Standing once more before the gates of the Loki Familia.
This time, Alice's status was completely different from before—and so was her state of mind.
The main reason was that she had come with Loki herself, unlike last time when she'd been stopped by that werewolf. But the bigger reason was that she'd run into that very same werewolf, Bete, once again.
The guy had always been full of himself, but the moment he laid eyes on Alice, his expression turned even darker.
So there he was, Bete, back from monster hunting in the dungeon and ready to head into the familia for some rest. But the moment he spotted the four figures waiting at the entrance, he immediately turned to leave.
Even though Loki's eyes were often narrowed into slits, barely visible, her vision was scarily sharp.
Even though Bete had caught Alice's scent from afar thanks to his keen sense of smell, Loki still noticed the instant he tried to slip away.
"Hey there~~~ Bete~~~ Look who we brought!" Loki's voice was dripping with mischief, a wide grin plastered across her face.
"Tch…" Hearing Loki's voice, Bete knew there was no avoiding what was coming. He really didn't want to apologize.
But now that he'd been spotted, trying to run away would just be pathetic.
With a slight curl of his lip, Bete reluctantly walked over until he stood in front of Alice. He took a deep breath.
"My apologies. Last time I was too full of myself. I hope you can forgive me."
His tone was flat, almost robotic. He offered no bow, and his voice was rough. Though the words were an apology, everything else about him screamed the opposite.
Whap!
Loki smacked Bete squarely on the head.
Even though Bete stood at a tall six feet, his usual slightly hunched posture—a trait of his race and fighting style—made him seem not much taller than Loki, who was just around five foot five. So it was easy for her to reach up and whack him.
"Hey now! If you're gonna apologize, do it properly! What kind of half-hearted mess is this? I don't remember raising any kids in my familia who can't own up to their mistakes," Loki scolded, sounding like a disappointed parent.
"Stand up straight, chest out, and apologize like you mean it!"
Watching the two of them interact, Alice couldn't help but feel amused, though she held back a laugh—it would've been too rude.
"Hah…" Bete took a deep breath after being reprimanded, visibly suppressing the frustration tensing his brow.
Then he straightened up, arms stiff at his sides, and bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle to Alice.
"What I did last time was wrong! I'm sorry!"
This time, his apology was earnest.
Sure, he had a sharp tongue and a rotten attitude. Even with his own familia members, Bete never held back.
But there was no doubt about it—Loki had seen something in him. Though his personality left much to be desired, at his core, Bete was a good person.
And proud, too.
Apologizing so formally like this might've bruised his ego, but stubbornly refusing to admit he was wrong?
That was something Bete couldn't stand.
Besides, if Alice had really been a spy from another familia—someone with ill intentions toward the Loki Familia—then his actions that day would've been justified.
But Alice was just someone who wanted to join.
That made Bete the very thing he despised most: someone who used their strength to bully those weaker than themselves.
Seeing Bete apologize so sincerely left Alice flustered. She glanced toward Loki, almost pleading for help.
Noticing Alice's nervousness, Loki smiled gently.
"Alice, do you forgive this guy?"
"Yes." Hearing Loki's voice helped Alice relax a little. "From Mr. Bete's perspective at the time, he wasn't entirely wrong. If you had explained things more clearly from the beginning, Loki, I don't think Mr. Bete would have stopped me."
"Huh???" Alice's earnest response took Loki by surprise. "Um… sweetie, Bete's the one apologizing here."
"I know." Alice smiled. "But when you get down to it, the problem started with you, didn't it, Lady Loki?"
Alice's smile was bright, but Loki couldn't help but swallow nervously before scratching her head in resignation.
"Alright, alright, it was my fault. But now that everything's out in the open, we're good, right? Let's head inside."
"Mm." With a light laugh, Alice followed Loki into the Loki Familia.
The study in the Loki Familia home didn't have nearly as many books as Patchouli's library.
But without a doubt, every volume in Loki's collection was rare and valuable. Just picking one up at random, you'd likely find it was related to magic or something equally profound.
Even though Bete had apologized, that didn't mean he wanted to stick around Alice.
Both Loki and Riveria had their own business to attend to, leaving only Lefiya relatively free.
So, in the study, it was Lefiya who kept Alice company.
Sitting on the sofa, Lefiya watched Alice, who was seated across from her, completely absorbed in a beginner's guide to swordsmanship. She seemed totally enthralled.
Lost in her book, Alice didn't pay Lefiya any mind.
For Lefiya, trying to figure out how to start a conversation was agony. They'd talked before, but back then, Alice was just an ordinary doll maker.
Now, without a doubt, Alice was someone the entire Loki Familia had to take seriously. Lefiya had no idea how to approach her, even though she was burning with questions.
Like the magic Bete had mentioned—Alice's magic.
Lefiya was intensely curious.
How could someone use magic without a blessing? Without even a chant?
The mysteries surrounding Alice fascinated her.
After wrestling with herself for what felt like ages, Lefiya finally worked up the courage to speak.
"Um… Alice?" she ventured timidly.
"Hmm?" Alice didn't look up, still focused on the book in her hands. Even though it was just a beginner's guide to swordplay—something most adventurers wouldn't look twice at—to Alice, these fundamentals were the most important.
"What is it, Lefiya? You've been fidgeting for a while." Alice could sense Lefiya's unease, though she wasn't sure what was causing it.
"Can I… ask you something? Is it true you can use magic without chanting? That you can just… release it?"
--+--
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.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.