At this moment, both women, trapped in the hunter's snare, were inevitably somewhat disheveled.
Alice was relatively better off.
During her fall, she used magic to create a thick layer of ice beneath her, and aside from a few sore spots, only her black robes were soaked with a considerable amount of grayish-black oil.
Daenerys, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.
Although she hadn't fallen, she was soaked in the oily liquid she had placed in the trap, her entire body covered in dust and fallen leaves stirred up by the trap.
Even so, she still smiled, maintaining the crimson fireball suspended in her palm, controlling its distance from the gray oil below—
she had buried enough explosives at the bottom of the pit when she set the trap; once the oil came into contact with the flame, the situation would undoubtedly spiral out of control.
But it was precisely because of this that Daenerys felt the long-lost joy of the hunt.
In her disheveled state, this newly promoted Sequence 7 "Fire Mage" had somehow managed to drag the witch, clearly at Sequence 6 level, to the edge of death. With a mere wave of her hand, they would both be engulfed by endless flames and explosions.
At that point, no matter how many mirrors Alice possessed that could be used as substitutes, and no matter how long her frost magic could withstand the attacks, she would have no chance of escaping this vast execution ground.
Of course, Danitaly didn't want to see this worst-case scenario unfold.
"Are you planning to commit suicide?"
Alice finally spoke, her tone as cold as when she was in battle.
"No, I haven't lived enough, how could I bear to die here?" Danitalie laughed maniacally, her voice filled with the satisfaction of a successful hunt. "I just hope you can give up, admit defeat, and then… well, let's go back and take a bath together, and then get a good night's sleep."
…Even now, she's still thinking about sleeping with her?
Alice couldn't misunderstand the meaning behind her words, and she almost couldn't maintain the cold expression she was forcibly keeping on her face, and her icy aura faltered.
"Is it strange? Hunters hunt for only a few reasons: to eat meat, to get the prey's beautiful fur, to satisfy their desire as predators… Ha, blame yourself. Exceptionally beautiful prey will eventually be targeted. Even if it wasn't me, there would be other hunters, hunters stronger and more eager to plunder than me…"
As Danitalie spoke, she couldn't help but cough twice, tasting something like burnt internal organs in her throat.
Even knowing that she had been fooling around with her newly upgraded body, almost teetering on the edge of losing control, she still felt a deep joy and happiness.
A faint, violent power, not her own, seeped from the potion she had ingested, flowing through her limbs and body.
Indeed, fighting and struggling were the fastest way to digest the potion!
Daenerys's body was almost completely exhausted, but her spirit was unusually high and active. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and continued to "persuade" the witch Alice in a cheerful tone:
"Alright, alright, I'm not asking you to do anything, just sleep with me... or a few times. Is it really that hard to choose? Don't witches all like that kind of thing? Or do you want to try a forced game with me? Let's choose a theme: a reluctant, beautiful maid, knocked unconscious by her master and tied up in the bedroom..."
Just then, Daenerys saw the witch Alice slowly reveal a smile, her pale pink lips parting.
"That's true."
Before she could rejoice at her "yielding," Danitalie heard her continue,
"Then try it, try and see if you can ignite this sea of fire."
…Defeated to the death? Such a witch existed?
Danitalie was astonished
when she sensed something strange around her. The grayish-black, oily liquid had somehow solidified, like frost covering the ground in autumn and winter, forming patches of gloom. On its surface, pure-colored ice layers rapidly spread and multiplied.
Driven by some mysterious power, they blossomed into shapes defying logic, like unfolding branches and ice flowers.
"How could this be…" Only then did Danitalie realize that her own body was also being covered in frost.
She hadn't felt any change in the surrounding temperature! But how could this be? How could such a large-scale freezing be completed in such a short time!
Danitalie tried to break free from the rapidly spreading ice, the oil layer on her skin peeling away with each movement.
But the ice seemed to come alive, launching a deadly hunt against her. First, it froze her feet into the ice, then her calves, knees, and then her waist…
And when the biting cold gripped her neck, the last thing she saw was the indifferent witch Alice.
Frost, resembling ice crystals, clung to the edges of her black robes.
Daenerys's vision went dark.
When consciousness returned, she realized she had left the pit filled with ashes and oil.
The pungent smell that had filled her nostrils was gone, the icy chill that had engulfed her was gone, only the pain and exhaustion clinging to her body remained, reminding her of her survival.
Daenerys struggled to open her eyes, confirming that she was slumped weakly against a tree, her clothes seemingly cleaned.
She tried to turn her stiff neck, searching for the witch.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. After all, cleaning up the mess is troublesome, and it will affect the two evening gowns that are being made."
Alice's voice came from the opposite direction. Danitalia forced her head to turn and look at her, feeling as if her neck had been broken once, her voice trembling with pain.
"In your eyes... cough cough, my value is only two gowns?"
Alice, who had already lowered her black robe and hood, glanced at her, too lazy to pay attention to the crazy woman's strange words, and continued speaking.
"You actually had a chance to escape just now... I mean, at the last moment, if you had been ruthless enough to set yourself on fire, you should have had a chance to escape my spell's range."
