Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Chapter 123

――Side: Eclair――

Troll King.
This guy’s traits are that it strikes while relying on the power it gets from using its large frame, and that it’s tough in addition to that isn’t it.
Its regenerative ability can’t be ridiculed either.
It’s simple but for how the opponent doesn’t leave a poorly executed『hole』in its frontal attack, it’s formidable.
To be sure Alice said she fought the same sort of opponent though……
Since she doesn’t talk all that much about the events of that time.
……And just when she came back she was always worrying about things like that unintelligible Lumina child!

「Oww!」

Seriously……!
I unintentionally held my right eye.
Seriously this scorching right eye is behaving like a wild horse!
As expected, it’s not a good idea to become arrogant and dive deeply is it.
Just knowing it’s not an opponent that will do anything peculiar is a sufficient a.n.a.lysis.
I block off the knowledge seen from diving deep into the demon eye’s abyss.

「Set!」

I prepare several Fires.
In any case this will be one sided so long as I fight without jumping into his range.
With the Troll King boasting of his power, that means keeping a location where those arms cannot reach.
Though Alice jumps in close to a degree that wouldn’t be expected of a magician, that is that.
She’s a person that good children shouldn’t emulate isn’t she.

「Ara ara ara? I was thinking you’d jumped out with good vigor, and now it’s a staring contest? Ahaa, you’re afraid? They’re pitiful enough to make me want to sympathize with them aren’t they, those called demons that is.」
「……」

……I’ll send you flying!
Just this person will be sent flying!

「……Fun! Surely that’s obvious. Did you really think a magician would suddenly get into a straightforward fist fight with that sort of thing? Are you an idiot?」

I ignored the cackling laughing voice I heard coming toward me.
This is an opening in the forest so, it’s sufficient to take its range then.

「Gururururururoooooooooo!!」

Noisy!
Don’t suddenly howl!

「You’re being a disturbance at night! Go! Fire!!」

Without fearing the fireb.a.l.l.s, to the contrary it came charging forth before they impacted.
That’s fine, I’ll stop its legs!
I cause the fireb.a.l.l.s to flood in with the aim of binding its legs.

――Direct hit!

It moves in straight lines doesn’t it.
An enemy that……doesn’t skillfully circle around!

「GuuuoOOOOOO!!」
「Nnaa!?」

It didn’t stop!?
Doing a jump with its injured legs, its log like arms came swinging down――!!

「Fire Wall!」

Receiving with the wall of fire so as to throw off its center of gravity――During that time I enwrap a distant tree branch with my whip.
Pulling on the whip that’s pliant like rubber, I jumped onto the branch as such.
I managed to evade well but……this gets to the head doesn’t it!
To say that Eclair’s flame is lukewarm……!
Like this then, compared to Alice――

「～～～Enough already! Focus!!」

Surely the important thing is that this will be fine if I continue making a situation that isn’t critical, a situation where I won’t be caught so simply!
If I’m able to attack one sidedly from

an advantageous position, whether I suppose it’s tough or whatever!
But it’s suffocating to fight a mid-air battle by creating a sphere of flame and, the instantaneous control is also difficult.
It’s not all that practical.
Thus――the image is a bird dancing freely in the open sky.
Manipulating it according to my will, without being interfered with, and beyond anything flas.h.i.+ly awesome……!

「Wings――of Flame!」

Giving the sense of something like an angel, crimson wings are born from my back――
The sensation of flame catching the atmosphere……go!!
Flapping the crimson wings, my body rises into the sky.

「Maa……? For a filthy demon to do something like imitating an angel-sama……perhaps a punishment is needed?」
「You talkative hikikomori……! Something like a dimwitted troll doesn’t serve as an opponent you know!」

Setting the ruin interior aside, by commanding air superiority below this blue ceiling surely this is mine!
I look down at the troll looking up with seeming resentment.

「……Haa, it seems it truly is no good. Uninteresting isn’t it. It’s fine already, Troll please jump.」

Carmel gave her order as if it really was uninteresting.
The Troll gathered power with its legs bent in a ninety degree angle and, it made a ma.s.sive jump upward.
Even though this side is flying in the sky, such a pointless act――!

「――Ahaa, please explode.」

Around when I was trying to evade its pointless attack, that happened.
The instant when Carmel snapped her fingers――a flash of light illuminated the night sky.

「――tsu!?」

The Troll’s ma.s.sive body inflated like a balloon――――and exploded.
Simultaneous to the grotesque scattering of its blood and flesh, a shockwave on the level of a Star Flare attacked.
Living bomb――for it to self destruct!!
This person truly is s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around……!

