Chapter 7

After finishing their meal, Sitonai stretched with a satisfied sigh. "Ahh, that hit the spot! You know, for a dungeon, this place isn't all bad.

If you ignore the bloodthirsty monsters, the overwhelming sense of impending doom, and the fact that we're like 30 something floors underground."

Alfia rolled her eyes as she stood up. "We should keep moving."

Sitonai nodded, brushing the dust off her outfit. "Yeah, yeah. You're the boss, Miss Level Seven."

With their break over, the two resumed their journey upward, making their way toward the 37th floor. However, before they could ascend further—

Clang!

A chilling metallic sound echoed through the cavernous hall. The oppressive air thickened, and Alfia's sharp eyes flickered to the shadows ahead. Emerging from the darkness, their bone-white bodies glinting in the dim light, was the Udaeus.

The large skeletal warrior, their hollow eye sockets burned with a purple glow as they locked onto their prey.

Sitonai blinked. "Huh. That looks pretty familiar."

Alfia narrowed her eyes. "They are nothing special."

The moment she said that, the Udaeus let out a bellowing roar before charging forward, raising its blade high. The air trembled under the force of its swing.

Sitonai sighed dramatically. "Well, if you say so."

The fight lasted less than a minute.

Alfia's magic blasted through one of the creatures before it could properly react, the sheer force of her aria-laced attack reducing it to little more than dust.

At the same time, Sitonai stepped forward, casually raising a single hand.

A frigid mist swirled around her palm, coalescing into jagged ice.

"Pohjola Fimbul."

In an instant, a barrage of ice spears shot forth, piercing through the second Udaeus with pinpoint precision. The skeletal warrior froze mid-motion, its body crystallizing before shattering into nothing.

Silence followed.

Sitonai exhaled, clapping her hands together. "Well, that was easy." She turned to Alfia. "You sure this is the deep floors? I was expecting a challenge."

Alfia ignored her, instead turning toward the tunnel ahead. However, before she could take another step—

Voices.

Several, in fact.

Sitonai tilted her head. "Oh? We're not alone?"

From deeper within the cavern, torchlight flickered against the walls, revealing the unmistakable figures of a large group of adventurers.

Their presence radiated discipline, strength, and overwhelming power. Their formation was tight, their equipment pristine, their every movement sharp.

There was no mistaking them.

"…The Loki Familia," Alfia muttered.

Sitonai blinked. "Who?"

Before Alfia could respond, the approaching adventurers caught sight of them. At the head of the group was a strikingly tall woman with jade colored eyes and long, jade colored hair, her outfit and cloak.

Her gaze sharpened the moment she recognized Alfia.

"…You."

Alfia narrowed her eyes. "Riveria Ljos Alf."

Sitonai looked between them, her expression bright with curiosity.

"Oho? Now this looks interesting."

Tension crackled in the air like an unspoken challenge.

Riveria Ljos Alf stood at the front of the Loki Familia's expedition team, her emerald eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of Alfia.

The last time they had crossed paths, it had been as enemies—Alfia, one of the villains orchestrating Orario's most recent crisis along with Zald, and the Loki Familia, one of the forces that sought to stop her.

Now, they stood in the depths of the Dungeon, meeting again under entirely different circumstances.

"…I believe that the Astraea Familia had killed you," Riveria finally said, her voice cool and measured.

Alfia crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Clearly, you were mistaken."

Behind Riveria, the other Loki Familia members murmured among themselves. Gareth, the sturdy dwarf, tightened his grip on his axe. And from the back, a pair of golden eyes gleamed with interest—Ais Wallenstein, silent but observant.

Then, Riveria's gaze shifted.

"…And who is this?"

She was looking at Sitonai.

Sitonai, for her part, simply waved. "Yo."

A moment of silence.

Riveria's expression darkened. "Another accomplice?"

Sitonai blinked. "Accomplice? Oh, no, no, no. I literally just met her."

She grinned and nudged Alfia with her elbow. "Though I guess you could say we're friends now, right?"

Alfia scoffed but didn't refute her.

Riveria wasn't convinced. "You're saying you just happened to meet Silence, down here, in the deep floors?"

Sitonai shrugged. "Yep! Fell right into the Dungeon and landed near me. Pretty lucky, huh?"

That response didn't sit well with the Loki Familia. The idea of someone being in the deep floors and just casually walking around with Silence out of all people sounded absurd.

Riveria turned back to Alfia. "What are you doing here?"

Alfia met her gaze, completely unfazed. "That is none of your concern."

Riveria's eyes narrowed further.

Then, the tension broke as a new voice entered the conversation.

"Come on now, let's not be too hostile."

From behind the group, a small, lean figure stepped forward, exuding a relaxed confidence that contrasted with the atmosphere. His sharp eyes and fox-like grin were unmistakable—Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia.

