episode_0038

Late night

“If only he would like it….”

Alice carefully wrapped the necklace made of flowers she had picked from the flower garden.

“…It’s a bit plain, though.”

Alice recalled his reactions when she had given him the gifts she had made.

“It’s so pretty! Thank you, Alice!”

“I should keep this for a lifetime!”

“Even the best artisans in the city couldn’t make a flower arrangement like this!”

Shiver

Alice’s face turned red as she trembled.

“Hehe… I hope Mr. comes soon.”

To go back to sleep, Alice stealthily entered the building.

Since receiving support from Mr., the children and the head of the other orphanage no longer bothered or scolded her, but it was not good to be caught sneaking out at night.

Stealthily

“Hmm?”

As Alice walked slowly to avoid making the creaking sound of the old wooden floor, she saw the familiar silhouette of a man.

“Mr.?”

The figure of Mr. wearing a fedora, just like when she first met him.

It was dark and his attire was different from usual, but Alice, who had an extraordinary affection for men, could immediately recognize him.

“Why are you here at this hour?”

Puzzled, she approached the man slowly, feeling excited that she could meet him.

‘I’ll surprise Mr. from behind and give him the flower necklace as a gift!’

Thinking about how surprised Mr. would be and how touched he would be by her gift, Alice giggled.

Approaching slowly like that, Alice.

Just as she was about to pounce on the man completely concealed in the darkness from behind.

“Oh. That orphan girl.”

The man spoke.

‘…Huh?’

“Yes. Right. Yes. The girl who uses the shadow’s power.”

Alice noticed that the man was holding an artifact in his hand.

‘A communication artifact?’

Because I spent most of my time in the orphanage, I didn’t know much about valuable items like artifacts, but I could tell that the communication artifact the man held in his hand was something that only a tremendous rich person or high noble could use.

“Mister…?”

He always looked like a humble merchant.

But a communication artifact?

Suddenly, Alice began to feel unfamiliar with the sight of the man.

“Yeah. I told you. I’ll remove it once we get closer.”

“Remove…!”

Alice took a step back slowly.

Remove.

What does that mean?

…Me?

Remove me?

After we get closer?

“Well, yes. The aura of that shadow is difficult to handle with the power of an ordinary human. Well, handling is possible, but it causes too much damage. So, the most stable way is to reassure the host and then remove it when they let their guard down after feeling safe from the cursed power.”

‘Reassure the host. Cursed power. Remove. Stability.’

Alice’s pupils contracted.

‘No way. Mister? Me? Then, all the actions he has taken towards me so far…’

Trying to win my trust and then kill me?

Thud

The tiara fell from Alice’s limp hand.

Thud thud thud

Then she turned around and ran out quickly.

Thud

She pushed the door and went outside the building.

At the sound, the man turned around.

“….”

Rustle

The necklace that Alice dropped was stepped on by the man who was walking slowly towards the door.

“….I’m sorry, Alice.”

Don’t forgive me.

Alice ran across the wide field.

‘No, no. Mister wouldn’t…wouldn’t try to kill me!’

-Really?

A shadow in the form of her inside Alice asked her.

-Really?

‘What?’

-Did the man really love you without any ulterior motive?

‘W-Well, of course!’

Alice recalled the memories she had built up with the man until now.

Numerous happy memories passed by like a panorama.

“Of course! There has never been a lie to the old man until now! You also left me alone, thinking that the old man had no ulterior motives even when he petted me!”

– But what if all of that was an act?

“Act?”

– Yes.

Continuing her run, Alice stopped.

“An act…?”

– Didn’t you see what the old man just said? It wasn’t the tone of an ordinary person. He might be a skilled assassin, or maybe a government agent. If it’s the act of a trained person, we wouldn’t be able to tell.

“No.”

– Just deceiving a weak and timid young girl?

“Stop it.”

– Deceiving an innocent girl who knows nothing, making her like him, and then planning to kill her?

“Stop it!”

