Guarding and Being Guarded

The Tarot Club quietly came to an end amid discussions about Qilingus, and Alice returned once more to a life of being forbidden from going out and having her vacation cancelled.

There was actually nothing for her to do at Blackthorn Security Company, but honestly, it was so boring... Alice let out another long sigh for who knew how many times—rather, it was precisely because there was nothing for her to do that she was so bored.

Thus, when the injured "Sword of the Goddess," Lord Crescite Sesima, appeared, Alice's mood lifted slightly.

Don't misunderstand. She was not taking pleasure in his misfortune; she was simply too bored.

His golden-brown hair was cut very short, and his dark green eyes were unusually calm. His entire face was hidden in the shadows behind his high collar. By the time Alice saw him, he had already received preliminary treatment and was reclining casually against the back of a chair.

The sudden sight of a stranger brought Alice's footsteps to a halt. At the same time, her Spiritual Perception instantly exploded—oh, this was a powerful person who was extremely dangerous to her.

That realization dampened Alice's delight at encountering something new. She stopped cautiously. Although her Spiritual Perception told her that the powerful person before her bore no ill will, she still considered the possibility of turning around and leaving right then.

Alice's footsteps had clearly alerted the gentleman. He raised his head and looked towards Alice, then revealed an understanding gaze. "It's you, that child."

His voice was gentle, and he smiled as he spoke. That mild attitude made Alice give up on leaving, and she asked, "You know me?"

"You don't recognize me... That makes sense. When I left back then, you hadn't awakened yet." Sesima responded with a chuckle.

Those words immediately made Alice understand his identity—this was Lord Sesima, the "Sword of the Goddess" who had come to Tingen because of her situation.

This lord had actually appeared when Klein advanced to Clown, but Klein had not included Alice among those with whom he shared his experience. He had merely dropped occasional hints about the Acting Method to each person separately. Alice, who had long known that the Acting Method existed and had been avoiding Klein all along, naturally had not been included. Therefore, Alice had not been among those who swore an oath before the Goddess's Holy Item.

This was still Alice's first time meeting this lord since awakening.

"Lord Sesima." Alice quickly bowed to Sesima. "You are...?"

"An accident." Sesima shook his head and gestured for Alice to sit down. "The Red Gloves I led unexpectedly clashed with Mr. A."

This was not the first time something like this had happened recently. There had been no telling how many skirmishes, large and small, between the Red Gloves and Mr. A lately, but...

Alice keenly realized that this lord was clearly injured. That meant he had been hurt in this encounter with Mr. A. In fact, Mr. A had recently avoided the Red Gloves whenever possible. For the Sleepless pathway, which was not skilled at long-distance movement, pursuit was clearly impossible. So... why had Mr. A suddenly changed his mind?

An uneasy premonition surfaced once again in Alice's heart, but lacking any key clues, every divination she had secretly attempted regarding it had Ended in Failure. She did not even know how to warn Other People.

Beyonders' spiritual intuition could indeed be remarkably wondrous at times. Both Dunn and the Red Gloves took Alice's unease seriously, especially since her frequent, inexplicable unease suggested that this matter was unusual.

But a person's mind could not remain tense forever.

Sesima quickly noticed the agitation that had appeared on Alice again. Having already heard the relevant reports, he clearly knew that this was unease with no discernible cause. Other than remaining vigilant, there was nothing he could do.

In the end, Sesima merely gave Alice a soothing smile. "Don't worry. At the very least, we won't put civilians on the front lines."

Civilians. Alice suddenly Became Silent. She actually hated this feeling in her heart. Clearly, she was a Nighthawk in name as well, yet everyone seemed to treat her as a child who had not grown up, caring for her, looking after her, protecting her...

At first, Alice had naturally been delighted by such concern. For a lonely soul with no past and far from her Hometown, that concern had greatly eased her unease in an unfamiliar environment. She had gradually built trust and dependence on the world around her, yet she had always felt uncomfortable about it.

...She seemed to hate being protected.

Why? Alice had a vague guess in her heart, starting from that sorrowful dream. She suspected that, in the past, she had been the one being protected like this. But back then, she had been powerless, able only to watch the people protecting her die before her eyes for all kinds of reasons.

...But now, I clearly have the ability to protect myself. Alice pressed her lips together, Lowered Her Head and Lowered Her Eyes. The corners of her mouth lifted into an insincere curve as she said with the dissatisfaction of every child eager to grow up, "But I'm already a Nighthawk. I'm already a Sequence 7 Beyonder. I'm stronger than most Beyonders in Tingen City."

"But you haven't even come of age yet." Sesima therefore looked at Alice as though he were looking at a wilful child.

Alice Opened Her Mouth, yet could not say anything in rebuttal. After all, her being underage was an indisputable fact.

Seeing her unconvinced expression, Sesima suddenly laughed aloud. He sat up slightly straighter and spoke to Alice in a tone that sounded like he was negotiating with her. "How about this? Once this matter is over, I'll speak with Dunn and arrange a Team Entry Mission for you—how about it?"

"Really?" Alice's eyes lit up at once.

"Really." Sesima nodded, affirming his words again. "And you're already Sequence 7. If you perform well, once you become a little more familiar with handling Supernatural Events, you can absolutely apply to join the Red Gloves—then, you'll be one of our elites."

Such words were really no different from the things adults used to coax children with when they were young. They were a little better than the empty promises bosses made to their employees, at least because these promises were made with concern—but in terms of not being fulfilled, there was basically no difference.

Alice naturally would not believe that. She would bet that if she applied to join the Red Gloves, absolutely no one would agree, unless she first spent three, five, or ten years as a Nighthawk...

But at least Sesima's first sentence should be true. A Big Shot like him could not possibly lie to her for fun over something like this, could he?

Filled with anticipation at becoming a Nighthawk in practice, Alice revealed a happy smile.