Chapter 63

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Recently, a troublesome thought has been lingering in my mind.

It might seem trivial, but it’s a big deal: Alice has changed.

It seems the events from last time left a lasting trauma.

Starting with the image of my neck being severed cleanly right in front of her eyes, followed by Frey mercilessly assaulting me…

These events were more than enough to leave scratches on Alice’s gentle heart.

But Alice didn’t do anything wrong.

Astaroth was a force of nature, something beyond what an unawakened Alice could handle. Frey might be Alice’s alter ego, but they are distinctly separate entities.

Sure, Alice might feel a sense of responsibility, but she wasn’t at fault. She was a victim, not a perpetrator.

Alice is kind—too kind, even. She’s innocent to a fault. While these traits are her strengths, they also make her vulnerable.

And now, I’m deeply worried. Alice isn’t reading books anymore.

This is Alice: Someone who could finish over 20 books in a single day or two. Someone who spent most of her time buried in books has now distanced herself from them. She no longer visits the library, borrows books, or even buys new ones.

How deeply was she affected by that incident?

But no, she’s not locking herself in her room, sulking.

In fact, it’s the opposite.

Alice has started training.

Instead of heading to the library after class, she goes straight to the training grounds, just like other academy students.

It’s what’s expected of the students here.

At the academy, we’re taught how to battle monsters.

After graduation, endless fights await us.

As those gifted with supernatural abilities, we carry a responsibility:

To protect humanity from otherworldly monsters.

Every student here is passionate about honing their abilities.

But Alice wasn’t like that.

She didn’t like fighting. No, she outright hated it.

As a child, Alice endured abuse from her stepmother.

While her father was alive, the woman pretended to be kind, but after he fell into a coma, she showed her true colors. Her love wasn’t for Alice’s father but for his wealth. Alice was nothing more than an inconvenience.

The relentless abuse slowly broke Alice’s spirit.

Her severe stutter and the emergence of Frey as a separate personality were scars left by that harrowing ordeal.

This is why Alice despises violence.

She knows the pain and misery it brings, having experienced it herself.

Alice’s supernatural ability—thermal ray—is purely destructive.

She never trained her ability. She never exercised, either.

Her physical fitness and stamina ranked at the bottom of Class A. She simply had no experience with effort.

And yet, without ever trying, Alice stood on par with the rest of the “Golden Generation”.

Her innate talent even surpassed Eugene’s.

While Eugene might be the protagonist, burdened with all sorts of absurd trials and tribulations, in terms of pure talent, Alice was the greatest genius of our era.

And now, this Alice has begun training seriously.

She’s abandoned the books she loved so much and started moving her body instead.

She soaks her clothes in sweat, occasionally bleeding from injuries, and sometimes looks as though she’s about to cry from exhaustion. Yet, she never complains.

This isn’t entirely unexpected.

In the novel, after the early chapters, Alice overcomes her fragility and embarks on serious training.

It’s a bit early, but her change is part of the story’s progression.

She’s the main heroine, after all. She couldn’t remain weak forever.

As the protagonist grows, so must the heroine.

Sure, I get that, but…

“Something feels… off.”

Why is her motivation tied to this?

Huh? This doesn’t make sense.

Originally, Alice’s transformation was driven by her pure desire to help Eugene.

But now, there’s no connection to Eugene whatsoever.

It’s all because of me.

Is this okay…? Is this really okay…?

It’s been over a month since the academy semester started, hasn’t it?

And yet, there’s still no meaningful interaction between Eugene and Alice.

Even during the field exercise, there was no progress in their relationship.

This is bad. The two of them need to fall in love.

Alice has to support Eugene, to keep him grounded, to ensure he doesn’t waver or crumble.

Love, after all, is a powerful force.

At least here, in “The Dawn of the Sword”, it even performed miracles.

Eugene became the savior of the world because of his love for Alice. Alice’s love for Eugene gave him courage.

Until now, I thought everything would work out since the protagonist and main heroine are bound by fate.

But seeing Alice change like this makes me anxious.

We’re already far from the original storyline, and now Alice is changing, too—and for reasons completely unrelated to Eugene.

…I can’t just stand by anymore.

If I think about it, the reason Alice and Eugene’s relationship got off track was because I accidentally interfered with their first meeting. Alice was supposed to trip while carrying a pile of books, and Eugene was supposed to help her. But I ended up helping Alice myself, removing any reason for her to notice Eugene.

With that, any chance of interaction between the two disappeared, and Alice started paying attention to me instead.

Yes, at least for this, I’m the one at fault.

