Feeling the intense sensation of weightlessness pushing against his back, Aiden opened his eyes. With the wind rushing past his ears, he stared up at the azure, crystal-forged sky above, lost in his own deeply profound thoughts.
Perhaps he just wanted to use this reckless method to briefly experience what that woman had felt in her final moments.
Thud! With a loud splash, his entire body smashed into the freezing waters of the rushing stream.
However, in the very next second, the effects of the [Divine Protection of the Water God] activated. A gentle, invisible force cradled his body, swiftly pushing him right back up to the surface.
The miraculous [Water Repulsion] effect went a step further, ensuring that not a single drop of water clung to his skin or clothes. It was as if he had never fallen into the stream to begin with. He hadn't lost a single degree of body heat; instead, he felt an inexplicable, soothing sense of absolute comfort.
He simply lay there, floating peacefully on his back, allowing the rapid currents to carry him steadily downstream. His gaze remained empty and distant, locked onto the eternal, unshifting azure canopy above.
Further downstream, a massive waterfall cascaded down from a vertical drop of roughly ten meters.
Fine, misty spray danced through the air, carrying a refreshingly cool moisture. The area was surrounded by lush forests and glowing crystals, while the canopy above was completely obscured by the massive branches and leaves of ancient trees. Combined with the blue-tinted landscape, it was a breathtaking sight that instantly brought the phrase Forest Sanctuary to mind.
The gentle touch of the moist beads of water caressing her skin felt delightfully ticklish.
It feels so good. Enveloped completely by the water, Ais couldn't help but sigh in absolute contentment. The soft breath escaping her lips was somewhat muffled by her surroundings. The thunderous roar of the massive waterfall created a dull, ambient hum, as if a thin membrane had been placed over her ears.
The soft bloop-bloop of rising bubbles brushed past her ears, sliding gently against her skin.
Ais was currently in her most natural state, completely unburdened by clothing or armor. Her eyes were peacefully closed, her face serene. The water cascaded smoothly over the soft curves of her chest, down past her small navel, and across her slender stomach. Droplets of water clung to her flawless skin as she floated effortlessly at the surface.
Her beautiful golden hair spread out around her like a radiant fan, her delicate limbs swaying gently in the current. Combined with a beauty that effortlessly rivaled even the Goddesses of Beauty, her silhouette—suspended right on the boundary between air and water—looked incredibly mysterious and divine.
If a talented painter were present, they would have undoubtedly possessed an overwhelming urge to immortalize this breathtaking scene on canvas.
It felt as though her perpetually taut nerves were finally allowed to completely unwind. The deep-seated fatigue that had practically solidified in her limbs seemed to melt away entirely. This was, without a doubt, a moment of supreme bliss.
Right now, she just wanted to forget everything else and let this watery world embrace her tightly.
Suddenly.
The bright light shining against her closed eyelids was abruptly blocked out, and Ais's face was suddenly cast in shadow. The subtle shift in the gentle ripples lapping against her skin informed her that someone had drawn incredibly close, leaning in to peer at her face.
Ais slowly opened her eyes... and found a heavily blushing Elf maiden hovering mere inches away.
"Lefiya...?"
The young girl's name slipped softly past Ais's lips. Lefiya instantly clamped a hand over her own nose and mouth, looking incredibly agitated as she frantically tried to explain something.
However, Ais couldn't make out a single word she was saying. Her ears were still submerged underwater, completely muffling the sound.
Is this what Loki meant by 'a growth period'? Ais wondered absentmindedly as she watched the Elf maiden loudly shout while simultaneously trying to cover her own noticeably developing chest with one hand.
Deciding to hear her out properly, Ais planted her feet firmly on the riverbed and stood up.
"So, that's not what happened at all, Miss Ais! I absolutely wasn't staring at you floating in the water in a total daze or anything! I mean, sure, if I had the talent for painting, I'd absolutely want to capture that beautiful posture on canvas and hang it up in my room to admire—I did think about that, yes! But I swear I didn't have even the slightest bit of those wicked thoughts that Loki usually has! I just noticed you and got completely drawn in without realizing it..."
Lefiya babbled incoherently, her face entirely flushed.
Ais completely failed to grasp what Lefiya was trying to convey. She simply tilted her head, her expression a picture of pure, unadulterated confusion.
Turning her head toward the source of some joyous, lively chatter, Ais swept her gaze across the surrounding area. Her vision was filled with vibrant green foliage, countless ancient trees, and a massive, crystalline spring completely surrounded by blue crystals.
