Ch.179Beyond the Dream (7)

“You’re a troublesome one.”

Waking from a dream and discovering a mountain of problems was an easy thing to do.

Llewellyn became quite troubled the moment he realized this, and the deity resting in his hands immediately sighed and made its eyes gleam.

“Thank you for your help. We couldn’t have handled such a monster… on our own.”

Immediately, Arba and his subordinates expressed their deep gratitude to Llewellyn.

It was only natural for Llewellyn to question in confusion what exactly he had done.

“I am the God of Dreams. Manipulating dreams is my power… and leaving revelations in human dreams is my talent.”

The Dream God briefly explained what he had accomplished.

He had merely injected dreams into them and then overlaid those dreams with detailed images.

What he overlaid wasn’t even fake. If it had been completely fabricated, they might have remembered it as just a dream or dismissed it as delusion.

“You showed them me fighting the Transcendent?”

“Yes. That way they could accept it without feeling any dissonance.”

What he had shown them was the image of Llewellyn and Lucilla fighting the Transcendent.

“You were watching?”

“Of course. I could only stand by and watch, but I would have helped if I could.”

The Dream God explained this while preening a bit as two women watched from a short distance away.

“Thanks to you, things worked out well… but something feels off. Won’t there be issues with them waking up or something?”

“No. Even if humans forget their dreams, they retain the feelings they experienced in them, and sometimes certain dreams remain vivid.”

Indeed, Llewellyn still remembered the dream about his sister that had tormented him during middle school.

It was troublesome that he couldn’t forget it.

Llewellyn frantically tried to forget the dream he had just recalled, worried that the Dream God might read his thoughts, while the deity spoke leisurely.

“The dream I bestowed upon them will not be forgotten, and even if it is, there won’t be any problems. They will only remember the truth that you helped them.”

“That’s… fortunate. Is there any drain on your power?”

“None. As long as dreams exist in the world and there are those who sleep and dream, my power is truly infinite.”

More convenient than I thought. Llewellyn scratched his chin while thinking this, and belatedly noticed the two figures standing a short distance away.

Ortemilia and Lucilla.

The two were looking at Llewellyn, who was carrying around a severed head tucked under his arm, with somewhat peculiar gazes.

Llewellyn scratched his cheek as he turned to look at the two who were still staring blankly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

When no answer came, Llewellyn felt frustrated. He was curious about why they were staring, but they wouldn’t answer even when asked.

Llewellyn broke into a cold sweat, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Lucilla was looking at her brother with troubled eyes for bringing a new woman.

In fact, in the past, when they still lived on Earth, she hadn’t liked it when friends came to Yoon Sejin’s house.

The more women there were, the more her “little Sejin” would be teased by many females, and Yoon Sejin would suffer because of it.

So Lucilla believed it was her role as an older sister to restrain those who troubled her brother.

But what should she do about the girls he brought himself?

Fortunately, there had been no cases of Llewellyn bringing girls on his own, but now it was different.

Since becoming Llewellyn, there had been many women around Yoon Sejin.

It wasn’t unhelpful, and from a survival standpoint, it made sense to bring them in.

This time was the same. That severed head was said to be a deity.

Not just any deity, but the God of Dreams, and though she didn’t fully understand, it was clear that he was a great deity who had been of significant help.

Once again, she couldn’t intervene. So Lucilla was displeased but couldn’t say anything.

“Fascinating.”

Ortemilia was simply intrigued.

Lucilla and Llewellyn, standing right beside her, immediately understood what she meant.

She was a necromancer and also an exceptional mage.

Moreover, as the creator of homunculi, from her perspective, the existence of a deity who remained perfectly alive despite having its head cut off must have been incredibly novel.

How was it still alive, how did it receive nutrition, and in what way did it breathe and maintain itself?

And why didn’t it decompose? For her, everything about it was unknown.

An unknown that rightfully aroused her curiosity. Ortemilia rolled her eyes slightly to meet Llewellyn’s gaze.

“If you don’t mind, and if there’s nothing else you need to do with this deity… may I have a brief conversation with it?”

“Conversation?”

“Yes. I think this deity should know how the current world works, and I can explain it.”

Llewellyn looked at the deity as if asking for its opinion, and the deity sighed.

“Fine. Take me. Respectfully…”

Ortemilia demonstratively reached out and grabbed it by the hair.

“Aaagh, you insolent one!”

“I’ll make some transport equipment for you while I’m at it. See you tomorrow.”

The deity disappeared with Ortemilia, and Llewellyn was left alone with Lucilla, blankly staring at the door through which they had departed.

“Um… what now?”

In truth, Llewellyn had no plan.

He had only thought to bring the deity, talk with it, and then figure out what to do next.

At most, he thought they would discuss how to relocate the city.

Suddenly, his plan had fallen apart. Llewellyn looked at his sister with a disgruntled expression.

His sister was slowly turning gleaming eyes toward him.

“Shall we go get something to eat?”

His sister, twirling her hair with her fingers and smiling broadly. Her expression clearly showed fear that he might refuse.

Llewellyn knew well the feelings Lucilla harbored for him.

That’s why he could understand the intention hidden behind her words.

But.

‘What is this? I feel like I shouldn’t agree to this.’

Yoon Sejin had always wanted to be his sister’s good little brother. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Sure…?”

