Could it be...
Ryu's elven intuition made her realize something was possible, and her reason was instantly taken over by instinct.
In other words, she confessed her feelings while being teased?
...Unforgivable!
When Noah saw that Ryu's eyes had turned into a deep, unfocused black again, just like last time, his heart skipped a beat.
"...Hey, Noah, were you just playing a trick on me?"
"Why would you think that?"
"If not, why did you stand up? Are you trying to run away?"
"Huh? This, this!!"
"...Escape is not allowed!"
In the next instant, the elf transformed into a whirlwind and pounced on Noah! Although she is known as an elegant elf, Ryu was now exuding a ferocious aura like a wild beast pouncing on its prey!
Holy crap! That speed!! Isn't she Level 3?!
With his eyes widened, Noah nearly failed to dodge Ryu's attack in his panic. After dodging, Noah didn't even have the energy to look back, he immediately took off running forward!
"Hey! Aren't you an elf? Don't you hate physical contact?"
Noah should have been able to easily dodge Ryu with his speed, and he did indeed shake her off several times. But perhaps elves have a bonus in forest areas, because just a few seconds after Noah shook off his opponent, he saw her suddenly appear in front of him again!
"I've already hugged you! I've seen your whole body! What's the point of saying this now! Don't run away again!"
"I won't run if you don't chase me!"
"Since that's the case, then don't blame me!"
"Hey! What are you doing!"
"Luminous Wind!!"
"Hey! No chant? That's so unfair!"
Sensing the magical fluctuations coming from behind him, Noah's expression changed. It wasn't because of the opponent's magical attack, but because he was amazed by the elf's great potential.
Under the influence of Mind, she's actually broken through to the point where she can cast spells without chanting?!
Despite his chaotic thoughts, Noah abandoned his escape plan and flashed behind Ryu, pinning her down. When a mage is interrupted while using magic, it often causes a Ignis Fatuus, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. But perhaps because Ryu had just activated her magic and her Mind had not yet been gathered, no explosion occurred.
However, an angry girl is indeed harder to calm down. Just as Noah was debating whether to knock Ryu unconscious and take her away, the elf suddenly stopped struggling.
"Um?"
"Let me go!"
Although Ryu's gaze was filled with anger when she turned around, it had indeed returned to normal, so Noah let go of her hand. Ryu, still panting heavily, got up and silently straightened her disheveled combat uniform. Then she glared fiercely at Noah with her tear filled eyes.
"...Noah, you're really dangerous. You play with girls as easily as breathing! I can't just leave you alone!"
Although curious, Noah knew he had more important things to do. He gripped the sword hilt, gazing into the depths of the jungle, his eyes turning into icy rivers.
"Valletta, come out!"
"Valletta? Arachnia?!"
Upon hearing this infamous name that could make children cry in Orario, Ryu immediately put aside all other thoughts, put on her mask, and stood beside Noah with her sword in hand.
In an instant, it was as if the monsters sensed the danger and left, and the forest suddenly became quiet. Then, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, a splash of bright red that was unsettling to behold emerged from the woods.
She was a short-haired woman wearing a tattered coat with fur trim, and she held a claymore in her hand. Strictly speaking, she was a beauty, but the meanness emanating from her was as chilling as hell.
"Noah!!"
The moment she appeared, she shouted with an unusually loud voice that was completely incongruous with a woman's, filled with chaotic ferocity and twisted fanaticism.
"I've missed you so much! You brat!! Today I'm going to rip your guts out and strangle you!"
Noah merely glanced at the claymore in Valletta's hand with little interest, then scanned his surroundings.
'I'm not interested in you. Just say what you have to say.' ....Valletta's smile instantly twisted as she sensed the meaning in Noah's eyes.
He fought me so fiercely last time, even piercing my body and causing me unforgettable pain, but now he treats me like a stranger?!
You are more despicable and shameless than Finn..Oh, it's because of that elf, right? Today I'm going to give you an unforgettable memory!
