Ch.392Chapter 392 – An Old Promise

I discussed the lizardman’s prophecy with my companions, but we couldn’t come up with any clear answers.

“If we really want to know more, we’d probably need to meet with that shaman the lizardmen mentioned…”

Though Sera suggested this, our relationship with the lizardmen wasn’t exactly friendly at the moment, so approaching their shaman wasn’t a viable option.

For now, we decided to keep it in the back of our minds and revisit the topic when we had a better opportunity to investigate further.

As evening fell, it was time to rest, but everyone agreed that we still couldn’t fully trust the beastmen.

Naturally, we parked the carriage in a relatively defensible position and agreed to take turns standing watch. Sera volunteered to take the first shift, and we arranged a rotation for guarding the carriage. After that, I lay down on the bed in my room, and my consciousness gradually began to fade.

As I let sleep take over my body and began to drift into a deep slumber…

‘It’s cold.’

Suddenly, I felt a chill. Opening my eyes to look around, I found myself in the middle of a snowstorm.

‘…This is strange.’

Just moments ago, Sera had volunteered for the first watch, and I had said goodnight to her and the others before going to bed.

I had simply lain down on the bed, with no time for anything else to intervene. So why was I suddenly transported to the middle of a snowy field?

I looked around again. All I could see was the blizzard. Twisted, withered trees wearing the white snow like windbreakers.

Strangely, not a single animal was in sight. And the carriage that should have been nearby, along with Mu who should have been sleeping beside it, were nowhere to be found.

Of course, no one else was there either. Not Eve, not Sera, not Chris. Neither Beatrice nor Sia were present.

‘…Those guys wouldn’t abandon me.’

At the very least, they weren’t the type to stand by if I was suddenly abducted. If Beatrice had detected any magical interference, she would have taken immediate action. The same went for the others.

They wouldn’t abandon me. Reminding myself of this fact helped calm my initial panic.

‘…I see.’

Looking at the situation more coolly, I could reach a conclusion.

This was a dream. No, rather than a dream…

It was a promise etched long ago. A memory demanding the fulfillment of that promise. A promise I had almost forgotten in the daily struggle to survive.

The time had come to fulfill it.

‘I need to meet the Dragon Lord.’

The request that Pia and Yuto had left with me. Their final mission.

To send someone with a soul from another world to the Dragon Lord.

The method to reach the Dragon Lord surfaced in my mind.

The procedures, the magic, were etched into my consciousness.

‘They said it would come to me when the time was right.’

Since Pia had inscribed it in my mind long ago, I could understand it without issue despite my limited knowledge of magic. A spell I could handle on my own emerged in my thoughts.

And simultaneously, I realized that this method would be dangerous for me in my current state.

“…What kind of magic demands so much magical power?”

The spell to reach the Dragon Lord’s location. If I were to cast it with my current body, I would die instantly. Since my heart was barely beating thanks to the dragon’s magical power, using too much magic would naturally be fatal.

Fortunately, they weren’t demanding my death. There had been many unexpected situations along the way. I had pushed myself too hard.

Perhaps they had noticed this already and hadn’t demanded the immediate fulfillment of the promise.

As I continued to look up at the sky of the snow-covered field, imprinting in my mind the being I must meet and the method to do so…

The scene changed again.

“…We meet again.”

“Yes.”

Pia, who lived within my mental world, quietly nodded.

She turned her head toward me and spoke without much preamble.

“So. You’ve remembered that you need to fulfill my request now.”

“Yes.”

I had heard about it occasionally before, but this time, there was a sense of compulsion. Of course, I could ignore it if I consciously chose to.

I quietly asked Pia.

“…Is this recurring thought about needing to go the work of the Lord?”

“Yes. But please don’t think it has any malicious intent.”

Pia nodded quietly.

“He prepared it so you wouldn’t forget to visit the place to meet him when you got close.”

“This seems a bit excessive.”

“He told me that humans are creatures of forgetfulness, so such imprinting was necessary.”

I couldn’t help but think the Dragon Lord was doing unnecessary things.

“Still, you can weaken the compulsion if you’re conscious of it. Are you okay?”

I nodded at Pia’s words.

