The Journey Begins in DanMachi

It was pure, devoid of any impurities, yet possessed an unsettling, strange beauty that reflected her own face perfectly.

However, the neck was far too slender, and the curve of the jawline showed almost no excess flesh.

From the collar of his combat tunic, a portion of his collarbone was visible, the curve exceptionally prominent.

Although he was said to be seventeen, there were no traces of maturity beyond his height; Riveria felt that if Noah claimed to be fourteen or fifteen, no one would doubt him.

For some reason, despite the vast gap between them, his appearance reminded Riveria of Ais when they had first met last year...

This poor child, has he been eating properly at all?

He really does need to properly replenish his nutrition.

Come to think of it, he seems to have been wearing that same ragged outfit for days. It's winter now; I should take him to buy some new clothes later...

When Riveria realized she was thinking about such irrelevant things, she was suddenly startled.

No, what on earth am I thinking about?

Coming to her senses, Riveria quickly averted her gaze, wanting to pull her hand back.

However, Noah did not let go; instead, he gripped it even tighter, to the point where Riveria felt a sting of pain in her palm.

This guy, does he have no idea how to be gentle with a woman?

With a brain only capable of thinking about combat, is he going to end up alone for the rest of his life because he can't find a partner?

Wait, why am I worrying about the rest of his life?

Thinking of this, Riveria's expression turned into one of disgust and helplessness.

"Let go!"

Sensing the shift in Riveria's tone, Noah's eyes lit up, his expression brightening.

"Riveria? You're agreeing to let me go to the Dungeon?!"

The elven royalty, who usually valued elegance above all else, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

This eye-roll, appearing on her exquisite, intellectual, and even somewhat sacred-looking fair face, was not only a novelty but also appeared lively, playful, and languidly alluring.

"When did I ever say I wouldn't let you go?"

Noah's eyes widened in surprise.

"Then why are you here?"

As if to show that she was 'far too lazy to waste another word on him,' Riveria half-closed her eyes, tucked her staff under her arm, and used her free hand to lift the hem of her robe, revealing the pouch strapped to her slender waist.

"Obviously to follow you. Otherwise, with your strength, I suspect you'd dare to run straight to the seventeenth or eighteenth floor, wouldn't you?"

Watching the elven woman, whose eyes held a faint hint of a smile as if to say 'you should thank me,' Noah blinked and released Riveria's hand.

And then!

Before the elven royalty could even react, Noah reached out, grabbed her slender waist beneath her robes, and hoisted her high into the air!

"Long live Riveria!"

The completely unexpected situation left the elven royalty with wide eyes and a blank mind.

In particular, the strange sensation from the sensitive area at her waist—a place never touched by anyone—made her cheeks turn blood-red instantly. Struck as if by lightning, she froze completely, not knowing how to react.

Her long, slender legs beneath her robes couldn't find purchase, and she could only kick instinctively at the air.

"You! You idiot! Put me down!!"

But Noah ignored her completely, spinning around several times while holding Riveria high in the air.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Riveria raised her delicate fist, clenching it so tightly that the veins on her fair hand stood out—

"WHAM!!"

"Ow!!"

After a very crisp sound echoed through the atrium, Noah fell to the ground, face-planting and sprawling out in the shape of a 'ta' character.

...The protrusion mentioned below refers to a long sword.

"It's truly unbelievable! To do such a thing to the opposite sex! Do you have no common sense at all?"

With cheeks so red they looked ready to bleed, Riveria gritted her teeth while adjusting her robes, glaring at the fallen Noah with a look of disgust as if she were staring at human trash.

"Don't you know that an elf's body is not something to be touched so casually?"

However, once the words left her mouth, it was Riveria who froze first.

She touched the spot on her waist where the strange sensation still lingered, then looked at her own palm, her delicate brows knitting together slightly.

Huh?

It seems... there's no sense of repulsion?

All elves possessed a germaphobia that forbade others from touching them; the most severe among them would even reject the touch of other elves.

Elves who came to Orario, where many different races coexisted, were usually a bit better, and Riveria was no exception; after all, treating the wounded in the Dungeon and helping carry people was unavoidable.

However, it had never reached the point where she felt nothing after having her waist touched by someone...

Could it be?

As a guess surfaced in the mind of Riveria, she suddenly caught a faint scent.

Hm?

Her delicate nostrils twitched slightly. Riveria turned her head to scan her surroundings before her gaze slowly settled on her own hand.

Without a doubt, this fragrance was coming from her palm.

Could it be that it was stained there just now when Noah held it...

Riveria subconsciously lowered her head and sniffed her palm.

