Chapter 187

&R;è&a;​&d; ​o&n; K​αt‍​R​e&a;diｎｇC​a​f̂é

The first thing Angelica did when the battle with the woman in the red fox mask began was to evacuate Alice.

Of course, Alice wouldn’t retreat willingly.

Angelica understood that very well.

No matter how much she tried to persuade her, Alice wouldn’t listen.

That’s why Angelica resorted to a more forceful approach.

Without seeking Alice’s consent, she unilaterally removed her from the scene.

First, she created a pillar of rock. It wasn’t very tall, but it was thick enough to easily bind a person. That was its purpose, after all.

Using her control over iron sand, she tied Alice to the pillar like a rope. 

Alice shouted in surprise, but Angelica remained silent. Even though Alice had achieved awakening, Angelica had reached a higher level. 

Before Alice could properly resist, Angelica acted.

Once the preparations were complete, Angelica didn’t hesitate to launch the pillar at full force. 

Out of the hospital. The rock pillar shot through the air like a cannonball. It was an extremely dangerous move. An ordinary person would have been seriously injured, if not killed. 

But Alice was someone close to a god, having achieved awakening. She wouldn’t be harmed by something like this.

Even this was only a temporary measure.

Alice would undoubtedly try to return as soon as she landed.

So, Angelica left a request with Coloss, the vice-captain of the 3rd Division, to stop Alice.

Even among those close to gods, there was a difference in experience. If Coloss was determined to hold Alice back, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

The problem was whether Coloss could find Alice, who had been launched at a speed far exceeding the speed of sound, before Alice landed and returned… but that was something to think about later. 

For now, dealing with the woman in the red fox mask was the priority.

And so, Alice, tied to the pillar, was soaring through the sky—an experience she wouldn’t easily have anywhere else.

‘I knew teacher Angelica would do something like this… well, I expected it.’

She must have planned this from the start.

She always prioritized the safety of her students above all else.

It was obvious that she had already made a lot of concessions by indulging Alice’s stubbornness.

If it was the usual Alice, she would have followed Angelica’s orders without question.

Angelica was her homeroom teacher, and Alice was her student.

It was only natural for a student to follow their teacher’s instructions.

Alice was an obedient, diligent, and well-mannered girl.

She would never do anything to trouble her superiors.

That was something only bad kids would do, after all.

Alice was a good girl. 

She had grown up as a good girl.

And she worked hard to remain one.

Alice had a pathological dislike for causing trouble for others.

She knew that following Angelica’s orders was the right thing to do. 

No matter what anyone said, she was still young, and this was something adults should handle. 

If Alice, as a student, acted recklessly, it would only make things harder for the adults.

So why couldn’t she bring herself to follow obediently?

Alice didn’t dwell on it too deeply.

The reason was too obvious to even think about.

“…”

Alice’s crimson eyes, stained with blood, looked down below.

The rock pillar continued to shoot through the air without slowing down.

She roughly estimated her current position and the distance to the ground.

Even if she fell, it wouldn’t be a big problem. Having made her decision, Alice clenched her fist.

Crack.

She forcibly tore apart the iron sand that had bound her to the pillar like a rope.

It was tough and stubborn, but Alice’s expression remained calm.

Even though she had ripped it apart by force, it didn’t hurt at all. Her arms weren’t even scratched. Of course not. She had hardened her body. Alice’s body was harder than Angelica’s rocks.

‘Thank you, Frey.’

[No need for thanks.]

Free from the iron sand’s restraints, Alice spread her arms and hugged the pillar. She couldn’t just leave it like this; who knows what kind of accident it might cause. 

Angelica would undoubtedly have taken precautions, but you never know. To prevent any unforeseen incidents, Alice gathered heat in her eyes.

Heat ray.

A supernatural ability focused purely on destruction.

After achieving awakening, its power had increased exponentially.

A scorching heat surged, as if to pierce through the clouds.

The solid rock melted instantly without offering any resistance.

A red heat ray that pierced through the sky, leaving no trace of debris.

The level of firepower that previously required Frey’s assistance, Alice could now unleash on her own. But she felt no joy in that. Instead, an unbearable sense of anxiety weighed heavily on her chest.

