15 Philrain

"I'm gonna kill her…"

After seeing the thing standing up while biting her teeth, the thing that was leaning against the wall with his arms folded spoke up.

"Wait."

"I'm gonna kill her in the most gruesome way in the world… I'm gonna kill her!"

The thing with folded arms said quietly to the old woman's screaming voice that sounded like metal rubbing together.

"I said wait. It's not your turn next. In the proper order, the next one is…"

"It's me."

The one who had been smoking a cigar stated in a cool tone and puffed on the smoke. The thing with the voice of an old woman screeched out.

"Change the order! I'm the one killing the most people!"

"It doesn't matter. Order is order."

When the thing with the cigar mentioned this, the two children's voices burst into a chuckle.

"What's so funny!"

The thing with folded arms remarked to the hysterical, screaming old woman's voice.

"The law is absolute. Are you going to defy it?"

"…"

Gritting her teeth, the old woman's voice fell silent. The cigar-twirling thing let out a puff of smoke and landed on the floor.

"Where did the Hatter get killed?"

"From the sensation, presumably near the White Queen's castle."

The thing with the folded arms told him, which he answered with a nod.

"I see. Then I shall inform the White Queen and kill the new Alice."

"Don't keep it all to yourself, Humpty."

The thing called Humpty, told by a child's voice, picked up the cigar in his mouth and crushed the fire with a sizzling sound with his fingertips.

"Well, we'll see about that…"

◇

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Alice opened her eyes to a rumble, a thudding sound like a train in motion. Her body was swaying faintly; her head was burning hot.

Alice coughed slightly and heard a voice saying, "Angel's awake!".

Multiple footsteps swarmed around the bed where she was resting in a frenzy of footsteps. Surgical suits, goggles, and masks were donned by all of them. One of them burst out laughing, much to Alice's astonishment.

"… That was a disaster. I heard about the situation from the man who accompanied you. We're the medical team. How many fingers do you see here?"

He lifted three fingers and slowly waved them in front of Alice.

"T-Three…"

With a small reply, the masked men nodded and operated the equipment at hand.

"The contamination level is within safe parameters."

"Esper's index fixed. Spatial adherence rate is in the clear."

"Any reaction from the Nightmare?"

"None within a hundred-kilometer radius."

Alice raised her body, anxiously eyeing the men as they spoke. Raffi was curled up at the foot of the bed. He was apparently asleep.

"Um…"

When Alice discovered that her blood-stained garments had been replaced into clean ones, her cheeks flushed slightly. Even the abrasions on her legs and arms were neatly bandaged.

One of the men scratched his head as he observed Alice, who had covered her body with a handful of blankets.

"Ah… I'm sorry. We weren't the ones who changed your clothes or performed the procedure. We were operating on the man you were with a moment ago."

Hearing this, Alice placed her hand over her mouth and raised her voice.

"Where's Jack! Is he okay?"

"He's quite severely wounded, but not life-threatening. He has a large piece of metal in his right leg. Once we get him back to the dome and perform the proper treatment, he should be able to walk again soon."

She patted her chest in relief. Then there was a knock on the door. One of the men pressed a switch to open the door, inviting in the person who was standing outside.

"Let me introduce you, Angel. This is Philrain, the priestess who will be attending to your personal needs for the time being."

When she slid her gaze around, she found a small girl standing there, carrying a tray of food in her hands. The priestess, as the girl was called… Philrain, smiled gently and lowered her head.

"Angel, my name is Philrain. Please call me Phil."

She was a girl with pure white, shiny silver hair. Her eyes were slightly red. Her height was nearly identical to Alice's… and her age was twelve or thirteen… but in any case, she was a small child.

Philrain gave a quick glimpse at Raffi, who was asleep at Alice's feet, before dropping her gaze and placing the tray on the bedside table as if nothing had occurred.

"Sorry for the delay. We're in an underground train traveling to the eighth shelter. We were stationed nearby and received a request for rescue and rushed over. It will still take five full days to reach the dome. There's no sign of Nightmare. I hope you'll stay here and rest for a while."

One of the men said, and Philrain bowed her head and stood by Alice's side.

"I will be looking after you. Please let me know if there is any service I can render."

"I thought it would be better if you had a female companion, so she is handling your care and dressing. You may order her to do as you please."

The man in the surgical suit told her, and Alice nodded, perplexed, and looked up at Philrain. She was a strikingly beautiful girl. Her long silver hair was tied up close to her waist. Alice stared at her briefly and then with a start said.

"Please let me see Jack."

When she uttered this, the men exchanged glances as if they were troubled. One of them shook his head apologetically.

"He's still under anesthesia. He can't be expected to communicate, and he's in a special treatment room on the train. It would be better to meet him once he has been properly treated at the dome."

Alice suppressed the words she was beginning to speak and nodded her head. After a short explanation of the daily necessities, the men left the room. When she had caught her breath, Philrain smiled and settled down beside Alice.

"Are you okay? Angel. You seem to be rather tired."

"When asked, Alice pressed her fingers to the corners of her eyes and uttered a weak voice.

"Yeah… my head hurts…"

"I'll bring you the medicine. Please wait a moment."

Philrain said and rose to her feet. Then Raffi by her feet opened his eyes and gazed up at her with his red eyes. His expression turned slightly grim. While fumbling around in the cupboard, Philrain said with her back facing him.

"Well, please don't be hostile. Mr. Kitten. They might sense you."