Nothing happened.
Um?
The body's reaction was completely different from what she had expected, which surprised Ryu.
However, upon closer examination, it turns out that what happened in Ryu wasn't actually nothing at all. For example, the heartbeat that was so fast it felt like it was about to explode has gradually calmed down. All those anxieties, pains, frustrations, and countless other complicated thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her brain vanished, leaving only a sense of peace and comfort flowing gently, even making Ryu feel a little drowsy.
It's like lying on a wooden bed and under the eaves in the woods on a midsummer afternoon, with the wind chimes making a pleasant sound, and in the distance, there is flowing water, cicada chirping and birds singing.
I just want to go straight to sleep... No, no, no! How can I sleep in this place, at this time?!
Sensing a hint of drowsiness, Ryu quickly bit her tongue hard. Although the pain brought tears to her eyes, she finally regained consciousness and control of her body. Then, she felt touches coming from all over her waist and back. However, this time Ryu found her consciousness to be quite clear and calm.
"Um, sir, could you please stop touching me? I'm not injured."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ryu was surprised by her own composure.
Noah stopped what he was doing, hesitated, released the elf's waist, and took two steps back before their eyes met again. Her eyes, similar in color to his own, were clear and moist, allowing Noah to see his reflection in them.
However, when Noah realized that he was being stared at by the elf, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He then realized what he had just overlooked. Most elves have a strong aversion to being touched on the skin. Many bloody conflicts involving elves arise from outsiders disrespect for their customs.
For example, like the punch Noah took from Riveria earlier... That was probably the most memorable injury Noah suffered since coming into this world.
And now, it seems to be even worse than before?
Noah looked down at his own hands, then at the elf girl's waist. When Noah looked up again, his expression had become extremely stiff.
Silence enveloped them, and as Ryu pondered whether to speak again, just as she opened her mouth....
"!!?"
Noah suddenly executed a four step combo: step back, retreat, crouch, and cover his head, leaving Ryu wide eyed and completely bewildered. Fortunately, Ryu regained some strength and didn't fall. After regaining her footing, she looked at the swordsman who was crouching down in front of her, burying his face in his hands. The words she wanted to say were swallowed back down.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
The expected critical strike from the elf did not occur, and Noah slowly raised his head. "Aren't you going to hit me?"
The valiant swordsman who could take on Goliath in one on one combat now stood before her like a little kid who had done something wrong, peeking around nervously. The stark contrast dispelled all of Ryu's strange thoughts, and she even felt like laughing. However, she pursed her lips, forcing herself to maintain a cold expression.
"Why would I hit you? Aren't you my savior?"
Noah breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the other party had no intention of making a move, shook his head, and stood up. "That's good. I thought elves would hit you if they were touched. It hurts."
Actually, I almost hit you.
Feeling guilty, Ryu couldn't help but look away, her face flushing slightly. Holding her weak, aching hands, feeling the lingering sensation on her skin, Ryu was conflicted.
I actually feel... a little comfortable. Am I really such a shameless elf?
After the soothing fragrance dissipated, Ryu once again fell into intense self-attack and disgust. Her brain and cheeks burned again, and her vision became blurry. No, no, without that delicate fragrance, I can't calm down...
Just as Ryu was about to fall down due to her useless nature...
...Um?
Suddenly, an intuition made Ryu notice something she shouldn't have. She calmed down and silently looked at Noah.
"Why are you so skilled at this?"
"Um?"
"Have you touched a lot of girls before?"
Noah saw that the elf's originally clear eyes suddenly lost focus, as if they had turned into deep black holes.
Suddenly being stared at by the blonde elf and asked this question, Noah was momentarily at a loss for words. He felt that anyone who took that punch from Riveria would never forget it. However, Noah felt he couldn't reveal this reason. Because High Elves are respected by the vast majority of elves, as could be seen in the Loki Familia. If they knew the whole story, they would definitely see him as a suspect who molested Riveria... although realistically, that seemed to be the case.
"This, that..."
While Noah was struggling, other noises broke out in the long hall. From the moment Noah rescued the elf to the dissipation of the explosion's aftershocks, only a few dozen seconds had passed.
"Noah!!"
"Ryu!!"
"Useless Elf!"
Several figures broke through the large amount of smoke and dust and came over to the two of them. Upon seeing Riveria and Ais beside her, Noah instinctively raised his hand to greet them.
"Riveria! Here! I'm alright!"
Upon seeing Noah, Riveria's face lit up with joy. But after taking only two or three more steps, the smile on her face turned cold and serious. When Riveria came up to him, Noah almost thought she was going to hit him hard on the head with Magna Alfs.
"Seriously!" Fortunately, Riveria only glanced at him once and sighed softly. "Now do you know what the Dungeon is like?"
Noah gave Ais a look that said, "I'm fine," and nodded obediently. "I understand."
Cunning bastard! That's all Noah wanted to say. Setting a trap when you can't win is understandable, but attacking a passerby is a bit too much, isn't it?
Noah despised this behavior...
Meanwhile, after confirming that Ryu was safe, the members of the Astraea Familia began to criticize her.
"You idiot Ryu! Were you just asking for it?"
"A useless elf is a useless elf! Is she out of her mind?"
"If this continues! I... I'll ignore Ryu for three months... um, three days!"
Faced with a storm of scolding and concern, Ryu stood quietly like a tree, not reacting violently as usual, but just staring blankly ahead. This quickly caught the attention of the Astraea Familia members, and the various voices gradually fell silent.
Kaguya, Alise, and Lyra were more perceptive and instinctively followed Ryu's gaze to see the boy who was talking with Riveria.
"Is that person a member of the Loki Familia?"
"That person wasn't in the Loki Familia before, right? Hmm, I don't think they're from Orario either. Could they be a rookie?"
"Noin, how can you be so sure?"
"Wow, such a handsome guy! I'll never forget him once I've seen him!"
"You infatuated Noin! Are you kidding? That guy just single handedly defeated Goliath!"
"They probably just transferred from another Familia, why are you so excited?"
Amidst the discussions, only Kaguya and her two companions displayed unusual glances. The Kimono-clad beauty first approached Ryu, revealing a sly smile usually reserved for the pink haired Pallum.
"Oh, you useless elf, did you fall in love at first sight because a hero rescued you?"
Although Lyra and Alise were somewhat dissatisfied with Kaguya's actions, teasing the useless elf like this would likely cause another dispute. In particular, it involved topics extremely stimulating for Ryu, and it probably wouldn't end without a big argument.
However, after realizing the situation was beyond repair, both of them revealed sparkling, gossipy eyes. Since an argument is inevitable, why not have some fun?
However, what happened next disappointed them.
Ryu grasped the cloak at her chest and wiped it across her slightly flushed cheeks, her eyes glancing at Kaguya calmly, though they were moist. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just a little dizzy from the shock of the explosion."
As a result, Kaguya and the other two's expressions went blank. The Kimono-clad girl stared wide eyed, unwilling to give up, scrutinizing the blonde elf from head to toe, trying to find a flaw.
"Are you serious? You're not lying?"
Although she asked, Kaguya actually believed most of it. As Ryu's most frequent bickering rival, she considered herself the one who understood this useless elf the most. If the conversation really turned to the topic of the opposite sex, given Ryu's usual nature, she wouldn't be as calm as she was now. The expected reaction would be to shout loudly with a flushed face, fall to the ground, and roll around.
Maybe just seeing the other person would make her dizzy.
"Idiot!" Although the sound coming through the cloak was somewhat distorted, it clearly conveyed the elf's disdain.