Chapter 87

EP.87 The Isaac Contention (5)

Student Council President, Alice Carroll. Also known as 'Queen of Hearts Alice'.

A figure who, in 'Wonderland', beheaded the Queen of Hearts and took over her power and army.

Like some of the main characters in <The Magic Knight of Merhen>, Alice is also inspired by the well-known fairy tale, 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Alice is the mastermind behind <The Magic Knight of Merhen> and the final boss of the "Alice Takedown" part.

She was the character that drew the most interest from users right after the game's release, and the very reason I need to hide my identity.

Alice supports the evil deity. Therefore, Ian Fairytail, who possesses the Light attribute and could be a threat to the evil deity, must be a thorn in her side.

As mentioned earlier, the reason she can't easily touch Ian is because he is from the Fairytail family, due to the [Fairy's Protection] that binds the Fairytail bloodline.

In contrast, I am just a lowly commoner. Against the level 170+ powerful Alice, I can only put up a feeble resistance.

'How did things come to this?'

This was a result I had anticipated from the moment the situation started to spiral out of control.

Especially with Dorothy involved, it wouldn't be strange for a powerful being like Alice to appear.

"Alice, what's going on?"

"I'm here to clean up the mess."

When Dorothy asked with a wry smile, Alice answered calmly.

Alice approached Dorothy and me, then stared at me with her cherry blossom-colored eyes.

I pretended to be slightly tense and met her gaze as naturally as possible. In reality, I was extremely nervous.

Incidentally, Alice doesn't have powers like Dorothy's [Myriad Phenomena]. Even if she stared at me intently, she wouldn't be able to see anything suspicious.

Still... it's hard to believe that this seemingly gentle and kind girl could be someone capable of killing me at any moment.

'Please, let this pass without incident...'

I silently pleaded.

Finally, Alice nodded calmly.

"I understand."

What?

"What do you understand?"

Dorothy asked, voicing my confusion.

"Why you two are so worked up over this guy. He's not bad-looking, I guess."

"Heh, you really... haven't changed, have you?"

Dorothy chuckled and subtly blocked the space between Alice and me.

I agree that Isaac is good-looking. There are quite a few who are better, but Isaac's appearance is not something to be ignored.

Especially since I found out through Kemyo-Cheshire that Isaac is Alice's type during the Frost Trial. It was only natural that she would look favorably upon my appearance.

"By the way."

Alice glanced at Dorothy for a moment, then looked down at Luce and Kaya below the railing.

"Good, everyone's here. Let's get straight to the point."

Alice straightened her back, placed her hands behind her, and smiled sweetly.

Her voice was alluring, but her smile was very warm.

"I command, by the authority of the Student Council. Dorothy Heartnova, Luce Eltania, Kaya Astraean, and one other. All of you, please accompany us to the Student Council."

Alice gave her order in a kind tone, mixing formal and informal speech.

"Let's end this commotion here."

The Student Council President's command put an end to the midnight chaos.

* * *

Ciel Carnadas, a third-year A-class student with wavy blue short hair and a petite build.

To her, Isaac was an unknown and mysterious powerhouse.

Whether he was a monster wearing a human disguise or a prodigy with immense talent destined to become a great mage, she couldn't tell.

However, it was clear that he was trying to protect the academy, and Ciel wanted to support him.

After all, she needed to graduate from Merhen Academy. The academy couldn't be destroyed by an incident on the scale of a natural disaster.

Thus, Isaac's actions were one of the few things that caught Ciel's interest.

Even just listening to news about him was a significant energy drain for her, who usually paid little attention to her surroundings.

So, for Ciel to be interested in a man tonight and chase after him was quite unusual.

'This is...'

Ciel, who had watched Isaac being protected by the top two students during the end-of-term evaluation, was captivated by the confrontation between the two women over Isaac.

Luce, who tried to take Isaac away.

Kaya, who snatched Isaac from Luce.

Luce, who stopped Kaya from kissing Isaac.

Kaya, who tried to run away with Isaac.

Luce, who even summoned Neurozo-Galia to chase after Kaya and Isaac...

'Goodness, this is so exciting!'

How could she not follow and watch the entire situation?

Ciel summoned her lightning-attribute familiar, Zabat, to its original size and rode on its back to secretly follow Isaac, Luce, and Kaya.

She watched their chase from start to finish.

She even witnessed the appearance of the famous second-year senior, Dorothy Heartnova, who had danced with Isaac.

A prodigious genius blessed by the god Mollarha, Isaac was expected to reach the Great Mage level within just ten years. The triangular confrontation between these powerful women over such a superior male was too intriguing for Ciel to resist. Indeed, superior males attract superior females.

Finally, seeing the Student Council enter the clock tower, she guessed that the situation had escalated beyond control.

But for a while, Ciel couldn't take her eyes off the clock tower.

She felt like she had discovered a new source of entertainment.

...

"Dorothy Heartnova, Kaya Astraean, Luce Eltania, and Isaac. I have completed the fact-finding and cross-examination. There don't seem to be any contradictions. Dorothy Heartnova and Reisel Redliva will be referred to the disciplinary committee tomorrow afternoon."

"Yeah, thanks for the hard work."

In the center of Merhen Academy, the palace-like building, the Bartos Hall.

