Alice lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while before finally accepting reality. Taking a deep breath and summoning all her courage, she crawled out from under the covers.
"...When will it finally get warmer?"
After a few minutes of internal debate, Alice gave up on the idea of dragging the blanket along with her and began dressing silently.
"I really wish this otherworld had central heating and electric blankets," she murmured, looking at her reflection in the mirror after rinsing her mouth. "I wonder if even demigods feel the cold..."
Alice habitually checked her mailbox, retrieving today's newspaper and letters. The tense atmosphere in Backlund hadn't changed much in the past week; if anything, it seemed even more intense.
A pang of guilt hit Alice as she recalled her own recent actions.
Since the goddess hadn't come to her yet, it probably wasn't a big deal… right?
She nodded to herself, her gaze becoming resolute. Clenching her fists for encouragement, she resumed her daily routine—checking the mail.
After finishing breakfast and reading the newspaper, Alice moved on to her letters.
One was from Ian, informing her that the diary had sold successfully and enclosing five ten-pound notes—he apparently hadn't kept a penny for himself.
Alice made a mental note to bring Ian five more pages of the diary and a bit of money tonight.
"Not leaving him anything would just be too stingy…" she muttered as she opened Evelyn's letter.
Alice received Evelyn's notes almost every day, and today was no exception—or was it?
At the very end of this note, Evelyn had written something that pricked Alice's nerves:
"By the way, I remembered something strange.
"A few mornings ago, I distinctly heard you scream. I wanted to check in on you, but somehow, I left without asking anything.
"In hindsight, your expressions and movements then seemed odd, but I don't know why I believed your explanation and left…
"Bruel, did something unusual happen to you?
"In any case, if you need help, come to me or seek help from the church!"
Alice clenched the note tightly.
It wasn't hard to guess what force had influenced Evelyn. Unless Adam was concerned about his brother… no, that probably wasn't Evelyn's issue. In any case, Amon wouldn't be so considerate, so most likely... it was fate?
Alice's first instinct was to use fate again to keep Evelyn in the dark. But setting aside that she didn't know how to do that, she quickly realized this wouldn't solve the underlying issue.
After careful thought, Alice decided to put off dealing with this headache for now. After all, her most pressing matter was... traveling to Bayam.
With that in mind, she rushed back to her study. After writing a long-winded introduction, she carefully began composing her explanation of the matter:
"Evelyn, I'm sorry I can't tell you exactly what's happening right now, but I can assure you, I'm not in any danger.
"I may need to take care of some things, so I'll be leaving Backlund for a while.
"Don't worry; I'll be back soon, and perhaps I'll be able to explain everything by then."
Frowning, she pondered for a moment before adding:
"Evelyn, I don't know what you think of extraordinary events and people, but I hope you remember…
"In the world of mysteries, behind every alluring story and tempting treasure lies only one thing—danger.
"Luck isn't just a blessing or favor; it can also be a curse."
Putting down her pen, Alice looked at her words and sighed softly. "Well, now my status as an extraordinary is practically an open secret to Evelyn."
She tapped her desk lightly, her eyes wandering to the stack of papers still there. She mumbled thoughtfully, "Now that I think about it... I finished drawing the 'Millennium Chapter' ages ago, but I haven't sent it over… Maybe I should deliver it before going to Bayam?"
Just then, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and Alice stood up in confusion. She put on her "Matilda" persona and went to open the door.
Outside, the poet looked slightly embarrassed. He pressed his fist to his chin, cleared his throat, and said, "I… ahem, a 'friend' of mine has something to say to you."
He emphasized "friend," and Alice gazed at the now somewhat unfamiliar acquaintance. After a moment's thought, she asked:
"...Don't tell me the goddess sent you?"
The question was met with silence, an implicit confirmation.
Alice drew a sharp breath, realizing the goddess might actually be concerned about her actions.
After a brief pause, she decided to cause even more trouble. Looking at Leonard, she flashed a mischievous smile and said:
"Did you know that the main character of an era never really dies? Even if they do, they'll claw their way out of the grave.
"So, if cremation isn't popular, that's truly this era's greatest oversight…"
With that, she shut the door on Leonard's astonished and doubtful gaze, turning her attention to a more pressing question:
"Now that I think about it… why does this era seem to have so many main characters?
"In truth, Miss 'Justice,' Miss 'Magician,' Mister 'Hanged Man,' Mister 'Moon,' Mister 'Sun,' Miss 'Hermit'... they're all protagonists in their own stories, aren't they?"
Alice chuckled lightly, recalling another interesting thought:
"But from any perspective, destiny itself doesn't seem like the protagonist.
"There's always a shadow of fate in every story, influencing events, but few stories cast fate as the leading role…
"If anything, fate might be the protagonist's lucky charm?
"Whoever holds that charm—or rather, whoever is blessed by fate—stands out and becomes the 'true protagonist' of an era.
"Well, if that's the case, Leonard probably has no hope left…"
Alice sighed dramatically, ignoring the continued knocking behind her, humming a tune as she removed her "Matilda" disguise and returned to her study, settling in at her desk.