“It shouldn’t be a big problem. It seems to fade temporarily when I think about other things.”

“That’s good. If you became unable to do anything because of it, your women would be very worried. And they wouldn’t let the Lord off easily.”

After saying this, Pia smiled gently and added.

“Like that one over there.”

“What is this…?”

I turned my head and widened my eyes. Chris was standing there with a tense expression, holding her stone staff.

“Chris, how did you get here?”

“Well, I am a goddess, right?”

Chris answered quietly, though slightly flustered.

“I was planning to sleep beside you tonight, so I snuck into your room, but I sensed you were struggling with something. When I focused my mind, I could feel your consciousness gathering deep inside, and I thought maybe something was happening in your mental world like what happens with me. So, when I concentrated and activated my divine arts…”

Chris was speaking so rapidly out of apparent concern that it was hard to follow. I quickly looked at Pia.

“Can you interpret?”

“The little goddess sensed that your consciousness was focused in your mental world, and she sent her consciousness here using divine arts. It’s not something even a powerful cleric could easily do, but she’s a goddess, and you deeply trust your women, so she was able to enter.”

At Pia’s explanation, Chris looked at me with a slightly joyful expression. Pia continued with a smile.

“She probably hasn’t had occasion to send her consciousness into someone else’s mental world before, so she seems surprised to find that she can enter another’s mental world.”

So that’s why Chris was flustered. She had tried something without expecting it to work, and it did. It was very like her. As I was feeling grateful for her concern…

Suddenly, I noticed the scenery of the space had changed.

“…What’s this?”

“Oh, that suddenly appeared in my mental world too.”

Chris pointed at a wheeled chair and said.

“Kay, do you know what that strange chair is?”

“…Yes.”

It was what would normally be called a gaming chair. I was a bit surprised to see this object suddenly emerge from my memories. More importantly, why had it appeared in Chris’s mental world?

Pia smiled and explained.

“The goddess must have absorbed surrounding mental images, including yours.”

“…Is that so?”

“I’m not really…”

Chris seemed a bit confused. Meanwhile, Pia, apparently curious, lay down on the chair and began spinning in place.

“This is fun.”

“…It’s making me dizzy. Pia. Let’s get on with the conversation.”

At Yuto’s complaint, Pia sighed and stopped in place. Then Chris looked at Pia with a tense expression and asked.

“By the way, who exactly are you two?”

“…I apologize for the late introduction, Goddess.”

Pia smiled and said.

“I am Pia. The White Dragon, Pia. A fragment of her consciousness.”

“White Dragon? A fragment of consciousness?”

“This person’s heart is a replica of my heart. That’s why a fragment of my consciousness slipped into his mind.”

Pia bowed politely, saying she had helped many times despite appearances. Chris also bowed her head to Pia, then looked at Yuto who was standing behind.

“And who is he?”

“You’ve seen me before. I’ll skip the introduction.”

“He’s Yuto, the Black Dragon. …It probably wasn’t a pleasant meeting for you, Goddess, but you’ve met before.”

At the word “Black Dragon,” Chris’s expression hardened as she immediately recognized him. Then Pia quietly said.

“Before he died, he sent his will to Kay, which is why he’s here. Both he and I are merely fading fragments now, Goddess.”

“There’s no need for a goddess to pay attention to mere fragments like us.”

Chris seemed to relax a little. As I quietly approached her, Pia spoke softly.

“…Since the Goddess is here too, we should explain what we were telling him.”

“What were you asking of Kay?”

Chris was wary of Pia’s words. Pia calmly addressed Chris.

“We were asking him to fulfill the mission that the Dragon Lord gave us.”

“…Which is?”

“His Lordship told us to bring someone with a soul from another world to meet him.”

Pia spoke with a resolute expression. She was being polite but clearly not backing down on this point.

“I don’t mean to take credit, but since becoming part of him, Yuto and I have done many things to save his life. I hope you’ll allow this, considering our contribution, Goddess.”

“…My opinion isn’t important, White Dragon.”

Chris quietly looked at me.

“If Kay wants to do it, I won’t stop him.”

“You trust him.”

Chris nodded silently.

“But there’s an exception. If I believe it will harm him, I…”

“I understand, Goddess.”

