The plump, white pastries looked absolutely adorable.
They felt soft and pillowy in her hand, and with one bite, the sweet red bean paste inside burst forth—simply delicious.
"This is one of Lord Hermes's favorite shops," Asfi explained, holding her teacup. "I heard from him that it's run by members of the Takemikazuchi Familia, so it's authentic Eastern style." She took a small sip of tea, then frowned slightly and set the cup down.
"As I thought, I just can't get used to this bitter kind of tea."
With that, she called the server over and ordered a cup of black tea with sugar.
Alice, however, found the bitter tea strangely nostalgic.
"Matcha, huh… That bottomless ghost from the Hakugyokurou really seemed to like this kind of tea, didn't she?" Alice murmured softly before lifting her own cup and taking a sip.
Immediately, the intense bitterness spread across her tongue and jolted her senses.
It was… bracing.
Before she could stop herself, Alice stuck her tongue out a little. Nostalgic or not, the tea was seriously bitter. She decided then that compared to this rather astringent matcha, she far preferred black tea with milk and a cube of sugar.
"Not to your liking?" Asfi asked, smiling at Alice's cute reaction. She poured Alice a cup of the sweetened black tea. "Even though we just met on the road, we've already heard about your trouble with the Apollo Familia. So, Alice, what are you planning to do?"
After setting the ceramic teapot aside, Asfi looked at Alice seriously.
The sweet black tea easily washed away the lingering bitterness. Savoring the sugary flavor, a content smile spread across Alice's face.
"The Hermes Familia's intelligence network is truly impressive. I only just received Apollo's banquet invitation, and you already know about it?"
Alice smiled back at Asfi. "But before we talk about my plans, Asfi, as the captain of the Hermes Familia, now that you know I've crossed the Apollo Familia, will your attitude towards me change?"
"Hm?" Asfi looked puzzled. "I was talking about Hyakinthos ambushing you in public. Wait a moment—what banquet are you referring to?"
"Eh?" Alice blinked in surprise, tilting her head. "Apollo kidnapped Lady Hestia and her child to force me to attend his banquet three days from now. You didn't know about that?"
"...A banquet in three days…" Asfi studied Alice curiously. "Let me ask, when did the invitation from the Apollo Familia arrive?"
"This morning," Alice answered obediently.
"…" Asfi rested her elbows on the table, lowering her head slightly so her glasses gleamed. "Alice, while our Hermes Familia is a commerce-oriented group, and we do deal in information—and yes, our intelligence gathering is quite good—"
She looked steadily at Alice. "—we can't possibly know everything that happens in Orario. Especially when it comes to you, Alice, whose information is notoriously hard to collect."
Alice felt a pang of embarrassment under that gaze. She instinctively picked up her teacup and took a sip to hide her awkwardness.
"It's true," Asfi continued, "the Apollo Familia is holding a banquet in three days. In fact, the god Apollo hosts a banquet every month to invite the various patron gods."
"But previously, these banquets were exclusively for deities. This time, however, Lord Apollo has asked each god to bring their favored children along."
"I was wondering why a gods-only event would suddenly include children from other familias. Now that you mention Lord Apollo specifically invited you—and even kidnapped Lady Hestia to ensure it—"
"That means this banquet was most likely arranged specifically for you, Alice."
"The Apollo Familia is definitely planning something particular for you at this event."
Alice set her cup down. She seemed perfectly calm about the situation, clearly having already considered it. Her next words, however, took Asfi by surprise.
"So I was thinking, maybe I should just dismantle the Apollo Familia right at the banquet. That way, I hopefully won't have to deal with any more strange gods setting their sights on me."
"Think about it. While the Apollo Familia isn't a top-tier group like the Loki Familia, or even considered first-rate here in Orario…"
"...among the second-rate familias, their strength is quite respectable. Their captain is a Level 3 adventurer, and most other members are Level 2."
"That's a fairly powerful force. So if I were to just… blow up the Apollo Familia, it should serve as a pretty good deterrent, don't you think?"
Asfi blinked. "Hold on a second… Did you just say 'blow up' the Apollo Familia? Setting aside the sheer audacity of that idea, how would you even manage it? And don't forget, deities like Lady Loki and Lady Freya will be attending that banquet."
"Lady Loki is on good terms with you, so she might be one thing. But the goddess of beauty, Lady Freya, will undoubtedly bring Ottar, Orario's only Level 7 adventurer. If you try anything at the banquet, Ottar will intervene. Your plan would fail without a doubt."
The gap between adventurer levels grew exponentially the higher one went.
A rookie adventurer might challenge their Great Feat to level up with their basic abilities still at C or D rank. As a result, even after reaching Level 2, they could be weaker than a Level 1 who had maxed all their stats to S.
But the further up you went, the more terrifying the blessings became.
A Level 4 adventurer, even with all stats at zero and poor foundational development, would never be defeated by a Level 3.
Unless that Level 3 possessed some extraordinary ability.
Orario's sole Level 7 was, for all intents and purposes, an invincible existence.
"A Level 7 is indeed a massive deterrent," Alice conceded. "If I tried to blow up the Apollo Familia after the banquet started, it would risk harming many gods. And if someone like Ottar stepped in, my plan would definitely fail."
"But," she continued, a sly smile playing on her lips, "what if no one actually shows up for the Apollo Familia's banquet when it begins?"
"Hey, Asfi," Alice leaned forward slightly, her expression turning mischievous. "I've recently developed a new type of puppet. As a commercial familia, would you be interested in adding a rather unique product to your merchandise lineup?"
--+--
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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