Though she disliked her own lack of strength, after Alice explained the reason for having her join another Familia, Lili felt a wave of relief inwardly.
Usually, Lili might complain about Hestia all the time, but their relationship wasn't actually bad—it was precisely because they were close that she felt comfortable teasing Hestia to her face.
Of course, if two people truly hated each other, the jabs would probably be even sharper.
But if Lili really had to choose a Familia to join, she'd definitely pick Hestia Familia.
"If that's the case, I choose to join Hestia Familia," Lili said seriously, looking at Alice.
"Hestia Familia? Why? Loki Familia is stronger, isn't it?" Although Alice had given Lili the choice between Loki and Hestia, Hestia Familia was indeed far weaker compared to Loki Familia.
"Well, I'm more familiar with Lady Hestia," Lili explained with a smile. "As for Loki Familia… they're a bit too strong for me."
"I know my own talent. After all these years, I'm still only Level 1. My stats haven't even reached a single D yet. Who knows how long it'll take for me to reach Level 2?"
"Loki Familia might tolerate an extra freeloader like me out of respect for you, Lady Alice, but when it comes to growth, I doubt anyone would bother working with me."
"Besides, I'm just a supporter—I have no talent for combat. Hestia Familia probably lacks supporters right now anyway."
After hearing Alice's reasoning, Lili had thought it over carefully.
Truth be told, she had already imagined what it would be like to join another Familia.
After all, Apollo Familia—the ones who had taken a liking to Alice—had easily kidnapped even Hestia and Bell, who were merely staying as guests. If she had been outside at the time, without a doubt, she would have been taken hostage too.
If Alice was home, Lili might be safe, but Alice couldn't stay home forever.
Just the day after tomorrow, Alice would be leaving on an expedition with Loki Familia, which meant she'd be away from home for several days again. Right now, other Familias in Orario might still be deterred after what happened to Apollo, but as time passed, that deterrence would fade.
What if someone took advantage of Alice's absence to kidnap Lili and use her as leverage?
Even if Alice stayed home, Lili still had to go out—whether to buy ingredients or materials, she couldn't avoid leaving the house.
So the best solution was for Lili to become stronger herself.
Only by growing stronger could she avoid being used as a hostage.
Powerful Familias wouldn't resort to such underhanded methods, but weaker ones, if driven to desperation, would definitely take the risk.
So even reaching Level 2 would be enough for Lili.
Alice wasn't a god; only a god's blessing could make Lili stronger. Hestia was a very good goddess—Lili had come to understand that well through their recent interactions.
As for Loki Familia, Alice might be familiar with them, but Lili wasn't.
So if she had to join a Familia, Hestia Familia felt like the best fit.
After listening to Lili's explanation, Alice nodded.
"Then tomorrow, let's head to Soma Familia," Alice said to Lili.
"Huh? Tomorrow?" Lili was stunned.
Alice looked at her as if it were obvious. "Of course. You're still technically a member of Soma Familia. If you're going to join Hestia Familia, the first thing we need to do is have Soma release you from his blessing, right?"
"So let's get some sleep now. Tomorrow, we'll go with Hestia to Soma Familia and ask God Soma to transfer your affiliation."
Alice stood up and patted Lili's head.
Then a tired expression spread across her face, and she couldn't hold back a yawn.
"Aaaah—"
"I need to sleep too. I haven't had a proper rest in seven days. After I get some good sleep tonight, we'll get up early tomorrow and settle your matter as quickly as possible. Then I can finally relax properly—I have to go on that expedition with Loki Familia the day after tomorrow."
As she spoke, Alice began undressing without a second thought. At the same time, Shanghai and Hourai suddenly appeared, flew to the wardrobe, and fetched Alice's pajamas before helping her change into them.
Once in her pajamas, Alice didn't even seem to notice Lili was still in the room. She burrowed into her blankets and fell asleep in less than a second.
The excitement from crafting puppets for seven days had instantly transformed into exhaustion.
Watching Alice fall asleep so quickly, Lili opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she just shook her head helplessly and returned to her own room.
Lying in her own bed, Lili tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She had imagined joining Hestia's Familia before, but she never expected it would happen so soon.
What's more, even before meeting Alice, she had always wanted to leave Soma Familia.
And now, tomorrow, her wish would finally come true. It was all too much for Lili to process calmly.
--+--
Meanwhile, there was someone else in Loki Familia who couldn't calm down.
After arriving at her study with Riveria, Loki went straight to her desk, opened a drawer, and skillfully retrieved a small document folder from a hidden compartment.
Inside that folder was supposed to be her picture book.
But now, as expected, the contents had been replaced by the draft of the transaction proposal she'd discussed with Alice.
"Just as I thought…" Loki opened the folder. Inside were only two or three pages—lists of manga titles they'd agreed on, a draft of the transaction contract, and selection notes for other Familias.
Riveria leaned in to look at the contents in Loki's hand and said with a smile,
"So you've confirmed it—you mixed up the picture book and this draft when you weren't thinking straight, right?"
"Yeah…" Loki tossed the three draft pages onto the desk and clutched her head in distress. "What should I do, Riveria? Alice is definitely going to be mad at me."
"Who knows?" Riveria shrugged. "She won't be mad at me, at least. Let her be angry with Lefiya."
"Mmm…" Loki bit her lip, then stood up abruptly. "No! If Alice is going to be mad at me, then I'll deal with Soma Familia first—maybe that'll lessen her anger a little."
"Riveria, tomorrow you take Lefiya and Ais with me to Soma Familia!"
"It might not be stealing, but they picked up my manga and didn't return it—instead, they went and sold it! I'm going to ask Soma just how he manages his children!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.