Alice in the Land of Steam

Today, Lingge came back very late.

He is always busy, so sometimes it is not so strange to come back late, but usually, he will ask someone to pass on a message first, such as a stupid stone guard who happens to pass by, an energetic little elf who happens to pass by, or a noisy genius player who happens to pass by... Tell everyone, I have something to do and may be back late, you guys should eat first.

But not today. He seemed to be so busy that he forgot the most important thing. Until now, no message has been sent back. Everyone only knew that he was still in school, but they didn't know what he was doing there or how long it would take for him to come back. After waiting in the windmill tower room for a long time, Iyeta didn't see the young man coming to pick her up. She walked into the hotel with a confused look on her face and asked about his whereabouts. The impatient Olvera complained every few minutes. In the end, she couldn't help but rush into the school to pull out Lingge who forgot the meal time and scold him in front of everyone for how excessive he was for making so many people wait.

However, Saint Shalia stopped her impulsive behavior in time and said to everyone: "Don't disturb him."

She said softly, her tone gentle but unquestionable: "He must be doing something important right now, let's give him some time."

Even the eldest sister said so, although Ovilla was still a little angry, she had no choice but to obey. Then, the angry little bat said that it was okay if that guy didn't come, but would we not have dinner without him? She called on everyone to eat quickly, and it would be best to finish dinner before the young man came back, so that the unpunctual guy would have to go hungry!
Unfortunately, the only one who responded to this call was the elf Xie Mi. Apart from that, even Alice, who loved to play pranks, had no reaction. She just looked in the direction of the school with worried eyes from time to time. She seemed to know something but was unwilling to say it out loud.

Without the young man, everyone seemed to have lost the mood to eat. Although only one person was missing, the atmosphere seemed particularly dull. Only Leticia was desperately stuffing food into her mouth. She ate like she was taking revenge. The goblin Shemi also sneaked around the table, taking away the desserts, fruits and snacks that everyone didn't want, and ate happily. It seemed that she didn't realize the heavy atmosphere at all. She could be said to be the most relaxed and comfortable person in the whole hotel.

Olvera rested her cheek on one hand and held a spoon in the other, stirring the corn cream soup boredly to kill time; Ieta hugged her knees and curled up in her big wings, her eyes empty, wondering what she was thinking; Lorena stared at the wall clock seriously, as if the ticking sound of the two hands, one long and one short, was very interesting; Gloria imitated Sister Livia, clasped her hands together and prayed before the meal to resist the aroma of food wafting to her nose; Shelia thought that since she couldn't eat for the time being, she might as well hone her water mixing skills, so she slipped behind the counter when her elder sister wasn't paying attention; Shesta didn't notice her sister's actions because she was observing the status of each dish on the table. These dishes had different temperature requirements. If any of them got cold, she would send it back to the kitchen to reheat it to keep it in the best taste range at all times.

Saint Charleja was in a daze, Alice was restless, and Shino was absent. In addition, Metien, the Countess, and Sister Livia were not on the island at this time. The hotel table, which had always seemed extremely lively since the travelers landed on the sky island, had become so deserted one day. Everyone was at the table, but it seemed that everyone's mind was far away. And all this was just due to the absence of a young man.

Although he has long been aware of himself as a team leader and has begun to take the initiative to assume the responsibilities and obligations of a leader, he seems not to have realized that in addition to his identity as a leader, he also has another important role to the team, that is, the spiritual role. It is as if as long as he appears in everyone's sight, no matter what kind of difficulties they face, everyone can maintain confidence and enthusiasm; but once he is gone, then the current situation will occur.

Is it true that without Lingge, we can't do anything?

Of course everyone knew that it was not like that. There was no such thing in the world that one person could not survive without another person, but without that young man, they did feel a little... lost.

Everyone is looking for a sense of security, but the source of a sense of security is very limited. Saint Xia Liya knows this well. Even as the eldest sister of the Young Girl King, it is difficult for her to replace the role of the young man in some aspects. It can even be said that she needs Ling Ge more than her sisters, and needs him to guide her and determine her direction.

So, what is this young man who is needed by everyone doing at this moment?

The blue-haired girl looked out the window blankly and saw that the forest swallowed the last trace of blood in the dusk and the world began to be submerged in darkness.

……

He waited from dusk to night, and from night to late at night, until the stars were dim. The young man finally dragged his tired body back to the hotel. When he saw that the lights were still on in the restaurant and the aroma of food was wafting in the air, he was obviously stunned for a moment. Saint Xia Liya had already stood up and walked to his side, looking at the young man with a concerned and comforting look, and whispered: "Welcome back, Lingge. Why are you so late today? Everyone is worried about you."

Ling Ge always felt that there was something subtle about this sentence, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. He shook his head, getting rid of those irrelevant thoughts, and then said, "I was dealing with some students' emergencies, so I was delayed for a while. Sorry, I should have informed you earlier. Next time when the same situation occurs, you can eat first and don't need to wait for me."

"It's okay." Saint Shalia said gently, "We are not very hungry yet."

"Yes, yes." Leticia slumped in the chair in an ungraceful manner and burped comfortably, proving with her actual performance that Saint Shallia's words were correct. Not only was she not hungry, she was actually a little full. Without her grandmother's supervision, she could eat as much meat as she wanted and she didn't have to eat vegetables. Is there anything more enjoyable in the world than this?
It turns out there is.

"Leticia." Saint Xia Liya turned around and magically put on a serious expression: "After dinner, you and Yieta are not allowed to leave. Go out with me for a walk to digest it."

