Six Maiden-puppets of varying beauty were pinned mercilessly against the ground, their bodies tightly bound by coils of stark white thorns.
The crushing pressure cracked the pavement beneath them. No matter how they struggled, the puppets couldn't free themselves from this sudden, overwhelming force.
One of them, a doll with the character for 'scythe' emblazoned on the black cloth covering her face, felt magical energy surge within her, channeling it towards her internal magical circuits.
She would have teleported to her master's side in an instant... if not for the thorns.
The magical energy flowing into her circuits seemed to be siphoned away by something, draining completely from her body.
She stared at the white thorns constricting her, a look of horror dawning on her features.
These thorns could absorb magical energy, and they were doing it faster than their master could supply it!
"Now, now, don't struggle," Kirakishou tilted her head, her face still wearing an innocent smile. Even after obtaining a physical body, her ability to drain magical energy remained.
She spoke to the pinned dolls in a cheerful tone, "Unless you don't mind if something happens to your master."
Hearing this, all six dolls looked up simultaneously.
The next instant, their struggles ceased completely.
In less than a second, their master had already been checkmated.
Magnus's eyes widened, his pupils contracting sharply as he stared at the rapier and gardening shears pressed against his neck.
He had been watching the battle intently, yet he still couldn't process how these two dolls had appeared before him so suddenly.
Could their sheer speed mimic the effects of short-range spatial translocation?
Gasps erupted from the surrounding students.
None of them had clearly seen what just happened.
All they knew was that the strongest student in their school, the top-ranked 'First', had been defeated in a blink.
Suigintou, hovering in the air, for once wasn't wearing her usual haughty smile. Her expression was blank as she held the rapier, glancing sideways out of the corner of her eye at Souseiseki.
The fact that Souseiseki could match her speed posed a slight threat in her mind.
Souseiseki, meanwhile, was wholly focused on sensing the magical energy and power flowing within her new body.
Alice, this is amazing.
The typically stoic doll allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.
Despite the brief confrontation, Alice's expression hadn't changed in the slightest.
She maintained her usual detached demeanor, walking forward as if nothing had happened at all.
Walking beside her, Charlotte was struggling to suppress the grin threatening to spread across her face, forcing herself to maintain the same casual expression as before.
She never doubted Alice would win, but she hadn't expected such an overwhelming victory.
Up ahead, Shinku, with Suiseiseki in tow, moved aside the puppets blocking Alice's path.
Tap… tap… tap…
The sound of Alice's footsteps drew closer to Magnus, who narrowed his eyes slightly.
The distance between them closed. The watching students, and even Magnus himself, held their breath, expecting Alice to do something.
Tap.
Alice's footsteps passed directly by Magnus.
As if he were merely an object by the roadside, Alice paid him no mind, passing him by with light, unhurried steps.
As the distance between them grew, Suigintou and Souseiseki withdrew their weapons, leisurely following behind Alice.
The gravitational pressure pinning the 'One-man Force' puppets vanished, though the mischievous white thorns gave them one final tug forward before dissipating.
Calm returned to the pathway.
The six puppets on the ground didn't rise immediately; the magical energy within them had been completely drained.
Kirakishou swung her legs happily, gently tucking a blooming white rose behind Charlotte's ear.
It was a flower formed from the magical energy she had just absorbed. Since it was someone else's energy, Kirakishou hadn't consumed any of it, instead letting the thorns blossom.
She didn't want traces of another's magic lingering near Alice, so she gifted the flower to Charlotte.
"Is this for me?" Charlotte's eyes widened slightly, a happy note in her voice.
"Mh-hm."
To better fit in at the mansion, Charlotte had made some effort to communicate with the other dolls.
But her interactions with Kirakishou had been particularly sparse.
Kirakishou was almost always with Alice, and Charlotte rarely found an opportunity to talk to her.
Even when they did speak, it was mostly meaningless small talk.
So, receiving a gift from Kirakishou, Charlotte accepted it with genuine delight.
A cheerful atmosphere settled among the girls again.
The atmosphere around Magnus was starkly different. He looked at his fallen puppets ahead and stood silently in place.
A few seconds later, without turning his head, he spoke to the figure walking away behind him. "New student. What is your name?"
His words hung in the air, met with no response.
Alice, as if she hadn't even heard his question, continued walking quietly into the distance.
She gently stroked Kirakishou's small cheek, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. "Naughty."
Kirakishou let out a happy giggle, nuzzling against Alice's palm.
In the distance, Robin flew slowly towards them. From his unique vantage point, he had perfectly recorded the powerful and beautiful image Alice presented.
Just as he returned to the group, thoroughly satisfied, Suigintou immediately accosted him with a fierce glare.
"You're still on about that?!" Robin frantically flapped his wings, ready to make another escape.
"Of course!" Suigintou spat viciously. "You humiliated me in front of Shinku. You think I'd let that slide so easily?"
With that, she swung the flat of her blade, aiming to swat him.
"Gyahhh!!" Robin dodged with difficulty.
Their figures gradually receded into the distance, viewed through the awestruck eyes of the distant students.
Magnus's puppets slowly rose, gathering around him.
This school is about to get much more interesting.
He thought to himself, paused for a few more seconds, then resumed walking.
--+--
"Alice, you were amazing," Charlotte gushed, barely any distance away, her smile finally breaking free. "Thank you~"
"Are you satisfied so easily? You won't have my help during the Night Party." Alice's flat tone made Charlotte's smile vanish instantly.
Charlotte lowered her head slightly. "I know that."
Of course she understood. The battles in the coming Night Party would be hers alone.
During the earlier skirmish, she hadn't just been celebrating; she'd been diligently searching for any weakness in Magnus's setup.
She had found none.
Just as she was sinking into frustration, Alice spoke again.
"Your choice earlier, not to seek him out directly, was correct."
Charlotte looked up, puzzled.
"His puppets… they are all Banned Dolls."
So-called 'Banned Dolls' are things that use human organs as components. While the school had no explicit rule against them, they violated magus ethical codes.
But it was just a violation. No one really enforced it.
Otherwise, reporting him to the authorities would have been a valid path.
And… judging by the strength of those puppets, the components inside them weren't made from ashes or corpses.
They were using the organs of living humans.
Moreover, the organs inside them were still 'alive'.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.