The Journey Begins in Danmachi

He applied a slight pressure to his palm, as if attempting to transmit his own will through the force of his touch.

Feeling the warmth of the hand pressed against her cheek, Ais held her breath, her sobbing coming to a halt as she gazed blankly at Noah Cipher.

"Ais, I've told you that people are complex. Why must it be one or the other? Your hatred is not a mistake, but you failed to realize that your heart already held something far more abundant, precious, and important. So, do not resist your hatred, and do not fear this precious thing either. Carry them both with you and keep moving forward. Of course—"

Noah slowly crouched down, bringing his line of sight level with hers.

During this process, Ais clearly felt the gentle warmth in Noah's eyes vanish, replaced by a new, more aggressive intensity.

The 'big brother who takes care of others in the Loki Familia' was gradually fading away.

The 'Noah Cipher born to conquer and transcend all' appeared before her.

"—if you ever find yourself truly lost and unable to find your way, why not just look at me?!"

A cold electric current surged through her entire body, and Ais widened her eyes.

"Look at... Noah?"

In Noah's eyes, Ais saw a raging brilliance—she could not tell if it was the fiery red glow of a breaking dawn or something else entirely.

She only felt the flames shine into her heart, a scorching heat surging through her limbs.

"Yes, look at me, chase me, defeat me... No matter what it is that you wish to destroy, I will transcend it. So, isn't it enough for you to just look at me?"

Listening to that voice laced with a hint of temptation, Ais saw a slender hand appear before her, extending an invitation.

Those deep, azure eyes, clear enough to reflect her own soul, were like an abyss that swallowed everything, making it impossible for her to look away.

Beyond that, everything else in her field of vision seemed to melt away under the scorching heat within her, turning into an endless, pure white.

It was no longer just her tears that were hot; her entire body felt as if her blood were burning, forcing a pained moan from her lips.

Her back, in particular, felt as though a red-hot iron had been pressed against it, leaving Ais gasping for air, unable to utter a single syllable.

This sensation was just like the time she had been tempted by an evil god in the Dungeon.

Too small, too narrow, too fragile...

Ais understood that the figure she was about to chase would be more powerful than pitch-black despair and more distant than the boundless sky.

Yet, the heat in her heart—far more intense, pure, and powerful than the black flames of hatred—would not allow her to refuse.

Within this heat, not only her confusion but even her hatred, pain, despair, anxiety, anticipation, and cowardice—all impurities were being swallowed whole, transformed into fuel and nourishment for this scorching blaze!

Transformed into that clear, yet dazzling, shimmering brilliance...

Accompanied by the scorching heat and the desperate yearning echoing from her chest and back, Ais gave her answer in an instant—

"Noah, you're a bad person!"

Scaly white clouds drifted across a boundless, clear sky that stretched on without end.

Bathed in the gentle morning glow, the girl took Noah's hand.

A clear and firm radiance emerged in her pupils; the small, tear-streaked face of Ais became bright and serene, devoid of any further confusion.

Watching Ais pout, Noah revealed a satisfied smile.

Before leaving the city walls, Noah cast a glance toward the Chalk Tower in the center of Orario.

*

"The original haze has been wiped away, leaving her without any more confusion. Her golden soul has become even purer and more dazzling... So that is how it is. Has the sword found its own scabbard?"

Looking down at the scene from the highest floor of the Chalk Tower, the silver-haired goddess sipped the wine in her hand with her delicate red lips.

"To think such an interesting change could happen in just a few days."

The boar-man warrior slowly took in the sight, hesitating for a moment before speaking.

"Lady Freya, should we bring him into the Familia? To fulfill your wishes, even if it means crossing the Loki Familia, we..."

Hearing this proposal, Freya fell into deep thought, then shook her head.

"That soul is interesting, but he is not my type... And how should I put it? I feel a scent of my own kind coming from him."

Ever since that boy appeared in Orario, Freya had been observing his strange soul, filled with profound darkness.

It wasn't until yesterday, during Noah's trip to the Dungeon, that she caught a glimpse of the truth.

That was, when Noah slaughtered monsters, there was no hatred or hostility in his heart—only pure enjoyment!

Then, Freya recalled that when he interacted with gods, or rather, with anyone, he held no reverence either.

It was as if both sides were equals, and to him, there was no difference...

Freya immediately realized that this was a form of extreme equality born from an extreme contempt for everything.

After all, when a person distinguishes others only by their sword, all living beings in the world are reduced to nothing more than those who bleed and those who do not, those who are enemies and those who are not.

She believed that if it became necessary, killing a god would likely be no different to Noah than killing a monster.

However, what concerned Freya more was that she smelled a kindred spirit in Noah.

What is it that a deviant hates the most?

It is certainly not those noble and righteous people who stand at the extreme opposite end from themselves.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say she adored it, even if the other party felt extreme disgust toward her.

After all, whether it was teasing those righteous and pure souls, watching them struggle in agony, or staining them with her own colors to claim them as her own, it all brought her incomparable pleasure.

From this, one could deduce that what a pervert hates most is absolutely another pervert of the same caliber.

Right now, Freya caught a faint whiff of that same scent from the lower-world child named Noel.

Though that sliver of desire was small in quantity, its essence was remarkably similar.

...Why is there an inexplicable sense of crisis in my heart?

53 Skill: This Heart This Intent

The sun rose, and the Twilight Manor was once again filled with the noisy bustle of breakfast.

If there was anything unusual, it was that Loki seemed to have not woken up due to a hangover.

Furthermore, after breakfast concluded, Finn announced the matters regarding the Loki Familia's expedition in seven days.

Amidst the heated atmosphere, Finn assigned tasks to the members one by one; whether it was veterans like Noel or newcomers who had joined recently like Raul, everyone had their own duties.

