When Lili returned to her hidden hideout, she saw three familiar male adventurers.
"Well, if it isn't Arde~ Long time no see! Heard you've been pretty busy lately snatching stuff. So, how've the hauls been?"
One was a tiger beastman, the other two were humans.
They were sitting inside Lili's hidden shack, with part of the stolen goods she had hidden there—still not yet disposed of—laid out in front of them.
"But now that I think about it, Arde, your take can't be just this little, right? You know, I went through a whole lot of trouble to find this hideout of yours."
"As a reward for all my hard work, don't you think you should tell me where you've stashed all the money you scammed before?"
The tiger beastman narrowed his eyes, smiling as he looked at Lili.
But seeing that smile, Lili's face instantly turned pale. She couldn't help but take two steps back, her body trembling slightly.
"Why… Why are you all here?"
"Oh come now, Arde, what's with that tone? Aren't we all comrades from the same familia? When we ran into trouble, you were the first one we thought of."
"You've always been such a reliable partner. Ain't that right, you two?"
The tiger beastman grinned as he glanced at his two companions.
Hearing his words, the two human men burst into laughter.
"Boss is right! We're all familia pals here, Arde!"
"So, since we trust you so much, how about handing over all your money? We're pretty strapped for cash right now."
To Lili, these three were like devils—disgusting and terrifying.
She wanted to fight back, but she had no strength to resist.
Her hands clenched tightly, nails digging deep into her palms. She bit down hard on her lip until blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a calm tone.
"Lili's assets are only what's here. All the previous money was exchanged for gems and handed over to Lord Zanis for safekeeping. If you don't believe me, you can go confirm it with him."
"The goods in front of you are worth about two hundred thousand valis. Lili hasn't had time to process them yet. Since you found them, take everything and leave Lili's room."
Her voice started steady but gradually broke, trembling with unshed tears.
By the end, she couldn't hold back anymore—tears streamed down her cheeks.
Lili felt like a complete clown. She had betrayed her own conscience, done so many horrible things for money, all in the hopes of saving up enough to leave the familia.
But now she realized—what good was money?
Without strength, even if she saved up enough, she wouldn't be able to meet the god Soma or break free from the familia.
Without power, facing adventurers from her own familia, all they had to do was hold a blade to her throat, and she'd be utterly helpless—forced to submit to their exploitation.
In the room, the three men, led by the tiger beastman, stopped laughing after hearing Lili's words.
The tiger beastman furrowed his brow, stood up, and walked toward Lili.
"Listen here, Arde. I trusted you, so why are you lying to me? Huh?!" He raised his foot and kicked straight at Lili.
Seeing his movement, Lili instantly gritted her teeth and shut her eyes, bracing for the coming pain and humiliation.
But…
The pain never came. Instead, she heard a sharp, agonized scream.
"Agh!! What the—?! What is this thing?! You two, grab that damn puppet now!"
"We can't, boss! We're no match for these dolls!"
"Dammit! You've gotta be kidding me—this thing can use magic?!"
Hearing the chaos in the room, Lili opened her eyes. The scene before her made her jaw drop in shock.
Two exquisitely crafted dolls—one wielding a weapon, relentlessly chasing the tiger beastman—the other continuously launching fireballs and wind blades, attacking the other two men.
Looking at the dolls, Lili sensed a faint, familiar aura from them.
"That adventurer!" she instantly recalled—she had felt the same presence from the owner of the bag she had stolen.
What's more, the dolls resembled that girl, sharing similar features.
Bam!
Under the relentless pursuit of Shanghai and Hourai, the three men smashed right through the wall of Lili's house and fled.
"Damn it! I'll remember this, you cursed puppeteer!"
"The Soma Familia won't let you get away with this!"
Shouting threats, the three scrambled away in disgrace.
Meanwhile, Alice stood behind Lili, frowning slightly as she watched them escape. She tilted her head.
'Did I mess up? I have a feeling it would've been better to just finish them off…'
The surface and the Dungeon weren't the same.
The Dungeon had no rules.
But on the surface, rules and laws still existed—killing wasn't allowed.
If something happened, one could report it to the Guild through their patron god.
The Guild would investigate and provide a resolution for both parties—compensation where it was due, even if it came to paying with one's life.
But reporting was mandatory. Though private settlements were possible, if you handled things yourself, you had to make sure no other familia found out.
That was the unspoken rule beneath Orario's surface.
Alice didn't know all the details—she only knew that killing on the surface would lead to complicated consequences.
But after letting the three escape, it dawned on her—she might have made a mistake.
Compared to letting them go, cleanly eliminating them right there would've been much more convenient for her.
'Ah, whatever. I'm strong enough to protect myself now. Unless it's an adventurer above Level 5, I won't lose. And I'm not afraid of any number of adventurers below Level 4.'
Alice's strength was growing every day.
Now, she felt incredibly confident in her own power.
She glanced at Lili, who wasn't much shorter than her, and frowned.
"So… how should I deal with you?"
Originally, Alice had planned to teach a lesson to the thief who stole from her and set her up.
But after what had just happened, she found it hard to stay angry.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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