Chapter : 199

I closed my mouth, unable to find the right words to say in response to the statement that we might get trapped.

“To be honest, I do not want to use this dangerous treatment method.”

Professor Artemia continued calmly with a subdued voice.

“But to face Iris, the power of the Holy Sword is absolutely necessary. That is Evan Lisitoel’s judgment.”

It was a voice filled with firm belief.

Actually, those words were correct. The power of the Holy Sword is absolutely necessary to face Ouroboros.

But the guy who is indispensable for the current strategy is sleeping, so it is right to wake him up even if by force. Even if it is a slightly, no, extremely dangerous method.

“Actually, even for the patient’s sake, leaving him to stay in a nightmare like this isn’t exactly good.”

Although I didn’t feel any particular signs of discomfort right now, that was merely on the surface.

Even if he looked peaceful, he was likely suffering every moment due to the nightmare in reality.

However, risking other people to save one patient was also not a good direction, which is why this method wasn’t commonly used.

“Originally, I would have woken him up while observing the patient’s condition with more leeway, but this is not the time to hesitate. I will take responsibility.”

“Professor Artemia.”

“As a professor of the Academy and as a doctor, I absolutely cannot just watch Lerwon return to Iris’s side.”

That was practically a death sentence for the Senior.

She was indeed a trustworthy doctor. One of the few hopes of this era!

“Therefore, you two must wake Lucian up.”

“What happens if even we get trapped?”

“There is a last resort, so do not worry. You two just think about waking Lucian up no matter what. I have completed the dispelling, but since nightmares have gathered, we do not know what might happen, so be careful of that as well.”

It seems like there are many things to be careful about.

Anyway, I agreed that waking Lucian was the task that deserved top priority.

“Stand right in the center here.”

At Professor Artemia’s instruction, Zephyros and I stood in the center of the magic circle.

“Getting hurt there means your soul itself takes a hit, so be careful not to get injured either.”

“Something else has been added to the list?”

“Be careful.”

As soon as I heard the worried warning to be careful, I felt my body floating in the air.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery instantly changed to a sight I had already seen once before.

“We’re here again.”

Zephyros, who had also set foot in Lucian’s nightmare, muttered as if he was sick of it as soon as he grasped the location.

As expected, Lucian’s nightmare was set in the orphanage.

* * *

On the surface, the orphanage looked nothing but peaceful without a single crack. The problem was that in reality, it wasn’t.

“What should we do first?”

“Wouldn’t it be right to find Lucian’s room first?”

That would be right. The moment we tried to stride into the orphanage, we were blocked by something.

An invisible transparent membrane seemed to prevent us from entering.

“…What is this again?”

“Wouldn’t it be something like cognitive dissonance?”

Looking at the orphanage that resembled a peaceful paradise, I made a careful guess.

“No matter how I look at it, everything looks younger overall. There is no way we would appear at the orphanage at this time. It seems the dream is rejecting us.”

“What kind of bullshit is that? If we can’t enter here, how are we supposed to find Lucian?”

“We have to give an excuse so cognitive dissonance doesn’t occur.”

Coincidentally, I had not yet changed out of my banquet clothes from the party.

To think that not having time to change clothes would be helpful like this.

“Little boy.”

At my call, a little kid who was playing far away rushed over.

There was distrust in the child’s eyes.

I also didn’t have much desire to buy trust from a brat who contributed to bullying Lucian.

“Could you call the Director for us?”

“Why the Director?”

“Because we want to make a donation to the orphanage.”

Orphanage. Donation.

Understanding those two words, the child bowed politely and then rushed inside.

“You aren’t serious, are you?”

“It is a dream in the first place. We have to create a plausible reason why it wouldn’t be strange for us to appear.”

If it were reality, I wouldn’t have even mentioned words like donation.

Even if it wasn’t reality, Zephyros’s expression became subtle as if he was reluctant, but eventually, he fixed his crooked attitude a little as if he understood.

“So, what is the plan going forward?”

“We meet Lucian under the pretext of sponsorship.”

“What are the odds that the Lucian here is the real Lucian?”

“It’s low, but he must be inside at least.”

That’s why something like this transparent barrier was created to prevent outside intruders from entering, right?

I tapped the barrier pointlessly and waited for the person called the Director to come out.

A Director who looked about ten years younger than the one in my memory rushed out and bowed to us.

“Oh my! Hello!! You said you came for a donation?”

If it was ten years ago, it was right when the Tyrant was significantly cutting down national support.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Which side—”

“We are a collateral branch of the Lisitoel Count Family.”

At my brazen answer, Zephyros nudged my waist.

“Does such a thing exist?”

“As far as I know, no.”

Let alone cousins, the Lisitoel Count Family didn’t even have distant relatives.

But there is no way Lucian would know that.

The world inside the dream is ultimately a small castle built based on Lucian’s knowledge.