"Ha, I'm not stupid. Setting myself on fire back then would only burn myself, it's not worth it. Besides, I'm still alive now, I haven't lost any limbs, and I'm not burned all over. At most, I have some abrasions on my waist and shoulders, I'll be fine in a few days."
Danitalia appeared very open-minded, as if she was already certain that the witch wouldn't kill her to vent her anger.
...Alright.
Unable to think of any other topic for the moment, Alice fell into silence and thought.
She pondered how she should react if she were truly a witch.
How should a witch who had been enraged by having her "gender truth" revealed react after a hard-won victory?
...What? Should the word "hard-won" be in quotes?
No, Alice felt she had a really tough fight—she maintained a rapid casting technique, concealing necessary spell gestures and medium changes with her black robes, and carefully controlling the precision of each spell to avoid accidentally revealing her identity as a fake witch and being forced to end the battle…
After all, she didn't have much experience with frost magic, and that fake "invisible threads" was just a counterfeit released from a hastily modified spider web spell…
As for the witch's other signature spell, black flames, she hadn't used it once throughout the entire fight, thankfully her opponent didn't seem to suspect anything.
"Considering how to deal with me? Ha, even hunters can become prey, that's quite a novelty…"
Danetari seemed completely unconcerned about her status as a defeated prisoner, even displaying an expression of knowing what she was doing.
"That's settled then."
Alice made her decision, leaning forward to grab Danitalia's nearly tattered shirt collar, dragging her to the ground like an animal carcass—the other offered no resistance, so even the not-so-strong Alice easily accomplished the action.
Then, she stomped on the defeated hunter's head, her sharp heel pointing directly at the forehead beneath the dark golden bangs.
"Kneel before me, submit to me, there is no other choice… Are you satisfied with this punishment?"
…
In the quiet of the early morning, Alice finally returned to Narcissus Street in Tingen, to her guest room, where the furniture, though simple and unpretentious, had gained a touch of life.
She took off her stained black robe, collapsed onto the soft bed, and let out a long sigh.
"Phew… It's finally over."
Although fighting was exhausting, and dealing with the defeated man afterwards was mentally draining, Alice felt that tonight's gains were at least worth the effort.
At least, her impersonation of a witch was so convincing that it almost cemented her identity. Even Daenerys, who seemed to have a deep understanding of witches, couldn't see through the disguise, at most only recognizing her as someone more skilled in mirror and frost magic.
However, compared to a real witch, her weaknesses were also quite obvious—
her performance in close combat was abysmal.
Whenever faced with an unavoidable attack, she would simply use mirror teleportation to escape; and when faced with an attack that could be blocked with frost, she would choose to build a defense with ice instead of dodging.
Daenerys had clearly exploited this characteristic of her behavior, ultimately using herself as bait to lure her near the trap, almost successfully creating a situation where they would both perish.
Alice couldn't think of a better solution for the moment.
In her view, witches were a "profession" evolved from assassins.
She knew her agility was only at an average level, not to mention her abysmal stamina and strength…
In other words, she was a one-sided magic user, possessing no combat skills outside of magic manipulation.
Even with magical assistance to temporarily enhance her physical abilities, her fighting and movement skills would be riddled with flaws, raising suspicion instead.
Therefore, Alice's role was clearly defined: a witch who preferred to resolve conflicts through magic!
Of course, her assassin-like characteristics couldn't be ignored; for example, at the beginning of the battle, she stealthily approached Danitalie, feigning an assassination attempt…
Alice felt she had acted quite well.
But it was truly strange… the advancement of an assassin was to become a witch renowned for her beauty?
Did people in this world understand the advancement of assassination as simply seduction and assassination?
And even stranger, witches were once men?!
Alice had previously managed to access the database of a certain official extraordinary organization, thus choosing her temporary false identity—the "Pleasure Witch," skilled in using invisible threads, frost, black flames, and mirror magic.
But those official documents didn't mention that these beautiful women, skilled in seduction and capable of using various methods to bring pleasure to the opposite sex, were all men who had undergone sex reassignment surgery…
What kind of logic is this? Are all the people who understand men best men men?
Where did all the witches who were originally women go?
Just looking at the highly deceptive name of the potion, "Assassin," it's not like there were absolutely no female options… Female assassins are quite common in her world.
Well, it doesn't really matter. Whether this information is true or false, she'll remember it.
As for why Danitali knows so much about witches… since she's unwilling to share secrets, Alice won't ask further.
Anyway, she's already obtained the defeated prisoner's hair and blood. If she's really curious about the other person's experiences, she only needs to use a little trickery, and the secret will no longer be a secret to her.
The rest can wait until later; she's almost at her limit tonight…
Alice thought to herself, finishing organizing her gains for the night, then sighed and reluctantly left the comfortable, soft bed: if she lay down any longer, she'd fall asleep covered in sweat.
She untied her long hair, which was tied up with a hair tie, and casually found her nightgown, intending to go to the bathroom to freshen up before returning to rest.
