Chapter 9 : The Savage Wants To Go Into A Mouse Hole

Protecting someone else’s privacy is extremely important in modern society.

Most people don’t want to share their secrets with others.

Like a secret diary written during a war, or a love letter filled with explicit expressions of affection, or a drawing that portrays the sex appeal of a bipedal animal.

The owners of these records likely never imagined their personal belongings would be exposed to the world after their deaths.

And so, I too was completely unprepared for such a situation.

The psychological shock was immense.

It’s no wonder I froze as if I had encountered Medusa.

“…?”

Neb tilted her head, looking at me as if she couldn’t understand.

In her expression, I saw a childlike innocence. Like a child plucking the wings off a butterfly, just for fun.

“Was it really so serious that it shocked you to that extent? This goddess doesn’t think it’s a big deal at all.”

Just look at her now.

That pure face, completely devoid of malice.

“My apologies. This goddess made a mistake.”

Since she had laid down the board first, there was no reason not to accept her apology and sincerity.

I nodded as naturally as possible.

As if I felt nothing at all.

“No, you’re right. It’s not a big deal.”

“…I knew it.”

Neb beamed with a bright smile.

“Well, I didn’t bring up things like the emotional poems and photos you uploaded online as a teenager, or how you confessed to your class president in your university group chat, or that you frequently visit novel sites where gender-swapping stories are the norm—so yes, I suppose it’s not a big deal.”

“GRAAAHH!!”

I needed a noose tied into a perfect circle.

009. The Barbarian Wants to Crawl into a Mouse Hole

But tragically, there was no rope prepared in the room.

I slowly calmed my shame.

I muttered to myself, as if brainwashing myself.

Who am I?

A cold-blooded barbarian…

One who delights in cleaving flesh and bone, eats raw meat without worrying about parasites, and brushes his teeth with a toothbrush made of stiff pig bristles before bed…

“Whew.”

I was feeling a little more composed now.

I rose from my kneeling position as if nothing had happened.

“I see… So this is the majesty of a god. Even this room is an exact replica of what I remember.”

“There’s no need to hide your embarrassment so much in front of a goddess, you know.”

I ignored her.

Anyway, it had been a long time since I’d seen my old apartment.

The place I had longed for in my dreams.

Just then, I noticed the window was closed.

A glass window—not something you’d see in the Middle Ages.

On the window hung blackout curtains I had personally bought at a home goods store.

I pulled the curtain open.

Shaa—

Dazzling light poured into the room.

The hazy air drifted in on the breeze.

“…I never thought I’d miss fine dust.”

I opened the window and reached my hand outside, hoping to feel the sunlight.

But the moment I did, my hand vanished.

As if it had been sliced off.

“……!!”

I quickly pulled my hand back and checked it.

The calloused, scarred hand of a barbarian was still there, as if what I saw had been an illusion.

“What in the world…”

I muttered to myself in response to the strange phenomenon.

I felt Neb’s presence behind me.

“Since the relic this goddess absorbed wasn’t in perfect condition, the space I can manifest is limited.”

“…Then what’s that outside the window?”

I pointed outside.

At the streets bustling with cars, buses, subways, and people.

“It’s just a simple illusion based on your memories.”

Neb lifted the cola can I had been drinking.

“Fundamentally, this cola can and the view outside aren’t all that different.”

“Then why did my hand disappear?”

“Oh, that?”

Neb took a sip of the cola as she replied.

Gulp.

The fizz spread through my whole body, and I hunched my shoulders in reaction.

“Phew. This place may be your dream…”

Neb’s eyes turned to me.

“But conversely, it is also this goddess’s dream.”

As she said that, Neb casually tossed the empty cola can out the window.

Just like my hand earlier, the can disappeared cleanly the moment it crossed the boundary.

“It’s not particularly dangerous, though.”

Neb paused, deep in thought, seemingly struggling to find the right way to explain.

“Hmm…”

Then, with a snap of her fingers, she seemed to find her answer.

“To put it simply, you could call this the precious inside of the goddess.”

That wording was… a bit odd.

“There’s no real harm in stepping beyond that boundary. At worst, you’d just wake up from the dream.”

Neb sat down in a mesh office chair, soft and breathable.

“If this goddess were to acquire another relic, the space I could manifest would expand. And perhaps, so too would the things you desire.”

While seated, she spun around once in the chair.

“There’s no need to rush.”

She leaned back, crossed her legs with ease.

Her bare legs traced a gentle curve.

She wore a white, airy dress that looked quite breathable—it almost made me blush for a moment.

Why wasn’t she wearing underwear?

Anyway, Neb looked at me expectantly, her eyes twinkling.

She looked—though surely it was just my imagination—like she was waiting for a compliment.

It’s just my imagination.

No matter how childish she acted at times, she was a goddess, after all.

A few seconds passed.

A short silence.