‘…It’s a lie.’

Alice tried her best not to cry.

If she cried here, it would mean admitting that those words were true.

It’s a lie. It must be a lie. It has to be a lie.

Lucia is safe, waiting to be rescued.

That’s why I have to go.

I have to go and save Lucia.

After obliterating the rock pillar Angelica had launched, Alice began to fall toward the ground, pulled by gravity. It was a height equivalent to falling from the roof of a skyscraper, but Alice didn’t even blink.

Should she shoot a heat ray at the ground to slow her fall?

She considered it but decided against wasting her energy.

At this height, she wouldn’t even suffer a scratch anyway.

The increase in output after becoming close to a god wasn’t limited to heat rays.

With Frey’s hardening… even if she fell straight down, the worst she’d get is a little dirty.

The cold wind brushed against her skin.

Her blue hair fluttered like a flag.

The ground approached in an instant.

Alice closed her eyes slowly, confirming that there was no one at the landing point.

Fear gradually colored her heart.

Not because she was afraid of falling.

What if that masked woman was telling the truth…?

She shook her head, immediately denying it, but thoughts weren’t something you could control. The more she tried not to think about it, the more it clung to her mind. Alice bit her lip. Hard enough that it would have torn if not for her hardening. But her heart refused to calm down.

The sound of wind struck her ears.

Alice braced herself for the impending impact.

She curled up and covered her head with her arms.

Even if she fell, it wouldn’t be a big problem, but it was a reflexive action.

“Alice!”

But she never hit the hard ground.

Someone caught her before she could.

The immense impact of catching Alice caused a pained groan to escape. In her current state, Alice’s body was extremely hard due to her hardening, and falling from such a height made her akin to a massive projectile. 

The sound of ribs cracking and breaking was chilling. Should she be grateful that it ended here?

“Eu… Eugene…?”

Alice’s eyes widened in surprise.

Why was he here?

But that question was the one Eugene wanted to ask Alice.

What on earth happened for her to be falling from the sky?

“A-are you, ugh, keh, a-are you okay?”

“…Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m… huh?”

He was definitely not okay. His ribs were shattered. It would take a while to recover. That’s what Eugene thought, but then he noticed the pain was fading quickly. 

He tilted his head in confusion. 

He absentmindedly touched his chest. Huh? It doesn’t hurt? Where are the injuries? The fractures? Did I already heal? They just broke a moment ago.

“I’m… okay…?”

“Why are you saying it like a question?”

“No, it just doesn’t hurt at all… More importantly, what happened? I heard you woke up and were discharged, but why were you falling from the sky?”

“Teacher Angelica threw me.”

“What, why?!”

Eugene was shocked. Why would Teacher Angelica suddenly throw Alice? But it didn’t take long for his wide eyes to narrow. Eugene wasn’t the most perceptive, but that didn’t mean he was foolish.

If Teacher Angelica resorted to such an extreme method as throwing Alice into the sky, there must have been a good reason. And in a situation like this…… Eugene carefully observed Alice. 

Something was different. At the very least, the Alice before the incident and the Alice now seemed different in some way. She wasn’t stuttering, but she didn’t seem like Frey either.

“…”

Alice hesitated for a moment.

Should she tell Eugene what just happened?

If she did, he would undoubtedly rush to the scene.

Even if it was dangerous, he wouldn’t hesitate.

She had seen him that day, struggling until the very end to protect Lucia. Even after losing his right arm and staggering from excessive blood loss, he still held his sword. What exactly did Lucia mean to this man? Alice felt a slight tightness in her chest. She didn’t ponder for long.

“Over there.”

Alice pointed in the direction she had been thrown.

Toward the family’s base, the large general hospital.

“That woman is there.”

“…”

Her sentence was missing a subject, but he understood just fine.

“Will you come with me?”

“…Of course.”

That had been his destination from the start.

Eugene bit his lip as he recalled the voice of the girl he could no longer hear.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene and Alice met so naturally, as if they were destined to be together.

If Lucia had seen it, she would be proud.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
You know, what if Eugene just has the ability to copy all other abilities and mistook his fire powers as his own original ability and copied Yui’s unconsciously.

He even has super regeneration effects now!

Still not confirmed though…