Chapter 96

Re​a‌d ​o​n​ K‌at‌R‍ea​d‍i‍n‍​g​​Ca‍f‍e

A small chick chirped pitifully.

It whimpered in pain as something tore through its chest, large eyes brimming with tears. Its trembling figure was pitiful and clumsy, evoking sympathy—and at the same time, it was endearing.

Because it was cute.
Because it was so undeniably cute.

And so, it was hard to resist the temptation to tease it, just a little.

“Endure it. Whether it’s super regeneration or whatever else, you’ll die if we leave your heart like this.”

Frey gripped the hilt of the longsword that had pierced through Lucia’s chest.

Though someone else might have been better suited for the task—Eugene, for example.

As someone who had trained extensively with swords, Eugene could have removed it far more skillfully. He might have managed it gently, sparing Lucia from additional pain while ensuring the wound didn’t worsen.

Even knowing this, Frey still took the sword herself.

She could have pulled it out in one swift motion, but she deliberately did it slowly.
Each time the sword shifted, the tremors in Lucia’s body intensified, and those tremors traveled up the hilt and seeped into Frey.

“I can’t do this like this. Eugene, hold onto Lucia for me.”

“Wait, Alice, what are you—?”

“She’s trembling too much. The wound will tear open more if this keeps up. I need you to steady her so I can get the sword out.”

Half of what she said was true. The other half was a lie.

It was true that Lucia’s convulsions were interfering with Frey’s attempts to remove the blade. Her shaking hands made the task harder.

But that wasn’t what Frey cared about.

What amused her far more was Eugene, who was frantically pacing and clearly at a loss. It was tempting to let him flounder, but Frey knew if she pushed him too far, he might demand to handle it himself. And that would be troublesome.

So, she gave him something to focus on instead. It was a simple distraction, but it worked. Overwhelmed by the situation, Eugene complied without hesitation.

“…I’ll speed up. It’ll hurt less if I do this quickly.”

“O-okay… please, just… ahh—AAHH!”

Eugene placed his hands on Lucia’s shoulders, steadying her as she winced through the pain. Lucia, in turn, mustered a faint smile to comfort him.

It irritated Frey for some reason.

So, she twisted her wrist ever so slightly while pulling the blade out.

It was subtle, easily mistaken for a tremble of nervous hands.

The result was dramatic. Blood sprayed uncontrollably as Lucia’s head snapped to the side. Her parted lips frothed with a mixture of saliva and blood. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, clinging to her chin before falling.

Her pink eyes, momentarily unfocused, quivered violently. Her limbs trembled like a frog struck by lightning.

When blood splattered across Frey’s face, she didn’t flinch. She could have dodged it but chose not to.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air.
Her now sticky face stirred a faint sense of exhilaration within her.

Ah, truly.
How adorable.

Lucia. Now I’m convinced—you’re a good person. Good enough to be a friend of Alice. I’ve been watching you for a long time, and I know. You’re kind and trustworthy.

You’ve humored Alice’s whims and forgiven me for the terrible things I’ve done.

You’re brave, compassionate, and beautiful.

I consider you a friend too.

So, you’ll understand, won’t you? You said Alice was the most precious to you.

And in a way, I am Alice, aren’t I?

Surely, you can forgive a little teasing from me?

[Frey.]

The heat surging through Frey’s chest cooled instantly.

The blood warming her face suddenly felt cold.

Just one word, and it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her.

Frey shuddered like a child caught misbehaving by a parent.

‘Alice…’

Before the battle had begun, Frey had forcibly swapped places with Alice.

She had determined herself more suited for the current situation. And it wasn’t just Frey who thought so—Alice agreed.

The two of them were equal personas. Neither dominated the other, and it was difficult for one to seize control without consent.

The only reason Frey had done so that easily was because Alice had allowed it.

She had seen everything.

Just as Frey observed the world through Alice’s eyes, Alice had watched everything Frey did through hers.

Frey tried desperately to mask her unease. She couldn’t let Alice sense her guilt.

Alice’s voice was cold, unlike the usual warmth it carried.

Had she been found out? Did Alice realize her intentions, the games she had played?

Though Frey was ruled by her desires, she wasn’t foolish. She had taken great care to ensure Alice wouldn’t notice. She had built walls to conceal her giddy emotions.

And yet, Alice had seen through her.

Fear began to creep in, spreading like a stain.

Frey’s teeth chattered involuntarily.

She hated this. She hadn’t even apologized to Lucia yet.

If Alice knew about this, if she truly understood what Frey had done—this time, Alice might genuinely loathe her.

Regret came too late. The damage was already done.

She’d been annoyed that Lucia seemed fond of Eugene.
She’d thought Lucia’s effort to endure the pain made her look like a fragile little chick.

And so, Frey had acted out, just a little.

She had even restrained herself significantly.

But none of that mattered. It would all sound like excuses.

Knowing this, Frey bit her lip and waited for Alice’s next words.

[I… I’m so frustrated.]

What followed was far from what Frey expected.

‘…Alice?’

[I tried. I really did. I gave up reading the books I wanted and worked so hard.]

Frey fell silent.

[And yet, I couldn’t do anything. Once again, I left everything to you. I just stood by and watched…]

Alice’s talents were extraordinary.

In the golden generation, a group of geniuses gathered in one place, her abilities stood out even among them.

Effortlessly standing on equal footing with the others proved Alice’s immense talent.

However, her disposition was ill-suited for battle.
While her supernatural potential was awe-inspiring, in the realm of combat, she was powerless—as if someone had stolen her innate gift for fighting.