Yoon Sejin awkwardly smiled as he accepted, and the siblings left the room side by side.

*

The city of Arba is not known for good public safety.

For an ordinary human, entering an alleyway meant being threatened with a dagger, robbed of all medicines and money, and becoming a permanent resident of the back streets with nothing left.

That’s why ordinary people receive a nameplate upon entering the gates and are guided by Arba’s soldiers to stay only on the well-lit streets.

Though such incidents are said to be rare.

In any case, it was certainly not a place where ordinary siblings could enjoy a casual date.

If they were ordinary siblings, that is.

People recognized Lucilla.

Annihilation, the Guardian General.

A being that mercenaries and assassins alike would rather not encounter, the reason why rebels within the Empire had suffered crushing defeats.

A monster capable of facing an army alone.

A warrior stronger than the Sword Saint, the Survivor, and even the Dragon King, with destructive capabilities beyond those of a great mage.

The strongest Eye Mage.

So when people made eye contact with her, they flinched and kept their distance. They held their breath, closed their eyes, and prayed she would pass by without noticing them.

No one laughed at such behavior. It was only natural to react that way when facing a walking disaster or a living weapon.

But that was only when they made eye contact.

From behind, she was just a well-proportioned woman one would want to embrace.

She was a bit tall, but that was only relative.

For mercenaries, physical condition was important, and they were usually confident in their build, so Lucilla’s figure and height wouldn’t be burdensome at all.

Rather, for the larger mercenaries, her size gave the impression of being just right to hold.

But watching her walk ahead, there was something subtly provocative about her.

A body untainted by this world, one might say.

Her large hips and the heavy breasts noticeable even from behind.

For mercenaries who used their bodies professionally, always facing danger and constantly burning with lust, it was a mouth-watering sight, but.

They couldn’t approach her.

Even if they hadn’t recognized her, even if they had only seen her from behind, they wouldn’t have approached.

Because they were homunculi.

Even if they didn’t know they were homunculi—and it was natural not to know—they instinctively sensed that the siblings walking side by side were different beings.

Their bodies trembled. A chill ran down their skin.

Just by facing them, those of inferior innate caliber broke into cold sweats, and those lacking in martial arts or magical talent found it difficult even to breathe deeply, forcing them to retreat quietly.

It’s like how, even without properly understanding predators, one’s knees give out and one either collapses or freezes upon encountering them.

As living beings, the difference in caliber instills fear in them.

Therefore, only those born with or who have built up a similar caliber can face them.

Or… beings of the exact same species who don’t experience the difference in caliber, or who have acquired a new, superior caliber.

For Lucilla, that was her brother.

Lucilla walked happily beside Llewellyn, swinging their joined hands back and forth.

The meal was modest. Since neither needed to eat or drink, a light refreshment was sufficient.

As they were eating purely for psychological purposes, neither Llewellyn nor Lucilla complained.

On the contrary.

These siblings were unaccustomed to eating out, even modestly.

Unfamiliarity breeds freshness. Lucilla took out a handkerchief from her bosom, wiped her brother’s mouth, and smiled brightly.

“If I had earned more money, could we have done this more often?”

And then she revealed a hint of regret. Llewellyn furrowed his brows at his sister.

“I told you not to say things like that. I’m grateful just for you raising me.”

“Still. I want to. Walking with my Sejin… buying things for you.”

He understood. Whenever Llewellyn and Lucilla went for walks, the walks usually ended as just walks.

Even when they saw food for sale, they would pass by without considering trying it, and had to go home to cook.

Of course, that wasn’t bad either, but it did leave a lingering regret.

Eating ramen or chicken with his sister while facing the Han River.

Llewellyn had no such experiences. Chicken, in particular, was only something the landlord would bring on Christmas, saying they should eat something.

But despite feeling regret… Llewellyn didn’t regret those experiences.

After all, it was time spent with his sister.

They both knew this well. So the conversation ended.

A comfortable silence flowed between them. The peaceful silence of siblings who knew each other’s thoughts well enough not to quarrel.

Their joined hands were warm, and heartbeats could be felt.

The heartbeat pumped by a heart flowing with divinity was one-directional. Lucilla hummed a tune while listening to Llewellyn’s heartbeat.

A melody that wasn’t exceptionally well-sung but gave a comfortable feeling when heard.

In that melody, Llewellyn’s thoughts drifted in another direction.

He realized the difference between then and now.

First, his body was different, but it wasn’t just his body.

There was a big difference.

Back then, he knew nothing, but now he knew a lot.

He knew exactly what feelings Yoon Seah had harbored for Yoon Sejin, and why she had acted that way.

Llewellyn felt uncomfortable becoming conscious of this. Especially since they both knew.

How long did his sister intend to continue this relationship? Llewellyn quietly lowered his head to look at his sister, and Lucilla, noticing her brother’s gaze, raised her head with a pleased smile.

“What is it? Do you have something to say?”

“Sis.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like me?”

Lucilla froze. Her steps stopped, and Llewellyn stopped as well.

“Why do you like me?”

He wasn’t asking if she liked him as family, as siblings. Lucilla knew this well, so her smiling face froze as she moved her lips.

Yoon Sejin’s not-quite-virtue raised its head there.

“What do you… I mean, what do you want to do with me?”

Llewellyn voiced the words he had been holding inside all this time.