However, no matter how much she muttered and cursed in her mind, she couldn't launch a real attack, so Noah's attention remained on the surrounding forest.
Dozens or even hundreds of figures replaced the monsters and emerged from the dense forest. Their uniform white robes, resembling those of clergy and followers, completely proclaimed their identities as members of Evilus.
This made Noah want to complain a little...
Why are you villains dressed so formally? It makes us heroes look like a hastily assembled rabble!
Besides that, what might slightly concern Noah was the weapons in the hands of the believers.
Recalling what he had learned from Riveria's classes, he quickly identified the types of weapons: Magic Swords, and Cursed Weapons. The Magic sword is manageable, but the real problem lies with those Cursed weapons.
Adventurers have a chance to gain Development Abilities when they rank up. It's a program that, compared to the five basic abilities, can more thoroughly showcase and enhance professional characteristics.
There are many Development Abilities, but the most well-known and rarest is the amazingly effective Mystery because it can endow items, potions, and weapons with all sorts of magical abilities. For example, the staffs that mages use to enhance the power of magic, or the various magical artifacts before us.
A curse is a power that lacks the immense force of magic, but is far more dangerous and eerie. A bewitching curse that causes warriors to suddenly turn their swords against their own comrades. A curse that turns powerful mages into ordinary people. An incurable curse that makes wounds impossible to heal and causes blood to drain away. In addition, there are other curses such as berserk, weakness, and fatigue.
An adventurer's Abnormal Resistance is meaningless in this regard. If they don't defeat the caster or use special methods to break the curse and defend themselves, they will be tormented to death by the curse.
While cursed tools made by sorcerers are generally inferior to regular magic, like most Magic swords, they are still quite dangerous and are rare even among special weapons. If it were just one or two items, it would be fine, but dozens of similar magical items in front of them are impossible to find without a specialized mass production method. This indicates that there are adventurers within Evilus who possess the ability to develop Mystery.
Unlike Noah, who was aware of the other details, Ryu's eyes were practically bloodshot. "You! You evil heretics! How dare you attack children!"
Following Ryu's gaze, Noah saw several unconscious children lying on the ground near Valletta, behind the members of Evilus. Several Evilus members, wielding sharp blades, hovered over the children. Although they did not speak, it was as if they were issuing a silent invitation and threat to Noah and Ryu.
This isn't coming for me, it's coming for Ryu...
Noah made that judgment in an instant.
Valletta probably wouldn't think he'd give in because of a few children, but for Ryu, that was a fatal flaw. This includes these magic items and Magic Swords. If they can't hurt Noah, can't they at least hurt Ryu?
If it were just Noah alone, he could just kill the enemy first, since no one could touch him anyway. But with Ryu around, it would be difficult for him to escape.
Forget it, if we can't escape, let's just kill them all first! Tsk, as expected of you, Valletta.
A stark contrast to his previous listless demeanor, Noah cast a look at Valletta that was both murderous and admiring.
Sensing that cold, attentive gaze reappearing, Valletta felt a strange sense of satisfaction, like receiving praise from her father after diligently doing chores, and even a burning sensation in her lower body...
Wrong! What the heck!
"Noah! And you elf over there! You don't want these brats to die a horrible death in front of you, do you? Get down here right now!"
Having already experienced numerous hostage rescue operations, Ryu knew that she could never lay down her weapons in front of the enemy and place her hopes on them.
In such situations, Ryu would usually use extreme speed to defeat the enemy before they could react and successfully rescue the civilians. But she had never faced such an Evilus force of hundreds of people alone. Not to mention that the opposing team also has Arachnia, a genuine level 5 adventurer!
Normally, when facing such an enemy, one would simply retreat immediately. Ultimately, given such a huge disparity between ourselves and the enemy, strategy is utterly useless. However, I could never abandon those children!
What should I do?
Just as Ryu was anxious and sweat was beading on her forehead, her hand was suddenly grasped. To date, Ryu's hands have only been touched by three people, making this kind of touch completely unfamiliar to her.