"It’s time to rest, I’ll take care of some things and come back to get you later, little junior sister."
Belli said as she blew a kiss to Aimou, accompanied by a burst of arrogant laughter, she pushed the door open and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Bologue and Aimou in her office.
As the laughter faded away, both Bologue and Aimou simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief.
The quiet atmosphere didn’t last long, Bologue stood up with a nervous face and straightened his clothes, the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid crawling over his body, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
"What are you going to do?" Aimou asked from the side.
"What am I going to do? Of course, we’re going to escape, you can’t seriously want to live with your senior sister, right?"
Bologue seemed relaxed, but being around Belli, this Witch, made him feel pressured, no one could tell what absurd thing she would do next. The worst part was, she was the head of the Sublimation Furnace Core, and nobody could control her.
Not exactly nobody, the old guys at the Scholars’ Hall still had some say, but if they saw how the head was now, they’d probably have a heart attack from anger.
"Live... with senior sister..."
Aimou’s tone turned awkward, with a look of panic appearing on her face.
Compared to Bologue, Aimou’s fear of Belli was only greater, but after a brief moment of thought, Aimou stopped Bologue’s actions.
"I think I can do it," Aimou said, summoning courage.
"If teacher goes missing, he will definitely come back to find me; it will only become unsafe if we’re together, but it’s different here."
Thinking along with Belli, Aimou realized, "No matter how powerful teacher is, he can’t break in."
Teda was merely a Negative Power User, let alone breaking into the Cultivation Room, his strength was significant only against someone like Bologue, a Condenser. If he faced seasoned Negative Power Users like Geoffrey and Lebius, Teda’s chances were pathetically low.
Bologue slowly turned his head, showing a disdainful expression, "Do you think I’m concerned about this?"
"Then what?" This time, it was Aimou who didn’t understand.
"Guess what Belli is going to do to you next? An employee physical? Then issue a work ID, and finally, join the Sublimation Furnace Core?"
Aimou realized that they were on completely different wavelengths.
Bologue was grumbling endlessly, "You belong to our Field Operations Department, how can I let Belli intercept you halfway!"
Bologue grabbed Aimou’s hand, pulling her to her feet.
"This may sound conceited, but I worked hard to get you out, how could I let Belli enjoy the fruits?" Bologue exclaimed, "Even though Belli and the Sublimation Furnace Core have played a significant role, these things should be kept separate!"
It was only now that Aimou understood Bologue’s point, he was actually competing with Belli over employees.
"Think about it, Aimou, do you really want to work with Belli?" Bologue asked.
Such a thing required no thought, Aimou shook her head vigorously.
"Then how about working with me?"
Aimou nodded her head.
"Good! Conversation over!"
Bologue happily patted Aimou on the shoulder, not even realizing that when he acted crazy, he wasn’t much different from Belli.
Digging around in his pocket, Bologue brought out the emblem of the Special Operations Group and slapped it into Aimou’s hand.
"Welcome to the Special Operations Group of Rupert’s Tail."
Aimou was a bit bewildered, staring at the emblem in her hand, stupidly asking, "Is this... all it takes?"
"Of course it’s not, but I think Lebius will like you, just go through the procedures casually," Bologue slowly opened the door, checking the hallway outside.
"More importantly, I have to find a way to get you out of here first."
If Belli knew he was planning to take Aimou to the Special Operations Group, she’d definitely be angry with him, but once they were out of here, he’d have plenty of time to argue with Belli...
If it really came down to it, Bologue could even sacrifice himself a bit and agree to Belli’s strange requests, like exploring the Ruins District.
Aimou looked at Bologue’s various actions and suddenly burst out laughing, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Bologue looked at her with confusion, followed by a surprised shout.
"Aimou, you can make expressions now?"
Unlike the cold demeanor he was familiar with, Aimou’s face finally had expressions.
"Yeah, senior sister helped me with it."
Aimou rubbed her face; the modifications to her body took so long not only because of Belli’s strange tweaks but also due to some upgrades she made.
Her appearance was somewhat like Belli’s, but her features leaned closer to Alice, Bologue found it hard to describe Aimou’s look now, luckily Aimou didn’t take on Belli’s terrible personality.
Aimou no longer looked like a shadow.
"Belli did a bit of the right thing, after all."
Bologue grumbled, completely forgetting that his threefold trial was hosted by Belli.
"Alright, stop for a moment, Bologue, I’ve decided to stay here." Aimou’s words sent Bologue’s heart plummeting.
