Ch.262[Chapter 262] Journey to Awakening

Sir Dominic continued to fall downward through the darkness.

Since this is a dream, I suppose I must be a bit taller.

Now accustomed to being in a dream, Sir Dominic thought of a frivolous joke.

Falling downward with the remains of an unknown demon race, Sir Dominic realized that at some point, the color around him had changed from black to something resembling aged parchment.

Sir Dominic turned his body in mid-air to look downward, trying to survey his surroundings.

And there below, he noticed land that looked as if it had been drawn with a quill pen on parchment.

The ground was approaching closer and closer, and despite knowing it was a dream, Sir Dominic instinctively plunged his sword into the demon corpse falling alongside him, feeling dizzy from the sensation.

When the sword pierced the demon’s corpse, an enormous amount of black blood began to pour out. Sir Dominic wiped away the blood that was spraying enough to block his vision as he prepared for the impact with the ground.

With a loud crash, dust rose from the earth.

More precisely, it was like an effect seen in religious paintings, as if drawn with ink.

Sir Dominic took a pose with one knee on the ground, his sword thrust into the demon, and raised his head. The shield in his left hand was tilted behind his back due to wind resistance.

The black blood that had been gushing out fell downward, unable to overcome gravity.

It looked as if wings were spread out, and for some unknown reason, it seemed to fall almost simultaneously with Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic had fallen with his back to the sun, and suddenly time began to flow slowly.

Through this surreal situation, Sir Dominic realized he had not yet escaped from the dream.

Having realized this, Sir Dominic’s expression was a mixture of irritation that he was still dreaming and a happy smile from excessive stress, making him look like a warrior laughing madly on the battlefield.

Sir Dominic appeared like a hero from legends.

At least in Arkus’s eyes.

“White Raven almighty…”

Arkus stared at the one who had just fallen from the sky.

He had fallen from the sky while shattering a demon, with a halo behind his head and black wings spread behind his back.

He was truly filled with heroic qualities. Arkus suddenly realized he was smiling and looked at his face.

After confirming his face, Arkus felt breathless, convinced that the person before him was indeed Sir Dominic, whom he had been searching for so desperately.

The tricolored feathers on his head, the eye patch covering one eye, and the face of a powerful warrior.

The weapon that had shattered the demon was covered in something black, making it difficult to discern its shape, but it appeared to be a sword and shield.

All circumstances indicated that the person who appeared before him was the saint of Ferallant, Sir Dominic.

“A-are you Sir Dominic?”

Arkus, surprised by the saint’s appearance, stammered as he asked if he was truly Sir Dominic.

Having already voiced his question, Arkus suddenly panicked, wondering if doubting the saint’s existence itself was blasphemous, but Sir Dominic was not one to mind such things.

“I am. How do you know my name…?”

Sir Dominic wiped the sticky demon blood from his face as he looked at the person who had addressed him.

Though he couldn’t be certain as the blood wasn’t completely removed, the person looked like a priest serving the White Raven.

In other words, he was one of the visitors from Ferallant that Sir Dominic had been desperately searching for.

“Oh, White Raven…”

Arkus, having achieved the meeting with Sir Dominic that he had hoped and waited for, but had begun to think of negatively, sat down and began to offer prayers of thanks to the deity.

But soon Arkus was disappointed when he realized there was no pain despite hitting his knees so hard against the ground, making him aware that this was a dream.

“How much must I have wanted to see Sir Dominic, to dream of him like this…”

Arkus became even more dejected upon realizing it was a dream.

The Sir Dominic in his dream was very impressive, but what use was it if they couldn’t meet in reality?

While Arkus was in despair, Sir Dominic was lost in thought.

Sir Dominic had almost given up after repeatedly failing in his attempts to find the visitors from Ferallant, but seeing Arkus in the dream suddenly gave him an idea.

After organizing the plan in his mind, Sir Dominic addressed the still-dejected Arkus.

“It seems you’ve been looking for me, is that right?”

“Yes. I don’t know whether to be glad I’ve seen you even in a dream, or to feel sad…”

Arkus sighed at Sir Dominic’s words.

He was so heartbroken that he didn’t seem to realize something was strange.

