Ch.35Chapter 35: Comforting Someone Who’s Crying Is Difficult (2)

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At 6:05 AM, just before waking from what might have been a dream, a revelation, or a hallucination, Karl Lanos was witnessing an inexplicable scene.

In the deepest part of the premium dormitory area of the Cradle Academy, where only silence prevailed before dawn.

SLAM!

Someone’s door was thrown open roughly.

“Huff… Huff…”

Following the violent opening of the door came breathing that was even more ragged than the sound of the door itself.

“N-No!”

The last sound was a faint scream from a woman who had burst through the door.

The woman who had hurriedly opened the door was in such disarray that “disheveled” would be an understatement.

Her clothes were on properly, but having been put on in haste, buttons were misaligned and various parts were in disarray.

Her golden hair, as if molten gold had been spun into strands, was unkempt and flying wildly in all directions.

Transparent tears were on the verge of spilling from her blue eyes, which formed a beautiful contrast with her golden hair.

“Huff… Huff…”

Despite possessing a superhuman body that wouldn’t normally be disturbed even by intense physical activity, her breathing was this ragged.

Anyone who saw this scene would immediately know that the woman’s current state was far from normal.

“I… I need to hurry.”

The state of the woman, Lilianshiz Proxian, who was muttering these incoherent words, was truly pitiful.

“Karl…”

After suddenly calling her fiancé’s name, Lilianshiz’s steps began slowly at first, but soon her legs pushed to their limit as she ran.

One would expect that moving at such speed and intensity would inevitably affect the surrounding environment in some way.

Yet remarkably, as Shiz continued her steps at an incredible pace, not even the sound of her footsteps could be heard, nor even the sound of wind being cut by her rapid movements.

She was likely using the martial energy within her body to create this miraculous scene.

If anyone had witnessed this, they would surely have been amazed by her near-divine movements.

But throughout her run, she stared straight ahead like someone in a trance, and such admiration would certainly have fallen on deaf ears.

After running for quite some time…

Lilianshiz’s relentless footsteps finally came to a halt at her destination.

She stood right in front of the door with the nameplate “Karl Lanos” – her fiancé’s dormitory room.

Perhaps due to running without pacing herself, recklessly using martial energy without consideration for her stamina?

While catching her breath, her stern expression revealed she was ready to throw the door open at any moment.

“Haah… Haah…”

Despite having awakened three special talents simultaneously on her 17th birthday, after which ordinary activities would neither disturb her breathing nor make her sweat, intense gasps continued to escape her lips.

Fortunately, when she first began to catch her breath, Lilianshiz’s expression showed only urgency and anxiety.

But as time passed, relief became more prominent in her expression.

It seemed her martial senses, honed as sharp as a sword, had confirmed the well-being of the person beyond the door.

After this brief moment of catching her breath…

Though still somewhat labored, Lilianshiz hardened her relieved expression and reached for the door.

Her hand, poised to throw the door open forcefully, seemed to have no options like opening it carefully or knocking first.

Why was she so desperate to enter her fiancé’s room?

“Why did I have to see such a terrifying scene…”

Before opening the door, she murmured in a low voice, recalling the dream she had just before waking.

In her dream, her most precious fiancé, Karl Lanos…

Had turned to ashes and disappeared before her eyes – a shocking scene that had been the content of her recent dream.

And it wasn’t just a simple disappearance.

Starting with his legs turning to ash, followed by his arms…

Then his torso becoming ash, and finally his face, which had remained until the very end, also turning to ash and vanishing.

It was a terrifying and shocking scene, made all the more frightening by how vivid and detailed it had been.

Of course, this dream would frighten even someone with thick nerves.

But once confirmed as just a dream, rushing out early in the morning to check on the person who was the subject of the nightmare isn’t exactly normal behavior.

Of course, Lilianshiz had her reasons for acting this way.

She was being so proactive precisely because she knew it was a dream.

For her, dreams where something happens to people around her aren’t just nightmares – they’re a form of revelation with a high degree of accuracy.

“I need to check… quickly check if he’s safe.”

After briefly regaining composure upon confirming the safety of the person beyond the door, she once again began muttering like someone in a trance, her expression clearly showing her intent to open the door and verify the well-being of the person inside.

What could make this future great hero forget her dignity and tremble in fear over a mere nightmare?

This stems from a special ability she acquired even before awakening her heroic qualities in childhood.

