Ustengera, verse 14

'Goo~'

Suddenly, there was a faint chirp in the hall that was imperceptible on the surface. In terms of timbre, it should be the diaphragm vibration caused by the contraction of the viscera in the lower abdomen. To put it simply, it is-

- Hungry.

Alice was sure she had stuffed her stomach before coming to Ustengra. And for a period of time after that, although a lot of body was consumed, it was still far from exhaustion. Naturally, the feeling of hunger is impossible to talk about.

Since it's not yourself, then ......

Alice turned her head to look at Minnie, just in time to see the latter shyly hang her head and stare at the ground.

【……………… Is it because you saw the restaurant that you are hungry?]

"I've got some dry food here, so eat it quickly. ”

"I, I'm okay!" Minnie waved her hand a little flustered. "At this time, you need to save enough body lì ......"

"Less nonsense, just eat when you are told to eat. With some impatience, Alice stuffed the bag of scones she had bought from the Mosal market into Minnie's arms. She turned her head and snorted as she scrambled to pick up the package. "If you fall, then what I did before would be asking for trouble. ”

She turned her back, revealing the appearance of studying the furnishings of the dining hall. With an absolute gesture of rejection, he made his position clear. Sure enough, only a moment later, there was a subtle but regular chewing sound behind him.

[Strange feeling. 】

Alice pouted. Perhaps it was psychological, and she suddenly felt some emptiness in her belly. But it was obvious that she couldn't get back what she had just given away. So she gritted her teeth, and felt nothing when she did anything.

"Let's eat and walk, we don't have much time to delay. The girl said with a slight frown.

But what happened next was a little unexpected. Behind her, Minnie Mouse, trotted to her, and in Minnie's hand, the scone that had only torn off a third was particularly conspicuous.

"Huh?"

"I have a small appetite and can't eat that much. She pointed to the tear that was clearly torn by her hand, and emphasized, "And it didn't get dirty." ”

Alice sighed, and in Minnie's eyes that were not mixed with impurities, she took the scone over with some helplessness, and then stuffed it into her stomach in a big gulp.

[Inexplicable. 】

She suddenly felt a pang of unpleasantness for no apparent reason.

……………………

After leaving the dining hall, the underground palace gradually changed from a fully artificial ancient site to a semi-natural transformed cave. The flat stone walls were gradually replaced by large and exposed rocks, and the pillars used for support were no longer as smooth as before, but looked a little rougher.

"Wait a minute!

As she passed a small cave with uneven ground, Minnie Mouse suddenly stopped and whispered as she pointed to the two black coffins in front of her.

Sure enough, at the same time as her voice landed. The lids of the two coffins suddenly collapsed outward, revealing two high-ranking ghouls with horned helmets on their heads and giant swords hanging from their backs. The moment their eyes came into contact with the air, they emitted a blue light, and it seemed like they were about to rush towards Minnie!

But they are a step too late.

Before they could leave the coffin and take up their weapons, letting out the ghoul's unique roar, Alice's sword ended their lives!

The first one, runs through the brain.

The second, cut the throat.

"Any other questions?" Alice asked, tilting her head to Minnie Mouse hiding behind her.

"No more...... Minnie Mouse nodded, then shook her head. "However, according to the architectural layout of this dungeon, there should not have been ghouls here. Especially these ancient warriors with considerable combat power......" she glanced at Alice and continued, "They should be placed in a more valuable place. ”

Alice replied casually, "Maybe the architect in charge has a broken head?"

Minnie shook her head vigorously.

"Impossible, the construction of a mausoleum is a very solemn and sacred undertaking in the eyes of the ancient Nords. Often, only the most eminent architects of the time were qualified to preside over the construction of tombs of this magnitude. It is absolutely impossible to make an irregular architectural layout. Minnie Mouse lifted the lantern and thought hard. "There must be some reason for this......"

"Well, I think there's definitely a treasure here. Alice shrugged and made a casual joke.

She might just want to liven things up.

But Alice didn't expect that a casual joke of her mistake accidentally untied the knot in Minnie's thoughts. The noble lady immediately let out a soft cry of sudden realization. She quickly ran to a stone wall diagonally opposite the coffin. I don't know what she touched, but after a sound of the wheel turning, the stone wall quietly cracked, revealing a large treasure chest hidden behind the stone wall.

"You're so wise, there's a treasure room here. Minnie looked at Alice with admiration in her eyes, and her tone was full of admiration.

[Ah...... Ha ......】

The girl felt her facial muscles stiffen. Not knowing what to say for a moment, she tilted her head slightly, staggering Minnie's eager gaze.

"All in all, let's see what's in there. She said dryly. Tone...... Very bad – very bad for herself.

Soon, the sturdy-looking treasure chest was opened by Minnie Mouse with a simple lock pick made of two wires. The unique brilliance of gold spreads out, illuminating the dimly lit little room.

Gold coins, gems, and an ingenious enchanted weapon from antiquity.

An enchanted dagger.

"It's really rare, after thousands of years, this enchanted rune still has an effect. It feels like the effect should be stamina drain or paralysis. Alice played with the glass dagger and shoved it into Minnie's hand.

"You take it. Alice said.

"This, such a valuable thing......"

