The Dreamer (1)

Titan’s opinion gave me much to think about.

Yes, I needed to consider what would happen if our premise was wrong.

More strongly than before, we needed to consider what if Pinocchio’s purpose was different from what we imagined, and if he was filled with malice toward humans.

Then there are two assumptions.

First, if Pinocchio had changed from who Geppetto knew.

Second, if Geppetto had lied to us.

“……”

I observed Geppetto sitting in the distance, accepting tea that Linea had brewed.

No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem to be hiding anything from us.

That’s what I wanted to believe, at least.

But…….

“I’m still far from becoming like the Saintess, it seems.”

I can’t erase the doubts sprouting in my mind. It seems I still have trouble blindly trusting people.

I’m reminded again how difficult it is to show unlimited trust like the Saintess did.

“Well, let’s see what happens.”

We’ve destroyed mechanical devices both big and small to get here.

Finally, we’ve reached Nidavellir’s center. The so-called <Castle of Mechanisms>.

It’s too late to turn back now. So we’ll just do our best.

“Rest up while staying alert.”

Mechanical devices are still pouring out of the Castle of Mechanisms.

Right now I can see a mechanical device that looks like a reindeer. Now they’re quite close to biological forms, as if they just attached devices to an actual reindeer.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we should think of it as a normal creature. I was shocked when its leg strength blocked Titan’s hammer strike.

Fortunately, its other parts were relatively weak compared to its leg strength, or we might have been completely wiped out.

Its weakness was its glowing red nose.

I’m grateful to Linea for quickly identifying that.

Just destroying that part made it self-destruct in flames.

According to Geppetto, it seems to dissipate all the heat generated from its overwhelming power through that part.

Various other mechanical devices are streaming out in lines as well.

“There’s no turning back now.”

The path we need to break through is filled with mechanical devices. This means neither surprise attacks nor evasion are possible – it will be a head-on battle.

Now is the time we must face the trial’s true worth without being able to avoid it.

*     *     *

As soon as we started breaking through.

I had no capacity to worry about Geppetto.

Neither I nor Titan could keep our bodies completely intact under the rain of gunfire. We had conserved and saved our strength.

We had come this far taking down enemies swiftly while conserving as much power as possible.

We saved our strength for overcoming this very moment, and yet…..

“It’s a new model!”

The shield I borrowed with holy power didn’t even last a minute against the gunfire.

Far from wiping them out with Jupiter’s lightning, I could barely take down even one.

Though they had biological forms, parts of their bodies were still metal.

Yet the lightning wouldn’t strike. It couldn’t be an effective means.

Facing danger beyond expectations, I had no time to watch our rear. All I could do was look ahead while breaking through with Titan.

“Damn it…!”

Titan’s charge, which had half-given up on blocking gunfire except for vital points, suddenly came to a stop.

I had cast all sorts of holy magic to help him clear a path.

His strength had increased significantly too.

Yet his charge was completely halted by a single unit.

I could see bewilderment on the face of the orc warrior who had been calmly destroying enemies until now.

“Tch.”

I temporarily lower our defenses. I cast holy magic toward Titan who was about to face concentrated fire.

I offer half my holy power.

In exchange, I borrowed…

Heimdall’s White Shadow.

Minerva’s Shield.

Brynhildr’s Chain Mail.

Canopus’s Jar.

I deployed four holy magic spells at once. Among them, Canopus’s Jar wove together the power of four gods.

The attacks raining down on Titan were all blocked. The unit that had been suppressing his charge was knocked away.

“Duration is 3 minutes…”

“That’s enough!”

Titan, who had only been able to clear enemies around the center of the charge, properly assumes his stance.

It’s a stance full of openings.

But if he’s doing this while trusting in my holy magic, he must be planning to unleash his most powerful strike.

Crack!

Titan’s muscles swell.

Not just one arm, but his entire body’s muscles bulge up, giving the illusion that he had grown several times larger.

After gathering strength throughout his body like that, Titan raises both arms and then slams them down toward the ground.

Boom!

Along with the shockwave, all the mechanical devices in front lose their balance and collapse. The units closest to the impact shatter into pieces, unable to withstand the shockwave.

“Hrrgh……”

Titan leaps into the midst of the off-balance mechanical devices, holding his hammer in one hand and spear in the other.

Red liquid and mechanical parts spray out amidst violent sounds of destruction.

“Urgh…!”

While watching Titan like that, I suddenly felt something surge up and fell to my knees.

It’s the side effect of deploying holy magic all at once. Similar to Claire’s symptoms. That child suffers from this phenomenon 365 days a year.

Of course, my current state isn’t as severe as hers, since I directly used holy magic to cause overload.

Moreover, my current condition isn’t just from receiving too much influence from holy power.

Since Canopus’s Jar symbolizes human organs like the liver, stomach, lungs, and intestines…

The burden on those has intensified, shaking my insides.

“Bleeurgh!”

