Ais Wallenstein!
So it was her?
Elise carefully observed the little girl before her. She really did look very similar to the Ais from the original story, just a bit younger.
No wonder she hadn't recognized her at first—Elise had even thought she was a child who had gotten separated from her parents.
Well...
In a sense, Ais did count as one.
Elise had read some of Ais' storyline. During the era of Zeus and Hera, she had been brought out of the Dungeon, seemingly still in a sealed state at the time?
In the end, she had apparently been rescued by a certain god. Judging from how she joined the Loki Familia in the original story, that god was most likely Loki.
Combining this with Ais' background, Elise more or less understood why she had called her that.
"Your name is Ais, right?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Hearing Elise confirm her name, Ais nodded frantically, her expression extremely serious, as if afraid Elise might not recognize her properly.
"Then, Ais, what did you come to me for?"
"I..."
Grrr—
Just as Ais was about to bring up the matter of familias, an untimely sound suddenly interrupted her.
It was her stomach protesting!
"Ugh!"
Exposing such an embarrassing moment in front of Elise—even Ais couldn't keep her composure. Her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she tilted her little head slightly to the side.
This little Ais was just too adorable!
And this was a rare piece of black history!
Click!
A sudden, inexplicable sound rang out from the side, drawing Ais' attention.
But when she tried to find its source, she discovered nothing there—instead, she found herself facing Elise directly.
And the distance...
So close!
"You must be hungry, right? Then let's go get something to eat first!"
As she spoke, Elise extended her hand toward Ais, who stared blankly at the scene.
This moment was so similar to that time in the past!
But the difference was, back then it had been a farewell—this time, their hands were being joined.
"Mm!"
A faint smile curved at the corner of Ais' lips, and without hesitation, she grasped Elise's hand.
Something she hadn't been able to do back then—she had done it now.
Whether Elise was truly the reincarnation of Aria... did that even matter?
Ais could already feel warmth from the person before her. Even if it was fake...
She was willing to accept it!
What was wrong with indulging in gentle comfort?
"Alright, stop being upset."
All of a sudden, Elise's tone turned slightly helpless, leaving Ais confused.
She was happy—why would she be upset?
Unless... the one being addressed wasn't her!
Ais tilted her head slightly and looked behind Elise, where a white-haired little girl was standing.
She looked about the same age and height as herself, holding a half-eaten Croquette Ball in her hand.
Could she be Mom's daughter in this life?
"Est, come say hello too!"
Est?
Her own name was Ais, and the other girl's name was Est. In a way, this was also their fate.
And Est, in a sense, would be her older sis—no, definitely younger sister!
She was from long ago, so she had to be the older one. There was no way Est could be older than her.
Thinking that she had gained another relative, Ais' smile deepened even more.
But one thing worth noting was that this little sister named Est didn't seem very happy?
In order to cheer her up, Ais decided to comfort her properly.
If she herself could emerge from that endless darkness, then there was no way Est couldn't.
"Don't be unhappy!"
Little Ais walked up to Est and gently took her hands.
"If I can do it, you can too!"
Although little Ais tried her best to comfort her...
Perhaps because she had left her parents at such a young age, her ability to express herself was rather lacking.
Not only Est, even Elise couldn't quite understand what she meant.
"What are you talking about?"
But there was still some effect—at least Ais' tone of comfort was genuine, and Est could tell.
"Be happy!"
Ais' answer was still just as brief, but her bright, unwavering gaze refused to let Est go.
As if, if Est wasn't happy, she would keep staring like this.
And Est... glared right back without holding back.
Thus, before Elise's eyes, the two little girls ended up in a staring contest, neither willing to yield.
Just before things got completely out of hand, Elise moved at lightning speed.
"You two, that's enough!"
She really couldn't stand it anymore. If they kept glaring like this, it probably wouldn't end even by nightfall.
Thud!
A fair yet authoritative fist landed mercilessly on both the golden and silver heads, making them cry out in pain.
Although she hadn't used much force, a fist imbued with authority was far more powerful than an ordinary one.
Seeing this "authoritative" side of Elise, the two little girls immediately became nervous, looking at her somewhat uneasily.
"You two need to get along, understand?"
Little Ais nodded rapidly—she had already intended to build a good relationship with Est. As for Est, she looked reluctant.
But under Elise's overwhelming pressure, she had no choice but to give in.
"Then, let's go together!"
Holding a golden-haired loli in her left hand and a silver-haired loli in her right, Elise at that moment truly looked like a mother taking care of two children.
She herself might not think so, but the citizens of Orario had sharp eyes!
And just like that, news about Ais began to spread.
...
That night, at the Astraea Familia residence.
"Phew!"
Lyra lay on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
After leaving the Star Shop in the morning, Lyra had gone straight back to the familia and entered the training room.
Ever since Elise gained the ability to create certain items, her range of work had expanded more and more. Many things that once existed only as ideas could now be brought into reality.
For example, this training puppet created by Elise had taken quite a bit of her effort and time. In the end, she finally managed to produce one that could help all members of the familia train.
Since quite a few people had chosen to head into the Dungeon today, Lyra took the opportunity to train herself.
Having gone a long time without engaging in intense combat, Lyra was thoroughly beaten by the puppet—so much so that it felt like her bones were about to fall apart.
But there was no helping it...
