Chapter 163

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ ​ＫａｔＲｅａ​ｄｉｎｇＣ​ａｆｅ

A cool breeze carried the fresh scent of flowers.

Faint rays of light seeped through closed eyelids.

The temperature was warm, and the sunlight streaming down was gentle.

Petals brushed against her cheeks. A familiar place of memories.

“…”

Alice was sitting on a pure white chair, spotless and pristine.

Vibrant flowers swayed in the breeze, showing off their beauty.

Colorful petals mixed like a rainbow, creating a dazzlingly beautiful scene.

About 10 years ago.

When her father’s health was still fine.

When her mother wasn’t scary but gentle.

The family had gone out for a spring outing.

The freshness of that warm spring day still lingered in her memory.

The endless flower field she saw that day.

The fragrant wind blew.

Her parents’ warm smiles.

All of it was a precious memory Alice could never forget.

Even when things got tough, painful, and she wanted to give up.

The memory of that day gave her the strength to stand up again.

It was a place she missed dearly.

So much so that just thinking about it made her heart ache.

It was a symbol of the happiest time in her life.

Perhaps that was why.

Alice was now here.

Not in reality, but in a dream.

Not in the real world, but in her mind.

“…”

Alice’s gaze turned to the left.

Under a cloudless blue sky.

She wasn’t the only one in the vast flower field.

Not reality, but a virtual space.

The only person who could step into Alice’s mental world.

Aside from herself, there was just one person.

Alice’s other half.

Another Alice.

Alice’s prayer.

“…Frey.”

Alice carefully spoke the name. But there was no response. Frey was sitting on a chair, her head bowed. Her deep blue hair, like the ocean, covered her face. Her legs trembled, and her shoulders twitched. Her breathing was ragged. Her delicate hands gripped her arms as if trying to crush them.

This was the first time the two had faced each other.

Two personalities sharing one body.

When one personality takes control of the body.

The other remained in the depths of the mind.

Because they were the same person.

The closest beings in the world.

Paradoxically, the two couldn’t see each other’s faces.

They were together, yet they couldn’t be together.

But for some reason, Alice and Frey were now in the same space.

A world made from mental imagination.

A manifestation of consciousness. A scene from the mind. A fleeting dream.

In this place, the impossible became possible.

“I… couldn’t do it… nothing…”

A clattering sound echoed.

Her upper and lower teeth ground together.

A voice like a beast’s howl, Frey spoke.

“Really… nothing…”

She was powerless.

Pathetically, miserably powerless.

She couldn’t protect anyone. Neither Alice nor Lucia. She had sworn to protect them.

She could only watch as Lucia was taken away.

If not for Lucia’s sacrifice, Alice would have died.

Her eyes burned.

The heat spread to her cheeks.

Tears streamed down her jawline and fell.

Emotion surged up her throat.

If she hadn’t clenched her teeth, it would have burst out immediately.

‘Take care of yourself.’

Lucia’s last words echoed in her ears.

The sad smile she showed before leaving flickered before her eyes.

She had known. She had been prepared. She knew she might not come back. That she might die. Even knowing that, she had followed that woman willingly. Because at that moment, it was the only way. To protect Alice and Eugene, it was the only option. For our sake, Lucia had walked into certain death.

“I’m… sorry… Alice, I’m sorry…”

“Frey.”

“I told you… to believe in me… but…”

She had boasted as if she could solve anything.

But look at her now. She couldn’t protect anything. 

Lucia was gone, and Alice was severely injured. The injuries were life-threatening. She had lost so much blood.

Frey had never realized how much blood could be in Alice’s small body. Her chest had been pierced. A hole had been torn through it, so large that she could see the other side. 

Frey had felt death approaching, right before her eyes.

“I… should have protected… I should have…”

She couldn’t do anything.

She couldn’t protect anything.

All she could do was crawl on the ground like a worm, swallowing her tears.

All she could do was watch Lucia’s retreating figure.

Helplessness. A rising sense of futility.

For the first time in her life, Frey felt small.

She had always been confident, believing she could do anything.

But had she ever felt so useless?

Even when she had done something terrible to Lucia.

Even when she had been unable to apologize, writhing in guilt.

She had never felt so wretched and miserable.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Her throat tightened. Flowing tears blurred her vision. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Alice. She had always wanted to be someone reliable, someone Alice could lean on. 

But the tears wouldn’t stop. Her heart, once a steady beat, was now a source of pain. It hurt so much. It was so agonizing. So sad. Frey bit her lip so hard it might tear.

I hate this. I don’t understand anymore. Why do I exist? Wasn’t it to protect Alice? Then why can’t I protect her? I always boasted about being Alice’s protector, but when it really mattered, I was so powerless. If I can’t protect my other half, if I can’t even protect a precious friend, then what’s the point of my existence? What is it?

“Frey.”

Alice slowly rose from her chair.

Her hair fluttered in the wind.

