Chapter 239 – Group Tour?

After returning from the catkins' and dogkins' settlements, Alice quickly decided on her next actions.

There was still half a month until the comic convention in the Rhine Kingdom.
There were plenty of things Alice could do during this half a month.
For example, she could visit the demon realm.

The reason Alice had decided to visit the demon realm was also very simple.
Firstly, she was going to follow Andusia's instructions and visit the residence of the previous generation's Demon King.
Essentially, she would be going to Demon King Castle to see if Grant had collected the taboos left behind by past Demon Kings.

The taboos developed by these past Demon Kings could help Alice in recasting “I Was Wrong,” which would, in turn, allow her to research and use it without having to suffer social death.

Secondly, there were nine items carrying the Demon King's Power's aura in the demon realm.
Among them, one was located in Demon King Castle.
Demon King Castle had been strengthened by two Demon Kings using the Demon King's Power.
Hence, it was normal for it to have the Demon King's Power's mana signature.
However, even if she set the castle aside, there were still eight more items carrying the Demon King's Power's aura in the demon realm.

Alice was thinking of picking up one or two of these items while visiting the demon realm.
Going by her estimates, most of these eight mana signatures should belong to tools created using the Demon King's Power's essence, like Andusia's I Was Wrong.
So, they should more or less be useful to her.

Thirdly, Alice was the current generation's Demon King on paper.
Even if she wasn't actually the Demon King, she still needed to keep up appearances in front of the demons.
Meanwhile, it'd be strange for the Demon King not to return to the demon realm for a visit after leaving for such a long time.

Thus, Alice decided it was best to visit the demon realm to avoid creating any unnecessary suspicions.
She could also use this opportunity to visit the Four Heavenly Kings and Heris, the first friend she made after arriving in the demon realm.

Lastly, she could research the source of the demon realm's pollution.
Although her mastery over Psychokinesis Transcendence hadn't reached a level where she could analyze laws in-depth, it wouldn't hurt to try.
Even if she failed to come up with any results, she could simply try again once her mastery over Psychokinesis Transcendence improved in the future.

“Huh? Are you taking leave again?” It hadn't been long since Alice had returned to the academy.
Yet, she was already asking for leave again.
This situation caused Zauna, Alice's roommate, to feel slightly upset.
Hence, while playing with Andusia, Zauna pouted and complained, “It seems you're getting busier and busier recently, huh, Alice?”

“I can't help it.
I am the Hero, after all… It's normal for me to be a little busy.
But I won't be busy for too long.
Things should calm down in a month or so…probably,” Alice said, giving Zauna a rough estimate of how long it would take her to complete her current plans.

According to Alice's current plans, she would spend the next two weeks or so in the demon realm.
Then, once she returned, she would head for the comic convention in the Rhine Kingdom, get “Blonde Twintails” to sneak her into the Royal Magic Tower, and investigate who was using Prince Etoria's name to contact the demons.

By her estimates, the trip to the Rhine Kingdom should also last for around two weeks.
So, combined with her trip to the demon realm, she should be away from the March Academy for around a month.
Once she had dealt with these matters, she should be able to return to the March Academy and focus on studying magic and researching the demon realm's mana.

Of course, these were only her plans.
Alice was well aware that plans often couldn't keep up with changes.
It was entirely possible for her to come across an unexpected situation that would lead to her extending the duration of her operation this time.
Hence, Alice dared not make any promises.

“A month, is it… I guess that's okay.
Lalu has constantly been complaining about not seeing you recently,” Zauna said, nodding.
She understood Alice's current situation.
As the Hero, Alice must be running around to prepare for her confrontation with the Demon King.
Even so, there were still some things she felt that she should say as Alice's friend.
“Lalu also wants me to tell you not to forget about your promise to her.”

My promise to Lalu? Alice was briefly stunned.
However, she quickly recalled her promise to bring Lalu on exciting adventures in the future.
Of course,

With the elves' strict lifestyles, Lalu must've been subjected to a lot of restrictions when she was living in the elven village.
So, it was normal for her to develop some rebelliousness.
In reality, if it wasn't for her trip to the demon realm potentially involving dangerous situations, Alice would have considered taking Lalu to the demon realm.

After all, with the elves' less-than-friendly relationship with the demons, the elven village must have prohibited all elves from setting foot into the demon realm.
If Alice brought Lalu to the demon realm, it should be enough to satisfy the loli elf's curious heart.

Uh… Should I have the Four Heavenly Kings look after her for me?

Alice originally did not intend to take Lalu to the demon realm.
However, after this thought surfaced in her mind, she suddenly felt that it might not be too much of a problem to do so after all.

But if I have the Four Heavenly Kings protect Lalu, my identity as the Demon King might get exposed…

However, Alice quickly thought of a solution to this problem.
If having the Four Heavenly Kings protect Lalu would result in her identity as the Demon King getting exposed, all she needed to do was have them disguise themselves.
Not much information was available on the Four Heavenly Kings.
Even on the internet, the only information available on the Four Heavenly Kings were their genders and general description.
There wasn't even a picture of their faces circulating on the internet.

Although the upper echelons of the elven village most likely knew what the Four Heavenly Kings looked like, Lalu wasn't part of the elven village's upper echelons.
Hence, it was unlikely for Lalu to know what the Four Heavenly Kings looked like.
So long as the Four Heavenly Kings disguised themselves, Lalu's safety shouldn't be a problem even if Alice was absent from her side.

After all, the Four Heavenly Kings' strength went without saying.
They were the strongest demons after the Demon King.
In fact, there was even a Hero mixed in among the Four Heavenly Kings of this generation.
Alice would be very speechless if Lalu still came into an accident with such a security detail protecting her.

But since I'm bringing Lalu with me, should I drag Zauna along as well?

“By the way, Zauna… Are you interested in visiting the demon realm with me?”

“Huh? The demon realm?”

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Alice's words stunned Zauna, her hands subconsciously pulling Andusia's arms apart and causing Andusia to nearly break her silence.
Although such a gentle tug wasn't enough to cause Andusia any physical pain, it was still uncomfortable to be subjected to such treatment.

At this time, Luna, who was cleaning the dormitory with a broom, paused her actions and looked at Andusia pitifully.
As someone who also used to be the Demon King's Power's host, Luna suddenly felt that she had met with a much more fortunate fate.