The Tale of Hero Alice’s Social Death

Chapter 226: All Cats Are Tsunderes

"What's the matter? Why do you look dead inside?"

Alice decided to pay Ciel a visit at her home when noon arrived. Then, when she put her book down, she found herself Andusia sitting on the table with a burnt-out look on her face. The gloomy expression Andusia wore made it seem like she had just been hit with bad news.

This situation puzzled Alice a little. When she started reading, Andusia looked no different than usual. Yet, after the morning passed and she put her book down, Andusia had turned into this state.

Alice had been deeply immersed in her studies, so she didn't notice what Andusia had done throughout the morning. So, she naturally didn't know why Andusia had become like this.

Andusia didn't bother answering Alice's question. Instead, she looked at Alice with a strange gaze before sighing deeply. Then, she hopped onto Alice's shoulder, sat down, and resumed acting like a figurine.

It couldn't be helped. Andusia thought that her friend's descendants would have a strong character just like her friend. Yet, the most recent addition to the genealogy of her friend's family turned out to be Ciel, a catkin who would get sexually aroused from being stepped on by Alice.

Andusia didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this discovery. She also didn't know how Jill would react if she realized that her newest descendant was a person who liked being stepped on.

Thinking up to this point, Andusia felt a little fortunate that Jill did not leave a soul behind and had no chances of getting resurrected. Otherwise, she would probably get a heart attack if she found out about this situation.

Seeing that Andusia didn't seem to want to share her troubles, Alice didn't try to pry further into the matter. Instead, she left the archive with Andusia. Before leaving, though, she gave the archivist a rub on the head. Seeing the girl blush reminded her of the feeling of petting a cat.

Following the route Ciel provided, Alice reached Ciel's house after a short walk through Elkite. The house was none other than the one Andusia had snuck into previously.

Andusia inwardly sighed when she saw the house before her. When she heard Ciel mentioning the way to her house to Alice previously, she had found the route somewhat familiar. It turned out that this was because Ciel was describing the way to Jill's house.

Due to Elkite's closed nature, only catkins were permitted to settle down here. As a result, the town never saw any large-scale real estate development, and the town's layout had hardly changed even after thousands of years had passed. If Andusia had to point out a difference, it would probably have to be the new buildings added to the outskirts of Elkite.

Alice walked up to Ciel's house, knocked on the door, and heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side in no time at all. Then, the door opened, and Ciel's figure appeared in front of Alice.

"You're finally here. What took you so long?" Ciel asked in her usual annoyed tone. However, the fact that she came running to the door as soon as Alice knocked showed that she had actually been constantly paying attention to the door.

"Yes, yes, yes. My bad, my bad. But you know how studying taboos is like. I have to take my time reading to make sure I don't miss any details," Alice said. She had already found a way to deal with Ciel's tsundere attribute, and that was to go along with whatever the catkin said. Anyway, it wasn't like Ciel had any malicious intent. "But you sure came quickly."

"Catkins have keen hearing. Don't get me wrong," Ciel said with a blush. Then, she promptly turned around and ran inside, leaving behind these words: "The food is ready. Hurry up and come in."

Alice shook her head helplessly at the catkin's inability to be truthful. Then, after changing into the in-door slippers provided, she followed after Ciel and found herself stepping into the dining room.

When Alice entered the dining room, what entered her sight was Ciel already seated at the dining table and a female catkin bringing out dishes from the kitchen. The female catkin looked like a mature version of Ciel, so she should be Ciel's mother.

"You must be Alice, right? Welcome, welcome," Ciel's mother said, greeting Alice with a smile. Then, after setting the dishes in her hands on the table, she continued, "I'm Ciel's mother. This is the first time Ciel has brought a human friend home. Don't be polite and just treat this place as your home."

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"Thank you, Auntie," Alice thanked Ciel's mother. Then, she couldn't help but be a little surprised when she saw the plethora of dishes on the table. It looked like they were having a buffet than a normal meal. No matter how she looked at it, there was no way they could finish all this food with so few people.

When Ciel saw Alice looking at the food on the table with a strange expression, she hurriedly said, "This is how catkins normally eat."

"Is that so... It seems catkins live quite a good life..."

Although Alice doubted that catkins would eat such lavish meals every day, this might be related to the catkins' tradition of welcoming guests. So, Alice didn't probe too deeply into the matter and simply took Ciel's words at face value as she sat down next to Ciel.

Andusia, however, was rendered speechless by this situation. She shared many interactions with catkins thousands of years ago, but she had never heard of the catkins having any habits or tradition of preparing a buffet for only a few people. In addition, when she snuck into this house in the morning, she had heard Ciel mentioning to her mother that her friend would be visiting. Ciel had obviously asked her mother to prepare all these dishes for Alice.

Afterward, Alice saw Ciel's mother returning to the kitchen to bring out more dishes. Although she felt that there was already more than enough food on the table, she didn't try to stop the other party. Instead, she turned to Ciel and asked, "By the way, what about your father?"

"He's working for the government in Holl City, so he rarely comes home," Ciel explained. "The reason I went to study at the March Academy is also largely because my father works in Holl City. He can look after me while I'm there."

Alice nodded, finally understanding why Ciel was studying at the March Royal School of Magic.

"You should look after this child more in the future, Alice, since she already regards you as one of the closest people to her," Andusia said, magically transmitting her voice into Alice's ears. "It should be easy for you with your identity as the Hero. You don't need to do anything special. Just let others know that you have a good relationship with her, and nobody will dare to attack her."

Due to Alice's identity as the Hero, the people closely acquainted with her had received a protective umbrella that ensured their lives progressed as smoothly and safely as possible. Alice might not realize the importance of this protective umbrella, but Andusia knew it very well.

Modern human society might be much more peaceful than human society thousands of years ago, but Andusia believed darkness still existed. In fact, she believed that the size of this darkness had not reduced in the slightest even after all these years. Instead, it had merely hidden from the surface. Meanwhile, Alice's identity as the Hero could bring her and those close to her protection from this hidden darkness.

"Why are you suddenly showing so much care for Ciel?" Alice asked in a whispering tone.

"That... It's complicated."

Andusia felt that for the sake of her friend's reputation, it was best if she left out the fact that the descendant of her friend, who used to fight for the abolishment of slavery, was actually a perverted masochist...