Frey flinched.

She couldn’t bring herself to face her.

Her voice, her breathing, even her small movements.

Everything felt like an accusation.

Even though she knew it wasn’t true, her body was frozen in fear.

Alice took slow, deliberate steps.

It was only a few steps away.

The distance between them quickly shrunk and disappeared.

Before she knew it, Alice was standing in front of Frey.

“Lift your head.”

“I… I…”

“Please.”

Alice’s voice was the same as always. Maybe it was because it was a dream. She spoke clearly, without stuttering, conveying her thoughts firmly. Frey couldn’t bring herself to refuse Alice’s request. She had always been like that. And in this situation, even more so.

“Ugh…”

Swallowing her tears, Frey lifted her head.

Through the strands of hair obstructing her vision, Frey could see Alice.

Alice’s eyes were slightly red, but she wasn’t crying.

She raised her hand. Took another step closer. Then, she pulled Frey into a hug.

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did your best, so why are you apologizing?”

“B, but…”

“You’ve always been like this. You’ve always done your best for me. Thank you. For always protecting me.”

“I, I, I…”

“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been broken long ago. Thank you. Really, thank you. My precious ‘self.’”

Alice’s embrace was warm.

Like the weather on a spring day.

The scent of flowers tickled her nose.

This was the first time her other half held her.

It couldn’t have been any other way.

This was the first time they had faced each other directly.

“Hic, ugh…”

She didn’t want to look pathetic, so she tried to stop crying. But Frey’s body betrayed her will.

The tears wouldn’t stop. A choked sob escaped her throat. Trembling, she raised her hands. She wrapped her arms around Alice’s waist as if handling a fragile treasure. Alice’s clothes grew damp. The yellow dress that Lucia had once gifted her. The color of the dress slowly darkened.

The crying didn’t stop easily. All her attempts to hold it back were in vain, and eventually, Frey gave up.

How long had she cried? The unchanging mental world made her lose all sense of time. After sobbing for a while, Frey finally calmed down, but her chest began to ache for a different reason.

‘E-Embarrassing…’

She wanted to crawl into a mouse hole right then and there.

It was a pity that there were no mouse holes in this flower field.

Shivering, she buried her face in Alice’s chest.

If she looked Alice in the eye right now, she might die of shame.

“Hey, Frey.”

“Uh, huh? Yeah. What, what is it?”

Realizing that Frey had calmed down, Alice patted her head.

It was a gesture Lucia often did for Alice.

Holding her close and sharing warmth, she gently stroked her head.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I couldn’t help you properly.”

“N, no! Alice, you did your best…”

Frey stopped mid-sentence.

She was now saying the same thing Alice had said earlier.

Alice chuckled playfully.

“Frey, you know what?”

She tightened her arms around Frey.

As if holding onto a treasure that might disappear if she let go.

Because of this, Frey couldn’t see Alice’s face.

What expression she was making, what her eyes looked like.

“I realized something.”

“W, what…?”

“If there’s something truly precious, you have to protect it with your own hands.”

You can’t leave it to someone else.

You have to do it yourself.

When a situation like that happens again.

If you wait for outside help, it’ll be too late.

“To do that, I need to get stronger.”

I’m weak right now.

I’ve painfully realized that.

So, what should I do?

The answer is simple. I need to get stronger. Stronger than anyone.

“Will you help me, Frey?”

“…Yeah, yeah! Of course!”

“Hehe, thank you. You’re always my support.”

A wall appeared. A massive wall. So enormous that there was no way to climb over it or go around it.

The realm of awakening.

The path beyond the initial stage, leading to becoming a ‘god-like being.’

Normally, it wouldn’t be visible.

Alice still had too far to go to reach that wall.

She was only at the beginning of awakening, still too far away.

So far away that it would take a long time to finally reach it.

But she saw it. She touched it. The wall blocked her path.

Overwhelming talent.

Talent that defies common sense.

Talent so deep that even she couldn’t measure it.

An untrained body. Talent that had been instinctively suppressed.

Among countless geniuses.

A unique genius awakens.

An unprecedented monster breaks through and steps out.

Making the impossible possible.

“I have to climb over this wall.”

That’s how I’ll gain strength.

“I’ll take her back.”

That precious person.

Alice’s eyes turned red.

Heterochromatic eyes, one red and one blue.

But now, even the blue one turned red.

Her eyes, like sticky blood, glowed with an eerie light.

“Alice…?”

Frey instinctively lifted her head.

An emotion she had never felt from Alice before surged.

Her two eyes, flickering with red light. Ominous eyes.

“I’ll gain strength, take Lucia back…”

And find the woman who kidnapped Lucia.

“I’ll tear her to pieces.”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Frey is a personality derived from Alice.

In other words, Alice can become Frey.

Since she is kind and gentle by nature, it is unlikely to happen,

unless there is a special reason.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Didn’t think we would see another Angelica, heh.