Chapter 93: Alice in Wonderland Part 3

As always, Lobelia’s combat was impossible to follow with the naked eye.

By the time you noticed lightning flashing here and there, it was usually already over.

Given her combination of speed and overwhelming destructive power, there were many things I just couldn’t track with my own eyes.

Then what about Ariel?

Her attacks were unmistakably visible.

The sheer scale of her power was enough to make you think she had single-handedly brought about the end of the world.

Waves of fire, mountains of ice, storms, and earthquakes…. she wielded every natural disaster imaginable like they were her playthings. She was nothing short of a monster.

And Yuna? She couldn’t even be seen.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t fighting, though.

True to her role as an assassin, she left injuries only on vital points. She was quick, precise, and silent.

Yes, this was the difference between their world and mine.

But still…

“Isn’t it strange? She doesn’t look that strong…how is she withstanding all of that?”

“No idea.”

The Queen of Hearts wouldn’t fall.

It wasn’t just that she was durable. It felt like our attacks simply didn’t reach her, as if she were in a completely different space from us.

Other than that, she wasn’t particularly impressive.

Her attacks were simple, not especially powerful, and even slow.

Honestly, if I could just stay focused, I might even be able to take her down myself.

But because of that one factor, Lobelia’s team was having a hard time.

“Haa…”

Lobelia let out a shallow sigh after being knocked back by one of the Queen’s counterattacks.

She was getting tired.

But she wasn’t someone who’d go down so easily.

She was someone who had survived the snake pit of the imperial palace and fought off countless terrorists since she was in the cradle.

“Alright. I’ve got a rough idea now.”

No matter how hopeless things looked, she wouldn’t give up.

Lobelia charged forward again.

The Queen of Hearts swung one of the large arms attached to her enormous body.

It was a blow that was large and powerful, yet slow and predictable.

Normally, dodging something like that would have been easy…

“Hup!”

Boom!

But Lobelia deliberately took the attack head-on.

Instead of being thrown back, she grabbed hold of the Queen of Hearts’ arm and brought it to a dead stop.

It was an outrageous display of strength.

“Looks like our attacks aren’t working on her, after all.”

Then, she pushed.

No—more accurately, she redirected the force.

The tremendous power she’d absorbed sent the Queen’s arm flying… right into the Queen’s own face.

Clang!

And just like that, the Queen of Hearts was slapped across the face by her own hand.

Fragments cracked off and scattered from the point of impact.

Watching the pieces fall, Lobelia smirked darkly.

“So it wasn’t that our attacks weren’t working. She just has some kind of barrier or shield. But it looks like even that can’t block her own strength.”

Lobelia had finally discovered a way to attack the Queen of Hearts’ otherwise invincible body.

“Wow…”

Alice, who had been peeking from the side, let out a gasp of admiration.

Even I had to admit it was ridiculous.

The idea itself wasn’t impossible. But having the power to pull it off was something else entirely.

It was the first real hit in this long and grueling fight.

“Off with her head!!”

The Queen of Hearts grew enraged and began to attack even more ferociously than before.

But that only meant…

“Good. Now I can see a lot more openings.”

It also gave Lobelia many more chances to strike back.

***

The Queen of Hearts was in a pitiful state.

To put it bluntly, she had been utterly wrecked by Lobelia.

And yet, Lobelia hadn’t been able to finish her off.

“…This is a problem.”

The Queen of Hearts who was struck repeatedly by Lobelia’s attacks was halfway destroyed, but still refused to fall.

Now, in that broken state, she simply glared in our direction, repeating the same mechanical words over and over.

She no longer seemed to have the will or even the means to keep fighting.

And that also meant we had no more means of attack left.

“Hmm…”

Lobelia paused, appearing to think for a moment, then bent down to pick up a fragment that had broken off the Queen of Hearts’ body.

“Hup!”

With a sharp throw, she hurled the piece that was now charged with her lightning straight at the Queen of Hearts.

Thud.

But just like before, the fragment simply fell away without effect. Perhaps it was no longer recognized as part of the Queen’s body.

