Lili didn't want to do bad things.
But to achieve her own goals, with the limited skills she had, the only way for her to earn money was through dishonest means.
She was well aware that words like these coming from her own mouth held little persuasiveness, yet she still had to say them—because they were her truest feelings.
If she wanted this kind and powerful adventurer in front of her to protect her, then she absolutely couldn't hide anything or hold back any part of her thoughts.
Even if her attempt to win over this girl was driven by her own motives…
Even if protecting her would bring some trouble to the other party…
Lili believed that more than smooth talk, the girl before her would prefer honesty.
"You want me to protect you?" Alice raised an eyebrow, looking curiously at the little Pallum in front of her.
Truth be told, Alice was quite intrigued by Lili's words.
Whether in Gensokyo or in this world, Alice had never encountered someone who said they wanted to rely on her.
The idea of "protection" felt refreshingly new to Alice.
"Yes…" Lili paused briefly before calmly explaining her situation. "Lili is a member of the Soma Familia. From the moment she was born, she had no choice but to join."
"But the god Soma of our Familia isn't a responsible deity. He only cares about brewing wine. And the members of the Soma Familia… they're all scum. Their only pursuit is alcohol."
"Lili wants to escape this Familia, but she has no chance to meet God Soma."
"In the Soma Familia, everything is managed by the captain, Zanis Lustra. To even request an audience with God Soma, you have to pay a large sum of money."
"You once said that strength is what matters most, and Lili agrees. But… Lili doesn't have the talent to be an adventurer. Her basic attributes grow very slowly. No matter how hard she trains, her progress is minimal."
"So, Lili had no choice but to keep doing bad things—stealing and deceiving other adventurers to get money."
"But after what happened today, as you saw, they've started targeting Lili. Even if she continues doing bad things to earn money, they'll just take it from her."
"Lili isn't strong enough to fight back."
"So, Lili begs for your protection. If you're willing to shelter her, Lili will do anything for you."
Lili's tone was calm, but Alice could hear the sincerity in her words—and the despair behind them.
Alice scratched her head, completely unsure how to handle the situation.
Protecting Lili wasn't really an issue for Alice. If anyone came looking for trouble, she wasn't afraid of a fight.
She'd heard of the Soma Familia before. Back when her dolls became popular, many of the counterfeits being sold were produced by them.
She'd found out about it after the fact, but it certainly didn't improve her opinion of them.
This girl in front of her, though… was full of surprises.
Alice wasn't afraid of the Soma Familia, and she didn't care if they caused trouble for her. What she was more concerned about was—if she agreed to protect this girl—what was she supposed to do with her?
She'd always lived alone. Even though she had neighbors now, Alice hadn't planned on changing her solitary lifestyle.
Maybe it was better to just refuse…
But if she turned this girl away, Alice had a feeling she would fall into even deeper despair.
Killing someone with her own hands meant nothing to Alice.
But she only killed people she disliked, people who deserved to die.
Like those three scumbags in the Dungeon who saw her and decided to attack.
People like that—Alice could eliminate without a shred of guilt. There was always some trash in this world that needed cleaning up.
But…
Alice didn't think this girl in front of her was trash that needed to be removed.
She could feel the sincerity in Lili's words.
Alice was certain that if she really did protect this girl, once Lili had a stable life, she would never do bad things again.
But if she refused… this child might be driven to extremes.
And the end of that extreme path… would be destruction.
Alice wouldn't care about strangers dying, no matter how tragic their ends. But this child had already reached out to her. If she turned her away…
And if, because of that rejection, this girl was driven to despair and death… Alice would feel responsible.
"Haa…"
Alice let out a deep sigh. Her mind drifted back to the carefree days of Gensokyo, to that version of herself who lived in solitude, with only a certain black-and-white magician as a friend. A faint smile touched her lips.
'I'm not that lonely, shut-in Alice anymore. Even if my life now isn't all that different… I can still change.'
Just as Alice was about to agree to Lili's request—
Lili spoke up again.
"Miss Adventurer, earlier when Lili told those three from the Soma Familia that she'd converted all her assets into gems and entrusted them to Captain Zanis…"
"That was a lie."
"Lili did convert all her money into gems, but she stored them in a vault rented from the Dwarves."
"If converted back to cash, the gems would be worth about 1.5 million valis."
"If you're willing to protect Lili, she will give all of it to you."
Lili's tone was firm.
And Alice… was stunned.
"1.5 million?!" Alice stared at Lili in disbelief.
"Yes. 1.5 million," Lili nodded.
Alice took a deep breath, then said helplessly, "With 1.5 million valis, you don't need to seek protection from me. You could go to another Familia, couldn't you?"
"Even the Adventurer's Guild would help, right? They could intervene and appeal to God Soma to release you from your Blessing."
Hearing this, Lili fell silent for a moment before lowering her head.
"Lili doesn't trust them."
"And you trust me? 1.5 million might not be a huge sum for a high-class adventurer, but it's still a lot."
"Aren't you afraid I'll only protect you for the money? That I'll take your fortune and abandon you?"
Alice massaged her temples.
"Lili believes in you," she said, her eyes clear and earnest as she looked straight at Alice.
--+--
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