Danmachi: The Focalors Familia — Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Morning Exercise

For Ais, this was likely nothing more than a simple gesture of gratitude.

She was merely following Riveria’s advice, selecting a method she genuinely believed would make Noah happy. A few paces away, however, Lefiya was rapidly approaching the absolute limits of her sanity.

She stared at Noah, who wore an expression of pure, tranquil bliss, and then at the completely deadpan Ais. The elf’s small hands clenched into trembling fists, her gaze practically burning holes into Noah’s forehead with undisguised envy and boiling jealousy.

Before Noah could enjoy his slice of heaven for more than a few fleeting seconds, the long-suffering elf finally snapped.

“Get up!”

She lunged forward, seizing Noah’s arms with both hands, and hauled him up from Ais’s lap with every ounce of strength her slender frame possessed.

Ais tilted her head, her golden eyes blinking in quiet bewilderment at the unusually frantic girl.

Having his wonderful experience so rudely interrupted, Noah’s mind spun into high gear. To reclaim his spot on that soft lap, a brilliant tactical maneuver formed in his head.

He cleared his throat, fixing Ais with a deeply serious look. “Ais, you’re right, this is a fitting token of gratitude. But regarding that adventurer’s experience book, Lefiya contributed quite a bit of effort as well. I shouldn’t be the only one rewarded. You should include her. She deserves a share of this lap pillow.”

It was a critical hit. Noah had aimed straight for Lefiya’s ultimate weakness.

“Eh?” Lefiya froze.

Her brain completely short-circuited. She desperately hated seeing Ais pamper Noah, but… she wanted Miss Ais’s lap pillow too. She wanted it so badly it hurt. Just picturing the Sword Princess gently resting her head on her lap made Lefiya dizzy with euphoria.

Ultimately, raw desire crushed the young elf’s reason and reserve.

Ais glanced between Noah and the blushing, shifting elf, her confusion deepening. “Riveria said doing this makes boys happy. But Lefiya is a girl. Will she like it too?”

“Y-yes, of course!”

Lefiya blurted out before Noah could even open his mouth. The second the words left her lips, intense regret washed over her. She slapped both hands over her mouth, her face burning as red as a ripe apple, frantically shooting desperate glares at Noah.

Suppressing a laugh, Noah nodded at Ais. “It’s perfectly fine. Lap pillows are universally appreciated.”

And so, a truly bizarre scene unfolded atop the city wall.

Ais remained kneeling on the stone, her expression placid. Resting on her left thigh was Noah’s head, and on her right, Lefiya’s.

The elf had finally secured the prize she dreamed of. Feeling that incredible softness and warmth against her cheek, she practically melted into a puddle of pure bliss. Of course, the only glaring flaw in her perfect world was the incredibly annoying guy occupying the other half of the greatest territory on earth.

The morning sun crested the horizon, painting the towering walls of Orario with a brilliant golden edge.

On this wide, tranquil stretch of stone, two figures clashed back and forth at blistering speeds. The sheer force of their strikes whipped the morning air into a frenzy.

This was Noah and Tifa’s morning sparring session.

Noah’s offensive was wide and sweeping. While his true mastery lay in swordsmanship, his hand-to-hand combat was nothing to scoff at. More, as a Lv.2, his base stats completely eclipsed Tifa, who was still a Lv.1. He held an absolute advantage in raw strength and speed.

Every punch and kick tore through the air with a heavy whistle, aimed precisely at Tifa’s vitals.

Yet, facing this overwhelming storm, Tifa showed zero signs of breaking.

Her body moved with astonishing flexibility, bending and swaying as if she lacked bones entirely. Whenever Noah threw a heavy straight punch, she slipped sideways with minimal wasted motion. Her arms coiled around his strikes like a striking viper, twisting and pulling to deflect the rock-shattering kinetic energy away from her center.

Her fighting style wasn’t a brutal brawl; it was a lethal, captivating dance.

Every dodge flowed naturally into a counter. Palms, fists, elbows, knees—every limb was a weapon. She launched strikes from impossible angles, forcing Noah to maintain absolute focus just to keep up.

Noah dictated the pace from the very first second, holding the absolute initiative. But Tifa was a stubborn reef crashing against his storm, trading blows through sheer technical brilliance.

A flash of surprise crossed Noah’s eyes, swiftly replaced by a surging battle intent.

Tifa’s martial arts were unlike anything he had faced, but his own monstrous reflexes and terrifying learning speed allowed him to adapt. It took him only a few short minutes to transition from reactive defense to actively anticipating her flow.

He watched the subtle shifts in her muscles, predicted the trajectory of her strikes, and moved to intercept before she even fully committed.

The rhythm of the spar accelerated. The sharp cracks of flesh and bone colliding echoed louder across the wall.

Finally, in the middle of a blindingly fast exchange, Noah caught a fleeting opening.

He threw a feinted side kick, forcing Tifa to lean sideways to block, leaving her center line completely exposed. Noah didn’t hesitate. He retracted his leg, twisted his hips, and drove a straight punch forward in one fluid, explosive motion.

Thud.

The heavy strike buried itself directly into Tifa’s abdomen.

The violent kinetic transfer forced her to double over instantly, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as pain twisted her beautiful features. She clutched her stomach, looking up at Noah with eyes swimming in deep resentment.

This guy… once he enters combat mode, he completely forgets who he’s fighting.

Aside from deliberately sparing her face, he held absolutely nothing back against the rest of her body. She subconsciously glanced down at her heavy chest, feeling a dull ache radiating there from their earlier high-speed collisions and blocks.

An indescribable wave of shyness flushed through her, making her glare at him even harder.

The moment the deciding blow landed, the icy focus in Noah’s eyes shattered, pulling him out of his combat trance. Seeing Tifa hunched over and glaring at him, his martial coldness evaporated into sudden embarrassment.

“Sorry, Tifa… I got a bit carried away.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and quickly stepped forward, reaching out to support her.

He had genuinely tried to pull his punches, but once a fight reached a white-hot peak, his fists moved on pure instinct. He swore to the heavens he wasn’t using the spar as an excuse to take advantage of her.

“It’s fine.”

Tifa slowly straightened up, waving his hand away. The sharp glare faded, her expression melting back into its usual, comforting gentleness.