Neb lightly brushed at a dustless spot above her head, or stared vacantly at nothing in particular.

Ah.

“Thanks.”

She’d been waiting for that.

When I expressed my gratitude, Neb let out a quiet sigh, wearing a strange expression.

Just as I was starting to sense something off—

My eyes caught the computer sitting behind her.

“Does that thing actually work?”

“Of course it does.”

Neb pressed the power button on the tower.

“…Oh.”

I let out a small murmur as the monitor lit up.

Not that I planned to play any games.

I had literally been sucked into a game—I’d have to be insane to think about playing one again.

It was just the nostalgia of seeing a computer after so long.

“Recreating all the files or websites from your memory is still a bit too much,” Neb said.

Despite her words, she smiled confidently from her seat.

“But I was able to recreate some of your favorite creative works. The rest… well, I couldn’t read those memories completely.”

Neb then showed me a few files from the desktop.

“Have the next chapters of these novels come out yet?”

I glanced at the file names.

Titles of novels I had purchased through bookstores or online were listed there.

“The Bird That Drinks Water,” “Butterfly’s Flower,” “Top Management,” and others I recognized right away.

“……”

All of them were notorious for not being updated.

“Hm? Why do you look at this goddess like that?”

I couldn’t help but look at her as if she were someone to be pitied…!

The damp chill of cold dew brushed the back of my neck.

I opened my eyes, still sitting in the same position as before.

The campfire had long since died out, leaving only black ash and a faint wisp of smoke.

All around us, the chirping of birds filled the air.

It was the beginning of a new morning.

But today felt… different.

As if I had just lived through an entire 24 hours in one go.

And oddly, I didn’t feel tired at all.

“You’re awake…”

Neb had woken up at the same time as I did, though she seemed to be faring a little worse—letting out a loud yawn, still shaking off the fatigue.

A sniffle, and a trail of clear mucus slid from her nose.

It must’ve been cold in the forest at dawn.

“Ahem!”

I watched in mild sorrow as the robe, which had shielded her from the chill of the night, was now being soiled with her runny nose.

Should I just let her keep it…?

I took a light sip from the waterskin, then handed it to her.

Still half-asleep, Neb couldn’t even keep her head upright.

“…Is there no milk? Preferably warm.”

Unfortunately, all I had was cold water.

Maybe she’d only been half-dream-talking, because she didn’t complain—just gulped down the cold water.

“Phew….”

Her eyes, now sharper, met mine.

“So? How was it yesterday?”

“…Well, not bad.”

Of all the nights I’d experienced since being thrown into this pseudo-medieval setting, that was probably the most satisfying sleep I’d had.

In reality, I was sitting on the cold dirt, sleeping lightly while staying alert to my surroundings.

But in the dream, I’d been lying on a soft mattress bed.

Anyway.

My joints felt a bit stiff, but thanks to this high-level barbarian body I was borrowing, that discomfort soon faded.

“Wut-cha.”

Neb stood up with a strange little grunt, picked up the robe she’d been using, and handed it back to me.

“Thanks for letting me use it.”

Knowing the state it was in, I hesitated for a moment before taking it.

“…Won’t you be cold?”

“……Eden. Did you know it would be this chilly and still leave the village unprepared?”

“Ahem.”

Hard to argue with that one.

After thinking for a bit, Neb folded the robe in half and draped it over one shoulder.

“Hmm. This will do for now.”

She turned her gaze to me.

“We’ll need to find a village or a city eventually… and preferably without getting lost like yesterday.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Of course, navigating through the wilderness without any clear path made that easier said than done.

Maybe sensing my doubt, Neb narrowed her eyes.

“……I suppose it can’t be helped. Today, this goddess shall take the lead.”

“Heh.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

We weren’t in a dream anymore, and in reality, she was more of a burden than anything—what kind of ‘lead’ was she planning to take?

My laughter must’ve irritated her, because she lowered her voice and spoke coldly.

“…What is that laugh supposed to mean?”

I slowly shook my head.

Not a good idea to poke at the mood of someone who’s both my dreamcatcher and, possibly, the key to getting home.

“You take the lead. I’ll guide the direction.”

“…Hmm. Very well.”

Not that there was much real danger to worry about, but caution never hurt.

With all the confidence in the world, Neb pointed in a direction.

“This way seems good.”

I looked toward where she was pointing—and sighed inwardly.

I didn’t have a map, but I had a rough idea of where the nearest cities were.

The closest ones were to the south and west.

And she was pointing east—where the sun was rising.

Well, maybe she wasn’t planning to walk straight in one direction the whole time, but starting off in the wrong direction already felt a bit unfortunate.

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

I started walking toward the direction Neb had chosen, ready to steer us away from trouble if needed.

But somehow, I had a feeling we’d end up sleeping outside again tonight.

…Why…

Why is there a cobblestone road here?

I stared in shock at the neatly paved road before me.