Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1481 Shouldn't we not disturb him?
The first light of dawn.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the long night, Leticia appeared precisely on time outside the control room door, knocking loudly. She waited in the corridor for about ten minutes, arms crossed, almost losing patience, before the control room door slowly opened, revealing Ovira. However, unlike her usual demure demeanor, Princess Beman was breathing rapidly, her bangs were disheveled, and her face was flushed as if she were drunk.

What was particularly troubling was the barely audible thumping of her heart within her chest. Even if Leticia weren't a vampire with heightened senses, any ordinary person would have noticed something was wrong with her, right?
So, the "Good morning" that was already on her lips turned into something else entirely when it came out: "What's wrong with you, Ovira?"

"Huh? No, nothing!" Ovira seemed to be still immersed in her own world, and it took her a beat to react before she quickly shook her head in denial.

"So what are you now?" Leticia looked at Ovira suspiciously, scanning her up and down, trying to find a flaw in her expression.

Princess Beman felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze, or perhaps she was already feeling guilty, so she subconsciously looked away, her eyes darting around as she said, "Maybe, maybe it's because I had a wonderful dream last night! Yes, that's it, it was a really, really great dream!"

"Just a dream?"

Leticia was still somewhat skeptical. What kind of good dream could have such an effect? ​​And why would dreaming make someone breathe rapidly and have a racing heart? If she hadn't been told, she would have thought that Ovira was having insomnia and was running around in the control room in the middle of the night.

"Impossible, impossible!" Ovira waved her hands repeatedly: "You know I hate sports the most."

Leticia thought about it and realized that made sense.

In Alice's words, Princess Beman is a complete shut-in who usually likes to stay in her room reading or creating. The time when she gets the most exercise is when she waters the violets she planted herself in the garden. Of course, Alice will occasionally drag her to play video games, but that shouldn't count as exercise, right?
With irrefutable evidence, Leticia temporarily set aside her suspicions and did not press Ovira about what dream she had, since she wasn't interested in that kind of thing.

Let's get down to business first.

"We're almost at the Fesser Mine." Leticia glanced at the sky outside the window. Dawn was gradually breaking, the light growing brighter and brighter, dispelling the stillness and darkness of the night. In just one night, Nibelungen had traversed almost half of the Atoliga province, a speed even faster than when they set off on the Cloud Whale Sky Island.

When the topic turned to business, Ovira's expression became serious: "I know that Miss Cheryl is currently confronting the Plague Witch Perec, who is piloting the prototype machine God Taikong, with the power of the fairy sword Hydras and the assistance of the guardian beast Serphis. Although she is at a disadvantage, she has not been defeated. Alice and Hino are also doing well, and the situation is still within an acceptable range. As long as the Nibelungen arrives in time, everything will improve..."

"..." Leticia didn't ask her why, being on the Nibelungen, she could know so much about the battlefield thousands of miles away. After all, Ovira had already shown too many incredible things during this short journey, almost like a prophet. In contrast, she cared more about something else: "Are you really planning to fight that Plague Witch alone?"

Ovira paused for a moment, then nodded without hesitation: "Isn't this something that was decided from the beginning, and it's also the most reasonable decision at present?"

"I don't think so anymore." Leticia's change of heart was as casual as a child's.

"Why?" Ovira asked, puzzled.

"Because you're too weak, do you really think you can defeat that plague witch and her construct mech?" Leticia frowned slightly, not very optimistic.

Ovira's lips twitched. This was far too blunt. Couldn't they have used a more tactful approach? But that's how kids are; they don't understand, they're just joking. She forced herself to calm down, took a deep breath, and, still in a composed and confident tone, persuaded Leticia: "No problem. I might have been weak before, but it's different now. Now I have the Nibelungen's help, I definitely won't lose to that guy!"

"But you have no combat experience, do you?" On this issue, Leticia's attitude was persistent, even stubborn: "Grandma said that even with the most powerful weapons, a farmer will still lose to an unarmed knight. You have neither rich combat experience nor any superb combat skills. You can't change the course of a battle just by relying on powerful weapons!"

She stared intently at Ovira, seemingly trying to force her to admit it with her imposing presence. The latter didn't quite understand why she would raise a question at such a crucial moment, but it didn't matter. She didn't know now, but she would soon find out. After all, she was the King of Mysteries, all-knowing.

Using her royal authority to subtly probe Leticia's thoughts, Ovira's gaze towards the little bat suddenly turned strange. She hadn't expected this guy's true purpose to be like this: "So, you mean, I need someone with rich combat experience to assist me? For example..."

"Me!" Seeing that she finally understood what he meant, the little bat proudly puffed out his chest, not giving an inch.

“…” Ovira rubbed her temples, looking rather troubled: “Leticia, this must have been your own idea, right? I bet Miss Neville doesn’t know about this?”

"Hmm! Grandma is injured, there's no need to bother her with this! Besides, even if she knew, she would definitely support me!" The little bat was initially guilty, but after finding an excuse, she became confident again.

Ovira didn't speak, but silently gestured for her to look behind her.

Leticia seemed to sense something, her face instantly stiffened, and she slowly turned her head away.

The Countess gazed calmly at her beloved granddaughter, saying nothing, yet seemingly saying everything. The werewolf girl, Selena, followed closely behind, even offering her arm to support the Countess, whose injuries from the previous night's battle with the skeletal remains of the evil dragon Nidhogg hadn't fully healed. That was the logic, but the scene still felt somewhat strange, leaving one wondering which of the two was truly the Countess's granddaughter.