This was where the central administrative offices of the academy were concentrated, and the Student Council room was also located here.

The moonlight streamed through the curtains, and the glowing lamps cast a soft light, illuminating the elegant yet luxurious Student Council room.

The blonde girl, Student Council President Alice Carroll, sat in her chair and received a report from the Student Council Guidance Department Head, Erin.

During the party, they had come to Bartos Hall, and they were still in their party attire.

"Dorothy really caused trouble on the church day."

"Although it was excessive self-defense, it will be taken into consideration."

"In Reisel's case, it's also because she attacked Rose Redliva. We'll have to see how it goes."

In fact, Alice Carroll was confident that Dorothy would only receive a light punishment.

The situation where her actions were in self-defense and the fact that the academy was using Dorothy for business purposes would be taken into account.

Dorothy, a prodigious genius blessed by the god Mollarha, was expected to reach the Great Mage level within just ten years. If the academy's interests were weighed against her, even an unfair decision would be unavoidable due to the significant benefits she brought.

If Dorothy received a severe punishment, it would deal a significant blow to Merhen Academy's image, which could lead to investor losses. No one in the administration would want that.

"More importantly, the issue with Reisel Redliva is questionable."

Erin reported on Reisel Redliva. Currently, he was receiving treatment but was trembling in fear for some reason. He couldn't provide any testimony, as if his mouth had been sealed.

According to eyewitnesses, he was fine until he regained consciousness after being attacked by Dorothy... but now he seems to have developed a psychological trauma.

"Is there some secondary damage...?"

It wasn't clear if anyone else was involved, but it was likely. The person who caused the secondary damage was probably Luce Eltania, out of personal revenge.

However, Alice didn't want to bother with such minor issues. Her principle was not to dig into matters that didn't surface.

"Since he was attacked by Dorothy, he's probably just scared now. It's more unbelievable that he was fine and collected at first, isn't it?"

"True."

Alice took a sip of her tea and answered in a gentle tone.

She also talked about the other parties involved in the incident, Isaac and Luce, and Kaya. They were released after the fact-finding because there was no reason to detain them.

"Then, I'll take my leave now."

"Hm, thanks for the hard work. Enjoy the party."

Alice's smile.

Erin felt her heart melt. Even in the middle of the night, Alice shone like a goddess.

She was admired by everyone in the Student Council. Her voice was very refined, her smile as warm as the sun, her beauty outstanding, and her character excellent. Her handling of affairs was perfect, leaving no room for criticism, an almost inhumanly ideal figure.

"President, you're the same. Well, good work."

Erin blushed and smiled brightly, then bowed to Alice before leaving the Student Council room.

Silence began to settle.

Whoosh──.

Suddenly, gray mana swirled, and a purple cat appeared on the table in an instant.

[Boring ending.]

The fat cat wearing a top hat, Kemyo-Cheshire, lay on the table and scratched its bottom.

"What is?"

Alice asked without looking up from her documents.

[Dorothy, right? She was willing to follow us to avoid causing trouble for others. It was boring. Don't you think so, Alice?]

"If Dorothy really resists, no one can stop her. We should be grateful."

Alice didn't even glance at Kemyo and picked up her warm tea.

After a while, Kemyo stared intently at Alice and changed the topic.

[...Alice, what do you think of Isaac?]

Alice paused for a moment, her hand holding the tea cup.

[That Dorothy, who has opened her heart to this boy. Isn't it surprising? And he has the 'Ice attribute', they say.]

"...You're suspicious?"

[Alice, don't you think everything is going according to that 'meddler's' plan? We should doubt everything that can be doubted, don't you think?]

"The administration is paying attention because of the informant's information. With the Royal Knights also aware of the information, it's best not to act rashly."

Alice answered calmly.

"And... even if we gather all the Trump Paladins, I don't think they can defeat that meddler, who can use 9th-grade magic."

According to Professor Fernando Frost's testimony in the first semester, the black monster was a Great Mage capable of using 9th-grade magic.

In contrast, the silver-haired boy, Isaac, whom she saw at the clock tower, seemed far from the powerful enemy Alice was thinking of.

He was hit by Reisel, protected by Dorothy, and manipulated by women... it was hard to see him as the powerful enemy, the black monster, Alice was thinking of.

"Besides, this isn't a matter to be judged by romantic relationships. He looks like someone I'd like to play with. It's not surprising that Dorothy is infatuated with him for that reason."

Alice spoke calmly and took another sip of her tea. Her voice was warm and mature, but the content was not.

Kemyo, who seemed to find this interesting, sat up and grinned eerily.

[Speaking of which, don't you want to experience love, Alice?]

Kemyo seeks entertainment.

Following Alice's ambition to destroy the world was merely because it seemed entertaining.

If his seemingly kind but actually pitch-black master were to fall in love, it would be the ultimate entertainment for Kemyo.

[Since Dorothy is enjoying her youth, Alice shouldn't fall behind, right?]

Kemyo urged Alice, as if fanning the flames.

"...Interesting."

However, Alice answered without looking up from her documents, as if it wasn't worth considering.

She took another sip of her steaming tea.

[Your reaction is boring...]

A deflated response.

Kemyo slumped on the table, looking bored.