"I don't need it anyway, you just hold it for self-defense. The girl pressed her finger as if there was something strange on it. "In this case, even if I accidentally make a mistake, you still have some self-protection...... At least be able to delay for a while. ”

“…… I understand. ”

Minnie Mouse bowed deeply to her and placed the glass dagger in her arms.

They continued to walk down. The threat on the road is gradually increasing. Sometimes, it's a good ghoul lurking. Sometimes, it's a spell cannon. One of the most dangerous was when passing through a passage full of fire-breathing traps. Several human-tall Frost Spiders swooped down on Minnie from a crevice in the rock, and the first one even touched Minnie's shoulder with its fangs.

Of course, they didn't succeed. Before they could succeed, Alice nailed them all to the stone wall with several powerful ice guns in succession. Minnie then sets off a fire-breathing trap that burns them to the ground.

"You saved me again. How can I repay you?" Minnie Mouse said this one more times along the way.

Of course, Alice's answer is the same every time.

"Go ahead. —that's what she said.

This trip did not stop until they arrived at a small library.

If she goes any further, Minnie's feet may be unbearable. Although she pretended that there was no problem, Alice could sense that the muscles in her calves were already shaking.

"Take a break here. Alice glanced at the small library that had been sealed for thousands of years and said.

There are no more books in this library that can be read. Thousands of years are enough to destroy a poorly preserved paper book. And here, too, is not a hermetically sealed airtight storage room.

Minnie Mouse was a little idle, and she walked between the shelves with great interest, trying to find a surviving ancient book.

- Let her go.

Alice leaned on a stone pillar and allowed the complicated feelings in her heart to gradually engulf her.

Minnie Mouse. 】

Minnie Ellisses. 】

[Why is she so attractive to me?]

If it's just ordinary, it's like a friend, or even a close friend. Then Alice will definitely go with her feelings. But this feeling she holds now...... But it's very different from those beautiful things.

That feeling was full of violence and a desire for destruction.

I want to bully her, I want to ** her, I want to possess her, I want to eat her, and the longer I spend with her, the stronger this feeling becomes. Many times, Alice even touches the edge of that runaway from control. If it weren't for the persistence she still had in her heart, she would have done something irreparable.

Giving Minnie a dagger wasn't really about keeping her at the monster. The real purpose is for her to guard against her out-of-control self. - 'If you get stabbed by that paralyzing dagger, you'll probably be able to come to your senses.' Alice thought so.

[But does this really work?]

[Even though I deliberately distanced myself from her, the further I went, the closer she got to me. Every time I saved her, she became closer to me. If this continues......]

[If this continues......]

[No.] 】

She took a deep breath, the icy mist slowly flowing through her lungs. Occasionally, droplets of water can be heard dripping from the stalactites at the top of the cave. It cracked into crystal shards with a soft sound.

"Minnie Mouse. Alice bit her lower lip and looked into the darkness in the distance.

After a while, the aristocratic lady, who heard Alice's voice, trotted to her side. Perhaps because of the shortness of her steps, her breathing was a little unsteady.

"Do you have something to do with me?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, confused.

"Well, nothing. Alice whispered, "A little thing...... One small problem. It doesn't matter if you don't want to answer. ”

"What is it?" said Minnie cheerfully, "as long as I know it, I will say it." ”

"You...... Why do you wear a veil all the time?"

"It's a promise. Minnie Mouse replied, "I made a pact with a man, so I wore this veil so that no one could see my face." ”

"Is it an important person?"

"Well, it's important. Minnie pressed her chest and said with a sense of remembrance, "If I had to use an analogy, it would be half of my life and soul." And it's the more important half. ”

"That's right...... Alice hugged her knees, her fingers slamming lightly. In her mind, a conjecture took shape.

Minnie Mouse ...... Be**. Then half of her life should be her dead husband. The relationship between them must be very good, so they made this kind of agreement not to let anyone other than the deceased husband see their faces. 】

"If someone tries to lift your veil, you're going to try to stop him. Like that orc?"

"Just like that orc. Minnie replied firmly. "Whether it's a man or a woman, if someone wants to forcibly remove this veil, then I'd rather die first. ”

"What if that person is me?"

The air fell silent.

The deserted library was filled with a deathly silence.

Minnie looked at Alice in horror, her eyes full of disbelief.

"You...... Are you kidding?" Minnie's voice was dry and hoarse, like a coarse piece of wood that had been dried in the sun.

"I just wanted to take a look. Alice replied. Any human emotion in her eyes faded, and the only thing left was the butcher's examination of pork as cold to the bone.

"I've saved you so many times, and you're not willing to fulfill even this little wish?"

Minnie Mouse slowly lifted her hand, her fingers trembling. The golden red eyes were overflowing with incomprehensible complex emotions. Alice didn't understand what that glare thing was, but she forced herself to look directly into those golden-red eyes.

"No, your wishes deserve to be fulfilled. ”

Her hand pressed her earlobe, and then, inch by inch, slowly, pulled off the thin black veil.

It was a very beautiful face. Very beautiful face. Pale and soft, without a trace of blemishes in the facial features. If she appeared on the street like this, even the horses would involuntarily deflect their eyes.

Alice felt the face familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it.

"Are you satisfied?" Minnie said lightly. Her voice was still soft, but it was completely different from before.

Some things are gone forever, while others may live on for a long time.

"Well, very satisfied. Alice turned her head away from her.

"Go ahead. ”