Chapter 325

“So, you were the one who gave that figurine to Lilith?” Collins asked as he looked at Alice in surprise. “Ever since Lilith got her hands on that figurine, she’s been sharing pictures of it everywhere and saying all sorts of good things about it. My LINK has been flooded with pictures of her figurine since yesterday…”

“Stop complaining and just admit that you’re jealous,” Lilith said as she wrapped an arm around Alice, who sat next to her. Then, she looked at Collins and provocatively said, “But you can’t buy it even if you want to. That figurine is extremely rare and not for sale. I still don’t know which manufacturer made it. Although the design looks like it came from KG, this level of craftsmanship isn’t something KG can achieve.”

Alice dryly laughed when she heard Lilith’s comment. In reality, Andusia’s body did come from the manufacturer going by the name of KG Company. However, the manufacturer themselves probably didn’t expect that they had used Living Wood for one of the figurines they sculpted.

Living Wood was an extremely rare alchemy material. Even though it was mentioned in alchemy textbooks, it was so rare that most people would never get to see or touch one in their lifetime. Lilith most likely wasn’t an expert in alchemy, nor had she ever come into contact with Living Wood. So, it was understandable that she couldn’t tell what material Andusia’s body was made from.

Meanwhile, Alice couldn’t help but feel conflicted when she saw Lilith’s fondness toward Andusia. Originally, she had intended for Andusia to escape Lilith’s grasp after spending some time with the girl. After all, she wasn’t acquainted with Lilith, so she naturally wouldn’t feel burdened from doing such a thing.

However, Alice now started to think that maybe she should offer Lilith some compensation. For example, she could get her hands on another block of Living Wood and stuff a soul fragment into it. Andusia had studied soul magic before and told Alice some general information regarding souls, and one of the things Alice learned was that the air that they breathed actually contained some soul fragments.

The majority of these “ambient” soul fragments were the remnants of deceased people’s souls. Although they weren’t conscious, they still had the common characteristics of souls. If she stuffed some of these soul fragments into Living Wood and had it mimic the characteristics of a human body, she could potentially create a life-like figurine similar to Andusia. The only difference between this new figurine and Andusia would be that it wouldn’t be conscious.

Let’s find a block of Living Wood, have KG Company carve it into a Magical Girl Hikari figurine, and stuff some soul fragments into it… The guilt will haunt me forever if I don’t compensate her somehow, Alice thought to herself, sighing as she quietly watched Lilith happily showing off to Collins.

—This was the problem with forming too deep of a connection with others. These feelings of attachment would make her hesitate when it came time to make decisions. Had she never gotten to know Lilith so much, she might not have worried about what would happen if she tricked Lilith.

“By the way, didn’t something big happen in the Royal Magic Tower yesterday?”I heard the Demon King snuck into the tower?” Collins suddenly asked.

Although Collins, Lilith, and Alice were enthusiasts of anime culture, they were still members of the nobility. So, after their conversation went on for a bit, Collins eventually brought up the latest news that had caused a sensation among the Rhine Kingdom’s noble circles.

“Yes. The matter was given to Second Brother to handle. It seems the old man is trying to increase his presence and reputation among the general public,” Lilith said, pursing her lips in frustration. “I heard that the old man has contacted the Hero already, but they will handle this matter secretly to avoid alerting the Demon King. It’s going to be a big problem if the Demon King rampages in the middle of Icarus City.”

“In short, it’s none of our business. I’ll just stick to being a lazy shut-in,” Collins said. Despite dressing like a gothic girl, his otaku temperament could be clearly felt. Then, he looked toward Alice and added, “Anyway, I’m currently working in this small company. If you need my help in the future, feel free to contact me directly.”

After exchanging contact information, Alice and Lilith left the booth. After all, Collins was in the middle of work. However, judging by the other staff members working at the booth, it didn’t seem like they knew their cross-dressing receptionist was actually the country’s eldest prince.

“What do you think? My eldest brother didn’t disappoint you, right?” After walking some distance away, Lilith poked Alice’s shoulder and smiled. “He might not have shown himself in public for a long time, but he is still a well-known eccentric in the Rhine Kingdom’s noble circles.”

“He is quite odd indeed… But he should be a good person seeing as he can show his interests so openly,” Alice said, nodding and acknowledging Collins’ character. Of course, she would still investigate Collins regardless. Even if Collins was a crossdresser, it didn’t mean he was void of suspicion. Be it Lilith or Collins, Alice intended to conduct a thorough investigation on both of them.

“Then, let’s act separately now. I noticed you were interested in the game consoles downstairs. In that case, go and enjoy yourself,” Lilith said, smiling as she nudged Alice’s back. “In the meantime, I’ll meet with my friends for some business. Once you’ve had enough fun, call me if you need my help.”

Alice nodded, agreeing to Lilith’s suggestion. After receiving Alice’s confirmation, Lilith ran toward another booth, not forgetting to turn around and wave goodbye to Alice partway.

She behaves like a kid.

Alice chuckled helplessly. However, she did not let her guard down simply because Lilith behaved like an energetic child. If she believed that Lilith was a naive person simply because of the girl’s innocent behavior, she would be the naive one.

After seeing Lilith off, Alice made her way to a nearby restroom. Then, she entered a stall, reached into her pouch, and pulled out an anal plug…

When it comes to collecting information, I definitely can’t do it in person. After briefly lamenting the dagger’s strange appearance, Alice activated the weapon’s skill. So, let’s have the Dark Guards do it for me.

The next moment, black mist poured out of the weapon in Alice’s hands and coalesced into two pitch-black figures. One was a loli with lavender hair wielding a giant hammer, while the other was a shota magician.