[Alice Side]

“Was it really okay to let him go?”

Vika asked me that question as she stared at a specific door.

Though some time had passed, the open door was still swinging back and forth on its hinges, a testament to the force with which it had been thrown open. If you looked closely, the metal fittings were slightly warped…

I suppose telling him not to rush… was never an option.

I closed my eyes for a moment and exhaled deeply.

“It’s fine. If that is what he wants to do, then I will simply support him. I am Issei’s ‘Queen.’ Therefore, clearing the path he walks is my duty.”

“My, how lovey-dovey. But you know, if it were two against one, you might have been able to defeat me. You’ve effectively thrown away that chance.”

It’s true. If I had fought alongside Issei, the probability of defeating her would have more than doubled. In his EXA form, Issei could likely take Vika down on his own.

As Vika said, I let a perfect opportunity slip through my fingers. If the goal was to whittle down the enemy’s war potential, I should have chosen the path with the highest probability of victory.

But… Miwa-chan is irreplaceable to him.

I wanted to let him go to her.

Besides—

“If I just defeat you myself, there’s no problem, right?”

A white aura enveloped me as lightning began to crackle.

While the white lightning radiating from my body scorched the air around me, I readied my spear.

Exactly. If I defeat her alone, the issue is moot.

I intended to take her down by myself from the start.

We’ve crossed spears many times before. Currently, with one loss and one draw in two battles, I’m on the losing end.

It is about time I added a win to my record.

Vika conjured a spear in her own hands.

“Ufufu, nice eyes. Is that what you call a woman’s pride?”

“Sorry to disappoint you. In this case, it’s something different. ——It is my pride as a Knight.”

Black aura and white aura collided violently——.

[Alice Side Out]

[Miwa Side]

Rewinding time just a little.

After parting ways with Big Brother and Alice-san, my team—consisting of myself, Ravel-san, and Diarmuid-san—proceeded straight down the dim corridor.

There was no sign of anyone, nor any sense that something was about to attack.

A moment ago, there was some sort of string dangling from the ceiling… but since it was blatantly a trap, we ignored it and kept walking.

Ravel-san muttered, “Do they honestly believe anyone would fall for such a transparent trap?”

“No one would fall for that. If there is anyone who would, they’d have to be a complete idiot,” Diarmuid-san replied, banana in hand.

Diarmuid-san… your mouth hasn’t stopped moving since we entered the Underworld…

Is he that hungry?

…We ate dinner before coming here, though.

I agreed with them. I don’t think anyone would fall for a trap like that.

I mean, it was obvious.

If you pulled that, a giant boulder would definitely come rolling out. It’s a classic trope in anime.

As we continued our conversation and ventured deeper, we emerged into a large hall.

It was a circular chamber of considerable size.

Stone pavement covered the floor, and looking up, I saw a domed ceiling. The walls were inlaid with vividly colored stained glass, which seemed to be channeling light from the outside.

No, it was too bright to be natural light.

They were likely using magic or something similar to illuminate the space.

Scanning our surroundings, we spotted a single shadow standing about twenty meters ahead of us.

It was a young girl.

Pure white skin, and pure white hair that reached down to her feet.

A girl in whom everything was white.

Belle, the ‘Painter’ of Malerai!

To think we’d run into her here!

Faced with a formidable enemy, we all took our battle stances in unison.

We realized the extent of her abilities during the defense of Aulos Academy.

The ability to create copies of anyone she touches, the ability to materialize whatever she draws, and the ability to fuse those materialized beasts together.

She even uses magic that seals her opponent’s powers.

We only escaped that predicament thanks to Diarmuid-san arriving as reinforcements, but there’s no guarantee things will go as smoothly this time.

The lovely girl, looking so innocent you couldn’t imagine she possessed such fiendish abilities, tilted her head cutely.

“It’s the big sisters from that time. …But there’s one big sister I don’t know… Who was she again?”

Belle’s gaze was fixed on Ravel-san.

Huh…?

Wait, didn’t Ravel-san definitely encounter Belle once?

That time her copy was taken.

I heard they’re mass-producing Phoenix Tears from Ravel’s replica…

Being stared at blankly, Ravel-san’s shoulders trembled. She pressed a hand to her chest and shouted.

“I am Ravel Phoenix! How dare you make a copy of me and then forget who I am! And you’re mass-producing Phoenix Tears without permission on top of that!”

