Ch.211Into the Dream of the Sleeping Princess

“That’s strange! It’s impossible! I’m a Dwarf, and our basic stamina is completely different from Humans!”

“It’s just a difference in experience and technique.”

“Ughhhh~!”

When Mina woke up in the same bed as me this morning, she blushed at last night’s defeat and pounded her fists against my chest.

Certainly, it was incredibly cute to see her writhing in pleasure several times during three hours of one-sided foreplay until she couldn’t take it anymore and begged for more.

In the end, the main event that Mina wanted happened shortly after midnight, but there was nothing romantic about the first night between a man at the limits of his patience and a woman whose body was burning with desire.

The lovemaking that continued until the early hours only ended after Mina fainted three times, so the fact that she’s able to pound on me like this in such good condition is proof enough of a Dwarf’s stamina, isn’t it?

“So, were you satisfied with your first experience?”

“…Do you really need me to say it out loud?”

“I tried to be careful not to hurt you, but your body felt so good that I lost my senses halfway through.”

“H-how can you say such things without even changing your expression…”

“Being honest with each other in bed is the best policy. So, your answer?”

At my direct question, Mina fidgeted with her hands before answering in a barely audible voice.

“…It was the best. I heard that the first time is just painful and not very pleasant, but it was so good that I think that must have all been lies.”

“Heh, hearing you say that makes me proud as a man.”

“B-but just you wait! I may have been overwhelmed by your experience this time, but soon I’ll have you underneath me, gasping for breath!”

“Hahaha, I’ll look forward to it.”

I stroked the head of Mina, who was puffing her cheeks in frustration, enjoying the leisure of a victor.

Having finished our business in Moon Lake, we boarded the carriage led by Ant Walker and set off toward the Great Sage’s villa.

If we were to travel honestly eastward and pass through West Point, it would be a distance of 110km, but we chose a route heading southeast without any intermediate stops, shortening the travel distance by about 30%.

Without encountering any enemies or notable troubles, we were able to arrive at the Great Sage’s villa around 3 PM.

“Huh? There are people around the villa?”

“I can see carriages loaded with construction materials… Are they planning to build some kind of outpost here?”

On the hill where the Great Sage’s villa was located, five men were talking in front of a carriage loaded with timber and planks. When they saw us approaching, they assumed defensive positions.

But the next moment, they all simultaneously lost consciousness and collapsed, so there was no confrontation or friction between us and them.

“…What just happened?”

“They’re not dead, are they?”

“They’re still breathing. Seems like they’re just sleeping.”

After Seti approached one of the fallen men and checked his condition, we could guess who was responsible for this situation.

And as if to confirm our guess, the front door of the villa creaked open, and a girl version of Anastasia appeared.

“Welcome, all of you. You’ve arrived earlier than I expected.”

“Anastasia? You were here?”

“This form is an illusion created by magic. I exerted a bit of effort to meet you all face to face.”

“What about these men?”

“They are workers dispatched from the city. They were going to build a surveillance post to prevent strange people from entering this house… I’ve put them to sleep for now, so you needn’t worry about them until our business is concluded.”

“Ah, I see… it has become too convenient to be called an ancient relic anymore.”

This brick house built by Great Sage Deidric Asmad is equipped with infrastructure that would make even modern homes envious, including plumbing, lighting, and heating.

If outlaws were to occupy such a place, it would be a problem, so they must have sent people to prevent outlaws from approaching and to manage the relic to prevent damage.

It’s a bit sorry to make people who came to work diligently lie on the bare ground… but we have urgent business too, so let’s ask for their understanding.

“Now, don’t just stand there, come in. That girl Iris as well.”

“Alright.”

Anastasia guided us to the living room sofa, then had us release Iris from the doll house and seat her on the sofa.

After carefully examining the vacant eyes of the listless Iris, Anastasia let out a light exclamation of “Hoo,” then sat on the sofa and began to speak.