I vomit blood.

No, can this even be called blood? Something horrifically black spurted out from inside me.

This isn’t just the aftermath of holy magic. The corruption has festered to its limit and destroyed my insides.

“Lost! Dodge!”

That’s why I was distracted.

After my attention was drawn to the corruption’s effects, I raised my head at Titan’s voice and confirmed the shape of what was flying toward me.

“What……”

It was a weapon I’d never seen before.

Titan had already gone far ahead, probably intending to take down as many enemies as possible while under the effects of my holy magic.

So one of the barrages aimed at him had strayed toward me.

Seeing this unfamiliar weapon’s form, my reactions dulled for a moment.

It’s different from bullets. But it’s not a blade or dagger either.

A streamlined form reminiscent of a fish. Flames emerge from its end, increasing its speed.

What’s the weapon’s condition? Is it okay to block it as is? Is that alright with an unfamiliar weapon?

The weapon’s tip is convergent.

But rather than sharp, it feels somewhat blunt. Its speed is also noticeably slower compared to bullets flying through the air.

At this level, I could block it with just one of the holy magic spells currently cast on me.

But it’s best to dodge unknown techniques.

“Tch!”

After numerous questions and conclusions flashed through my mind, I threw my body aside.

An unfamiliar weapon. Moreover, with speed slower than bullets and a blunt tip.

Forget holy magic, even a normal person with a shield could have blocked it.

But that’s exactly why I dodged. There’s no way they would use such a weak weapon after coming this far.

And that proved to be my downfall.

I belatedly remembered that Titan and I weren’t the only ones here. I had half-forgotten about Linea and Geppetto while focusing on breaking through.

“Linea!”

The intense battlefield had dulled my senses. A terrible mistake.

Making rookie mistakes like this! Just a few months ago I was roaming battlefields, but I’ve grown too comfortable since regressing!

I reached out to block that unidentified weapon passing by my side, but it was too late. The weapon that barely grazed my fingertips flew straight toward where Linea and Geppetto were.

I plant my foot on the ground.

It’s not too late yet. I can still block it even now. If I swing my sword right now, I can shoot it down from this position.

“Kuhp!”

The moment I grip my sword, black blood surges up again like backflow.

My body stiffens and I lose the opportunity.

In the distance, I saw Linea who had been trying to dodge suddenly stop.

A moment’s hesitation, and then biting her lip, she shakes her head.

Linea who had been trying to dodge turns back around and throws the dagger she had been holding for self-defense while wrapping herself around Geppetto.

The dagger thrown with fierce momentum collides with that weapon. Thanks to that, the weapon’s direction was at least deflected.

But it’s still too close.

Boom!

With that final sight of the weapon’s form stabbing into the ground right at her feet, a light bright enough to whiten my vision and a deafening explosion struck my ears.

*     *     *

I rush to where Linea was as soon as the explosion’s aftermath cleared.

It was a foolish act. Linea should have dodged instead of shielding Geppetto.

Geppetto might have lied to us. He might have just been leading us into a death trap.

So Linea didn’t need to sacrifice herself.

Bite!

I bite my lip.

Bright red blood drips down, staining my pure white priest’s robe.

For a moment I weighed the lives of Geppetto and Linea against each other.

Moreover, I accepted unconfirmed hypotheses as truth in my judgment.

I feel disgusted by such cowardly behavior.

I truly am incapable of living like the Saintess.

“Damn it……”

I couldn’t raise my head.

With my head bowed like that, I poured holy power into Linea who was barely managing to breathe.

What would I have done? Would I have shielded Geppetto like Linea did if it were me?

I had tried to live like the Saintess at least in my final moments.

That’s why I blocked that path and held out against the demons.

That was a prepared process of death.

I had blocked all paths of survival in advance and prepared for death.

“Hehe… Lost…”

“Keep your mouth shut. I’m treating you. We’re going back once the emergency treatment is done.”

Linea looks up at me with a barely managed smile.

Her eyes keep blinking as if they won’t open properly.

Her white clothes from Nidavellir that she treasured so much had become rags, and beneath them I could see her skin, which should have been pure white, burned as if seared.

Her jet-black hair was nearly half burned away and her luxuriant tail was also scorched.

Because she shielded Geppetto.

She took the attack with her body that she could have originally dodged.

Thanks to that, Geppetto merely lost consciousness without any visible wounds.

“I’m fine.”

“What do you mean fine.”

“See, I can even talk.”

Yes, she survived the critical moment.

Because she was a beastkin with a tougher body than humans.

But someone else would have died. Moreover, without holy magic, even she wouldn’t have endured and would have slowly died here.

“We need to go save Pinocchio.”

“Geppetto might have lied. Pinocchio might not have wanted to become human.”

“No, that can’t be.”

“The weapons’ quality improved dramatically the further in we went. Just look at the weapon that put you in this state with one hit? We can’t be certain.”

“Even so.”

“Why.”

