A chat group where you switch bodies with Alicia at the start?

Page 165

"..."

Please don't stay silent! I'm really panicking!

Looking at the silent Aponia, Alicia felt like a groundhog screaming wildly inside.

Oh no, we've run into a tough opponent.

Just as the fat lady was feeling uneasy.

Aponia, who usually doesn't show much expression, has finally undergone a change.

She covered her mouth slightly and laughed out loud.

...This is probably the first time I can remember being called "older sister" by Alicia.

Chapter 155 You wicked Jiang Qiao! You've come up with this trick right in front of me!

Looking at the sanatorium bustling with activity again, Aponia smiled sincerely, then walked to the pink-clad girl near the wall and softly thanked her, "Thank you for your help, Miss Alicia."

"You're welcome. I'm happy to help others as much as I can."

"If you're done with your work, then we should get down to business."

Hearing those somewhat serious words, Aponia sighed softly and nodded:

"Please speak, Miss Alicia."

Although it's still unclear what the "Moth Chasing Fire" that Jiang Qiao mentioned actually is, just from the inhuman methods she displayed in front of the Apocalypse Church, anyone could tell that this girl named Alicia was no ordinary person.

And her target seemed to be herself—that was what Aponia’s intuition told her.

"Let me first explain the concept of Honkai to you..."

【Alicia】speaks softly, her gaze falling on the faces of the children who have regained their laughter—the Herrscher's keen eyesight and sensitivity to Honkai energy allow her to easily sense the traces of Honkai on those individuals.

The world is not only filled with massive disasters like the Great Collapse, but also with countless smaller Collapses. According to the information he obtained from MEI, the Eastern European region where Twilight Street is located has become a frequent area for smaller Collapses since the Third Great Collapse. Previously, due to the scale of the Collapse, Moth Chaser mainly focused its efforts on the Asia-Pacific region, and its attention to this area was somewhat limited.

Honkai disease... At this point, Aponia was already taking in those patients.

While explaining the concept of collapse to Aponia, Jiang Qiao understood the situation perfectly as she observed the patients.

That's pretty much it.

Shortly after the fifth Great Collapse, Qianjie, whose whereabouts were unknown, ended up in Twilight City. Soon after, a Great Collapse broke out in the Twilight City area, which was investigated by the Fire Moths—Qianjie and Aponia were also taken back by Sakura.

Although the timeline doesn't match up at all—the third Great Collapse of Changkong City, according to the original timeline, wouldn't have occurred until at least one or two years after the second Great Collapse—considering what he did in Changkong City, and the subsequent Herrscher of Domination and Herrscher of Wind... if the Herrscher of Domination was born before the Fourth Herrscher, then the current Herrscher of Wind is actually the true Fifth Herrscher of the Mountain.

It matches! It matches perfectly.

"Is this really what the world is like?"

Although she appeared incredibly calm and collected, and indeed she was, no matter how receptive Aponia was to new things, as an ordinary person, she couldn't help but be somewhat surprised and lost in thought after learning about the existence of 'Honkai'.

A moment later, regaining her senses, she looked at the patients she had taken in, a sorrowful expression on her face, and murmured listlessly:

"It seems I've done something bad again."

Of course, the secrets revealed by Jiang Qiao inevitably involve the concept of 'Honkai disease'.

The truth about the 'Honkai Disease' is like a bolt from the blue for Aponia right now.

After all, she took in these homeless people with terminal illnesses out of kindness.

But this is definitely not doing any good deeds.

Although Honkai disease is not highly contagious, it is still somewhat infectious. When it reaches a certain scale, it greatly increases the probability of Honkai occurring in a region, or even directly triggers Honkai.

The tragedy of Twilight Street can be said to have been caused by Aponia's kindness.

She took in those patients, which resulted in healthy children contracting terminal illnesses and becoming targets of purging. Even the residents of the sanatorium in Twilight Street who regularly helped the family lost their lives in this undeserved disaster.

Although Aponia has not yet reached that end, the 'precognition' ability that she only gained after merging with the 'Midoro's' genes seems to have already shown signs when she was still an ordinary person.

After learning the true nature of the 'Honkai Disease', she seemed to have foreseen that future.

A deep sense of guilt welled up within her—her good intentions had brought about such a terrible outcome. She felt no disgust or hatred towards those she had helped; all she felt was the guilt she had inflicted upon herself.

Burdened with sin, all she could think about was redemption—Aponia instinctively wanted to do something to atone for her sins, but she quickly fell into a state of helpless confusion.

What is she supposed to do? No matter how much she seeks redemption, it seems that all she brings is worse and worse results.

