"So, what exactly is going on here? Could you girls please explain it to me?"
Looking at the three girls who were practically glued to each other, Riveria helplessly pressed her hand to her forehead. She had been truly mentally exhausted lately.
She had clearly assigned Ais a mission earlier, but how did things end up developing in such a strange direction?
Ais was currently sitting on a bench, with the youthful and vibrant Hyacine on her left and the beautiful, moving Barbara on her right. She looked like a total winner in life...
Specifically, like a male winner in life, with a girl on each arm.
In Riveria's view, Ais's emotions had always been flat, rarely showing significant fluctuations.
But today, Riveria actually saw Ais smiling?
Why was she smiling? Was it because of the Messiah?
Furthermore, this smile was very off; it looked just like those fellows in the Pleasure Quarter who did business with girls...
Wait, something was wrong!
Could it be that Ais had been infected by Loki?
If one were to ask who posed the greatest threat to girls in the Loki Familia, it would undoubtedly be the Familia's main god, Loki.
Whenever there were girls around, there was a high probability that this goddess would pounce on them, using her Tianshan Plum-Plucking Hand to tease them mercilessly. And now, Ais seemed to be showing similar signs—wasn't this extremely dangerous?
If a Level 5 Adventurer turned into that, who in the Familia could stop her?
"I don't know what you're thinking, Riveria, but it must be something very rude, isn't it?"
Though this lady of the Elf Royal Family was usually quite cold, that was simply her personality; the real her actually despised those tedious, formal etiquettes.
To outsiders, Riveria was absolutely a person worthy of entrusting the younger generation to, but internally... she had a bit of trouble hiding her true feelings.
Especially seeing Ais 'opening a harem'!
'What if Ais makes a move on me one day?' Even such worries had surfaced in Riveria's heart.
Don't be fooled by Riveria being Level 6; that was mostly a numerical value for using Magic. In terms of raw Strength, Riveria herself wasn't necessarily a match for Ais at Level 5.
Therefore, once at close range, even Ais could easily suppress Riveria with Strength.
A Mage might be able to manage a response when dealing with a weak warrior, but if facing a warrior of the same grade, even Riveria would suffer. This was true even if Ais wasn't a pure warrior.
"What am I thinking? Don't change the subject! The problem now is what you girls are thinking!"
The young royal Elf blushed slightly. Despite being over 100 years old, she was still quite naive about matters between men and women; such was the nature of Elves.
So, Riveria gestured for the three girls to separate quickly, but Ais's attitude was exceptionally firm.
"I won't!"
This time, the golden-haired girl's refusal was particularly blunt, showing no intention of changing her mind because of the situation at hand.
"Riveria, mean..."
"Trying to forcibly separate Hyacine and Barbara—we will absolutely not allow it!"
These words were like a needle, stabbing deep into Riveria's heart, and made her feel an unprecedented worry... She had only left Ais alone for a short while, so how did she suddenly turn into this?
"Ais, this isn't right. As Familia companions, we should help and support each other, not turn into... whatever this relationship is!"
Riveria wanted to set the daughter she had raised for years back on the right path, but what she didn't know was that this road was long and arduous!
Ais didn't care about any of that. Although Riveria was called "Mama," she didn't possess the scent of a mother. In contrast, the petite Hyacine and Barbara carried a rich "Aria" scent, making the choice obvious...
"Sigh, since I can't persuade you, I'll have to use force."
Riveria sighed and moved to Ais's side, attempting to use Strength to separate Ais from the two girls. However, Ais's Strength didn't budge an inch, and she even pinned Riveria down in return.
Riveria: ?
"Sigh, give it up, Riveria."
It seemed the peaceful movement woke the resting Hyacine. The pink-haired girl merely sighed softly, and wings like an angel's mark grew from her back, while her body radiated an unprecedented light.
"We promise you, Ais will be fine. Right now, she just needs more of our company..."
Gently placing her small hand on Ais's head, Hyacine stroked her as if she were a cute little animal, causing a bright smile to bloom on Ais's face.
Barbara did the same, gently tidying this "Alice's" clothing, like a wife straightening her husband's tie.
This scene made Riveria's heart even more confused, but out of trust for her companions, she didn't interfere further and instead let out a helpless sigh.
"Since you've put it that way, what else can I do? Just don't do anything to hurt Ais..."
"She's still a child!"
"Of course, you can rest easy with us, Riveria!"
As the final words of concern settled in the room, Riveria officially withdrew from the private world of Ais, Hyacine, and Barbara, leaving the space entirely to them.
However, Hyacine and Barbara knew very well that their relationship was actually more like doctor and patient, having nothing to do with those ambiguous ideas.
Except...
"Ai-bao, although we did say we'd always care for you, isn't this a bit too close? Even walking has become a bit difficult."
"How about loosening up a bit?"
Even when they went outside, Ais had no intention of letting go of the two girls, just like before. She even held on tighter, as if showing off her mothers to the people on the street.
This made the two girls a bit distressed...
After all, if it were just in a room, it wouldn't be a big deal, but if their unseemly expressions were seen on the street, it would surely cause another stir in Orario, wouldn't it?
"Look, isn't that the Messiah Lady?"
"And the Loki Familia's Sword Princess—they're actually out shopping together? What a beautiful sight!"
Though the three were just shopping together with no other intentions, the title of Messiah was so grand that a large crowd soon followed behind Hyacine and Barbara.
The girls were actually long accustomed to being watched; though they felt helpless, they couldn't stop it.
That was until Barbara and Hyacine's gaze swept across a certain corner nearby, and their movements froze. In that direction, they had spotted a certain rabbit-like boy...