Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1295 Are you free tonight?
Today, several more students requested to withdraw from school, which was undoubtedly related to the insurgents. As the latter launched their offensive in the Gray Hill region, the 17th Army's strategic defenses were also constantly retreating. After losing several important towns and fortresses in succession, the army commander, Andrei, seemed to have made up his mind to fight a final battle in Suarez, the city of Gray Hill, and was gradually gathering his forces, showing a desperate determination.

Thanks to him, the rebel army's offensive in the Gray Hill region was not only smooth but unstoppable. Wherever they went, the enemy surrendered one after another. Even those who resisted could not cause much trouble. It seemed that victory was within reach and it was only a matter of time.

Encouraged by this, the rebel army experienced a surge of support. Joining the rebellion to fight against the Western Landers' colonial rule and return Greyhill to the Greyhill people's hands became a consensus among almost every patriot, though perhaps also among the ambitious. Ironically, at this point, it was difficult to distinguish between the patriots and the ambitious. After all, when they raised their banners and shouted slogans of resistance against the colonizers, everyone's expression was so righteous, everyone's voice so courageous. Even the legendary fairies skilled in mind-reading would probably find it hard to discern their true thoughts.

In any case, civilian resistance organizations have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and even the Cloud Whale Sky Island in the Black Forest has been affected. The students' enthusiasm for classes has been swept away by another enthusiasm. Whether in the corridors, gardens or playgrounds, you can always see them gathered together to discuss the war situation, which is incredibly fanatical.

Those who survive war are inherently more sensitive to it, especially since these children had the best role model: Mitch and his youth corps. Entrusted by the Eagle of Grayhill, the latter became the guardian of these war orphans. Although he later sent them to the school in Lingering, he felt he still had a responsibility. Therefore, even though he was far away on the front lines, he would send letters and items back to the rear every now and then, mostly things captured on the battlefield: books stained with blood, clothes of different sizes, and candies that he couldn't bear to finish.

In their letters back, they always only mentioned that they had participated in another important operation, eliminated many stubborn enemies, and liberated several areas ruled by colonists... but never anything else: Did they feel afraid when facing enemy fire? What did it feel like when a bullet pierced an enemy's chest? What were their feelings when their comrades fell, whimpering? And while the ashes of the fallen were being placed in the cemetery, these young children were still studying in spacious and bright classrooms, unable to see the shadows cast by the ungrown oak trees behind the sunlight.

With the glorious deeds of their peers right before their eyes, countless people naturally followed suit. Kyle was an example for them to learn from. When they wanted to emulate that brave boy, they did not know that two of the companions who left with him had already left this world forever and returned to the embrace of the goddess.

For various reasons, this time, without exception, Ling refused their requests.

"You all stay here and study hard. Don't think too much."

In his usual gentle yet firm voice, he said to his students, "The war will surely end soon."

His voice seemed to possess a convincing power. The students, who had come full of enthusiasm and resolved to show the same unwavering resolve as Kyle and his group, even if Mr. Ling disagreed with their aspirations, exchanged bewildered glances, gradually abandoning their intention to argue. They had a strange feeling that Mr. Ling before them was different from the one they knew. His words, his eyes, and his attitude all expressed confidence in victory, just like everyone else, but this confidence seemed not based on trust in the rebels, but rather on something deeper.

Faced with those deep, peaceful eyes, few could remain steadfast in their beliefs and unmoved. Thus, these students, whose decisions were driven by impulse, were persuaded to return home by the young man, and perhaps for a long time, they wouldn't have such thoughts again. But they were only a few among so many students, and the number of students in this school was negligible compared to the entire Ansers region. After them, surely more people would have such thoughts, more people would want to go to the battlefield, and more people would face a cruel choice, whether willingly or unwillingly. The fate of those people was not something the young man could save.

No one can save everyone, and the beliefs born of war will die because of war.

After seeing the students off, the young man sat alone in the empty office, silent for a long time. At that moment, Sainte-Charlie stood under a tree in the garden and saw his shadow through the window. During breaks, children played and frolicked in the garden, their laughter seemingly close yet distant. Sainte-Charlie appeared oblivious, her gaze fixed intently on the young man by the window. From this angle, she could only see his profile, and from his familiar face, brows, and hair, a chilling warmth seemed to emanate, but it cooled faster than the next day's sun.

She saw him take a silver-white cassette tape from the drawer, clasp his hands together in his palms, and silently pray. His expression was so devout that he seemed not like an ordinary person, but like a saint reborn.

Will this saint lead mortals to the path of salvation, or... destroy himself?

Seeing the light seeping through his fingers, the girl's face betrayed her sorrow.

……

As dinnertime approached, everyone's gaze continued to drift between Ling and Saint Charlotte's faces, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and inquiry. Aside from a few born with complete life experiences, like Xinuo, the other young princesses held a rather vague understanding of mortal emotions, stemming from their lack of personal experience. Just as the villagers of Avignon cherished their divinely bestowed angel, a reverence bordering on divine devotion, they never revealed anything about forbidden emotions to her, lest they taint her pure wings. This left her still pondering the meaning of "finger" and "circle." Similarly, the little bat, constantly losing her memory in reincarnation, found it even harder to comprehend why the union of body and soul was seen by mortals as the final obstacle on the path of love, signifying a complete transformation in their relationship. Everything was unknown, worthy of observation and study.

