The Journey of Mixed Anime Starts from DanMachi Chapter 6

The first question now facing Noah was this: should he join a Familia?

From an emotional, intuitive standpoint, Noah did not want to.

First, Noah disliked gods; he had felt this way since his previous world. The sheer amount of suffering and ugliness in this world suggested that gods were either kind but not omnipotent, or they were malevolent entities who were omnipotent yet enjoyed watching disaster unfold.

Second, although the gods of this world had their divine power sealed upon descending to the lower world, they still possessed various authorities they could wield. It was hard to say whether they might see through Noah's true nature.

Finally, his past experiences had cemented Noah's suspicious nature. He would rather go without a Falna, a power that remained entirely at the whim of a god.

However, after calming down, Noah pushed all these thoughts aside.

Power is power; there is no such thing as it being unreliable—it only depends on whether one can control it.

If he refused a Falna because it could be revoked, then what about weapons that might shatter? Should he fight with his bare hands instead?

Weapons require maintenance to ensure reliability, and human relationships naturally require long-term investment. One cannot simply expect someone to entrust their life to them right off the bat.

It was just like some people Noah had seen in his previous world: they would rot away at home, obsessed with legends of encountering elven beauties, beast-kin beauties, dragon-kin beauties, or princess beauties... in short, they hoped to meet a beautiful girl who would love them madly.

Setting aside whether such a girl even existed, even if she did, how could you meet her if you stayed cooped up at home all day?

Were you expecting a beautiful girl to act like a bandit and kick down your door?

If one could not select a god who could ensure the safety of their own back, then one only had themselves to blame.

Just like in his previous world, if he were betrayed, he could only admit defeat... and then kill everyone so they could all die together!

Thinking this, Noah regained his focus and realized he had wandered into an unfamiliar street.

Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, he had likely traveled from the eastern part of the city to the north.

The aroma permeating the air caught his attention.

Looking around, he saw an entire street lined with stalls. The fragrance wafting from large pots drifted with the wind, and children ran about eating sliced fruit.

Guild members in uniform rushed through the long queues of people to maintain order.

Noah realized this was a charity meal service.

To appease the population of Orario who had lost their jobs due to the recent unrest and could no longer feed their families, the Demeter Familia—which provided most of the city's agricultural produce—was responsible for supplying the goods, with the Guild and other Familias assisting in the distribution of free food.

Thinking of this, Noah suddenly remembered he hadn't eaten today, though the money he'd had a few days ago was nearly spent.

So, should he go for a freebie... oh, no, help them finish their work faster?

After all, if that mountain of food wasn't distributed, these people probably wouldn't be able to clock out, right?

However, seeing the long, winding queue that nearly choked the street, Noah thought better of it and turned to leave.

But before he had taken many steps, someone called out to him.

Lia

"Um, big brother, are you hungry?"

The one who stopped Noah was a little girl of about seven or eight, holding a teddy bear in one hand with her hair tied into twin tails.

Although her clothes were a bit old, they were clean, and one could feel the love her parents had for her.

Perhaps due to her temperament, she seemed even younger than the blonde girl Noah had saved a few days ago.

Facing Noah's emotionless, almost alien gaze, the little girl couldn't help but shrink her neck.

Like a rabbit poking its head out of a burrow, her round eyes were filled with nervousness.

But, thinking of something, the little girl bit her lip and bravely held out a candy, stuffing it into Noah's hand.

"If you're hungry, big brother, you can have this."

It was a milk candy wrapped in wax paper. Even without opening the packaging, Noah could smell a faint fragrance, perhaps with a hint of fruity sweetness.

Although Orario was relatively rich in resources compared to the outside world due to the power of the gods and magic stone craftsmanship, it hadn't reached the point where children could eat such milk-fruit candies until they were sick of them.

And the little girl before him certainly didn't look like she came from a wealthy family.

Not to mention, she had been peeking at the candy with an obvious look of longing, swallowing her saliva from time to time, clearly reluctant to part with it.

She must have gotten it from the charity meal, right?

If so, why give it to him?

A trace of curiosity rose in Noah's heart, so he lowered himself to meet the girl's eyes.

"You must want to eat this too, right? Why give it to me?"

"Be-because Lia thinks you look very hungry, big brother. You must have run into some difficult trouble lately, right?"

Feeling that Noah's gaze, while devoid of warmth or kindness, also lacked any oppressive or dangerous aura, the little girl named Lia gradually relaxed.

"Because I'm in trouble, you have to help me? You should know, you're just a little kid."

Noah had simply stated his direct question without any emotion, in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.

Yet, the little girl looked as if she had been insulted; she immediately pouted and her face flushed red.

"But, Alise-onee-sama said! Whether it's an adventurer or a commoner, even a beggar has the right to lend a hand to those in need—because justice belongs to everyone! That has nothing to do with whether I'm a child or not!"

The girl's voice was hurried, and she raised her volume unconsciously, drawing the gazes of some passersby.

When she came to her senses, she blushed and quickly used her small hands to rub her ponytail against her cheeks.

Noah, on the other hand, was momentarily dazed, feeling a dryness in his throat.