Even if I make an excuse like this, there is no way he would know.

“However, there is no way the Director would know—”

“A collateral of Lisitoel, there shouldn’t be anything like that.”

He knows?

The Director tilted his head, his eyes muddy.

His appearance looked like a creaking wooden puppet, making my heart pound wildly, wondering if we were busted.

Is this perhaps a crisis…?

“It is not well known, but it certainly exists. Or are you perhaps doubting us?”

It was a nice assist from Zephyros, coming in at just the right time.

The Director, who hesitated for a moment, perhaps thought he might miss out on the donation and hurriedly gestured inside.

“Please do not stand here, come on inside quickly.”

With the Director’s gesture, we carefully moved our steps inside just like before.

Fortunately, things like the barrier of the dream from earlier did not push us away.

“Although we are small and insignificant, we only have children who are kind and have excellent character. I am sure the Young Lord will be satisfied too! By the way, in what form do you plan to donate….”

“Along with the donation, I am thinking of adopting an orphan.”

“Are you serious?!”

The Director’s eyes widened as if he was tempted.

Since it wasn’t just a donation but adopting a child, it was a natural reaction.

“Yes, I intend to have them succeed the family.”

“But, you still look young….”

“Do I have to explain the detailed circumstances?”

Zephyros asked bluntly.

At those words, the Director eventually had no choice but to shut his mouth quietly.

“You’re really good at suppressing others with status.”

I still feel a psychological resistance to suppressing opponents just because I am a noble, though.

“It’s much more comfortable this way. And we have to be careful because of that cognitive dissonance thing too.”

That is also true.

They say time usually flows slowly in dreams, but we don’t have the luxury of time right now.

“I want to choose the child to sponsor, so could you bring all the children in the orphanage?”

“All the children?”

“Yes, every orphan registered here. I came here knowing how many there are, so do not think of hiding any.”

At my words, the Director’s face became a bit subtle.

He seemed to be agonizing over whether to bring Lucian or not.

Originally, I intended to proceed naturally to a picture where I chose Lucian, but no matter how I thought about it, if it went on like this, he would likely hide Lucian away completely.

“Lucian, was it? I am interested in that child.”

So I had no choice but to speak directly.

Upon hearing that name directly, the Director’s expression distorted.

“E-Excuse me. Why that child….”

“Isn’t the Lisitoel family famous for magic? I heard strange phenomena appear near him often, so I wanted to check if perhaps it is related to magic.”

It was truly fortunate that Lisitoel was famous for magic.

Furthermore, unlike other families that only showed interest in specific fields of magic, it was a family that showed interest in everything broadly, so even more so.

Perhaps somewhat convinced, the Director rather looked pleased and shouted.

“I will bring him right away!”

He seemed to think it would be fine to dump Lucian on me like this.

“Isn’t he too refreshing about it?”

Watching the Director leave without even looking back, Zephyros muttered as if he was dumbfounded.

“Anyway, it’s a world built around Lucian’s memories.”

The Director Lucian knew was evidently the sort of person who wouldn’t look back if given the chance to dump him somewhere.

Well, even I think he is a person who would do that and more.

We entered a suitable room and waited for Lucian to enter.

Lucian, who came in almost forcibly dragged by the Director’s hand while hesitating, looked at us silently, gauging our reaction.

“This child is Lucian.”

And from the moment Lucian entered inside, the Director’s face was difficult to recognize, like a melted candy.

I held my breath for a moment at the sight that looked like a scene from a horror movie, then looked straight at Lucian.

Lucian in his childhood.

I felt a bit strange seeing the appearance I had only seen in game illustrations.

Zephyros spoke to the Director, facing a look he would never have seen if not for the dream world.

“We have a conversation to share with the child alone, so please leave us.”

“Pardon? But….”

“Is it that difficult for us to talk with the child we are going to adopt?”

Despite the soft question, the Director seemed to hesitate.

He seemed worried that Lucian might commit some rudeness.

“No matter what happens, we won’t cancel the sponsorship of the orphanage, so hurry up.”

I was contemplating whether to just threaten him, but as if that was enough, the Director scurried away.

Good, it’s just the three of us now. Now we just have to tell Lucian that this is a dream.

In a situation smoother than expected, Zephyros approached Lucian as if relieved and grabbed his shoulder.

“Just you wait when we get back, Lucian.”

The moment Zephyros, who grumbled quietly, was about to reveal that this was a dream, goosebumps rose all over my body.

Lucian, who had been silent and hesitant, was now staring intently into Zephyros’s eyes.

As if waiting for something.

Something went wrong.

Instinct whispered.

I hurriedly ran, covered Zephyros’s mouth, and threw my body to the opposite side of Lucian.

The gaze that seemed to ask what I was doing was soon filled with shock.

At the same time, the back of my neck became hot as if burned.

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