Good grief, yet another familiar on the level of Oil of the Moon!
Since when were modern magi this strong? Weren't they supposed to get weaker as time went on?
After experiencing just how powerful the Oil of the Moon truly was, Eiji now felt a deep sense of dread toward that patch of white mist.
"Wait a second, you can move?"
Aoko looked at Eiji, who was barely managing to stay upright.
"Not completely."
Leaning against her, Eiji answered with a serious expression.
"Oh."
Aoko let go without mercy, sending him stumbling away.
Eiji nearly lost his balance and fell, but fortunately his body had recovered enough for him to stay on his feet—just barely.
In the center of the field—
The white mist spread outward, radiating a terrifying killing intent.
It was definitely not something that belonged to this era.
The doll's eyes spun wildly, as if in fear. The many legs on its abdomen squirmed instinctively, trying to escape this space that felt like an alien world.
But the white mist had no intention of letting it go. Like ripples of water, the fog surged forward and enveloped the doll in an instant.
Creaaak!
Shrrrip!
For a moment, the horrifying sounds of flesh being torn and teeth gnawing filled the air.
Aoko involuntarily rubbed her arms, goosebumps rising all over as her face twisted with even more disgust than before.
Pfft!
Not even thirty seconds later—
A hollow doll head was spat out from the mist and bounced on the ground several times.
It was the very same doll that had been swallowed by the mist, but aside from the head, nothing remained of its body.
The white mist, having feasted its fill, drifted back to Alice's side and melted away like the first snow under the morning sun.
Unlike Oil of the Moon's ability to create a world of different rules, the Rose Hound focused more on direct combat, and was viciously aggressive.
"Huh? Aoko, that's your face!"
Eiji's sharp eyes instantly recognized the doll's head, and he spoke up in surprise.
"Huh? How could that be… wait, it really is?!"
Aoko stepped forward, not caring at first—but the moment she got a clear look, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, full of disbelief.
"What kind of sick joke is this?"
That's right.
The doll had a face exactly identical to Aoko's. Combined with its long brown hair, it looked just like a copy of her.
Too bad only the head was left. Even the crystal eyes had been devoured by the mist. Otherwise, it might've fetched a decent price—on multiple levels.
Aoko's face darkened.
Beside her, Alice—who had just recalled the Rose Hound—suddenly frowned, as if she had noticed something.
But she didn't elaborate and instead turned her gaze toward the other two.
"Alice, I think we've been tricked!"
Aoko took a step forward, standing in front of Eiji.
"...Are you trying to shield him?"
"Who'd want to shield this guy?!"
Aoko looked a little awkward, purposely stepping away from Eiji and pretending to throw a cold punch.
"I'd be happy to beat him to death myself! But he's not our real enemy. If we fight him to the death now, we're only playing into the hands of whoever's behind all this!"
Technically speaking, only Alice had fallen into the trap.
Aoko had thought from the beginning that Eiji wasn't a bad guy… but remembering how he'd spanked her earlier, she suddenly regretted that judgment!
She should've joined forces with Alice to take him out!
"I know."
While Aoko tried her best to persuade her, Alice responded flatly.
"You know?"
Now it was Aoko's turn to be stunned.
"There's a familiar scent on that doll."
Alice glanced at the hollow head on the ground, her tone still indifferent.
"From that, it's clear we're dealing with a serious enemy. It's not wise to keep fighting him now."
"I'm glad you understand."
Aoko sighed in relief.
As much as she wanted to teach Eiji a lesson, continuing to fight among themselves would only make things worse and benefit their enemy.
"So, can we talk alliance now?"
Eiji raised his hand.
Finally, after a full battle, they could discuss actual business.
"No need."
But Alice immediately rejected his proposal, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not stopping the fight because of you. I simply rank the other enemy higher in priority."
In other words, Alice still viewed Eiji as an enemy—she just planned to deal with the other threat first and postpone her fight with him.
"Tch..."
Eiji took a deep breath, gathered his emotions, and then let out a long sigh.
"Aoko, I'm starting to think your roommate isn't too bright."
His face clearly said: I'm worried for your future.
The black-haired girl immediately shot him a glare sharp enough to cut.
"Ugh..."
Aoko's head throbbed.
Things had finally calmed down, and now these two were at each other's throats again? Couldn't they just give it a rest?
Do they have any idea how tired she was?
"Think about it. I'm a third party right now, right?"
Eiji clearly had no intention of letting things go and started rocking back and forth smugly.
"Historically, whenever a faction goes to war, the third party is always worth pulling in. Otherwise, what if I side with the enemy? You see what I'm saying?"
"Ugh…"
Aoko groaned in pain.
This man really was a handful!
The atmosphere immediately turned cold, like a chilling heatwave in mid-summer.
From Alice's body emanated a heavy pressure. Her icy pupils brimmed with hostile intent—she wasn't hiding her killing intent at all.
"You plan to side with them?"
"Depends on you."
Eiji remained calm.
But secretly, he curled his right hand, preparing to summon his Bling Blade at any time.
Alice fell silent.
But her gaze remained stormy.
The enemy was undeniably formidable, but Eiji was just as troublesome. If the two joined forces, the consequences could be unimaginable.
Aoko stayed quiet.
She knew Eiji didn't like being pushed around, and Alice was just as stubborn.
No matter what she said, it'd only add fuel to the fire. Might as well let them sort it out themselves.
"...Non-aggression pact."
After a long silence, Alice sighed almost imperceptibly and chose to compromise.
"Until we deal with the enemy, we can form a non-aggression pact. After that, we'll see."
"Works for me."
Eiji calmly agreed.
Then he held out his hand toward Alice with a casual grin.
"So, since you attacked your future ally… shouldn't you offer some compensation?"
"Don't worry, I don't want much. Just toss over a month or two's worth of Oil of the Moon, and we're good."
***
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