Volume 5 - CH 9

Alice’s stalking behavior continued.

And every time Cyclo allowed the monster to surprise Mist in order to give her the ability to deal with surprise attacks – Alice would rush out and defeat the monster with magic before Mist could.

“–Big brother, look out!”

After appearing every time saying so.

“Well, I just happened to be passing by again, but that was a close call, big brother!”

She then made a deliberate remark and left.

If it had happened two or three times, Cyclo would have simply been dismayed.

However, after ten or more times, he was more angry than dismayed.

And so, for the seventeenth times surprise attack.

“–I’ll protect you, big brother! Aqua cutter!”

Alice, who had persistently appeared by accident, used magic to cut in two the Black Goblin that had leapt out of the shadows. She killed it instantly.

“Wow, it’s another coincidence, big brother! Well then, I’ll just–“

“Hey, wait.”

Alice’s shoulders jumped and she stopped at the sound of Cyclo’s angry voice.

“W-What is it, big brother?”

“What are you doing? I told you to stay away from me, didn’t I?”

When asked in an intimidating tone, Alice replies while trembling.

“Oh …… well, but I wanted to make up with big brother …… so I wanted to stay away from you and be as helpful as possible, so ……”

In other words, Alice probably intended to make an appeal that she was helpful in order to make up with Cyclo.

Understanding her intention, Cyclo let out a sigh.

“Hey, Alice.”

“Yes!”

“It’s a nuisance. Don’t get in my way.”

“…… eh?”

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Alice was expecting to receive a compliment from Cyclo. So she waited for the next words with a smiling face, but the reply was the complete opposite.

“Listen. We are in the middle of training to be adventurers. Especially, for Mist. We’re trying to train to deal with surprise attacks, but you keep interrupting us, so we can’t train at all. Give us a break.”

What she did for the best of intentions backfired. So Alice is shocked, speechless and tearful.

“Oh …… uh, but…”

“You’re in the way. I didn’t ask you to do anything, and I don’t plan to ask anything. I don’t want anything from you. So stay away from me. Don’t get involved with me.”

“N-No way ……”

Alice’s face turns pale at Cyclo’s words of rejection.

She realizes that there is more than enough distance between her and Cyclo, and realizes that Cyclo seriously wants nothing to do with her.

“…… I, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

And so – Alice cries, muttering apologies over and over as she moves away.

Sensing that the distance between them is further than when she was following them as a pursuer, Cyclo finally relaxes his expression and lets out a sigh.

“…… Seriously. Give me a break.”

Cyclo, being Cyclo, was also feeling a strong stress from facing Alice.

He was clenching his fists to suppress his emotional surge, and even so, he was feeling dizzy and lightheaded due to his uncontrollable emotions.

Cyclo sat down on the spot, holding his forehead.

Mist quickly approached him and leaned in close.

“–Master, you did your best.”

Saying that, Mist hugged Cyclo from behind.

“…… Thank you, Mist. I’m sorry, but I need to take a break.”

“Yes. Master can do what he wants to do.”

The two of them sat down to take a break.

On the other hand, only Karim was looking in the direction of the departing Alice.

(…… Sheesh, she seems to be more preoccupied than I expected. I wonder what will happen.)

Karim sensed that the situation could be irreversible.

–Alice was walking with a downcast, dark expression on her face as she left.

She was walking dumbly through the second level of the Deep Hole, with nowhere to go, and thinking.

(……I must have really made big brother hate me…)

The more she realizes this, the more Alice’s chest tightens terribly.

(How can I …… How can I get big brother to forgive me?)

The same thought keeps going around and around in Alice’s head over and over again.

(I don’t know. I don’t know …… I don’t know how my brother feels about me or how I can get him to forgive me ……)

As a result of this impasse of thoughts, Alice comes to an extreme conclusion.

“– That’s right. I just need to understand big brother better.”

That seemed like a good idea to Alice.

And then – just in front of Alice’s eyes, the abyss of the deep hole spreads out.

A deep, dark abyss where you can’t even see the bottom.

“…… Big brother. I’ll do my best.”

After muttering only that, Alice stepped toward the abyss.