Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 70 : Chasing Dreams (1)

Chasing Dreams (1)

Just before entering Nabez to fight the calamity of dreams.

I intended to deal with the demonkin before the calamity.

[The calamity's more dangerous, so why deal with the demonkin first?]

'There are just too many variables.'

I was completely prepared to defeat the calamity of dreams. It didn't matter when or how I faced it; I had no reason to worry.

But it was different with the demonkin.

Even Fabian, the protagonist, barely managed to escape them.

And even that was only possible because of Rutia's sacrifice.

I was determined never to face such a future.

'Fabian faced the demonkin after exhausting himself against the calamity, but we'll defeat the demonkin first with our full strength.'

That was the conclusion I reached.

"Maria!"

And that plan had been a huge success.

Right after dealing with Zenon, I looked for Maria's whereabouts.

Fortunately, thanks to Margal rampaging so violently, it wasn't hard to track them down.

'Wow, this is no joke.'

I thought Zenon was strong, but the traces left behind by Margal's rampage looked as if a 'calamity' had passed through.

The buildings were all collapsed, and the ground was scorched black, still radiating a burning heat.

In the center of it all, Maria was sitting on the ground, breathless.

"Are you alright, Maria?"

"Ah, Clay... You've come."

For some reason, a lot of mercenaries had gathered, but they were all keeping their distance from Maria.

In fact, their eyes as they looked at Maria were tinged with fear.

"It was a success, right?"

"Yes."

"And the demonkin?"

"I'm not sure what happened in the dream. Suddenly, fire surged all over its body and it just burned away."

According to what Grancesia said, when a demonkin dies, they vanish in a form that symbolizes their ability or Authority.

For example, when I killed the vampire Veil, he turned to a pool of blood the moment he died.

I figured it must have been fire in Margal's case.

"What about Grancesia?"

"She's grumbling. Says there was no fun in it at all."

"No fun...?"

That was a demonkin with a count's title.

The thing Fabian didn't even dare to face but only ran away from— that's all the evaluation she could muster after fighting it?

It was utterly ridiculous.

"She's truly... the Saintess."

At that moment, Maria looked at the ring she was wearing with a curious expression.

Eye of Shimosha.

A family heirloom of the Atell Family said to contain the soul of the Saintess.

Maria had been skeptical when she first received it, but now she seemed to believe completely.

"After all the conversations you've had till now, only now you believe?"

"It's just... the image I'd imagined is so different... Ah, I'm sorry! Lady Grancesia."

At Maria's words, the Eye of Shimosha blinked intensely.

Well, considering what this one says, believing she's the Saintess is what's actually strange.

"Um, anyway, here it is, Clay."

Maria removed the Eye of Shimosha from her finger and handed it to me.

I guess Grancesia must have said something to her.

[What do you mean by 'different from what I thought'? Really, if she'd just seen me blow that demonkin away with one strike, she wouldn't be saying that!]

'... One strike?'

[Well, he was pretty sturdy. Even after my attack, he could still talk, you know?]

So even a demonkin of count rank is that tough.

Judging by her tone, as if she were mildly surprised, it probably served as a compliment.

"Alright. Then..."

I looked around.

The mercenaries flinched and backed away in fear when my gaze passed over them.

Among them was the vice-captain of the Black Skull Mercenary band, staring at me anxiously.

'He was a better guy than I thought.'

Even considering Rutia's request and Maria's commission, this job came with huge risks.

And even with that, he took it on and was acting with great responsibility. His personality might be rough, but he wasn't a bad person.

No wonder he'd helped Fabian fight the calamity in the original.

'In the original, the mercenary guild suffered so much damage it practically disbanded...'

That would not happen now.

They had to fight the calamity in the original, but for now, helping people evacuate was all that mattered.

"Max... or should I call you Vice-Captain?"

"... Call me whatever you like."

"I apologize, but would you help us a bit longer?"

I looked up at the falling snow.

The only thing left was to defeat the calamity.

"This will all be over soon."

* * *

Max felt as if he were dreaming.

'To think I stared a demonkin in the face and survived.'

And not just any, but a top-rank demonkin.

A demonkin of that caliber wouldn't seem out of place in some local legend or folktale.

The kind of being that could destroy a small kingdom on its own.

That's what he'd always thought...

'And yet it died in an instant.'

The moment Maria laid her hand on the demonkin, its body instantly stiffened.

And within just a few minutes, it spontaneously burst into flames and disappeared.

The monster that had wiped out an entire area and scattered dozens of mercenaries with a single blow.

"We need to focus on evacuating people and resisting the calamity's puppets."

At Maria's calm voice, the mercenaries— including those of the Black Skull company— all nodded.

Not a single person looked down on Maria or laughed at her anymore.

'How could anyone look down on a woman who killed a top-rank demonkin?'

'If I mess around, won't I get burned too?'

Grancesia had killed Margal, but to the mercenaries, it appeared as if Maria had burned the demonkin to death.

