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Join the Server“What is this thing?” Alice Liddell took the red ‘coin’ and scrutinized it closely.
It was identical in shape to the gray devil’s currency she had seen before, yet within its crystalline structure, several points of red light swirled continuously, giving the entire crystal an uneven scarlet hue.
“Ah,” the Mad Hatter remarked, “this is a perfect opportunity for a lesson. This is also a devil’s currency, but it represents a willingly sacrificed soul.”
“A willing sacrifice? The kind legends say devils harvest through contracts?” Alice Liddell blinked, her curiosity piqued.
“Precisely. While the Holy Church of Benevolence preaches that demons mercilessly slaughter humans and directly reap their souls, devils, on the other hand, tempt people into depravity with promises of gain, leading them to willingly surrender their souls. Though a bit sensationalized, the methods described align quite closely with reality.
“The Sixth-Tier ‘Demons’ of the Abyss and those of lower tiers can generally only destroy a target’s spirit through brute force attacks before harvesting their soul. The materialized souls obtained this way are gray. However, a Fifth-Tier ‘Devil’ can use contracts to stipulate terms where the target pays with their soul. Once the target agrees and the contract takes effect, the ‘Devil’ acquires a willingly sacrificed soul—which manifests as these red soul crystals,” the Mad Hatter explained.
“So, what’s different about the red ones?” Alice Liddell asked the obvious question.
“Firstly, when used as consumables, red souls are far more effective than gray ones. Consuming gray souls can heal wounds, but excessive intake causes the same side effects as a failed promotion: one loses their sanity, and their body undergoes uncontrolled demonization before collapsing. Red souls, however, have no such side effects. Beyond that, red souls can achieve things gray souls cannot. For instance, to advance to the Fourth Tier, one absolutely needs a red soul harvested by themselves. Furthermore, red souls can be used in certain situations to pay the price for sacrificing abilities.
“So, I can also use this red soul to pay a price?” Alice Liddell inquired.
“No, only the harvester of the soul themselves can use it for payment,” the Mad Hatter replied with a smile.
“Then why give it to me?”
“Red souls have another purpose: they can carry and transmit power,” the Mad Hatter clarified. “This currency has been infused with a portion of my authority. If you consume it, your entire body can achieve controlled demonization, granting you temporary access to some Sixth-Tier abilities.”
“Oh?” Alice Liddell stared at the red coin in her hand, astonished. “Such a useful item! Why didn’t you give me one sooner, Brother Levi?”
“Red souls are exceedingly difficult to acquire. Even I don’t have many reserves,” the Mad Hatter said, spreading his hands with a sigh. “Initially, I hadn’t planned for you, Brother Levi, to participate in direct combat, so I couldn’t bear to part with it.”
“Is it really that precious? The effect sounds quite similar to Isola’s beastification potion,” Alice Liddell mused.
Isola’s beastification potion also granted its user partial power.
“It’s merely a difference in carriers. The carrier for witch power is a magic potion, while the carrier for Abyssal power is a human soul,” the Duchess Liddell’s voice chimed from within the magic mirror. “In truth, the ingredients for beastification potions are also extremely precious. I purchased them at great expense from the black market, so I hope you use them a little more sparingly.”
Alice Liddell was surprised once more. Isola had concocted several bottles of beastification potion, which had led her to believe they were limitless and could be squandered freely. Consequently, she had used them without much restraint.
‘It seems I’ll have to be more frugal from now on,’ she thought.
At that moment, Isola spoke from the magic mirror:
“The crucial point isn’t actually there. Both beastification potions and transformation potions grant the user witch power, which is essentially divinity, the effect of bestowing power, fundamentally identical to the ability to create眷族 [TL Note: A type of familiar or devoted follower]. Mr. Mad Hatter, do you also possess divinity?”
“Mad Hatter, so you’re not just Fourth-Tier?” Alice Liddell looked at him in surprise.
“No, I am a Fourth-Tier Abyss Lord. However, I do indeed possess an incomplete divinity,” the Mad Hatter said, tugging at the brim of his hat with a grin. “As I mentioned before, I was interfered with by the Church during my attempt to ascend to a divine tier, and my holy relic was stolen. At that time, my promotion failed, and I became tainted with the madness of the Abyss, but I also gained a fragment of incomplete divinity. One could say I’m half a Third-Tier ‘Apostle,’ which is why I can impart some of my power using red souls.”
‘In other words, the Mad Hatter’s true strength should lie somewhere between the Fourth and Third Tiers,’ Alice Liddell conceptualized.
“With this, couldn’t I directly replace you in apprehending that Killer?” Alice Liddell imagined herself fully demonized, confronting the Killer. “That fellow is still afflicted by my poison, a poison mixed with my blood, so he won’t find an antidote on his own. Even if he consumes souls to mitigate the damage and save his life, it’s unlikely to completely eliminate the poison’s persistent effects. It’s possible the poison has already inflicted irreversible harm. I suspect he must be very weak by now.”
“Don’t be overconfident, Brother Levi. No matter how weak he is, he still has the trump card of self-sacrifice. A crazed and desperate enemy is the most terrifying. I’m giving you this item as an extra means of self-preservation,” the Mad Hatter said, raising a hand to pat Alice Liddell’s shoulder. “What’s more, having suffered a loss this time, he’s bound to hunt for even more souls as reserves.”
“Doesn’t that mean more people will fall victim?” Alice Liddell frowned.
“Indeed, but we must remain calm. Even if we’re anxious, we cannot stop him unless you can once again divine his whereabouts,” the Mad Hatter said with a serious expression.
“That would be quite difficult. The success rate of divination using mere objects as a medium is too low. This success was likely due to…” Isola paused unnaturally, “the fact that the target was preparing to act against the Saintess.”
Alice Liddell concurred with this hypothesis. Her successful divination this time was likely achieved by leveraging her destined connection to Jeanne Decker, which then further linked to the Killer who was destined to harm Jeanne Decker.
“In that case, at least next time that fellow prepares to make a move against the Saintess, Brother Levi’s chances of divining his presence will be considerably higher,” the Mad Hatter offered.
“If I can’t divine his whereabouts before then, other victims he targets will still die. He’s surely going to kill even more frantically now…” Alice Liddell sighed.
“This isn’t your fault,” Isola comforted her from the mirror.
“Rather, I find it somewhat peculiar why the Inquisition hasn’t dealt with this Killer yet,” the Duchess Liddell suddenly interjected. “The Imperial City is their stronghold, their home ground. For a lone wolf heretical murderer to remain active for so long without being apprehended is truly inexplicable. If these people are so incompetent, then my work as a spy would be far less arduous.”
“On that point, I do have a clue. They should be active, but they’re playing a long game to catch a big fish…” the Mad Hatter stroked his chin. “Moving forward, we must proceed with even greater caution.”
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