“Then come to this place.”

Sir Dominic dipped his finger in the demon’s blood and wrote something on the ground.

“…? What is this?”

Arkus looked at the clearly visible letters and then looked up at Sir Dominic again.

Although Arkus was quite tall, Sir Dominic was taller.

“It’s the address where I live. Now tell me your name. I need to know it for the invitation.”

“…Arkus. My name is Arkus, Sir Dominic.”

Arkus thought it was pointless since this was just a dream, but he figured there was no harm in saying it and memorizing it.

When Arkus revealed his real name, Sir Dominic repeated it a few times and then nodded.

“If you happen to forget the address, go here. It’s a place I frequent, so with luck, you might run into me directly.”

Sir Dominic named a convenience store near the exit of the portal that led from his home to the city.

“…Thank you, Sir Dominic.”

Arkus expressed his gratitude to Sir Dominic.

“Don’t mention-“

Sir Dominic tried to respond to Arkus, but suddenly disappeared from Arkus’s sight.

He had gone to another place again.

“…How much must I have wanted to see Sir Dominic.”

Arkus clicked his tongue in the dream and began to criticize himself.

“But this feels too real for a dream…”

Arkus extended his finger and poked the shattered demon.

“Ah!”

After poking the demon a couple of times, Arkus suddenly let out a cry.

Arkus looked at his finger where the pain had come from.

The finger had turned black from the toxicity of the demon’s blood.

How realistic, Arkus thought, when—

Arkus woke up.

…

Sir Dominic moved to another place again.

Or perhaps, more accurately, he had returned.

Sir Dominic was standing in the middle of a battlefield in his dream.

Right in the center of that final battle.

“…”

“Heh.”

Sir Dominic watched himself fighting like a madman, laughing.

That madman was moving, killing all demons in his path, but there was no direction in his steps, no purpose in his gaze.

He simply walked toward demons when he saw them and swung his sword.

A person who did nothing more.

Sir Dominic felt that whoever that person was, he was quite foolish.

…Yes. It’s me.

Sir Dominic casually swung his sword at the dream demons.

But as if to prove it was a dream, the sword passed through the dream demons.

Having discovered this fact, Sir Dominic sat on a hill overlooking the battlefield.

Watching as the past Sir Dominic fought.

The past Sir Dominic was smiling broadly.

It wasn’t a natural smile, but it was a bright one.

Sir Dominic couldn’t detect even a hint of pretense in that smile.

Looking at that sight, Sir Dominic—

…

Sir Dominic woke up.

Looking outside, it seemed to be evening as it was getting dark.

Falling asleep around noon and waking up in the evening.

And it would soon be time to go back to sleep again.

Sir Dominic thought this as he left the room.

“Oh? You’re up?”

When Sir Dominic entered the living room, Sir Dominica was preparing dinner.

“Yes. Did you sleep well?”

Sir Dominica knew that Sir Dominic had fallen into quite a deep sleep, but wanted to check if he felt alright.

“Well. I’m not sure.”

Sir Dominic tilted his head.

Having just woken up, he couldn’t yet accurately assess his physical condition.

“By the way, did you have a good dream?”

“Dream?”

Sir Dominica pointed at Sir Dominic while putting a piece of bread in her mouth.

“Your mouth is smiling.”

Sir Dominic raised his hand to touch his face.

Indeed, Sir Dominic was smiling.

“Can you tell me what dream you had?”

Sir Dominica spoke to Sir Dominic with apparent interest.

“If it was a good dream, I might buy you something.”

“Well.”

Sir Dominic trailed off at Sir Dominica’s words.

“It was a good dream, but I don’t remember it well.”

Sir Dominic vaguely recalled only a few scenes from the hazy dream.

“But that’s what dreams are, right?”

“Well, yes. They say dreams are fleeting.”

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica then focused on their dinner.

A black mass of boiled, mashed meat and organs, beans, and potatoes and broccoli that had been in a cardboard box.

For dessert, there was baumkuchen and melon-flavored candy.

Perhaps that dream wasn’t a dream at all.

Sir Dominic thought this as he popped a melon-flavored candy into his mouth.