Thanks to that, the mercenaries followed Maria's commands as docilely as little children.

"Damn! Even those guys have weapons!"

The problem was that the actions of those suffering from sleepwalking were becoming increasingly intelligent.

It wasn't so bad if it was just normal citizens, but when knights and soldiers came with weapons, even mercenaries struggled to handle it.

'Soon, we won't be able to hold them back on our own.'

Now it was a race against time.

But Maria showed not a single hint of worry in her eyes.

After all, her hero—the one who had saved her— would surely defeat the calamity.

* * *

"This way!"

At Rutia's shout, I quickly climbed up and looked down from the rooftop.

By now, nearly all the citizens of Nabez had turned into Sior's puppets.

It was virtually impossible to make it to the royal palace by pushing through them all.

But I didn't care.

My goal at first had just been to deal with the demonkin near the palace; I had no intention of entering the palace itself.

"Rutia."

As I called quietly, Rutia looked back at me with an anxious face.

"Are you really okay with this?"

"There's no other way to get close, right? The only way is to borrow your succubus abilities."

Of all the succubus abilities Rutia had, there was only one I wanted.

The ability to enter someone's dreams.

"Sior is mentally connected to all of his puppets. If you use your power, you can reach his true body through that connection, however you start."

Sior was connected mentally to his puppets.

So by using succubus abilities, even if we entered through the dream of one puppet, we could reach Sior's dream—his mind—through that connection.

"I get that, but..."

Rutia looked anxiously out the window.

Countless people who'd turned into Sior's puppets filled the streets outside.

That's right.

What we were about to enter was a single dream connected to the thousands of dreams of all those people.

That meant we would have to navigate a maze with thousands of doors to reach Sior.

"We'll worry about it after we've tried."

"... Alright."

Rutia turned from the window and approached a man who was strapped to the bed.

While Maria and I dealt with the demonkin, Rutia had prepared this target so we could enter Sior's dream from here.

Just so I could step into a dream at any moment.

"This man will be fine while we're inside, right?"

"Of course. I'm not planning to drain his essence or anything. ... Unless you're interested in that?"

"No way."

After exchanging a lame joke, Rutia slowly reached out her hand to me.

"Here, take my hand."

I instinctively started to reach out my right hand, then hastily switched to my left.

If I touched Rutia's hand with the one wearing the Eye of Shimosha, I was sure something bad would happen.

[... Be careful.]

Grancesia said gruffly.

She seemed bothered that there wasn't anything she could do during this operation.

'You're not going to object?'

[... Well, I believe that if it's you, you'll make it work somehow.]

Her tone was oddly pouty, and I chuckled.

For someone so powerful, sometimes she really seemed like an ordinary girl.

"It might feel a little dizzy."

Rutia tightly held my left hand with her right and closed her eyes.

Just then, the black tail at her lower back flicked out, lashing toward the man's forehead.

Wuuuuuung!

The moment the tail touched the man's forehead, my vision flipped and my consciousness felt like it was being pulled somewhere.

Through a suffocating, pitch-black abyss, I reached out toward a faint light.

And the place I arrived at was a bustling city.

"This is..."

I looked up and saw a clear sky with no snow falling.

The familiar shape of the city told me this was Nabez.

"Is this where I have to find the answer..."

Rutia slowly traced her finger around, scanning the surroundings.

As she did, the space shimmered and numerous corridors became visible.

"What's this?"

"I'm sharing my vision with you. See? All that— those are corridors that connect to people's dreams."

Walls and streets, doors and windows—shadows flickered everywhere.

Those were all corridors.

'Can't use the Eye of Insight in here...'

Even though I'd recovered the Eye of Shimosha, I couldn't use it in the dream, perhaps because this was a dream world.

I couldn't talk to Grancesia either—perhaps that only made sense.

The only thing I had left was...

'Genova.'

The only thing at my waist was Genova.

As I expected, Genova was a sword that changed according to its wielder's will.

It was like a sword engraved in my very soul.

So no matter the situation, I could always have it at my side.

'Wait a sec.'

As I thought that far, I realized something.

'That's right, was this it?'

What I was doing now resembled Fabian's strategy in the original story.

Fabian had a unique ability to hear the voices of swords, but I doubted that ability was the solution here.

In terms of conditions, there was no difference between Fabian and me.

Even in our possession of the Seven Swords Under Heaven.

'Sword of Man Genova.'

The Seven Swords Under Heaven would resonate if another one was within a certain distance.

If I used that...

I drew Genova and approached the flickering shadows.

Most didn't react, but in a few spots, Genova gave off a faint resonance.

'Haaa... No corridors that lead straight to Sior's true body.'

After confirming that, I let out a soft sigh.

It looked like I'd have to run around before getting anywhere.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Oh, Clay didn't fight Sior's clone because it won't really change anything. So, what he had to fight was the main body, and they will fight in the dream...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】