Chapter 8

As I returned to the mansion, I was greeted by Alice, who wore a cool, composed smile.

“Welcome back… You seem to be injured. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. No problem at all. I’ll be fine after a drink and some sleep.”

I replied casually. In truth, the wounds I’d sustained in the fight with Koji weren’t a big deal. They were the kind that would heal completely if left alone for a few days. Certainly nothing for Alice to worry about.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have any alcohol here.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll buy some when the timing is right.”

As I reassured the apologetic Alice, I remembered I was currently penniless. I’d need to earn some money if I wanted to go shopping. I preferred not to resort to theft if I could help it. Stripping the belongings of someone I’d killed was one thing, but I didn’t care much for murder specifically for the sake of robbery. Of course, if it were a life-or-death situation, I wouldn’t hesitate, but I wasn’t at that stage yet.

Alice told me breakfast would take a little longer to prepare, so I decided to wash up in the meantime. I was filthy from the fight with Koji. I’d spent a fair amount of time rolling around in the dirt, after all. He wasn’t the kind of opponent I could just brute-force while standing still. I suppose that much was expected of a “Hero.”

I borrowed the bathroom. I’d used it last night, so I knew the drill. Apparently, it utilized some kind of magic tool, providing plenty of hot water without any trouble. It was incredibly convenient. Considering things like motorcycles and cars existed here, it seemed that civilization’s lifestyle had advanced quite a bit through magic.

“Oh?”

After stripping in the changing room, I noticed something while looking at my body in the mirror. My bruises and cuts were already fading. Was this another level correction? It seemed my body’s natural healing ability had significantly increased. This was fantastic. I didn’t know the limits yet, but it looked like I wouldn’t have to worry too much about minor injuries. It was a small change, but a welcome one.

When I finished my shower and stepped back into the changing room, I found my combat clothes folded neatly. Not only had they been washed, but they were already dry.

“When did she…?”

Come to think of it, I’d heard a noise in the changing room while I was showering. Alice probably had the golems handle the laundry and drying. She was quite the attentive witch. I shouldn’t underestimate her.

Speaking of Alice, I still didn’t quite understand her. It was clear I was being welcomed, at the very least. She was treating a total stranger like me with great courtesy and even seemed to enjoy our conversations. Why go to such lengths? I couldn’t see her true motive yet.

I doubted it was pure goodwill. I knew well enough that I didn’t have the kind of personality that made people naturally like me. She harbored a certain madness—perhaps her goal was hidden within that. If I assumed she had a specific intention for letting me stay, everything made more sense. If my gut was right, she would be revealing her purpose soon.

I hate being used one-sidedly, but Alice had already looked after me. As long as it was within reason, I didn’t mind going along with her requests.

Dressed in my combat gear, I left the bathroom. Following the mouth-watering scent of food, I arrived at the dining hall.

“It’s just finished. Let’s eat together.”

Alice, already seated, gave an elegant smile. I took the chair opposite her. Breakfast consisted of bread, salad, and a red soup. There were also thin slices of meat. I had no idea what the ingredients were—likely something unique to this world—but everything was delicious. The more I ate, the more addictive the flavors became. If there were a shop nearby that served this, I’d definitely be a regular.

“How was the seasoning today? I made it a bit stronger. You looked like you were finding things a bit bland last night, Mr. Jack.”

Alice spoke with a faint trace of a smile. It was true—dinner yesterday was delicious, but it had been seasoned a bit lightly. I hadn’t complained, but I had certainly noticed.

“You saw right through me, huh? Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“No, I don’t mind at all. My sense of taste is a bit dull. I’d lost track of what good seasoning even was, so it’s actually quite helpful.”

Alice replied flatly. I sensed no sarcasm or dishonesty in her voice; she truly didn’t seem to care.

We ate in silence after that. Once I had finished more than half of my meal, I brought up the topic.

“Aren’t you going to ask about that visitor earlier?”

“Is it an interesting topic?” Alice asked, tilting her head slightly. It was clear from her eyes that she had zero interest.

“It was amusing in its own way, but maybe not worth digging up.”

“I see. Then let’s talk about something more fun. What do you plan to do from here on out, Mr. Jack?”

Now the question was coming from her. I already had a crystal-clear answer for this. I stopped eating and, showing a ferocious grin, voiced my resolve.

“I’m going to kill the people who were summoned alongside me. Apparently, they all survived. It seems they’re plotting revenge against me for blowing up the Capital.”

Koji might have been bluffing, but it didn’t really matter. Since he was alive, it wouldn’t be strange if the others were too. I have a policy: I never let a target escape. I had decided they were going to die in an explosion. They made a laughingstock out of me. I’ll make sure they’re finished.

Returning to my original world was enough of a goal, but now I had a new one. Well, whatever. I can work on both simultaneously. It doesn’t cause any problems.

“My. That sounds like a lot of work. Good luck. I’m rooting for you.”

Alice spoke without changing her tone. Her reaction was off, as usual. She really takes things at her own pace.

After that, I ended up demonstrating my skill. Alice was extremely eager to see it; she seemed very curious. I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed. It wasn’t a secret, and I owed her for the night’s stay.

She led me to a room in the mansion filled with countless shelves of chemicals. There were also various types of medicinal herbs.

“This is the room I usually use for compounding. There are materials here that can be made into bombs.”

Alice moved around the room, picking up materials and gathering them in one spot on the table. She pointed to a bottle containing a blue liquid.

“This is Mana Fluid—processed magical energy. It’s essential for making magic tools and also serves as fuel for vehicles. The higher the purity, the more expensive it is.”

Alice introduced the materials one by one. Most of them were things I’d never seen before, far different from the materials for those “fake firecrackers” I’d made first. The manufacturing difficulty here was definitely higher. To make a bomb, the materials had to be mixed in a specific order. You’d fill a bottle, attach a fuse, then cool it to let it solidify. It would explode upon contact with fire.

The procedure wasn’t that difficult. It fell into the “easy” category. However, something felt off. I tilted my head as I looked at the materials and asked Alice what was on my mind.

“…Isn’t the mixing ratio for this wrong?”

“It’s correct. I am an alchemist, after all. Don’t worry, just try making it.”

Alice shook her head and nudged me forward. I couldn’t really argue with that. I began manufacturing the bomb according to the procedure. Five minutes later, I was looking at three bottles in front of me.

Not bad. Compared to the firecrackers, this was excellent performance. It was nowhere near the modified City Core, but that was an exception among exceptions. Their uses were completely different; you couldn’t judge them on the same scale.

Alice picked up one of the finished bombs. She observed it from every angle with great interest.

“Amazing, Mr. Jack. And those were materials for a bomb where I intentionally gave you the wrong mixing ratios.”

“What?”

“It’s a recipe where if a thousand people tried it, a thousand would fail. And yet, you created three. Normally, that’s impossible.”

“I figured as much…”

Alice’s confession made sense of the discomfort I’d felt. She had wanted to test the effectiveness of my skill. I could understand that feeling.

“Now you see, right? My skill guarantees the success of bomb-making. That’s all it is, but the effect is beyond wonderful.”

When I said that, Alice’s face suddenly turned serious. She leaned across the table, bringing her face close to mine.

“Hey, Mr. Jack. I have a request.”

“Sure, what is it? Don’t hold back.”

Alice didn’t blink once, staring at me with those clear eyes.

“—I want to destroy the world. If you’re okay with it, I was wondering if you’d help me.”