Fortunately or unfortunately, Chris's idea of using the surveillance cameras to uncover the Demon King's true identity ended up being a bust.
While there were indeed many surveillance cameras set up in the mansion district, every one of these cameras operated using mana. Meanwhile, during Alice's battle with Luna, the two of them had, on more than one occasion, attacked using mana far surpassing the limits of humans. This, in turn, overloaded the mana circuits in these cameras and caused them to malfunction.
This didn't mean that these surveillance cameras were easily susceptible to mana interference. In reality, after generations of improvements, most modern magical machinery could mitigate mana interference to a large extent. It was just like how modern electronic devices on Earth wouldn't short circuit simply because some random magnetic field appeared near them.
However, the mana Alice and Luna unleashed was simply too powerful. It was akin to unleashing an EMP blast right next to an electronic device. Under such circumstances, it would take a miracle and a half for the electronic device to survive.
Hence, when Chris contacted the necessary personnel to check the mansion district's surveillance cameras, he only received broken images. Meanwhile, the nearest functioning camera was already a significant distance away from the mansion district. There was no way it could capture anything from such a great distance.
When Alice learned of this news, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. While she wasn't afraid of the Demon King's Power getting captured on camera, she worried that Luna might get dragged into a chain of unfortunate events. However, it would seem that Luna should be able to keep her identity hidden for the moment.
"Here, Alice."
Although Alice's body was in perfect condition, she had still chosen to remain in the hospital for observation for two days at Chris's behest. As for Luna, even though she was the one to have received a fatal wound, she had already resumed her maid duties while in her hospital gown and was currently peeling fruits beside Alice's sickbed.
"Thanks."
Alice cautiously accepted the lilyfruit that looked like an apple but tasted like a pineapple. Although Alice roughly understood why Luna had undergone such an abrupt change in attitude, she still found it awkward to receive such respectful treatment from Luna.
"By the way, what happened to the mind magicians that suffered a mental breakdown because of you? Have they recovered yet?" Alice asked, suddenly thinking of this matter when she looked at Luna's hospital gown.
For the sake of preventing Chris's mental problem from being solved, Luna had attacked every magician that tried to treat him. However, unlike Alice, those mind magicians did not have any immunity against mental interference. In that case, what had become of those mind magicians?
"They'll be fine after a period of rest. My goal was to prevent them from treating King Hatter's mental problem, so I only distorted their minds and put them into a state of chaos," Luna answered. She had studied in the field of mind magic, so she understood this topic very well. "If those mind magicians are really capable of what they say, they should be able to regulate their minds and make a full recovery within two months. Of course, if they are shams, I cannot promise that they will recover. They might fall into an uncontrollable hallucination for a very long period."
How ruthless.
Alice sighed when she saw Luna calmly describe the conditions of those mind magicians. However, before she could say anything, the ward's door opened from the outside, and Catherine, who wore a gloomy expression, walked in with heavy steps. Because of Luna's actions, Catherine had not only forgotten the scene of Alice holding onto a pair of panties, but she had also forgotten how she had lost unconsciousness.
For a warrior who relied on strength to climb to the position of royal guard captain, this situation could be considered a humiliation. Hence, as soon as she woke up in the hospital ward next door, she immediately put on her armor and returned to her duties.
"I'm sorry. I can't remember what happened just now. I just lost consciousness all of a sudden… Maybe it's because I've exhausted myself from training the recruits recently. I've failed to do my job."
"It's fine, it's fine. We are in the capital, so even demons would have difficulty sneaking into here, right? So, it doesn't matter even if you rest for a while," Alice said, awkwardly smiling as she waved her hand. She and Luna were the cause of Catherine's loss of consciousness, so there was no way she would dare to have any opinions. "By the way, Chris told me that you'll be handling my enrolment into the March Royal School of Magic?"
"Yes. His Majesty has put significant importance on this matter because it concerns Lord Hero, so he has left it to the royal guards," Catherine said, retracting her guilt after hearing Alice's words. Then, she sternly continued, "However, His Majesty hopes that you can consider an alternative option, that is to study in the Gryffin Kingdom's military school."
"Military school?" Alice grew a little curious upon hearing this.
"Yes. The military school also holds various books on taboos, so it is suitable for you to study there. In addition, you can also learn swordsmanship there," Catherine said as she looked at Alice with a fiery gaze. Obviously, she, too, hoped that Alice would enter the military school. "Of course, the March Royal School of Magic also has its advantages. As a magic academy, it has conducted much more in-depth research into magic. Moreover, although the previous generation's Hero, Lady Andrina, comes from the Ymir Kingdom, she has also been an exchange student in March in the past. It was also when she attended a field trip hosted by the academy that she drew the Hero's Sword."
"So there was such a thing as well…"
This was the first time Alice had heard of such a detail. However, when she heard that the previous generation's Hero had also studied in the March Royal School of Magic, she immediately grew interested in the academy. This was because she remembered the words Grant, the previous Demon King, had said to her when she defeated him with the power of panties.
Grant had said that the previous Hero, Andrina, had used the War God's Lock to seal his physical body. Then, only after struggling against the War God's Lock for several dozen years did the lifeforce of his body vanish completely.
However, whether it was the internet, the demon realm's Four Heavenly Kings, or King Hatter and the others, none of them seemed to be aware that the previous Demon King's soul hadn't been extinguished.
Though, this situation was somewhat understandable as in front of the Demon King and Hero, even individuals as powerful as the demon realm's Four Heavenly Kings were no different than normal people. So, as "normal people," it wasn't strange that they didn't know that Grant's soul was still alive.
But what about the Hero? Did the Hero named Andrina really not know that Grant's soul still lived?
Alice felt there should be more to this situation than meets the eye. Although Grant might have looked weak because he lost to a pair of panties, that was because his soul was in a tattered state. Yet, even in such a weakened state, Grant's soul had managed to survive a taboo-level attack from her panties, requiring the use of a second pair of panties to exterminate him. Through this, one could easily imagine how powerful Grant was at his peak. Unlike Luna, Grant had undoubtedly digested all of the strength the Demon King's Power had to offer.
Meanwhile, as Grant's opponent, the Hero Andrina must know that Grant had only died a physical death and that their battle had yet to end. So, Alice couldn't help but wonder if the Hero Andrina had left behind some kind of countermeasure for Grant's possible resurrection.
"I think I'll go to the March Royal School of Magic," Alice said. Although the military school sounded like a good option as well, the improvements it could provide to her were limited.
What Alice needed to do now was to learn more about the Demon King and Hero. So, compared to the military school, visiting the magic academy, which the previous generation's Hero had previously studied in for a period, would have a higher chance of providing her with the clues she wanted.