episode_0088

* Episode 88 – Bridgette’s Past and the Day of Reconciliation with Her Stepdaughter

After a while.

Inside the office where the guild members had left, only three remained.

“What are you looking at?”

“You’ve become a mother. How can you embrace me, a fellow adult, while leaving your own child behind?”

“You yelled at the child, that’s why. How can you shout at someone you just met and call them ‘dear’?”

“Hmph.”

Sitting on the office sofa, Bridgette faced Ian.

Lea was by his side, hiding her body behind the long coat she was wearing.

“Ian, dear.”

“Yes. I’m not an old lady, I’m your sister! It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Good. I’ve been well.”

“Have you heard about mom?”

“I have. She disappeared, right?”

“Yes. She said those things to us and then disappeared. That’s why you came in the middle of all this.”

“I see….”

The conversation was short, and there was a silence.

Chang-gi remained indifferent, while Ian seemed anxious.

After all, he had just said in front of the child, “Bridgette killed her sister.”

“Lea, dear. It might be uncomfortable for you to hear Ian say these things. But trust and listen.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier, Gita said… your aunt said that your mother was killed. Your aunt would never do such a thing. So, just believe and listen to the story once.”

“Oh. That.”

“Yes.”

“I already know. I told the uncle everything.”

“I know that, but….”

Lea’s reaction was uncertain.

She wasn’t angry, nor was she indifferent.

Perhaps the child was noble, as Chang-gi gently stroked her head, she closed her eyes and quietly curled up.

“Chang-gi, what’s with the atmosphere between you guys? Why am I the only one feeling anxious?”

“I’m fine, it’s just that you keep worrying.”

“Is the conversation over?”

“It’s been over for a while, that’s why I came down.”

As he chuckled, he lay down on the sofa, thinking, ‘I don’t know what’s going on anymore.’

The child who should be angry at her aunt was surprisingly quiet. The worry that the child might resent her aunt vanished like dust.

“What on earth happened to them?”

As he looked at them, with his hand on his forehead, the actions of the two caught his eye.

“What should we do after this? Want to play an online game here this time?”

“I don’t like playing games here because of the swearing.”

“Then how about we bring your aunt here and play together? How about the racing game we played last time?”

“With that drunkard? Ah, accidents happen when you drink and drive.”

“It’ll get better if you spank his butt a few times.”

“I want to see your aunt scold the uncle.”

“Right? Probably everyone else thinks the same way?”

“Look at the mess around here. Bottles on the floor….”

“Hey, don’t touch that. When she comes back, she’ll ask you to clean it up.”

“But I don’t like dirty things….”

“You’re not supposed to clean up stuff like this. When she comes back, scold her and tell her to clean up herself.”

“Yes….”

Lea hesitated to touch the floor, then quietly returned and leaned against Chang-gi.

Seeing the two of them, he let out a bitter laugh.

“Just trust and wait for her, why are you so anxious….”

“Don’t worry too much about Gita. Where are the parents who are supposed to be in their right minds when their child becomes a mother? She’s leaving everything to others while not even being herself, that’s why she’s anxious.”

“I know that-”

“If you know, then relax. Lea and I will go talk to her and scold her ourselves. OK?”

Nodding.

“When you come back, both your aunt and Lea will be by your side, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Ian closed his eyes for a moment, and in the distance, loud footsteps approached.

“I found her!” someone shouted, along with the sound of footsteps.

“They found your aunt. Let’s go talk to her and clear up any misunderstandings.”

“…Is it okay?”

“It’s okay. Just trust me.”

As Chang-gi extended his neck, Leah followed suit with her neck stretched out.

Seeing that sight, another bitter smile escaped.

“The kid who acted so smart….”

I lost my words.

*

[Layer of Mercy, 6th Floor]

Here we are.

After conquering the 10th floor, this is the second level we step into.

It’s a frightening floor where doctors with octopus-like heads roam the ward.

Leah was calm at first, but she was surprised when I wrapped my arm around her.

“Is this what’s on the lower floors…?”

“It looks scary, right? But even though they look like that, they don’t harm people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Instead, they say they eat dreams. As long as you have me with you, they won’t attack, so don’t worry.”

“So you’re saying not to stray from you?”

“Exactly.”

Although she would probably not fall while riding on my neck, I still gave her a warning just in case.

“I didn’t expect to come here twice.”

Unlike before, the ward that used to be wide open now had its room doors closed shut.

The aftermath of conquering the 20th floor and opening up to the 29th floor had attracted outside hunters to gather.

Whether intentionally targeted or trapped due to ignorance of the rules here, the closed doors alone gave me a creepy feeling.

“Are there only people in the closed rooms?”

“You’re sharp. You can tell at a glance.”

Besides me, there were other hunters wandering around, as I saw people through the windows of the opposite ward.

If they were entering the wide-open ward, they were probably aspiring patients rather than hunters.

“I wonder if the dreams shown here are really that pleasant.”

A floor where you see the dreams you want.

A floor sought out for an escape from reality.

A floor meant for drawing happy memories.

That’s why Bridgette came here.

