Alice in the Land of Steam

The clouds, like lead-gray cotton soaked in water, hung heavily down to the earth. A wind blew from afar, carrying the smells of rust and ozone, swirling up the fine sand from the dunes to form a constantly shifting mist, like a sighing, impassable wall. In this chaotic expanse where the yellow and lead-gray hues met, an even heavier shadow silently and heavily pierced the clouds, bowing its head to the world, like a whale poking its head out of the deepest ocean, stirring up raging waves and towering billows.

At first, it was just a sharp, ominous angle, followed by steep, cliff-like sides, layers upon layers of armor plates devoid of any aesthetic appeal, and gun barrels and turrets protruding like the ribs of a giant beast. Its gloomy obsidian color swallowed up the already scarce light, making it appear even more ferocious and oppressive in the dim light.

It pressed down, silent, or rather, its sound temporarily swallowed by distance and thick clouds. Only a heart-pounding tremor traveled through the air, like the heart of a giant pounding against the earth. The clouds were ploughed and torn apart by its steel belly, tangling around its sharp protrusions, only to be mercilessly flung away. As it continued to descend, its outline became clearer, its size expanding to a suffocating degree. It was not a flying object any human could imagine, but a falling mountain of steel, a fortress destined to conquer the stars but forced to head towards the earth.

The enormous shadow completely engulfed the sand dunes directly below the landing site. As the distance closed, the oppressive atmosphere created a visual impact. A visible storm, like a ring-shaped cyclone, swept up billions of grains of sand and spread wildly in all directions. Dust billowed into the sky, meeting the low-hanging dark clouds and shrouding the warship's massive lower half in a pervasive brownish-yellow mist.

At this moment when day and night meet, the sky battleship Nibelungen finally arrives at the battlefield, about to bring that battle to a close, or rather, to begin another chapter.

However, before that, the first thing is to part ways.

The lower hatch of the Nibelungen slowly opened, revealing an endless wasteland below. Sand dunes undulated and collapsed like water, and under the dim light, a scene resembling the end of the world unfolded: sandstorms, dust, a deathly silent ocean, and an impending downpour. Ovira silently watched this scene, then turned to Leticia and said, "The storm probably won't stop anytime soon. You two should stay hidden around here. Don't worry, I'll be fine. By the way, Leticia—"

Remembering something, she took out a notebook from her bosom, handed it to the little bat, and said, "Some very important things are recorded in this. Show it to Linge when he wakes up. Remember, you must hand it to Linge yourself, and no one else can see it until he has finished reading it."

"Including me?" Leticia protested.

“Including you.” Ovira nodded calmly, her unquestionable tone making the little bat somewhat afraid. She had originally wanted to sneak a peek after Ovira left, but now she gave up the idea. Perhaps she sensed something and realized that if she really did that, there would be no good outcome.

"Okay, I won't look." She muttered to herself, taking the notebook. Although she acted nonchalant, she carefully tucked it into her breast pocket. She thought that even if she couldn't look at it now, she could find out the contents from Ling Ge after he finished reading it. If he refused to tell her, she would force him. Did that idiot Ling Ge dare to disobey her will?
Thinking about it this way, she felt a little smug and looked forward to the moment when Lin Ge woke up even more.

That's right, Linge is still not awake.

"Shouldn't we wait until Mr. Ling wakes up before we set off?" The werewolf girl, Selena, glanced at the young man who was leaning against the wall, head bowed like a silent statue, and asked somewhat uneasily, "I have a feeling that something's wrong with him right now..."

“There’s not much time to waste.” Ovira gently shook her head, rejecting the suggestion, and then comforted her, “Don’t worry, Ling is just a little tired and needs to rest. You, especially you, Leticia… try not to disturb him. He will wake up when he wants to.”

"Why are you only calling my name?"

Leticia muttered, then glared at Linger resentfully, "What a lazybones! How can he still be sleeping at this hour? I think he's even lazier than Alice!"

