In the long-awaited calm, Ademisaul's scattered thoughts gradually came together, and his mind cleared.
Alice's clear, gentle words reached his ears on the wind. He listened to the whole speech in a daze. Though he failed to understand its meaning, he grasped at least one thing.
—This was a chance.
As for the possible consequences of that chance, and Alice's long explanation—Ademisaul hadn't understood a word.
All he realized was that this was a chance to escape his circumstances and his current suffering.
What could end his suffering?
Ademisaul knew the answer. Everyone here knew the answer—a "Monster" potion.
"I accept," he replied without thinking.
It was so swift and decisive that it went beyond anything Alice had imagined. She stood there staring at Ademisaul for two seconds, then suddenly remembered she had no paper or pen.
"Do you have a pen and paper?" she asked calmly.
Ademisaul looked at her blankly.
Apparently not... Alice looked away, scanned the onlookers, and called out calmly:
"Does anyone have a pen and paper?"
The onlookers exchanged puzzled glances, apparently unable to understand what she was doing. After a dozen seconds, a young girl stood up from one of the amulet stalls so common here, raised her hand, and said:
"I do."
She hurried over, pulled a palm-sized notebook and a fountain pen from her clothes, and handed them to Alice.
"Thank you." Alice smiled at her. "Were you buying an amulet? If you need one, I can help you choose one in a moment."
Then she looked down at the notebook in her hand and asked hesitantly, "I can tear out a page, right?"
"Of course." The girl smiled.
Alice opened the notebook, wrote the "Monster" potion formula on a blank page, tore it out, and handed it to Ademisaul.
Then she