Chapter 179: Dreams, Memories, and the Voice (1)

On a night when the campfire cast its glow against the darkness, Primien handed Ganesha an antique hand mirror, its surface adorned with elaborate carvings.

"Captain Ganesha, this is a gift from Professor Deculein to you," Primien said.

Ganesha blinked in disbelief, staring at the mirror in surprise, as many questions ran through her mind.

A gift from Deculein? But why? Why would he do that for us?

Ganesha thought.

“... A gift? From Professor Deculein, of all people?” Ria asked, stepping in for the shocked Ganesha.

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Primien replied, nodding without a hint of emotion.

“No, not really...”

Ria, not particularly concerned, fiddled with her fingers and started wondering which Characteristic she would select.

Ganesha, her eyes moving between Ria and Primien, suddenly had a thought flashed across her mind and muttered, “... Could it be?”

Snap!

Ganesha snapped her fingers, and a sudden shiver coursed through her, as if electricity rushed through her entire body.

“I think I know why,” Ganesha muttered, a slight nervous look on her face.

“Why?” Primien asked, awaiting an explanation.

Ganesha glanced at Ria for a moment.

“... What is it?” Ria said.

Each time Deculein saw the child, tilting her head in innocent curiosity and bearing a resemblance to his lost love, his heart probably grew heavy with complicated emotions. Of course, no improper or impure intentions were expected from Professor Deculein, as he wasn’t the type for such things.

However, the memories and emotions from his past must still have remained in his heart, and the thought of the one who had once filled his soul was now nothing but a painful memory.

“Ria, did Professor Deculein say anything to you?” Ganesha asked, her face serious.

Ria shook her head in confusion, but then, as if a buried memory had broken free, her eyes widened in sudden realization.

“...

Oh

.”

“What is it?”

Just before losing consciousness after being smacked by Daeho, Ria remembered Deculein's words floating into the blur of her fading awareness, flickering like pale mist.

"

Umm...

well, these are exactly the words he said," Ria said, clearing her throat with a small cough, then mimicking Deculein's voice. “...

Even the personality is just like hers

."

At that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to Ria, including Ihelm, Yulie, Louina, who had just arrived, along with Gwen, Sirio, and Raphel—all of Deculein’s colleagues and peers were watching.

“

Haha

,” Ganesha muttered, bursting into laughter. “Well, that makes sense then~ Right, Ria?”

“Sorry?”

“This is for you, Ria~” Ganesha said, grinning as she handed the hand mirror to Ria.

“

Eh

? Wait, why?” Ria replied, blinking in surprise.

“You protected Professor, after all. So it should go to you.”

“...

Oh

.”

“Go ahead, take it.”

Though Ganesha carried a hint of disappointment, Ria accepted it without hesitation, discreetly assessing its value. It was a unique attribute of someone in the profession of an adventurer—

Adventurer’s Instinct

.

[Professor Deculein’s Handcrafted Hand Mirror]

◆ Value

: Treasure

“A treasure?! A treasure? It’s just a handcrafted hand mirror! But it’s a treasure?!”

Just as Ria's eyes popped out in shock...

“Knight Yulie, why don’t you come and sit down with us~?” Ganesha said, turning toward Yulie.

Yulie approached with slight awkwardness, and Ganesha gave her shoulder a light nudge with her elbow.

“Have we talked too much about the professor~?”

“No, it’s fine,” Yulie replied, shaking her head.

“

Oh

? Looks like you’ve made peace with everything, I’m guessing?” Ganesha said, surprised by Yulie’s unexpected response and raising her eyebrows playfully.

Ria, who had been watching this exchange closely since the relationship between Deculein and Yulie was a crucial aspect of the independent quest, took a glance at Yulie.

"That is not the case," Yulie stated.

Then she turned her eyes toward the campfire, and the mana in her stare began to freeze the flames, causing them to slowly die down.

“I’m not... not at all.”

The knight remained silent, and a heavy silence settled over the area, instantly chilling the air. Ihelm, clearly uncomfortable, quietly walked away, while Gwen and Sirio stepped outside to spar with one another.

At that moment, a gentle, warm voice flowed in, like a breath of spring melting the cold.

“You seem like a really good person, Knight Yulie.”

Yulie turned to look, and there stood the child, Ria, who looked at her with eyes far too knowing for someone so young.

“... Thank you,” Yulie replied.

“And your armor looks really cool! I want to wear tiger-skin armor like that one day too!” Ria exclaimed, flashing a bright smile.

The mature child, now once again speaking like a child, made her feel strangely out of place, but Yulie smiled back and replied, "Yes, I was the same when I was little. And Miss Ria?"

“Sorry?

Oh

, yes, I—”

“You’re doing well. There’s no need to rush.”

“Sorry?

Oh

, I’m not really rushing to—”

"Becoming an adventurer at such a young age is an extraordinary achievement. There is so much more ahead for you to accomplish, so..."

Yulie continued with her advice and counsel, and it lasted for a full thirteen minutes.

***

[Quest Completed: Daeho Hunt]

◆ Defeat of the Vesilita, the Akho of the Altar

◆ Rare Characteristic Catalog Acquired

I moved my arm in every direction—up, down, side to side—testing its range. The sutures had healed well, however, it didn’t feel as natural as before. It would take at least a month of recovery and training to regain its full strength.

“... A new Characteristic,” I muttered.

I looked at the Characteristic Catalog in my hands and had already decided which one to pick.

