[“At 11:30 PM last night, an extremely cruel group of terrorists attacked the floating night train traveling from Avril to Flaren, resulting in a large-scale tragedy with 264 deaths…”

  “According to the relevant investigations, it has been almost confirmed that the perpetrators of the incident are a new emerging rebel group. Through various historical records, we are certain that these evil wrongdoers, who call themselves ‘Wings of the Firmament,’ commonly employ such cruel and bloody methods against innocent civilians.”

  “For this reason, we have reason to believe that this attack was also their doing. Next, a live broadcast from the scene of the attack..."]

  As expected, the Nomeka news channel was broadcasting the terrifying attack from the previous night that completely destroyed an entire carriage of the floating train.

  The images on the television, captured by cameras from different angles, showed in detail the deplorable and twisted state of the carriages, with the metal hole made by Nisha visible on the screen.

  Perhaps in the deep darkness of the night, the scene didn’t seem so horrifying, but now, under clearer observation, Alice realized just how powerful Nisha’s strength was, he had forcefully torn a massive hole in a train carriage!

  Sure, in addition to observing the "work" of her little ghost, the rest of the report made no sense at all to the girl who was eating her scrambled eggs. After all, the official Nomeka news channel was nothing more than a tangle of lies trying to shift the blame onto anyone.

  "Wings of the Firmament?"

  "What the hell is that?"

  Alice didn’t know if this supposed rebel group, classified as a “terrorist organization,” really attacked civilians with brutal methods, but she was absolutely certain that those who attacked her the previous night were a legitimate regular army, not a bunch of terrorists.

  After all, to prepare for that battle, her enemies had gone so far as to mobilize an airborne battleship! And what destroyed the floating train wasn’t a “thermal bomb,” but rather a direct naval artillery bombardment!

  Therefore, just from this report, it was already clear that these “news channels” speaking on behalf of the noble rulers were completely unreliable. All they did was make up excuses to keep the people in the dark, never revealing the truth. And, moreover, Alice’s name wasn’t even on the empire’s wanted list...

  As for Dr. Elock’s death, the news hadn’t even caused a ripple in this vast world....

  “Maybe the Royal Court of Astralis wants to keep the existence of the ‘Entropist’ a secret? Maybe even those idiot nobles realize that openly hunting down a little girl would raise suspicions? Or maybe... this apparent ‘loose search’ is just a way to make me lower my guard... damn, it’s impossible to understand.”

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  Even after reviewing the wanted list three times in a row and confirming that her name wasn’t there, Alice didn’t feel the slightest bit relieved.

  She might be na?ve, but she wasn’t foolish. She didn’t even need to think much to know that if the Royal Court of Astralis was capable of mobilizing a floating battleship just to capture an “Entropist,” then they definitely wouldn’t give up just because of a “minor setback.”

  This apparent calm could very well be the harbinger of an impending storm. It was highly possible that, at this very moment, a new and more powerful army was already gathering at the gates of Flaren.

  She needed to stay alert, even if Nisha hadn’t detected any imminent danger yet, still...

  Clack!

  The sharp and distinct sound of a lock being turned broke the silence of the living room. Alice, who had barely taken a few bites of her scrambled eggs, almost jumped in shock.

  During the desperate escape the previous night, on the verge of death, she had developed an excellent sense of alertness, and now, any abnormal sound triggered an automatic impulse to shout, “Nisha, protect me!”

  Of course, upon seeing the silhouette entering through the door, the girl took a deep breath and held back her scream in time, remembering that she was at Thalia’s house, and the sound of the key turning must have meant that Thalia had returned.

  “...”

  “So... I asked to leave two lessons early saying I had a stomach ache... is that alright with you, Alice?”

  Seeing the girl alone in the room staring at her as if she were an enemy, Thalia didn’t even have the courage to take off her shoes upon entering.

  But soon, she realized she had startled a highly alert little girl, so after carefully closing the door, Thalia, the kind partner of the “magic girl,” hurriedly waved and apologized:

  “Sorry, sorry, I forgot to tell you it was me entering... But don’t worry, those stupid guards will never figure out that you’re here. My house is totally safe... It’s just that, today, I couldn’t buy better medicine. No matter what I said, the pharmacy attendants simply refused to sell me controlled medications.”

  It seemed that after leaving school early, Thalia had gone to try to buy medicine for Alice. But she clearly hadn’t expected the pharmacy staff to refuse to fill the request of a simple elementary school student.

  After facing a bunch of suspicious looks, Thalia returned empty-handed...

  I have to admit, seeing Thalia’s dusty and tired state, Alice truly felt a bit moved.

  She could imagine that little girl, wholeheartedly trying to help her, running from pharmacy to pharmacy, one by one, even though she got nothing in the end.

  “It’s alright, Thalia. Don’t forget I’m a ‘magic girl,’ remember? Look, in just one night, my injury is almost healed!”

  With great sincerity, Alice pulled up her sleeve to show the girl who was a bit disheartened. In the end, she even thought it was good that Thalia hadn’t gotten the medicine, as it would have been a waste of money on something that wasn’t needed anymore.

  And of course, seeing Alice’s shoulder, which had been bloodied and torn the night before, now clean and intact as if nothing had happened, Thalia was visibly surprised and delighted.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine that she had spent the entire day worrying about Alice’s injury.

  “That’s... amazing! Ifa, the magic girl, takes at least one or two episodes to heal... but you managed to recover in just one night! Alice, you must be a much more powerful magic girl than Ifa, for sure!”

  Well... seeing yet another “special ability” of Alice, Thalia seemed even more convinced of her belief. The way she spoke was exactly that of a devoted fan idolizing her favorite star.

  Now, it was Alice’s turn to feel a little embarrassed...

  “This is all thanks to Nisha, actually, it has nothing to do with me... If I get a chance... I’d better explain this to her properly.”