Danmachi: The Focalors Familia Starting from the Dungeon

”What I just said was merely my own personal opinion. You don’t need to take it to heart.”

Aiden hurriedly let go of Ryuu’s shoulders, genuinely afraid that if he waited even a second longer, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back from striking him.

”Is this... your justice?” Ryuu asked softly. Rather than flying into a rage as he had expected, her voice carried a trace of confusion and emotional turbulence. ”The justice of your heart?”

”Yes,” Aiden replied, looking directly into her eyes with a solemn expression. ”This is my justice. I follow the justice within my own heart. No matter how outsiders view me, I will never change.”

”That is truly... enviable.”

Ryuu pressed her lips together, revealing something that barely resembled a smile. She was deeply envious of Aiden for being able to stand so firmly by his own sense of justice. She wasn’t like that. She had once completely lost her way, completely shaken by her blind pursuit of revenge and her overwhelming confusion.

Parting her lips slightly, Ryuu looked up. The white light filtering through the canopy of branches and leaves made her narrow her eyes.

”...We Elves are generally considered to be a beautiful race.”

With half-open eyes, her gaze drifted down to wander aimlessly across the ground.

”Others say our appearances are outstanding, and we ourselves believe the same. It is an undeniable fact. We are a proud, fastidious people who do not easily allow others to touch our skin...”

Hearing this, Aiden awkwardly rubbed his nose.

”There are even some Elves who find other races utterly repulsive, both inside and out. They refuse to interact with anyone else and live in absolute seclusion within their ancestral forests. At least, the village I used to live in was filled almost entirely with such people.”

”However,” she continued, her voice steady. ”Seeing my kin refuse to acknowledge anyone outside our race, treating their contempt for others as a justified source of pride... it gave me a different perspective.”

Slowly, she raised her head once more, gazing up at that false, crystal-forged white sunlight.

”I realized that perhaps the beautiful Elves are actually the ugliest creatures of all.”

”That is why I left my village and came to Orario. But even here, I discovered that I was still bound by those deeply ingrained Elven ideals. I was no different from my kin. For a time, I absolutely despised that version of myself.”

”That is, until she reached out her hand to me.” Ryuu’s gaze slowly shifted toward the grave marked by the broken sword. ”She was the very first person to touch me without making me feel any sense of rejection. It was truly a miraculous feeling.”

”Then came the second person. She gave me the place I now call home.”

”And finally... there is you.”

Ryuu turned her head back, her sky-blue eyes looking straight at Aiden.

”You are the third person to touch me without making me feel disgusted, Mr. Aiden.”

Under Aiden’s astonished gaze, Ryuu reached out and voluntarily grasped the very hand he had just used to touch her. The Elf maiden’s hand carried a slight, pleasant chill and was incredibly soft.

”Why is that, I wonder? I don’t believe I am special in any way,” Aiden asked, genuinely perplexed.

He knew perfectly well that he couldn’t compare to Alise, who bloomed as brilliantly as a red flower and perfectly embodied justice. Nor was he like Syr, who was capable of offering Ryuu such profound love and salvation.

”Perhaps it is because...” Ryuu tightened her grip on his hand and murmured softly. ”Because you possess the one thing I envy the absolute most.”

”For the sake of a singular goal, you never waver, you never hesitate, and you never belittle yourself. You simply march straight forward with absolute conviction...”

”To me, a figure like that is just... far too dazzling.”

Standing before the graves of Alise and the dozen other girls, Aiden’s expression was fraught with unconcealed regret. Given the natural talent of Alise and her companions, if they had lived to the present day, the entire Astrea Familia would likely consist entirely of First-Class Adventurers. Alise herself might have even reached Level 6.

But there were no ifs in this world.

The Dungeon was simply a cruel, unforgiving place. You never knew which would come first: tomorrow, or a fatal accident.

”Ryuu, could you take me somewhere?”

After this heart-to-heart conversation, the distance between the two had clearly shrunk. Although Ryuu still habitually used respectful honorifics, Aiden had never been the type to stand on ceremony with people he considered friends. Consequently, he had unapologetically begun calling her by her first name.

Ryuu had no objections to this, though a faint blush still managed to creep up her pale, beautiful face.

”Where do you want to go?” she asked, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

”Alfia’s... final resting place. I want to see it just once.”