It’s an ability she realized after experiencing a deeply sad event in her childhood.

After seeing her mother, who had become weak after giving birth to her, slowly wasting away and dying in a dream, and then witnessing her mother’s passing exactly as she had dreamed it…

The prophetic dreams she calls “revelations,” which inform her through dreams when something is about to happen to someone dear to her, are the nature of this special ability.

If she saw someone falling ill in a dream and took no action, that person would invariably fall ill.

If she witnessed someone getting seriously injured and remained silent, that person would inevitably get hurt in a manner not far from what she had seen in her dream.

By now, it should be clear.

Lilianshiz Proxian never allows a dream where someone gets hurt to be reenacted in reality – she always tries to prevent it.

Even if she dreams of someone she barely knows getting hurt, she makes an effort to prevent it.

And the person in this dream wasn’t just anyone – it was her most precious fiancé.

And it wasn’t just about falling ill or getting injured – it was about turning to ash and facing death.

For Lilianshiz Proxian, doing nothing after seeing such a dream was simply unthinkable.

“Phew…”

Calmness gradually returned to Lilianshiz’s expression as she had been muttering in a daze.

Her sharp martial senses informed her that her precious fiancé inside the room had just awakened.

An even greater sense of relief washed over her heart than when she had confirmed he was sleeping peacefully.

“No. I still need to see him with my own eyes.”

As the final scene from her dream – his face turning to ash – flashed in her mind, Lilianshiz shook her head vigorously to steady her wavering heart.

Though her appearance was far from neat due to her hasty departure, now was not the time to worry about such things.

She needed to confirm with her own eyes that her precious person was safe, and then warn him with her own lips about the potential threat ahead.

Having organized her thoughts, Lilianshiz made a plan before entering her fiancé’s room.

Fortunately(?), though her breathing had become rough from running in a hurry, she hadn’t spared any martial energy in concealing her presence, so her fiancé likely didn’t even know she was standing outside his door.

Though her appearance was somewhat disheveled, she would knock on his door with as much dignity as possible, then enter with elegant steps through the gap when he opened it.

With a worried expression, she would confirm his physical condition with her own eyes.

After confirming he was safe, she would show an expression of relief and reveal her unrestrained affection for him.

Then she would tell him about her dream and warn him of the danger that might befall him.

If nothing else, her fiancé had known since childhood what her dreams meant.

He wouldn’t dislike hearing what she had to say.

He might even express gratitude to her.

-Thank you.

As she recalled the warm voice she had heard in his embrace beyond that door a few days ago…

A light blush appeared on Lilianshiz’s face.

“…Alright.”

Despite having just woken up and engaged in intense movement, which surely prevented proper thinking, Lilianshiz was satisfied with her reasonably well-crafted plan and immediately put it into action.

First, she would gently turn the doorknob, then apply light pressure with her arm to open the door smoothly.

Strangely, contrary to her intention, the doorknob turned very forcefully.

There was one thing Lilianshiz Proxian had overlooked.

After waking from what was essentially a prophetic nightmare…

As a result of recklessly using martial energy and pushing her body to the limit with the sole thought of reaching him…

Her body was not currently refined enough to perfectly follow her will. While she intended to apply just a little force to open the door, her body, unable to fully support her will, opened the door with more force than she had intended.

SLAM!

With an even louder sound than when she had opened her own door earlier…

Through the gap of Karl’s room door that had been thrown open, her fiancé was looking at her with a slightly surprised expression.

“Huff… Huff…”

Suddenly, Lilianshiz’s breathing became rapid again.

Not because her breathing was disturbed by intense movement…

But because of the embarrassment of creating an awkward situation due to her inability to properly control her own body, and…

The visual shock of seeing her fiancé with his upper body completely exposed.

Though the day had just begun, Lilianshiz couldn’t help but think that today was going to be a very difficult day.

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“Are you feeling better now?”

After crying uncontrollably while looking at me for a while…

As soon as she saw the chocolate I took out from my desk drawer, Shiz’s not-so-large ears perked up.

“…Thank you.”

She quietly accepted the chocolate I offered, put it in her mouth, and gradually stopped crying as she chewed.

The sudden change in demeanor was so drastic it might have seemed unbelievable, considering how loudly she had been crying just moments ago.

“Delicious…”

As she enjoyed the chocolate while tears still lingered around her eyes, she looked incredibly cute.

“Sigh…”

I momentarily pushed aside my bewilderment and approached where Shiz was sitting.

