Chapter 7: Riveria Ljos Alf
"Ais! How are you?"
The familiar figure blended with the image of her mother in her memory, causing Ais to tilt her head in a daze and move her dry lips.
"...Mom? Mom?"
The soft murmurs reached Riveria, who could no longer control herself. Her eyes suddenly grew hot and blurry, and she fought the urge to rush forward and hug the bruised and battered Ais.
Noah widened his eyes slightly, looking hesitantly at the girl's back.
Tsk, did she hit her head? Why does she keep seeing her parents everywhere?
But when Noah saw the elf's eyes filling with tears, her lip bitten tightly, he began to waver.
Wait, are they really mother and daughter? But I can't see the resemblance at all. One is an elf, the other is human. One has green hair, the other is blonde.
Unable to figure it out, Noah gave up thinking and simply pushed Ais toward the green-haired elf, not wanting to look like some villain preventing a family reunion.
"Ais!"
Caught off guard, Riveria subconsciously let go of her staff to catch Ais with both hands.
With a crisp "clang," the staff fell to the ground, and its nine expensive-looking gems were covered in dust.
A faint glint of light from the gems almost looked resentful to Noah.
After urgently checking Ais's condition, Riveria quickly took out a potion she carried with her.
She fed half the tube to Ais before pouring the remaining half directly onto her wounds.
As a magical mist with a strong medicinal scent rose and dissipated, the many hideous injuries on the girl's body healed at a visible rate, covered by the faintly glowing, colorful liquid.
Noah raised his eyebrows as he watched, confirming once again that the level of magic in this world was far higher than he had imagined.
However, as he watched, his attention was drawn to the elf's pale neck.
Because she was leaning forward while holding the girl, the conservative high collar of her robe had opened slightly, revealing the curve of her collarbone.
The lines of her neck were slender and graceful, like a swan's, and her skin was so translucent that you could vaguely see the blue veins beneath…
The blood of elves must be sweet, right?
At the thought, the weakened Noah couldn't help but swallow, a deep craving stirring within him.
Strictly speaking, Noah was not a pure-blooded human. This was common in a magical world where various races coexisted.
Half-elves, half-orcs, and half-dwarves were numerous, and there were even a fair number of half-dragons.
But perhaps because it had not yet fully awakened, Noah didn't know what the other blood in his veins was.
Aside from his magic being more active at night and in natural environments, the most unique trait was his ability to obtain magic through the bodily fluids, especially blood, of women with exceptional latent qualities.
Noah knew it sounded a lot like a vampire, but he wasn't afraid of the sun; in fact, he rather liked it.
Nor did he have other vampiric abilities like fangs or turning into mist.
Therefore, he didn't worry about it, simply regarding it as the reawakening of a bloodline from some special race that had disappeared in ancient times.
After receiving two doses of the potion, Ais's breathing and pulse stabilized, and Riveria finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she realized she seemed to have forgotten something.
Riveria looked up and immediately met a pair of blue eyes.
Silence hung between them until Riveria came to her senses, let out a small scream, and snatched her staff from the ground to take a defensive stance.
But before she had raised it halfway, she stopped herself.
Although she didn't know where this stranger came from or why he was with Ais, the fact that he had handed Ais over and hadn't attacked while she was distracted made it clear he was a friend, not an enemy.
If that was the case, then her behavior was obviously inappropriate.
Realizing this, Riveria, known to the world and her companions as a calm and composed leader, couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush.
However, she was a mature adult and has learned to hide her embarrassment. After all, if you aren't embarrassed, then someone else will be.
"Hello, I am Riveria Ljos Alf, vice-captain of the Loki Familia. May I ask who you are?"