And within that spring were numerous of her companions—the female members of the Loki Familia—happily displaying their proud figures as they thoroughly enjoyed their bath.
"Waaah! This feels amazing!"
"Hey, Tiona! You're not a dog, so knock it off right now!?"
Tiona cheered gleefully, pulling her head back from the small waterfall trickling down through the gaps in the rocks. Acting exactly like an overexcited puppy, she shook her head vigorously, sending water flying in every direction.
As her older sister, Tione shouted angrily at her twin's entirely childish behavior. Neither of the Amazons made any attempt to hide their healthy, tanned skin, their incredibly slender waists, or their impressively ample chests—well, one of them was noticeably lacking in that particular department, of course.
"Everyone has such amazing figures... Honestly, it makes me feel a bit self-conscious."
"That's not true at all, Line. Yours is pretty nice too, you know?"
"N-No! I'm just chubby...!"
Hearing the young girl Line muttering to herself, Anakitty Autumn—a Cat Person currently using both hands to thoroughly scrub the slender tail extending from her lower back—twisted her slim waist and offered her reassurance.
Line, whose long hair was usually tied into twin tails but currently cascaded straight down her back, instantly blushed furiously and instinctively used both hands to cover her chest.
"It has been quite a long time since we last came here. It brings back some fond memories."
Riveria was currently soaking deeply in the water, her long, emerald-green hair fanning out around her. With one eye closed, she wore a deeply relaxed, entirely peaceful expression.
"That is true, but we absolutely cannot let our guard down, everyone! We absolutely, positively cannot allow any men to peep on us!" Alicia, a blonde Elf, shouted her reminder toward the shore. She, too, was soaking entirely naked in the refreshingly cool water.
"Rest assured, Lady Riveria! We won't even let a single mosquito pass through! If anyone dares to try and peek at Lady Riveria bathing, we will make them regret ever being born into this world!"
From the edges of the spring, the other female members of the Familia—fully armed with bows and swords—shouted their responses. They maintained a rigorous perimeter, remaining on high alert and thoroughly scanning the surroundings to prevent any living creature from approaching.
As expected of the Familia heavily recruited by the notorious woman-loving Loki, the gender ratio of the Loki Familia was comically skewed. Even taking the executives into account, the sheer discrepancy in pure combat power heavily favored the female members. When compared to the massive roster of highly capable women, the male lineup of the Loki Familia looked incredibly pitiful by comparison.
Meanwhile, floating along the freezing waters of the stream, Aiden allowed the current to carry him aimlessly forward.
If his memory served him right, the ultimate destination of this particular river perfectly aligned with the general direction of the Focalors Familia's campsite. If he just kept drifting downstream, he would likely end up directly at their front door. It saved time, it saved effort, and it perfectly matched his current overwhelming desire to act like an absolute salted fish.
A thunderous roar echoed from up ahead—it was a waterfall. The deafening crash of the water easily drowned out many of the more subtle noises in the surrounding area, but Aiden couldn't care less.
He couldn't fall to his death, and he certainly couldn't drown. Right now, he just wanted to float his way all the way back to camp. After all, he was currently deeply entrenched in an emo state of mind, and he desperately needed some peace and quiet.
And so, completely devoid of any defensive measures, he drifted right over the edge of the waterfall and plummeted downward.
During the brief moment of weightlessness, he even found the mood to casually think, This free log-flume ride is actually pretty nice. However, a mere second before he crashed into the deep pool below, the very corner of his eye seemingly caught a flash of blindingly pale skin and a flowing lock of elegant, emerald-green hair.
Immediately following that, an explosive chorus of female screams—varying wildly in pitch and decibel level—erupted like a surround-sound stereo system right next to his ears.
"KYAAAAAAA!"
Hearing a collective shriek loud enough to practically blow the roof off the Dungeon, Aiden's heart violently plummeted.
Oh, crap! he cursed internally.
But before he could formulate any sort of reaction, he smashed into the water with a thunderous splash.
In the very next second, the incredibly frustrating yet undeniably helpful [Divine Protection of the Water God] activated once more. A powerful surge of buoyancy violently shoved him up from the bottom of the pool, stabilizing him perfectly on the surface of the water like a weighted roly-poly toy.
He opened his eyes. The very first thing that filled his vision was an incredibly close, suffocatingly beautiful face.
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