As Alice wrapped up her studies for the day, Hestia and Bell had also returned to their dilapidated church to turn in for the night.
Sitting in her parlor, sipping black tea, Alice felt a twinge of worry.
She and Lili had parted ways in the late afternoon, at dusk. Now it was fully dark—three whole hours had passed between six and nine o'clock.
Orario was a big city, but one Lili knew well.
The list of materials Alice had given her wasn't particularly hard to find. Under normal circumstances, any decently stocked shop should have had everything. Half an hour would've been plenty to gather it all.
Add in travel time…
Even though Alice lived in a relatively remote area, it should've only taken forty minutes or so to walk back at a leisurely pace.
Lili was quick on her feet—she might've been even faster.
All in all, it shouldn't have taken more than an hour and a half.
But now it had been three full hours, and Lili still wasn't back. Alice couldn't help feeling concerned.
"I hope that child hasn't run into any trouble," Alice murmured, gazing out at the night sky with a worried expression.
Suddenly—
A knock came at the door, followed by Lili's voice.
"Lady Alice! Lili's back!"
Hearing her, Alice let out a sigh of relief and stood up, making her way to the door.
When she opened it, there stood Lili, a huge pack strapped to her back, beaming up at Alice.
"The materials on your list were all really inexpensive, Lady Alice, so Lili took the liberty of buying a little extra."
As a Pallum, Lili was quite petite, though she still stood about three and a half feet tall.
The enormous backpack she carried, however, looked to Alice like it was definitely taller than Lili herself—and stuffed absolutely full.
It was big enough to fit two or three Lilis inside.
"Lili… just how much did you buy?" Alice stared at the massive backpack in astonishment. "And you're so strong! That's amazing."
"Hehe." Lili ducked her head shyly at the praise. "Lili isn't really that strong. It's just that she has a skill that adjusts her stats when she's carrying heavy loads."
"Basically, the heavier the things Lili carries, the stronger she becomes. If she isn't bearing any weight, her attributes go back to normal."
"Lili doesn't have much talent as an adventurer, but she makes a pretty good supporter."
At this, she sounded a little downcast.
"But Lady Alice has spatial magic… so you probably don't need a supporter like Lili."
Spatial magic wasn't entirely unheard of in Orario, but it was exceedingly rare—and most of it wasn't the storage kind.
The spatial magic adventurers typically possessed could only move objects short distances—teleporting an item from one spot to another nearby.
Nothing particularly special.
Magic was already difficult to learn, and spatial magic was even harder. The Blessing could only develop magic related to the user—usually elemental magic. Spatial magic almost never emerged that way.
Magic books could unlock spells within one's Falna, but compared to straightforward attack magic or healing spells—which were far more popular among adventurers—spatial magic was often seen as impractical. Without careful development, it lacked flashy effects and was mostly useful for support.
In Lili's eyes, Lady Alice's spatial magic was incredibly powerful. She didn't know exactly how much it could hold, but when they'd gone shopping before, Alice had stored all her daily necessities inside it.
The interior of her spatial magic was vast.
Which meant if Lady Alice ever went into the Dungeon, she really wouldn't need a supporter.
Seeing Lili's dejected expression, Alice smiled softly and reached out to gently pat her head.
"Don't worry about that, Lili. You're plenty useful just as you are. Come inside for now—I've had the dolls set up your room. You can hand that big backpack to Shanghai and Hourai."
"You must not have eaten yet, and you've been running around all day."
"Would you like to bathe first, or eat first?"
After ushering Lili inside, Shanghai and Hourai flew over and took the enormous backpack from her.
Thankfully, Alice's doorway was wide enough—otherwise, that pack never would've fit.
Stepping into Alice's home and hearing her calm, everyday questions, Lili felt a sudden warmth spread through her chest.
For as long as she could remember, Lili had never had a stable place to live. Because of the Soma Familia, she'd always had to seek out hidden, out-of-the-way spots to stay.
Meals and baths were taken in secret, too.
But today—she had a room where she didn't have to worry about being captured in her sleep, food prepared by someone else, and the chance to bathe in peace.
This kind of life… for fifteen-year-old Lili, it was something she hadn't experienced in five or six years.
She felt her nose sting and her vision blur slightly. Lifting a hand to cover her face, she eventually smiled brightly at Alice.
"Lady Alice, Lili will take a bath first. She'll eat after she's clean."
But when she turned, she noticed Alice staring, dumbfounded, into the now-open backpack—filled to the brim with materials Lili had bought for her.
"Lady Alice?" Lili tilted her head, watching her with a nervous look. "Is something wrong? Did Lili buy the wrong things?!"
If she'd messed up her very first errand… that would've been just awful.
Especially since she'd puffed out her chest and promised she could handle it.
Just as Lili was starting to fret, Alice asked, "Lili, how much did all these materials cost?"
"Huh?" Lili blinked, then answered promptly, "Many of the items on your list were very cheap, Lady Alice. So even though Lili bought twice the amount, it only came to two hundred thousand valis."
Then she asked shyly, "Did Lili pay too much? If so, please let Lili know what your budget is next time. She's very good at haggling."
"Lili thought you might need these materials urgently, so she didn't bargain too hard with the shopkeepers."
Hearing that, Alice felt… complicated.
"Lili… from now on, you're in charge of buying all the materials I need."
"Also, Lili—since you managed to get this much for just two hundred thousand, does that mean you have a good sense of market prices for rare items, too?"
An idea began forming in Alice's mind.
"Huh? More or less," Lili nodded.
"Mmm, good." Alice's eyes lit up. "In that case, I'm putting you in charge of sales at my future doll shop! You'll handle all the doll transactions!"
Alice stood in front of Lili, patting her firmly on the shoulder.
"Huh? Ah! Yes, ma'am!"
Lili beamed with delight.
--+--
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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