"Ais, what kind of weapon do you want to use?"
When Elise asked this question, there was not a trace of hesitation on Ais' face. That, in turn, left Elise feeling rather helpless, because she already knew what Ais was about to say.
"I want to use the same weapon as big sister Elise!"
Little Ais looked at Elise with sparkling eyes, her tone not carrying the slightest bit of doubt.
Just as expected...
Elise rubbed her forehead in mild frustration. In Ais' eyes, it seemed there was only her.
From the way she dressed to how she stuck close to her all day, even rarely interacting with other members of the familia...
If this kept up, things would really become a problem.
This child's social skills in the future would definitely be terrible. Just looking at how she behaved in the original story was enough to tell.
"But my weapon isn't just an ordinary weapon, Ais."
As she spoke, Elise waved toward Est, who was sitting not far away eating. Understanding immediately, Est walked over.
"Est, show her."
"Mm!"
At that, Elise extended her right hand toward Est. As the small palm made contact with her, Est's entire body began to emit a brilliant white light.
Ais raised a hand to shield part of her vision, but that did nothing to stop the stars shining in her eyes.
If not for the dazzling radiance surrounding Est, Ais would have stared without blinking.
"O cold queen of steel, holy sword that gathers the seven elements—"
"Manifest here as a blade of steel, and carve a path through all obstacles for me!"
Muttering a completely made-up incantation, Elise grasped Est's hand and gave it a light swing.
In an instant, Est transformed into a streak of light and gathered within Elise's hand.
When the glow finally faded, a magnificent holy sword appeared—composed of white, gold, and blue, lavishly adorned and radiant.
Elise had deliberately imitated Kazehaya Kamito's summoning chant and made one up herself, though she had never actually used it before.
Mainly because she couldn't bring herself to act like that in front of others, and it would damage her image as a saintess.
But in front of children, there was no such concern. No matter how silly she acted, it would just be seen as entertaining them.
That was why Elise often visited places like orphanages—there, she could completely let herself go.
Well? Impressive, right?
Elise curled her lips slightly, holding the sword in a perfect stance while secretly observing Ais' reaction.
As expected, Ais—who had already been excited—now looked as though her eyes were about to pop out.
"Amazing!"
Ais stared fixedly at the holy sword in Elise's hand. She had never imagined that Est could transform into a weapon and fight alongside Elise.
"Can I do that too, like Mom?"
However, after her brief shock, Ais quickly realized something. There was only one Est, and she was already contracted to Elise—so what about her?
For a moment, she even forgot to call Elise "big sister."
"Sorry, Ais."
"Est can turn into a sword because she has a unique ability. In this entire world, she's the only one who can do that."
"It's only because of our contract that I can use her, so no one else can."
"Mm..."
After hearing the explanation, little Ais puffed out her cheeks, somehow becoming even cuter.
"But giving you a specially made weapon isn't a problem. It just depends on what you want."
"Whether it's a blade, a sword, a spear, a bow, or even a staff—anything is fine. My craftsmanship is no worse than those smiths outside!"
Elise had already conducted a thorough investigation of Orario's market. Otherwise, how could she have opened a shop?
According to her findings, the most profitable industry in Orario was weapon forging. Otherwise, the Hephaestus Familia wouldn't be so wealthy.
Their goddess always paid in full—she never haggled.
To avoid conflict with the Hephaestus Familia, Elise chose to sell only high-level equipment, completely ignoring low-level gear.
And since most adventurers in Orario were low-level, high-tier equipment naturally sold less frequently. As a result, Elise and Hephaestus maintained a relatively harmonious relationship.
That one-eyed, red-haired goddess had even taken an interest in Elise, saying that she'd like to exchange forging techniques with her someday.
Anyway, back to Ais.
Upon hearing that Elise would give her a weapon as a gift, Ais' face instantly lit up with a smile.
"Really? Then I want to use a sword!"
For a brief moment after hearing that answer, Elise's expression stiffened slightly, making Ais nervous.
Just as expected...
Elise sighed inwardly. Ais still wanted to imitate her.
If that was the case, then Ais might very well follow the same path as in the original story—becoming a magic swordswoman.
Wait a second!
Ais didn't necessarily have to follow the original path, did she?
Elise had already significantly altered the course of this world. Changing a bit more wouldn't matter at all.
From the original story, it was clear that Ais possessed exceptional swordsmanship. Even her title, Sword Princess, hinted at it—this talent likely came from her father, the mercenary king Albert.
At the same time, Ais also had an affinity for wind, inherited from her mother, the spirit Aria. In other words, she also had strong magical talent.
If one were to estimate her future development, she had the potential to grow into a dual-specialized prodigy.
Someone who could match Ottar in close combat, while also surpassing Riveria in magical battles...
Just imagining it made Elise certain that Ais could achieve it.
After all, Ais was the heroine of this world.
Her talent was bound to be unparalleled.
Even the gods were eagerly anticipating her surpassing Alfia and becoming the next "Silent."
Her natural talent was already extraordinary, and with Elise's guidance...
Wouldn't she soar to the heavens?
Moreover, Elise herself was exactly that kind of person—dominating Ottar in close combat and overwhelming Riveria at range.
If she personally guided Ais, her growth speed would undoubtedly increase dramatically. She might even reach Level 6 earlier than in the original story, and perhaps go even further.
