I Will Confess to Her When I Go Home…! 2

【Ah, ah. Ah. Aha. Ha.】

Her face stiffens against her will.

Her expression contorts.

All on its own.

That’s right.

Alice feels as though her body right now…

Doesn’t belong to her.

Regardless of her will, her face hardens, and despite not needing to breathe, her respiration quickens rapidly, and her gaze wavers.

Soon, her body creaks.

Again, entirely independent of Alice’s will.

Resistance was impossible.

Before Alice could even think about what was happening, even that thought felt blocked.

‘Right, I’ve often thought Theresa might be secretly moving my body or taking over my mind, but it was actually possible.’

【You.】

Alice’s pupils distort.

Having regained a complete body, not glass eyes, blood vessels twist in her eyes, and bloody tears slowly stream down.

Mana within her body runs wild, altering parts of her physique.

Her pure white hair grows even longer, cascading down to her feet. As her limbs lengthen with cracking sounds, her image transforms from a youthful girl to a mature, ripe woman.

Alice, shedding tears of blood.

Through the mouth of Alice, who has grown slightly larger, ‘someone’ glares at Oriana with a chilling gaze.

【So, it was you…】

Her mouth moves on its own.

But the voice that comes out, though her own, is not hers.

【Yes, it was you.】

Alice thought.

This isn’t my voice.

I’m speaking with my mouth, but I’m not the one speaking.

This is….

‘Theresa?’

Theresa is speaking.

Theresa is moving my body, speaking with my mouth, with my voice.

The process clearly feels like being a puppet doll controlled by strings, but somehow, I feel the anger and disgust emanating from Theresa as if they were my own.

No, somehow, I feel this hatred, disgust, and anger entirely as my own, so the feeling of being controlled is almost nonexistent.

【It was you. It was you. It was you. You ■■■. ■■■■!】

“Alice?”

Oriana’s face also stiffens at the sudden change.

Naturally.

Alice’s usual demeanor is calm and relaxed even in the face of considerable events, so such a sudden change could only be interpreted as a complete change of person.

-Creak!

Alice’s hand seems to tremble, and then one arm bends at an angle impossible for a human alone, and countless tentacles burst forth from there.

【Soul parasite regeneration initiated.】

“…!”

How many tentacles were hidden in this small body?

Or perhaps a new creation process had just begun, as hundreds of tentacles surged like a tidal wave from the broken arm.

【It was you. It was you…?】

Her mouth opens.

And she screams.

A scream more desperate and grotesque than anything else.

【I’ll kill youuuuu!!!!】

With a cry close to a scream, the surrounding mana freezes.

At the same time as the sensation of time stopping, Alice’s body, wielding hundreds of tentacles, charges at Oriana.

-Kwaaaang!

It wasn’t just physical force; each tentacle contained all sorts of curses and spell formulas. To make matters worse, they had undergone threatening mutations like blades and thorns.

Within the slowed-down time, Oriana retreated.

Oriana, a First-Class Overseer, naturally reacted to this.

Despite the sudden situation, she instinctively wrapped mana around her skin, blocking the tentacles and the formulas inscribed on them that were shooting at her, but her limbs felt as if they would soon necrose due to the curses, and the Overseer’s body, already strong, was screaming from the mere physical force.

Still, it was bearable for now.

But it wouldn’t last long.

Alice, having regained her original body, could undo this protective mana at any time.

【You, you, you! How dare you show your face to whom? Why haven’t you died and reappeared like a nightmare?】

Hundreds of tentacles are fired mindlessly at speeds exceeding the speed of sound.

Oriana listened more to the accusations and angry voice coming from Alice’s mouth than reacting to the attacks.

She probably can’t even think about reacting, resisting, or retaliating.

Above all, it’s Alice.

As the Demon King’s face and voice spew anger and hatred at her, Oriana silently accepts it as if it were the just price she had to pay.

【Shameless bitch.】

【Ungrateful bitch.】

【A woman who doesn’t know gratitude. A bitch worse than a damned parasite.】

Oh, dear.

They’re all true, so I can’t argue.

Even if she could argue, Oriana would have kept her mouth shut.

【Even the human trash knows gratitude, but you are the worst of them all. You are the one who deserves to be hated!】

As Alice gestures, the surrounding mana shakes and concentrates on Oriana.

【So, I earnestly ask you this.】

“Ugh…!”

Not telekinesis,

But a wave of mana, greater than that, becomes a physical entity and seizes Oriana.

【Please, don’t have any other thoughts. Die in the most miserable way possible!】

Oriana was thrown from the office to the forest on the opposite side.

-Kwaaaang!

A massive destructive sound and debris erupted as if a meteorite had collided.

But the body of a First-Class Overseer, made of artificial spirits, was not destroyed by this much.

Oriana rose from the shattered trees and fragments of the earth, looking at someone with Alice’s face, still spewing anger and hatred.

She landed.

She knows it’s someone else.

She knows that someone else is inhabiting Alice’s body, the Demon King’s body.

But even so, Oriana could not respond to being criticized and hated with Alice’s face.

She reacted to the attack unconsciously, but she couldn’t even bring herself to think of resisting or retaliating.

I deserve it anyway.

It’s only right.

【Ha, so you’re still not dead. You must be a hero after all.】

Oriana smiled bitterly.

Somehow, she had been living a life that had been prolonged until now, but she had thought about wanting to die more times than she could count.

【I won’t ask what qualifications or reasons you have to dare show your face to my master, to Alice. I’m not curious about your past or regrets, and I don’t want to know.】

Theresa chuckled with a chilling face, then grabbed Oriana by the collar.

