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Join the ServerA peculiar current surged through Jeanne Decker, causing her muscles to involuntarily tense and ache with a subtle throb.
This was no mere intimate contact; it was a witch’s attack!
Realizing this, she instinctively tried to push Alice Liddell away, only to find herself utterly powerless.
All the while, Alice Liddell relentlessly siphoned her life force.
With events spiraling beyond control, Alice Liddell decided to see it through. She broke free from Jeanne Decker’s grip, then rose to secure her, preventing any escape.
The absorbed life force instantly invigorated her, completely reversing their power dynamic.
Jeanne Decker desperately struck at Alice Liddell, but it was futile. Before long, her blows grew weaker and weaker, until her arms finally fell limp.
Feeling Jeanne Decker collapse limply in her embrace, Alice Liddell finally lifted her face, letting out a ragged breath. “Puh-ha!”
She gasped for air, her mind, previously consumed by panic, slowly beginning to clear.
‘Heavens, what have I just done!?’
She quickly scrutinized Jeanne Decker in her arms. Jeanne Decker’s body was as soft as if her bones had been removed, leaving her slumped in Alice Liddell’s embrace.
With eyes half-open and breath barely a whisper, she weakly gazed at Alice Liddell. “You… you tricked me… witch…”
No sooner had the words left her lips than she completely lost consciousness.
“Hey, Saintess?”
Alice Liddell gently shook Jeanne Decker, but the only response was the heavy sound of breathing.
‘She’s unconscious, then… It seems I took too much.’
Clutching Jeanne Decker, Alice Liddell sat on the bridge, a profound sense of loss washing over her.
She felt as though she had lost something vital, or perhaps crossed a line that should have remained untouched.
After a few moments of blankness, she silently apologized to Jeanne Decker.
‘I’m sorry, Jeanne Decker, truly sorry!’
Yet, a moment later, she reconsidered. There truly hadn’t been any other way at that instant. Moreover, Jeanne Decker herself bore undeniable responsibility for how things had unfolded—in fact, this outcome was largely her own making.
‘Why are you so stubborn, you fool!’ Alice Liddell cried out in her mind.
‘Oh, well, what’s done is done. Regretting it now won’t change anything.’
The immediate problem was…
Alice Liddell glanced at her friend, now completely unconscious in her arms.
‘What should I do with her?’
Typically, being drained by the Fatal Kiss wasn’t life-threatening, but judging by her state, Jeanne Decker wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.
Alice Liddell couldn’t possibly abandon Jeanne Decker here overnight; after all, Jeanne Decker was a young woman.
‘Take her back to my apartment?’
‘No, that won’t work. How would I explain it to Jeanne Decker when she wakes up? Given Jeanne Decker’s sharp mind, she would surely suspect that “Alice Liddell” was the witch she’d encountered the day before.’
‘Should I wait here and hand her over to the Mad Hatter and the tea party members when they arrive?’
‘That wouldn’t do either. Jeanne Decker is from the Church, and the tea party must avoid any contact with her. Even if they were willing to look after her until she woke, it would be troublesome if she became suspicious of them or their location upon regaining consciousness.’
‘Send her back to Duke Alençon’s estate? That’s too far, and I don’t know the situation there. Duke Alençon is an Imperial General, so if the mansion is guarded by soldiers or even knights, it would be a problem.’
After much deliberation, she realized there was only one solution: find a hotel, rent a room, and leave Jeanne Decker there to sleep until she naturally woke up.
She had walked around the area several times but had never paid attention to hotels, as her rented apartment was nearby.
‘I’ll just have to search.’
Alice Liddell first rummaged through her pockets, finding a handkerchief, which she used to cover Jeanne Decker’s face.
Jeanne Decker had, after all, become the Church’s public face as the Saintess. It wouldn’t do for her to be recognized.
“Oh, goodness!”
She struggled to hoist Jeanne Decker onto her back, then laboriously began walking towards the street.
‘She’s so heavy…’ Alice Liddell noted the unusual weight.
‘She looks so slender and well-proportioned; could she be all solid muscle beneath her clothes?’
However, as a Holy Knight, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had developed a six-pack or eight-pack from training.
This witch’s body had little strength. If she hadn’t just absorbed Jeanne Decker’s vitality, she doubted she could have moved her at all.
Even so, the muscle soreness brought on by the Beastification Potion was starting to overwhelm Alice Liddell.
‘Ugh, I worked so hard to save her, why do I have to suffer this extra hardship?’
‘It’s all Jeanne Decker’s fault…’
Yet, she herself should have anticipated Jeanne Decker’s suspicion. After all, Jeanne Decker was the Church’s Saintess, while Alice Liddell was a witch at odds with the Church—an unknown witch, no less. In Jeanne Decker’s eyes, Alice Liddell had likely only saved her incidentally while pursuing the Killer. Alice Liddell couldn’t possibly tell her that she had specifically rushed over to save her.
To the unyielding Jeanne Decker, the kindness of saving a life was one matter, but their respective stances were another entirely. She might do something to repay this witch, but she would likely not grant fundamental trust or change her position because of it.
Through this incident, Alice Liddell more keenly understood that, ultimately, they could never return to how things once were.
She sighed deeply, swaying as she carried Jeanne Decker across the bridge, searching for a nearby hotel on the street.
A quarter of an hour later, Alice Liddell found herself facing an unexpected difficulty.
Hotels weren’t hard to find; in this district, one could always spot a few with careful observation.
However, at each one she approached, the desk clerk would give her a suspicious look and then shake their head, claiming there were no rooms available.
Alice Liddell could tell they were making excuses. After all, she wore a veil, and on her back was another veiled, unconscious girl. Her entire being exuded an air of suspicion.
These hotel owners probably wanted to avoid trouble, and she dared not show her face. After all, when Jeanne Decker woke up, she would most likely inquire about who had brought her there.
‘Damn it, I can barely walk anymore…’
After being refused by the fourth establishment, Alice Liddell, still carrying Jeanne Decker, returned to the street, utterly exhausted.
She was almost ready to give up, but she couldn’t think of any other options, so she continued to drag her feet forward.
As she passed an alley, she glimpsed a streetlamp burning within it, illuminating a signboard.
She instinctively turned her head and realized it was yet another hotel.
The hotel’s name was “Pink Dreamland.” The signboard outside the door displayed a few lines of text: “Accommodation available, hourly rates, themed rooms, prop rentals.”
Alice Liddell only understood “hourly rates,” meaning one could choose to pay by the hour instead of by the day for accommodation.
As for “themed rooms” and “prop rentals,” she had never seen a hotel advertise such things. Most typically promoted long-term rentals or services like hot water, dining, and laundry.
‘Perhaps hotels in big cities are just different, offering more services,’ Alice Liddell mused.
‘I wonder if a hotel in such a small alley would be willing to let me stay…’
With a hopeful thought, Alice Liddell turned into the alley, still carrying Jeanne Decker on her back.
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