「Don’t underestimate me, youuuuu!!」

This really isn’t the place to talk about evading!
My conscious instantaneously, dived deep into the demon eye.
Pus.h.i.+ng off the meandering sense of despair within the undulating ocean――the knowledge I picked up was chant shortening.
Immediately manifesting that skill――

「Tsuu……! The pain, is a bother!!」

Thick bodily fluid ran down from my right eye.
Ignoring that, while refining a non time Star Flare――activate.
A flash of light and an explosive noise ring throughout the silent woods, the flame canceled out the opponent’s shockwave.
Because it’s a monster, this sort of thing really does irritate me!
At the least be given a burial by Eclair’s flame……

「……Uuu」

I’ve……used that too much……!
Even though I can’t fight without that right now, it can’t be used beyond this, I don’t intend to use it.
It hurts……!
At some point the wings on my back disappeared as well, in short, I fell toward the ground.
Without anything but to rely on but a free fall, cras.h.i.+ng into the ground as a result――

「――Ah, kahaa!!」

The forest’s soil is soft, the undergrowth is also abundant so at least a life threatening injury was avoided.
Even so my breath was stopped by the impact, sparks scattered from my eye.

「Ahaa! Ahahahahaa! It’s because you imitated something like an angel-sama you know? This is punishment. To fall after a mere moment……but you’re as persistent as a c.o.c.kroach aren’t you? This is why demons

demons are! Ahahahaa!」

My ears hurt……
But, because of that I was able to do the act of connecting my conscious.
Carmel came near without a plan.
My head was stepped on by the Carmel stopped in front of my eyes.

「Ahaha! How about it, want to taste the soil of the Forest of Ash?」

Dirt got caught in my inner teeth and gave the unpleasant sensation of chewing dirt.
……After that my hair was grabbed and I was pulled up.

「……Fu, n. Rather than looking at you……something like eating dirt is way better isn’t it. Better than trash that can’t be eaten whether boiled or baked……」
「Please be quiet――?」

Grasped as if to crush my throat, my breath stopped――
I was released when I was about to lose my conscious……I gasped in an unsightly manner.
It’s creepy being observed by eyes almost like those of a doll’s, that have no splendor even beneath the light of the moon.
With such eyes my right eye in particular――the demon eye is being peered into.

「Ahaa, it’s beautiful like a pure red gem. I’ll allow just this to be put to practical use, shall I gouge out the eyeball? That impure eye is something that can be used as a tool in that manner right? Please feel thankful okay.」
「……」
「Aah, but as I said before just your face is rather to my liking isn’t it. Shall I do taxidermy or something with it after gouging the eye out?」

Carmel’s madness while saying that with a truly ecstatic face.
This person is totally insane……
I suppose that being closed up in such a remote place, one or two strange people would come out……!

「I admit it……that I’m frankly ragged that is.」

But――!

「What……you think you’ve won do you, you psycho b.a.s.t.a.r.d……d.」

I caught one leg of the Carmel who’s still nearby without any preparations.

「……This low grade demon. Has trouble giving up you know.」

Her opposite foot soon stamped on my arm.
My head is stamped on next, my back is kicked……Really, trash――for which nothing can be done.
I acted like this sort of thing was a familiar event that I went through on a daily basis.
An unpleasant att.i.tude that’s always tyrannizing over someone.
I can’t believe that everyone of this village is obeying this person from the depths of their heart.
And so……thinking that Alice might also have had the same thing done to her……!

「……This is a warning, you might be thinking to make this demon eye part of your collection or the like but, it’s not such a cute thing you know.」

Heat began gathering in my eye.

「What? ――Hot! What is this?」
「What, Eclair isn’t particularly doing anything you know? Right……nothing at all you see?」
「To say the ridiculous! What are you scheming, you doddering corpse! Please let go! Let go!!」

……Laughable isn’t it.
To panic at a spark touching herself.
For such a being, to be someone who looks down on others is you know.

「You, had no magic power right? That’s why it’s a problem you see.」
「Hot! It’s hot, youu!」

Having been struck as much as you felt like, this side is

side is also in pain though……

「It’s too much for someone like you……This is you see, not the sort of thing to be envied.」

The demon eye that isn’t even being controlled responds to Eclair’s magic power and gives birth to a vast heat.
In short right now――a situation where everything is being left to its rampage!
The uncontrollable crimson sparks dance in the air――

「Hoot!! It’s hot, youu! Let go let go leeeeeet!!!?」
「Ah～ah～, desperate aren’t you……since this side has been hanging out with this heat since her time of birth.」

I smiled mischievously while fully displaying my fangs.
I admired how even for me, the hand holding her wouldn’t let go.
Fufun, it doesn’t have power on the level of Aim’s but, guts are what speak the last word aren’t they.
They really can’t be ridiculed.
Carmel’s face was distorted enough to make me smile.

