"This should be the place, that magical little doll shop."
The one-eyed crimson-haired beauty gazed into the deep alley and murmured softly.
After glancing around, she added with a sigh, "But honestly, I never imagined Orario had such a hidden spot. And this strange aura... if you're not a god, there's no way you'd make it in without the shop owner's permission."
With that, the red-haired beauty stepped straight into the alley.
--+--
Alice's Shop.
At that moment, Alice froze completely because of a single remark from Loki.
"Ah..." Seeing Alice's reaction, Loki let out a deep sigh. "No wonder you didn't want to join a Familia. If your true nature were known, you'd probably be driven out of the city altogether."
Alice lowered her head.
She had known for a long time that she wasn't human—though a part of her had still held onto a sliver of doubt.
But now, with Loki's words, it was confirmed. Just as she'd suspected, she wasn't human.
"So... what does Lady Loki intend to do?" Alice asked softly, her head still bowed.
If it were true that she'd be driven out, Alice wouldn't resist. After all, the world was vast—Orario wasn't the only city out there.
Plenty of people lived beyond its walls.
Still, leaving would make crafting her dolls more difficult. The Dungeon beneath Orario was rich in materials.
And she knew nothing about the outside world.
Would she find another place like this little shop? Somewhere she could be found by the right people, yet still keep her distance from others?
Noticing Alice's downcast expression, Loki smiled gently and placed a hand on her head, stroking it softly. "Didn't I say? If others found out. But the one who discovered you was me—Loki, head goddess of one of the two most powerful Familias in Orario."
"Beloved by magic, yet touched by death."
"Capable of creating dolls imbued with life and spellcraft."
"If this were an age before the gods descended, you'd probably have been hunted as a witch."
"So please, join the Loki Familia. With our strength, we can absolutely keep you safe."
"Of course, you can refuse. I did say you'd be exiled if discovered—after all, life and death are taboo subjects among gods."
"But we deities are a capricious bunch. Even taboos don't matter to many of us, myself included. With your magical talent, even if you don't join my Familia, you'd surely find a good patron god."
Alice glanced up slightly, meeting Loki's eyes.
Loki was smiling. With her slender, boyish figure, she reminded Alice of that black-and-white girl who'd often appear unexpectedly before the other Alice in her memories. Without thinking, Alice's cheeks flushed.
Seeing the blush on Alice's face, Loki's smile widened.
"I'm genuinely inviting you to join my Familia, Alice-chan. Would you please give my offer some serious thought?"
"And of course! Even if you don't want to join now, the Loki Familia will always welcome you whenever you're ready."
Hearing Loki's words, Alice felt herself wavering.
She couldn't help but think:
'Maybe joining a Familia wouldn't be so bad after all.'
Seeing the hesitation on Alice's face, Loki's lips curled into a smirk.
As a god, especially one who'd seen so much, she could read mortals like an open book.
Someone like Alice—a girl with looks rivaling a goddess's—was especially transparent.
Her heart was pure, untainted, like a blank sheet of paper.
She had no past, but her future shone with dazzling potential.
This girl wasn't the type to stay holed up in a little shop, living a quiet life forever.
Beloved by magic, entangled with death.
The girl named Alice was born wrapped in immense karma. That same force would guide her through a brilliant, eventful life.
And a brilliant life meant one thing: constant drama.
Since it was clear Alice was destined for extraordinary things,
Loki wanted to bring her into her Familia before that life truly began—to let that brilliance bloom under her banner.
That was exactly what Loki had in mind.
Now, hearing Loki's "recruitment pitch," Alice felt tempted to join, but she was still hesitant.
She knew that joining a Familia would change her—she just didn't know whether that change would be for better or worse.
And that uncertainty scared her.
Noticing Alice's conflicted expression, Loki was about to press further with a few more persuasive words.
But just then, a voice rang out from outside Alice's shop.
--+--
"Lady Hephaestus? What brings you here?" Tione's voice was full of surprise.
In response to Tione's question, a mature, gentle female voice replied, "You're from the Loki Familia, right? I'm here to meet the maker of this doll."
"You're here to see Alice?" Tione understood immediately when she saw the doll in Hephaestus's hand—it was the same one an adventurer had traded for high-grade equipment three months ago.
Another one of Alice's creations.
What made Alice's dolls so special—and so highly sought-after, enough for Tione to spend a fortune on custom orders—wasn't just their exquisite craftsmanship. Each doll possessed unique abilities.
The six or seven Finn dolls she'd commissioned each had a fraction of Finn's combat prowess. Alice had said it was because she'd used strands of Finn's hair she'd collected during the process.
They weren't as powerful as Finn at Level 6, but with the high-quality magic stones Tione provided as cores, each doll could hold its own against an average Level 3 adventurer. Incredibly useful—not something Tione needed every day, but in a pinch, they could block a sudden ambush.
She wondered what kind of ability the doll in Hephaestus's hand had.
Remembering that her goddess was currently inside trying to recruit Alice, Tione decided to buy some time—and maybe sound out Hephaestus's intentions.
"So, Lady Hephaestus, what would you do if you met the dollmaker?"
Amazon women were nothing if not direct—Tione asked exactly what was on her mind.
"Meet the creator?" Hephaestus looked curiously at Tione. "Why, I'd invite her to join my Familia, of course."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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