"Is that so?"
"To genuinely engage in direct combat with monsters to build one's confidence—that's truly an unexpected approach."
Looking at Shirou sitting before her, Riveria's eyes were filled with satisfaction.
Although Lefiya's situation had been somewhat rough, the method was practical. For adventurers, as long as they didn't die, it was a victory.
"Indeed, asking you to train Lefiya was absolutely the right decision, Shirou."
"That's also because Riveria-senpai, you were willing to trust me."
Shirou responded modestly to Riveria's thanks. After all, he had something to ask of her later.
Even though they were comrades of the same Familia, Riveria would surely teach him if he asked.
But the efficiency of a willing lesson versus an unwilling one would surely differ.
Clang.
With the sound of a door opening and closing, Lefiya, now clean after her wash, reappeared before everyone.
"Lefiya!"
Looking at Lefiya, who had just emerged from her bath—her face flushed, body radiating warmth—Loki, being the pervert she was, immediately pounced.
"Kya!"
Suddenly attacked by Loki, a flustered Lefiya immediately shrieked.
But alas, facing Loki, whose power had surged due to her perverted desires, the timid Lefiya was utterly helpless and was tackled onto the sofa.
She was then thoroughly tormented by Loki.
Watching this scene, Riveria couldn't help but sigh softly. She was powerless against her goddess's peculiar hobby.
After all, she herself was often the target of Loki's assaults.
Hearing Lefiya's cries, Riveria lost the patience to continue speaking.
"Regarding your idea, I fully support it. I'll leave Lefiya's matter to you! If you need anything, just tell me. Consider this a favor I owe you."
With that, Riveria stood up, intending to leave the room.
However, just as she was about to exit, she suddenly said in a cold voice to the Amazon sisters, who looked relieved as if they had 'survived':
"What are you two still sitting there for? Hurry up and come here."
"You don't think this is just going to end like this, do you?"
As expected, Shirou knew that Tiona and Tione definitely couldn't escape.
Bullying an elf in front of a Royal Elf, and a junior highly regarded by Riveria at that—did they really think they could just laugh it off? Impossible.
Upon hearing this, Tiona and Tione's faces immediately fell.
They had somewhat guessed this outcome on their way back, but everyone harbored a sliver of hope.
Ultimately, they couldn't escape.
The two, as if drained of all strength, trudged out the door in a daze. Riveria's authority truly weighed heavily.
As expected of the Familia's 'mom'.
"Loki-sama, please don't!"
Hearing Lefiya's moans, Shirou glanced over, then decided to leave.
Only Shirou, Ais, Lefiya, and Loki remained in the room.
Despite Loki's teasing, although Lefiya sounded miserable, she actually didn't reveal anything, making it completely uninteresting.
"Lefiya, take a day off tomorrow. I need to forge equipment for you based on today's situation. Although I'm still a novice blacksmith, you'll have to pay for the materials."
"I... I know, Shi... Shirou-san."
Under Loki's teasing, Lefiya stammered her reply.
With that, Shirou nodded, then stood up, preparing to leave.
Seeing this, Ais, who had been sitting silently, immediately followed him.
In the hallway of Twilight Manor, Shirou glanced at Ais, who was still following him, and smiled,
"My room is just ahead. I remember the girls' dormitory isn't in this direction, is it?"
"I have something I want to talk to you about."
Hearing Ais's unchanging voice, Shirou wore an 'I knew it' expression and smiled,
"Alright, since we're already at my room, come in and sit down, and we can talk slowly."
After opening his room door, Ais, without any hesitation about gender, walked straight in.
Shirou then closed the door.
He didn't know, however, that the moment Ais entered the male dormitory, they had already been secretly observed by many people.
Now, seeing Ais follow him into the room, the entire Familia immediately erupted in excitement.
"There's usually no one in my room, so there aren't any extra chairs. Just sit directly on the bed. The sheets and covers are freshly changed."
As he arranged for Ais to sit, Shirou took out his snacks and drinks.
The snacks were all dried goods he had made himself, and the juice was also self-mixed.
As someone with full marks in domestic skills, Shirou, not long after arriving in Orario, had conducted some research on the food ingredients here.
Compared to his previous world, the ingredients here were much richer, truly befitting a world with gods.
Therefore, Shirou, never one to let his palate down, naturally had to thoroughly research gourmet food.
And these snacks and drinks were the results of his research.
"Please try. These are my masterpieces."
He placed the snacks on a plate and handed them to Ais, inviting her to taste them.
She delicately picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. A wonderful taste instantly bloomed.
"Delicious!"
"Very delicious!"
"Extremely delicious!"
Moved by the delicious food, Ais's eyes happily squinted as she continuously praised the taste.
Then, Ais picked up a drink cup and took a small sip. Another irresistible taste appeared in her mouth, making her incredibly nostalgic.
"Amazing. Both the food and the drink are so delicious."
Listening to Ais's praise, Shirou's eyes were also filled with amusement.
For a chef, sharing delicious food was the greatest joy. Hearing others praise his cooking, Shirou's heart was filled with satisfaction.
If not for the worry that his goddess would become addicted and constantly ask him to cook, thus delaying his Dungeon exploration, Shirou would have long since showcased his culinary skills.
However, being able to hear Ais's praise now, Shirou's chef's heart was finally satisfied.
"Glad you like it."
"But now, I'm more interested in knowing why you came to find me."
Hearing Shirou's question, Ais's continuous chewing instantly stopped.
A moment later, realizing what had happened, she quickly swallowed the snack in her mouth and took the drink Shirou offered, drinking it to avoid choking.
After she put the cup down, she asked, full of expectation,
"How can I become stronger?"
"Become stronger, huh?"
Shirou had long suspected Ais would ask such a question. After all, while they were training Lefiya, Ais had been watching him with a peculiar gaze.
Facing Ais's question, Shirou also became serious.
"The essence of a Divine Blessing is a catalyst, used to stimulate a person's potential. Therefore, whether your basic stats increase has no essential connection to whether you fight monsters."
"I've had many theories about the Divine Blessing during this time. For example, Ais, it took you a year to go from LV.1 to LV.2."
"But now you've been at LV.5 for three years and still haven't become LV.6. Why do you think that is?"
"Why?"
A puzzled Ais stared intently at Shirou, wanting to hear the correct answer from him.
"I think it's because the external pressure is different now."
"In the past, you were weak. You had no magic, no skills, weren't proficient in martial arts, and had no combat experience. Even facing a LV.1 monster could be extremely dangerous if you weren't careful."
"But now you are strong. Even the deepest monsters our Familia has explored, aside from the Floor Bosses, you can easily defeat. This means you are no longer experiencing any external pressure."
"Why is fighting monsters faster for gaining strength than self-training? Because there is great terror between life and death. In the face of a life-or-death crisis, a person's potential is stimulated to the greatest extent, which is why abilities increase rapidly."
"So, you're not failing to get stronger quickly because you're weak, but because you're too strong."
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter