Recently, Ais, who often woke up in the middle of the night from the cold because she kicked off the covers, couldn't help but have thoughts of sleeping with Noah. That's what she was thinking, and Ais unconsciously said it out loud.
"Noah, can you sleep with me tonight?"
Although she was young, Ais was still somewhat aware of the differences between boys and girls. However, since she would be Noah's wife in the future, it was only natural for her to ask him to act as her pillow, right? Not to mention, Noah smelled wonderful and would surely help her get a good night's sleep and aid in her recovery. These past few days, because she had over-trained, Riveria had started to restrict her training again.
Noah quietly watched Ais's serious face. Although he knew it was unlikely, he still subconsciously searched the surrounding caves, afraid of seeing a certain figure.
If Riveria heard this, she'd probably unleash a combo of punches, staff techniques, and magic on me!
Fortunately, not only did Noah not see the high elf, but he also didn't see a single passerby adventurer or monster. The surroundings were quiet, as if the Dungeon knew it could no longer deal with Noah in the middle floors and had simply isolated and forgotten him.
Noah unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ais with a questioning gaze. "Ais, why did you say that?"
"Because the weather has gotten colder recently, I always wake up at night feeling cold, while Noah should be very warm."
After a few seconds of silence, Noah suddenly smiled and extended his hand.
The rumors Loki caused haven't completely subsided yet.Are you not satisfied until you've completely solidified my reputation as a pervert? Not only do you not repay me, but you've also repeatedly ruined my reputation. Ais, oh Ais, you are truly my warm and comforting companion.
Seeing the smile on Noah's usually calm and handsome face, Ais was momentarily dazed, then suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
But it was too late. Noah's hand had already grasped her head, and then his five fingers tightened!
"Ah!!"
The girl's pitiful screams echoed in the deep cave.
...
As the temperature dropped and the days gradually shortened, by the time Noah and Ais returned to the surface, the sky was completely dark.
The central square, which should have been dark by now, was brightly lit, with numerous stalls crisscrossing the area, and Guild members in uniforms directing volunteers.
"The festival starts tomorrow, Ais, do you want to go have some fun? With Riveria and the others?"
Still reeling from Noah's iron grip, it took Ais a while to come to her senses. She glanced around the square, instinctively wanting to shake her head.
"The festival? I don't want to go, I want to go..."
"Always following me won't get you past me!"
Among the many reasons Ais liked being with Noah, one of the most important was that he treated her as an equal and didn't treat her like a kid as other people did. This was the first time she had ever been interrupted while speaking like this.
This made Ais look up at Noah.
"The closer you are, the less you see. If you don't look at that small corner you once lived in from a wider, more distant perspective, it's hard to see clearly, whether you're looking at people, things, or yourself."
In the dim light, Ais felt that Noah's eyes seemed to be tinged with a faint purple hue. They looked somewhat alluring, making Ais afraid to look for long, and she quickly lowered her head.
"...I see."
"Let's go back for dinner. Riveria and Loki are probably going to say we're late again."
Returning to the Twilight Manor, having dinner and taking a bath, Noah and Ais, as usual, went to the Loki's room for an update.
===
Noah Sifel
Level 1
Strength: S980
Endurance: A809
Dexterity: S978
Agility: S970
Magic: S990
===
===
Ais Wallenstein
Level 1
Strength: S980
Endurance: S990
Dexterity: S908
Agility: S929
Magic: I0
===
"It seems that Endurance is still too difficult to improve."
Riveria, who was staring blankly at the status sheet and pondering whether she should let Ais start using magic, heard this and subconsciously looked around, almost clutching her hands.
My staff! Where is my staff?! I'm going to beat this guy to death for not understanding the feelings of Ais at all!
"The expedition starts the day after tomorrow! I'm taking Ais to the festival, and you're getting out of here and going to the Dungeon tomorrow. Don't come back until your Endurance is at S!"
Noah removed the paper that had been slapped on his face and looked at Riveria's departing figure with an innocent expression.