Her hands and feet trembled uncontrollably with anger, and Alice’s body, occupied by Theresa, still creaked and lagged.

But even so, the presence felt was immense, even overwhelming, and Oriana seemed to simply entrust herself to the energy felt from the Demon King.

【At best. You were trying to kill my Alice again, disguised in that treacherous guise of goodwill and kindness.】

-Thwack!

Alice’s fist slammed into Oriana’s face.

Oriana’s face, made of artificial spirits, shattered like a porcelain bowl.

【Even if that wasn’t the case, you would have come to take her away again!】

-Thwack!

【Yes, of course, you would have come to take her away! What else would you, who have only ever known how to take and steal from others, be different now!】

【A parasite who doesn’t know gratitude and has only lived by relying on his kindness, are you now going to make a confession of repentance?】

-Crack!

【Even a dog knows gratitude. You are truly hateful!】

Theresa, who had been slapping Oriana’s face as if venting her anger, grabbed her by the collar and brought her face close, then said quietly.

【You must not repent.】

【You must not regret.】

【Before that, I will kill you. I will definitely kill you. Alice will not even be aware that you existed, that you were alive.】

But whatever occupied Alice’s body showed no sign of stopping the suppressed anger and hatred.

‘Ah… Demon King.’

Although Alice suddenly changed her attitude and attacked her, Oriana unknowingly let out a sigh mixed with lamentation and admiration.

The ability to control the surrounding space and mana.

A ruler who instinctively controls and manipulates things related to demons, not through theory or reason.

An amazing being who ruled over all the evil and karma originating from humans.

‘So, you have really returned.’

Really you.

Demon King.

You have truly returned.

Even while being attacked, Oriana had a face as if she was moved.

Of course, there were many gaps in Theresa, who occupied Alice’s body.

As an auxiliary personality, she was forcibly pushing out the owner of the body and moving it, so the delay was severe, and the burden on the body and mind was also severe.

However, Alice’s body had already entered the realm of a First-Class Overseer, or even beyond, by its very existence.

The fusion of the bodies was not yet complete, but as time passed, Alice was getting closer to her past glory, so it would not be difficult to crush a fallen hero before long.

【What face do you dare show to this person?】

‘Yes, if I have a conscience and a face, I shouldn’t show my face to that person. To the Demon King.’

Oriana was finally able to infer to some extent the identity of the person dwelling within Alice’s body and spewing anger at her.

【You, you must pay the price. All of you, without exception.】

Yes, it’s only natural to resent me and spew out such fierce anger.

I deserve it.

I am the one who deserves to receive all the resentment, hatred, and anger from you.

【Even if I don’t know anything else… I will definitely kill you in the most miserable and terrible way possible. You will never get out of here in one piece!】

‘Ah, yes. The price… of course, I have to pay it.’

Oriana smiled helplessly at the storm-like strike that tore her hand apart.

I can die.

Of course, I can die.

For you.

Demon King, I can die for you as much as you want.

-Kwajik!

Once again, space and mana froze completely.

Alice’s waves emanated from her body, forcibly stopping all living things and objects, even space and time, that were imbued with mana, even for a moment.

Even if Alice’s body creaked like a doll and was delayed, there was no hindrance to the attack as all the surrounding life and space were crushed and stopped.

“Theresa. That’s enough.”

Alice’s raised hand stopped.

【How, how? I completely blocked her consciousness…!】

“Is this a rebellious auxiliary personality? I’m going to use my body, and you’re telling me not to. Wow~ I wonder if I’ll become Theresa’s toy if this goes on.”

【I’m not like that! I will never be like that!】

Oriana looked at Alice with her broken face and vision, not at the anger and hatred, but at the plain tone of voice that she was in trouble.

Ah, yes.

If possible, I wanted to die by Alice herself, not by the existence dwelling within Alice.

Oriana unknowingly raised the corners of her mouth with her broken face.

【Human, no. Alice. Don’t stop her. You mustn’t stop her.】 me ifhafhafhuahfoafiaof

Theresa shouted through Alice’s mouth.

【I’ll explain everything. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll answer everything you’re wondering about! So, just this once, please listen to me just this once! That damned woman, this woman must die. She must be killed!】

“Let’s see… I’ve never seen our Theresa so angry.”

Alice shouted through Alice’s mouth.

It was like Alice to chuckle and speak lightly even in this serious situation.

【Of course, this damned woman killed you! She took you away from me! How can I not be angry when she shamelessly betrayed you, who sacrificed everything, and showed her face again like this!!】

At those words, Oriana flinched her shoulders with a broken face, but Alice had a plain face that was no different from usual, muttering, ‘Ah~ I see~’.

“Wow~ that’s a backstory I never imagined?”

“…Is that, all?”

“Ah, Oriana. Sorry. Are you okay?”

“O…kay? Are you, going to ask me?”

Oriana’s eyes shook greatly.

Why would you say such a thing?

I deserve to be hated, and it’s only natural for me to die by your hands.

“Oops, sorry. Your face is broken. Um, you’re not okay. Can you fix it?”

【Are you kidding me right now? Alice? This woman betrayed you and killed you! Why are you apologizing? Why are you worried…!】

“Theresa. Oriana. Let’s both calm down. I can’t understand if you’re just talking about things you only know and saying that it’s natural for me to kill Oriana.”

“….”

【….】

If you only talk about things you know, I’ll get sulky?

Oriana and Theresa took a hollow breath at Alice’s following words.