"If I don't do this, the gap between me and everyone else will only grow wider..."
Lyra's talent had always been the weakest within the familia. Although Elise's Stigmata had boosted her strength, her growth speed still couldn't compare to the others—and it wasn't like the others lacked Stigmata either.
"If I stay stagnant, the gap will only keep getting bigger!"
Lyra looked at the palm of her hand, then clenched it tightly.
"I have to catch up to them!"
"Lyra!"
A chestnut-haired goddess walked over and gently placed her hand on Lyra's head. "You've worked hard today as well."
Hearing Astraea's words, Lyra felt a warmth in her heart, though her mouth remained stubborn.
"Ha, what's so hard about it? I'm just making up for all the time I slacked off before."
"But still, thank you, Lady Astraea!"
"You're welcome, Lyra."
"By the way... may I ask a question, Lady Astraea?"
"Go ahead."
"Why did you forgive Goddess Freya?"
Lyra lowered her head, unable to understand it no matter how she thought about it.
What Freya had done to them had been utterly excessive. If not for Elise, the Astraea Familia would have suffered devastating destruction and fallen into irredeemable ruin.
Yet in the end, both Astraea and Elise had forgiven her so easily. It gave Lyra a feeling...
Did we not matter?
Lyra had always wanted to ask this, but because of their captain and their goddess, she had held herself back. Until now—she could no longer suppress it.
"Sigh..."
Astraea let out a soft sigh. No matter whose perspective one took, this matter did seem extremely strange.
Because the implications behind devouring a god were simply too great—even for her own familia, Astraea had not revealed it.
The only ones who truly knew were Astraea and the two parties involved.
"Forgive me for not being able to tell you the truth, Lyra," Astraea said, her face filled with apology. "The only thing I can tell you is this."
"After that battle, Freya is no longer the same as before. You could even treat her as an entirely different person."
"The current Freya Familia is, in a true sense, our ally—one could even say subordinate. No matter what we ask of them, they will most likely not refuse."
"I know you don't trust Freya, but at least trust me, alright?"
After Astraea finished speaking, the dissatisfaction in Lyra's heart completely vanished. For a moment, she even forgot to breathe.
Just what had happened?
For Lady Astraea to say something like this?
Could the words of the goddess of justice be false?
"I... understand."
It felt as though she had brushed against some great secret. Judging from Astraea's expression, she clearly did not want Lyra to be involved.
Perhaps...
Lyra shook her head vigorously, throwing all those messy thoughts out of her mind.
"I understand, Lady Astraea. I won't ask about this anymore."
If things were truly as Astraea said, then the fate of the Freya Familia was likely even worse. Thinking of it that way, the imbalance in her heart disappeared instantly.
"Thank you!"
After that, Lyra began chatting with Astraea, mostly about her experiences while selling goods.
The two chatted and laughed together, as if the earlier unpleasantness had never existed, simply waiting for the other members of the familia to return.
Until...
Click—
The sound of the door opening came from behind. Lyra's heart skipped a beat—she had nearly cried just now, so she hurriedly composed her appearance.
In the past, she hadn't cared about her looks—being able to survive was enough.
But after seeing Finn, Lyra had made that decision!
To become the woman of the hero Finn!
For that, she had even sought out Iska to learn makeup. When selling goods at the shop, she was always fully dressed and made up.
Even now that she wasn't selling things, she maintained the habit, all for the sake of one day getting married in her most beautiful state.
But just as she was about to pick up her makeup tools, she noticed Astraea's expression was rather... strange.
How to put it?
It was like seeing their captain suddenly pregnant.
Thinking this, Lyra no longer hesitated and immediately turned her head. What exactly had Astraea seen? She couldn't help but feel curious.
Then Lyra froze as well.
"Hi!"
Elise stood there, holding a white-haired loli in one hand and a golden-haired loli in the other, greeting them.
W-What?!
So it wasn't pregnancy—it skipped straight to childbirth!
And even a second child?
Just what exactly did you do today?!
"Come on, greet everyone!"
Both of them wore gorgeous clothes. At a glance, neither looked older than ten—clearly children.
The white-haired one was likely Est. Even though she had changed clothes, she was still barely recognizable.
As for the golden-haired one...
Why did she look more and more like Elise the longer she stared? Could she really be Elise's daughter? But Elise was only around sixteen, wasn't she?
For a moment, Lyra's mind fell into chaos. She quickly looked toward Astraea, but even the goddess of justice seemed unable to grasp the situation.
"Hello, my name is Ais... please take care of me!"
After giving a deep bow, Ais quickly hid behind Elise, clutching her arm tightly.
The little girl's crisp self-introduction was undeniably adorable—even Lyra was instantly charmed.
However...
She seemed a bit shy?
Astraea had just stepped forward to talk with the child, but the girl retreated further and further behind Elise.
"Elise, she is...?"
Seeing Ais' wary attitude, Astraea couldn't quite decide what to do and chose to ask Elise instead.
"This child is Ais..."
Just as she was about to introduce the heroine of the original story, Elise suddenly paused, as if sensing something, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"She's my daughter."
At that moment, Ais' eyes lit up, and she hugged Elise even tighter.
As for everyone else...
Whether it was Lyra inside the room or the Dungeon exploration group that had just returned and opened the door, every face was filled with shock.
Elise...
Since when did she have a daughter?