“Ah, right. The tiny big sister from back then.”

“Urgh…! You hit right where it hurts…! I-I have been drinking milk every day and making an effort! Someday, I will become a tall, elegant lady!”

“…Hmm.”

“What is with that completely disinterested attitude?!”

“N-Now, now, calm down, Ravel-san. I’m sure you’ll grow taller, okay? You’re still in your growth phase.”

I placed a hand on Ravel-san’s shoulder, managing to soothe her.

…Though, if Ravel-san ends up taller than me, I might actually be a little shocked.

I drink milk too, but I just don’t seem to grow much.

Wait, that doesn’t matter right now. We have to do something about Belle.

I called out to her.

“Do you intend to fight us?”

We had stormed their stronghold, and Belle was waiting for us.

It goes without saying that she should be here to fight.

And yet, I couldn’t sense any killing intent, hostility, or malice from her.

Well, that was true last time, too.

To begin with, I don’t think she even has that kind of intent.

She opened her small mouth to speak.

“Yeah. Vika and the others are fighting, so Belle will fight too.”

“So, because everyone around you is fighting, you’re going to fight as well?”

“Yeah. Besides, I want to make Papa’s wish come true.”

Papa… Asem’s wish, as their creator?

Big Brother is wondering about it too, but in the end, what is Asem’s goal?

Since he’s cooperating with Rizevim, he’s an enemy… but for some reason, I’ve never felt any malice from Belle, Vika, or the others.

Take Razul, who fought Big Brother at Aulos Academy.

Unlike Rizevim, Euclid, or the Evil Dragons, he didn’t try to target the children or parents.

All he had was the fighting spirit of someone who simply wanted to clash head-on with the strong.

…Though you could just call him a battle maniac.

Regardless, I can’t help but feel that Asem and his group are enemies who don’t act like enemies.

It was then—

“Well, as a parent, I do have the sentiment that I don’t want them pushing themselves too hard~.”

The voice came suddenly, from right behind us.

The voice was so unexpected that our reaction was delayed.

Sweat poured down my back; my heartbeat accelerated.

A tension so intense it made my vision swim assaulted me.

Quickly… I have to turn around quickly and react, but I can’t move.

It wasn’t just me; Ravel-san… and even Diarmuid-san were frozen.

When I finally managed to turn around, a boy with a bright, beaming smile was standing there—

“You don’t have to be so scared, you know? It’s not like I’m going to eat you. Besides—I don’t play games where the outcome is visible. Ah, though there are exceptions, of course.”

” ” “———!? ” ” “

The greatest enemy of this entry into the Underworld.

The being who created the reason for us to enter the Underworld in the first place.

The god from another world who defeated Hades, the God of the Underworld—

“Pop! Surprise! It’s Asem-kun! ♪”

W-What a lighthearted greeting…

But more shocking than that was the fact that we didn’t notice his approach until he spoke…!

To get this close without letting us sense his presence at all…!

Just how much power does he possess?

“Now then, for the time being, I’ll have you come with me. Sirius-kun’s daughter.”

“———Eh?”

Before I knew it, Asem was standing right inside my guard—

And just like that, I was enveloped in light.

When the light faded and I opened my eyes—

“A living room…?”

Wooden flooring, a table, a sofa, a TV.

And with a kitchen attached, the layout of this room was exactly like a typical house.

…Why a living room?

Why is there such a relaxed space here?

I should probably be retorted, but my thoughts couldn’t catch up.

Why was I brought here in the first place?

“Sit wherever you like. I’ll at least serve some tea.”

Looking toward the voice, I saw Asem boiling water in the kitchen.

U-Umm… there is absolutely no tension here…

A moment later, Asem brought over two teacups filled with black tea.

“You don’t need to be so guarded… though I guess that’s asking the impossible. I am the enemy, after all~.”

“…Why did you bring me here?”

“Because you’re Sirius-kun’s only daughter~. I wanted to talk to you at least once. See, I’ve spoken to the Hero-kun, but never to you, right? Oh, come to think of it, I did speak to the Princess too.”

That’s true…

I heard Big Brother and Alice-san had spoken to him directly, but I never have.

Alice-san, who only spoke to him once, called him a mass of malice, but Big Brother said he couldn’t quite figure him out.

——————————-

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