That settles it!
"Alright then. I have no objections to you using a sword. But..."
Elise's first sentence made Ais breathe a sigh of relief. However, that trailing "but" caused her heart to rise back up into her throat.
"I'm a dual practitioner of magic and martial combat. Whether it's swordsmanship or magic, I excel at both. Even in Orario, it's hard to find an opponent for me."
"You have that same potential, Ais."
Ais possessed the skill Companionship of Love, even allowing her to directly borrow Elise's power. Though it was unclear how much she could utilize, even a fraction of it would be terrifying in this world.
"I'll definitely work hard!"
With Elise's acknowledgment, Ais was instantly fired up. Flames of determination seemed to burn in her eyes.
She wanted to become stronger—strong enough. As strong as Elise. To protect everyone, and to kill monsters!
"The weapon I'll give you will take a few days to prepare. For today, let's train your swordsmanship and magic first."
"Mm!"
Compared to the other members of the Astraea Familia, there was no need for Ais to undergo such intense special training.
First, her innate talent was already extremely high, and now she also had a skill that accelerated her growth. Her leveling speed would only become faster—she might even surpass Alise and the others who joined earlier.
Second, Ais was simply too young—only about six years old. Back when the youngest members of the familia joined, they were at least ten. No matter how intense Elise's training was, she never had to worry about them.
But at six, both her body and mind were still developing. If Elise pushed too hard and affected her negatively, it would be a problem. So for Ais, normal training would be enough.
Elise looked forward to the day when Ais would become a truly well-rounded powerhouse.
...
"It's about time, right?"
"Yeah, about time. It's been a while since the last one. The Guild's mandatory task has to be done eventually."
The Guild's mandatory task referred to Dungeon expeditions.
This was something exploration-type familias were required to do. Once their strength reached a certain level, they had to explore the Dungeon.
Whether it was Loki Familia, Freya Familia, or other smaller familias—even the future Hestia Familia—they all had to undertake expeditions.
Once adventurers reached a new floor, the Guild could use the opportunity for promotion. The adventurers gained fame, and the Guild could elevate Orario's status in the world, earning more money in the process.
However, because of Elise, the Astraea Familia's development had taken on a rather unusual direction.
Originally an exploration-type familia, they had begun engaging in commercial activities—selling goods—and earning quite a lot from it.
As a result, the Guild introduced a hidden clause specifically for the Astraea Familia, unknown to others.
They were classified as a dual-type familia.
They could function both as an exploration familia and as a commercial one.
In simple terms, if they chose to participate in expeditions, they could pay less valis. If they didn't want to go, they could simply pay extra valis like a commercial familia.
Elise had originally thought about just paying more and letting the members explore freely, but that proposal was unanimously rejected.
To strengthen the bonds between members, regular expeditions were necessary. Moreover, exploring the Dungeon would enhance their combat experience against monsters.
Honestly, exploring the Dungeon was supposed to be an adventurer's main job, yet it had somehow become something unusual.
Compared to Elise's lack of enthusiasm, the other members of the familia were far more excited. After resting and preparing for so long, they could finally go all out.
Especially little Ais, who had never entered the Dungeon before. When she learned she could explore it with everyone, she was so excited she couldn't sleep all night.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of departure arrived.
This expedition's target was the floor 27 boss—the twin-headed dragon, Amphisbaena. That was why Elise wasn't particularly interested.
This was a monster she could easily defeat back when she was only Level 2. For her, it posed no challenge at all. But for the rest of the familia, it was a super boss.
Aside from Elise and Est, most members were around Level 2 or 3, with only Ais at Level 1.
A team like this would already struggle against something like Goliath. So how were they supposed to defeat Amphisbaena?
This creature was essentially a mobile floor boss, with strength comparable to a Level 5 adventurer. In water, it could even reach Level 6 potential—roughly Level 5.5.
Just because Elise had defeated it easily didn't mean it wasn't an insurmountable mountain for others.
But it didn't matter. With Elise around, the familia members would be safe.
So she decided to use this opportunity to properly train their real combat abilities against monsters. They had probably been itching for a fight for a long time.
After all, normal group runs couldn't go very deep. Only during expeditions could they reach places like this.
As for Elise, she had no intention of personally fighting during this expedition. At most, she'd act as support—buffing or healing—while Alise and the others handled the battle.
With everyone equipped with weapons and Stigmata crafted by Elise, she figured they should at least be able to put up a good fight against Amphisbaena.
The battlefield was a massive waterfall area, surrounded entirely by water—perfect terrain for Amphisbaena. Meanwhile, both Alise and Ryana used fire-based magic, which was directly countered. Celty used lightning, which could easily hit allies if used carelessly.
Among them, there was a lack of a decisive finishing move against Amphisbaena.
That was Elise's assessment. It all depended on how well Alise and the others could coordinate. If their teamwork was strong enough, they might still have a chance of defeating the floor boss.
If they truly managed to defeat it, Elise wouldn't mind letting them witness that thing ahead of time...
The Astraea Familia's lifelong enemy. Their eternal foe.
Elise wasn't sure whether Alise and the others would encounter that being in the future. But if they had the chance to see it now, to understand it, their chances of survival would greatly increase.
"Hmm... the 30th floor might be too strong?"
"They're only Level 3. Even Amphisbaena is already tough for them. Better stick to the 20s..."