"Hey! Wake up! Ryu! This is the first time I've ever been this close to a woman."
To his utter surprise, Ryu actually began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Noah pinning her down, Ryu's mind went completely blank. Only two words kept echoing inside her head: "first time."
"...Is this really your first time?"
Huh? That's what you're focusing on right now?
Whether it was in the past or now, Ryu always zeroed in on the strangest thing. Still, Noah wasn't the type to nitpick, and since he was about to help the elf beneath him anyway, a little white lie wouldn't hurt.
"Well, if I had to pick something that came close, there was this one fight where I was completely overwhelmed by a female adventurer. In desperation, I bit her neck."
That was the moment Noah had first drawn mana from an opponent's blood and turned the battle around. Looking at Noah's face now, Ryu was surprised to realize he still looked somewhat boyish.
Yet there wasn't a trace of lust in his eyes. No love, no shyness, no excitement, no longing, no thrill.
None of the emotions a boy or girl should feel when they are this close to the opposite sex.
He had shown helplessness, confusion, and curiosity before, but those were merely ripples on the surface. Even the cool and composed Kaguya had a sore spot that would make her snap if poked. Her sharp tongue was just armor for a sensitive heart. She lashed out because she felt pain.
But Noah was different. This boy's heart had long since turned to steel.
It was precisely because every last bit of youthful hesitation, confusion, and longing had been stripped away that he could display such a cold and thought side.
At that thought, a pang of pity welled up in Ryu for this boy. Most of her embarrassment faded.
He only did it to save me, after all.
...
Meanwhile, on the surface of Orario, in the central square.
As night fell, lanterns and magic stone lights chased away the darkness. Countless stalls lined the streets, and people of every race bustled about. Couples walked hand in hand, parents carried children on their shoulders, and everyone wore smiles full of joy.
Though the main festivities were concentrated in the central square, the crowds had spilled into every corner of the city, wrapping Orario in a warmth that pushed back the winter chill.
Near the base of Babel, Ais stood staring blankly at the first-floor hall until Riveria's voice snapped her out of it.
"Ais?"
Blinking, Ais turned to see a girl around her age holding out an apple, cheeks flushed with excitement. By the time she looked at Riveria, Ais had already accepted it.
"Thank you."
"No, thank you! Thank you, adventurers, for protecting us! Bye bye!"
Clutching the apple, Ais watched the girl disappear into the crowd of the Holy Night Träumerei, her eyes sparkling.
Then, suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.
A strange, uneasy feeling, like someone had stolen her favorite pillow, spread through her chest and made it hard to breathe. A faint heat also prickled between her shoulder blades.
Noah.
She didn't need to think twice. The source of this weird sensation had to be Noah, who still hadn't returned from the dungeon. Her unusual behavior immediately caught Riveria's attention.
"Ais? What's wrong? Did you sense something?"
Gripping her staff tighter, the high elf instinctively scanned the crowd, sharp eyes searching for any sign of Evilus thugs hiding among the festival goers.
Everyone knew Evilus would never sit quietly while the city celebrated.
That was why, while ordinary citizens and smaller familias could relax and enjoy the festival, the major familias had no such luxury. The Guild had forced them all into guard duty, stationed at key points across the city. Finn was perched atop a nearby tower, directing and coordinating every familia.
Freya Familia, led by Ottar, patrolled the darker alleys and backstreets, hunting anything suspicious.
Given the open terrain of the plaza and the low chance of a large scale ambush, Riveria had been assigned here. Her main job was to protect civilians and maintain order if an attack came.
The real defensive line was concentrated at the major intersections and surrounding buildings. As long as Evilus didn't drop from the sky or crawl up from the sewers, the central square was actually the safest place in Orario tonight.
Riveria had reluctantly agreed to let Ais help with security, on the condition that she never left her side.
"Riveria! Something happened to Noah!"
"...Huh?"
The answer was so unexpected that Riveria was momentarily speechless.
