Chapter 10

Alfia's footsteps were swift and fluid, her speed so overwhelming that Sitonai could barely distinguish the silhouettes of adventurers whizzing past. The wind lashed against her face, making her squint as she clung tightly to Alfia.

"We really should have done this earlier,"

Sitonai mused, feeling the wind in her face, causing her to face towards Alfia's mask, her eyes rapidly scanning her surroundings to prevent bumping into anyone.

Despite her focus, Alfia spared a moment to respond.

"Walking would've been more comfortable."

Sitonai shot her a deadpan look.

"I'm plenty comfortable over here…"

Alfia hesitated, her pace faltering for a split second. If Sitonai could see her face, she might have noticed a faint blush.

"Oh? Are you blushing~" Sitonai teased, a mischievous grin playing at her lips.

Alfia's silence was telling.

Without warning, Sitonai dispelled the mask concealing Alfia's face.

The sudden exposure made Alfia slow to a brisk jog—still fast, but no longer the inhuman speed from before.

"What?"

Alfia asked flatly, glancing at her.

"I wanted to see your adorable face~"

Sitonai's voice was sweet, almost sing-song.

Alfia's expression remained blank, unamused.

"Just kidding~ Open wide!" Sitonai chimed, materializing a sweet and popping it into Alfia's mouth the moment she complied. She followed suit, savoring one for herself.

"Does it taste good?"

"These tastes are surprisingly unique..."

Alfia nodded, commenting on the flavor.

"Of course! I'm from another world, you know. I can materialize any food in its most optimal form~"

Sitonai puffed out her chest proudly.

"How convenient."

Alfia sarcastically replied.

But Alfia had to admit the food for the past few days were unique and tasty.

Sitonai had boasted about it countless times—not that Alfia particularly minded hearing her voice. It was… soothing.

"Mask on! Yap!"

 Sitonai chirped, rematerializing the mask back on Alfia's face with an almost playful flourish.

The odd little sound she made was unexpectedly adorable, though Alfia would never admit it.

"So what are you going to check?"

Sitonai inquired casually.

"I need to visit my nephew. I'll be gone for a few days."

Sitonai blinked in surprise.

"You have a nephew?!"

Alfia nodded.

"Wow, that's pretty cool~ What's his name?"

"Bell. Bell Cranel."

"Ooh, interesting! What's he like?"

"White hair like his mother, but eyes like his wretched father." Alfia's tone darkened at the mention of the man.

Sitonai winced at the venom in her voice.

"Wow… you must really hate him."

"I do."

The response was brisk, unhesitating.

"So are you going to raise him?"

Alfia shook her head in decline.

"Huh?"

"I don't have the right. He's better off with Zeus than with someone who would prioritize… other interests."

Sitonai's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wait—Zeus? As in the god?" 

Alfia nodded.

"A god, degraded as a child raiser..."

Alfia smirked at the Zeus slander.

"So just a check up then." Sitonai hummed thoughtfully.

Alfia nodded.

"So how would we communicate when you come back?"

"I will look for you. It'll take no less than a month."

"Heeh~"

Sitonai drawled with a grin.

"You must be pretty old to be an aunt, even though you don't look it."

Alfia's eyes narrowed.

"You look the opposite." She countered smoothly, retaliating with a light pat to Sitonai's rear, making her jolt.

"I may not age, but I'm pretty old!"

"Is that so?"

Alfia emotionlessly asked, as if she was just entertaining a child.

In Sitonai's past life she died at 21, Illya's body is 18 in Fate/stay night, Freyja is a goddess, Louhi was technically an old witch, and Sitonai's myth was when she was 12...

Sitonai huffed indignantly.

"I'm 21!"

She would just use her age when she died.

Alfia raised an eyebrow.

"That's surprising."

"So what's your age?"

Another pat.

"That's not polite."

"But we're both women!"

Sitonai pouted.

"...24."

"You're not even old!"

Sitonai whined.

After all that complaining, Alfia was only three years older?! How stingy!

Alfia scoffed.

"We're on the 5th floor. We'll reach Orario by nightfall. There's an abandoned church—no one should be around."

Alfia said, and Sitonai nodded.

She picked up speed again, clutching Sitonai securely.

The fresh air soon greeted them, crisp and tinged with mana. Sitonai breathed in deeply, a pleased smile gracing her lips.

She hadn't felt it before, but the air was dense with mana, as expected of a world where the Age of Gods persisted.

But she couldn't efficiently use any of it effectively, to her chagrin.

Reaching the abandoned church, Alfia set her down gently, almost like handling a fragile glass sculpture.

