Pov: Frieren
When I entered the building and suddenly heard that loud woman yelling, I didn't know what to do. I froze, keeping a neutral expression on my face. I looked the approaching woman up and down.
"What's your name? Are you an elf?" She was a tanned woman wearing provocative clothing. She had on a "shirt" that barely covered her chest.
I looked down at my own chest. Smaller than hers. For some reason, that irritated me.
I stayed silent as the woman kept asking questions.
'What should I do? I'm not used to this kind of interaction.'
"Frieren. My name is Frieren," I replied in a monotone voice. Should I try adding more emotion to my voice?
"Hey, Tiona, leave her alone." Then someone approached from behind the loud girl. She was also tanned.
So her name is Tiona.
"Come on, Tione, I'm just introducing myself."
"You don't need to act like that. Come on, give her some space." The woman called Tione grabbed Tiona's arm and started pulling her away. "Sorry about her. She gets a little too excited sometimes."
"Tioneee~~"
"Tiona, that's enough. Can't you see everyone's staring?"
I looked around—there were other humans here. They were all staring at us.
My gaze met the golden eyes of a beautiful blonde woman. I stared at her, and she stared back. We held eye contact for several long seconds.
Then, she turned to look at Tiona and Tione.
'Are they in the same group? There's also a strange man… he's not human.'
I stared at his smooth, swaying tail. He seemed impatient.
I stood in the middle of the guild and kept watching the group for a few seconds.
They were handing over monster drops to someone and receiving something in return. 'Can I do that too?'
But I didn't have any items with me.
Only Master had them.
So I took a few steps toward Tiona and Tione's group.
With a blank expression, I stood in front of them.
"What are you doing? Is this a trade?" I asked the beautiful blonde woman. She looked at me, surprised, and stayed quiet. Then Tiona stepped forward.
"What do you mean? You don't know you can sell items and magic stones?"
"Sell? As in exchange for money?" I vaguely remembered Master mentioning money before—probably when he talked about buying weapons for the clones. So this is how you get money.
"My name is Frieren. It's a pleasure. If I get items and magic stones, can I exchange them for money?"
"..."
Hearing my question, Tiona looked back at her friends. "What should I say?" she asked.
They didn't seem to know either.
Was that a dumb question?
"Sorry, I was just confused."
"No, no, it's okay. I just didn't expect a question like that. You can trade magic stones and items for money, but you need to be part of a Familia and register with the guild first."
Tiona answered patiently.
"Familia," I muttered under my breath.
"Are you in a Familia?"
"No, I'm not part of one." I almost said I had just been born, but kept quiet.
"You're an elf, right?" Then, the non-human man stepped forward. "How old are you? You look like a child."
My appearance doesn't help. I had seen some human children around the city—I do resemble them.
"Age?" I looked into the man's eyes. They were a unique, beautiful color. "I don't remember how old I am," I answered, since technically, I didn't have an age. I had only recently been created by Master.
I can't say I've only been alive for a few hours.
"You don't remember?" He looked suspicious, so I figured it was time to walk away from them.
But before I could, Tiona grabbed my hand.
"Hey, why don't you come eat with us? You guys don't mind, right?" She looked at her friends, and they didn't seem to object.
Is this an invitation? That's probably a good sign.
A sign that I might become friends with these people.
I smiled and asked, "Are you sure?"
Even though my smile wasn't very genuine, Tiona was charmed by it.
She had to hold herself back from hugging me.
'I guess having a good appearance helps when dealing with humans.'
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Pov: Zane
It had been a while since I sent out the clones—Akame, Frieren, Natsu, Zoro, Berserker, and Akitsu—to explore the city. After that, I returned home and started using the Senses skill to see what they were up to.
Akame, Natsu, and Zoro were wandering the city, curiously looking at everything. Meanwhile, Frieren, Berserker, and Akitsu were the only ones trying to socialize.
Especially Berserker. But he's way too big and weird, which makes people uncomfortable. Even though he has a handsome face, it wasn't enough to put others at ease.
It was painful to watch.
Akitsu, on the other hand, made friends immediately. I was surprised.
As soon as she left the dungeon, she caught the attention of a few girls who complimented her. Within minutes, Akitsu seemed completely at ease. I remember her being a character who never smiled, but that wasn't the case here.
She looked like she was having a great time.
I laughed while watching. It felt like watching my daughter having fun with her friends.
"Those girls are members of the Ganesha Familia. That's interesting. I didn't expect Akitsu to get involved with them."
I kept watching for a while, and eventually, Akitsu went with them to the Hostess of Fertility. Even though they'd only just met, they acted like longtime friends.
"I didn't expect this. But it's good. I want all my clones to get involved with a Familia. That could be useful in the future."
Then I switched to another clone's perspective, this time viewing the world through Frieren's eyes. The clones can still see even when I take over their vision, so it's fine.
"Huh?"
Through Frieren's eyes, I saw Ais sitting across from her, staring intently. There was also a plate of food, and Frieren was quietly eating while listening to Tiona explain things.
I also took control of her hearing to listen in.
"That's how things work around here. I'm surprised you don't know any of this," Tiona said.
"Sorry, I didn't know. So I have to join a Familia. Is that difficult?"
When I heard Frieren ask that, I remembered I hadn't explained anything about Familias to the clones.
That's something I really should've done.
'Frieren, keep the conversation going. I want you to become friends with them.'
Frieren set her fork down, not expecting my message.
[ I already planned to, Master. But this girl talks too much. I asked a few things about items, magic stones, Familias, and the guild, but she hasn't stopped talking since. ]
'I'm watching everything. Just listen and pretend you understand. I'll explain it all later. Try to smile more—act like you care a lot. That way, they'll warm up to you.'
[ I already tried smiling, but it didn't look right. I'll do my best. ]
"Hey, Frieren, are you listening? What happened? Are you feeling okay?" Tiona asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, just a little toothache."
Frieren laughed. This time, her laugh sounded genuine—it even pleased my ears. Tiona laughed right after.
"Haha, don't scare me like that."
"So, what were you saying about Familias?"
"Oh, right—"
Tiona continued explaining to Frieren, and I lost interest.
So I decided to check in on Berserker.
He was desperately trying to approach someone.
"Oh?"
When I tapped into Berserker's eyes, I saw he was following someone. From the back alone, I could tell who it was—Goddess Hestia.
'Why the hell are you following a goddess?'
[ Master? She's a goddess? ]
'Yes, you idiot. Don't do anything stupid.'
[ Don't worry. I just wanted to talk to her—she seemed interesting. Did you see how she was bouncing around? Isn't that cute? ]
'You're into that kind of girl? I didn't even know you could have feelings like that.'
[ What do you mean? I just thought she was cute. ]
'If you say so. Just know this—if you try anything weird, I'll destroy you instantly.'
[ Relax, it's fine. Trust me, Master. I'll make some friends. ]
Damn it. He's huge and intimidating, but he's the most childlike of all the clones.
"Where did I go wrong? I should've been able to edit their personalities or something… this is turning into a mess."
The others' personalities are fine, but Berserker and Akitsu are way off from the originals.
"Well… whatever."
I shrugged and switched back to Frieren's eyes. Her situation was the most interesting to follow right now.
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Next chapters: Chapter 25 - Zoro causing trouble. / Chapter 26 - Equipment for my clones. / Chapter 27 - Magic Skills. / Chapter 28 - I have a mission for you. Fang Yuan. / Chapter 29 - Acting.