So it’s only right that I fix it.

I’ve made up my mind.

I’m going to bring Eugene and Alice together.

These two are meant to be lovers, after all.

I’ll help them build a smooth and loving relationship, supporting them from the sidelines.

In other words, I’ll become Cupid!

Yes, Lucia will be the Cupid of Love!

Alright, leave it to me! I’ll make sure these two become a sweet, lovey-dovey couple!

◈

Morning sunlight streamed in through the window, waking me up.

I could hear the steady rhythm of breathing.

A warm presence was snuggled close to me.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I let out a big yawn.

Alice was sound asleep, oblivious to the world, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

Gently, I brushed her blue hair away from her face, tidied it up, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Careful not to wake her, I unwrapped her arms from my waist. I replaced myself with my pillow, tucking it into her embrace, and got out of bed.

Since the day I was discharged from the infirmary, Alice hadn’t left my side.

Starting from the night she shyly knocked on my door while clutching her pillow, she’s made it a habit to come to my room to sleep.

This dependency is one of the reasons I decided to get serious about connecting Alice and Eugene.

Alice seemed too reliant on me.

The affection and interest she should’ve directed toward Eugene were instead coming to me.

She would come to me at any time, leaving me with little personal space.

Before, she’d spend her time holed up in her room reading. But now that she’s not reading, she often finds herself at my door whenever she has free time.

It’s not like I dislike it.

Alice is adorable, utterly adorable.

Part of me just wants to hold her close, shower her with affection, and pat her head endlessly.

But still.

Ever since Alice started her… well, obsession, I haven’t had any time for myself—or for my hobbies.

And that’s a serious problem. A massive problem. A change-earthquake kind of problem in Lucia’s life.

Like that one time, I was tying a noose using the Evans knot¹ and hanging it from the ceiling. Alice knocked on my door right as I was about to step off the chair, making me lose my balance and fall.

Or another time, I was nailing my left hand to the desk for… reasons, and again, she knocked on the door. I had to hurriedly pull it out.

I managed to cover up the scent of blood with way too much perfume and open windows, but still—it was annoying. I couldn’t enjoy my hobbies in peace anymore.

Forget about the good old days of carefully cutting into my limbs in the bathroom. That’s out of the question now. Cleaning up takes too long, and if Alice came in during that time, it’d be catastrophic. She might faint with foam in her mouth.

Huh? Why not just turn her away, you ask? Tell her to leave?

How could I?!

She looks up at me with those big, round, sparkling eyes!

You’d have to be a heartless monster with steel for a heart to say no to that gaze. Someone whose veins run cold with iced coffee instead of blood!

Alice is like a baby.

A baby only about 204 months old, that is.

She needs protecting.

I pulled the blanket up to her chest, making sure she stayed cozy, and headed to the bathroom.

I turned on the hot water and let it cascade down my head, taking a quick shower.

The lingering drowsiness began to wash away little by little.

Surprisingly, the withdrawal symptoms from the drug vanished right after I was discharged.

I thought they’d last a few days, but they disappeared almost instantly.

Could it have something to do with the fact that my memories of that afternoon are hazy?

Frey seemed to know something about it, but she was too preoccupied to explain.

Not that it matters—she hasn’t shown up again since then.

It’s like she doesn’t have the courage to face me.

I get it. She must feel incredibly conflicted and guilty.

She injured Alice’s friend that badly, choked me, and even caused fractures.

She wouldn’t have anything to say, even if she had a hundred mouths.

The guilt must be eating her alive.

I decided not to ask Alice about Frey, afraid it might burden her.

I’ll just leave Frey alone until she gathers the courage to face everything.

Come on, Frey. Get ready to apologize.

And when the time comes, let’s pick up where we left off.

I’m looking forward to it~♡

“G-good m-morning…”

As I stepped out of the bathroom, Alice was already awake.

Despite her stammering, she greeted me with a bright smile.

Ah, how adorable.

Who would believe she’s an academy student?

At best, she looks like a middle schooler. At worst, an elementary schooler. Still half-asleep, Alice waddled over to me, her eyes slightly unfocused.

She stumbled and nearly fell, but I quickly caught her.

She buried her face in my chest and gave a sheepish smile.

Yep, Alice is just too cute.

Honestly, part of me wishes I could keep her with me forever.

But alas, that’s not going to happen.

Alice has her fated partner—Eugene!

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Who broke their fateful relationship?

No one knows who.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):

At worst, an elementary schooler? 

Oh dear, that lolicon charge might hold true.