“Where is the aunt?”

“I heard she’s in this area-”

Unfolding the map, we headed towards the ward they pointed out.

The deeper we went, the more maze-like it felt. With everything around us white, it was enough to give you a headache.

“Is it this way?”

Fortunately, it wasn’t too deep, and she was in a clearly ambiguous place.

A red-haired freckled beauty lying on a hospital bed.

But she was just handing her head over to the doctor resembling Cthulhu without any intention of getting up.

“Uh, Aunt, your head…!”

“She’s just eating dreams, so don’t be surprised.”

“But it’s disgusting!”

That was understandable.

Her forehead was being sucked in by a beak with tentacles, and she was falling asleep blankly.

She smiled as if she were having a pleasant dream, then put on a stern expression as we approached, revealing her confusion as the dream’s contents became a mess.

“Sister….”

With a brief word from her sister, I knew what dream she was having.

It was her sister’s dream, the one she killed.

“Aunt, I’m here.”

“Le… ah….”

She responded to her stepdaughter’s call, but her face was pale.

Clearly, Bridgette, who should have been having a good dream, scratched the blanket and said.

“I’m sorry… Sister… I couldn’t… love Leah….”

“Aunt.”

“I know it’s wrong… to do… that… to a child….”

“Aunt.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry….”

She apologized to someone.

Whether it was Leah who appeared in her dream or her own sister, Sinead Bailey, she was suffering so much that she couldn’t wake up on her own.

“What should we do about this? Will she wake up if we kill the octopus doctor?”

“If you hit them, all the kids who were in the hospital will come running, so I’d rather avoid that.”

“So we can’t fight because of her?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we didn’t have to bring her here.”

“That’s true, but since it’s a rare opportunity, I thought we could use some help from this side.”

I sent a message before starting.

The message read, [If you don’t return to the mechanic guild within the next 2 hours, I’ll come to rescue Bridgette in the ward where she is].

Next, I gestured towards the two octopus doctors loitering in the hallway.

“Why are you calling us?”

“There’s only one in the ward. We need two to work together.”

“We’re working together!?”

“Whatever. Since we came to clear up misunderstandings and make peace, let’s finish it cleanly. If we reconcile roughly and leave resentment, we’ll end up fighting like our kids.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“You’ll understand when you grow up.”

Nonsense. What you’ll understand when you grow up is not the content.

Mixing lies to babble roughly, I called the octopus doctors, and they came over blankly.

“Do you have any favorite dreams…?”

“We also take requests….”

A gentle question for a low mid-tone.

After closing the ward door, I replied.

“I want to share the same dream with the patient lying there. Not just watching like a video, but diving into that person’s dream.”

“A Dream Diver course….”

They call it a course.

Even having a name indicates a systematized technology.

“If dreams get mixed up…nightmares can also come out….”

“Are you okay with that…?”

I actually prefer it.

Because there are things that can’t be known with just good dreams.

It was perfect timing since it seemed like the lady was having a nightmare from Leia’s voice.

“Please do that.”

“Understood…I will guide you through the Dream Diver course into the dream of the patient, Ms. Bridget Bailey….”

“Also…there are precautions…. If a minor is involved in this procedure…certain scenes may be edited out…please keep that in mind….”

They even consider children.

Both the 15th-floor apprentice erotic course and here tend to exclude things related to sex when dealing with children.

In those aspects, I feel really relieved, but Leia came down from the bed, held my hand, and asked again.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m fine. Ian is here. I didn’t just send the message to him, but to other kids as well, so it’s 100% safe.”

“No, I mean, with me.”

She turned her gaze to me.

“Why?”

“Just now, you heard me sleep talking. Our lady is someone who causes a bit of trouble like this, but she’s still an adult. You don’t have to worry, as a primary school student. That role is for adults to handle.”

“But what if…I say I don’t like it…it’s hard….”

“You’ll probably find it hard. Raising a child is not an easy task.”

“……”

“Still, it’s not your true feelings. It’s just passing emotions, so trust me and follow along.”

“Okay.”

I comforted the child, laid Leia next to Lady Bridget, and as soon as my hand let go of hers, the tense atmosphere was released, and one of the octopuses approached quickly.

“Don’t inhale too strongly for the child. You know, be gentle like you’re dealing with pediatrics.”

“Please rest assured…we are using this for minors….”

Then, he took out a yellow hat that looked like it was for children.

He put it on Leia’s head, and as soon as it slid down, her eyes closed with a soft sound.

“Ugh~.”

She let out a surprised sound and fell asleep.

“What is this?”

“A children’s inhaler….”

The hat had a tube attached to it, which was attached to the doctor’s mouth.

In other words, just like we use a straw, they used it to inhale and exhale dreams.

“There are really all kinds of things.”

Funny guys who look different from what they are.

Feeling relieved, I lay down on the bed next to them.

“However…you are an adult….”

“Oh, damn.”

The giant octopus head enveloped my head.

The sticky sensation that I really don’t want to experience again…!

Before I could even curse at them for considering adults, my consciousness quickly faded.