Ch.78Chapter 78 – Interrogation

After Somnus retreated, Beatrice and I ended up lying side by side in the infirmary.

When he disappeared, Beatrice collapsed from exhaustion, and I too could no longer move my body.

After carrying us both to the infirmary, Aria went to look for Eve and Sera at my request.

While waiting and hoping those two were safe, priests soon came to treat me and her.

“The culprit…”

“…got away.”

At my words, Father Adrock simply nodded silently and withdrew.

He probably wanted to catch the culprit because of Christina’s injury.

But when I told him I’d lost the perpetrator, he quietly withdrew to treat other patients.

Like a true cleric, rather than obsessing over a criminal he couldn’t catch, he went to save those who needed immediate help.

‘What should I do now?’

Somnus escaped, and I don’t know when he’ll target us again.

Even if I were at full strength, could I win?

Judging by his consistently relaxed attitude, that seems difficult too.

If that’s the case, I needed an ally.

Better if they knew the enemy well.

At minimum, I needed someone whose immediate interests aligned with mine.

And that person was right beside me.

Looking over, Beatrice was sleeping like the dead.

She had collapsed after losing her enemy right before her eyes.

Since being placed here, she’d been sleeping so deeply she hadn’t moved at all.

‘Her family was killed, wasn’t it?’

I needed to hear exactly what had happened to her.

Given her thirst for revenge, and considering my and Sera’s position with the Emiris Order, she seemed like someone worth allying with.

‘Life is full of unexpected turns.’

Who would have thought I’d need to use the person who kidnapped me?

I never imagined getting involved with such an extreme character.

I sighed without realizing it.

Looking to the other side, Christina was lying there.

She seemed more comfortable than before, with regular breathing, suggesting her condition had improved.

It seemed she had passed the critical point.

Now only one thing remained.

‘I hope Aria found those two…’

Their safety.

I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes, but my injuries prevented me from moving.

It was frustrating that there was nothing I could do right now.

“…damn it.”

All I could do was curse.

In my powerless state, all I could do was pray that no one else would get hurt.

My eyes began to close slowly, perhaps reaching my physical limit.

I tried to resist the drowsiness, but couldn’t.

‘Those two…’

I needed to at least know their situation.

My consciousness faded.

Among people sleeping like the dead, I too began to fall into a deep sleep.

+

It was an empty space.

Something was flying around.

Through broken glass fragments, certain scenes were visible.

“What is this?”

Wondering if this was some strange dream, I pinched my cheek.

But I couldn’t feel it.

Feeling around, I realized I was wearing a helmet.

“…Now I’m wearing a helmet even in my dreams.”

My actual helmet was broken long ago.

I don’t have an intact helmet in my possession.

So the conclusion that this was just a weird dream came easily.

I must be wearing it in my dreams because I wore it for so long in reality.

“So, what kind of strange dream is this?”

I look around.

While observing the broken glass fragments floating in the air, I noticed something.

Scenes that appeared blurry.

Scenes that appeared clear.

Or fragments where nothing was visible at all.

Staring blankly at them in fascination, I realized something.

“Memories.”

These were my memories.

In the glass fragments showing clear scenes, I could see the people I’d met here and the experiences I’d had with them.

Conversely, the blurry ones or those with cracks showing nothing were likely my memories from before coming here.

“They say memories can be shattered, but mine are literally in pieces.”

I said to myself, finding it absurd.

I don’t understand why I’m having this dream.

How do I wake up?

“…Maybe if I fall asleep again, I’ll wake up.”

As I was thinking about lying down to try sleeping, I sensed someone behind me.

“What?”

I slowly turned around.

A person wrapped in a hood and robe was standing there.

The overall silhouette was female.

‘What is that?’

It was strange.

Clearly human in form, yet it didn’t feel human.

After staring at each other for a while, I was the first to speak.

“Who are you?”

The woman didn’t answer my question.

An awkward silence fell.

Just as I was about to dismiss her as an illusion and look for a way to wake up, she spoke again.

“Found you.”

“Found what?”

“You.”

“Me?”

The woman didn’t respond immediately.

It felt as if there was an inexplicable time lag between us.

When it occasionally aligned, we could briefly exchange words like just now.

After a moment, the woman spoke again.

“I’ve examined your memories.”