As I moved closer to her, I finally noticed her disheveled appearance, which I hadn’t properly observed due to my initial surprise.

Her golden hair, which was always beautifully arranged even without being tied, was now in disarray and flying in all directions.

Traces of dried tears were visible around her eyes.

Just looking at her face revealed her unkempt state.

When I expanded my gaze from her face to her entire body, her disheveled appearance became even more apparent.

Her light clothing, hastily put on as soon as she woke up, was damp with sweat from running here, revealing the curves of her body…

SLAP!

“…! Karl, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m fine. I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“…??”

Two mosquitoes landed on both my cheeks, and I was trying to swat them.

It absolutely wasn’t because I was trying to cut off my imagination as I noticed how the curves of my precious fiancée’s beautiful body were fully revealed. Definitely not.

“Ahem.”

As I cleared my throat to change the atmosphere, I found myself right in front of Shiz.

Sitting on the floor eating chocolate, Shiz raised her head to meet my gaze as I approached.

Munch, munch…

…She was still chewing the chocolate.

Despite it being an amount she could have chewed and swallowed in one go, Shiz was savoring the chocolate I had given her as if appreciating its taste.

“Chocolate from Karl after so long… It’s delicious.”

She expressed her satisfaction both through her actions and words.

She looked so cute that I felt an urge to pat her head, but I resisted the impulse and sat down on the floor to meet her at eye level.

Gulp!

Perhaps startled by my sudden appearance in her field of vision?

After finishing chewing and swallowing the chocolate she had been savoring, Shiz’s expression showed signs of tension compared to when she had just calmed down.

That’s understandable.

While she might not have realized it while crying uncontrollably, now that she had chocolate in her mouth and her mind was clearing, she was probably starting to realize what she had done.

She had suddenly entered my room, examined my body all over, then felt relieved, and shortly after began crying profusely.

If it had been anyone else, it would have been reasonable to consider it a nuisance and immediately send them away.

But because it was you, Shiz, I’m letting it slide.

Of course, I didn’t dislike this whole process.

In fact, I rather enjoyed it.

It had been so long since I’d seen you crying while showing concern for me, and today I got to see it again.

‘Come to think of it, this is a win-win situation.’

I got to see Shiz worrying about me while calming her down with just a few pieces of chocolate.

And though she was in disarray, I also got to appreciate how truly beautiful she looked.

Especially how her body’s curves were naturally revealed through her sweat-dampened clothes…

SLAP!

…This isn’t right.

Since yesterday, these fantasies keep expanding their territory within me, requiring a slap to the cheek to calm down.

As they say, sometimes a good hit is the best medicine. I’ll need to slap myself whenever such thoughts arise.

“Sigh…”

After letting out a light sigh to calm my mind, I turned my head and met Shiz’s eyes again.

Now that I’m here, there’s only one thing for me to do.

“Since you seem to have calmed down, let me ask you something.”

“…Okay.”

“Why did you come to my room so early in the morning with such a startled expression?”

I need to ask why she acted so impulsively.

Only by knowing the reason can I help her within my capabilities.

“…I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“Yes. A very scary dream.”

For someone else, saying they ran crying to their fiancé because of a mere nightmare might be laughable.

“Was it a dream about me?”

But I couldn’t take it lightly when Shiz mentioned having a dream.

Why?

Because there had been several occasions in our childhood when I had avoided danger after hearing about her dreams.

Having received help through Shiz’s dreams, which unfailingly warn of dangers to people around her, I had no reason to dismiss anything she said once the word “dream” left her lips.

“…Yes.”

“Can you tell me about it in detail?”

Upon hearing my request, Shiz’s expression subtly changed.

Should I call it fear, or perhaps hesitation?

A strange reluctance lingered in her expression, but…

“You turned to ash…”

At the first words from Shiz, who had finally opened her mouth with a determined expression…

Flinch!

I felt my body shrink back.

Though I moved quite noticeably, Shiz didn’t seem to notice my reaction and continued slowly conveying the content of her dream.

“Starting with your legs, then your arms. Next was your torso. Finally, your head turned to ash in sequence.”

“…”

“…It was scary.”

…I’m scared too.

Because that’s exactly the order in which my body turned to ash when I faced my second death.

While it wasn’t a dream I could take lightly to begin with, the fact that it so closely resembled the death I experienced before my regression made me listen carefully to Shiz’s story.