The Tale of Hero Alice’s Social Death

Although Alice didn't get injured, she was still admitted into a high-class ward to get some rest. After all, when Catherine arrived at the scene, she found Alice to be in a haggard state.

Luna, on the other hand, was sent straight to the operating room. Although Catherine found it astonishing that Luna's heart was recovering even after getting pierced, she decided it'd be best for Luna to have her wound stitched to avoid any unforeseen accidents.

Though, probably because Luna usually behaved like a normal person in the intelligence department, neither Catherine nor any of the other royal guards who knew Luna felt that the silver-haired maid hobbyist was actually the culprit of the bottle of residue dark mana. Naturally, they never suspected that Luna was the Demon King, who had fought with the Hero, either.

After knocking on the ward's door and getting a response, Catherine opened the door and entered the ward. Then, she found Alice slumped in a chair, looking like she was in a bad mood.

After all, how could she not be in a bad mood? The sight of her holding onto a pair of panties that radiated holy light had been seen. Moreover, it wasn't just one person that saw her, but a group instead.

Back then, the headlights of numerous cars had brightly illuminated her, spotlighting her to the several dozen stern-looking warriors. Just thinking about the scene back then caused Alice's heart to crumble. If she hadn't been training her mental tolerance recently, she would've probably used the blue-striped panties' "Heaven's Spirit" on the spot.

"That… Lord Hero?"

Previously, Catherine could still behave normally when she was in front of Alice. However, after knowing that Alice was the Hero, Catherine couldn't help but act more cautiously. After all, Alice was clearly in a bad mood right now.

"......I'm here."

Alice looked up at Catherine, depression coloring her face. It would seem that the Royal Guard Captain before her had already found out about her identity from Chris.

However, Alice wasn't too worried about her identity getting exposed since Catherine didn't seem like the type of person to gossip. Not to mention, "royal guard" sounded like it was an army working directly under the Gryffin Kingdom's king. So, Catherine should obey Chris's orders and wouldn't recklessly share such crucial information with others...probably?

"I just learned about your identity from His Majesty. To be honest, I didn't expect you to look like this…" Catherine said with an awkward expression on her face. "You know, the description of your appearance you posted on LINK is a little too different from your actual appearance, so it's hard for people to relate you to each other."

"That's the effect I want. Chris should've told you the reason already, right? Although I can occasionally exert the strength of a Hero, I can't use it consistently," Alice said as she awkwardly looked at the hospital bed next to her. The blue-striped panties she acquired from the Loli Goddess were currently spread out on top of it. "Which is why I have to hide my identity."

"Mhm, I can understand. His Majesty has also told me about your enrollment into the March Royal School of Magic, so you can leave the necessary arrangements to me," Catherine said, nodding. Then, she started hesitating to ask Alice about her battle with the Demon King. After all, she had previously evaluated the Hero to be the strongest in the world. So, it was only natural that she wanted to learn more about such an extraordinary human.

Not to mention, when Catherine thought back to the strange scene involving Alice and Luna, her curiosity was further piqued. Just what kind of battle would result in such a situation?

Eventually, Catherine failed to hold back her curiosity as she asked, "Lord Hero, although it is a bit presumptuous, I wish to know what happened during your battle with the person suspected to be the Demon King. The Demon King is a scourge to humanity, after all, so we want to know as many details about the Demon King as possible."

Alice covered her face when she heard Catherine's question.

Even before Catherine had entered the room, Alice had already been pondering how she should explain herself. After all, Catherine had seen her holding onto a pair of panties while standing in front of Luna's naked body. No matter how one looked at this situation, it didn't seem like the aftermath of a battle. A normal battle, that is.

While Alice was trying to think of a plausible explanation, the ward's door opened again.

When Alice and Catherine turned to look at the door, they found that the new arrival was Luna.

At this time, Luna was wearing a hospital gown with a bloodstain on the chest area. Evidently, she had come running here without even waiting for the wound in her heart to heal.

"Luna Cecilia?" Catherine frowned when she saw Luna's appearance. In a confused voice, she asked, "Shouldn't you be in the operating room? Even if your regenerative ability is a bit strange, the puncture in your heart is severe. You should at least get it stitched before running about."

However, Luna did not respond to Catherine's words. Instead, she walked up to Alice's side and looked at Alice in silence.

?

Alice was a little confused by Luna's behavior. Logically, this Demon King…former Demon King should've already set aside her hatred for humanity, which was why the Demon King's Power had left her body. So, Luna shouldn't hold any more grudges toward her, the Hero, right?

"I am still talking to Miss Alice, Miss Luna. Please leave this place for now," Catherine said, her expression sinking slightly when she saw that Luna didn't seem ready to leave.

Although Catherine was a girl, she was the captain of the royal guard. She possessed combat power and aura far beyond that of normal people. So, as soon as she stopped restraining her aura, even the air in the room had grown a little tense.

Alice was merely an ordinary girl right now, so she felt intimidated when she sensed Catherine's aura. Luna, however, remained completely unaffected.

Although Luna no longer had the Demon King's Power, the strength she developed thanks to the Demon King's Power did not disappear. Meanwhile, even though Catherine possessed extraordinary strength, her strength was only considered extraordinary among the average human and demon. She was still a far cry from matching Luna.

"You probably don't want others to know about those things, right, Alice?" Luna suddenly said to Alice. "I can help you out of this problem."

"Huh?"

"Nani?"

Catherine and Alice were both stunned.