"Who is this... Alise you're talking about?"

"Huh? Big brother, you don't know?"

This question made Lia's eyes widen, as if she had seen a wild man emerge from the mountains, and she looked Noah up and down in surprise.

"She's the leader of the Astraea Familia, Alise Lovell! They're a righteous Familia! You don't even know this, big brother?"

Following the direction of Lia's finger, Noah saw the girls dancing like sparrows in the crowd.

There was the masked golden-haired elf, the red-ponytail girl with emerald eyes, the long-haired girl in a serene kimono... a total of eleven of them.

They were busy with various tasks, whether playing, arguing, or working, and exuded a cheerful atmosphere distinctly different from those around them. The sunlight seemed to become brighter and more radiant around them, making Noah easily recognize them.

The sounds of laughter and joy caused Noah to stand there in a daze, another scene appearing before his eyes...

Golden evening sun, long mountain shadows, clear stream water...

The evening breeze dispelled the sweltering heat, landing on his sweat-soaked clothes, and the coolness seeped into his lungs...

In the distance, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the city, dragonflies flew up from the grass beside him, and the diverse faces of his companions were before his eyes...

It was a vivid landscape that did not exist in this realm or this world, unknown to anyone else, existing only in the depths of Nolan's memory.

So deep that he thought he had forgotten it, yet he knew he could never forget it...

"...Brother? Big brother?"

When he came to his senses, Noah felt a slight warmth in the depths of his eyes, while Lia looked at him with curiosity and a hint of mischief.

"I know Alise and the others are beautiful, but don't stare too much! If you need to, Lia can introduce you to Alise and the others!"

Ignoring the girl's playful gaze, Noah took a deep breath and calmed himself.

Looking at the little girl with a slightly devilish aura before him, Noah did not smile, but his eyes softened considerably.

"Thank you for the candy. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

The topic shifted rather abruptly, and the little girl tilted her head, looking very cute but also a bit dim.

"Re... repay?"

"Of course, if you have done justice, then I should repay you, shouldn't I?"

Lia came to her senses and immediately shook her head firmly.

"How can that be?! Alise said that justice seeks no reward!"

For a moment, Noah's eyes became serious.

But he quickly recovered, so much so that Lia, who was standing close by, did not notice at all.

He did not directly refute the girl but posed another question.

"Do you think there are more strong and rich people in this world, or more weak and poor people?"

Although the topic shifted abruptly again, this time Lia gave a direct answer.

"Hmm, of course, there are more weak and poor people."

"Then do you think justice that seeks reward attracts more people, or justice that seeks no reward allows more people to participate?"

The girl's mind completely froze this time. She opened her mouth, looking at Noah, but could not speak.

"Justice that seeks no reward is merely a game for the strong and the rich. Justice that seeks reward is the justice for the weak and the poor—for the majority of people in this world!"

Noah extended his palm to Lia.

"So, tell me your wish."

Lia felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite articulate it.

"I, I..."

"It's okay to be a little bolder. Think carefully, what is your greatest wish?"

"Huh? How can that be? It's just a piece of candy, I can't be too greedy—"

Noah interrupted Lia with a raised finger, gazing into her eyes.

"Little girl, you must admit that the value of people is different, and therefore, the value generated by the same gift given to different people will also be vastly different—"

Noah picked up the milk candy.

"If you gave this candy to a beggar on the verge of starvation, its meaning would only be to let the beggar live one more day, so the reward you would receive would only be a thank you. But by giving it to me—"

Lia inexplicably felt that the silver-haired youth before her exuded a temperament that made her both extremely fearful and extremely infatuated.

Although they were at the same eye level, she felt as if she were being looked down upon from a great height, and she couldn't help but tremble and submit.

Her heart pounded, her breathing quickened, her cheeks flushed, as if she were standing on the edge of a precipice, her whole body trembling.

"Although it only makes me a little happy, the value it can generate is beyond your imagination—so, tell me your wish..."

A childlike instinct, direct and pure, made Lia inexplicably feel that the decision she was about to make would affect her entire life.

Noah: "You heretics who profane the name of the God of Death!"

"...I, I want peace!"

Clutching the doll in her hands, Lia's eyes erupted with a brilliant radiance.

"I wish for Mom, Dad, and everyone in Orario to never have to live in fear again! I want to see smiles on everyone's faces!"

After speaking, Lia couldn't help but pant slightly, looking at Noah with trepidation.

Within her line of sight, Noah nodded slowly and rose to his feet.

Whether it was expected or he simply didn't care, Lia couldn't discern anything unusual.

"No problem. You will get what you want."

As if a deity were pronouncing a verdict on the future, Noah spoke in a tone that was both light and resolute.

Then, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd under the girl's gaze.

In front of a stall selling rich meat broth, a masked blonde elf who was helping to slice fruit suddenly sensed something and stopped what she was doing.

Her azure eyes, clear as a summer sky, swept across the crowd, and she furrowed her brows after finding nothing out of the ordinary.

How strange. Just now, was someone watching me?

That gaze made her feel quite uneasy.