One night later, in a room in the Astraea Familia.
"No! I really can't sleep!"
The blonde elf, who had barely slept all night, stared at the sun outside the window, clutching a scarf whose scent had completely dissipated, with dark circles under her eyes.
"I absolutely have to forget about that human!"
...
"Huh? Ryu? Aren't you going to the festival?"
At the breakfast table of the Astraea Familia, Alise lifted her oil stained cheek from her plate and looked at the blonde elf beside her in surprise. Because of her loud voice, the girls at the table who were discussing where to go or complaining about having to patrol all turned to look at Ryu.
Alise!!!
Ryu, who was already in a bad mood from lack of rest, now wanted to shove her friend's head directly into that plate of beef.
Despite the turmoil in her heart, Ryu maintained a calm demeanor and took a sip of water. "Yeah, I recently saw a piece of equipment I really want, so I'm planning to go to the Dungeon to earn some valis."
Although it was a cover, Ryu found that this time she said it quite naturally, unlike before when she was so flustered even a child could see through her. This surprised even her.
"Hey? It won't make a difference if it's a day or two, right?"
"It's a rare festival, let's go have some fun together."
"If you need valis, I have some here."
Ryu was deeply moved by her friend's concern but firmly declined. "Thank you, but the festival is packed with people. Spare me!"
Knowing that Ryu had an extreme case of mysophobia, even among elves, her teammates regretfully looked away. Kaguya even gave her a look that said, 'I knew this useless elf was up to something.'
What they didn't know was that, besides not wanting to walk into a sea of people, Ryu was even more afraid of seeing a certain boy. Otherwise, if she were to fall flat on her face in public, her life as an elf and her position in the Astraea Familia would be over!
Kaguya's expression still looks unpleasant!
Ryu gritted her teeth so hard she could hear the crunch before barely suppressing the urge to retort. It's better to hurry up and run into the Dungeon and forget about these troubles with an exhilarating battle.
Even though she was anxious, Ryu finished her breakfast and, following proper etiquette, looked at her goddess. "Astraea? I'll take my leave now?"
The goddess with long, walnut colored hair stopped eating and looked at Ryu with her eyes.
Even though Ryu always despised people who only focused on appearance and ignored character, she couldn't help but waver whenever she saw Astraea. Astraea was a virgin goddess who embodied justice and order, and also a powerful warrior in Tenkai. Not only had Alise received guidance from Astraea on their journey to Orario, even Kaguya, who possessed the strongest melee combat skills in the Familia, admitted that in swordsmanship, the goddess had the power to make both of them cry.
Ryu believed no one could possibly see it at first glance. Her temperament was so pure that everything about her, including her words and actions, gave people a sense of nobility and chastity that perfectly matched the name of a goddess.
Thinking about it this way, it's not entirely incomprehensible that Astraea would be hailed by those male gods as the embodiment of gentleness, the goddess among goddesses! Undoubtedly number one on the list of those who want to be patted on the head! Perhaps she'll even become the mother of all the male gods!
Ryu wasn't sure if the wild thoughts filling her mind were an attempt to relieve the tension of trying to be deceitful in front of her Goddess. Ryu wasn't lying... she did have equipment she wanted to buy. But she didn't tell the whole truth. In particular, she didn't state that her desire to go to the Dungeon was to force herself to forget a certain boy through intense combat, and also to avoid seeing him at the festival.
Astraea gazed at her quietly and finally revealed a calming smile. "Then, be careful, Ryu. If you have any troubles, you can come to me."
Ryu could no longer tell if her little tricks had been noticed. A sense of shame urged her to get up and quickly leave. But as she turned, the elf couldn't help but glance a few more times at the goddess's chest, at the deep, soft, and full curves pressed together.
Men, it seems, still tend to prefer bigger ones, right?
A thought that had never appeared before lingered in her mind until Ryu ran to the entrance of the Dungeon and was awakened by the chill.
It's all that guy's fault! He's caused me to have so many strange thoughts in my head lately!