I didn't know whether they had used some kind of magic-stone technology, but the many brightly colored flowers planted in the courtyard were still blooming in the winter wind. The sight defied the season and felt a little strange.
As he walked, Noah suddenly heard a whistle in the morning breeze, one quite different from the sound of the natural wind.
It was the sound of a blade swinging at incredible speed, slicing through the air.
Following the sound, Noah came to a lawn where he could see a Magic Stone Lamp and a small fountain.
In a corner near the wall, a small, young figure with golden hair was swinging a long sword.
Noah's sharp eyes immediately recognized it as a wooden sword, yet it cut through the air with a sharp whistle, leaving behind a series of afterimages that almost overlapped.
If there had been a target in front of that wooden sword, it would have been struck four or five times in a single breath—slashed, cut, and pierced until it was reduced to fragments.
The girl wielding the wooden sword with such astonishing force stared straight ahead, her clear eyes as sharp as her blade.
Though she was a little girl not yet ten years old, her slender arms handled a wooden sword almost as tall as she was with ease.
Seeing swordsmanship like this again, Noah was still amazed.
He could tell that, unlike the rough-and-ready swordsmanship he had developed through combat, Ais's style had been honed through precise training.
She moved her arms with the smallest motions, and her feet remained remarkably steady. The fluid sequence made her look like a conductor leading an orchestra, or a dancer gliding across the floor. It was a beautiful sight.
Human intuition was a curious thing. It often let people sense things they couldn't consciously recognize.
Take swordsmanship, for example. Though there were exceptions, excellent swordsmanship usually had a graceful quality to it, thanks to its precision, lightness, and efficiency.
Ais's swordsmanship was just like that. It even left Noah a little entranced.
Though Noah could beat the little girl senseless with a single finger right now, he had never judged others by their strength at any given moment.
Some people were stronger simply because they had lived longer. Noah himself had surpassed those who once looked down on him, step by step.
He didn't want to become the sort of person he had once hated and looked down on.
If he'd been Ais's age, he definitely would've gotten beaten up by her.
Still, there was a trace of uncertainty in her sword.
Her fierce swordplay was filled with powerful emotion and killing intent, but those weren't the true source of the drive that made Ais swing her sword.
Swinging a sword for the wrong reasons kept you from bringing out your true strength.
Noah could say that with certainty because he had once been the same...
As Noah was thinking, Ais suddenly stopped swinging her sword and slowly turned her gaze toward him.
Golden eyes met deep blue ones.
Ah, I got carried away watching.
Noah blinked, then calmly walked over to Ais.
Well, as long as he didn't feel awkward, the other person would be the one feeling awkward.
"Good morning, Ais. Sorry, I got a little distracted watching you. Your swordsmanship really is impressive."
Just like their ability scores, swordsmanship—or a person's way of fighting—was private.
So watching someone else train was somewhat taboo, especially for a newcomer like Noah, who barely knew her.
Hearing Noah's apology and praise, Ais felt a little puzzled.
His words made it sound as though he had been captivated because her swordsmanship was so good.
It was probably just her imagination.
"Mm, it's fine."
She shook her head, then blinked.
Perhaps she had thought of something. The blush on her cheeks, already a little red from the cold wind and training, grew more pronounced.
She glanced up at Noah, their eyes meeting for a moment, then bit her soft, pink lip and lowered her head.
"Um, thank you..."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's and vanished into the morning breeze almost at once, but Noah caught it. He almost thought he'd imagined it.
What was going on? She wasn't blaming him, and now she was thanking him?
"Also, I'm sorry... For what happened in the Dungeon, and earlier on North Street, too..."
Only after hearing the rest did Noah understand what Ais meant.
She was thanking him for saving her in the Dungeon, and apologizing for not thanking him when they met again on North Street.
"It's all right. Anyone would be concerned to see a bunch of creepy old men following a little girl."
"But Riveria said you should thank someone who saved you."
Noah glanced at the wooden sword in Ais's hands.
"You and Riveria must be close, Ais. Is that why you're using a wooden sword, too?"
Noah didn't know why Ais had rushed into the Dungeon last time, but the girl was clearly a battle maniac.
And although her weapon had broken in their previous fight, the Loki Familia certainly wasn't short on weapons.
That meant he could guess why Ais had to train with a wooden sword.
It was obviously a protective form of punishment.
Ais's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?"
Noah didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave her a teasing wink, then turned to leave.
"Who knows? Maybe it was intuition."
Watching Noah's retreating figure, Ais took a while to react. Once she realized he'd teased her, she puffed out her fair cheeks.
"Mean..."
But when her displeasure faded, she couldn't help pressing a hand to her chest.
She still hadn't said it.
Adventurer Street
Although Noah wanted to find somewhere to train in the morning and get used to his body's strength after receiving Falna, most of Twilight Manor was taken up by its eight towers, leaving the courtyard pitifully small.
Most of the members were still asleep at this hour, and Noah didn't want to disturb them.
He looked around, then instinctively turned his gaze north, toward the city's tall, white walls.
Built to defend against the monsters of the Dungeon, the city walls were essentially an enormous circular fortress, complete with all kinds of facilities inside.
They were second only to central Babel in height, and the path along the top was so wide that, by Noah's estimate, several carriages could travel along it side by side.
They were also very close to Twilight Manor. Noah could hardly think of a better place to train in the morning.
