The Tale of Hero Alice's Social Death (Pantsu Hero Alice) Chapter 75 - Troubling the Loli Goddess Again

Are you holding onto black panties as well?

To be honest, when Alice saw the black mist swirling around the king's hand, the first thought that came to her mind was panty-related. Fortunately, this strange thought only appeared in her mind for a moment before disappearing, and she had not spoken her mind. Otherwise, the king would probably think that she suffered from spiritual problems as well.

"Intense dark mana of unknown origins... I see. So, you suspect that this is the Demon King's Power?"

When Alice looked at the black mist enveloping Hatter's hand, she could sense the astonishing mana it carried. She had to admit that this truly resembled the characteristic of the Demon King's Power. Setting aside how difficult it was for someone in the human realm to gain an affinity for dark mana, even if someone managed to get such an affinity, it shouldn't be possible for them to cultivate their dark mana to such an intensity.

Just the mass of dark mana concentrated into the bit of black mist surrounding Hatter's hand had already surpassed the intensity of mana the average magician could obtain in their lifetime. Although there were special methods in this world to transplant mana from one person to another, there was a significant difference between transplanted mana and the mana circulating around Hatter's hand.

"I don't want this to be the Demon King's Power, but based on the current situation, that seems to be the case," Hatter said with a bitter smile. He had no desire to acquire the Demon King's Power whatsoever. "I don't know why the Demon King's Power would attach itself onto me, either."

Unlike the demons, humans did not uphold the principle of "might was right." As one of the human realm's kings, Hatter had no desire to pursue ultimate strength. Thus, rather than being a boon, the Demon King's Power had ended up becoming a huge burden to him.

"Do you hold some sort of resentment toward humans?" Alice asked after giving the matter some thought. According to historical records, past Demon Kings were chosen because of their resentment toward humanity. "Maybe you resent your people for overworking you?"

"I would've just resigned if I found the job too tiresome. Why would I resent the people instead?" Hatter didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard Alice's question. At the same time, he came to realize that while Alice might be the Hero, she was still a little girl at the end of the day. Her thought process was still a little too naive.

"Going by historical records, the candidates the Demon King's Power selects tend to have suffered injustice during childhood and bear hatred to their surrounding people. Moreover, these people would also need to suffer successive setbacks later in life and develop a severe antisocial personality. Lastly, they would need to evolve their hatred into the desire to take revenge on the entire human race. Only after fulfilling all these conditions would the Demon King's Power select them as a Demon King candidate," Hatter explained.

"That sounds quite professional…" Alice blinked in surprise as she listened to Hatter's explanation.

"It is very rare for anyone to develop such a severe antisocial personality and intense hatred for humanity, which is why it could take between several hundred years to over a thousand years for a new Demon King to appear. It should be even more difficult for a Demon King candidate to appear in today's society," Hatter said as he looked at the black mist enveloping his right hand. The next moment, dozens of white magic circles appeared around his hand and suppressed the black mist, forcing the dark mana back into his hand.

"If that's the case, it is indeed unlikely for the Demon King's Power to choose you as a candidate."

Alice caressed her chin as she looked at the magic circles surrounding Hatter's right hand. These magic circles proved that the human realm indeed possessed individuals talented in light magic. These light-attributed magic circles had managed to suppress even the Demon King's Power, after all.

However, judging by how many magic circles were used to suppress the Demon King's Power, these light magicians didn't seem to have very powerful light mana. If the Hero's light mana was equated to the sun, these light magicians' light mana would be equivalent to small candle flames.

"Although I don't know why the Demon King's Power would suddenly attach itself onto me, I have no desire to keep it. Thus, I can only place my hopes on the Hero," Hatter said. After explaining the situation concerning the Demon King's Power, he moved his gaze onto Alice and continued, "Not only does the Hero have the strength to contend against the Demon King's Power, but the Hero should also have the ability to converse with God, right? So, I hope that you can ask God if there is a way to remove the Demon King's Power from my body, Lord Hero."

In reality, there was an easy solution to remove the Demon King's Power from its host, which was to kill the host. Even if its host only suffered a physical death, the Demon King's Power would immediately leave its host. However, Hatter had no desire to die at such a young age. So, he had no choice but to place his hopes on Alice, the new Hero.

"Alright, I'll help you ask about it. However, my advice is that you don't place too much hope on that fellow," Alice said as she massaged her aching temples. When she thought about asking for help from that unreliable Loli Goddess, she couldn't help but think that Hatter had a dark future ahead of him. After all, the Loli Goddess didn't have a way of dealing with the Demon King's Power, either. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sought Alice's help.

However, before asking the Loli Goddess, Alice had another question she wanted to ask.

"By the way, I heard from another source of information that you have sought the help of many spirit magicians and that these magicians would leave the palace with spiritual breakdowns. Is that true?"