He studied Alfia, then glanced at Sitonai with curiosity before settling into a diplomatic smile. "I don't know the details of how you ended up here, Alfia, but I do know that Orario still considers you a criminal."

Sitonai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So, do you guys plan on arresting her?"

Gareth grunted. "Depends."

Sitonai crossed her arms. "Well, I highly doubt that would go well for you."

That statement made the entire Loki Familia tense. Ais's hand instinctively rested on her sword hilt.

Finn, however, merely smiled. "Is that a threat?"

Sitonai waved her hands. "Oh, not at all! Just a friendly observation."

Riveria sighed. "Enough games. Whether you like it or not, Alfia, your presence here is a concern. The Guild would want to know that you're alive."

Alfia, for her part, remained completely calm.

"…That is not my problem."

Riveria frowned, but before she could respond, Finn raised a hand. "We're on an expedition. We don't have time for unnecessary fights." He turned to Alfia. "If you're truly not planning anything against Orario, then we have no reason to waste our energy on a meaningless conflict."

Riveria gave him a sharp look, but Finn simply smiled.

Alfia remained silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Then move along. We have no reason to engage with you either."

Finn chuckled. "Fair enough."

Then, his eyes flicked toward Sitonai again, as if analyzing her. "Still… I can't help but be curious. You—Sitonai, was it?—are interesting. I have a feeling we'll be hearing about you again."

Sitonai grinned. "Oh? Sounds like you've got good instincts."

Finn chuckled. "I try."

With that, the Loki Familia began to move forward, passing by Alfia and Sitonai without further confrontation. However, as they walked past, Ais Wallenstein briefly turned her head, giving Sitonai a quiet, unreadable look, as if she was looking at something familiar.

Then, without a word, she followed her group.

As the adventurers disappeared into the tunnels, Sitonai let out a low whistle. "Whew. That was fun." She turned to Alfia with a grin. "You sure know a lot of powerful people, huh?"

Alfia exhaled. "Come. We're wasting time."

Sitonai giggled. "Yes, yes, Miss Serious."

As they resumed their journey, Sitonai couldn't help but wonder—

Just how much trouble would she get into with Orario in the future?

As the Loki Familia disappeared into the tunnels, Sitonai tilted her head, watching them go with an amused expression. She let the silence hang for a moment before casually turning to Alfia.

"So… how strong are they?"

Alfia didn't break her stride. "Stronger than most."

Sitonai pouted at the vague answer. "Yeah, yeah, but how strong? Compared to you?"

Alfia exhaled through her nose, already regretting allowing this conversation to happen. "From what I remember, Finn Deimne, Riveria Ljos Alf, and Gareth Landrock are all Level 5 from my memories, but I don't know if they leveled up after the events of Evilus. Ais Wallenstein is the youngest among them, but she is around Level 3, with her growth rate being one of the fastest in Orario."

Sitonai blinked. "…Huh."

She let that sink in. That was five Level 6 adventurers in a single group. No wonder they walked around like they owned the place.

"So, you're still stronger?" Sitonai grinned.

Alfia glanced at her. "That is not the point."

Sitonai smirked. "It kind of is."

Alfia ignored her. "The Loki Familia is one of the strongest in Orario. They have a number of powerful adventurers, and together, they are more than formidable."

Sitonai hummed. "But you were alone when you fought them before, right?"

Alfia's steps didn't falter. "Yes."

"And they still had trouble stopping you while you were super duper sick?"

Alfia glanced at her, eyes sharp. "Your point?"

Sitonai smiled, raising her hands innocently. "Oh, nothing! Just saying… they may be strong, but I still think you're stronger."

Alfia didn't respond, but there was the faintest shift in her expression—something thoughtful, something distant.

Sitonai watched her for a moment longer before clapping her hands. "Welp! If they're that strong, I definitely want to fight one of them sometime."

Alfia sighed. "Do not make unnecessary trouble."

Sitonai grinned. "No promises."

As they continued walking, the Loki Familia had long disappeared, but something told Sitonai that this wouldn't be the last time they crossed paths.

--+--

A/N: I technically don't know what Pohjola Fimbul does, but something to do with ice.

Also, I forgot to say this, but Sitonai healing Alfia was a massive asspull.

But She has the Magecraft of a witch, which is Louhi, has Kamuy Yukar, allowing her to use the power of the Kamuy from Ainu myth, and she has a fucking goddess, again having domain over magecraft.

So she gotta have some way, and since Alfia's disease is "Incurable" I just had her rewind the time of the concept of the disease using some random asspull based off Kiritsugu Emiya's time manipulation of where they change the flow of time on a target, which in this case is the disease. While reversing time on a person is in the realm of true magic, on a concept is probably different, and she has 3 possible asspulls to choose from.