Lin Ge had been criticizing her all along, and now she was using this opportunity to retaliate fiercely. It's hard to say that personal grudges weren't a factor. But anyway, Lin Ge couldn't hear her, and those who could hear her pretended not to.

“I’ll leave them in your care, Miss Navel.” Ovira looked at the only person she could trust in the room. Although the Countess was still recovering from her injuries, she was able to move around easily after a night’s rest. She nodded in agreement, then earnestly advised, “Ovira, I know you have your own ideas, but sometimes you have to be realistic about your abilities. Don’t force yourself to do anything; the important thing is to have a clear conscience. And…”

Come back alive.

She didn't say it aloud, but Ovira seemed to understand her unspoken meaning and gave her a confident smile.

Princess Beman felt an unprecedented sense of ease, no longer afraid of anything. This came not only from the power of the throne, but also from the fact that she had finally obtained what she desired, whether in her dreams or in reality. Ah, once a person's long-cherished wish is fulfilled, they become fearless, even yearning for something even further. Since that young man had already given her a beautiful ending, nothing could stop her from writing an even more beautiful final chapter for this story, she thought.

The Countess saw through Ovira's thoughts at a glance, knowing that she hadn't heeded her advice, and sighed helplessly. But that was all she could say; she couldn't and wouldn't change this stubborn girl's mind or make her make a decision against her will. Therefore, she could only silently pray that the so-called happy ending in the story would truly appear in reality.

After a brief farewell, Neville, holding Selena by the collar, spread her bat wings and descended through the sandstorm and dust to the sand dunes below. She had originally intended to bring Ling along; with the power of a demigod vampire, bringing two people down from the sky would be a piece of cake. However, Leticia firmly refused, stating that even if Ling was asleep, she couldn't let him take advantage of her grandmother, and therefore decided to handle it herself. As for how she would do it…

Her strength hadn't yet reached her grandmother's level, enough to carry an adult through the storm with ease. After much hesitation, she decided to take a more prudent approach. With Ovira's help, she carried the sleeping young man on her back, muttering that he was quite heavy, before laboriously flapping her tender bat wings and stumbling towards the raging sandstorm.

Is it really possible?
Watching the figure sway from side to side, like a lone boat in a storm, about to capsize at any moment, Ovira couldn't help but have doubts. But after this trip to the underground world, the little bat had grown a lot—perhaps, at least before she wasn't so obedient, stubborn to the point of being a headache. Now, at least she's trustworthy... right?

In any case, the only option left is to trust.

Trust your companions, and then trust yourself.

Ovira withdrew her gaze, gripping her scepter tightly as she turned, and strode resolutely toward the control center. The lower deck door slowly closed, and the last rays of dawn struggled through the heavy clouds, briefly illuminating her silhouette before vanishing without a trace. After a long, chilling silence, the obsidian steel fortress suddenly emitted a deep rumble, like a sleeping behemoth awakened, raising its massive, sharp ramming horn, parting the storm and dust, and charging toward the distant battlefield.

As the colossal silhouette of the Nibelungen gradually disappeared into the darkness, Leticia struggled through the swirling sand and landed on a sheltered hillside. Towering stone pillars and interlocking boulders formed a natural gateway, offering visitors a rare moment of tranquility. Leticia, however, paid no heed to this. The moment her feet touched the ground, she eagerly turned her head, only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the giant ship's final journey across the land. The next instant, it rose into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds and vanished. The enormous void was instantly filled by the surging tide, leaving no trace of the colossal creature that had once lingered there.

The storm continues, thunder rumbles faintly, and the ancient legends of Atorica have returned, but it is unknown when they will end.

Leticia stared blankly for a long time until her grandmother came out to find her.

"The sandstorm is too fierce, let's go inside and take shelter, Leticia." "Hmm...Grandma?"

"what happened?"