「――Let’s compare our endurance! If you’re selling a fight, at least do it with the resolution that you will also be bitten!」
「For a, demon to!」
「So what? More importantly……」

I strongly gripped, Carmel’s flailing leg once again.

「Don’t reach your hand out to someone else’s woman, you third rate!!」
「Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa―――hihihihihihiahi……ahahahahaaa!! This is great, the fun starts when predictions go aawwrryyyy.」

The insane elf’s scream echoed, as if being drawn into the starry sky――

◇■◇■◇

――Side: s.h.i.+on――

The 2 of us advanced our legs in the dripping, somehow damp underground room.
A sugary smell caught our nose as we faced darkness and descended.
Without a single light, our field of vision was poor in any case so we can’t avoid proceeding carefully.
So as to confirm that the stairs really do continue from here.
There’s a bad feeling isn’t there.

「Can you see it, Solt?」
「No……」

He conveyed the sense of shaking his head.
The stair’s width is only sufficient for one person.
I thought that the Solt walking in front could see something but, with this darkness well.
Alice has good night vision so she’s someone who seems like she could see this thing but……should I call out?
After getting Solt’s a.s.sent so as not to surprise him, I drew in a small breath.

「Alice!! Are you here? Reply if you’re here!」

Wait a little.
……There’s no reaction.

「……I don’t think it would happen that she would not make a reply if she heard us though right.」
「She adores that which is you. No mistake there.」
「It’s fine if that’s so though, well, because I’m her ane arren’t I.」

Ilya is overprotective so, since there isn’t a person to interact strictly with her besides just me and the elf shorty-chan iss there.
……Throwing her into danger as such and, throwing a panicked fit afterwards is also something to reflect on though.

「……We’ve arrived.」

It seems that having walked ahead Solt has somehow finished descending the stairs.
I confirm the surrounding footholds while sliding my feet across the ground.
As always this is pitch darkness so I can’t distinguish anything from anything.

「Be that as it may this smell is strong enough to twist the nose isn’t it.」

This seemingly intoxicating sugary smell is……

「?」

I /> 「?」

I heard the sound of leaping water.
Water?
Is it underground water?
Removing my katana together with its scabbard from my waist, I struck the ground.

Kooooーーーn.

Water raised waves and jumped again at the echoing sound.

「Over there……is it a water tank?」

We turn our gaze while relying on the echoing sound and――a faint light began to tinge the source of the sound.
A deep pink light illuminates the darkness.
As expected, s.h.i.+ning pink fluid is spread out evenly in a gla.s.s sided water tank large enough to look up at.
The vines of a sort of plant I haven’t seen before writhe within that.
……Is raising plants, that ojouchan’s hobby?
There’s no way is there.

「――Oi!」

Urged by the direction of Solt’s voice I turned my focus and――

「Alice!?」

Within the water tank filled with pink fluid, there’s Alice floating in a state where she’s enwrapped by tentacles.

「――Chii!」

Solt wielded his swords as if springing into action but――he didn’t deliver a single injury.
It’s not unreasonable given that his power has been weakened.
I also……I can’t swing this katana with my current power.
Even if I’m lifted to the water tank’s top, this water tank stretches from bottom to top within the underground room so it’s impossible to begin with.
There’s nothing beyond just cutting it……!

「Solt! I’m, borrowing your back!」
「What do you intend to do?」
「That’s decided. This katana’s cutting edge is outstanding so, afterwards――I’ll have gravity cut for me.」
「――Come.」

Circling the back of the nodding Solt, I jump on with a light running jump and――Solt supplied a well executed recoil once I’d placed my foot.
Making use of that power, I jumped up with my full ability.
Having made a ma.s.sive upward jump, I’m finally surprised at the scale of this underground room.
Did they make something of this extent just for this plant……

「However, don’t involve my imouto okay!」

While falling, I swung my katana straight down with my current full power.
The katana bit into the unexpectedly thick gla.s.s and cracks formed.

「……Dance! Senbonzakura!」

The sakura blizzard’s torrent was emitted from the the katana and――the water tank finally collapsed from those cracks.
The overflowing water exerted its fury.
The katana caught on the edge of the water tank while going against that raging flow.

「Ku……!」

It won’t advance!
Just how much water is there……!
Is this water tank, really connected to an underground wellspring?
In that case, this underground room will itself be buried in water!

「I have a debt, toward that person……!」

While pressing back against the water current, Solt threw his twinblades.

「Well done!」

Cutting down the vines binding Alice, Alice flowed to my location while being carried by the water current as such.
I catch that.

「Seriously, aren’t you practically naked. You’re a child who burns through other people’s care aren’t you.」

I went cold for an instant but, Alice was breathing.
Within that fluid, how did she……no that can come later!

「We’re going up!」
「Aah!」

Eclair should already have finished things above.
We fight the flow and aim for the underground room’s entryway while believing as such――