So they were all very curious: when Saint Charlotte and Linger finally took the last step and entered a new stage of their life journey, how would their relationship change? Fairy tales only mention that the prince and princess lived happily ever after, but they never mention whether their happy life was all about being lovey-dovey and inseparable, or about the mundane details of family life and mutual dislike.

Everything was as usual. Ling ate his dinner quietly, and Saint Charlotte didn't prepare a special dinner for him like she had in the morning. On the contrary, she seemed to care far more about her sisters than Ling. She wiped Ietta's mouth here and put the vegetables Leticia had secretly picked out back in there. If Ovira was in a daze for too long, she would carefully ask if the food was not to her liking. She could even tell that Bai Ye had secretly taken over the body just to taste his favorite pea soup and sweet sauce pie... "Everything is as usual" meant that there was no difference from usual.

Lin Ge usually eats quietly like this, unlike some people who make a lot of noise; Saint Xia Liya usually takes care of her sisters at the dinner table in the same way, it seems that taking care of her sisters is far more important to her than filling her stomach.

But if the way you get along is the same as usual, then the so-called change in the emotional relationship seems to be meaningless.
Or perhaps the change in their relationship wasn't actually reflected at the dinner table, but rather in places no one could see, such as late at night, when everyone was asleep, in a silent room, a lonely man and woman, the moonlight falling on the bed, and the soft sounds of their breathing... Ovira suddenly slapped her forehead, suppressing this wild imagination.

It must be because of Alice's filthy behavior this morning that she's having such wild thoughts!
That despicable genius player has corrupted me too, unforgivable!

Princess Beman was indignant when she suddenly realized that everyone's eyes were on her. She then realized that her unusual behavior had attracted everyone's attention. Xia Xia even gave her a look that seemed to ask, "Are you alright?" with a hint of pity, as if she were caring for a mentally challenged younger sister.

Ovira was speechless with frustration, her expression shifting several times before she finally buried her head in her food, hoping to gloss over the matter for the time being. Only after Xia-jie had looked away and everyone else's attention had shifted away from her did she quietly raise her head and give Rorona an urging look: What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get moving!

Princess Haiqi shook her head almost imperceptibly, indicating that it was time to act, but she couldn't initiate it herself; that would be too obvious. She then turned her gaze to the genius player, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Didn't you swear all along when we were discussing this, saying you'd charge ahead and never retreat? Now you can have your wish fulfilled. Charge, Alice!"

Alice only wanted to charge forward, not to break through the tower, so she pretended not to see Rorona's gaze and naturally shifted the blame to a gray-haired girl who was drinking pea soup, thinking to herself: It's not that I'm afraid before the battle, it's just that the real trump card is often revealed in desperate situations. Before that, I should send a few cannon fodder to gather intelligence.

Who are you calling cannon fodder? Bai Ye's lips twitched. She thought to herself, "That little idiot Gloria is really in cahoots with these guys. They haven't even started acting yet, and they're already shifting blame and betraying each other. Can this so-called grand plan really succeed?" Maintaining a skeptical attitude, she decided to stay out of it and observe coldly. After all, Gloria was the one who decided to join, and she was the one controlling the body. What did Gloria's affairs have to do with her, Bai Ye?
Leticia was eager to make a move, but her grandmother held her firmly in check, preventing her from doing so. The Countess had heard that her granddaughter had become quite arrogant during her absence, even declaring several times that no one on Cloud Whale Sky Island could control her except her grandmother. Since that was the case, she, as the only one who could keep Leticia in check, would do the extra work and temporarily share the burden of this trouble for the others.

Needless to say, Ieta is no match for her. Expecting her to step forward is like expecting the sun to rise in the west. Besides, Miss Angel is just a little dull, not stupid. In fact, she is more sensitive to danger than others. Like a squirrel that has long sensed the approach of winter, she has already huddled under the protection of her wings, revealing only her pair of azure eyes, which are darting around alertly, watching for any movement around her.

They looked at each other, passing the buck and shirking responsibility. After a long while, no one was willing to take the lead. Eventually, the girls' eyes fell on Xinuo, because they gradually realized that she was the most suitable person to step forward! She was both courageous and resourceful, and had a good image in the eyes of Xia Xia and Lin Ge. If she spoke up, it shouldn't arouse suspicion, right?

Hino's eye twitched, feeling like she'd been tricked: Wasn't she supposed to be a shield? How did she end up being the one sticking her neck out? If something happens to you, I'm supposed to speak up for you; if nothing happens, I'm supposed to stick my neck out for you too. What's the difference between that and being the ringleader? If things get exposed, I'll have to take responsibility too, okay?

But the younger sisters blinked frantically: "No, no, Xinuo, you're the older sister, shouldn't you stand up for your younger sister?"
Xinuo was even more speechless: Now you remember I'm the older sister?

Sheryl, standing to the side, was speechless. These guys were bullies, cowards, sycophants, and swaggering opportunists… basically, every derogatory term could describe them. Could they possibly get anything done? The eldest sister had previously sworn that Xia wouldn't care, because her sister was just as important as Ling Ge in her eyes. If I were Xia, I wouldn't care either. After all, they weren't a threat. If left unchecked, they'd fight amongst themselves…

Siesta smiled without saying a word: "The essence of all alliances is internal strife, just as the essence of all emotions is the fear of loneliness. This principle is too profound. Although Sheria has completed her pilgrimage, she is still too young to understand it, is she?"

Xinuo probably understood this principle, so he sighed inwardly and helplessly accepted reality.

She looked up at the young man sitting at the front and asked directly, "Lin Ge, are you free tonight?"

Give me some cats