Polaris External Zone #1

"Vin… cent?"

I slightly turned my gaze behind me to find our good old friend standing there. In her hand was a bloodied knife.

"Alice," I said. "You're here. Take a seat. We have this place for ourselves now."

Alice's gaze went to the cat and the slime before she took a seat.

She seemed to be a bit shaken from the event before. Or was that not the case? I would have expected her to look more dazed. Yet, she only stared at me.

She took heavy, long breaths.

"What happened?"

"A week's wait was too long. We would lose all advantage by then. Don't worry, you're the first here. We'll have to wait for the rest to finish up."

"T-the first…?" Alice muttered. Her voice trembled a strange amount. Did the trial of Crater shake her that much?

"Vincent, did you, handle all of them yourself?"

"Hm?" I tilted my head. Why was that surprising?