Danmachi: The Focalors Familia — Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Noah’s Justice

Catching the subtle, encouraging winks from the half-elf girl, Lenti, a trace of helpless amusement rose in Noah’s chest.

He knew exactly what was spinning around in Lenti’s head. Like many of her peers, she was full of a youthful yearning for romance, and her current goal was clearly to urge him to flirt with her oblivious deity. Considering the long separation that was about to fall between them, Noah decided to play along with her expectations.

Under Lenti’s approving gaze, he walked slowly toward Artemis, who was just finishing her goodbyes with Furina.

“Artemis.”

Hearing his voice, Artemis turned. Her blue eyes were as clear and still as a pristine lake.

Noah carefully organized his words, keeping his tone casual to make the warning sound entirely reasonable. “I recently read through some ancient literature in the library. It mentioned that although the Lower Realm isn’t as infested with monsters as the Dungeon, many ancient ruins still contain extremely dangerous creatures trapped within old seals. As time passes, those seals are gradually weakening. Your Familia often patrols the Lower Realm, so please… be careful out there.”

He knew the Artemis Familia frequently accepted Guild quests to travel the world and monitor the status of these monster seals. Framed this way, his concern sounded like nothing more than a well-intentioned reminder from a friend.

“Thank you for the warning, Noah.” Artemis listened to his words earnestly, accepting the kindness without a second thought. “We will be careful.”

Her serious expression softened. A faint, gentle smile curled the corners of her lips as she looked at him. “I also look forward to the day you achieve your wish. When that time comes, you must tell me whether love is sweet or bitter.”

With those parting words, she gave Furina one last hug, turned, and boarded the lead carriage.

Amidst the long, resonant call of the departure horns, the Artemis Familia’s procession slowly rolled out of the city gates, merging onto the dirt road that stretched into the distance.

Watching the receding backs of the carriage train, Noah stood frozen in place. His jaw tightened. He wanted to speak, but the words caught in his throat.

He wanted to rush forward. He wanted to grab her shoulders and tell Artemis to never, under any circumstances, accept a quest related to the Great Tree Sea.

In his memories of the original timeline, it was during an expedition to the Great Tree Sea that the Artemis Familia encountered an ancient horror that had broken free from its seal. The end result of that encounter was absolute tragedy—the entire Familia wiped from existence.

But he had no way to explain it.

Mortals could not lie in front of deities. That was the unshakeable iron rule of this world. The gods could see through the color of a mortal’s soul; any falsehood would be instantly exposed. He couldn’t exactly claim he could predict the future. It was too absurd. No deity would believe it, and it would only invite dangerous suspicion and scrutiny from the rest of Orario.

In the end, he swallowed the desperate words that had welled up to his lips.

There was still time before that tragedy occurred.

Things would work out. As long as the Focalors Familia grew stronger, there would absolutely be a way to intervene and save the Artemis Familia when the time came.

Noah was not a saint. He knew he wasn’t the type of good person who would blindly sacrifice himself for strangers. For the sake of his own goals, he could unhesitatingly discard almost anything outside of his immediate circle of companions.

But the Artemis Familia was different. They were a group of innocent girls yearning for a beautiful romance, and they were friends he had grown to care for. He refused to sit back and watch that excessively cruel ending play out. He refused to let that pure Moon Goddess fall on the cold, unforgiving earth of the Lower Realm.

He admitted there was a certain biological pull at play. Facing a goddess that beautiful and pure, it would be a lie to say his heart hadn’t been moved.

But more than that, he just wanted to do it. He wanted to meddle.

If Furina’s justice was survival—doing whatever it took to ensure her Familia continued to exist—then his justice could be summarized in a single sentence.

‘My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is justice.’

It was a thoroughly self-centered brand of justice. As long as he believed it was right, as long as the mirror in his mind remained clear and bright, he would act without a shred of hesitation. It didn’t matter if the rest of the world viewed his actions as despicable, selfish, or entirely unreasonable.

After seeing off the Artemis Familia, the group did not linger on the sadness of parting. The development of their own Familia brooked no delay.

Noah took their newest member, Tifa, and headed straight for the Guild headquarters.

The familiar counter. The familiar face.

The advisor responsible for receiving them was, as always, the half-elf Eina Tulle.

“Welcome back, Mr. Noah, Miss Robin.” Eina offered a professional, welcoming smile. When her gaze shifted to Tifa, a flash of astonishment widened her emerald eyes. “This must be your new companion?”

“Yes. Her name is Tifa Lockhart,” Noah introduced. “She’s here to register as an Adventurer today.”

Eina’s efficiency was as high as ever. Since she was already intimately familiar with Noah and Robin, she skipped the unnecessary bureaucratic pleasantries. After detailing the Guild’s fundamental rules and safety precautions to Tifa, the registration was finalized in record time.

The Focalors Familia officially welcomed its fourth member.

Leaving the Guild, their next priority was outfitting the newcomer.

Tifa was a martial artist. Her own hands and feet were her most lethal weapons. Noah selected a set of form-fitting, lightweight leather armor that offered vital protection without restricting her extreme flexibility. To complete the set, he purchased a pair of heavy combat gauntlets reinforced with hard metal plating.

When Tifa slid the gauntlets over her hands and gently clenched her fists, a steady, dangerous aura naturally bled into the air.

With their preparations complete, the trio wasted no time. They walked straight to Babel and descended into the Dungeon.

Today’s sole objective was to let Tifa adapt to the bloody reality of Dungeon combat.

They started on the first floor and carved their way down. Facing the elementary Fire Slimes and the club-wielding Hilichurls, Noah and Robin barely lifted a finger. They stood back, holding the perimeter, leaving the center of the slaughter entirely to Tifa.

Watching Tifa fight was like watching a violent, beautiful dance.

There was not a single wasted twitch in her movements. Her footwork was light and swift, gliding across the stone as if dancing on the edge of a blade. When three Fire Slimes rolled toward her, she simply sidestepped. Her body contorted with incredible flexibility, letting the searing heat pass harmlessly by.

Then, she pivoted. A crisp, blindingly fast whip kick snapped through the air, driving the metal plate of her boot perfectly into the magic stone hidden within the Slime’s core.

The gel-like body shattered into ash instantly.

“Shine.”

Tifa chanted softly. It was her only magic: [Meteor Feather].

A faint, almost invisible magical radiance, glittering like crushed stardust, wrapped tightly around her heavy gauntlets and battle boots.

The air pressure shifted. Every single one of her strikes now carried a devastating, concussive impact.

A straight punch caved in a Hilichurl’s chest, sending the monster flying backward to violently crack against the dungeon wall before dissolving into black smoke. A sweeping roundhouse kick generated enough force to knock back an entire cluster of monsters trying to flank her.

Her combat style possessed a terrifying, hypnotic rhythm.

As the blood flowed and the battle dragged on, her skill [Battle Rhythm] ignited. Her movements blurred, becoming faster, heavier, and infinitely more fluid. Fists, feet, elbows, knees—every joint and limb transformed into a lethal weapon. Her continuous assault flowed like a raging river, leaving the monsters absolutely no window to counterattack or even breathe.

From the mindless Fire Slimes to the armed Hilichurls, and eventually to the towering Rock Shield Hilichurls with their absurd defensive plating, Tifa dismantled them all with cold, practiced ease.

Noah and Robin simply walked behind her, occasionally clearing a stray threat that tried to blindside her, ensuring the martial artist had the perfect environment to unleash her full, unrestrained power.