Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

In the end, Alice did not grant Jyn's request.

Firstly, she couldn't bring herself to kill an innocent person. Ultimately, aside from some psychopathic, born killers, who could kill without hesitation the first time?

Secondly... if she really did that, she would probably be tormented by her father to the point of wishing for death.

The shackles of the past formed a tight cage that bound Alice, forcing her to crawl along the script of her father's beautiful dream.

That was one of the few times Jean revealed his true feelings, and his crying naturally attracted the attention of the researchers. The meticulous Slater noticed it and increased the dosage of the sedative.

This also brings even greater side effects.

It's hard not to suspect that Qin's facial paralysis was caused by years of injections of high doses of sedatives.

In this cramped laboratory, any slightly outrageous crying or commotion is nothing more than a clumsy performance by a clown. Sometimes, even a clown might not live like this, unable even to die.

At least if you die, you won't have to suffer so much.

Qin often wondered why she had come into this world to face the malice that came at her.

Abandoned by her own mother, with a father she had never met, bullied by the lower class, and abused by the upper class, she couldn't even get help from the person she trusted most.

Of course, under the influence of tranquilizers, these emotions can only flash by for a moment before being completely swallowed up, but even recalling a few fragments is enough to make a young heart sad for a long time.

That year, Qin was 8 years old.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't meet others' expectations; he simply couldn't use magic. He was utterly useless, completely lacking any affinity for magic—why was he being asked to do such a thing!

Slater's hope in Jean gradually faded; he had expected that he, as the experimental subject, would provide a perfect answer.

But just like his birth, the outcome was heartbreaking. Jean was already a once-in-a-lifetime experimental subject, yet he struggled even to complete basic magic, let alone other spells.

He really is a good-for-nothing.

It is truly the greatest honor for such a piece of trash to receive my attention.

Everyone in Beatrice thought the same thing: Jean had let Slater down.

In Beatrice, a country that places great emphasis on profit, anything that cannot bring benefits is simply a waste of resources.

Even so, Slater still held onto hope, after all, perseverance was the key to the success of the experiment, and the research on the harp continued.

He felt that Qin's vitality was not strong enough, or perhaps Qin's physical condition was too poor.

In short, he added some experimental results from previous years to the piano.

Physical enhancement—only a few people could endure that experiment, and it was considered one of the worst experiments by Slater, but it was just right for Jean. Presumably, Jean's body should be able to withstand it.

He no longer cherished Qin, the experimental subject, as he had before.

After all, there was no return on investment in this area, and he was just trying it out.

If it succeeds, that would be wonderful, a truly unexpected joy; if it fails, then so be it. Even without Qin, there are others involved in this research.

Qin survived after enduring inhuman suffering.

Stimulated by various magical potions and instruments, Jean's body underwent a complete transformation, far surpassing that of ordinary people in terms of physique. She could probably withstand a normal magical attack, as long as it wasn't at close range, her flesh-regenerating ability would protect her from immediate death.

The price is... the occasional excruciating pain, a result of flesh and blood's resistance to magic, or perhaps a side effect of the experiment.

The flesh and blood constantly alternate between decay and proliferation; this is the state of Qin's body.

Any alteration to the human body will inevitably be accompanied by side effects, which is why human experimentation is not permitted in many parts of the world, for humanitarian reasons. But in Beatrice, this sense of morality has long been torn apart by the bone-chilling cold wind.

As Qin was subjected to one experiment after another that would be unbearable for a normal person, she turned ten.

That year marked the first turning point in his life.

Teacher Alice is leaving; Jean's only companion is leaving him. Naturally, this is because Jean's magic has shown no further progress, and Alice is largely to blame.

It's just a joke, nothing more.

The truth is that Slater has basically given up on his research on the harp. After all, he has invested too much and should cut his losses. It's not worth investing such a precious item as a witch in such a useless person.

Alice, of course, had a more important task.

The so-called task was to marry her off. This was Slater's pre-ordained policy; after all, using one's own daughter to gain benefits was perfectly normal—even royalty did it often. Why couldn't he, with no conscience, do the same?

The research required a lot of expenses, and he himself was not good at business. The subsidies from the Queen were not enough for his bizarre magical research. So what could he do?

A large portion of his research funding came from the aristocratic groups who endorsed him.

Those people are rich, but to get them to willingly give up their money, an exchange of benefits is necessary. A common practice is marriage alliances, or to put it more bluntly, sending a daughter as a gift.

Alice naturally needs to shoulder such responsibilities and obligations.

She knew this from a young age.

She was to marry into the Lyman family. This wasn't really a big deal in itself; it was a political marriage, after all, Alice had mentally prepared herself for it since childhood. What she really couldn't accept was that her husband was from the Lyman family. If it were any other noble family, Alice might have been able to accept it.

That family was notorious for its cruelty. In fact, this was the eighth time the eldest son of the Lyman family had remarried. The fates of his previous seven wives were all exceptionally tragic; some were raped to death, while others were hanged for failing to satisfy the Lyman family's desires.

Moreover, their family has a strange habit: wives are rotated. Literally, you are the eldest son's wife now, but tomorrow you might be the youngest son's wife, and the day after tomorrow you might be the eldest son again... Alice has a strong psychological obsession with purity, which makes her begin to feel out of place in this world.

Being out of place will have consequences.

She had no right to resist, nor the ability to struggle.

Inside this cage that had been woven long ago.

The Witch of Light is destined to be unable to see the light.