Aiden’s voice grew somber and quiet.

”...Alright. Follow me.”

Ryuu remained silent for a moment before giving a solemn nod. As one of the few who had witnessed Alfia’s final moments all those years ago, that location had left an equally indelible mark on her memory.

Under Ryuu’s guidance, Aiden walked steadily toward a massive, sheer cliff located deep within the 18th Floor. It was the highest point in the entire Under Resort, serving as the ultimate observation deck to overlook this fantastical subterranean world.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Aiden couldn’t help but hold his breath at the sight before him.

It was a sheer precipice that looked as if it had been cleaved by a giant’s axe—a jagged scar upon the earth, or perhaps a forgotten throne belonging to an ancient titan. They stood at the very edge of the cliff, nothing but empty space beneath their feet. Fierce winds howled up from the abyss, whipping their cloaks around wildly and creating the illusion that they might be swept away at any second.

From this vantage point, the magnificent scenery of the entire 18th Floor was laid bare. A boundless, emerald-green prairie stretched out into the distance like a massive velvet carpet. The azure crystals dotting the landscape glittered like diamonds beneath the radiant light of the ceiling.

To their left, a tranquil lake lay as still as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the false, crystal-forged sky above. To their right, the sprawling forest formed a profound sea of dark green. Right in the very center of it all, the colossal tree that seemed to pierce the heavens exuded a breathtaking, awe-inspiring aura of majesty.

Standing here, a person felt impossibly small. It was as if they were a mere speck of dust, constantly on the verge of being swallowed whole by this magnificent natural wonder.

”This is the place,” Ryuu’s voice drifted over, slightly distorted by the howling wind. ”This is where we fought our final, desperate battle against Alfia. During the fight, the Peluda from the 52nd Floor used its bombardment to punch straight through the floors, creating a hellish abyss right beneath our feet. In the end, Alfia... she jumped down from here, bringing an end to it all.”

She pointed down toward the bottom of the cliff.

Following her finger, Aiden looked down, but he didn’t see any terrifying, bottomless abyss. Instead, there was only a massive, violently churning stream winding its way through the landscape.

”The Dungeon possesses the ability to self-repair,” Ryuu explained. ”So many years have passed. The chasm blown open by the Peluda was naturally healed by the Dungeon a long time ago.”

Standing at the edge of the precipice, Aiden slowly closed his eyes.

With the wind roaring in his ears, he felt as if he could sense something lingering in the air. His thoughts seemed to traverse six long years, transporting him straight back to that fateful twilight. He could almost see the gray-haired woman standing alone in this exact spot, facing the entirety of the Astrea Familia, unleashing that terrifying power she herself despised—the power known as Silence.

”Ryuu, thank you for bringing me here. You can head back first. I just want to stay here alone for a little while.”

Aiden opened his eyes, his voice carrying an unconcealable trace of sorrow.

”Alright, you...”

Ryuu hesitated, swallowing her remaining words. She completely understood this feeling. Whenever she came to visit Alise and the others, she also preferred to be alone, loathing any interruptions. She could empathize with the profound grief of losing someone important better than anyone else in Orario.

Ultimately, she simply nodded, turned around, and began walking back down from the cliff.

However, just as she had taken a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder—and her sky-blue eyes instantly widened in absolute horror.

Aiden had spread his arms wide, turning his back to the empty void beyond the cliff. Without a second’s hesitation, he let his body fall backward, plummeting straight down from the towering precipice.

”Mr. Aiden!”

Ryuu cried out in sheer panic, her body moving on instinct to rush forward and grab him. But her footsteps skidded to a violent halt a fraction of a second later. Her deeply ingrained adventurer instincts rapidly overpowered her initial terror.

He’s already a Level 3 adventurer. A fall from this height won’t kill him. Furthermore, there was a wide, deep stream rushing directly beneath the cliff. The chances of him sustaining a fatal injury were practically zero... unless he didn’t know how to swim.

Realizing this, the heart that had leapt into Ryuu’s throat finally settled back into her chest. Nevertheless, she continued to stare intently at his falling silhouette, her expression an incredibly complicated mix of emotions.

She truly never expected Aiden to be this much of a lunatic.

---

Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.

For Advance Chapters, Visit:

> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations