excel三国杀

Chapter 230: Change (4)

The thought of having lost Isaac to the gluttonous Abyss for days on end plunged Dorothy into a hellish anxiety.

Dorothy had once embraced death and it was Isaac who ripped her from its grasp and gave her a new future.

He had become her driving force, the meaning behind her continued existence.

This led her to impulsively attempt to seduce Isaac… but ultimately, he pushed her away.

Dorothy regained her senses and felt relieved, yet the disappointment was inevitable.

However, she soon felt reassured, realizing that Isaac too was forcibly suppressing his desire to pounce on her.

It seemed everything would have to wait until after the Evil God was defeated. Comforted by this thought, Dorothy enjoyed Isaac’s tender care and fell into a peaceful sleep.

“Good morning, Dorothy.”

Hidden in the shadows, the cat familiar, Ella, alarmed Dorothy of Alice’s appearance in her mind.

Because of that, Dorothy woke up just in time to catch Alice attempting to seduce Isaac.

– I’m curious, what would you do if Baby became mine?

– _So, I’m wondering. If you, who openly dislikes me, were to find that my baby truly likes me… I wonder how you’d react. _

Remembering Alice’s words made Dorothy feel nauseous.

“It’s not morning, is it?”

Dorothy retorted gruffly.

It was deep into the night. Saying, “Good morning,” was hardly appropriate given the darkness outside.

“Are you okay, Senior Dorothy?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Dorothy kindly answered Isaac’s concern, but…

“Why is Alice here?”

Her tone turned scornful when she asked her next question.

With a relaxed expression, Alice gently stroked Isaac’s shoulder while locking eyes with Dorothy.

Her casual demeanor and her delicate hand motions seemed like the tricks of a cunning vixen to Dorothy.

“I just got back.”

“Isn’t it too early? Don’t you care about your kingdom?”

“Well, my master told me to come back early. Isn’t that right, Baby?”

“Master…?”

Dorothy was shocked.

Baby, and now Master… clearly referred to Isaac. These blatantly fox-like antics were unbearable. Dorothy felt blood rush to her head.

She couldn’t read Alice’s mind due to her unique trait [Red Queen’s Paradox]. However, she could see through her sinister intentions like the back of her hand.

Dorothy clenched her fists hidden under the blanket.

The problem was… Dorothy wasn’t in a position to criticize Alice’s pretense. Hadn’t she herself mustered the courage to seduce Isaac today?

Yet, she was still bothered by her opponent.

Dorothy had no intention of quietly watching Isaac be seduced by Alice.

“Sorry if I came too early and interrupted you. Were you having a good time with my baby?”

“Not really…? Good time? It wasn’t like that. Isaac was just putting me to bed because he was really worried about me. Except that my headache got a bit worse since you came. I guess I’m a bit frazzled. Isaac’s struggling because of me, and I feel sorry for that.”

Dorothy emphasized “headache” in her response.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m Baby’s minion, and I’m supposed to stick to him. But you know, humans are creatures of adaptation? Even if you’re feeling crazy right now, you’ll get used to it soon and it\'ll be fine, so don’t worry. Or Dorothy, why don’t you go to your room and rest? Being from Charles Hall, you should have an academy maid at your disposal, there’s no need to be here, right? That would also be rude

Alice emphasized the word “rude”.

Dorothy wanted to respond but found herself speechless.

Soon she murmured, “Ah,” with her finger on her chin, and pondered seriously.

That makes sense. I can’t logically argue with that…

Dorothy knew Isaac’s situation well and being from Charles Hall, she could ask an academy maid for care. Moreover, there would be academy maids on night duty at Charles Hall by now.

Initially, she had ended up receiving Isaac’s care unintentionally. Staying here idly, making Isaac worry about her, seemed shameless.

If she considered Isaac, leaving here immediately was the better option for him.

However…

I can’t leave…!

Leaving here would mean leaving Isaac alone with Alice.

As much as she hated to admit it, Alice was strikingly beautiful. At the Grand Festival Beauty Pageant, Alice didn’t participate because she was the Student Council President, but if she had, Dorothy might not have ranked.

Moreover, unlike the reckless Dorothy, wasn’t Alice more charming?

Just a moment ago, she had been blatantly flirting with Isaac, nurturing lewd thoughts.

There were times in one’s life when one absolutely mustn’t back down. Dorothy decided that now was one of those times.

Using her brain, which seemed to grind with rusty gears due to infrequent use, she frantically tried to think of what to say.

“…”

Just then, guessing that things were not going well, Isaac forced himself off of Alice’s chest.

Isaac turned his head to look at Alice.

“Alice, I’m the one who agreed to take care of Senior Dorothy.”

“Huh?”

Dorothy looked at Isaac.

“I wanted to take care of her myself. It’s not a bother, so don’t worry.”

Isaac…

Dorothy felt touched. Confident that Isaac was indeed on her side, she looked triumphantly at Alice.

However, Alcie simply smiled lightly and shrugged.

“I see. Sorry, Dorothy. I misunderstood.”

“It’s good that you know.”

“Then, Baby.”

Alice leaned in close to Isaac’s side and looked at him closely.

Dorothy’s heart nearly sank, thinking Alice was about to kiss Isaac’s cheek.

“Where shall we sleep?”

What the hell is she up to now?

Dorothy frowned.

However, Isaac only responded with an exhausted sigh as he lifted himself from the chair.

“That’s enough, I’m getting sleepy now.”

“Huh?”

The brief attention to the women’s rivalry was only momentary. Isaac was so tired that he had no time to gather his wits. He lifted the blanket and laid down next to Dorothy.

Dorothy’s body heated up at the fact that she was in the same bed as Isaac. The memory of Isaac climbing on top of her earlier only fanned the burning flame within her.

Isaac looked at Alice disinterestedly, weakly blinking his eyes.

“Alice, where will you sleep? If you’re going to sleep elsewhere, I’ll get you a blanket.”

“I’ll sleep next to you.”

“Okay, sleep beside me then.”

The bed is indeed the best option.

Isaac muttered quietly and snuggled closer to Dorothy, making room on the bed. The bed seemed big enough to fit three people.

Once he laid down, his consciousness began to fade. Isaac closed his eyes.

Dorothy, now pressed closely to Isaac, involuntarily tensed up her body. Perhaps because she was wearing a bathrobe, she was feeling a strange sensation.

“…”

In the silence, Dorothy and Alice stared at the sleeping Isaac.

His breathing was calm. Isaac quickly fell asleep, and the atmosphere settled.

The two girls looked at each other again.

Then, Alice smiled her characteristically gentle smile.

“Dorothy, now that it’s come to this, why don’t the three of us sleep together nicely?”

“Uh, no…”

Dorothy didn’t want Alice in the bed, but she couldn’t just dismiss Isaac’s wishes on her own.

Dorothy laid back down.

Once Isaac was asleep, Dorothy’s courage and desire resurfaced. She subtly moved closer to his side, hugged him, and comfortably closed her eyes.

[Meow? Meoow!]

At some point, the Phantom Cat Cheshire, had gone back from the bathroom after washing up.

The Phantom Cat, wearing only a white towel, stepped out of the bathroom and then his eyes sparkled upon seeing the white cat familiar, Ella.

[Ella, my love! It’s been a while!]

[Kyaa!]

The Phantom Cat passionately cried out and rushed toward her, and Ella panicked and quickly reversed her summoning. She quickly fled from the Phantom Cat’s unsightly appearance.

The Phantom Cat stopped mid-air and sighed dejectedly.

[Ellaaa!]

“Cheshire, go see Ella next time. I’m going to wash up too.”

Alice went into the bathroom to wash up.

With no spare robe left, Alice wrapped a towel around her body and came out of the bathroom. Thinking it was a rare opportunity, she decided to wear the shirt of Isaac’s uniform.

It was considerably large and baggy for her frame, making pants unnecessary.

“Ah.”

A thought crossed Alice’s mind and she closed her eyes and sniffed the sleeve.

“Baby’s scent…”

A faint blush rose on Alice’s cheeks, a mix of excitement and satisfaction.

On the bed, Isaac and Dorothy were sound asleep. By now, the Phantom Cat had also fallen asleep on top of the covered Isaac.

Its round belly rose and fell with its breaths. A single tear rolled down its cheek, belonging to a pitiful suitor.

Alice unconsciously chuckled. She considered reversing the Phantom Cat’s summon for a moment but decided against it. Somehow, this scene was quite pleasing to her.

She then dimmed the light in the room. The room was filled with shadows and moonlight. Alice then climbed onto the bed, lying next to Isaac, on the opposite side of Dorothy.

She could see Isaac’s side profile. Alice gently caressed his cheek.

It was oddly miraculous how this man in front of her had drastically twisted the trajectory of her life.

She had received an immeasurable favor from this man, one that was difficult to repay.

“Hmm…”

Suddenly, she recalled a conversation she had shared with Isaac.

Isaac liked many women, he was a bit of a lady-killer. But as an Elemental King, it wasn’t strange for him to have multiple wives or even dozens. It would have been odd if he hadn’t.

So, what should she do now that Isaac was firmly placed in her heart?

Alice’s conclusion was simple. To capture Isaac’s affection, to become his top priority over any other woman.

It seemed Isaac was putting off having proper relationships due to his deep intent to defeat the Evil God, so there were still many opportunities.

Alice quietly smiled, hugged Isaac closer than Dorothy, and closed her eyes.

“Thank you, Baby. Sweet dreams.”

And with that, Alice fell soundly asleep.

***

The night was filled with stars, as if sugar had been sprinkled across the sky.

In one of the training buildings at Märchen Academy, the lights were still on.

The wind howled. A blond man, his hair blowing in the wind, repelled demonic illusion after demonic illusion as they charged at him.

His body was drenched in sweat. His breathing was rough, and his clothes and skin were caked in dirt.

“Ugh…!”

Tristan Humphrey bent over, retching. But he gritted his teeth and once again summoned his wind magic.

“Not yet…”

He could still hold on. Tristan continued training late into the night.

He had reduced his sleeping hours. He had also cut down the time he spent boasting to his subordinates.

He spent more time training.

These days were hard, but remembering Isaac reigning supreme in the sky during the incident with the Student Council President, he couldn’t just stand by.

At that time, Tristan could only stare in awe at Isaac’s true form.

“Damn it, kugh…!”

He thought that Isaac had come from the bottom.

That was why he secretly admired Isaac.

Having blossomed his talents in a harsh environment, he couldn’t help but respect him.

That guy… turned out to be a rare archwizard.

Isaac had already reached heights Tristan could never achieve in this lifetime.

His efforts, their sparring, all of it was a mere facade.

The Nameless Hero had been playing the role of “Isaac, the Academy’s Weakest who triumphed over every obstacle that came his way through sheer human effort”.

He must have had his reasons for doing so. Tristan understood that. After all, making Isaac his goal was nothing but his own ego.

Thus, Tristan had to swallow his directionless anger and immerse himself in training. He wouldn’t be able to contain it if he didn’t.

“Haa, haa…”

After defeating all the demonic illusions, Tristan looked down at the ground, gasping for air. He was in pain, he felt like his limbs were about to fall off.

He wiped his bloody nose, a side-effect of mana depletion.

Logically, it wasn’t a big deal.

Under the protection of the archwizard Isaac, graduating from Märchen Academy safely would solve everything.

Removing the absurd goal of surpassing Isaac from his mind and setting a new realistic goal would clear all his problems.

I can’t do that.

Yet, Tristan had no intention of yielding.

Changing a goal once would surely lead to a cycle of settling for less.

Such reversals would tarnish the times of training and dreams of becoming an archwizard he had built. He couldn’t allow it until his deathbed.

“That damn Elemental King…”

Tristan swung his wind magic irritably and exited the training area.

He resolved to train to death until the semester’s end and then challenge Isaac to a duel.

There were things he earnestly wanted to ask.

Facing the truly powerful Isaac seemed like it could clear his clouded mind.

It was now /genesisforsaken