Seeing that, Lobelia gave a small shrug, then casually picked up a Trump soldier lying nearby.

Another sharp throw.

The result was the same.

Only the Trump soldier, upon crashing into the Queen’s huge body, let out a pained scream and tumbled to the ground.

“This is baffling.”

With that, Lobelia raised both hands in defeat and returned to us.

Ariel and Yuna, who had been floating or lurking nearby, came back as well.

Apparently, none of them could see a path forward.

It was time to regroup.

“Johan, what should we do?”

“I don’t know either.”

“How did it end in the fairy tale you mentioned?”

“I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was structured so that you woke up from the dream the moment you get caught by the card soldiers.”

“But we already smashed all the card soldiers.”

“For… reasons I can’t really explain, I don’t think that was the actual condition. We still need to do something about the Queen of Hearts.”

“And these reasons you can’t explain?”

“I really can’t tell you.”

What do you think it is?

It was the fact that I had the Book of Lemegeton and because of it, I could see the demonic energy.

But how was I supposed to say that out loud?

Telling people you could see invisible demonic energy because of a demon book was a one-way ticket to being labeled a danger to society.

Even if Yuna and Ariel might back me up, I seriously doubt I could convince Lobelia.

She probably wouldn’t toss me into prison immediately, but regular surveillance? Very likely.

Even the thought was suffocating.

“Um…”

Just then, Ariel quietly raised her hand to speak.

“I was just wondering… but what if Alice could do something?”

At her suggestion, Lobelia tilted her head in confusion.

“On what basis?”

“My magic didn’t work on the Queen of Hearts. It was like… we were in the same space but also not. Hard to explain.”

“I get the gist. I felt the same thing.”

“Yes… Anyway, I’ve seen something like this before.”

At that point, I understood what Ariel was trying to say.

Right. It’s not just the Queen of Hearts that magic doesn’t work on.

What if what we thought was just protagonist privilege actually meant something more?

“…Magic doesn’t work on Alice either.”

“You used magic on Alice?”

“N-No, Your Highness. Not like that… she just suddenly rushed at me.”

“I’m joking. But still… I see.”

Lobelia nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Alice and said,

“Alice? Mind if I hit you real quick?”

“What?!”

A real-time case of child abuse.

The fact that she could say something like that without a filter was honestly terrifying.

Is that just how the imperial family works?

So brutal and ruthless.

“Don’t worry. Just a little tap.”

And despite Alice’s adamant protests, Lobelia sparked lightning at her fingertips.

Crack!

A bit of electricity snapped.

This was Lobelia’s version of restraint.

“Well? Didn’t hurt, did it?”

“…It didn’t hurt, but it really startled me.”

“Take it as a rare experience.”

Lobelia brushed off Alice’s complaint with a big smile.

Then, staring at the lightning still flickering at her fingertip, she murmured,

“Definitely no effect. Just like with the Queen of Hearts.”

At that, Alice’s eyes lit up.

“Should I try? I know magic too! I can go and bam! Take her down in one shot, right?!”

“Hold on, kid.”

I grabbed the back of Alice’s collar just as she was about to sprint off.

She was like a human cannonball.

Sure, the Queen of Hearts was staying still for now, but what if she was still hiding some trump card?

“Your Highness, please reconsider. It’s too dangerous. And even if an attack does work, what kind of powerful attack could this little kid possibly pull off?”

“You have a point.”

“Honestly, I think I’m probably stronger than you big brother.”

“You’re asking for it.”

I smacked her on the head.

But, as usual, Alice didn’t seem to care.

Or maybe…. was it that my hit didn’t even hurt in the first place?

Had this cheeky little brat been putting on a convincing act this whole time?

I never would’ve imagined.

“Hehe.”

“Good grief…”

Alice gave me an awkward smile.

Now that I’d finally realized what was really going on, I could only let out a sigh.

“But we can’t ignore this without even trying. Johan. Unless… have you thought of another good plan?”

“No, I haven’t come up with any solid alternatives.”

“Then it’s best we let Alice attempt an attack while keeping her as safe as possible.”

