Alice POV
The sunlight in the Cradle was different.
It wasn’t harsh or burning, but soft and endless. It felt warm in a way that made Alice’s body hum with quiet energy.
She sat in the dining hall, feeling the sunlight falling from the window and settle across her skin.
Priscilla, the head maid, had mentioned earlier that the sun here shone for eighteen hours straight before setting.
Alice could believe it.
Even now, despite the night outside, the light was shining strong.
She could feel her mana moving naturally.
The Solar, Light, and Fire affinities inside her pulsed in rhythm with the sun’s rays.
Every breath she took made her mana pool denser, and clearer.
At this rate, she would reach Level 6 in all three affinities within a few hours.
That realization left her speechless for a moment.
Normally, it would take years—decades, even—to raise an affinity to that level.
Level 6 meant she could use Elemental Sword Aura without external help.
She smiled faintly at the thought.
Of course, she couldn’t use Sword Aura. She wasn’t a swordsman.
But she could use Arrow Aura.
Arrow Aura was nearly identical to Sword Aura, except it enhanced the speed, precision, and impact of projectiles instead of melee attacks.
Her body seemed to understand how to channel it naturally, as if the knowledge had always been there.
That was the strange part.
She didn’t remember learning it.
One morning, she had just... known.
The structure of the aura, how to form it, how to control its flow. It had appeared in her mind as if it had been there all along.
Her instincts told her it had something to do with Isaac.
He’d suddenly shown a similar leap in throwing ability not long after she did. Their connection wasn’t normal, and she knew it.
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"My Lady, is something not to your taste?" Priscilla’s calm tone carried from the nearby dining table.
She stood by the long table, carefully arranging dishes in front of Alice and Celia.
Emily was also at the table but had politely refused to eat, saying she wasn’t hungry.
Alice looked down at her plate.
The food here was beautiful and salivating. Cuts of meat from exotic beasts, fruits that shimmered faintly with mana, and clear golden water drawn from the Cradle’s inner springs.
"It’s good," Alice said simply.
Priscilla smiled softly. "I’m glad it’s to your taste, my Lady."
The maids of the Cradle treated her like royalty.
As the sole known descendant of the Calloway Family Solar Dragons, she was their living symbol of divinity.
Everything they did—how they spoke, how they served—was done with reverence.
If there was one problem, it was.....
"My Lady, would Master be joining you for dinner tonight?" Priscilla asked, hesitating beside her.
Alice froze mid-motion, her eyelids twitching slightly.
Priscilla realized her mistake instantly and lowered her head.
"Forgive me, I spoke out of turn."
She stepped back quietly, her expression neutral again.
The rest of the meal continued in silence.
Celia focused on her plate, Emily sat still with her hands folded, and Alice ate with slow, careful movements.
Her brows remained furrowed the whole time.
After a while, Celia finally spoke up, unable to stand the tension.
"Alice... are you angry because of—"
"It’s not because of you," Alice cut her off, her tone calm but blunt. "I don’t like you, but that’s not what I’m thinking about right now."
Celia blinked, clearly not expecting that level of honesty.
Emily sighed softly.
She’d been ready to step in if another argument started, but it seemed unnecessary now.
Alice might look cold, but she was brutally honest. She showed her feelings openly. Since she wasn’t fighting with Celia meant she was learning to accept her.
Celia frowned slightly. "Then what’s bothering you?"
Alice leaned back, her expression distant.
"It’s my Class," she said after a moment. "I need a hundred followers who pray to my God—to Isaac—but that’s easier said than done."
Emily’s head lifted at that, and Celia tilted hers, confused.
Alice continued, "Without a hundred followers, I can’t gain my Class. And right now, I barely have any followers."
Celia’s lips pursed in thought, but then her eyes brightened suddenly, as if she had just remembered something.
"Wait," she said, sitting up straighter. "What about the nagas?"
Alice looked at her with mild curiosity. "What about them?"
"We can scam—" Celia paused mid-word, coughed lightly, and corrected herself, "I mean, enlighten them. We can make them followers of Isaac."
Emily blinked. "You mean... convince them?"
Celia nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! Do you know why the nagas came to Fortified City 89 in the first place?"
Neither Alice nor Emily answered.
Celia smiled wider. "They came here looking for their God."
Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly, while Emily’s brows furrowed in confusion.
"Now think about it," Celia continued, clearly excited about her idea. "Isaac is technically a demigod. And you’re praying to make him your God, right? What if we say that the prophecy that led the nagas here was about him?"
Emily’s eyes widened a little. "You want to claim Isaac is the one they’ve been looking for?"
Celia nodded quickly. "It’s not even that far-fetched. Think about his achievements, he killed the N’theris Serpent, one of their ancestral figures, and he’s got that ridiculous SSS-rank Farming Talent that no human should have.
"Add his combat strength, his aura, his command presence, and the fact he is a demigod, it all fits the image of a divine figure."
She leaned forward on the table, voice gaining speed as her idea took shape. "If we word it right, they’ll believe it.
"We can say that their old prophecy was misunderstood, that their god wasn’t the N’theris Serpent but Isaac.
"The nagas should already respect him, after he treated them right. Turning that respect into faith won’t be hard."
Alice tapped her finger on the table, thinking it over. "And that would make them his followers."
"Exactly," Celia said, almost grinning. "Fifty devoted believers right there."
Emily frowned.
"That... sounds like lying," she said quietly. "We’d be twisting their beliefs to serve our goal."
Celia shrugged. "We’d be giving them something to believe in. Isaac is powerful enough to be worshipped. It’s not exactly false. And if we consider all circumstances, it does look like he was the person their prophecy was talking about."
Emily looked uneasy.
She glanced toward Alice, hoping she would reject the plan.
"Alice, you don’t really intend to—"
"I see," Alice said, cutting her off. Her tone was calm, and thoughtful. "That’s a good idea."
Emily’s face fell. "Alice..."
But Alice wasn’t joking. She was genuinely considering it.
"Isaac is going to be my... our God," Alice said after a moment. "If the nagas see him as one, then it only helps his position. And if I gain strength through their faith, I can protect him better."
Celia looked pleased with herself. "See? Makes sense to me."
Emily pressed her fingers to her forehead. "You two are impossible."
Celia laughed lightly. "Oh, come on. You can’t say it’s not practical."
"I can say it’s manipulative," Emily muttered. "But I know Isaac won’t punish you for it, so I’ll just—forget I heard it."
Alice turned toward her, expression softening slightly. "I know you don’t agree with it, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to do."
Emily nodded, and sighed inwardly.
There was a quiet pause after that. The sound of the wind brushing through the Cradle’s trees filled the silence. Somewhere nearby, faint humming came from one of the energy wells.
Celia stretched her arms above her head and smiled. "So, it’s settled. I’ll handle the talking when we meet them. I’ve always been good at persuading people."