“Who gave you permission to do that?”

She’s saying she directly observed all my embarrassing moments and stupid mistakes.

It makes me uncomfortable. My privacy has been violated.

Of course, as if she didn’t need to consider my feelings, she continued.

“It was all I could do.”

“Wasn’t sleeping an option?”

“No. It’s impossible. I’m gradually disappearing anyway.”

The woman said this as she approached me.

“A warrior of the clan will come looking for you.”

As she came closer, I could slightly see her face.

White hair and blue eyes were visible.

“Survive.”

“What?”

“Survive.”

I suddenly don’t understand what she’s talking about.

I thought I should at least properly introduce myself to find some clue to understanding her words.

“But who are you?”

“I am.”

The woman seemed to contemplate for a moment.

Soon she spoke.

“I am your heart.”

Some woman appears in my dream and calls herself my heart.

Is this what they call an imaginary girlfriend?

‘I’ve really lost it.’

Whether she knew my ridiculous thoughts or not, the woman continued speaking.

“So I’ll be watching.”

And just as she was about to say more, her form was enveloped in light and disappeared.

No, she hadn’t disappeared.

She had transformed.

Something massive and white was looking down at me.

+

When I opened my eyes, I realized I was still lying in the infirmary.

A white cloth had been set up as a canopy, filling my vision.

It wasn’t there when I fell asleep; perhaps they put up a roof when the infirmary had a moment of respite.

“Ah!”

Right beside me, I could see Eve and Sera, who must have been taking care of me.

“Thank goodness.”

Eve said with a smile as she saw me.

Through the cloth serving as a roof, I could see the sky.

Is it morning?

“…Good morning.”

“…Yes. Good morning.”

Eve and Sera greeted me with expressions half disappointed, half relieved, as if my response wasn’t quite what they expected.

“You’re safe.”

“Yes. Mr. Ludger saved us at the last moment.”

So that old man had returned.

Well, since Aria had returned too, it wasn’t strange that Ludger had come back.

I just hadn’t expected that Aria would come to me while Ludger went to Eve and Sera.

Otherwise…

“Did you perhaps see it in the future?”

“No. I had no idea until he saved us.”

Pure luck, then.

“I’m glad…”

At least the two of them didn’t seem seriously injured.

I exhaled in relief, and Eve and Sera smiled slightly.

“Afterward, we met Aria and she guided us to where you were.”

“I feel bad for relying on you two so much.”

“We can express our gratitude to them later. I’ll help too.”

“I-I’ll help too.”

Eve and Sera said with smiles.

Seeing them, I smiled slightly as well.

I was happy that no one else was hurt.

In any case, I received significant help from Ludger and Aria.

It would be proper to express my gratitude later.

“So, Kei. I have many questions.”

“Sure.”

A massive explosion, Christina getting injured.

Plus, I was wounded all over, my helmet was broken, and I’d been sleeping like the dead until just now.

They must be curious about what happened.

“I’ll explain.”

I explained what had happened here.

After listening for a while, Eve made a slightly sharp expression and said:

“…Somnus, you say?”

“You know the name?”

“Yes.”

Eve began to speak.

“The person who appeared to be the leader of those who attacked us introduced himself as Somnus.”

“Attack? How?”

Somnus was definitely on my side.

He appeared on Eve’s side too?

When I asked for an explanation, Eve slowly explained what had happened on their end.

“A puppet, huh.”

The Somnus who appeared here bled when I bit off his arm.

Then it seems right to assume he sent a doppelganger to Eve’s location.

But on the other hand, it meant he targeted Sera by sending a doppelganger that he didn’t even need to send.

“The Philosopher’s Stone, huh.”

It was suspicious no matter how I thought about it.

“Why is he so confident in his attacks?”

There were many strange things about Somnus’s words and actions.

Despite Sera’s denial as his granddaughter, his confident tone and persistent actions suggesting the Philosopher’s Stone had been created.

To be honest, it was irrational.

“If what he says is true, it means Sera’s grandmother hid the Philosopher’s Stone from Sera too.”

Looking at Sera who was listening beside me, I asked:

“You don’t know anything about it, right?”

“No.”

Sera stated firmly.

“All I know is what I heard from my grandmother when I was young, that such a thing exists.”

“You never heard that she made it or anything like that?”

“No.”