“But that’s—”

“Is that your judgment? If you truly believe that, we can take a longer route.”

Lobelia’s usual sly attitude was gone, replaced with a serious expression.

And the moment I met her gaze, I realized. She knew more than she let on.

“…No, that was a poor choice of words.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Lobelia patted my shoulder, then gently took Alice’s hand.

“This will be a difficult task for you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, I’m totally fine with it!”

Alice grinned like an idiot.

Lobelia looked at her smile and let out a bittersweet laugh.

***

We stood before the Queen of Hearts.

“It’s rare to see you coming along Johan.”

Ariel remarked on how unusual it was to see me, who was always watching safely from the sidelines, standing on the front lines with Alice.

And for some reason, Lobelia and Yuna were eyeing Ariel nervously.

No point hiding it now.

Those two had already figured out what kind of relationship Alice and I had.

Yuna probably guessed it on instinct, and as for Lobelia…

Well, considering how thoroughly she had done background checks before, it made sense.

Meanwhile, Alice who was the culprit behind all this just looked up at the Queen of Hearts with her eyes sparkling.

“I’m ready.”

Alice clenched her fists tightly. Her determination was set.

“Alice.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Ugh, gross. Can you not suddenly act like you care about me?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get ready.”

“Got it!”

I took a step back.

At once, starlike mana began swirling around Alice.

She always loved adventure.

Even knowing the danger, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

I once asked her if she had a death wish, acting like that.

She just laughed.

She always did.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Yeah?”

“You kind of remind me of my boyfriend more than I expected. Maybe that’s why I feel so comfortable around you.”

“Is that so?”

But that wasn’t it.

She just wanted to live life to the fullest, because death was always close by.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve only ever called you ‘Mad Hatter’. What’s your real name? You’re always whispering with Ariel, so I never learned it.”

“Johan.”

“Oh? That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“You even have the same name as my boyfriend. Gross.”

“Shut up and get ready.”

At my words, Alice beamed brightly within the starlight.

Her vast mana and complicated spell were beyond what one could imagine for someone so young.

Yes…she was the one who had been afflicted with transcendence syndrome, that incurable disease, at such a young age.

“Alice.”

“Yes?”

“Did you enjoy the adventure?”

“Hmm, more than I expected?”

She was a fragment of my long-lost fiancée.

***

Only scars remained where the starlight swept through with a raging storm.

Alice’s magic had shattered the Queen of Hearts and the world itself.

The world began to crack like shards of glass.

“This play took quite a bit of effort, didn’t it?”

Inside that world, everyone stood frozen, as if bound by time.

Yes, the moment had come.

It was time to bring this to an end.

The unease I had felt ever since before arriving at the Damus Territory—

That thing buried in the luggage when we set off—

“Mephistopheles.”

The Demon Book of Lemegeton.

The one who owned that contract.

The demon who had woven all of this illusion appeared, cloaking the world in darkness.

“A play, huh? Yes, this was all just a false performance. But I… I can make it real.”

The demon, who had always appeared in the form of a puppy, now approached in the shape of a dodo.

Come to think of it, wasn’t there a rumor that the dodo in Alice in Wonderland was a reflection of the author himself?

Something like that.

The demon walked forward step by step, then came to a halt, staring mockingly at Alice within the frozen moment.

“Look closely. Your memories still linger here, don’t they?”

All of this was nothing more than a play, reconstructed from my memories.

It simply cast the things I had projected as its actors.

“The girl you once loved is vanishing into the starlight, just as she did back then.”

The dodo spread its wings.

“If you wish it, you can save her.”

There was something there. Something no mere animal form could contain.

Starlight shimmered within the tightly woven darkness between its feathers.

A red glow in place of eyes held a fierce, overwhelming urge.

And so the bird became a demon and spoke,

“You can seize the regret of that moment. And you can welcome a new future as well.”

That transcendent form inspired awe and fear in equal measure.

“So all you must do is call out.”

Demons always tempt people with sweet whispers.

“Stop O’ Moment.”

Now I understood why they were called demons.