"You’re going to stay at the Sublimation Furnace Core?"
"Although the days of fighting together were joyful, you have to know, I am essentially an Alchemist." Aimou emphasized her identity.
Bologue was stunned for a few seconds, then remembered that the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid was made by Aimou, and his mind became a bit confused.
After chopping people with Aimou for so long, he really forgot about this.
"Alright, I understand."
Bologue did not persist too much; he respected Aimou’s choice, and he could also sense that Belli indeed cared greatly for her junior sister, albeit in a peculiar way.
Thinking about it, he could only conclude that rather than solemnly expressing care to Aimou, Belli preferred to mock her with a mischievous grin.
Belli was probably a good senior sister, but when this kind of care actually occurred, it was quite a psychological burden for anyone.
"There’s one more thing," Aimou hesitated for a moment but asked, "When someone dies, they’re just dead, there wouldn’t be any echoes, right?"
"What’s wrong?" Bologue sensed Aimou’s concern, "Did you... see Alice?"
While in the Abandoned Land, the harsh environment left Bologue no extra time to ponder these matters, now being safe, reminiscing about it all, he realized how important the message Aimou conveyed to her was.
"Yes, I saw Alice again," Aimou explained what she had seen and heard, "I was trapped in a dark world, where only Alice accompanied me."
"As an Alchemy Puppet, I think I shouldn’t suffer from any mental illness, similarly, when humans die, they’re dead, there shouldn’t be any ghosts talking to me, if that’s the case..."
Aimou’s voice lowered.
"I discussed these matters with Teda before, he mentioned that you might be influenced by a Mind Projection, making you increasingly resemble... Alice."
Considering the situation, Bologue still explained everything, "Perhaps it’s the echoes from the Philosopher’s Stone affecting you."
Bologue analyzed, then felt something was off, and asked again, "By the way, according to Belli, after the adjustments, you were supposed to awaken, but you didn’t..."
As if he had grasped something, Bologue’s expression became tense.
"Aimou, did Alice say anything... strange?"
If his assumptions were correct, then all the events suddenly made sense.
Facing Bologue’s anxious gaze, Aimou recalled Alice reaching out to her, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.
"Aimou, it’s time to make a decision."
If you choose Alice, all wishes will be fulfilled...
The ethereal blue halo stopped its oscillation, Aimou shook her head and answered.
"There was no abnormality, nor any strange words... it felt more like Alice’s lingering memories, which I happened to glimpse."
Upon hearing this, Bologue exhaled with relief.
The Devil’s form is ever-changing, and the way contracts are fulfilled is not fixed. Bologue was worried that being too close to him might attract the attention of the Tyrant to Aimou.
This is not impossible, as Devils are a group of creatures filled with malicious delight, savoring human pain and struggles.
"Don’t worry," Aimou opened her hands, "the situation is still under control, right?"
"Yes, under control." Bologue relaxed, letting out a sigh.
He had been through quite a torment lately, with moods fluctuating like a roller coaster, fortunately, all ended well.
After a brief moment of peace, Bologue called Aimou’s name.
"What’s up?" Aimou looked at Bologue.
"Do you think you want to become Alice?" Bologue asked.
Aimou couldn’t figure out the answer to this question either, after pondering for a moment, she smiled helplessly, "I’m not sure."
"Yes, who could figure such a thing out?"
Bologue recalled that in the Abandoned Land, Aimou mentioned to him that she felt she didn’t possess a free will of her own, her actions and words were influenced by Alice.
"Aimou, I think Teda is a decent teacher, but when it comes to being a father, he’s terrible," Bologue muttered, "this might be a cruel matter for you, but everyone needs to grow, facing harsh reality."
Aimou nodded; she understood what Bologue wanted to discuss with her.
When she closed her eyes, Aimou would recall the pale puppet mask, and the wild fantasies accompanying it, bringing death and destruction.
"In Teda’s eyes, you’re not an independent individual, merely a shadow of Alice."
Bologue’s tone was heavy, he believed Aimou also understood these matters, but this was the first time they candidly brought the topic to light.
Aimou could previously pretend not to understand, immersing herself in her own fantasies, but now Bologue tore away the facade, exposing the bloody truth.
"Though you and Alice share almost identical appearances, although I’ve never seen Alice firsthand... I think your inner selves are different."
Looking at Aimou, perhaps she was a consciousness born based on Alice, but evidently, Aimou is now distinct from Alice, both in terms of appearance and personality.
"Anyway, welcome back."