"When will I be able to become a true young queen?"

"...when you're ready."

How do you know when you're ready?

"Why are you in such a hurry, Leticia?"

"Because that way, I can help everyone!"

"...Having this kind of mentality means that you are not actually ready."

The countess gave her granddaughter a deep look, offered no explanation, and simply strode forward, leaving Leticia standing there in a daze, or rather, lost in thought. There were some profound things she had long suspected, but only now had them been so bluntly revealed by her closest confidante.

Linger said it, Medine said it, Ovira said it, and now, even Grandma says it.

Perhaps they have a point.

despite this……

“Even so,” the girl murmured in a voice only she could hear, “I also have things I have to do, Grandma.”

……

The light that symbolizes the life of nature is especially precious in this dark time of day, so much so that one is reluctant to extinguish it. But it will eventually merge into this indomitable body, nourishing withered blood vessels, repairing torn wounds, and mending the wounds of flesh and bone, before disappearing into nothingness in the silent praise of the wounded.

This was the umpteenth time Cheryl had used the power of the fairy sword Hydras to heal herself from the injuries she sustained in this battle. If you included the times she had healed the guardian beast Serphis, the number would probably be even greater, to the point that it was too much to count, since such actions only added to her stress and served no purpose.

The good news is that this number will soon stop increasing.

The bad news is that it had nothing to do with the outcome of the battle; it was simply that Cheryl was no longer able to afford the enormous drain on the fairy sword Sidras.

While the greatest limitation of using the Fairy Sword lies in gaining its approval—a test of courage and will—this doesn't mean it can disregard the fundamental laws of magic and create something from nothing. However, under the Fairy Sword's miraculous blessing, the magical power required to achieve various incredible feats is greatly reduced. Even someone like Cheryl, who hasn't reached the demigod level, can, with its assistance, fight a fierce battle against the Witch Society's constructs.

However, once the magic is exhausted, the advantage will vanish.

That moment was drawing near. With each breath, with each gasp, Cheryl felt her magic being drained, flowing away onto this cold battlefield. She couldn't help but think of the old, worn-out mining machines in the Fether Mine, which would churn violently each time they started, as if even their rigid mechanical power was slipping away due to the wear and tear on their gears and bearings. Perhaps she was in that state now.

Fortunately, the enemy was no better off than she was.

The construct, which had appeared as majestic as a god upon its arrival but turned into a ferocious beast in battle, now bore numerous scars on its steel-blue and silver-gray armor, some even torn open several feet deep, exposing the cold, metallic structure beneath. Ironically, these injuries could have been avoided, but the mech's overly frenzied fighting style sometimes led it to trade blows for injuries. This was advantageous to Cheryl, so she not only accepted its provocations but even intentionally guided it in that direction, resulting in its remarkable achievements.

If, if I had just a little more magic, a little more time, or a little more perseverance, maybe I could have defeated this construct mech called the Sky-class even without Miss Ovira's support?
But the reality is that she simply doesn't have that kind of energy left.

The beast's eyes were locked on the battered warrior, its crimson signal light scanning him warily. It seemed certain that this troublesome enemy had lost all ability to resist, and a cruel, ferocious smile spread across its lips—this was, of course, an illusion, after all, how could a steel mech display such a human expression? But in Cheryl's eyes, there was no beast in the world more dangerous than it.

Serphis tried to rescue her, but it was also nearing its limit. It struggled to move, but the movement aggravated its wounds, and it collapsed with a mournful howl. Cheryl gave a silent, bitter laugh, wondering if this was her fate. Not only had she failed to protect her home, but she couldn't even accomplish something as simple as buying time…

but.

She suddenly realized that during the fierce battle, she hadn't had time to pay attention to the passage of time, and the gloomy clouds had also blocked her perception of time. So, the very important question was: had dawn arrived yet?

The moment this thought arose.

The wind on the battlefield has stopped. (End of Chapter)