What exactly had the plot of the DanMachi world turned into now?
Elise had no idea anymore.
At this point, she could only rely on the original novel and game for reference.
Since she had already seen Alfia on the street, was it possible that Zald and Erebus had also come to Orario, and she just hadn't noticed yet?
To verify her guess, Elise spread her Prana into the air, enhancing her perception.
Before long, a bird's-eye view of Orario appeared in her mind.
Thinking carefully about Alfia's traits just now...
Silver hair, black robe, a powerhouse.
Finding her location wasn't difficult. Elise quickly discovered her inside a small church.
From the looks of it, she seemed to be paying respects?
In that case, was that the church where Alfia used to meet with Meteria?
But judging by her current state, she probably wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.
Even so, Elise couldn't just ignore it!
If they really intended to carry out a "Seven Days of Death" in Orario, then Elise would have no choice but to fight them.
So she needed to prepare in advance...
A faint trace of Prana, barely noticeable, drifted slowly into the church under Elise's control.
Her strength was no longer what it used to be. As long as she deliberately concealed it, even someone like Alfia—a Level 7 comparable to Level 9—would find it hard to notice her small movements.
Thus, Elise marked Alfia. As long as she remained within Orario, it would be impossible for her to escape Elise's perception.
But in the end, Alfia and Zald should both be plagued by illness, right?
Without the help of Evilus, where did they obtain something to alleviate their condition?
That was what puzzled Elise the most.
The current Orario was far stronger than in the original story. Whether it was the Loki Familia or the Freya Familia, their core members had all leveled up ahead of schedule.
They would never be crushed as easily as in the novel—let alone with Elise herself standing at the top as an absolute powerhouse.
She had already replaced Ottar and become Orario's ultimate weapon!
"Although it might be a bit troublesome, facing both Zald and Alfia at the same time shouldn't be a problem."
However, before fighting them, some communication would still be necessary. After all, they were members of Zeus and Hera's Familias. It was only because of their physical condition and their expectations for the future that they chose to attack.
"If I offer to cure their illnesses, could I bring them back to Orario's side?"
Thinking about it that way, it was worth a try!
Of course, there was a prerequisite—that Erebus would abandon the execution of Absolute Evil...
"In other words, I still need to demonstrate my strength?"
"No matter the world, it's always survival of the fittest..."
Elise once again realized the importance of strength.
Whether it was the Asterisk world she experienced before, the Blade Dance of Elementalers world, the DanMachi world, or the many worlds she might travel to in the future.
Only with overwhelming strength could one obtain everything!
It was the same for saintesses.
Those with strength were saintesses.
Those without...
Were busy in certain nests, bearing children!
For the sake of being a saintess—and to avoid being controlled by others—Elise had to become stronger!
"Erebus, come at me if you dare!"
...
"Without realizing it, so much time has already passed..."
"It's time for me to do what must be done, Meteria!"
Gently placing the flowers in her hands at the center of the church, Alfia showed a trace of reluctance, yet still chose to leave.
Her younger sister had already passed away. She would grieve, but she could not stop moving forward, because she still had something more important to protect—that child!
"Elise... is it?"
Murmuring the name under her breath, Alfia's expression instantly returned to her usual queen-like demeanor.
"Let me see why you've become the strongest in Orario!"
Jingle-jingle!
With the sound of a bell, the door opened, and a figure cloaked in black entered the shop from outside.
But the hint of silver hair visible beneath the cloak was enough to reveal her identity.
Silence—Alfia!
The interior decor here was unexpectedly impressive.
After a brief glance around, Alfia immediately reached that conclusion.
Although the shop looked no different from others on the outside, the interior was truly worlds apart!
The surrounding walls were in dark tones, yet they shimmered with countless "stars." While Alfia didn't know what those things were exactly, she could tell they were far from cheap.
Instead of making the place feel dim, they made it appear brilliantly illuminated. Especially the equipment displayed in the showcases, which sparkled with countless points of light, making it feel like an exhibition hall set within the night sky.
"Welcome!"
Just as Alfia was marveling at the surroundings, a golden-haired figure approached and greeted her.
The person before her was undoubtedly Alfia, but Elise didn't know why she had come here. If she exposed her identity directly, it would make further conversation troublesome.
Better to pretend not to recognize her for now and see what she intended to do...
"Is there anything you'd like to purchase?"
"The main items we sell here are Stigmata. Of course, we also have weapons and potions—it depends on what you need."
"..."
Faced with Elise's enthusiastic attitude, Alfia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she opened her eyes and stared at her intently.
Because of that, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
"Um... is there something wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Hmm. Looking at you up close, you are indeed beautiful. Although there's still something about you that I dislike, it's nothing significant."
"I suppose I'll acknowledge you."
"Customer...?"
Elise's lips twitched. What are you even talking about? Why does none of this make sense?
"Ah, don't mind it. Just my personal opinion. Whether you understand it or not doesn't matter."
Although she knew Alfia was somewhat self-centered, speaking so arbitrarily was really...
"I'm quite interested in these so-called Stigmata. Could you explain them to me?"
Stigmata—this kind of special equipment was something Elise had only been able to create after obtaining the development ability "Mystery."
Alfia had never seen anything like it before, so it was only natural that she would be interested in such a novel item.
"Of course."
