns.
Dense crowds moved along both sides of the road, and the occasional carriage made the street even noisier.
The flavor of everyday life made Fron sigh in relief.
Standing before a particularly tall, splendidly decorated building, much higher than the surrounding wooden and stone structures, Fron knew that Ryu was home.
"Um, thank you for bringing me back."
Just meeting Fron's eyes, Ryu felt her body go weak, her limbs almost powerless, and simply standing took all her strength.
That was precisely why she didn't dare meet Fron's gaze.
That aggressive gaze carried a pressure so intense it overwhelmed her senses.
"Meow, Ryu is back, meow!"
As the two stood at the entrance, of course, a certain catgirl who was slacking off in the hall spotted them.
Seeing the two standing at the door without entering, Anya bounced out happily, then suddenly hugged Ryu's neck.
"Ah!"
And then it happened.
Ryu's body went limp and she collapsed to the ground without warning, leaving Anya completely dumbfounded!
Don't forget, everyone knew each other's strength. Anya knew Ryu better than anyone. Even as fellow Level 4s, Ryu was the strongest among them. In all of Orario, Ryu's combat ability among Level 4s was at the very top.
And yet this righteous, cool-headed elf… fell over from just a touch!?
"Meow? What's going on here, meow? Hmph, was this your doing!?"
Fron, seeing Ryu fall to the ground, secretly thought, This is bad, and sure enough, Anya's suspicious eyes turned on him.
"Hey, hey, Anya-chan, I don't know why Ryu became like this either, but… I swear it wasn't me!"
"... Fron, um, goodbye! I'm going back in now!"
Ryu's face blushed crimson, she lowered her head to stare at her toes, quickly blurted out her words, and then ran into the tavern as if fleeing.
"..." Only Fron and Anya were left staring at each other, at a loss for words.
"Bang…" Then, halfway through her run, Ryu tripped on the tavern stairs and fell again.
"..."
"Ahem, well… after being away so long, she's just a little eager to be home. Anya, I'll come help with the business sometime. Bye!"
"And say hi to Mama Mia, Chloe, Lunoire, Syr, and see you later!"
Waving at the curious girls peeking out from the hall, Fron, carrying his bulging pack, quickly slipped away.
If he stayed, those troublesome girls would never let him off with their teasing. He could already imagine what kind of life Ryu was about to face.
...
North District, Loki Familia's base, Twilight Manor.
On the way back, Fron bought a few Jagamarukun from a street vendor and strolled back leisurely.
"Mm, haven't had these for a month, I kind of missed this familiar taste."
After finishing them in a few bites, Fron sighed contentedly.
"Yo, if it isn't the great Fron! Finally willing to come back, huh?"
Looking bored, Raul and Cruz were sitting under a tree at a stone table, playing cards. Hearing the door open and footsteps, they looked up to see Fron.
"Long time no see, Raul, Cruz. Although I'm not too happy about what you just called me… aren't you two awfully free? Playing cards here?"
Raul seemed to be losing, so he threw his cards onto the table, making Cruz's face twist.
"Ugh, don't mention it. It's not like I want to slack off. It's just Loki took all the girls out to play, so we men are stuck at home."
"Tch, just admit you're broke. Acting all serious. The lower ranks are at least earning money collecting magic stones in the Dungeon!"
Cruz instantly exposed Raul's excuse, right to his face.
"Oh-ho, so spending money on Pleasure Street is really that expensive? Even you, a dignified Level 4, are broke?"
"W-what!? It's not like that! Hey, come back here and listen to me explain, you bastard! I didn't go to Pleasure Street! I already broke up with that prostitute! Fron, get back here!!!"
Go back? Impossible. After finally returning to the base, Fron just wanted a nice bath.
He'd been traveling the whole way. Ryu at least had a chance to clean up at a spring, but as a man, Fron had no such luxury.
No way he'd ask Ryu to stand guard while he bathed. That'd be far too embarrassing. Especially when it was just the two of them.
He hurried back to his room, dropped off his gear and loot, grabbed a change of clothes, and dove straight into the bath.
...
At the very top floor of the northern tower, Finn retracted his gaze from the courtyard, smiling as he spoke casually to Gareth across the huge office desk:
"That kid Fron finally came back. Hard to believe a few roadside requests ended up taking him a whole month."
"Hahahaha, well, a lot has happened this past month anyway. I'm actually quite curious about his little adventure."
"How about we call Fron up to the roof and have a drink?"
"Good idea. With that annoying elf not around, today we can really cut loose! Hahahahaha!"
"..." Finn's face twitched, his smile darkening as he looked at Gareth laughing uproariously.
Saying it and doing it, the two picked out a fine bottle of red wine from the cellar and headed out.
By this time, Fron had already dozed off in the bath.
Alone in the huge bath, he suddenly noticed how quiet the whole base was.
Without the beautiful, lively girls, the place felt a bit too still.
No noisy Amazoness sisters, no little elf rival always bickering with him. Even Ais, who usually stayed by his side, had been inevitably dragged away by Loki.
"Maybe I should go to Melen tomorrow? Since coming to this world, I still haven't seen the sea." Ducking his head underwater, Fron muttered, releasing a few bubbles.
Then, the comfortable warmth overwhelmed him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
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T/N: Second bonus chap for crossing 600 power stones; 4 more bonus chapters remaining~