༺ The Battle for Isaac (5) ༻
The Student Council President, Alice Carroll. Nicknamed, ‘Heart Queen Alice.’
In Wonderland, she decapitated the Queen of Hearts and managed to seize all her power and military assets.
Like several of the characters in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Alice was inspired by the well-known fairy tale, ‘Alice in Wonderland.’
Alice was the Shadow of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, as well as the final boss of the 「Alice Subjugation」 act.
She was a character that drew immediate interest and joy from all users, while also being the very reason why I must hide my identity.
Alice was a strong advocate of evil. Therefore, Ian Fairytale, the holder of the light attribute that poses the greatest threat to the Evil God, would be nothing but an eyesore to her.
However, she couldn’t easily touch Ian because he was part of the Fairytale Household. This was because of [Fairy’s Protection] that all Fairytale household members have.
On the other hand, I was merely a humble commoner. I was an underdog who couldn’t offer much more than feeble resistance against the behemoth with a level in the 170s that was Alice.
‘I can’t believe it turned out like this.’
Honestly, I expected the situation to result like this ever since it started growing out of control.
Especially since Dorothy was involved, it wasn’t strange at all for a powerful existence such as Alice to appear.
“What’s up, Alice?”
“I’m here to clean up this mess.”
Dorothy asked with a bitter smile as Alice answered nonchalantly.
Alice approached me and Dorothy, staring at me with her cherry-blossom-colored eyes.
While pretending to be slightly nervous, I tried to be as natural as possible when we made eye contact. Honestly though, I didn’t even need to pretend. I was actually very tense.
For reference, Alice doesn’t have a power like Dorothy’s [All In the World]. Even if she stared at me with the intention to pierce through my head, she wouldn’t be able to see anything suspicious about me.
Anyway… I can’t believe that a female student who looks so cute and kind can kill me whenever she desires.
‘Please let this situation go by without a hitch…’
I begged desperately in my mind.
After a while, Alice nodded nonchalantly.
“I understand now.”
Huh? What are you understanding?
“Understand what?”
Dorothy asked for me as if she read my thoughts.
“I understand why you guys are fawning over this guy. He’s kinda cute.”
“Nihihihi, truly… Your habit of talking recklessly remains the same.”
Dorothy sneaked between me and Alice while smirking.
I agreed that Isaac looked decently attractive. Of course, there were a lot of better-looking guys, but Isaac’s looks were not something to be completely unacknowledged.
Furthermore, during the Trial of Frost, I discovered through the Cheshire that I was Alice’s cup of tea. It was only natural that she looked upon my appearance favorably.
“Enough of that for now.”
Alice glanced at Dorothy for a moment, then shifted her foot and looked down at Luce and Kaya, who were seen below the railing.
“All right, since everyone’s here, I’ll get straight to the point.”
Alice straightened her back and put her hands behind her hips with a peculiarly kind smile on her face.
Compared to her seductive voice, her smile was very warm.
“By the authority of the Student Council President. Dorothy Heartnova, Luce Eltania, Kaya Astrea, and one other. All of you, please accompany me to our student council.”
Alice gave orders in a friendly tone, mixing both honorifics and informal language.
“Let’s end this fuss here.”
The order of the Student Council President put an end to the midnight commotion.
* * *
Blue bobbed hair curled like waves. A petite build. She was Ciel Carnedas, the Class A third seat.
To her, Isaac was an unknown powerhouse.
She didn’t know whether he was a monster wearing human skin or a next-generation Archwizard brimming with tremendous talent.
However, since it seemed obvious that he was protecting the academy, Ciel wanted to be on his good side.
That was the only way she could safely graduate from Märchen Academy. The last thing she needed was for the academy to be destroyed by something akin to a natural disaster.
Therefore, Isaac’s actions were one of Ciel’s few interests in life.
Even if it was just listening to rumors and news about him.
It was safe to say that it was a big deal when she, who was usually disinterested in her surroundings, consumed a lot of energy to pay attention to him.
Since Ciel was that kind of person… It was very unusual for her to be interested in a man and even chase after him.
