Chapter : 198

I don’t know how many times I fainted and opened my eyes.

I blinked and looked up at the familiar ceiling of the Academy’s infirmary.

“…….”

It was to the point where lying down felt pointless as nothing hurt.

“Are you awake?”

“Lerwon Sunbae.”

“Keep resting.”

Even though he told me to rest, I sat up on the bed.

My body creaked for a moment, but there was no big problem getting up.

If there is one strange thing—

“What about Father?”

Father is not here. I definitely fainted after seeing Father appear at that spot.

“Professor Evan is….”

“Is there a need to drag out the explanation?”

At some point, Professor Beatrice, who entered the infirmary and strode over, was in formal attire. Like someone who had been to an important place.

She threw her outer coat roughly aside and slumped into the seat next to me.

“Your father is sealing Iris Viden.”

“What?”

“The Master of Golden set conditions.”

Professor Beatrice seemed furious but tried to continue speaking as calmly as possible.

“First, return Lerwon. Second, give me the toy I want. Third, do not touch Golden. She said if only those conditions are met, she will leave the world alone and rather help when the Empire wishes.”

“What?”

…What is that? Is that a profitable deal?

“Probably the toy Iris wants is you.”

That must be right. Because Iris Viden used to look at me with eyes that said she found an interesting toy.

“The Empire and Iris might be able to coexist. But at least Evan and Iris cannot coexist.”

As long as Iris Viden wants me as a toy.

Goosebumps rose at the renewed fact.

“How much time do we have left?”

If there was leeway to leave the spot even after sealing, Father would have been by my side.

The fact he didn’t means he has to keep his position to maintain Iris’s seal.

It is a grace period with a set time. Moreover, considering the Imperial nobles within Lapis Academy, they are probably making a fuss to just accept the conditions for their own preservation.

“To know even that, you really are a boring kid.”

“Iris.”

At Professor Artemia’s gently scolding voice, Professor Beatrice answered nonchalantly.

“One week. Within one week, the Academy will subjugate the snake that will swallow the world, Iris Viden.”

Professor Beatrice’s eyes seemed to sink darkly.

“If Iris is still going strong after one week, the Empire plans to accept the deal.”

* * *

Many people arrive at the Academy about three or four days before the vacation ends.

Since there are movement artifacts anyway, it was possible to come to the Academy from home in the blink of an eye, but many arrived a few days early to prepare for the new semester.

It was also the period when Riedenfeld was most crowded with Academy students.

“There are too few people.”

There were strangely few people.

No, not only that, there was another strange point.

“There are no nobles.”

High-ranking nobles and the children of lower-ranking nobles who follow them were all absent without exception.

The students in Riedenfeld were all commoners or a few noble students who attended the Academy without any connections.

“What is going on?”

Recalling the strange atmosphere Duke Nevera showed, Zephyros frowned at the creeping anxiety.

It felt like something terrible had happened without him knowing.

If only the wind could bring some news, it would be nice, but as if scared of something, the wind kept its mouth shut and trembled.

Just what on earth is happening.

What was more terrible was the fact that one of the accomplices of all these incidents seemed to be Duke Nevera, his father.

Thump thump thump thump, his heart beat loudly enough to be noisy to his ears.

It’s okay, it must be just a feeling. It has to be just a feeling.

While he was just blinking slowly, standing tall in a spot amidst a kind of obsession.

He felt a hand snatching the nape of his neck!

His body tilted, and Zephyros, thrown onto the floor, blinked his eyes.

There were not many humans who could dare do such a crazy thing to the Young Lord of the Duchy of Nevera.

“…Theo Lisitoel.”

“What are you spacing out for!”

“You were safe.”

“A lot happened, but somehow.”

Seeing him scratching his head as usual and sending a strangely wistful gaze, Zephyros felt his heartbeat subside a little only then.

“What were you doing?”

“I stayed confined in the Duke’s residence. Leaving that aside, until when do I have to stay like this?”

At Zephyros’s question, Theo hurriedly realized his mistake and let go of Zephyros’s collar he was holding.

“Just what happened?”

“I was kidnapped by Iris and escaped after tremendous twists and turns.”

Hearing Theo’s words, Zephyros’s expression was at a level that could only be explained as truly messy.

Why didn’t you help? Although he had no intention of asking that in the first place, it looked like he would crumble if he really asked that.

Theo scratched his head lightly.

He didn’t intend to give guilt, but he feels like he became a person who did something strangely bad.

“That’s not very important right now, there is something more important.”

“What is it?”

“Iris committed a taboo and is trying to become a snake.”

As soon as he heard those words, Zephyros’s expression became incomparably serious.

“There was one more human besides Lerwon Sunbae who thought of such a crazy thing?”

“Even so, calling Sunbae a crazy human, that’s too much.”

Though it is not exactly wrong, Theo added quietly.

“So?”