Noah hasn't come back yet. How could you possibly know something happened to him?
But then she remembered the strange skills and magic Ais had developed lately and chose to trust her. To be honest, Riveria herself was starting to worry. Noah should have been back before dark.
Still, as a commander on the front line, she couldn't show the slightest hesitation. But she also couldn't just abandon her worries.
What now?
Then, almost unconsciously, her gaze drifted back to Ais's face.
The girl looked panicked, yes, but more than that, she looked angry. Not scared. Angry.
The anger of a girl whose favorite toy had just been stolen.
This did not feel like life threatening situation.
"Ais," Riveria said, crouching slightly to meet the girl's eyes, voice deadly serious. "Think carefully and answer me honestly. Did you sense that Noah is in mortal danger?"
The question stopped Ais cold. Her brows furrowed, eyes wide and furious, face frozen in concentration. She brought a finger to her chin and tilted her head, looking exactly like someone trying to solve an impossibly complicated magic circle.
After a long pause, she looked straight at Riveria and nodded with absolute certainty.
"Yes! I'm one hundred percent sure. Noah's chastity is in danger!"
Riveria's eyes instantly went dazed.
She didn't even need to think. Some woman in the dungeon must have gotten her hands on him, and now things were happening.
She had read way too many hero tales with that exact plot line. For example, half the girls in Astrea Familia became instant fans after watching Noah solo Goliath.
Or that one girl from Dian Cecht Familia who started getting weird ideas after treating him.
But seriously, Ais, your skill can detect this now? What kind of cursed skill is that?
This reminded Riveria of the old Hera Familia.
To the world, they were the unrivaled overlords who had dominated Orario for centuries. But to anyone who actually knew them, their image was a little different.
Insanely strong, yes. But maybe because of their yandere, violently possessive goddess, most of the members gave off extreme desperate woman or man hater vibes.
Adventurers deepest desires could awaken skills, but skills could also twist the adventurer in turn. If Ais kept developing in this direction, would she end up like one of them?
And Noah, even without meaning to, attracted women like a magnet. Put the two together, and Riveria could already see the future of Loki Familia, and maybe all of Orario, turning into a bloodbath. Just imagining it made the high elf stare hollowly into the distance.
Who would have thought having such talented children could be this exhausting?
Maybe I really should just hide Noah somewhere so no other woman can ever lay eyes on him again.
Wait, that thought felt kind of dangerous.
Shaking her head fiercely, Riveria rubbed her temples and stood up.
"Ais, you know how strong Noah is. Even if someone manages to overpower him, as long as he wants to run, no one on the upper floors, or even in all of Orario, can stop him. If we charge down there now, we'll only get in his way."
No matter how long Riveria lectured, all Ais seemed to hear was Don't go. The girl's cheeks puffed out.
But she was not the reckless child who only cared about fighting anymore. She understood priorities. Not just as a member of Loki Familia, but as Noah's future wife, she had to grow up.
And as every heroic tale says: heroes are fickle.
So a hero's wife has only two choices. Either grin and bear the cheating as long as he comes home in the end, or break his legs and drag him home like an Amazoness.
Ais was selfish. She did not want to share her toys with anyone else.
Riveria could sleep with him if she wants. He will be warmer that way.
But right now, she was not strong enough to fight Noah.
Which meant she had to surpass him.
'Ais, you'll never catch up if you keep staring at me like that.'
That was why she had temporarily stopped diving the dungeon and turned her gaze to an even greater height.
But what should she—
Boom!
A violent explosion suddenly ripped through a corner of the square, chaos spreading in its wake. Standing against the wind, hair whipping wildly, Ais looked a little disheveled.
Though it was called an explosion, the blast was not actually that powerful. It sounded loud, like festival fireworks, and barely carried over the noisy crowd.
Most people around Ais remained focused on their stalls.
Only a few adventurers with sharp ears looked up in confusion, trying to figure out whether that sound had been part of the Guild's performance or something else entirely.