"Yes, there is indeed such a case." Hatter nodded. "This is also related to the Demon King's Power. The reason why I am in such a hurry to invite you here is that I can feel the Demon King's Power constantly trying to corrupt my spirit."

"The Demon King's Power is corrupting your spirit?" Alice was a little surprised. She hadn't heard about the Demon King's Power possessing such an ability. The Loli Goddess never mentioned such a thing, either. "Can you tell me in detail?"

"That won't be a problem. It'll help for you to have more information when you converse with God later, anyway," Hatter said, nodding. "I previously mentioned that my supporting magic is spirit magic, right? While I might not have gotten my doctorate on spirit magic, I am still at the graduate level. So, I have a better understanding in this aspect than the average person."

Alice grew a little embarrassed when she heard Hatter's words. She had merely been an ordinary student with average test scores before she transmigrated. Meanwhile, even after she transmigrated, the standard of her intelligence didn't get any better. On the contrary, it had gotten even worse as she became someone with zero knowledge of magic in this world of magic. Yet, despite being a magical dunce, she had gotten to meet the highest authorities of this world, such as the Four Heavenly Kings and the Gryffin Kingdom's kings.

"I didn't think much of it when I first acquired the Demon King's Power. I felt that so long as I didn't use it, it would've essentially meant that I had sealed the Demon King's Power. Looking at it from this perspective, the Demon King's Power attaching itself onto me is a good thing for humanity," Hatter said. Then, he sighed and continued, "However, I quickly realized my mistake when I noticed that the Demon King's Power was corroding my spirit. If I equate a person's spirit as a lake, the Demon King's Power would be equivalent to a highly concentrated poison. After attaching itself onto me, the Demon King's Power began invading my spirit and modifying it, causing me to have violent bouts from time to time."

Speaking up to this point, Hatter shook his head and revealed a dejected expression. Then, he continued, "Although I would do my best to keep myself calm whenever I visit public places, I have found that the effects of my spirit magic are growing weaker and weaker recently. Sometimes, I would even lose myself while handling diplomatic affairs. By now, most of the people in the palace already know that my condition is unstable. Thus, I have sought the help of many spirit magic experts to see if they can help with my problem."

"I see. So they were here to diagnose you," Alice said, nodding. Then, she continued asking, "Does this mean their spiritual breakdown is a result of the Demon King's Power's corruption?"

"No. Every person's spirit is different and cannot be melded together. No matter how much my spirit changes, it is theoretically impossible for it to affect the spirit of others," Hatter said, flexing his knowledge as a professional in spirit magic. "As an example, if my spirit is equated to a lake, the spirit magicians who came to treat me would be swimmers trying to swim in this spiritual lake. Meanwhile, the Demon King's Power would be an external force causing this spiritual lake to grow turbulent."

Alice nodded to express her understanding.

"If a weak swimmer tries to swim in this turbulent lake, they would drown in it. If a powerful swimmer comes in, they, too, might have a risk of drowning," Hatter said, a hint of fear flashing across his eyes as he looked at his right hand. As an expert in the field of spirit magic, he had a much better understanding of how terrifying the Demon King's Power was than most people.

"However, the problem is that none of the magicians I invited have entered my spirit. I merely had them inspect the outermost surface of my spirit. Yet, they still suffered a spiritual breakdown. It's as if a group of healthy swimmers had drowned to death just by looking at a pool from a distance! This is theoretically impossible!"

Your example sounds like a ghost story… Alice inwardly complained. However, while Hatter's example was a little strange, Alice still understood his point. Basically, what the king was trying to say was that, in theory, the spirit magicians shouldn't have suffered any side effects since they were only probing the surface of his spirit.

It was akin to a doctor having his bones broken for no reason after conducting an X-ray scan on a patient with broken bones. It was extremely unscientific. Yet, the Demon King's Power had achieved this feat; it had corrupted the spirits of the spirit magicians, who had tried to diagnose Hatter's situation, even when they did not come into contact with Hatter's spirit.

"It indeed sounds unbelievable. I think I'd better ask God than come to conclusions by myself," Alice said, scratching her head. She still lacked understanding of the Demon King's Power, so she had no choice but to consult the Loli Goddess over this matter.

"It'd be wonderful if you could help me," Hatter said. He felt relieved to hear that Alice was indeed capable of conversing with God. Moreover, if Alice could truly help him take care of the Demon King's Power, he could be almost certain that Alice was the Hero. "However, it's very late already. While this problem is relatively urgent, it isn't something that can be solved overnight. Please get some rest for now. I have already had Luna arrange for your lodgings."

Alice agreed with Hatter's suggestion after thinking it through. The Demon King's Power definitely wasn't something she could take care of immediately after asking the Loli Goddess about it. Since that was the case, she might as well head to her lodgings first before asking the Loli Goddess and making a decision.

Not to mention, Alice couldn't blindly trust Hatter's words. She had no idea what kind of thoughts the king had in his spirit. She needed to discuss her following actions with the Loli Goddess first.