005 Broken Puzzle

Where is Alice?

It’s a tricky question. More than usual, considering the system just said “Alice found”, as the answer to the first question of the White Rabbit.

Alice is in the room.

Not only that, something he just touched was judged by the system as Alice no less.

The answer seems straightforward. Find that item and hand it to the rabbit. Easily done.

But it seems too simple. Too easy, comparing to the first two questions. If touching everything in the room could at least solve the first question by force, the second question definitely required accurate, fast reading of hints in the room.

So why such a simple question, for the third, final, lethal blow?

Anyone who have answered the first question correctly could easily hand over some items to the White Rabbit as Alice. Even easier for the players who got their game panels without a glitch, because the system notification would leave zero room to which item that was.

It’s odd.

Another thing that keeps sounding the alarm for Meph is, the White Rabbit asked two questions this time.

Yes, he asked, “Where is Alice”. But unlike the first two times, he not only provided more information when he repeated the question, he added another question.

“The Queen sent you for her, no? You know the consequence if you fail.”

He provided another possible solution to his puzzle: to answer his second question instead. In fact, he is almost luring Meph to go down this easy route:

The Queen sent you, no?

Yes, she did.

No room to even be wrong.

Only, the second question came with a threat. The consequence of failing this mission.

So if Meph answers yes, then he is admitting of carrying such a mission, and therefore would be eligible for the “consequence”.

What if he answers...no?

No one assigned him any mission, at least not until the system bursted out a bunch of broken lines. Not to mention, these are missions from the trial, not the Queen.

If he wasn’t sent by the Queen, then he is not responsible for providing Alice to the White Rabbit, nor would he be facing any “consequence” that comes with.

The White Rabbit raises his head slowly, his sharp, glittering white teeth riping his face to the root of his ears. His eyes are two black holes, but somehow, Meph could read impatiency on his face --

It’s the impatience of a murderer for the next kill, a gourmet for the next, delicious...

Bite.

His time is ticking, and The White Rabbit couldn’t wait for him to err.

“I was not--” Meph opens his mouth, and the White Rabbit’s eyes glow at his answer instantly, “I, AM, Alice.”

The Rabbit freezes, so does the fog and all the audience.

The screens blows up with flying bullet comments--

[What the hell was that?]

[He’s done for. Boringgggg. There is always one moron or two thinking they could smart ass their way through the trial]

[He wanted to deny the mission! Ugh, why didn’t he! I missed watching the rabbit skinning heroes so much!]

[Not so fast. The rabbit is not attacking!]

--- Bullet Comments with spoiler will be screened out for the hero ---

Meph notices that the rabbit’s accepted his answer, too, and finally he lets out his long held breath.

He wanted to deny the mission, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that such an easy question was too good to be true. Obviously, he is expected to complete his mission. If he fails his mission, he would be headed. But if he never got the mission, then...

Then who is he? Or, who would he be, to the White Rabbit?

He is a “hero”, put into this world without a legit identity. What would the White Rabbit, a powerful guardsman of the Queen who rules this world, would do to him? Question him more? Arrest him? Or...

Eliminate his existence?

Meph doesn’t want to test out that theory with his life.

The rabbit’s question sounds easy with many different answer, but in fact, Meph has only one option:

He has to deliver Alice.

“You are not Alice,” The White Rabbit objects -- with words. The dark fog still surrounds Meph, but the mountain heavy weight is gone.

That’s a good sign.

Meph didn’t figure out a plan until halfway through his original answer. He changed it only because he realized what it was that triggered the system to say, “Alice found”.

It wasn’t some tiny small person. It wasn’t the raven like desk, or the posters, or any object in the room. It was the branch that stuck through the window. Was Alice hiding inside that branch? But the shrink potion was untouched. How could she shrink without drinking the shrink potion?

The answer is, she couldn’t have.

That was when it hit Meph, the thing that kept pounding him on the back of his head but he just couldn’t pin down before --

Alice couldn’t have shrank when the only thing anyone touched in this room was the cake, because Alice didn’t shrink, she grew!

Not just a little bit bigger, a lot bigger. Alice grew into a giant, and the branch, WAS Alice! It wasn’t some ivory, hardened branch, it was a piece of human bone!

Alice is dead!

And that’s why Meph changed his answer, because otherwise the third mission is impossible to complete - hand over Alice, alive.

How to hand over someone alive, when they already cease to exist?

You create one.