episode_0092

LXXXVIII.

When you dream based on memory, dreams and reality become confused.

Even in my dreams, everything seems real. It’s not like the real thing. Only when I wake up do I realize something strange.

The moment you wander around in a dream believing that a long-standing dream is reality, the positions of reality and the dream change.

―From the movie Inception

◈

When we see a family being harmonious and happy, we say ‘harmony.’

If we break down the word hwamok (和睦), it is composed of hwa (禾: rice) meaning sharing and eating (口: mouth) and mok (睦) meaning ‘eyes (目: gentle)’. The letters were combined to create the word reconciliation.

In other words, the gentle look in the eyes of the members sharing the harvest, as if they are thinking about each other, and their friendly appearance is what the word ‘harmony’ means.

It is a picture of a family whose atmosphere is so warm and peaceful that their eyes are soft ‘in front of the table’, as they say. So, when anyone sees this family now, the word ‘harmony’ will come to mind.

A father leaving home every morning, and his wife and daughter seeing him off.

The scene of a family eating happiness while sitting across from each other at a table filled with warm, happy smells every evening.

A parent and child tell their daughter they love her and kiss her forehead at night.

Who could look at this and not think of the word peace?

However, if you watch this family for a few days, you will find yourself tilting your head rather than smiling at the sight of a harmonious family.

The longer the time goes by, the more strange you will feel, and the more strange your expression will become.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and even after a week or a month.

The man who appears to be her husband goes to work at the same time every day, not even by a second.

My wife and daughter always wake up at the same time, eat the same breakfast, spend the day reading the same book, eat the same dinner, and go to bed at the same time.

Same, same, same… … .

However, the problem is that only those who observe from the outside can find this strange and profound scene eerie.

This family, believing it to be true, lives happily every day.

In a dream.

◈ ◈ ◈

Two days ago, after taking action against the blood relatives of the two empires and taking a good day’s rest, I and the Arcanas were guided by Dean Hu to a secret room hidden in his room.

Into the room where his son, daughter-in-law, and what appeared to be his granddaughter were all sleeping soundly, each suffering from deep trauma.

The witch and May watched the three families sleeping for a while and then they set up something around the three families.

The “Dream Mirror” is both a magic jewel and an artifact created jointly by a witch and May.

The family’s repetitive life passes by quickly in this mirror that shows the subject’s dreams.

“Ah… … .”

“Hmm… … .”

A sigh filled with despair flowed from the mouths of the two women as they watched the daily life of a family seen in the mirror.

I also had a strong desire to do the same. I felt somewhat stuffy and like my chest was clogged.

“How about it? Is it possible?”

But now, after lowering my head and not being able to look in the mirror, I thought of the dean, sighed, and asked the witch and May.

“The secret art of entering a dream is possible at any time. master. However, I need May’s help in the process of waking up from my dream.”

“I too can perform a dark spell that allows me to realize that it is a dream. brother. however… … .”

“But? Is there any problem?”

“Time. It’ll take a while. At least 100 days are needed… … .”

When I heard that it would take time, I thought it would take several years. But only 100 days?

Of course, 100 days is not a short period of time, but if 100 days were the period needed to return to normal those who have been living in a dream for more than 50 years, wouldn’t anyone bow down and be thankful?

just as expected.

“Bae, 100 days?! Do you mean 100 days? At most?”

“Yes? ah… . Yes.”

Unlike Dean Hu, who is surprised and happy, May’s face is not very bright.

“Meiya. Is there any problem?”

“If you suddenly wake them up in this situation, they may believe that the dream is reality, and reality is a dream, and make extreme choices. Just like trying to wake up from a dream, it’s like choosing death in reality.”

“Hmm… … .”

“So more than 100 days are needed. And during that period, I have to enter their dreams.”

“That… What?!”

There is a legend about a demon that travels through other people’s dreams and sucks their energy. Succubus and Incubus. A story about a dream demon.

However, a cliché that often appears in stories about such demons is the scene where a succubus, fearlessly entering the hero’s dream, appears as a common extra who is overwhelmed by the hero’s will and disappears.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

Mei, as a shaman who has reached the state of Heavenly Harmony, I do not mean to ignore her.

However, one thing to be clear is that, unlike the calm and peaceful atmosphere, this recurring and terrible dream gives off an eerie feeling that feels like it will be eaten.

It’s as if they are trying to strongly reject something that is trying to break that repeated happiness.

No man would want to send the woman he loves into a place like that. No matter how strong that woman is.

“Hehe. are you okay. It may be risky, but I can handle it. It’s just sad that I won’t be able to see my brother for a long time.”

“… … .”

“But that’s not what I’m worried about. During the 100 days that I am in a dream, and during the same period that the witch sister waits by my side during that process, I am worried that the witch sister and I, the arcana, will lose power.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. However.”

“I know. lol. I know that the clown sister is strong, and the punishment sister is also strong. However, the lack of Arcana to actively respond to magic is clearly a big problem. There’s that old man, and there’s Tukhong.”

What May was worried about was not herself, but my safety as the card master. Therefore, what I could say was limited.