“Um—” Selena looked left and right, but finally couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere any longer. She coughed lightly and broke the silence, “Leticia was just worried about Miss Ovira and wanted to do her part. It shouldn’t be anything serious, right…” Seeing someone support her, the little bat immediately perked up, puffed out her chest, and declared righteously, “That’s right, that’s exactly what I think. It’s too dangerous for Ovira to face that witch alone. If I take her along…”

"That would be even more dangerous."

Neville finally spoke, shaking her head helplessly, not supporting her granddaughter's decision: "Do you really think you can be of any help? Don't be willful, Leticia. In a battle of that level, your so-called combat experience and skills are simply useless."

That was a battle between young queens, a conflict beyond the reach of mortals. Before the power of a queen who wielded the laws of the universe, even so-called true gods and calamities were reduced to mere mortals. Neville had never realized this so clearly. The turning point came last night's confrontation with Nidhogg. In the final moments, she sensed that this unimaginably powerful dragon before her could indeed kill her, and she once again experienced the humiliation of defeat. However, in the end, his soul was defeated in its struggle with Ovira, who, after emerging from the illusion, showed no discomfort and immediately took control of Nibelungen.

So, although it's not outwardly apparent, Ovira is already far superior, isn't she? To still view her as an inexperienced and unskilled caged bird, like Leticia did, would be a grave mistake. Of course, Leticia is also a young queen, but even among queens, there are differences; the power of the heart determines everything.

As a grandmother, Navel knew very well that her beloved granddaughter always appeared very confident, always talking about fighting and killing, as if there were no enemies she dared not face or things she dared not do, but in reality she was a weak person; while Ovira had completed that most important transformation, and for her now, there was no longer any hesitation or confusion.

That plague witch must be the same; once someone steps onto the battlefield, they never want to back down.

Both sides were determined by the power of their hearts. One side piloted the heavenly battleship Nibelungen, attempting to merge with the fairy sword Hydras, a legacy of heroes, to reassemble into the legendary Holy Grail that could grant any wish and bring victory. The other side controlled an unknown construct mech, a mysterious machine called the Prototype Machine God Taikong, which was rumored to have the ability to change the entire battle in an instant.

It's easy to imagine that this level of combat is beyond Leticia's ability to participate. If she plays around with such childish ideas, who will truly need to be protected in the end?

Neville looked at her granddaughter with an unprecedentedly stern gaze. Leticia had never seen her grandmother so serious before and couldn't help but shrink back. But this reaction only strengthened the countess's resolve: Leticia was not ready for battle yet.

The little bat was unaware that her momentary reaction had sentenced her to death by her grandmother. She wanted to struggle a little more, but at that moment, Ovira spoke up: "Miss Neville is right. You don't have to go with me to face the Plague Witch, Leticia. Do you remember what I told you that night?"

She bent down, placed her hands on Leticia's shoulders, and asked, word by word.

Her words brought back memories of that night, their conversation, in the dark underground, in the vast darkness, under the glowing mushroom tree. The girl fell silent, her attitude visibly softening. Just then, Serena gave her a timely push: "Don't just think about how to defeat the enemy, Leticia. Sometimes other things are important too!"

She clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and earnestly pleaded, "Look, Miss Ovira is going to fight that witch, Miss Neville is injured, and I'm so weak. It wouldn't be good if something happened to us, so we need you to protect us!"

"Me?" Leticia blinked, pointing hesitantly at herself: "Protect you?"

“Yes,” Ovira said. “We’ll be arriving at the Fesser Mine soon. I’ll take you to the surface first, then head straight to the battlefield. Leticia, please escort Linger, Miss Neville, and Miss Selena back. If they encounter any danger on the way, we’ll have to rely on you.”

"Well..." Faced with Selena's expectant gaze, the little bat couldn't bring herself to refuse. In truth, after being scolded by her grandmother, she had already considered backing down, and now she was merely going along with the two's offer: "If I really can't do anything with you, I'll reluctantly become your bodyguard for now. But let me make this clear beforehand, Ovira, you can't lose to that guy!"

She said with a serious expression, "If you dare to lose to her, or even... well, if you lose, I will never forgive you!"

She had originally intended to say, "Even if it's like Xia leaving without a word," but perhaps feeling that saying such a thing before a major battle would be too demoralizing and not a good omen, she swallowed it back. But Ovira knew everything, including the unspoken words, so she said nothing, only reaching out and gently patting Leticia's head.

Was that an answer? Or a promise? They hadn't said anything at all! The little bat felt a sudden surge of irritation, but knowing she was in the wrong, she couldn't vent her anger on the three people present. In the past, she would have taken it out on an innocent, unlucky person, but today, that unlucky person hadn't shown up yet…

Where is Ling?

She crossed her arms and spoke in a harsh, unfriendly tone: "We've been discussing this for ages, why hasn't he come out yet?"

"Uh." When the young man was mentioned, Ovira couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. The blush that had faded earlier quietly rose again on her cheeks, appearing and disappearing. "He... is still resting. Maybe he's been a little tired lately?"

"What!?" It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, as her words only added fuel to the fire. Leticia flew into a rage: "At such a crucial moment, how can he still be sleeping? He has absolutely no sense of urgency! And you, Ovira, how can you let him slack off like that? I'm going to wake him up!"

Without saying a word, she rushed into the control room.

Ovira was shocked: "Wait, wait! Leticia!?"

Give me some cats