The tale of Apollo was something Alice learned from the knowledge bestowed upon her by Patchouli.
The knowledge Patchouli shared wasn't just a wealth of magical lore—it also included a whole trove of mythological stories.
Greek, Norse, Indian, Eastern, and even Oriental myths.
However, compared to Western mythology, Alice was far more familiar with Eastern legends. After all, in Gensokyo, there were actual zombies and immortals—even if they were of the fallen variety.
As for Western myths, her understanding was somewhat limited.
Much of Patchouli's magical knowledge was tied to Western mythology, so in a way, Alice was relatively acquainted with the gods of Orario—at least on the level of tales and hearsay.
But stories are just stories—the gods of this world couldn't possibly be exactly as described in the legends.
For instance, in the myths, Hephaestus was male, with two goddesses as his lovers and several children.
But in this world, Hephaestus was a woman, and had no wife.
Loki was the same—a man in the stories, but a woman here, though her personality was as boyish as they come.
After the whole incident with Apollo, Alice understood that the mythological tales she knew were events the gods of this world had never actually experienced.
But if those stories were reenacted through some other means, the individuals involved would still resonate with them and become immersed in the narrative.
In the story of Apollo, Daphne and Cassandra were characters whose roles were no less significant than Hyakinthos.
Legend had it that one day, the little god of love, Cupid, was playing with his arrows when Apollo happened to pass by. Apollo scolded him, saying, 'Arrows are dangerous things—a child shouldn't play with them so carelessly.'
After being reprimanded, Cupid grew furious.
In his hands, Cupid held two arrows: one that ignited the flames of love in whoever was struck, and another that filled the heart with aversion to romance.
So, in his anger, Cupid shot the love-kindling arrow into Apollo, and the love-repelling arrow into Daphne.
And then…
The moment Apollo laid eyes on Daphne, he fell for her—but Daphne wanted nothing to do with him.
Despite Apollo's relentless pursuit, Daphne ended up transforming into a laurel tree.
That was the story of Daphne.
Most myths involving Apollo didn't end well—Hyakinthos met his death, Daphne turned into a tree.
Cassandra was no exception.
But unlike Hyakinthos and Daphne, who were loved by Apollo, Cassandra was cursed by him—all because she rejected his affection, and because she was just an ordinary mortal.
Endowed with the gift of prophecy, Cassandra found that, under Apollo's curse, no one would ever believe her predictions.
Of course.
These two stories existed only within Alice's [Knowledge Repository]. If Alice didn't speak of them, she would be the only one in this world who knew.
Still, even if they were just stories, after meeting Daphne and Cassandra, Alice suddenly felt that myths from other worlds might still find echoes—similar events might unfold in other worlds too.
In this world, both Daphne and Cassandra had been forced to join Apollo's familia.
In their attitude toward Apollo, the two weren't much different from how they were portrayed in Alice's myths—neither held any real loyalty to him.
The reason they now wanted to speak with her had already been made clear by Hyakinthos.
They wanted to join Hestia's familia.
"Now that I think about it, you were the one staying close to Bell-kun during the banquet, weren't you?" Alice looked at the timid Cassandra hiding behind Daphne and let out a soft laugh. "I'm not that scary, am I? You don't have to hide from me."
"N-No… I'm not hiding from you."
Hearing Alice's words, Cassandra quickly peeked out from behind Daphne, but the moment she met Alice's gaze, she ducked back again, her voice faint and trembling.
"It's just… the light around you is too dazzling. Someone like me feels dizzy and gets a headache just looking at you."
"Light around me?" Puzzled, Alice looked down at herself but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Besides, Alice had excellent control over her magical power—it couldn't be the Seven Luminaries magic, since she wasn't using any spells at the moment.
"This girl always says strange things, Lady Alice, please don't mind her," Daphne explained, then reached out and grabbed Cassandra by the scruff of her neck. "And you! Didn't you say Lady Alice is a good person? Then come out properly!"
"No! Stop! I'm begging you, Daphne!"
Cassandra flailed nervously as Daphne hauled her out into the open.
"I'm telling you, don't keep hiding behind me," Daphne said with an exasperated look. "If we're going to ask someone a favor, we need to show our best attitude. What kind of impression is this? Look properly at Lady Alice!"
"No!!" Cassandra wailed pitifully. The whole scene left Alice feeling utterly speechless.
"Um, if Cassandra isn't comfortable with it, we can just leave it be." Alice could sense Cassandra's fear toward her—perhaps her role in Apollo's expulsion had frightened this prophetess.
"No!" Daphne clearly didn't share Alice's concern. She pulled Cassandra forward, forcing her to face Alice directly.
And Cassandra, at such close range, met Alice's clear, bright eyes—and her own gaze went vacant, her face instantly turning deathly pale.
The moment Cassandra saw Alice's eyes…
An image flashed into her mind.
A woman in a red gothic-style dress, with long silver hair flowing over her shoulders. On the left side of her head, a red ribbon tied a section of hair, and behind her stretched six enormous wings.
Her silver-white eyes turned and looked straight at Cassandra.
She made no movement.
But that single glance filled Cassandra with utter terror.
That being was like a god—no, something even more fearsome than a deity who had unleashed their divine might and authority.
Under the gaze of those silver-white eyes, Cassandra's heart seized, and she lost consciousness entirely, collapsing against Daphne.
Seeing Cassandra in this state, Alice, for once, felt genuinely disheartened.
"Am I really that frightening?"
For the first time, Alice began to doubt her own charm.
A bitter smile touched Daphne's lips—she had no idea why Cassandra had fainted.
And Cassandra, even less aware, couldn't know that after she passed out, those silver-white eyes clouded with deep, profound confusion.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.