Well, I didn’t think Sera would keep hiding it in such a crisis situation.

“…Um, do you think I’m hiding it?”

“No.”

When Sera asked nervously, I immediately denied it.

“If you knew about it, I think you would have tried to negotiate to ensure everyone’s safety.”

I felt that someone with her kind nature would have done that.

She wasn’t the type to sacrifice everyone for one of her secrets.

Because she was like that, I could assert with certainty that she truly didn’t know.

Sera averted her gaze, seemingly a bit embarrassed by my unhesitating answer.

‘Though I’m not sure if Somnus is the type to keep his promises.’

If she had given him the information, he might have tried to eliminate everyone on the spot.

Perhaps Sera’s complete ignorance had saved both her and Eve’s lives.

“The situation is mostly clear now.”

“Yes.”

They’re obsessed with the Philosopher’s Stone.

If even their leader came out to ask about it so persistently, it was safe to assume it was certain.

Knowing their aim doesn’t necessarily change our situation, but it’s not bad to know what they’re after.

‘So they have the initiative after all.’

Information and power.

We’re too lacking compared to them.

And there was one more problem.

“A dragon, huh.”

Just like with the Philosopher’s Stone, Somnus spoke with strange certainty about this too.

He was confident even though even the lich considered it only a possibility.

Of course, he must have considered it a high probability, which is why he appeared with the wyverns to warn us.

‘This is giving me a headache.’

I made a mental note to consult with Ludger or Aria about this.

“Well, shall we head back and rest now?”

Christina would be well taken care of by the Evgenia Order people, so it seemed fine to leave now.

At least she seemed to have passed the dangerous point.

I thought I should visit her once things settled down here, and was just about to get up when—

Eve grabbed my body.

“There’s still an important question left.”

Eve said with a smile.

Somehow casting a slight shadow over her face, she pointed to a spot.

“What exactly is that chain?”

“That’s…”

I was about to answer casually when my body began to tremble strangely.

Looking closely, I saw Eve and Sera staring at the chain wrapped around my hand with somewhat dark eyes.

I was a bit perplexed since they hadn’t shown this reaction until now.

Their gazes moved slightly.

Following the chain, slowly.

And at the end of the chain was Beatrice, still with the collar around her neck.

“Good morning, Master.”

Her tone was indifferent.

Apparently feeling better now, Beatrice was lying on her side with her chin propped up.

It seemed she couldn’t go anywhere because of this chain.

That was fortunate, in a way.

Though Somnus caused the terror, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s an attempted criminal.

Therefore, she’s an important witness to the case who shouldn’t be let go.

Of course, having talked with her somewhat and possibly needing to join forces, I had no intention of turning her over, but…

‘But why is she suddenly being respectful to me?’

With her personality, there’s no way she’d be respectful to me.

So, she must have some ulterior motive.

-Clink.

At that moment, the chain bound to my hand made a sound.

‘Ah.’

Come to think of it, this magical tool.

If you hold it in your hand, it creates a master-servant relationship with the person wearing the collar.

“Do you have something to say? Mas.ter?”

Beatrice began to grin.

She was deliberately speaking this way after assessing the situation.

Eve and Sera’s expressions darkened.

“Kei, was this kind of play your preference?”

“Kei…”

Sera gently took my hand.

I tried to pull it away in panic, but my hand wouldn’t come free.

I desperately looked at Beatrice.

Since this absolutely wasn’t intentional, I needed to ask for her defense, as frustrating as it was.

And Beatrice was lying on her side with her chin propped up, watching me as if enjoying an entertaining show.

Perhaps she wanted to vent her frustration at losing her enemy.

She was smiling brightly as she watched me in this awkward situation.

And I began to feel strength in Sera’s grip.

“Wait, hold on. It’s not like that, really.”

I tried to defend myself urgently, but it seemed too late.

Looking behind the two, I could see Beatrice sticking out her tongue slightly.

‘That…’

It was clear provocation.

I wanted to respond immediately, but the two people in front of me were the problem.

Noticing my situation, Beatrice began to laugh gleefully.

“Just a moment, I’ll explain this. Really, just a moment.”

“Miss Seraphina.”

Eve and Sera looked at each other.

“Let’s begin the interrogation.”

“Wait, I…”

Sera’s grip tightened.