Watching Bete's mix of excitement and anger, even Alice—who usually struggled with social cues—could tell he was genuinely furious, the kind of mad that doesn't just blow over.
No amount of apologizing was going to fix this.
The werewolf in front of her rose to his feet, clearly switching into a serious mode.
"Look, I really am here to join the Loki Familia. Tione can vouch for me," Alice quickly explained.
"Ha! Like I care what they say!" Bete's tone was downright hostile. "You're the one who took a swing at me—right at the doorstep of the Loki Familia, no less."
"That means you're asking for a fight. Whatever reason you came here for doesn't matter anymore. I'm just answering your challenge."
"Interesting Puppet Magic. That spear-wielding one's for physical attacks, right? And the one with the magic circle floating in front must be for spells."
"So come at me already!"
Bete's voice was taunting, but his demeanor was ice-cold.
To his senses, Alice felt like nothing more than a Level 3 adventurer, while he was Level 6. Under normal circumstances, no Level 3 could ever hope to scratch someone of his caliber. The gap brought by Falna only widened with each level. If he stood still and let a Level 4 pummel him bare-handed, he wouldn't even bruise.
But how did that Spear Puppet manage to wound him?
The material of the puppet itself was hard to identify, but the weapon it held was clearly nothing special—just a standard issue armament. Its strikes shouldn't have been stronger than a Level 3's bare-handed blows.
Yet it had drawn blood.
That alone had piqued Bete's interest. And now, as he looked more closely at Alice's puppets, something felt familiar—like the ones Tione and Lefiya had used during the expedition. Back then, he hadn't paid them any mind. He'd never cared for that kind of thing.
But now that he thought about it, this girl might actually have some connection to his Familia. Which meant his actions might have been out of line.
But so what?
He was intrigued now. How could an ordinary weapon hurt him? It didn't make sense.
More importantly, the moment that "Shanghai" Puppet appeared and slashed his hand, he hadn't sensed a thing. It was only his years of experience and animal instinct that made him pull back from Alice just in time.
If he hadn't, he was certain that puppet would've pierced straight through his palm.
And if it could pierce his hand, it could just as easily go through his chest. Since he hadn't noticed the Shanghai Puppet's appearance, an attack aimed at his heart would've landed without warning.
As a proud Level 6 adventurer, it grated on him to admit that if Alice had been aiming to kill, he might not have dodged it.
After all, besides the Shanghai puppet, there was another one behind her, ready to cast magic.
A loss was a loss—Bete wasn't one to make excuses.
But he also refused to accept defeat from someone weaker. So now he wanted to see what Alice was really made of.
Put simply, after realizing he could've died by her hand, Bete wanted to save face. He told himself her earlier success was only due to his carelessness. If he got serious, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Of course, in his estimation, Alice was only around Level 3.
So he wouldn't make the first move. If he still lost under those conditions, he'd accept defeat and learn from it.
But for this face-saving plan to work, one thing was necessary: Alice had to attack him first.
So Bete conveniently ignored his own role in starting the conflict and shifted all the blame onto her.
"If you won't make a move, then I will. Don't say I'm bullying you because of my level—I won't hurt you. Once I catch you, I'll safely return you to your Familia."
Even though he'd acknowledged that Alice might know people in his Familia, Bete still didn't believe she was here to join. A Level 3 adventurer with unique Puppet Magic like hers would be highly valued in any Familia. She must already belong to one.
Her story about joining Loki Familia had to be a cover. She had to have another motive.
Naturally, Alice had no idea what Bete was thinking. But one thing was clear: no matter how much she apologized, this werewolf wasn't going to let her step inside.
And more importantly, even though she was the one who'd injured him, he'd been the one to start it. He looked aggressive, sounded rude, and now he was twisting the truth.
Even someone as gentle as Alice was starting to get angry.
"I really am here to join the Loki Familia. Are you seriously not going to let me in?" Alice frowned.
For the first time, a trace of resentment stirred in her pure heart—aimed not only at Bete, but at Loki as well. After all, it was Loki who'd pestered her endlessly to come. And now she was being blocked at the door.
Fine. Maybe she wouldn't join after all. It wasn't like she hadn't managed perfectly well on her own until now.
"A Level 3 adventurer switching Familias? You've got to be kidding me," Bete retorted, exasperated. Someone like her had to already have a Familia.
Hearing that, Alice took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and forced down her rising anger and frustration.
"Fine. I won't join then. I'm leaving. Even if Loki comes begging me after this, I'm never joining!"
With that, she turned to go.
But Bete frowned. He hadn't redeemed himself yet. In one swift motion, he leaped behind her, blocking her path.
Seeing him stand in her way, Alice's expression darkened.
"Even when I try to leave, you won't let me? So what you really want is a fight, is that it?"
"Alright then! You've got it!"
"I may still be weak, but I won't let anyone push me around!"
Without waiting for Bete to respond, the anger she'd been suppressing erupted.
--+--
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