Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 138: Can you just tell me what you really think?

Over the long years, people will always gradually forget some things, and when they suddenly remember them at a certain moment, they comfort themselves by believing that it is just a natural emotional change that life experiences in the process of growing up, and there is no need to be sad about it. This is an obvious thing. It is impossible for us to remember the faces of everyone we have met since childhood, and recall their expressions at that time, whether they were smiling or serious, and what they said? Perhaps even the faces of parents and relatives will gradually be forgotten, and only some particularly deep memories will be preserved.

When I was a child, did the fruit I picked from the bushes taste sour or bitter? When I was reading, did the wind blowing from the window sill and flower bed brush my cheeks warm or cold? When I put the half-read book on the table and went out to look for the sun that occasionally sprinkled from the rooftop, was its color bright or dim? Memories are fragments, and a few fragments piece together people's impressions of the past, while most of them are lost. But it is precisely because we have forgotten too much that what we still remember seems precious, and the present we are experiencing seems so real.

in other words--

……

"In other words," Olvera, who had already broken free from that vague memory, put away the lantern, shrouding the corridor in deep darkness again, and said to these guests who came from afar and claimed to save her, "If you want to take me away from this castle, you must first destroy these beasts that separated from my shadow."

“But, they are powerful.”

The lantern's fence grid was licked by the orange flames and was warm, like a small fireplace hanging in the palm of your hand. The bright candlelight stretched the guests' shadows, reflecting them on the walls of the room, swaying. The princess had no shadow, raised her hand and yawned lazily, and said to them: "They are not afraid of the sword's slashing, nor the burning of fire, and are much more ferocious than ordinary monsters. They are everywhere in this castle. Wherever there is darkness, there will be their existence."

In the past, the land of Belmang had been ravaged by these evil beasts and almost turned into a scorched earth, and the army was exhausted and powerless. So, what could a few travelers do?

What's more.

“Oh, you mean this…” Olvera blinked her eyes, and the hazy platinum star cluster seemed to regain some clarity: “Because they are responsible for guarding me… should I say jailers? So, as long as I don’t leave this room, they won’t act rashly, you can leave without worry.”

This description reminded Ling Ge of the ancient legend, and he couldn't help but ask, "The Sun Devouring Beast, Noctus of Darkness?"

After she finished speaking, she yawned again. From the moment she appeared until now, the princess had always behaved very casually, as if she didn't care at all whether she could be rescued or not, which made the travelers who came to rescue her unable to guess what she was thinking.

“Ah… Is that what you people outside call it?” Avella withdrew her hand nonchalantly and shook her head: “I don’t know, but, maybe?”

"But when we entered the castle just now, we didn't encounter any attacks from them." Ling Ge said, "We didn't even see their shadows. What's going on?"

Olvera pointed to the floor below: "That is the most vicious of all beasts. It swallowed the light into its belly and gained the power of fear, despair, madness and pain. In the past, the magicians of the kingdom gathered to fight it, but they could not drive it out. Therefore, they believed that it was a dirty, filthy, silted, and corrupted evil beast hatched in the "Shell of Darkness". It "lives on the surface of a grand shadow where there can be no more shadows. The endless inner and outer worlds surrounding it, with the lead-gray sky tearing open a crack, and descended... a dark magic path", it is not something that ordinary people can contend with."

If the castle was full of these dark beasts, they would never have been able to get here so easily. They would have had to go through a dangerous battle. But in fact, no battle took place. Apart from the dark and silent environment that was a little creepy and psychologically damaging, their bodies were not hurt at all.

"At the bottom of the castle is their leader."

"Now you all should know that it is very difficult to save me from here, so I will accept this sincere intention. "Such a grand and sincere emotion is like showing a mysterious revelation, which constitutes the amazing power of our world... The nameless and faithless will also desire it." I think it is the same reason."

"But I won't have any expectations for anything more unrealistic."

She turned and walked towards her bed. Her slow steps seemed to float in the clouds. Her frail figure was covered with a layer of low and decadent warm light released by the candles. Her voice was also unclear: "Well, if you want to visit the castle for a while longer, I don't recommend it, because there is nothing fun here, and staying for a long time has a negative impact on the soul. So, if you want to leave... Haah, let's go quickly... I want to continue reading..." "Who said we are leaving?"

Suddenly, a figure blocked Aoweila's way, with his hands on his hips, and his arrogance was so arrogant that the princess of Beman could not help but stop and tilt her head, her eyes full of curiosity: "Why are you staying here?"

"No!" Alice snorted coldly: "We won't stay either!"

Neither leaving nor staying, Avra ​​was confused by her and couldn't understand what she meant.

"it means--"

Alice stretched out her hand, pointed at the tip of the princess' nose menacingly, and said word by word: "You can go, but we have to take you with us!"

Olvera looked at the blonde girl in front of her in confusion. Seeing her ruby ​​eyes shining with strong confidence and impulse under the candlelight, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you... hear what I said just now? If I leave this room, the beasts born from the shadows will attack you, right?"

"I heard it, but so what?"

As Alice spoke, she used her slender fingers to lightly unfasten the SLP game buckled on her belt, held it in her palm, and raised it in front of Olvera. The silver-white cube, which was full of the high-tech texture of the 28th century Earth, was illuminated by the flames of countless candles. The intricate and delicate patterns on the surface immediately spread out like rippling water, refracting thousands of mysterious and deep blue rays of light, which made the girl unable to open her eyes.

"I have this!"

Alice's triumphant voice came from the other side of the light: "As long as you use my invincible game magic... bah, it's an invincible game console, plus my invincible genius player, no matter what enemy is in front of you, I can easily eliminate it and rescue you from this castle!"

Olvera stared at the silver-white cube in her hand. Although she didn't know what the so-called "game console" was, she suddenly felt convinced, as if the girl in front of her would keep her word and would never let anyone down. Despite this, out of some kind of self-abandonment or guilt, she still subconsciously said words of rebuttal: "But it's still too dangerous. Those beasts are not so easy to deal with..."

"Don't worry about it!"

Alice interrupted her rudely, staring at the princess who had been locked in the castle for many years without seeing the sun, staring at her pale complexion and sleepy eyes, and said in a very serious tone: "Just tell me whether you want to leave here or not."

"If you want to leave, come with us; if you don't want to leave...haha, I'm kidding."

"How could you not want to leave?"

She blinked expectantly. "Right?"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)