As a puppeteer.
In her memories, back in Gensokyo, she'd always controlled her puppets with threads from her fingers.
But Alice? She rarely used strings to manipulate her dolls; they were mostly autonomous.
So, Alice seldom resorted to thread control.
Nowadays, if Alice used threads, it was just to have an extra emergency measure up her sleeve. And right now was the perfect time to use it.
"Anya?" To be honest, Alice wasn't familiar with the staff of the Hostess of Fertility, having only been there twice.
And during those two visits, the first time she was practically force-fed, and the second time she ended up completely drunk.
So, she wasn't exactly keen on dealing with that tavern or the people in it.
Especially this girl now bound in front of her, who gave Alice a distinct feeling of 'better stay away.'
Seeing that Alice seemed not to know who Anya was, Syr quickly explained, "Anya is one of our waitresses, a cat girl. Her brother is a Level 5 adventurer from the Freya Familia."
"Today, I accidentally pulled all the fur off Anya's tail. Her brother saw it, and even though there's a hair growth potion that'll have her fur back in ten minutes, he got really angry. I'm running for it right now."
"So, Alice-chan! Even if you won't help hide me, please just let me go. Anya's brother will be here any second! I just managed to lose him!"
Syr looked at Alice pleadingly.
Hearing this, Alice gave Syr a helpless look, set her down on the ground, and retracted her threads.
"By the way, we're not really acquainted, are we?" Alice had only met Syr once and didn't know her well, yet Syr had affectionately called her 'Alice-chan.' This girl was a bit of a handful—way too familiar too fast.
"You might not know me well, but I know all about you, Alice-chan! I bought three copies of your picture book these past two days!"
Syr held up three fingers, boasting proudly.
Then, suddenly remembering she was still being chased, she hurriedly said to Alice, "Alice-chan, if a cat person adventurer asks if you've seen me, please just throw him off my trail. I've gotta dash!"
With that, Syr hitched up her skirt and started running again. In the blink of an eye, she'd vanished into the crowd, leaving even Alice unable to spot her.
"This girl..." Alice shook her head helplessly. "Let's go, Ais. Ais?"
Alice called out to leave, but Ais stood still, not moving.
"What's wrong?" Alice asked, puzzled.
Ais pointed at the ground. "This. That girl dropped it."
"That girl dropped something?" Alice followed Ais's finger and saw a thick book on the ground. Even just a glance told her the material was incredibly precious, without even needing to touch it.
It had an ancient, rustic feel, yet the cover was exceptionally ornate.
The aesthetically pleasing patterns drew Alice's gaze, and she unconsciously bent down to pick the book up from the ground.
"This book..."
As Alice picked it up, an intensely familiar sensation emanated from the book, as if it had been with her for many long years.
Setting that strange feeling aside.
Alice could also sense the book's value. She gently stirred the magic power within her and found it flowed through the book with remarkable smoothness.
Moreover, every single page of the book was made of incredibly durable parchment.
In Alice's estimation, just the cost of the materials alone could rival the value of Lefiya's staff.
That wasn't even mentioning the craftsmanship involved in binding it into a book.
This book was a rare treasure, especially for a mage—it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
"Syr..." Alice looked at the book in her hands, shaking her head with a wry smile. "This is really..."
"What is it?" Ais looked at Alice, confused.
"Nothing. It's just that I've inadvertently incurred a very large favor." Alice stroked the thick book in her arms and sighed resignedly.
"Is that book very valuable?" Ais looked curiously at the book Alice held.
In Orario, there existed books called Grimoires. When adventurers read them, they could acquire magic from within. In Ais's view, the book in Alice's hands was likely one of these Grimoires.
"Extremely valuable. To me, it's practically equivalent to the sword in your hand, or the staff wielded by Riveria."
"Can't you return it to her?" Ais asked, puzzled.
"I can't." Hearing Ais's question, Alice looked even more resigned. "Now that this book is in my hands, no matter the cost, I'm going to keep it."
Now Alice understood.
Why she had felt that strange sense of familiarity mixed with a desire to keep her distance from Syr. It was because this feeling was exactly the same as the one Freya gave her.
"Ah... Aside from the Loki Familia and the Guild, the only familia that could possess something like this is the Freya Familia."
Alice gently ran her hand over the book's cover. The rough texture felt surprisingly comfortable and right in her hands.
"If you can't return it, then just keep it. A suitable and capable weapon is very important." In Ais's view, if Alice wanted it, she should just keep it.
Some things are met by chance, not by search. Since she'd encountered it, she shouldn't let it go. So what if she owed money or a favor? If she felt it was right for her, she could just repay it gradually.
"I suppose that's the only way." Alice hugged the book and nodded reluctantly.
"Now, let's head straight to the Dungeon."
Once her decision was made, Alice wouldn't dwell on it further. This book, this blank Grimoire, from this moment on, had become [Alice's Grimoire].
Now, having obtained this Grimoire, Alice was itching to inscribe some spells into it, then head to the Dungeon to test just how much of a boost this book could give her.
After Alice and Ais had left.
From within a narrow alleyway, Syr peeked out, watching Alice's retreating figure. She patted her chest in relief, but also felt a bit troubled.
'Seems like my cover's been blown... How am I supposed to face her next time..'
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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.
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