“It’s okay. I’m more worried about you and the witch’s safety than that.”

“Hmm~. Our fox boy’s worries are valid, honey. First of all, the lizards and traitors whose locations have not yet been identified are a problem, but the fact that the lizards are a magical race is also a problem~.”

“That’s right. brother. Moreover, the situation is the situation.”

May’s words, ‘The situation is the situation’, were spoken in a bright tone that made it seem as if she did not know what was going on in the world, but in them, one could feel May’s years of experience as a shaman.

The moment I looked into May’s eyes, I realized that her comments and ‘situation’ were not simply about traitorous candidates and renegade dragons.

As a card master, hide your powers as much as possible.

So far, the powers of all other candidates, whether they have been eliminated or not, have been revealed in considerable detail. No, would it be more accurate to say that it was known?

Except me.

There are a lot of speculations about my power.

Some people think that I use summoning skills, while others think that spear skills are my unique power, perhaps because of the words of the God of Struggle.

Some people think that my power is spearmanship and that the arcana are the women I seduced. The reason why this rumor broke out is because of Lina, who boasts that she has legal big breasts.

The truthful rumors that Lina was constantly bombarding me had already spread beyond Evergreen Academy and throughout Evergreen, and in the aftermath, ridiculous rumors about me were spreading across the continent.

―They say there are women who have never slept with Gray, but there is no woman who has slept with Gray only once!

The same ridiculous rumor.

I’m still ‘night and day’ so I’m in forced sage mode and don’t know the speed of others.

“Don’t worry about that! I will protect Gray, even if it means giving up my life!”

Dean Hu came forward with enthusiasm, but the reactions of the Arcana were all lukewarm.

It is inevitable that he is a superhuman, but from Arcana’s point of view, he is not that outstanding.

Previously, when I was an expert trash, or even earlier, I might have had to trust even the later dean of Arcana, whose power was limited due to my poor level of knowledge.

However, as we saw in this battle with the dragon, the Arcana who have reached Master level and have found some of their power by loosening their restrictions to some extent do not trust Dean Hu’s boasts.

According to the witch’s blunt explanation, Dean Hu said that he was like a Circle 8 with an abnormally large amount of mana. This is because we only have two Circle 9 spells.

It seems that Dean Hu also felt the atmosphere flowing between the Arcana.

“I understand that I am not trustworthy.”

“Not really… … .”

“Also, I have already noticed that you want to hide your powers. So.”

“Hmm?”

“I, Juan Manis McCain de Bourbon, swear in the name of Mana that I will never reveal the secret of Gray’s power until he reveals it!”

After the Dean’s Oath of Mana.

The divine power, presumed to be Mana, hovers between the Dean and our Arcana and then disappears.

It happened so suddenly, and Dean Hu’s remarks embarrassed every single person except us gathered here.

“What is this? Juan!”

“Don’t get excited. This is my friend. Of course it was something I had to do.”

okay. The only person here who is embarrassed is Vice Dean Fletcher.

Dean Hu looked at us with a very serious face and eyes filled with burning passion.

however,

“Hmm~. I did something useless.”

We were still confused, and Dean Hu’s face was distorted.

May, who had been worrying and worrying so much, willingly entered the dream of the dean’s son and his wife on the day we gathered together.

The reason why the word ‘intention’ was used here is because the time period that May expected, 100 days, was drastically shortened.

The standard of 100 days that May calculated was the time obtained by using only her power, not assuming the two Dragon Hearts of the Green Dragon that she had recently obtained.

When I added that, May smiled brightly and said, ‘One month is enough!’ and said, ‘See you in a month! brother!’ With those words, he violently waved his hands and tail and fell asleep.

◈ ◈ ◈

After returning to Evergreen Academy, Lina, who always runs and clings to me whenever she sees me, threw it to the fighting horn.

But, in case someone thought he was a wizard, the little guy stayed with Tukhoongi after that to learn various things, and has not come to see me until now.

Oh, of course, it means that it went well, and it definitely doesn’t mean that I’m disappointed. Not really.

And while Dean Hu was watching over his son’s family, Vice Dean Fletcher never left my side.

When I was training, I would wait in the corner of the training room or outside the door. Especially when waiting outside the door of the training center, he would stand with his sword drawn on the floor as if he were a stone statue.

They say that even if someone makes a surprise attack, this is to reduce the time it takes to take the sword out of the scabbard, thereby eliminating even the possibility of such an attack.

But we must not forget.

The nickname that this man, Vice Dean Fletcher, received from the superhumans was ‘Pageukgeom (破極劍).’

Just by generating his divine power and releasing it to the outside, the floor cracked, and the sword commonly used at the academy let out a ‘Geeeeing’ scream and then shattered.

Secret attack? surprise attack?

Can the human body survive?

In fact, the only thing I was worried about was a really useless worry that this person would manifest his power in front of the door and the entrance would collapse.

Sometimes he would be my sparring partner, but this part actually helped me more.

And today,

“Ah. Is it class?”

It was the day I audited a class called 『History of War』 at the academy.

Yes. It meant that it was my first time participating in an academy class, following the advice left by the God of Magic.