The Tale of Hero Alice’s Social Death

Setting aside the differences in mana, there weren't any actual physical differences between Demon Kings and the average human. Although Demon King candidates would usually move to the demon realm shortly after the Demon King's Power had chosen them, they didn't need to grow unique organs to process the demon realm's polluted mana like the demons did. Instead, they relied on the Demon King's Power to handle this process.

Hence, when Alice injected Miriya's soul into the Living Wood figurine, the figurine's surface instantly changed from a hard, wooden texture into a smooth, fleshy texture resembling real human skin. Now, this Living Wood figurine was essentially the same as Andusia. However, unlike Andusia, the remnant soul in the Living Wood figurine wasn't self-conscious, so it couldn't take independent action like Andusia.

"Oh, Miriya, work hard in taking my place as a figurine."

After finally receiving liberation, Andusia couldn't help but laugh when she saw Alice putting the Living Wood figurine into the glass cabinet she previously occupied. Although Miriya's remnant soul no longer possessed a consciousness, it didn't stop Andusia from making fun of her.

Ignoring what others thought, Andusia was overjoyed that she finally wasn't the only Demon King to have their soul stuffed in a figurine. Moreover, Miriya could be considered to have suffered a worse fate than her. So, knowing this, all of the dissatisfaction Andusia previously had with her figurine body vanished without a trace, and even her gait felt a lot lighter.

"Why are you venting your frustrations out on a dead person?"

Alice couldn't help but roll her eyes at Andusia when she saw the other party's antics. Then, she reached for Andusia, grabbed her, and put her on her shoulder.

Honestly, Alice didn't really understand why Demon Kings would have such a strong sense of pride, so much so that Andusia would feel a sense of superiority over an already-dead Demon King. This also showed just how much Andusia hated her current figurine body. Or, more specifically, Andusia hated the people who had turned the block of Living Wood her soul inhabited into a figurine.

If it wasn't for those people treating the Living Wood as an ordinary block of wood and carved it into the shape of Magical Girl Hikari, Andusia could have had the option of choosing her own appearance. Even if her soul needed to stay in the Living Wood, she could have carved it into a miniature version of her original self, at the very least. While it might not have been ideal, it was much better than taking on the appearance of the protagonist of a children's anime.

Moreover, because of her soul inhabiting a Hikari figurine, Andusia was already close to forgetting what she originally looked like. Now, whenever she spoke or thought about herself, the first image that would pop up in her mind was Magical Girl Hikari's appearance. Whenever she saw images of Magical Girl Hikari, she would even subconsciously think of the image as a picture of herself…

Anyway, although Alice couldn't understand Andusia's thought process, since Andusia was so happy, she didn't continue trying to spoil Andusia's fun. Instead, she picked up the magic robe she had cast aside. She hadn't used the magic robe's Mana Concealment skill for more than half an hour. So, she could still use it for over half an hour, and she intended to use the remaining skill duration to leave Lilith's house.

However, as soon as Alice picked up her robe, her sharp senses quickly picked up sound coming from the house's front door. It sounded like a key being inserted into a keyhole. Although the sound was very soft, Alice's senses had long since exceeded the realm of ordinary people, so she instantly noticed it.

Lilith's room faced the house's front door. So long as Lilith opened the front door, she could immediately see the current state of her bedroom. To make matters worse, Alice didn't close the bedroom door just now for fear of alerting Lilith that someone had trespassed into her home. However, Alice never thought that Lilith would return at this time.

Although Lilith was aware that Alice was the Hero, what Alice was doing was trespassing on private property. If Lilith caught her in the act, her reputation would suffer a huge hit. Moreover, as Lilith had yet to cast any suspicions on King Haydn, this matter might very well get passed from Lilith's mouth into King Haydn's ears.

Hence, Alice could not afford to let Lilith discover her no matter what.

However, the front door was relatively cramped. Even if Alice concealed herself with the magic robe, she would have difficulty avoiding physical contact with Lilith when sneaking past Lilith and out of the front door. In addition, she wasn't sure if the changes her body caused to the surrounding airflow would alert Lilith.

In any case, I should find a place to hide first.

Left with no better option, Alice helplessly stuffed the Milu Rabbit under her skirt, grabbed Andusia with her left hand, and put on the magic robe with the help of her right hand. Immediately afterward, Alice vanished from the room. At the same time as Alice finished her series of movements, the front door also opened, and Lilith entered the house with a box of cake in her hand.

After closing the door behind her and locking it, Lilith walked straight into her bedroom. At this point, Alice had already positioned herself in the corner of the room and stopped moving, so Lilith did not collide with her or notice anything strange. Then, after entering the room, Lilith closed the bedroom door under Alice's helpless gaze.

The situation was even worse now. If Alice wanted to leave the room now, she would have to open the bedroom door first. But if Alice opened the door, it would look like the door had opened by itself in Lilith's eyes. This would definitely attract Lilith's attention. And should Lilith reach for the door, she would come into contact with Alice's invisible body.

Hence, Alice had no choice but to continue hiding in her corner of the room. Then, she watched as Lilith walked up to her figurine cabinet, took out Andusia's replacement, played with it, and returned it to the cabinet a moment later. Evidently, Lilith did not notice that her figurine had been swapped. After all, there wasn't any textural difference between Andusia and her replacement. Both were also carved with the same appearance.

Now, all Alice needed to do was wait for an opportunity to leave Lilith's room without alerting Lilith.