I want to see what kind of guy he is. Bete reflexively rubbed the bruises on his face. He was curious what kind of newcomer could make Finn call him out by name and have him "disciplined" first.
"His situation is a bit special. Loki only brought him into the familia today."
Finn decisively set aside the matter of the intruder in Loki's bath.
If Sawada Tsunayoshi had truly broken in, Loki wouldn't have failed to notice; and if Loki herself had recruited him, it was obvious he'd been just an ordinary person before. As for why Tsunayoshi entered Loki's bath, since Loki, the person involved, said nothing, there were surely things they didn't need to know. Finn understood, and he didn't add any notes.
"A total newbie, huh."
Tiona's eyes shone with even keener interest, and, carried along by that interest, she blurted out a question.
"So what's special about him?"
Everyone pricked up their ears.
Finn hadn't planned to be evasive, and he didn't refuse to answer. Clearly this was a point that had to be addressed; given Tsunayoshi's situation, people in the familia needed a solid grasp of it.
"His ability is extremely special. Unlike ordinary gifted types, he's the kind who awakened on his own. Before Loki brought him in, he already had his current ability. The blessing only gave him a numerical 'status,' that's all."
"Only" and "that's all"—humble words that still sounded like bragging.
But Finn's statement set the tone for the newcomer: a gifted type entirely different from them.
"Doesn't that make him even stronger than Ais?"
Tiona blurted it out.
This idiot. Bete shot her a glance. That airheaded Amazon never read the room or the mood.
Even as he groused inside, Bete didn't think she was wrong. Based solely on what Finn emphasized, the talent angle favored the newcomer over Ais. "Self-awakened" earned a huge bonus.
His gifted ability likely wasn't weak either—certainly stronger than Ais's, by a lot. Bete didn't think a newcomer with a simple ability would merit today's level of fuss.
"Ais… Once he gets Ais's intel, he should fairly quickly create an ability tailored to her."
Thinking of Tsunayoshi's power, Finn couldn't help being impressed. He also understood that such a power required precise information to perform at its peak.
Ais's strengths were easy to read: excellent magic and outstanding combat talent. If those two points were confirmed, Finn believed Tsunayoshi could craft a monster ability that precisely targeted them.
This wasn't Finn getting carried away—Tsunayoshi's power really was that over-tuned.
"Power to counter Ais?"
Tiona didn't catch on right away.
"Captain is talking about the newcomer's ability," Tione said, immediately grasping Finn's meaning—but then she added a doubt of her own.
"But Captain, the newcomer only needs Ais's intel to make a counter to her? Isn't that a bit too outrageous? If he can counter Ais, wouldn't that mean he can counter anyone?"
Exactly. Bete's expression grew grim. If intel was all it took to counter Ais, then the newcomer could tailor counters to anyone, provided he had the right information.
If that's his ability, Bete could understand why they were making such a big deal today.
"That's basically it. But beyond tailored counters, his ability isn't limited to that. If he really digs into it, I believe he'll be the greatest help to us in the dungeon going forward."
Finn didn't dodge the issue; he answered seriously, emphasizing that once developed, Tsunayoshi's ability would greatly benefit the whole familia—especially for dungeon strategy.
"However, right now he's still a newcomer. His ability is outstanding, but there's still a lot he needs to learn. Until he's mastered a certain level of skill, we can't just throw him into the dungeon push."
"So Riveria will need to handle his training."
Really? Ais's eyes lit up at once.
The biggest leash on her right now was Riveria. If Riveria had to watch the newcomer, Ais could hardly imagine how free she'd be. For the first time, she found herself truly welcoming the newcomer.
This child's thoughts are written all over her face. Riveria kept a constant eye on Ais's mood; the moment Ais's eyes sparkled, she noticed. Which only made Riveria shoot her a glare.
This girl really doesn't understand how dangerous her usual behavior is. Does she think being a guardian is so relaxing? Riveria felt her temper rising.
"Tiona, Tione—Riveria won't have time to watch Ais for a while, so I need you two to keep an eye on her. Especially about the dungeon. We're entering the next phase of the push, and she needs to adjust. Don't let her run off to the dungeon."
After laying out Riveria's assignment, Finn focused on Ais's issue, pinning her right to the wall just when she'd been about to pop champagne. He locked in the fact that she wasn't going to the dungeon.
Why! Behind her stoic face, Ais took a massive hit.
She'd thought if Riveria wasn't watching, she could slip into the dungeon—but now Tiona and Tione would both tail her, and on top of that, she was barred from the dungeon. Her gaze slid to Bete, and suddenly she felt like arguing.
"Why can Bete go?"
How did this come to me? Bete looked baffled. He had no idea how the topic had shifted onto his head.
"Because Bete isn't as reckless as you are in the brain. You're always thinking of training in the deep floors, ignoring your physical and magical condition, and just staying down there without coming up."
How do you know that! Ais's eyes went wide with disbelief. Right now Finn felt like a worm living in her stomach—he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"How do I know? Isn't that your routine?"
Finn didn't even want to describe how out-of-line Ais usually was. To get stronger, she really didn't care about consequences.
"In short, during this preparation period you're not allowed in the dungeon. Use this time to adjust. You just hit Lv. 5 and there's a lot you need to stabilize, understood?"
Under Finn's serious, stern gaze, Ais's spirit wilted. She knew there was no getting away with it this time; otherwise Riveria's discipline would fall. Listlessly, she replied,
"I understand."
(End of Chapter)
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