An expedition was the largest and most important undertaking for an exploration-oriented Familia, requiring a vast amount of advance preparation.

Not to mention the massive supplies that would nearly drain the Familia's funds—spare weapons, tents, food, protective gear, potions, and magic swords—the most important thing was intelligence.

First and foremost was the exchange of information with the Guild.

As an indispensable combat force in the city, the Loki Familia's entry into the Dungeon would leave a void in the city's defenses, requiring prior coordination for security.

And if the Loki Familia were to encounter an accident in the Dungeon and become trapped, the Guild would need to dispatch search and rescue teams in a timely manner.

Then came the updating of Dungeon intelligence, such as whether there were any anomalies on the planned route, if there were conflicts with the objectives of other factions, or if a floor boss might spawn along the way.

Finally, there was the notification of other Familias to accept various commissions.

After Finn finished announcing the tasks and dismissed the Familia, Noel realized he hadn't received one.

Once the members filed out of the dining hall, Noel stood up and walked toward the three executives who were still discussing matters at the head of the table.

As he walked, Noel suddenly frowned and scanned the living room, but as expected, he didn't find the figure of a certain blonde little girl.

Ais, where did you run off to?

As he approached the head of the table, puzzled, the three executives seemed to have finished their discussion and were dispersing.

Riveria looked at him and spoke first, "Noel, do you have any plans today?"

Noel noticed that the elven royalty's delicate face currently wore a weary expression, much like when she faced mountains of paperwork and tasks.

Moreover, Riveria, who was always particular about her appearance, was actually resting her chin on one hand, her head tilted against the table.

Noel was very familiar with this expression and knew that someone with such a look was usually in a foul mood; it wouldn't take more than a spark to set her off.

Reason?

When a teacher hits a student, do they need a reason? Is stepping through the door with the left foot not enough?

This made him cautiously weigh his words and soften his tone.

"Well, I plan to head to Amid's place this morning, and also handle some magic stones and loot; I'm not sure about the afternoon yet."

The potions crafted by the Dian Cecht Familia were the most effective in the city; it was only natural for any adventurer to say they were going to the Pure White Hospital to purchase supplies.

However, Noel had said he was going to see Amid, not that he was going to the Dian Cecht Familia...

For some reason, Riveria felt bothered by this subtle distinction.

Stopping the motion of rubbing her temples, Riveria's gaze pierced through her cascading green hair to observe the silver-haired boy's face.

"What business do you have going to see that little girl from the Dian Cecht house? Were you injured fighting the Goliath yesterday? I recall you didn't drink many potions yesterday, did you?"

"No," Noel shook his head directly.

"It's just that when I bought medicine the day before yesterday, Amid said that if I came to her for a check-up every time I returned from the Dungeon, she would sell them to me... something about a healer's integrity, and that she absolutely couldn't let a patient be treated by someone else."

In an instant, Riveria's eyes sharpened.

On one hand, using medicine to make the naive Noel promise such a thing, and on the other, secretly selling the information to me so I would monitor Noel?

Trying to catch two fish with one hook, are we!?

Although she didn't know why Amid would do this, nor did she feel it would cause Noel any harm, Riveria was simply bothered by it.

Fine, fine, little girl from the Dian Cecht house, I couldn't tell you had such schemes at such a young age.

Feeling an inexplicable chill spread through the air, Noel shivered and instinctively looked around, but he didn't find any danger.

Riveria lifted her long, boot-clad right leg and gave Noel a light kick to bring his attention back.

"Don't go today. I'll go talk to that little girl from the Dian Cecht house. Your task for these next few days is to raise your ability stats as quickly as possible and prepare for the expedition..."

"Expedition?"

Hearing that word, everything about Dian Cecht and Amid was pushed to the back of Noel's mind, and his eyes instantly brightened.

"Yes, I've discussed it with Finn and the others. You will take the position of the Familia's vanguard during the expedition. Also, see if there's a chance to encounter that Two-Headed Dragon wandering between the twenty-fifth and twenty-seventh floors; perhaps that will be enough for your great feat..."

As she thought about it, Riveria noticed Noel's collar was a bit messy, so she instinctively reached out to straighten it.

"I won't follow you anymore. Be careful, you hear me?"

The gentle pressure and faint warmth against his chest, combined with the subtle, lingering fragrance emanating from Riveria, sent a ripple through Noah's heart.

"Riveria, are you going to be very busy lately? Do you want me to help you?"

Upon touching Noah's chest and feeling the muscles beneath his clothes, Riveria immediately realized her actions were somewhat inappropriate.

However, hearing this battle-junkie Noah actually show concern for her, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of gratification appearing in her eyes.

How nice; he's far less trouble than Ais.

She offered Noah a faint smile, the weariness vanishing from her face as she rose from her chair.

"Rest assured, it's just some trivial matters within the Familia. I just find it draining to have to entangle myself with others over minor interests and details."

As Riveria explained, Noah learned that her fatigue stemmed from the upcoming need to negotiate commission matters with various Familias.

Even for the Loki Familia, preparing the vast amount of supplies required for an expedition often left them feeling strapped for resources.

Moreover, the gains from an expedition did not always fully cover the expenditures.

In fact, most of the time they suffered minor losses, to the point where an expedition lasting at most ten to fifteen days required two or three months of accumulating funds.

Under these circumstances, accepting various commissions became a necessary choice to secure rewards and repay favors to cooperative Familias.

Fortunately, as one of the few powerful Familias capable of retrieving precious resources from the deep floors, merchants dared not maliciously drive down prices with the Loki Familia as they would with smaller groups.

Of course, they only dared not take advantage too blatantly; to secure sufficient benefits, one still had to negotiate with each of them individually.

This task fell squarely upon Riveria.