A profound sense of powerlessness welled up from her limbs and bones, causing her to slump to the ground, like someone about to drown—even breathing became difficult.

At this moment, Aponia felt even more desperate than when she was being burned at the stake.

At least the heat and pain from the flames could bring her a moment of peace, serving as a kind of 'punishment' to judge the sins she had committed—no matter how insignificant they seemed to Aponia.

A wave of guilt washed over her, causing the kind nun's shoulders to tremble uncontrollably. But before this despairing feeling could spread, a pair of delicate hands grasped her trembling hands. When she looked up, she saw a pink-clad girl who had somehow appeared and sat down in front of her. The girl held her hands and gave her a sweet smile that was incredibly reassuring.

Without needing many words, the girl who called herself 'Alicia' seemed to be saying, "It's okay, I'm here."

The reassuring feeling made Aponia's gradually dormant heart beat again, as if it had been injected with new vitality.

Like a ray of hope, it once again dispelled despair from its surroundings.

It may sound a little ridiculous, but Aponia, who came from a choir, didn't actually believe in any so-called gods. Even though she seemed so devout, she couldn't hide her rebellious spirit against fate and her impulse to change the unfortunate fate of others.

but--

Looking at the girl in front of me, I felt her warmth, which was no different from that of an ordinary person.

Aponia would think.

If there really are gods... perhaps they are right before our eyes, right now.

Like a magical girl's wand, it's a slender, exquisitely crafted, snow-white longsword... well, judging from its size, it might look more like a toy.

However, this rapier, which [Alicia] holds like a toy, has a more accurate name—White Flower.

Unlike the previous Judah's Oath Chains, which only partially revealed the 'truth' by binding Wendy, Jiang Qiao, upon encountering Durandal, would certainly not miss the opportunity to analyze the incredibly useful 'Black Abyss White Flower' Divine Key.

With the complete analytical blueprint, although the portion of the cub's power of truth in hand was completely insufficient to manifest a complete Divine Key, it was still easy to construct a high-quality replica of the Divine Key commonly used by the Herrscher of Reason lineage.

"While it's not perfect, this level is sufficient." [Alicia] chuckled softly, gently waving a white flower that resembled a magic wand.

The power of the Origin can only handle problems at the Honkai level, but what about this white flower that possesses the power of creation...?

"Heave-ho~ Don't blink, the fairy's magic is about to begin?"

Calling to the children, the pink-clad girl, surrounded by them, waved her magic wand and lightly tapped it in the air.

The next moment, a vibrant atmosphere filled the entire open space of the sanatorium.

Fragrant flowers bloom in profusion, which is unimaginable in the pre-civilization era as winter approaches, even though the streets of Dusk Street are snowless all year round.

"Hey~"

The trees planted in the courtyard have been revitalized, and the vines that have grown have even formed a cradle swing woven from vines.

Pado, who was playing with the children, watched this scene with astonishment, and stammered:

"Wow, this is amazing! Sister Ellie...you wouldn't happen to be one of those fairy gods from the books, would you?"

The cat was both scared and excited when it said that.

What I fear is that the person I stole from is such a powerful being—if they have a bad temper, wouldn't I be left with nothing if I got caught?

No, no—from now on I must be more selective! I need to keep my eyes peeled!

Pado, still feeling terrified at the thought, secretly resolved to remain as cautious as possible.

What excites them, of course, is that the person they're following is actually so awesome.

Wouldn't that make me look like a little cow bragging and instantly soaring to the sky?!

With such a powerful boss protecting me, wouldn't I be able to do whatever I want when I get to that Moth of Fire?

Hehe, then I can take a nap whenever I want, and eat as many apples and candies as I want!

Even... Sister Aili is so amazing, maybe she can get some super, super good stuff!

The cat, addicted to buying goods, couldn't help but drool at the thought of such a scene.

Sensing the cat's delusions, Alicia raised a finger and said earnestly:

"How could that be? You have to believe in science, Phyllis. There are no gods in this world."

"Of course, there are fairies too, you know?"

The tone suddenly changed, and the girl blinked, looking quite mischievous.

Then, he looked at Aponia and said softly:

"Alright, all your worries have been taken care of. Now, say goodbye to everyone at the sanatorium properly."

"...Is it... all better now?"

Aponia glanced at the children in the sanatorium with some surprise, while [Alicia] simply smiled and waved the 'White Flower' brand magic wand in her hand:

"Hmm~ Fairy magic is really amazing, isn't it?"

The sanatorium did not belong to Aponia; she was merely a 'caregiver' there.