“It’s as I expected. This child sealed her own mind to avoid being brainwashed by the Dark Elf transcendent. Otherwise, she couldn’t have endured for five years.”

“Sealed her mind? Is that possible?”

“Fundamentally, it’s similar to sealing a ghost-type monster in a magical tool. Of course, the difficulty is incomparable, but this child must have had extraordinary magical talent.”

“Hmm… theory aside, what do we need to do to save Iris? Should we awaken her sealed mind?”

“No, that would be counterproductive.”

After saying that, Anastasia used magic to create a small picture in the air.

It showed a small, deformed house with Iris’s face inside, and the face of a Dark Elf man with a menacing expression outside the house.

“If I were to describe this child’s current state, it’s like a young child who has locked herself in a house to survive a vicious murderer. The murderer is still knocking at the front door, so what would happen if we forcibly opened the door of this house?”

“…It would only help the Dark Elf transcendent devour Iris’s mind.”

“Exactly. Entering this child’s mental world and defeating the Dark Elf transcendent is the only way to save her.”

As she spoke, the faces of the five of us appeared next to the menacing Dark Elf, showing a scene where we attack and eliminate the Dark Elf.

“If we defeat the Dark Elf transcendent—that mental entity—like this, the danger of brainwashing will disappear, and this child’s mind will awaken on its own upon realizing this. Of course, I don’t know how long that will take.”

“I understand the general outline, but how do we enter Iris’s mental world?”

In response to my question, Anastasia smirked as if I had asked something ridiculous.

“Who do you think you’re asking such a question to? A succubus is a demon who rules over dreams, and dreams are the boundary between the mental world and the real world. There’s no way I couldn’t help.”

“Ohhh… as expected of the Queen of Succubi.”

“Shall we depart right away then? Or do you need preparation?”

“No special preparation is needed. However, I cannot send all five of you in.”

“Why is that?”

“The technique of infiltrating the mental world is originally only usable by succubi themselves. Using my power, I can bring men into dreams, but to extend that technique to women would require the help of the great magic my husband left behind.”

“The Fragment of Omniscience… so I need to help Anastasia and can’t enter the mental world.”

“So the infiltration team will be me, Seti, Mina, and Phyllis, four people.”

“If possible, it would be better to have one more person remain in reality. In case you are defeated by the Dark Elf transcendent, someone needs to pull you out of the mental world.”

“Then I’ll stay. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be much help in combat with my skills.”

Mina volunteered to take on the rescue role, and it was decided that I, Seti, and Phyllis would enter Iris’s mental world.

Anastasia seated the three of us next to Iris, and while preparing the technique with Jessica, she gave us some words of advice.

“Remember this. The mental world is the world of dreams, a world where individual will becomes power. The Dark Elf transcendent who has dominated this place for five years will possess strength beyond imagination. To defeat it, you too must transcend the limits of reality through the power of will.”

“Transcend the limits of reality?”

“For example, the notion that monsters cannot be defeated with blades is common sense in the real world, and common sense after black magic covered the world. Someone who remembers the distant past could easily defeat monsters with just a knife at their waist.”

“Ah… I understand roughly.”

So things that are impossible in reality due to various constraints might be entirely possible in Iris’s mental world—her dreamscape.

It’s like how you can manipulate the content of a dream to some extent in a lucid dream.

“If you’re ready, I’ll begin. Close your eyes, assume a comfortable position, and don’t resist the magical power you feel from me.”

Following Anastasia’s instructions, I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes. A warm, somehow erotic magical power flowed from Anastasia’s direction.

And the moment I surrendered to that flow of magic, my consciousness was sucked into Iris’s body beside me, as if swept away by a rapid current.

“Whoa…?”

Before I could even scream, the scenery around us changed instantly.

Instead of the antique reception room from just a moment ago, what unfolded before our eyes was—

‘Whoosh—’

The sight of the Willow Tree Sanctuary being devoured by enormous flames.