I made the wrong judgment.

This shouldn’t have happened. An orc who can’t even use mana yet and a half-baked priest. Plus a doctor who hates fighting.

How could I think to challenge a trial with such a combination.

“Why should we have to do this?”

“Because we’ll regret this moment deeply otherwise.”

“……”

“I’ve been there too. Thinking I should have spoken up earlier…”

Linea Spirin who burst out of the safety of the Spirin Count’s house.

She must have had her reasons for having to do so.

“Lost. Regrets linger for a long time. Even if a path looks difficult, later on you’ll wonder if you should have taken that path.”

“Keep quiet while you’re being treated.”

“I’m a doctor too so it’s fine. I know I won’t die from this much.”

“I said keep quiet.”

“I regretted it like that… so how much must Geppetto have regretted? And what about Pinocchio who had to leave without a word?”

“Linea, please.”

“I thought you were heartless, but you’re more emotional than I expected, Lost.”

“Hah……”

I should give up. I’ve already lost more than half my holy power.

In that state, we’ve even lost Linea as our scout from the front lines.

Titan is exhausted. Old man Geppetto has even lost consciousness.

We’ve barely made it halfway. We’ve only just broken through one path.

What lies ahead will be even more treacherous. If we continue like this, we might be completely wiped out.

Even if we break through, it would be better to aim for the next opportunity. We could challenge the trial after gathering more powerful allies.

But well…

“…How much was this again?”

I take out the pocket watch Linea gave me. It’s a luxury item with a silver chain attached.

“I’m not going to count this as a debt. Got it?”

“I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

I decided to defeat Belial. After making such a resolution, I can’t withdraw here of all places.

“I don’t regret following you and Titan.”

“Don’t forget those words. We’ll be traversing all sorts of dangerous places from now on. Can you still promise you won’t regret it then?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

There are two prerequisites for achieving this expedition’s goal.

One, find Pinocchio by heading to Nidavellir’s center.

Two, definitely keep Geppetto alive and bring him along in that process.

“Rest up. Thanks to your efforts, Geppetto survived.”

Linea helped ensure we could keep that second goal.

“You’ve done enough. So from now on, I’ll handle things.”

“Yes, hehe.”

Linea’s bitter smile gradually erases the old loser’s mentality that had soaked into my bones.

Yes, just as the Saintess taught me direction.

This time Linea steadied me when I was wavering.

Titan stands firmly at the front, showing a reliable appearance.

Then I should gather my strength too. What lies ahead will surely be even more treacherous.

This is the fate I changed.

So I should take responsibility.

“Titan. From now on I’ll break through the path. So you protect these two while following behind me.”

“How? At this rate you’ll die before we arrive.”

“In a somewhat rough way.”

“Have you finally lost it? Well, fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll go along with your madness.”

“Then let me make one request.”

“…?”

“Just in case, remember my name.”

“Even though it’s an alias?”

“Right now, that’s my real name.”

Because I’m living a life worthy of that name now.

Now then, let’s erase another memory that was both painful and lovely.

“Master. I will use the gift you gave me.”

I pulled out the <Morpheus’s Dream Fragment> from my chest and gripped it.

I figured I would end up using this after all. Honestly, it was an unsettling item.

I hoped not to use it. That’s why I held back even when encountering Belial.

But now I must use it.

“Our Father who chose to crawl on the earth rather than ascend to heaven.”

This is my first time reciting this prayer. It’s forbidden even in temples and shunned even by heresy inquisitors.

“Who covers the eyes of those suffering with thin fog.”

Hecate said it.

Malice, Belial was apparently an evil god.

And the reason I could accept this terrible fact relatively quickly was none other than this.

Because I already knew the name of a god dwelling on earth.

“Who molds the world that each person holds in their heart.”

Evil gods exist. The existence of Belial proves this.

Then where are the gods we pray to?

Many religious orders say.

That the gods entrusted this earth to us and ascended to heaven. That they ascended to heaven like that and are cheering us on.

But did all gods do that?

What about those who wanted to remain on earth, worried about evil gods that might remain?

“Because that generous heart shows us dreams.”

This is a fact known only to the highest priests within the Pantheon Temple.

A painful truth that only a select few among heresy inquisitors can know.

The tragic reality I came to understand based on information the Saintess casually dropped.

The end of a certain god who chose to crawl on earth rather than ascend to heaven.

“Now, in this place, your son who suffers from insufficient ability calls out your name.”

The god of dreams.

A god who loved humans too much and couldn’t bear to watch their suffering, so comforted their hearts with sweet dreams.

But the god who remained alone on earth gradually lost sanity and grew weaker.

Though showing sweet dreams to people, a contract was established where something precious had to be taken in exchange.

An instinctive choice to fill insufficient power. The stigma attached due to that cruel price.

Trial: <The Dreamer>

“Morpheus.”

Using the medium my master gave me, I called forth that trial that had taken away my memories and reminiscences.