However, although the city walls had been designed as a defensive structure against threats from outside, they were now a potential threat to the city itself, even if they were no longer needed to suppress monsters. That was especially true with the Dark Faction lurking within Orario.
Even Noah could see that if the walls were packed with explosives, then even bows and magic swords could threaten the entire city from the high ground.
The Ganesha Familia, known as the "City's Watchmen," and the Astraea Familia, known as the "Familia of Justice," had members stationed beneath the walls year-round. They also patrolled along the top once in the morning and once in the evening to make sure no one had taken control of them.
He'd have to find the right opportunity.
The morning passed quickly. Along with the still somewhat dazzling sunlight, the sound of a great bell spread across the city from the east.
Twilight Manor soon began to fill with activity.
Although Noah's cooking had been appreciated, no one asked him to take responsibility for feeding the Familia or doing other work. He didn't want that either.
After all, once a hobby became a job, it was easy to lose interest in it.
After breakfast, Noah left Twilight Manor with Riveria and headed for the northwestern district.
The northwestern district was commonly known as "Adventurer Street." It was home to more adventurers and adventurer-related businesses than anywhere else.
Besides the Guild headquarters—the Pantheon—there were countless weapon shops, item shops, hotels, pharmacies, and clinics serving adventurers. In other words, they were businesses that only adventurers would visit. Various mysterious shops were also tucked away in its streets and alleys.
Noah's task today was to get a general sense of Adventurer Street.
Besides registering at the Guild, he also had to visit some Familias that worked with the Loki Familia and introduce himself.
Nine in the morning was when most adventurers entered the Dungeon, so the main street was packed with a surging crowd.
Whether it was beastmen carrying greatswords, elven archers holding bows, or supporters carrying enormous backpacks, they all cast complicated looks of awe, envy, and curiosity at the Elf Royalty and Noah.
Under the many gazes, Noah and Riveria crossed the front courtyard, which was decorated with exquisite reliefs and monuments, and entered the Pantheon, built with white columns.
The first thing that caught the eye was the conspicuous reception area. Nearby stood a huge quest board and a magic-stone exchange counter.
To Noah's surprise, even though the day had only just begun, the line in front of the exchange counter was already packed with adventurers, who had crowded it until it was completely blocked.
After hearing arguments like "Move it already!" and "We still have to get to the Dungeon later," Noah understood what was going on.
Basically, it went like this: Only an idiot would exchange their magic stones in the afternoon, when there are so many people. Smart people wait until the next morning! That way, they can use the money to buy things right away, and keep themselves from losing control and wasting it at a tavern or in the Pleasure Quarter.
The result was that when they got there, they discovered there were apparently too many smart people.
Something similar happened because quite a lot of adventurers didn't exchange their magic stones at the conversion counter on the third floor of Babel after leaving the Dungeon. Instead, they made a special trip to the Guild headquarters to do it.
As they made their way to the reception desk, Noah noticed that although the receptionists were of different races, they were mostly beautiful young women.
Dressed in black-and-white Guild uniforms, they had an air of intellectual beauty. Among the rough adventurers, they stood out like bright flowers in bloom.
Riveria raised a hand and greeted a red-haired female werewolf who was propping her cheek up with one hand and staring blankly into space.
"Good morning, Rose."
Like a dog lazily soaking up the winter sun by the door, Rose raised her head and glanced at Riveria.
"Welcome, Lady Riveria Ljos Alf, vice-captain of the Loki Familia. How may I help you today?"
Noah first felt the werewolf's gaze linger on him for a moment, then noticed Riveria's eye twitching.
"Rose, when are you going to stop greeting people so stiffly?"
"That depends on when the Guild's manual stops threatening to cut our pay if we don't greet members of major factions this way."
"Don't you keep saying you want a boyfriend? With such a gloomy attitude, nobody will dare approach you."
These two got along pretty well, if they could banter about something like this—just as Noah was thinking that, the red-haired werewolf raised both arms and stretched.
"I may not be as beautiful as you Elf Royalty, whose beauty makes goddesses jealous and causes a stir, but I have my own charms."
The fitted black-and-white uniforms already did a fine job of showing off the employees' figures. When Rose stretched, the shirt across her chest grew taut, as though the buttons could pop off at any moment.
Not bad. That was certainly a charm.
Compared to Riveria, who gave off a sharp, heroic air—and even an almost sacred quality—the beautiful red-haired werewolf seemed rather ordinary.
But when it came to her chest, Rose was still ahead of Riveria.
However, the red-haired werewolf seemed to notice that Noah was staring without looking away.
"Hey, kid over there. You like looking that much?"
Noah tilted his head, a trace of confusion in his deep blue eyes.
"If you mind people looking, why do that in front of everyone?"
Rose narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning unfriendly.
"That tone of yours is just like that Doll Princess in your Familia. You're irritating."
Riveria sighed and bowed her head to Rose. "I'm sorry Ais caused you trouble. She's been properly punished, and I apologize on her behalf."
"...Hmph. Is this mature-looking young man your new member, too?"
"He is. Please register him."
Although Rose, the Guild receptionist, seemed difficult to approach, she was unexpectedly efficient.
Perhaps her coldness toward people was necessary for her work as an advisor. After all, when a job involved dealing with large numbers of people, unnecessary friendliness could bring plenty of trouble.
Noah took the form and wrote down his personal information with a quill.
Before you continue