Well, although she doesn't have a grandma anymore, there is still someone here who can take care of her. The little bat curled his lips and didn't comment, but he didn't dare to refuse. After all, it wasn't long since that incident happened, and Saint Shallia's influence was still there. If he disobeyed her, he would probably end up badly.

Yieta was horrified: "Hey, why am I also... oh, I know."

Under her elder sister's stern gaze, she lowered her head sadly, knowing that she could not escape. It was because she stayed at home in the small house all day and refused to exercise properly.

"So—" Gloria asked cautiously, "Can I eat now?"

She had prayed three times before meals. With this performance, even Sister Livia couldn't say that she was not a devout believer.

"Then let's eat first." Lingge said, returning to his seat and taking a look at the dishes for tonight. There were stewed chicken, smoked ham, lamb soup and cream corn soup, which were particularly rich. "It's just right, everyone is here..."

"Go up for a moment." Saint Xia Liya interrupted him in confusion: "Xino hasn't come yet?" She glanced at the seat that had been absent since dusk, then glanced at the night outside the window, a little worried: "Lingge, did you see her when you came back? Did something happen? I'll go find her..."

When she mentioned Xinuo's name, the young man who had just sat down froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said in a steady voice, "No need to look for her. She is training with Brandi to adjust her condition for the upcoming battle."

This news stunned everyone for a moment. Apart from Alice who had been prepared, only Saint Shallia could remain calm. She seemed to recall some bad memories, her thin eyebrows slightly frowned, and asked, "Is Shino going to join the battle too?"

"kindness."

The young knight did not mention this matter to anyone, but handed it over to Lingge. The young man had expected this. After all, people always habitually avoid problems they don't want to face, especially these lonely and sensitive girls. But Lingge was different. Although he wanted to avoid it, he couldn't.

"The reinforcements of the Crusaders will arrive soon. The only one among us who can stop them is Xino..."

Ling briefly explained the reasons and consequences of his decision. Although his reasons were sufficient, he couldn't help but sigh after he finished speaking: "I'm sorry, I know this is a very dangerous thing, but we have no choice..."

The dangerous one is not Shino, but the people in front of him, because even if they don't need to step onto the battlefield, they will bear the same risk because of the curse of the girl knight. No one wants to see tragedy happen, especially when you realize it will happen, but don't know who it will happen to. Thinking of this, Ling Ge suddenly understood Alice's choice at that time. She stopped Shino from fighting, perhaps not because of naivety, but precisely because... she was no longer naive.

Saint Xia Liya suddenly realized: "Is this what you are worried about, Lingge?"

She noticed when Lingge came in that the young man was a little depressed. Although he was not the kind of person who would write his thoughts clearly on his face, Saint Xia Liya was able to detect his mood hidden under the surface based on her understanding of him and a wonderful sense that might be called "woman's intuition". Is this a talent beyond ordinary people? Maybe, but Saint Xia Liya was not happy about it. Instead, she felt a great responsibility. If she was the only one who could understand Lingge, she should help him share the pressure.

So she said, "But, when you made this decision, it seems that you didn't ask for our opinions?"

"Sorry..." Ling Ge apologized habitually. He also felt that he was a little arbitrary in this matter. But before the young man could explain, Saint Xia Liya turned her head and looked at the others: "It's okay, it's not too late now. Everyone is here, let's vote. Who agrees with Ling Ge's decision and who opposes it?"

She was the first to express her opinion: "I agree."

Aoweila raised her hand quickly, fearing that she would be the last one if she was late: "I agree too!"

Then, everyone responded with approval, even the proprietress and the bartender who were not the girls' royal power were no exception. As for Xie Mi, she was too full and her biological clock was acting up, so she had already fallen asleep in her seat. After Laeticia lazily said "yes", she deliberately muttered in a voice that everyone could hear: "What's the point of being entangled? Can't I just use my royal power to solve it?"

Leticia's thoughts were obvious, but no one paid attention to her, because everyone knew that the little bat's kingship was not without a price. The price was to transfer the deaths of others into one's own death, which was essentially no different.

Saint Xia Liya glanced at the little bat calmly, scaring the little bat so much that it shrank its head and dared not say another word. Then she turned her head to look at Ling Ge, and said with a smile: "It was passed unanimously, Ling Ge. This way, it is a decision made by all of us together."

Linger was silent for a moment. He knew that this was a deliberate gesture by his companions to relieve their guilt, but was he really comforted? Because the young man knew that the reason why his companions were willing to bear such a heavy price was just based on their trust in him. Trust itself is a heavy responsibility.

But Ling Ge still smiled and nodded to everyone: "Yeah."

Then he repeated what he had just said: "No need to wait for Xinuo for now, let's eat first."

He deliberately skipped this topic, and no one else noticed anything wrong. After all, Lingge has always been like this, calm and steady, but also a little mysterious. Although he has become much more cheerful now, some habits rooted in his bones will not change.

Only Saint Xia Liya didn't think so. She seemed to have sensed something and looked at the young man with a look of doubt and a hint of inquiry, but the latter avoided her.

Lingge is avoiding himself.

The blue-haired girl pursed her lips but said nothing. She just returned to her seat silently and began to enjoy this late dinner. However, seeing her absent-minded look, it was somewhat difficult to swallow.

In addition, there was one person whose reaction was almost exactly the same as Saint Shalia's.

That is Alice. (End of this chapter)