"Alice-chan, wanna come along?"
Loki, who'd already resolved to squeeze at least a hundred million valis out of Soma, turned to look at Alice.
"Hmm?" Alice blinked, a puzzled expression on her face. "Why would I go?"
"Eh?" Loki was now the one looking confused. "Why wouldn't you come?"
"So why should I go?"
The two stared at each other for a moment before Alice spoke again. "My main reason for coming here was about Lili's situation. Now that Lili's matter is settled, my objective is complete. So there's no need for me to go to the Guild."
Hearing this, Loki thought it over briefly. "Well, put that way, I suppose that makes sense. But my goal is about the manga. Are you really sure you don't wanna come, Alice?"
"I'll pass. We have the expedition tomorrow. Once I get back, I need to do some preparations. If I don't, I'll be completely flustered once we hit the Dungeon."
For the past seven days, Alice had done nothing but make puppets. For the upper floors of the maze, she wouldn't need much preparation, but if they were heading to the deep levels, she definitely needed to get ready.
After all, her current combat strength topped out at around Level 4 at best.
Combined with her Seven Luminaries Magic and her puppets, Alice could unleash significant firepower.
The higher an adventurer's level, the greater the gap between each rank became—it wasn't something you could just bridge casually.
Alice's role in the party was the same as Lefiya's: she was a magical artillery battery, the main source of offensive firepower. She could be incredibly effective in the Dungeon, but by the same token, she also needed others to protect her.
This was the lower Dungeon, after all. The combat strength of Shanghai and Hourai wasn't enough to withstand the attacks of the monsters down there.
Right now, the only puppet Alice possessed that could be considered to have Level 4 strength was the Goliath Doll she had just finished creating.
"An expedition, huh..." Loki frowned at the mention of it. "Alice-chan, is it absolutely necessary for you to go? For someone like you, growing stronger doesn't require the Dungeon, does it?"
Alice wasn't an adventurer. Her growth didn't depend on a Falna.
She could grow steadily stronger just by holing up at home and practicing her magic.
"While it's true I can get stronger through training alone, I can't just stay cooped up at home forever," Alice replied with a slight smile. "Don't worry about the manga. We can discuss it in detail after I get back."
"That's not what I'm worried about..." Loki shook her head helplessly. "Ah, forget it. Since you've made up your mind, Alice-chan, I won't say anymore. But when you're in the Dungeon, you must be extremely careful, understand?"
"Don't worry, I have no intention of dying." Alice gave a calm, soft smile. "Well then, I'll be going now."
With that, Alice walked over to Hestia.
Taking Lili with them, Alice and the others began heading home.
Watching Alice's departing figure, Soma spoke quietly to Loki. "Loki, who is that child?"
"Alice. Alice Margatroid. A puppeteer. A witch from another world, cherished by an entire world." A faint smirk played on Loki's lips.
"Another world..." A flicker of astonishment passed through Soma's eyes. "No wonder. With just a single glance, one can feel that child is... exceptionally unique."
"Ara~ Let me give you a piece of advice, Soma. Don't you dare get any ideas about Alice. Apollo set his sights on her, and Alice-chan used her own methods to make him release his Arcanum right in front of all the gods, getting himself sent back to Heaven."
"And most importantly, Alice-chan prefers women. So as a male, you stand absolutely zero chance."
Loki's tone was light and casual.
Soma felt a wave of helplessness. "I am not Apollo. While I find that child deeply intriguing, I have more pressing matters to attend to now. Still, could you tell me more about Alice?"
"No problem there. But these days, you can just take a stroll through the streets and hear all sorts of stories about her."
"Is that so? I understand." Soma nodded seriously. "In that case, are we still going to the Guild?"
"Nope~! As long as you agree to the compensation, there's no need to go." Loki waved her hands dismissively.
Although she claimed members of Soma Familia had stolen her manga, the truth was she'd lost it herself. If some particularly stubborn folks at the Guild decided to investigate, they could easily find out.
So, as long as Soma agreed to pay up now, there wouldn't be any problems.
"I see..." Soma let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Loki's words.
For Soma, if Loki were truly intent on dragging him to the Guild and filing a formal complaint against his Familia, there was little he could do about it.
As a god, Soma was no fool. The children of his Familia were, to put it bluntly, a hopeless bunch. There was no way they could have stolen anything from Loki Familia.
But his children had clearly gotten their hands on something from Loki Familia recently; otherwise, they wouldn't have had so much money to buy him brewing materials.
If Loki insisted that his children were the thieves, he had no defense. Given Loki Familia's reputation, the Guild was unlikely to take his side, especially considering the significant problems plaguing Soma Familia.
And so, with one god eager to strike and the other willing to bear it, the two deities signed a compensation agreement.
Soma Familia, without permission from Loki Familia, had unlawfully sold manga drawn by Loki, obtaining a large sum of money. Soma Familia was to return the full amount.
A simple agreement, signed just like that, somewhat arbitrarily.
Yet, bound by the power of their divine oaths, Soma was compelled to fulfill the agreement's terms.
Now that the contract was signed, if Soma failed to provide the compensation as stipulated, Loki could take the matter straight to Ouranos.
In that scenario, Soma wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Looking at the parchment now bearing both their handprints, Loki nodded in satisfaction. "Soma~ Now that the agreement is signed, I'll be heading back. You'd better start earning that money quickly, you hear?"
Loki patted Soma on the shoulder, then turned to Riveria and the other two. "It's settled. Let's head back."
She tucked the parchment away, thoroughly pleased with herself, and led Riveria and the others away, leaving Soma standing alone within his Familia's home.
"Zanis... What do you think I should do with you?"
Soma's gaze fell upon Zanis, who was still lying on the ground, pretending to be dead.
"Since I've decided to properly manage this Familia, what would you say to me starting with you, the captain?"
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