‘This is…’
During the end-of-semester evaluation, Ciel witnessed the top seat and the second seat defend Isaac.
And today, the confrontation between the two women over Isaac piqued Ciel’s interest.
Luce, who tried to capture Isaac.
Kaya, who took Isaac from Luce.
Luce, who stopped Kaya when she tried to kiss Isaac.
Kaya, who ran away with Isaac.
Luce, who even summoned the Thunderbird to chase Kaya and Isaac…
‘Oh my God, this is so much fun…!’
How could anyone not want to watch this situation until its conclusion?! It was like a K-Drama that came to life!
Ciel transformed her lightning bat familiar, Zabet, to its original size, and secretly chased Isaac, Luce, and Kaya on his back.
She watched their chase from start to finish.
She also witnessed the appearance of the famous second year senior, Dorothy Heartnova, who had danced with Isaac earlier.
What a spectacular three-way confrontation between the strong women who are competing for the mighty Isaac! Ciel was so captivated that she couldn’t bear it. As expected, superior females are attracted to superior males.
When she saw the student council entering the clock tower, she inferred that the situation had blown out of proportion.
For a while, Ciel could not take her eyes off the clock tower.
Clearly… She found a new interest to pursue.
***
“Dorothy Heartnova, Kaya Astrea, Luce Eltania, and Isaac. All statements that were compiled for any relevant information have been concluded. There seems to be no contradiction. Additionally, Dorothy Heartnova and Rose Red Rivera will be referred to the disciplinary committee tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay, you did a great job.”
Bartos Hall, a palace-shaped building located in the heart of Märchen Academy.
It was the place where the academy’s central administration was located, as well as the student council room.
Moonlight shone through the curtains and dimly lit lamps, covered by shades, softly illuminated the luxurious and elegant student council room.
In the seat reserved for the Student Council President, there was a woman with pale gold hair. She received a bundle of reports from Erin, the Student Council Vice President standing beside her.
They came to Bartos Hall in the middle of a party, so they were still dressed up.
“In the end, Dorothy caused an incident on the day of the social gathering.”
“It was an excessive reaction, but it’ll be written as a normal one, correct?”
“As far as Razel is concerned. Rose Red Rivera was also at fault so we’ll see how it turns out.”
In truth, Alice Carroll was already convinced that Dorothy would get off with a slap on the wrist.
Dorothy’s business value for Märchen Academy paired with the fact that she reacted in self-defense to protect others would probably be taken into account.
Dorothy, a rare genius who was blessed by the Lord Manhalla, was expected to reach the level of an Archwizard within a decade. If one considers the fact that she would receive a degree from Märchen Academy, it wasn’t a far stretch to say that it was in the academy’s best interest to be lenient with her even if it seemed unfair.
After all, the benefits of Dorothy merely existing in the academy were enormous.
Thus, if Dorothy were ever to be severely punished, her image at the Märchen Academy would be damaged in correlation. It would likely lead to an immediate loss of investors.
It wasn’t something that the academy’s staff would ever want.
“More importantly, the problem is with Razel Red Rivera.”
Erin also reported on Razel Red Rivera. Currently, he was being treated, but somehow he continued to shake with fear. He was unable to give a testimony, it was as if he had been muzzled.
According to eyewitness accounts, he was fine even after he regained consciousness from getting beaten by Dorothy… Now, it seemed that some kind of trauma had settled within him.
“Perhaps there was additional damage from someone else…”
It was unclear whether anyone other than Dorothy had been involved, but perhaps she was right. Furthermore, it was highly likely that Luce Eltania was responsible for such additional damage. Perhaps it was a personal vendetta.
Nevertheless, Alice did not care about such trivialities. It was her creed to not dig up anything that wasn’t revealed on the surface.
“He was beaten by Dorothy, so I guess the trauma just hit him later. Honestly, doesn’t it make less sense that he was fine at first?”
“I guess so?”
Alice took a sip of her tea and answered in a friendly tone.