But as she sleepwalked away the fine beads of cold sweat from her long, focused spellcasting session, changed into her belted nightgown, and returned to the hallway, she saw light shining through the crack in a bedroom door.
A slightly muscular male face, its back to the light source, looked out.
"You… cough, I just heard some noise in the hallway, just checking to see if you were back… Melissa kept nagging me before bed about various reasons why young women don't come home at night, it's giving me a headache."
As if realizing he'd inadvertently veered off-topic, Klein hurriedly looked away, no longer wanting to see her in her thin nightgown.
"Anyway, I'll tell Benson and Melissa tomorrow that you didn't stay out all night, you just came back a little late... Um, by the way, next time you pass on a message to me, could you try a different, gentler way? What happened this afternoon was really bad for your heart... Are you listening?"
After speaking in a low voice, Klein finally noticed that Alice was unusually quiet tonight. In the light of the room, he could vaguely see her slightly pale face.
He hesitated for a moment, then, relying on the anti-charm amulet in his hand, he took a small step forward.
"Are you... alright? Did something happen?"
But what bothered him was that at this distance, the amulet in his pocket should have already started to heat up and take effect, but today it only heated up for a moment and then stopped working.
When I get back to my room, I need to check its charging status... Ugh, I feel like a researcher who's about to come into contact with some highly radioactive material, constantly having to make sure I'm wearing my protective suit properly...
Just as he was thinking these random thoughts, Klein saw Alice lower her head and answer him in a sleepwalking tone:
"It was a small problem, it's been resolved."
Since she said so, Klein didn't ask any more questions. He nodded slightly, and the corridor returned to its seemingly deserted silence.
...A little awkward.
Klein was thinking this, intending to say goodbye and go back to sleep, when he saw her begin to walk towards him.
"Wait, Klein... don't move."
It was as if a damp mist was wafting towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance of a young girl.
Klein couldn't see Alice's expression hidden in the shadows, but even without her words, he couldn't help but stiffen as she approached.
Apart from that excessively thin, tie-up nightgown, the beautiful girl, clearly unburdened by anything, stood in front of him, stopping at an inappropriately close distance.
The distance between them was now less than half a meter, an inappropriately close distance given their current relationship, so much so that Klein didn't dare to linger his gaze on her.
"What are you doing…"
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden sense of crisis, a spiritual warning, surged within him, like a spoonful of cold water poured into boiling oil, causing a phantom pain that jolted him from his confusion.
Something was wrong… There was definitely something wrong with Alice right now!
In that instant, he even felt that the person in front of him was so unfamiliar, as if he had never known her at all.
However, his body failed to obey his brain's judgment.
Klein discovered with almost horrified disbelief that he couldn't back away, nor could he escape. He could only watch helplessly as Alice stood silently for several seconds before finally making her next move.
She moved closer, almost touching him.
But in the end, that didn't happen. Klein let out a barely audible breath.
He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he felt his right arm being gently pulled up, and then something warm and soft pressed against him.
It pressed against him!
Suddenly assaulted by that incredibly soft and warm touch, Klein felt as if something like fireworks exploded in his brain, leaving him momentarily unable to think. He remained in a daze for an unknown amount of time before he could barely regain his senses through instinctive meditation techniques.
What... what's going on?
Just as Klein was about to suppress his emotions and ask her, he heard a few suppressed, soft breaths escape from the girl holding his arm.
His first thought was, was she injured?
But then he realized that no one who was injured would be panting while needing someone to touch them.
Moreover, he didn't hear any pain in her voice; instead, it carried a certain... peculiar and strange sweetness.
Even through a shirt, he could clearly feel the warmth of her body on his arm. Klein subconsciously avoided thinking about that guess.
But what terrified and embarrassed him was that his healthy and intact male body reacted even faster and more directly than his brain.
The initial sense of crisis and panic had long since been overshadowed by other emotions. At this moment, Klein felt a rush of blood to his head, his cheeks burning hot. Instinctively, he tried to take two steps back to break free from the embrace.
Alice's grip was light, and his movements were no longer as uncontrollable as before, so Klein escaped effortlessly, quickly retreating back to his bedroom door.
In the dimly lit corridor, he saw her raise her face, her expression and tone seemingly normal, as if everything that had just happened was merely a bizarre dream.
"Remember to get some rest, Klein. I'm going to sleep too. Sweet dreams."
Alice, seemingly no different from usual, smiled and waved at him before turning and returning to her guest room.
Klein opened his mouth, but only managed a "Goodnight" to the empty corridor, unable to utter another word.
...Sweet dreams?
He doubted he could sleep at all!
Wait...
right, the amulet!
Alice was so close just now, and the amulet didn't react at all. Could it be…?
Without time to think further, Klein turned and went back to the bedroom. He took the silver amulet from his trouser pocket, about to examine it closely, but froze.
The silver amulet, engraved with occult symbols and once possessing spiritual power and protective abilities, was dull and lifeless, torn in two by a deep crack in the center. Clearly, it had reached the end of its life.
Cracked… the amulet had actually cracked…
Klein felt like he was about to crack too: this was material he'd bought with his own savings!