A faint, crisp scent similar to mint and lemon surged uncontrollably into her nasal cavity, making Riveria feel as if she had returned to the White Garden in the Alf royal forest.

The courtyard was bathed in honey-thick sunlight, bees and butterflies danced among exotic flowers and herbs unseen in her past life, and the elegant melody of a harp drifted from somewhere unknown...

Riveria felt her cheeks heating up, yet her consciousness remained perfectly clear.

Only, a faint sense of warmth and loneliness lingered in her heart, leaving her unable to extricate herself.

It wasn't until a cold breeze blew that Riveria shivered, snapping back to reality and realizing just how inappropriate her actions had been.

No, "inappropriate" didn't even begin to cover it.

It was practically...

As if there were something filthy on her hand, Riveria shook it vigorously before dropping it, feeling the cold wind gradually subside.

Fortunately, no one saw that just now—

Just as this thought crossed Riveria's mind, she locked eyes with a pair of bewildered golden pupils behind the gates of the Twilight Manor.

"Riveria, what were you doing just now?"

In an instant, Riveria's toes curled tightly inside her long boots.

33 Re-exploring the Dungeon

As the morning glow stained the clear horizon red, the biting morning wind grew increasingly fierce, and the white mist formed by their breath nearly obscured their vision.

But looking at the young blonde girl before her, Riveria felt that no matter how cold it was, it couldn't compare to the chill in her heart at this moment.

Not even her first-tier wide-range attack magic, Ecstasy: Fimbulvetr, was this cold!

By the World Tree!

Her actions just now were truly subconscious; she absolutely had no lewd or indecent intentions!

If Ais had really seen what she just did...

Riveria, I never imagined you were that kind of elf, always acting so haughty and lecturing me... Heh heh, how cute!

At the mere thought of Ais looking down on her with a mocking, contemptuous gaze, a green-haired wild girl inside Riveria's mind began rolling and kicking wildly on a bed!

No!

Clenching her palm tightly, Riveria dug her fingernails into her skin, using the pain to force herself to stay awake and calm down.

Taking a step back, that was all just her own speculation; perhaps Ais hadn't seen anything at all.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if she had seen it, she might not have understood it.

Yes! That must be it!

Uphold the Heart of the Great Tree! Do not waver!

"Ais, it's so early in the morning, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here?"

Looking at the elven royalty who stood with her arms crossed and a stern expression, a giant question mark appeared over Ais's small head.

If not for the lingering flush on Riveria's face—a sight rarely seen on weekdays—she might have suspected that the scene she just witnessed was merely a hallucination from not being fully awake.

"I got up for morning training..."

Ais waved the wooden sword in her hand, then looked at Noah, who was lying on the ground.

"Riveria and Noah, what are you two doing?"

"We, we are..."

The tongue that could fluently recite magical incantations even under the siege of numerous monsters now felt as if it were tied in a knot.

After stalling for four or five seconds, Riveria's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Morning training! Yes! I was giving this guy some morning training! After all, he has magic too! He needs to practice parallel chanting!"

Looking at Noah lying on the ground, Ais's large eyes were filled with nothing but confusion.

"To train parallel chanting, do you have to beat someone until they pass out?"

I've certainly learned something new today, the young blonde girl couldn't help but think.

However, this was fine too. If anyone asked for her help with parallel chanting training in the future, she would know exactly what to do.

Watching Ais, who had clearly absorbed the wrong idea, Riveria bit her lip, feeling a pang of guilt.

But if she were to refute it now, she feared it would only make things more complicated and force her to provide further explanations.

Anyway, it's unlikely anyone will ask Ais to help with training parallel chanting in the future...

Thinking of this, Riveria suppressed the faint twinge of guilt in her conscience.

Just then, Noah, who had been sprawled on the ground, let out a few low groans before clutching his head and slowly pulling himself up into a slumped sitting position.

"Ugh, how did I... fall asleep?"

Confused, Noah met Riveria's icy gaze, and as a fresh wave of pain throbbed in his head, he instantly snapped to his senses.

"Oof—"

Noah instinctively glanced at Riveria's palm and the waistline hidden beneath her robes.

Despite Riveria's slender frame, her hands were surprisingly petite, small enough to be completely enveloped by Noah's.

But what was even more surprising was just how much it hurt to get hit by her!

After one look, Noah guiltily averted his eyes, feeling that if he stared any longer, Riveria would make him explode on the spot.

Then, Noah found himself locking eyes with a pair of round, golden pupils.

"Eh? Ais? What a coincidence, what are you doing here?"

Ais hugged her short legs, tilting her head to the side.