Besides this, they also talked about the rest of the case regarding Isaac, Luce, and Kaya. The Student Council released them immediately after checking the facts. This was because there was no reason to hold them captive.
“Well then, I’ll be leaving now.”
“You did great. Even with an event happening, you worked diligently.”
After seeing Alice’s smile, Erin’s heart melted. Even in the middle of the night, Alice was as radiant as a goddess.
She was admired by all the students. Her voice was elegant, her smile as warm as the sun. Her beauty was out of this world and to top it all off, even her personality was excellent. She was utterly perfect. Even the way she handled her work was flawless, making her almost inhuman despite being the definition of human perfection.
Every time Erin saw Alice, she could not help but worship her.
“It’s nothing. The president has also worked hard. I’ll be taking my leave now, have a wonderful night”
Erin smiled brightly while blushing and bowed to Alice before leaving the student council room.
Silence now filled the room.
Guooo——.
Shortly thereafter, there was a flicker of ashen-colored mana, and a purple cat appeared on the reception table.
[Not a very fun ending, was it?]
It was a fat cat with a fedora, the Phantom Cat Cheshire. He laid sideways on the table, vigorously scratching his behind.
“What was?”
Alice asked without taking her eyes off the papers in front of her.
[You know, about Dorothy. Don’t you think she only followed us peacefully just because she was worried that other people would get harmed? That was lame. Wasn’t it, Alice?]
“If Dorothy truly resists, no one can stop her. We should be grateful.”
Alice held up a teacup containing steaming black tea without giving the Phantom Cat a single glance.
For a while, the Phantom Cat stared at Alice and brought up another topic.
[…Alice. What do you think of the kid named Isaac?]
Alice’s hands stopped for a very brief moment as she sipped her tea.
[He was the one that the great Dorothy opened up to. Isn’t that interesting? Also, that boy called out ‘Ice Element’.]
“…You’re suspecting him aren’t you?”
[Alice, I feel like everything is going according to the plans of the ‘disruptor’. You should suspect everything, even if it seems like nothing. Don’t you think so?]
“Because of the report about an informant, the academy’s staff is wary. It’s best to not act rashly when even the Imperial Knights obtained such information.”
Alice replied nonchalantly.
“And… I don’t think that the disruptor, who seems threatening even if I were to summon every Paladin I had, would be such a weak man who is guarded and swayed by others.”
According to a testimony given by Professor Fernando Frost in the first semester, the Black Monster was an archwizard who could use nine-star spells.
So even if Alice summoned all the powerful Trump Paladins under her command, it remained to be seen whether she would be able to beat a monster of such caliber.
On the other hand, how about Isaac, the silver-blue-haired man she saw in the clock tower?
Beaten by Razel, protected by Dorothy, and swayed by women… He was too weak for Alice to think her enemy, the overwhelmingly powerful Black Monster, would be related to him in any way.
“In the first place, it’s wrong to use mere relationships as a way to determine his identity. He looks like he’s fun to play with anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dorothy went into heat for him for that reason. There’s nothing strange about it.”
Alice continued with a calm expression and drank her tea again. Alice’s voice had her unique kindness, maturity, and calmness, but the content was far from it.
The Phantom Cat raised himself as if he had heard something funny. The corners of his mouth slanted into a unique grotesque grin.
[Now that you mention it. Alice, don’t you want to try being in love?]
The Phantom Cat lived for entertainment.
In fact, he followed Alice’s ambitions to end the world simply because it seemed fun.
If he was able to see his master, who seemed sweet, but was pitch black on the inside, in a relationship, it would be the best entertainment for the Phantom Cat.
[As long as Dorothy is enjoying her youth, Alice shouldn’t be left behind right?]
The Phantom Cat taunted Alice, desiring an entertaining reaction.
“…You’re saying some funny things.”
However, Alice answered without even taking her eyes off the papers as if it wasn’t even worth thinking about.
Instead, she sipped some steaming black tea again.
[You’re so lame…]
With a look of boredom, the Phantom Cat drooped on the table, dejected by Alice’s reaction.
