Aiden quickly forced himself to calm down, and his deeply furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
He was probably... just overreacting.
There was more than one ancient seal hidden within the Great Forest, and the ones who took the quest were the Hermes Familia, not the Artemis Familia. More importantly, the timeline didn't line up with his memories.
It should still be at least a month or two before that white-haired boy, Bell Cranel, arrived in Orario.
"What's wrong? Is there something off about this quest?" Eina asked, watching his rapidly shifting expressions with concern.
"Sorry, it's nothing. I was just... overthinking things." Aiden shook his head, apologizing for his sudden outburst.
After finalizing Castorice's paperwork, Aiden took her and left the Guild. However, sitting alone at her desk, Eina couldn't shake a lingering sense of unease.
Driven by her professional instincts as an advisor, she stood up and walked into the Guild's archives, pulling the intelligence file for the Hermes Familia's latest commission.
The parchment records were clear and precise: the quest objective, the designated area, the known hazards... Everything seemed perfectly standard.
Except, under the section listing the commissioned Familias, she noticed a second name written right beside the Hermes Familia.
—Artemis Familia.
"Ah, so it's a joint expedition..." Eina nodded in understanding. Thinking nothing more of it, she slipped the file back onto the shelf.
After leaving the Guild, Aiden didn't take Castorice straight back to Palais Mermonia. Instead, he led her directly to the Stardust Garden.
There, he sought out the new Captain of the Astrea Familia, Cecil Brakelisa.
"I need you to forge a long scythe for her," Aiden said, cutting straight to the chase and introducing the slightly awkward Castorice to the blacksmith.
Cecil's gaze lingered on Castorice's delicate frame for a moment, her brow creasing in doubt.
A scythe was a highly irregular weapon, incredibly rare among Orario's adventurers. It demanded an astronomical level of technique and precision to wield effectively, let alone by a frail-looking rookie like the girl standing before her.
"Aiden, with all due respect," Cecil said, adopting the stern, uncompromising tone of a master blacksmith, "a scythe isn't a toy for showing off. If she's only picking it because it looks intimidating, she's only going to get herself killed in the Dungeon. If that's the case, I'm refusing this commission."
The last thing she wanted was to enable a hot-headed rookie who treated life-and-death weapon selection like a game of dress-up.
Aiden didn't argue. He simply smiled and gave Castorice an encouraging nod.
Taking the cue, Castorice stepped forward and casually picked up a wooden practice staff from a nearby weapon rack.
She closed her eyes. In an instant, the timid aura surrounding her vanished completely.
The next second, the wooden staff seemingly came alive in her hands. She carved a series of elegant, lethally precise arcs through the air, the sheer speed of her strikes whipping up a howling gale inside the training yard.
This wasn't mindless swinging; it was a sublime display of martial artistry, forged through grueling repetition and deeply ingrained muscle memory.
Cecil's eyes went wide. Her initial skepticism shattered, replaced by shock, and finally settling into absolute, undeniable approval.
"I understand." She looked at Castorice, who had gracefully returned to a resting stance, and nodded solemnly. "I will forge the absolute perfect weapon for her."
When the two of them finally returned to Palais Mermonia, Castorice's room had already been completely made over by Hyacine, Tifa, and the others.
Pushing the door open, a warm, elegant atmosphere washed over them.
The room was decorated in soft hues of pale purple and crisp white, perfectly tailored to Castorice's aesthetic. A massive, solid wood bookshelf stood against the wall, already stuffed to the brim with Orario's latest trending light novels and manga—everything from Heroic Tales to The Elf's Magical Fantasy, personally hunted down by Hyacine.
A delicate, finely crafted writing desk sat by the window. In a dedicated corner of the room, a plush rug had been laid out, topped with an assortment of colorful threads, fabrics, knitting tools, and a basket brimming with materials for crafting artificial flowers.
These were undeniably Hyacine's doing; she knew exactly what her old friend loved.
Several adorable butterfly throw pillows rested on the incredibly soft bed. The entire space radiated a profound sense of comfort and safety.
Surrounded by a dear friend like Hyacine and a Captain like Aiden—who could touch her without fear—the newly arrived Castorice adapted to her new home remarkably fast.
But it was an unexpected discovery that brought her the greatest joy.
One day, while greeting her, Jeanne d'Arc naturally reached out and patted her on the shoulder.
Castorice instinctively flinched, bracing for the inevitable tragedy—but the horrific withering never came.
Jeanne's hand was warm and firm. The sensation left Castorice completely frozen in place.
"I... I can touch you too?" Jeanne stared at her own hand in shock.
Her [Saint] skill granted her the absolute highest tier of anomaly resistance. Evidently, Castorice's curse—a power that even the gods found troublesome—fell perfectly within the scope of her divine immunity.
The discovery left Castorice ecstatic.
She deeply craved the warmth of human contact, but since Aiden was a man, every touch left her incredibly flustered and shy. Discovering that Jeanne—a fellow girl—could safely touch her brought tears of overwhelming relief to her eyes.
Naturally, the responsibility of helping Castorice acclimate to the world fell squarely onto Jeanne's shoulders. Whether it was teaching her the harsh realities of the Dungeon or walking her through the bustling streets of Orario, Jeanne was always by her side.
With Jeanne acting as her shield and guide, Aiden could finally breathe easy. He no longer had to hawk-watch Castorice's every move, terrified that her lethal skill might cause a disaster in the city.
Once Castorice fully familiarized herself with Orario, he had no doubt that it wouldn't be long before the city welcomed the birth of a highly talented, albeit mysterious, fanfiction author. You know the type—the infamous master of pen names who loves to start a million brilliant stories, refuses to finish any of them, and leaves countless readers oscillating between fierce love and agonizing hatred.
A month flew by in the blink of an eye.
Castorice's life within the Focalors Familia settled into a comfortable, steady rhythm. Accompanied by Robin, Tifa, and the others, she made numerous trips into the Dungeon, her stats skyrocketing at a terrifying pace. It wouldn't be long before she accumulated enough Great Feats to successfully level up to Level 2.
Since the Hermes Familia still hadn't returned, Aiden was forced to seek an alternative solution. He eventually tracked down Airmid Teasanare, the Captain of the Dian Cecht Familia.
He commissioned Orario's premier healer and master item-maker to craft a specialized set of magic-infused clothing specifically designed to isolate Castorice's curse. The design was a perfect replica of the white and purple dress she arrived in.
Thanks to Airmid's masterful work, once Castorice donned her new combat dress, she was finally free from the constant, gnawing terror of accidentally harming someone.
And true to form, during that exact same month, an incredibly talented fanfiction author quietly debuted in Orario. Her beautifully delicate prose quickly sparked heated discussions among novel enthusiasts and a growing cult following of adventurers.
Of course, no one had the faintest idea who the mysterious author actually was.
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