“Father sealed that woman, and because of that, it is a situation where he cannot even move.”

“That is… terribly hopeful.”

Zephyros muttered.

I agree 200%. Honestly, I can’t even gauge how to solve this problem.

But what can we do. Since the problem has arrived, we have no choice but to find a way to solve it and solve it.

“So what is the plan for the future?”

“We will wake Lucian up.”

“What does that mean?”

Zephyros didn’t even frown anymore.

His head was throbbing from the flood of information that was suddenly poured in.

He clearly remembers being away for only about three or four days at most.

Just how many things happened in the meantime.

“Explain, without leaving out a single thing.”

* * *

Lucian cannot wake up.

When I heard those words from Professor Beatrice, I was puzzled.

To think Mordegar, no, self-proclaimed Mordin subdued Lucian and made him unable to wake up at all.

I wondered why Lucian was nowhere to be seen even though Pel and Hartain were there.

“He should wake up promptly.”

Did she say it was that kind of curse?

A curse where one cannot wake up if they cannot break the nightmare even after the curse is dispelled, I can only think they prepared something truly vicious with great care.

“If it is a nightmare where the most terrible moment continues, it is understandable he cannot wake up.”

“That is true, but….”

Conversing, we were walking down the hallway of the Imperial Palace.

Among them, the Emperor’s Palace where the Emperor resides, no less.

Although there was a feeling of whether it was even appropriate to have a casual chat in such a place, for now, it is Zephyros’s silly joke after a long time. I can’t resist this.

“So is there a way to wake him up?”

“Entering the dream directly and waking him up is the best way.”

In this aspect, I thought, indeed, this is a fantasy world.

If one can deliberately make a person fall into a nightmare like being cursed so they cannot wake up, conversely, there also existed a method to enter the mental world directly and wake them up.

However, the problem was that safety could not be guaranteed. If one touches the soul wrongly or moves wrongly in the mental world, the treatment target might become an invalid instead.

If that happens, it would be worsening rather than treating. While researching stability, results showed that the closer the person, the less burden on the mental world.

After that, it is said that the role of entering the mental world for treatment in this way is generally taken by family or close acquaintances.

“In Lucian’s case, there is no family to take on such a role. Besides, me or you, and even Lerwon Sunbae whom he can call close acquaintances, were all unintentionally absent, so that method of treatment was pushed back sluggishly.”

Zephyros muttered a curse like “Damn it” with a gloomy face as if chewing it over.

I understand the frustration to some extent.

“What can you do. Following the Duke was the best in that situation.”

I have no choice but to pat Zephyros’s shoulder and comfort him.

“I think this is the first time the wind is this quiet.”

“How is it usually?”

“Very noisy. But right now, it is quiet as if it is scared.”

The wind must be scared of the existence of Ouroboros.

Even in the original story, when Lerwon Sunbae became Ouroboros, it was a phenomenon that was mentioned once.

“You think you can’t use the power of wind at all?”

“Yeah.”

Zephyros answered firmly.

“It said it was sorry.”

As expected, is it so? Since it was like that in the game, it can’t be helped.

“Peep, peeep!!”

Lou, who seemed to have recovered some strength in my embrace, cried loudly.

Does it mean ‘I can help’?

Even if you don’t help, it’s okay, so with the feeling of ‘rest well’, I gently stroked Lou’s head.

“Peep! Peepeep!!”

But perhaps it meant something else, Lou jumped up and down in my embrace as if frustrated.

Just what does it mean? Even if I want to ask that Albedo guy, it’s been a long time since this guy also became quiet.

“Is there any problem?”

“Nothing.”

“Piii.”

Wondering what on earth it tried to say, Lou cried mournfully.

Eventually, it’s a problem time will solve, well.

After walking quite deep inside, two knights were waiting in front of a door.

“It is Theo Lisitoel and Zephyros Nevera. Professor Artemia is waiting inside.”

With those words as the last, the knight opened the firmly closed door, and inside was Professor Artemia who was lightly stretching her body as if she had just finished preparations.

“You’re here, you’re not late.”

“Is Lucian a bit okay?”

“Not being able to wake up is the problem, other than that, he is fine without any pain anywhere, so don’t worry.”

That is fortunate then.

Seeing Lucian sleeping with both hands neatly gathered on the bed, thoughts like Sleeping Beauty came to mind automatically.

“Did Professor Beatrice explain the method?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“The method itself is simple. Find Lucian in the dream, and let him know that that world is not reality but a dream.”

“Is just that enough?”

At Zephyros’s words, Professor Artemia answered firmly.

“Just that? Do you know how difficult that is.”

Just hearing the Professor’s explanation right now, it doesn’t seem like such a difficult task though.

“You must absolutely never reveal to the people in the dream that that world is a dream. The only one you must inform is the real ‘Lucian’.”

Professor Artemia said as if whispering.

“If you tell others, you might get trapped in there.”

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