"You should visit the guild tomorrow. Ask the receptionist if you need anything. Since you're new, it won't seem odd." Alfia advised, pulling her hood up to conceal her silver hair.

Alfia's steps faltered, a rare hesitation clinging to her like morning dew.

She knew Sitonai's strength—after all, she had seen her single-handedly take down a Cadmus. But strength alone wasn't everything.

Sitonai's weaknesses were as plain as day. Her body was fragile compared to adventurers, a glass doll amidst a world of stone.

Her magic, though powerful, had its limits.

While her ice was endless, its true might only shone when backed by mana—a resource she could not fully harness in this world.

Her beauty was another problem. She had the delicate allure of a snow fairy, with an ethereal charm that could draw in trouble.

Her small stature, reminiscent of the pallum race or a particularly tall one, only added to her vulnerability.

...Everything about her felt like a magnet for danger.

Alfia's heart clenched. Should she stay? Should she protect her, just a little longer?

Sitonai interjected.

"What are you worrying about~ If I'm lucky, and I would say I am, I would probably find a Familia by tomorrow that can take me in!"

She materialized her sword and bow with a confident grin.

"I got these cool weapons too, so don't worry and check on your nephew!"

Sitonai confidently said.

Alfia scoffed.

"The latest I'll be gone is a month."

Sitonai leaned in, wrapping her arms around Alfia in a sudden hug.

The contact made Alfia stiffen, clearly unaccustomed to such gestures. Still, she awkwardly returned the embrace, breathing in Sitonai's calming scent.

"I'll see you then. Don't be surprised when you come back and I'm Level 10!"

Sitonai joked, pulling away with a cheeky grin.

Alfia scoffed, rolling her eyes fondly before turning away. As she sprinted off, Sitonai waved until her figure vanished into the distance.

Sitonai waved at the quickly disappearing Alfia, about to make her way into the abandoned church before she heard someone land behind her, her twisting her body to see the newcomer.

"You're a new face."

The woman who appeared had striking green eyes and red hair tied into a ponytail, a rapier resting at her hip.

Her beauty was impressive, though not quite on Alfia's level.

An adventurer?

"Uh... Who are you?"

Sitonai asked cautiously.

"Alice Lovell. Astraea Familia."

The introduction was blunt, straight to the point.

Sitonai knew a different Astraea, but she didn't know if the two were similar, seeing as there was a big difference between Freyja and Freya.

She was an illegal immigrant who suddenly appeared in the Dungeon, so she had no identification either...

"I see... What can I do for you~"

But Astraea is a Goddess of Justice, so she probably wouldn't attack me out of nowhere...

"Who was the person who just left?"

Alice's eyes were sharp, suspicion lacing her voice.

Ah... A difficult question right off the bat.

"Uh... my friend?"

Alfia had said that she did fight against the Astraea Familia before falling down to see Sitonai, so they probably aren't on good terms.

"Her name?"

"That's a violation of her privacy."

Sitonai huffed, crossing her arms. How rude!

Realizing how she came off, Alice quickly backpedaled.

"Ah—wait! I didn't mean to sound rude. It's just… there have been more patrols since the recent Evilus attacks, and your friend looked like someone we've encountered…"

"Well, she's a really nice friend to me, so she's definitely not a part of Evilus!"

Sitonai pouted, using her childish appearance to sound innocent while not being ignorant.

Alice winced at the blunt denial, scratching her cheek awkwardly.

"Right… Sorry about that. Do you… live here?"

After realizing, Alice realized the current situation. A child, around 12 years of age was about to enter an abandoned church at night.

"Yeah."

"Do you… need any help?" Alice offered, albeit hesitantly.

While it would be nice, getting closer to the Astraea Familia was a no go.

"I'm fine."

Sitonai plainly said. The more close she acted the lower the chances of Alice leaving her alone were.

Alice flinched at the coldness of the refusal.

"R-Right… Well, goodnight then…"

"Goodnight~"

Sitonai sang, waving cheerfully before slipping into the church and shutting the door behind her.

--+--

A/N: Alice Lovell is here!

Yo personally is it just me, or is Ryuu Lion kind of... mid?

Also, should I save the Astraea Familia, cause I really like Astraea as a goddess and I don't really want her to leave Orario... But would it be weird that Ryuu isn't a part of the hostess of fertility?

I like the other members of the Astraea familia like way more. the game art of Alice did her dirty. The LN art of her like a billion times better. 

Gojouno is also way better like nah id win.

Alfia is temporarily leaving to just do a quick checkup on bell, and in the next few chapters, we'll see Sitonai's new pseudo familia(who will it be?) and her skills and magic.