The Dungeon's tenth floor.
It was nothing like the floors above.
If the upper labyrinths could be described with words like "cramped," "cavernous," or "maze-like"—
Then the tenth floor was something else entirely.
There was no maze here—only thick mist and a vast open plain covered in grass. The grass itself glowed with a soft white light, illuminating the entire floor.
Gnarled, withered trees dotted the landscape, each one peculiar in its own way.
If a monster grabbed hold of one, these dead trees could transform in an instant into perfectly suited weapons for them.
It was because of this unique trait that the tenth floor had earned another name:
[The Monsters' Natural Armory]
The monsters inhabiting this floor were massive green-skinned orcs.
Not only were they tall and powerfully built—far stronger than any monsters on the upper floors—they also stood upright, walked on two legs, and wielded weapons.
They could be considered the dungeon's first true 'Humanoid Monsters', even if their half-beast appearance was… abstract, to say the least, looking more like wild animals than anything else.
Three orcs, brandishing large clubs made from those pale dead trees, charged toward Alice with roaring cries.
Alice didn't lift a finger.
Two shield dolls raised their shields, blocking the club swung by one of the orcs—but that was all they could manage. The moment they stopped the attack, the magic circuits within the dolls reached their absolute limit.
Three Archer dolls and three Caster dolls simultaneously focused their fire on another orc.
The orc's skin was thick and tough; neither arrows nor magic were enough to pierce its defenses.
But with their magic circuits operating at full capacity, their relentless assault managed to halt the orc's advance.
Meanwhile, Hourai and Shanghai launched an attack against the final orc.
Both their materials and their magic circuits were far superior to those of the Little Legion dolls.
Shanghai charged forward, spear in hand, thrusting straight into the massive orc's chest—piercing right through it.
Then, Hourai flew up to the orc's chest and tossed a small magic bullet into the hole Shanghai had created before swiftly darting away.
An instant later, the magic bullet detonated inside the orc's body.
While the orc's outer skin was incredibly tough, its internal organs were far more vulnerable.
Shanghai's full-force charge had broken through its defenses, and Hourai's internal attack finished the job. After defeating that orc, Shanghai and Hourai turned to the other two, repeating the same tactic.
Soon, all three orcs were dealt with.
Alice hadn't done a thing—she simply watched as Shanghai, Hourai, and the Little Legion took down every last orc.
She nodded in satisfaction.
"You've all worked hard. I'll make sure to upgrade you properly once we're back," Alice said gently, retrieving all the Little Legion dolls and storing them within her Gap. "You too, Shanghai, Hourai. Let's head back now."
"You've protected me all this way—on the return trip, I'll be the one protecting you."
Alice spread her arms toward Shanghai and Hourai. Seeing her gesture, the two dolls flew straight into her embrace.
After three straight days of fighting, the Little Legion had reached its limit. Though Shanghai and Hourai were stronger, even they were worn out.
Once they were in her arms, Alice set them into sleep mode and gently placed them into the Gap as well. Now ready to return to the surface, she took a step forward—
When suddenly, a voice spoke up, putting her instantly on guard.
"So these are the Alice Dolls… which would make you Alice, I take it?"
A woman's voice rang out not far from where Alice stood. She quickly turned toward the sound.
There stood a figure clad in a crimson cloak.
"Who are you?" Alice frowned. Very few people knew about the Alice Dolls—and she knew every one of them personally.
But this woman, hiding herself like this… Alice was certain she'd never met her before. The voice was completely unfamiliar.
"I thought a dollmaker deemed worthy by Lord Hermes would only make… those kinds of special dolls. I never expected you could create combat dolls this powerful too. Are they made using your magic?"
The cloaked woman stepped closer, then pushed back her hood, revealing her face.
She had blue hair cut short and wore a pair of glasses—looking every bit the capable and sharp woman she seemed to be. Alice remained wary, watching her closely.
Noticing Alice's guardedness, the blue-haired woman spoke again. "Let me start with an introduction, then."
"I am Asfi Al Andromeda, captain of the Hermes Familia. My title is 'Perseus.' It's a pleasure to meet you, Alice the Dollmaker."
Asfi adjusted her glasses.
Her eyes lingered on Alice's face, a flicker of astonishment passing through them. Even though Asfi was a beauty herself, Alice's appearance left her genuinely stunned.
"I initially believed that dollmaker could only produce dolls of… that particular variety. I didn't look too deeply into it. But I never imagined you could create dolls with such combat prowess as well. No wonder the Hephaestus Familia was willing to pay a premium for your Alice Dolls."
"However… now that I've met you in person, I've grown curious—why did you make dolls of that kind in the first place?"
Asfi's gaze turned thoughtful, almost probing.
Hearing her words, Alice lowered her head, her face burning and her ears turning bright red.
Creating that thing for Hermes, all for the sake of money… It was a stain on her past, something she wished she could forget entirely.
"That… I already destroyed that doll, so could you all please just forget about it?" Alice said softly. "Besides, it was your Familia's god who said if I made it for him, my shop would get way more customers. That's the only reason I did it."
"But in the end… almost nobody even found out about my store."
At that, Alice shot a faintly resentful glance toward Asfi.
"Ahem…" Asfi's cheeks reddened slightly. She was all too aware of just how unreliable her own god could be.
After meeting Alice and hearing her explanation…
Asfi could pretty much guess that the 'Freya' Doll had been the result of her patron god deceiving an innocent young woman into making something… inappropriate.
"Let's set that doll aside for now. I'm quite skilled with item creation myself—would you be willing to chat with me a bit about your methods?"
--+--
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