Pia said with a smile. Then she looked at me and said.

“You are truly loved by many, including the Goddess.”

“It’s more than I deserve.”

“Cherish it. …Don’t make the foolish mistake we did, only realizing how precious ordinary happiness was after we died.”

After saying this, Pia murmured quietly.

“…At the same time, there are occasions when one must unhesitatingly give their life for those who create that ordinary happiness.”

“……”

Pia spoke with a somewhat dark expression. Chris responded with a rather firm tone.

“I’d prefer you not say such ominous things, White Dragon.”

“Goddess.”

“Kay will live a long life. He will stay with us for a long time.”

Chris spoke as if it were already determined.

“…I’ll make sure of it.”

“…I apologize. Please forgive my rudeness.”

At Pia’s polite apology, Chris seemed flustered. Still, I felt grateful for her resolute words and gently took her hand, causing her to blush.

Then Pia said with a smile.

“You two look good together.”

Yuto also spoke up.

“Don’t you know boys and girls shouldn’t sit together after age seven? What a sight.”

“Can’t we do something about this parasite?”

“…This dragon really doesn’t know how to read the room.”

In a rare situation where even Chris openly expressed her displeasure, Yuto’s face hardened. Pia also glared at Yuto, and finally, outnumbered three to one, Yuto bowed his head and stepped back.

“As I was saying, the meeting with the Dragon Lord must take place.”

“…But.”

“He already knows the method. And the Dragon Lord has been waiting for him for a very long time.”

“For me?”

At my question, Pia looked a bit startled, as if she had made a mistake. But she soon smiled and said.

“…Not exactly for you. But you meet the conditions.”

“How…”

“Everything is according to the guidance of the star-gazing priestess. I think her prophecy to the Lord is why he wants to see you.”

Pia closed her eyes and added that she didn’t know the details.

“…But as you know, the method requires a lot of dragon magic, so it’s impossible with your current body. So first, find a way to survive. …You need to live a long life. As the Goddess said.”

At Pia’s words, Chris lowered her head, seeming a bit embarrassed. I nodded at Pia’s words, and she smiled.

“Go now. When you wake up, the Goddess’s consciousness will naturally return to her body.”

“Yes.”

I could feel my mind gradually clearing. I was slowly leaving the mental world.

“…And don’t be surprised. The Goddess is probably right in front of your eyes…”

With Pia’s final words, my consciousness began to clear again.

+

And when I opened my eyes, Chris was right in front of me.

“…Chris.”

“Thank goodness.”

Chris exhaled in relief. I quietly hugged her and said.

“You were worried.”

“Yes. …Though considering their fading presence and attitude, I probably could have ignored it…”

Chris quietly added that she was concerned she might have intruded unnecessarily.

“…Kay.”

“I know.”

I would have to meet the Lord anyway. It was a promise Pia had left long ago.

“Don’t worry. …Pia said they absolutely have no intention to harm me.”

“That’s a relief, then.”

After saying this, Chris quietly looked up at me and asked.

“Should we tell the others…?”

“Let’s keep it secret for now.”

Eve and Sera would worry terribly. Sia might encourage me to go, saying promises are important, but Beatrice would probably insist on examining my entire body.

Separately, everyone was already on edge due to the frequent attacks by beastmen in Bestia. There was no need to create additional worries.

‘…I woke up at an awkward time.’

Even if I went back to sleep, it would soon be my turn to stand watch. It must be Sia’s turn now, and after me would be Chris, so in Chris’s room…

‘…Wait a minute.’

Looking at Chris, who was happily burying her face in my chest with her arms around me, I belatedly realized something was off.

“Chris.”

“Yes.”

“…Why are you in my bed?”

I had come in here alone. While I knew she wouldn’t harm me, so her entering wasn’t a problem, but coming in without saying anything…

“Chris?”

“……”

Chris didn’t answer. She just tightened her arms around my waist.

“…Chris?”

“…Since your watch is next and mine follows, no one would catch us if we just sleep quietly.”

Chris buried her face deeper in my chest as she spoke.

“Um, Chris.”

“Tonight, I’m sleeping in your bed with you.”

Chris was not going to budge on this.