Thus, Alice entrusted everything to Frey.
She wished to fight and protect others herself, but she knew Frey was far more qualified.

[No more.]

Yet, that ended here.

She no longer wished to merely observe,
to dump everything on Frey and remain a passive onlooker.

That was no different from torture.

[I will fight too.]

‘Alice… but you know, don’t you? I’m better at combat than you are.’

The relief Frey felt at not being found out quickly turned into a gnawing guilt.

She struggled to keep her face from crumbling into a frown.
I knew how Alice felt… so why did I let this happen again?

Unable to resist a fleeting impulse, she had repeated the same mistake.

[You’re right. You’re stronger than me, Frey. You fight better than I do. Even if I take control of this body, I won’t be able to fight as well as you.]

If she could manage even a fraction of Frey’s skill, it would be impressive.

Despite sharing the same body, the gap between them was inexplicable.

It had to be a matter of innate talent.

Frey was a born monster, the embodiment of combat instincts—as if she had been created solely to fight.

[That’s why I’ll support you.]

‘…What?’

[Supernatural abilities are a force of the mind. They don’t reside in the body but in the spirit.]

Because they had two distinct consciousnesses, they possessed two supernatural abilities in a single body.

Curiously, while Alice wielded destructive power, Frey commanded protective strength.

In their battle with the Black Knight, apart from her hair, Frey bore no injuries—a testament to her abilities.

[Supernatural power’s output is influenced by the body, but the mind is the key factor.]

As one’s mind matured, so did their power.

Eugene’s rapid growth was a result of this principle, as was Alice’s recent development.

A person’s identity and spirit determined the extent of their power.

Which meant…

[If two consciousnesses use their powers simultaneously, wouldn’t the output double?]

‘In theory, maybe. But we’ve never tested it. It’s too risky to try—’

Before Frey could finish, Alice cut her off.

[I already did.]

‘…What do you mean?’

[I just did it.]

When she had obliterated the Black Knight’s head.

At Alice’s words, a realization struck Frey like lightning.

The Black Knight had died far too easily.

Despite unleashing her maximum power point-blank, it seemed odd that the enemy offered so little resistance before their head melted away.

This was the same Black Knight who had blocked her heat rays with one hand.

That they could only manage a feeble swing of their left arm as their final act was strange.

It wasn’t just a mistake in judgment; they hadn’t even been given a chance.

[Frey.]

‘Alice…’

[I can’t stay a child forever. I won’t settle for being protected anymore. Let me fight too.]

‘…’

[I hate them. They hurt Lucia.]

‘I feel the same… No, you’re right.’

Then let’s wipe them out together.
Leave no trace behind—not even a speck of ash.

‘We’ll fight together, Alice!’

[Yeah!]

A crimson light flickered.

What began as a faint glow, like a firefly, rapidly grew in intensity,
blazing like a second sun on the ground.

Or perhaps the third—for the first had already fallen before them.

“Sun Sword.”

A few steps ahead, Eugene raised his blade high.

It curved in a crescent arc before slowly descending.
The edge pointed toward a target aligned perfectly with his shoulders.

“Vertical Slash.”

Extremely condensed flames tore through the world,
leaving a scar across it as ink would across paper.

From left to right, the red blade severed everything beneath the heavens.

“Maximum Output!”

One destructive force followed another.

The second sun gave way to a third, and Eugene roared, his words overlapping with Alice’s in perfect sync.

Words only Frey could hear.

[Incinerate!]

The red radiance of obliteration annihilated everything in its path—the ground, the air, even sunlight itself, sparing no distinction.

The overwhelming heat fell like a merciless hammer,
reducing the knight’s remains to nothingness.

In moments, all that remained were ash and dust.

The park had been there once.

Now, it was gone.

Eugene and Frey had ended the Black Knight’s rampage in a single decisive blow, but they might have gone a little too far.

Not only had they eradicated the deadly aura, but they had also half-destroyed the national park.

Had there been civilians within the strike zone, there would have been no escape.

‘Or maybe there wouldn’t have been any left…’

There was no way anyone had stayed behind in the park.
They had either fled long ago or…

…were already gone.

A grim assessment, yet a realistic one.

No one could blame me for holding such a bleak perspective.
When high rank monsters appeared—let alone named ones—there was little hope of survival for ordinary people.

“E-Eugene! Frey! Are you okay?!”

After cleansing the deathly aura with my super regeneration, I found my stiffening tongue somewhat restored and shouted frantically.

This level of output should have drained all their remaining strength.

They were already exhausted from the prolonged battle, and now, after unleashing a skill of such scale…

It seemed we might have to abandon the fight and focus on escaping.

“Ah, surprisingly, I’m fine.”

But Eugene’s response was calm.

Though he was sweating lightly, his face betrayed no signs of fatigue.

“For some reason, I feel… energized.”

“That’s odd. I feel the same.”

“Alice, can you keep fighting?”

“Why? Are you tired?”

“No.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Uh, um…

I blinked, staring at the two walking ahead side by side.

For some reason, they seem to be getting along really well…?

Hehe, I see.

As expected, the protagonist and the main heroine.

Fighting together must have brought them closer.

It’s often said that having a common goal helps people bond quickly, right?

Yes, my efforts weren’t in vain!

Right?

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
A common goal.

To protect ‘the person you like/the friend you like’.

Lucia’s efforts certainly were not in vain.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A common goal, alright.

Just a very misplaced one.

What a naughty mc, heh.