Chapter 98: Will Auceptin
The next morning, Alice retrieved the newspaper from the mailbox.
Unsurprisingly, the front-page headline reported the twelfth victim. Alice looked at the news, recalling the scene of the demon dog growling and retreating, and silently turned the page.
Alice went through the entire newspaper and confirmed that the museum theft was only briefly mentioned in an inconspicuous corner, without specifying what was stolen.
Realizing that the Steam Church did not intend to widely publicize the incident, Alice put away the newspaper and went to the church after breakfast to complete her daily tasks.
Evelyn's presence inside the church no longer surprised Alice. She quietly averted her gaze, blending into the crowd, pretending not to notice.
However, Alice still frowned slightly.
If their initial encounter was merely a coincidence of being neighbors and girls of the same age, Alice realized that their fates seemed too deeply intertwined after Evelyn became a bait deliberately released by the Night Watchers.
This is not a good thing... Alice sighed silently.
Just as the next sequence for a "Lucky One" is a "Calamity Priest," the deeply entangled fate might not threaten Alice, but it certainly wasn't good for those around her.
— Just look at Shen Yinghuan.
Alice felt at ease with Klein because he clearly had his own issues. It was uncertain whose problems were greater between the two of them...
But ultimately, Evelyn was supposed to be an ordinary girl. If it weren't for Alice, she would never have known about the extraordinary world. Now, Alice was genuinely worried that if she wasn't careful, Evelyn might become a Night Watcher.
After finishing her prayers, Alice returned home nonchalantly and continued drawing her comic.
"The demon king, who had slept for a thousand years, opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the dagger in the hands of his former student... Alright, that's enough for now!" Alice contentedly put down her pen.
The story of this comic was a combination of Shen Yinghuan's memories and experiences in Tingen City. So far, the setup was complete, and the next part would reveal the world background and the story's climax.
After finishing a segment, Alice planned to relax, but overlapping gray fog suddenly spread before her eyes.
Ah... it's Klein...
Alice blinked blankly and heard Klein's voice: "Come quickly, I ran into that unlucky guy at the club!"
Blinking twice, Alice remembered the person she had forgotten in the corner—Dr. Allen, who was said to have strange luck.
Outside the Cragg Club, Alice successfully found Dr. Allen, who was leaning on a cane.
He was indeed affected... but it seemed to be just an accidental contamination? Alice thought as she glanced at Dr. Allen. Knowing from Klein that Dr. Allen would go to the church, Alice shook her head and left.
...
"Did he mention when his bad luck started? Any reasons?" Alice asked Klein above the gray fog.
"There might be something related," Klein pondered. "He had a patient before, a boy around ten years old..."
"Wait," Alice interrupted, "a boy around ten years old? What did he look like?"
"I didn't ask..." Klein hesitated. "Is there a problem?"
"...When I saw the Mercury Snake, it appeared as a boy around ten years old," Alice replied, rubbing her temples.
"Do you suspect he encountered..." Klein slowly frowned.
"His bad luck should just be accidental contamination," Alice shook her head.
"That makes sense," Klein realized. "The boy needed to have his left leg amputated due to an accident..."
"...Thinking of how he almost got hit by a carriage that day, Alice's mouth twitched.
Klein continued:
"The day before the boy's surgery, Dr. Allen visited him in the ward and found him quite anxious, playing with tarot cards he had brought with him to the hospital, refusing to let his family take them away.
"To calm him down, Dr. Allen played tarot divination with him.
"At that time, Dr. Allen drew a card, the reversed 'Wheel of Fortune.'
"The boy looked at Dr. Allen and said with a pure, innocent smile:
"'Doctor, your luck will get worse.'
"'Doctor, your luck will get worse...' Alice repeated the boy's words. 'Sister, you look really scared, huh?'
Klein looked at Alice, hesitating as she repeated the words in a childlike voice, "You repeating it like that almost makes me suspect Dr. Allen met you..."
Uh... the innocent Alice fell into deep thought.
After a moment of contemplation, Alice asked, "What happened next?"
"The boy's surgery went smoothly, and he was discharged successfully... Oh right, his name is Will Auceptin," Klein replied.
"Will Auceptin..." Alice repeated the name, then suddenly showed a pure smile. Seeing Klein's stiff expression, she said, "Klein, you should meet that Mercury Snake."
"Huh?" Klein looked confused.
"Let it see what's in your fate. Hmm... an angel won't lose control because of that. Aren't you curious?" Alice blinked.
Klein thought of the monster in Tingen City that almost blinded him and Alice's reaction when she first saw him, and indeed felt curious.
"You don't need to do anything special. If you are meant to meet, fate will arrange it. Just don't resist!" Alice tapped the table.
"Why does this sound so strange..." Klein muttered. "But isn't it trying to kill you? What if it finds out we know each other?"
"Then... let's see what fate has in store," Alice shrugged.
"...You weren't like this before," Klein reminded Alice, who was now leaving everything to fate.
"I know," Alice sighed. "But to have the strength to struggle against fate, I need to be at least a demigod. Hmm... maybe even a demigod isn't enough, considering the gap between an angel and a saint..."
Why so late? Because I was modifying the comic (shifty eyes)
Should I change the name... the original name is becoming less fitting, but I can't think of a new one for now (squirming)