After Alice returned home with Lili and Bell's group...
She happened to glance at the house directly across from hers—a building of similar style, yet far larger, roughly two or three times the size of her own.
Placed side by side, Alice's home seemed especially delicate and charming by contrast.
As for why the Hestia Familia's residence was bigger than hers… well, Alice's house was, after all, meant for just one person. With Lili now living there too, it was still manageable, but if she had to fit everyone currently in the Hestia Familia under one roof, her home would've been far too small.
So, to accommodate everyone—and to make sure future members would have their own rooms—Hestia had Daphne and the others build a home base of this scale.
If the Hestia Familia grew even more, they'd probably expand again.
But the size of the Hestia Familia's home wasn't really Alice's concern.
When Alice returned, Hestia wasn't there—Bell mentioned she was off working a part-time job.
So Alice headed straight into her own house, tidied up a little, and then slipped into the bath, sinking comfortably into the tub.
Lili was directing the dolls to help sort through the materials Alice had brought back from the expedition.
Many of the materials were unfamiliar, leaving Lili a bit puzzled, but Shanghai and Hourai had records on most of them, so the organizing went fairly smoothly.
While Alice was soaking in her bath, across the way at the Hestia Familia home…
Bell and Daphne were sparring near the entrance.
Cassandra sat to the side, watching their match—though her distant gaze made it clear she wasn't really paying attention.
After a while of training…
Daphne wasn't even winded, while Bell was drenched in sweat. Even so, his expression was one of clear satisfaction.
"Cassandra, what's on your mind?" Noticing her distracted look, Daphne walked over and asked, "You look so gloomy, like it's the end of the world."
"Daphne…" Cassandra lifted her head and met her eyes. "Do you think… if we fled Orario now… we could escape the Black Calamity?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"The Black Calamity… It blots out even the seven-colored light. Orario… will be swallowed by the darkness." Cassandra looked utterly drained and despairing.
And just like that, Daphne understood.
"Another one of those weird prophetic dreams of yours…" She shook her head helplessly. "I trust you, but instead of dwelling on those hazy dreams, we should focus on recruiting more members for our Familia."
"Right now, it's just a few of us. Lady Hestia is such a kind goddess—we have to make sure she can live comfortably. So Cassandra, just put those unrealistic dreams out of your mind."
Daphne sighed. At present, the only combat-ready members in the Hestia Familia were herself and Cassandra. Bell had talent, but he still needed time to grow.
With that, she turned and headed back toward Bell.
"Bell, ready to go again?"
"Yes, Miss Daphne!"
"No need for 'Miss'—just Daphne is fine."
"Yes, Miss Daphne!"
"Hmph… Suit yourself, kid."
Daphne seemed to be in good spirits as she charged at Bell, wooden practice sword in hand.
Thud.
The two wooden swords met with a solid, muffled sound.
"Um, Miss Daphne… is Miss Cassandra okay?" Bell asked worriedly, glancing at her despondent figure.
"Don't mind her. This happens often. Not on a fixed schedule, but every now and then she gets like this. She'll be fine if we leave her be."
Daphne deflected Bell's strike and pressed on, swinging her own sword in a rapid series of attacks.
Under Daphne's training these past days, Bell's combat experience had skyrocketed. Even without her or Cassandra accompanying him, he could now handle himself in the upper floors of the Dungeon.
Bell struggled to block Daphne's strikes but kept talking between breaths.
"Miss Cassandra… seems really scared of Miss Alice… I thought maybe there was some misunderstanding between them."
"With Lady Alice?" Daphne's brow furrowed slightly. "Well, that might be part of it. It's not just Cassandra—even I'm a little afraid of Lady Alice. Actually, every former member of the Apollo Familia probably feels some fear toward her."
"Eh? Really?" Bell looked genuinely surprised. "But Lady Alice is so kind."
Hearing Bell describe Alice as "kind," Daphne's eyebrow twitched. She tightened her grip, increased her speed just a notch, and put a little more force into her next swing—landing a solid blow to Bell's stomach.
"You naive kid. A kind personality doesn't mean she fights kindly, got it? She's a witch who can send gods back to Heaven. You'd better be careful not to do anything that might make Lady Alice angry."
Knocked to the ground by the hit, Bell clutched his stomach and slowly stood back up.
"Y-Yes, I understand…" Having spent some time in the Dungeon now, Bell wasn't so naive as to think Alice's kindness toward them meant she was gentle with everyone.
After all, Alice's title "Doll Princess" was often preceded by the word "[Dangerous]." And besides that title, she was widely known as the Witch.
"The Black Calamity… has caught the scent of the Witch. It will bring disaster to this city. The sevenfold radiance that drives away the sun… will also be extinguished in the Black Calamity."
Cassandra's voice drifted over, eerie and hollow.
If this were a campfire ghost story contest, her delivery would've surely won first prize, leaving every other contestant utterly spooked.
Even in broad daylight, with the sun high in the afternoon sky…
Bell was startled by her sudden words.
"Miss Cassandra! Don't sneak up and scare people like that! How many times do I have to say it—you can scare someone to death that way!"
"Bell… Before the Calamity arrives… I want to give you everything I have."
"Eh…? Ehhhhhh!?"
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