After that, Elise gave Alfia a brief explanation of Stigmata. Naturally, this was knowledge outsiders would never have access to. She was only willing to explain it a little to Alfia.
"Powerful Stigmata don't just provide stat boosts. They can also grant special effects."
"I can also replicate those effects to a certain extent. For example, greatly enhancing abilities, increasing the power and range of magic, healing injuries, resisting diseases... most things can be done."
This was the bait Elise cast—to lure Alfia in. She knew very well what condition Alfia's body was in.
"Healing injuries... resisting diseases?"
Murmuring those words, Alfia's expression gradually became more complex.
That was an extremely broad scope!
How could she dare to say something like that?
"Are you saying... any illness can be cured?"
She took the bait.
Alfia asked the key question.
"Yes. While I'm not a professional healer, I'm not far from one."
"On top of that, I also have purification abilities. As of now, in all of Orario, I haven't encountered a disease I couldn't cure."
As she said this, Elise puffed out her chest slightly, causing her already ample curves to sway subtly.
If certain male gods had been present, they would undoubtedly be staring intently at a particular spot.
But unfortunately, there were only two people here—and both were women. Alfia was completely focused on the possibility of being cured and didn't pay attention to Elise's...
Wait.
She did look? Why?
Elise couldn't quite understand. Alfia didn't seem like the type to care about such things... right?
As for what Alfia was actually thinking?
Not bad. If she were a mother, she'd definitely qualify. At least any future child wouldn't go hungry...
That was Alfia's conclusion, though of course she would never say it out loud.
All in all, it was just a minor interlude.
Alfia only glanced briefly before shifting her gaze back.
"Heh. Quite the bold claim, little girl. The question is whether you actually have the ability to back it up."
"Since you've said so much, can you see what's wrong with my body?"
In the original story, it was mentioned that Alfia had a congenital illness. No matter who treated her or how much she increased her level, it could never be fully cured.
Though she possessed extraordinary talent, her body was fundamentally flawed.
She had even said that if she didn't have that illness, the Black Dragon would be nothing to her.
That alone showed just how severe her condition was.
By asking this, she was testing Elise. If Elise could cure her, then Zald might also have hope.
If not, nothing would change. After all, both she and Zald didn't have long left to live anyway. Could things really get any worse?
"Please relax and don't resist my inspection. I need to understand your condition first."
Elise took Alfia's hand and condensed her Prana into a thin stream, using it to probe her condition.
Looking at Elise's focused expression and sensing the unusual sensation within her body, Alfia began to feel restless.
It was like she had eaten something strange...
In any case, it was unbearably itchy!
"Mm... is it not done yet?"
The sensation was too strange. Alfia couldn't help herself and had to cover her mouth.
But would Elise let her off so easily?
Hehe.
She would complete her work seriously—but as long as it didn't affect the result, having a little fun wouldn't hurt, right?
"Not yet. This is the most critical phase!"
"There might be some intense sensations. Please grit your teeth!"
As she spoke, Elise increased the output of her Prana. Alfia, struck by the sudden surge, felt extreme discomfort—like being pierced through by a blade.
"Ah—!"
Unbeknownst to them, everything was being captured by a high-precision camera nearby, hidden like a silent assassin.
As if Elise wouldn't install surveillance in her own shop.
The clarity was so high that every single detail could be seen perfectly.
Not a single micro-expression of Alfia was missed!
Another collectible added to the collection.
And this one was especially rare—Bell's aunt edition!
If someone who knew Alfia saw this in the future, what kind of expression would they make?
Just thinking about it was exciting.
"Hah... hah!"
"...I'll kill you!"
Having never experienced something so bizarre before, how could Alfia maintain her usual queenly composure?
Her delicate face was already flushed red.
"If you dare tell anyone about this, I'll kill you!"
As expected, that was her first reaction after it ended. Elise could clearly see how much she cared about it.
"Don't worry. I will protect my customer's privacy. I won't reveal it to outsiders."
Elise spoke with a straight face, though she silently added in her mind...
Close friends and family don't count as outsiders!
"So, can you see what's wrong with me?"
Now that the embarrassing ordeal was over, Alfia immediately asked the question she cared about most.
But what she saw on Elise's face was an extremely serious expression. Just looking at it made her feel that there was no hope.
"Does that mean... it still won't work?"
There was no particular emotion in Alfia's voice. Perhaps she had long since stopped expecting anything.
After all, she had lived with this illness for so many years. Even if it couldn't be cured, it didn't matter anymore.
Just as Alfia was about to change the topic, Elise suddenly spoke—causing her eyes to widen.
"No. I just think it's a bit troublesome. I didn't expect such a congenital condition."
"Even for me, treating this will be quite difficult... ah, don't worry. It may be troublesome, but I can cure it."
Can cure it.
The moment those words were spoken, Alfia completely lost control of her composure and grabbed Elise's hands.
"Really?"
"You can really cure it?"
At this moment, Alfia was like an excited gray rabbit, just short of jumping up in joy.
"Don't worry. If I say I can cure it, then I absolutely can!"
How many years had it been since Alfia felt this kind of happiness...
But in the next moment, her excited expression froze, turning into one of sorrow.
She thought of her younger sister—Meteria, who had died from illness...
"If..."
"If you had come to Orario five years earlier... how wonderful that would have been..."