Under Roy's relentless efforts, Lady Astraea's chest began to rise and fall again. A faint heartbeat returned, and a hint of color touched her pale face. Seeing this, Roy let out a long, shaky breath, silently thanking "Mama-san" Riveria. It was her protective veil of light that had kept Astraea from suffering any physical trauma or even a tear in her clothes while inside the Lambton.
"Cough! Cough!"
Goddess Astraea coughed violently as she drifted back to consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes, her deep sea-blue gaze reflecting Roy's face—a face covered in blood and dust, exhausted to the core, with a trace of glistening tears at the corners of his eyes.
"What... happened?" Astraea asked. Ignoring the grime on his face, she reached out with a pale, soft hand to gently caress the boy's cheek. It was the first time she had ever seen Roy look so heartbroken. Her last memory was the ground collapsing and being swallowed by the Lambton.
"The Lambton brought us deep into the Dungeon," Roy said. He caught her hand—it was cold, but he could feel a pulse and a returning warmth. A smile of pure relief spread across his face.
Roy immediately pulled potions from his ring—healing, stamina, mind, even an Elixir—and downed them one after another. Flashes of light flickered over his body as the medicine took effect. His face regained some color, though his mind remained weary and his body felt like it was falling apart. He had fought a Level 5 Spirit Soldier and survived a multi-hundred-meter fall, after all.
He handed a set of potions to Astraea as well. He had just brought her back; he wasn't about to let her go into cardiac arrest again. Astraea was incredibly cooperative, drinking each one in turn. However, as she drank, she noticed her lips felt a bit sore. Connecting the dots—the monster, the suffocation, and Roy's method of resuscitation...
Her breathing quickened. Her heart, which had remained as still as a pond for eons, felt stirred. She repeatedly told herself it was a necessary medical procedure. Roy, noticing her rapid breathing, feared another setback and turned to look at her.
Seeing his gaze, Astraea's beautiful face flushed a deep pink, the color spreading to her ears like a ripe peach. She let out a small cough to change the subject. "Cough! So... this is the Dungeon?"
She looked around curiously. Lush forests, massive trees that acted like giant platforms, and vines snaking across the ground—it was a mysterious and dangerous primordial jungle. As a goddess, she rarely entered the Dungeon, let alone this deep.
Roy scanned the surroundings. "If I'm not mistaken, we are on the 30th floor: the Jungle Gorge."
The smile faded from Astraea's face. The atmosphere turned somber. For the Astraea Familia, this floor was a graveyard of memories. Roy reached down and picked up a shard of a broken blade. When the Heavenly Blaze shattered the ceiling, these fragments had fallen with them.
Putting the pieces together, the silhouette became clear. Astraea pursed her lips. "This is Alise's sword... Crimson Order."
Roy understood. In the tragedy half a year ago, Ryu had used Luminous Wind to blow up Alise Lovell and the Juggernaut in a desperate final stand. The Juggernaut survived, but nothing was left of Alise. Her weapon's fragments had been blasted into the ceiling and eventually embedded into the rock as the Dungeon repaired itself. The Lambton was likely headed for the 37th floor, but passing through here allowed Roy to spot these shards and blow the ceiling open.
They had fallen onto the 30th floor. Their luck was maxed out. If they had fallen to the Deep Floors, they would be dead.
"Is this where those children left us?" Astraea sighed softly, her face etched with sorrow. She could feel the residue of her own divine blood on this land. She was a mother who had lost ten children; she only kept a strong front for Ryu's sake.
"At least one survived, didn't she?" Roy said softly. Astraea glared at him—was that how you comfort someone?
The tension broke. Astraea knew that rather than mourning the dead, she had to protect the child she had now: Roy. He was covered in wounds from protecting her. Her blue eyes filled with motherly concern as she touched his wounds. "Does it hurt?"
Roy smirked. "If you know it hurts, why are you touching it?"
Sassed by her own follower, Astraea didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Roy managed a weak smile. "I just don't like heavy atmospheres." Astraea realized she was learning more and more about Roy's true nature, and the thought made her happy.
"Lady Astraea," Roy said, his voice suddenly grave. "There is one thing I must make absolutely clear."
"What is it?"
"Never! Never! Never release your divine aura in the Dungeon!"
Astraea paused, then nodded. "I understand." Roy knew that a god releasing their aura would draw the Dungeon's wrath and summon "God Killers"—and they were in no condition to face that.
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Danmachi : Starting with an Elf (388 Chapter – Ongoing)
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