Another new day.
Another day with no customers.
Back when she'd crafted that [Freya Doll] for Hermes, Alice had left herself a little insurance—the leftover materials from its creation.
Using those remnants, she made a voodoo doll copy.
Then, through curse magic, she placed a hex on the original Freya Doll, causing it to vanish into thin air.
So.
After a day to cool off, Alice gave it some proper thought and realized that having more customers wouldn't actually be all that great.
If anything, more people would just make her little shop feel crowded and messy. Her current laid-back lifestyle would disappear.
Sure, she could use her dolls to clean up the place, but if orders started pouring in, the hassle would still fall on her in the end.
After all, the dolls she made were incredibly detailed, with special effects—and no, not that kind of effect.
Crafting them was time-consuming and drained a lot of energy. So really, this leisurely pace with only a few regular customers suited her just fine.
Once she'd come to that conclusion, Alice felt even better about destroying that Freya Doll—a true embarrassment in her eyes.
'Anyway, Hermes, the advertising you're doing for me isn't working now. And I'm not planning on any more promotions in the future. Better to get rid of something that could tarnish my reputation sooner rather than later.'
Alice's doll shop, tucked away deep in a narrow alley, went mostly unnoticed. But precisely because it was so hidden…
The entrance was damp and shadowy from lack of sunlight, but the room where Alice lived had a window overlooking the street—still quiet and rarely busy.
Yet every afternoon, just before the sun began to set, light would stream through that window into her room.
That was Alice's favorite time of day.
Sipping tea prepared by the Shanghai Doll, with the Hourai Doll acting as her shop assistant.
These two dolls were the ones Alice had put her heart and soul into. All her other creations were made with professional care and a crafter's pride, but Shanghai and Hourai were special.
What's more, unlike the others, if Alice supplied them with magic energy, Shanghai and Hourai could perform simple movements even without her direct control.
You could say that, for some reason Alice didn't quite understand, these two had a consciousness of their own.
After creating them, she never managed to make anything like Shanghai or Hourai again.
Hoping to recreate that success, Alice devoted herself daily to studying the magical knowledge embedded in her mind.
Though she often held a book in her hands, she never actually turned the pages.
Reading time was when she absorbed and processed that inner library of spells.
Alice had a photographic memory. All that magical knowledge was stored in her mind like a vast archive.
She'd memorized it all—but understanding it was another matter. Her goal was to comprehend that entire great library.
"But… in a world where learning magic is limited to those with a god's blessing or certain specific races, maybe there's something wrong with me obsessing over it like this. What do you think, Shanghai?"
She took a small sip of black tea.
Holding the Shanghai Doll in her arms, Alice gazed out the window, her thoughts drifting.
"Then again, I'm not even sure if I'm human." She watched the occasional passerby on the street, a faint smile on her lips.
"In this world, humans don't possess magic power. Not unless they join a familia, receive a god's blessing, unlock a magic slot, and learn spells—only then do they develop mana."
"And while I may be pretty, I don't look like an Elf, not like Lefiya."
Alice lifted her hand, and a shimmering light in seven colors appeared in her palm.
"The Seven Colored Spell—I've only just started, but I can already cast a fireball. So since humans don't have innate magic, and I'm clearly not an elf… I really can't call myself human."
A trace of uncertainty flickered in her eyes.
Just then, a small hand entered her field of view. The Shanghai Doll floated up from her arms, reached out, and gently patted Alice on the head.
Alice smiled softly at the gesture.
"Thank you, Shanghai. I'm alright."
Deep down, she had no desire to uncover her own origins. Studying magic was just a way to make more dolls like Shanghai and Hourai—so they'd have company, and so would she.
Wanting nothing, seeking nothing—that was the true state of Alice's heart.
She'd let Hermes trick her before because, in those first few months after arriving in this world, she'd been desperate for money. Even after she had some, that hunger for riches lingered.
Now that she'd cooled off, she saw it for what it was: pure embarrassment.
Time passed slowly, and as the sun began to set, the room gradually darkened.
Leaning back in her comfortable rocking chair, Alice slid down a little, stretched both arms up in a lazy arch, and extended her long, fair legs forward.
Her lovely figure was hidden under a loose, cute dress, but if anyone had been there to see her just then—man or woman—they would've been captivated, enchanted by her languid, graceful presence.
'Another boring day, wasted by me.'
Gazing at the fiery sunset, Alice sighed softly.
The Shanghai Doll floated in front of her, its tiny body gesturing emphatically.
"[Don't waste it—study magic seriously?]" Alice looked surprised. "Since when did you start caring about my magical progress, Shanghai? Getting lonely? Is Hourai not enough for you? If she heard you say that, she might get jealous."
Hearing that, Shanghai seemed to bristle. It pulled out a silver knight's lance from behind and started poking Alice in the head with it.
"Eek—no, stop! That hurts, Shanghai!" Clutching her head, Alice laughed and scrambled out of the chair, dashing toward the door. "Hourai, help! Shanghai's mad at me!"
Seeing Alice run off, Shanghai put the lance away, placed its hands on its hips in a huff, and chased after her.
Just then…
Hearing Alice's call for help, Hourai had been about to go see what was happening—but suddenly, the front door of the shop creaked open.
So instead, Hourai went perfectly still, settling on the counter and pretending to be an ordinary, motionless doll.
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T/N: *Based of Alice Margatroid
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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