Danmachi: The Focalors Familia Starting from the Dungeon

Aiden hadn’t come.

Ever since they confirmed their relationship, there was hardly a day he hadn’t visited her room. It had become an unspoken agreement between them.

Bright as Robin was, she instantly sensed something was amiss. She closed her eyes and activated her Tuning power.

Invisible mental energy spread outward like a tide, quickly covering the entirety of the Palais Mermonia.

Soon, she ”saw” Aiden’s location.

It was... Furina’s room.

In her mental perception, the auras of Aiden and Furina were completely, intimately intertwined and fused as one.

In just a split second, she understood exactly what was happening.

Whoosh. A lovely blush painted her fair cheeks.

She opened her eyes, chuckled helplessly, and shook her head. Then, she turned off the magic stone lamp by her bed and quietly slipped beneath the warm covers.

He wasn’t coming tonight.

Morning light filtered through the tall windows adorned with the blue glazed tiles of the Palais Mermonia, turning into fragmented golden glimmers that flowed quietly across the messy bed.

When Aiden opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Furina’s exquisite, porcelain-doll-like sleeping face right beside him.

The white hair that was usually maintained so immaculately was currently scattered wildly across the pillow. A few strands playfully tickled the tip of her nose, fluttering slightly with her shallow breathing.

Looking at the goddess—who was usually so loud and bombastic but was currently behaving with unimaginable sweetness—the corners of Aiden’s mouth unconsciously curved into a gentle smile.

He rolled onto his side and extended a finger, gently poking her soft, mochi-like cheek to appreciate its astonishing elasticity.

Furina wrinkled her cute little nose and swatted her slender arm as if shooing a fly. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep, ”Let me... sleep a bit more... the last piece of cake... is mine...”

However, with her body’s movement, an unfamiliar, aching soreness shot up her nerves straight to her brain.

Furina’s groggy consciousness felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over it. Her body went stiff.

The memories of last night crashed over her like a collapsing dam.

From Focalors’ direct confession, to the wild, passionate merging under the moonlight, and then... how that irresponsible alternate self of hers had shamelessly tossed the controls back to her at the height of their passion.

Furina kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her long eyelashes trembling violently like the wings of a startled butterfly. Right now, she didn’t dare to open her eyes, let alone face Aiden’s teasing gaze.

It was too humiliating. This was the ultimate disgrace for the God of Justice!

Looking at the crimson blush rapidly spreading to the tips of her ears, Aiden knew perfectly well that she was already awake.

He chuckled softly but didn’t maliciously expose her. Instead, he took his time getting up, picking up his scattered clothes from the floor.

With the soft rustle of clothing, the door was gently opened and then quietly shut.

It wasn’t until the footsteps in the hallway completely faded away that Furina shot up, throwing off the covers like a fish gasping for air.

”Ow, ow, ow—!”

The drastic movement pulled directly at the areas that had been thoroughly overworked the night before.

Furina inhaled sharply, her small face scrunching up. Clutching her waist, she stared blankly at the messy bedsheets with her heterochromatic eyes. She looked like she was about to start emitting steam.

”Fo-ca-lors—!” she roared like an angry dragon inside her mind.

”My, my. Getting so worked up first thing in the morning is terrible for your complexion, Furina.” Focalors’ elegant, slightly mocking voice echoed lazily in her head.

”How can you even say that?! You took it upon yourself to seduce him, and then... then why did you throw me out there to suffer the consequences?!” Furina was so furious she was stuttering, imaginary steam rising from her forehead. ”I didn’t even have time to mentally prepare myself before we went right to... that! You absolutely set me up!”

”Hehe, well, tell me—did it feel good?”

Furina’s words caught in her throat.

That blunt counter-question defeated her in an instant.

The feeling from last night—like her soul being dragged into the deep sea by warm tides, reaching the pinnacle amid a breathless euphoria—just thinking about it made her entire body burn up.

”Alright, alright. If I hadn’t pushed you out, how long were you planning to hide? You were going to have to face this kind of thing eventually.” Focalors’ voice carried a hint of exasperation.

If Furina had been just a bit more proactive, she wouldn’t have needed to intervene and launch a direct strike herself. In her judgment, if they hadn’t moved now, forget falling behind Robin—Astrea might have beaten them to the punch.

And she refused to be cut off by other goddesses.

”Th-Then next time, you can’t set me up like that! At least give me... some time to prepare!” Furina argued softly, blushing deeply and biting the tip of her finger.

”Oh? Already thinking about the next time?”

”You—!”

Furina blanked out, then huffed as if giving up on herself, clenching her small fists. ”Anyway... it already happened! You think we can just pretend it didn’t? Hmph, listen well. He is mine. From now on, no one is allowed to snatch him away.”

”Fine, fine, I won’t snatch him, I won’t.” Focalors agreed with a smile, her tone light and breezy.

She simply added silently in her heart: Since we share all senses anyway, what difference does it make who’s in control?

The gentle morning breeze, carrying the mixed fragrance of dirt and grass, brushed past Orario’s tall, ancient walls.

As Aiden walked along the battlements, he immediately spotted a lone figure standing by the parapets.

It was a blonde girl wearing casual, simple blue-and-white clothes. Without her signature light armor, she looked more like an ordinary girl enjoying the peace of the morning.

Her long golden hair fluttered gently in the breeze like shattered sunlight.

He walked over, his footsteps light.

”Congratulations on leveling up.”

Ais turned her head at the sound, her equally golden eyes looking exceptionally clear in the morning light.

That’s right, Ais Wallenstein. Just recently, she had officially stepped into the realm of Level 6.

Although the Guild hadn’t formally announced it yet—since the next Denatus was still some time away—it was no longer a secret to those well-informed.

Naturally, that included Aiden.

—This was entirely due to a drinking session with Bete a few days ago. The stubborn, tsundere werewolf had gotten drunk and half-boasted, half-lamented about it, spilling the secret himself.

After all, Ais had long since reached the absolute limits of Level 5, maximizing all of her basic abilities to the peak of her talent.

───

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