Alice closed her eyes tightly and shouted.

Seeing her, the shadow smirked.

Dare he try to remove me from Alice?

Only save Alice?

Unlike Alice, the shadow realized what the man’s conversation was about.

Becoming close to Alice and then planning to remove only the shadow to save her.

Because it was the shadow that could truly feel how much affection the man held for Alice, he understood the true meaning the man possessed.

No, this won’t do.

Trying to separate me from her.

She is mine.

My Alice.

To function as my host and become a sacrifice for my resurrection.

Do you think I would let someone who may have come rolling in from who knows where take her away?

– It’s painful.

“…It’s painful.”

– Unbearable, isn’t it?

“…I can’t bear it.”

The shadow whispered in Alice’s ear.

– That anger. Do you want to release these bursting emotions?

“…I want to release them.”

– I’ll give them to you.

The shadow embraced Alice.

– I’ll give you all my power. From now on, this shadow will follow you.

Woo-oo-oo-oo-oom

A shadow, moving roughly like tentacles, was sucked into Alice’s chest.

“Ugh!”

As the discomfort grew, Alice retched.

-Just hold on a little longer.

After a while, a composed Alice opened her eyes.

“Hey. Shadow. You…?”

-Yes. From now on, the power of this shadow will entirely follow you.

“It follows me?”

Alice looked at her hand, clenched and unclenched it.

Pop

Alice extended her hand forward, blood dripping from it.

Squaaaaaak

At that moment, numerous thorn-shaped shadows burst out of the ground, possessing immense destructive power, enough to annihilate an entire army if one were in front of her.

-This is your power now. It’s the power to punish anyone you want to punish.

“My power…”

-Your own power to wield the cudgel of judgment against those who have hurt you.

“Judgment.”

With hazy eyes, Alice tightly clenched her hand.

“Revenge.”

The shadow laughed slyly as it looked at her.

The man chased after the remnants of magical power left by Alice’s shadow as she ran towards him.

In his hand, he held a flower necklace made by Alice, trembling.

Thunk

“…!”

The man suddenly realized that countless lines of shadows had surrounded him.

So many shadows, to the point of being eerie, encircled the man like a spider’s web.

“Shadows, huh.”

“Yes. Shadow cock.”

From the darkness, Alice slowly walked out.

“Alice.”

“Don’t say my name with that mouth!”

Kwaaaah

Tremendous force surged from Alice, overwhelming the man.

“Ugh….”

“Surely not, sir, surely not.”

Alice closed her eyes and lowered her head.

“I never thought you’d approach me to kill me.”

“Hmph.”

Seeing the change in how she addressed him, the man let out a bitter smile.

He had anticipated it, but facing that reality was too painful for him, despite it being what he desired.

“You betrayed me. You played with me!”

Tears as black as ink flowed from Alice’s eyes.

“I trusted you!”

“The fault lies with the deceived.”

The man took out gloves from his pocket and put them on.

Grrr

A strong aura formed around his hands.

“Sir, what are those gloves?”

“Huh? These gloves? Ahaha. These are the gloves I use when I work.”

“Do you hurt your hands when you work, sir? There are scars on your hands.”

Sometimes that happens.”

“…Don’t do such things.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want you to be in pain, sir.”

Hoo

“Hey, hey! It’s, it’s ticklish!”

“Go away if it hurts!”

To keep from being swayed by the memories that were welling up, the man gritted his teeth.

Blood trickled down his lips.

Crack

The man clenched a small bead in his hand.

A sacred energy followed the bead and flowed along his hand.

Don’t get caught up in unnecessary thoughts.

Don’t waver.

I… will save Alice!

“Ahahaha! Blaming the deceived?”

A massive amount of shadows rose behind Alice, who was laughing like a maniac.

“I can’t forgive you!”

The shadows condensed into a figure resembling a giant.

Yes. Alice. Don’t forgive me.

And.

Whoosh

Live freely.

Forever.

Happily.

Crack