Chapter 60 - Could it be that...!!!?
Until, in a very inconspicuous corner, a distorted light and shadow flashed by.
"That guy is even more despicable and shameless than Finn!!" In a distorted, endlessly deep corridor, a furious roar filled with malevolence echoed.
It felt as if the Dungeon was eagerly sending away its unwelcome guests...Noah and his companions didn't encounter any monsters on their way back. However, due to the uphill climb and the need to orient oneself, the return journey did not save much time. Upon reaching the surface, the sky was, unsurprisingly, completely dark.
The Astraea Familia's home was also located in the north of the city, facing the Twilight Manor across the street, so the two groups headed north together. Despite being bathed in the biting winter wind, everyone felt a sense of relief. The girls of the Astraea Familia began chatting again, talking about having a good meal, taking a bath, or buying some clothes.
However, there was one thing that bothered Noah.
Hmm!?
Noah kept his head facing forward without changing his expression, but suddenly glanced at a corner of the group out of the corner of his eye. That was at the other end of the group, the furthest from Noah, stood the blonde elf named Ryu. After Noah glanced at her, she seemed to notice, and her head twitched slightly as she looked ahead.
At first, Noah naturally thought it was his imagination. But as he walked along, the recurring sense of being watched made him certain: the blonde elf was spying on him.
What exactly is she planning? Is she brewing up the idea of punching me?
As Noah pondered this question, he felt someone approach him. It was Noin. She looked at Noah with eyes similar in color to her hair, an expectant look shining in them. "Hey, Noah, why did you use that fighting style?"
Because this kind of battle is so exhilarating.
Just as Noah was about to answer, he noticed that the other girls were also looking at him. Although some, like Noin, had a similar look of curiosity, such as Alise, Neze, and Celty. But there were also less friendly stares...mainly from Asta, and Ryana. It wasn't malicious and more like seeing someone with bad habits but not having the right to correct them.
It feels as if they had some kind of argument and decided to let an outsider like me make the decision. What happened? I have a feeling a very important argument took place while I was distracted. It's like closing your eyes during class and then opening them again to find that Riveria's magic notes have suddenly expanded by several pages.
Within three seconds, Noah had thought it over. He decided to tell the truth. When you don't know what happened, lying often makes things worse. Noah only gave his answer after he could already see the distinctive tower of the Twilight Manor.
"...Because I used to be physically weak and had low strength, I could only fight by using tricks and techniques. So recently, after receiving the Falna, I've been wanting to try the feeling of defeating an opponent entirely by strength... that's all."
Upon receiving this answer, Noin's expression became somewhat complicated, as if she were disappointed or perhaps confused. It was similar to a struggling student asking a top student for help, but finding the top student's solution, such as A is obviously wrong, B doesn't fit, C can be eliminated, so it's D, was too advanced, but they were too embarrassed to ask again.
The other girls were the same. However, this had nothing to do with Noah. He just wanted to find a place to have a big meal, so he parted ways with them.
The girls walked in another direction until they were almost Home, when Alise, at the front, suddenly stopped and stared blankly ahead.
"Hmm? Alise? What's wrong?"
"Just now, did Noah say after recently receiving a Falna?"
Silence enveloped the girls, followed by screams that pierced the night.
"...Could it be that..."
"No way?"
"Are you kidding me?"
...
As the last rays of sunset faded, stars and the moon appeared in the night sky, and dazzling lights overflowed from the buildings, interspersed with joyful noise.
When Noah and his two companions returned to the Twilight Manor, the Familia's dinner had already ended, and the members were all busy with their own things, so no one came out to greet them. However, no matter how busy the Familia was, there was one person who always seemed to be very leisurely.
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