───────

[Meditative Body]

◆ Grade

: Rare

◆ Description

: The more stable the mind, with composure and calm, the stronger the Characteristic grows. (Includes all forms of mental interference and status effects.)

: The longer and deeper the state of composure, the more purified the physique, attributes, and mana become.

───────

In other words, it was a Characteristic that grew with composure—the calmer I remained, the more it stacked, like a house of cards. However, a single shock, even a moment of panic, would wipe out all the stacks. The penalty was huge, and its versatility was limited; for a typical NPC, it would be completely useless.

[Would you like to acquire a

Meditative Body

?]

However, I was anything but typical. My mind was closer to a clear state of mind—calm and unshaken, with emotions that rarely fluctuated. Against mental interference-type spells, I was practically untouchable; therefore, without hesitation, I acquired the Characteristic.

[Characteristic Acquired:

Meditative Body

]

◆ Calm Stack ─ [0]

Knock, knock—

“I am here for a mission report.”

At the sound of a knock and a familiar voice, I opened the door. As expected, today’s report came from none other than Yulie.

“The third mission proceeded without incident. Zero casualties, three injured, and a total of 1,305 monsters eliminated,” Yulie reported as she approached, handing over the report in a businesslike manner.

After Daeho’s elimination, the process of reducing the number of monsters resumed without issue.

“I’ve received the report. Make sure the knights know that Daeho has been dismembered. Half of its hide will be presented to Her Majesty, and the other half will remain with me. The adventurers and knights who brought down the beast will be allotted the useful parts, such as teeth, claws, and the like,” I said, nodding.

“Yes, sir,” Yulie replied, seeming to have no objections, and left the room.

“

Hmm...

”

The brief moments of these days were enough to leave me feeling content. It lasted only thirty seconds a day, but even so, being in the same space and catching a glimpse of that face was enough. Of course, it was far from something that could affect the stack for my Characteristic.

“... Daeho’s hide,” I muttered.

Daeho's hide was practically the true reward of the quest, so I decided to have it tanned and apply Midas Touch to create the perfect robe. Since the distinctive leopard pattern felt far too conspicuous, I considered dyeing it black instead.

Lost in pleasant imaginings, a sudden curiosity stirred within me as I looked at the fragment of a robe on the desk—Allen’s, no, Ellie’s final belonging—preserved and passed down by Ihelm. Unbidden thoughts crept in, and I wondered where Allen was now, what Ellie could be doing, as a quiet longing to know took hold of me...

***

... Ellie was in the desert.

“It’s hot.”

After leaving the Northern Region, she arrived in the desert, where an underground village lay nestled near the bedrock, close to an oasis. The village, home to the Scarletborn, was a labyrinth of cramped tunnels and interconnected spaces, resembling an ant’s nest.

“I’m here,” Ellie said.

Ellie descended deep into the heart of the cavern, where the operations board and scattered magical artifacts filled a chaotic meeting room. Waiting there was a woman resembling Ellie, but with much sharper features and bobbed hair—Elesol, the next Great Elder of the Scarletborn, who fixed her eyes on Ellie.

Elesol clenched her teeth, her hands gesturing as she formed words and sentences in sign language.

—

You’re late.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Ellie replied, nodding.

—

Why didn’t you. Deculein. You didn’t kill him.

Shh, sssh, sssshhh—

Elesol’s hands moved with lightning speed, the sign language flowing faster than speech.

“There was no need for that.”

—

It is near. A massive sweep of the Scarletborn village. We can’t just stand by and watch. Deculein. Enemy of the Scarletborn.

"Killing the professor won’t stop the sweep."

—

The Empire intends to exterminate the entire Scarletborn. To survive, war is inevitable. Mutual. Confirmation. Destruction. It’s the only option left to us.

Elesol pushed a document toward Ellie and continued moving her fingers.

—

An operation to abduct him. We’ve already started.

“You won’t be able to capture him,” Ellie replied, skimming through the document before shaking her head.

—

You. Going to reveal our plan?

“No.”

With a sullen expression, Elesol moved her hands in much more exaggerated gestures, her signs now more forceful than before.

—

You. You. You. How could you? You are not listening to me now. You used to listen. How foolish. What happened to you? Have you been brainwashed? You. You. You.

"It’s not that I’m not listening to you, I’m just saying that you won’t be able to capture him."

—

How so sure?

"Professor is very smart, even more so than Elesol."

Grind—

At that moment, Elesol’s expression stiffened, and she clenched her jaw before storming out of the meeting room.

Bang—!

Ellie scratched the back of her neck, trying to figure out what had upset Elesol, since she lacked the emotional processing abilities that most people had, making it difficult for her to read situations like this.

“I don’t get it.”

It’s true that Deculein is smarter than Elesol—that much has been documented in reports. But if that statement is the reason for her to be angry...

Ellie thought.

“... Professor doesn’t get upset over things like this,” Ellie muttered, pouting as she stared at the door.

Then she glanced around the conference room, and the stark contrast to the Mage Tower became clear—a barren desert stretched endlessly, and below, an underground with no light to speak of.

Letting out a quiet sigh at the thought that the Professor was only a single door away in the Mage Tower, Ellie found herself caught in a single thought—maybe a question, or perhaps just a passing hope.

"Will we ever meet again... one day?"

***

In the Northern Region of Rekordak, Epherene, haggard and shabby, sat hunched over as she studied Deculein’s advanced lecture exam.

“

Sigh...

”

It had been two weeks since Allen left them, and Epherene still struggled to accept the emptiness he had left behind, his absence lingering as a constant reminder of sorrow.

Even now, she found herself looking around, almost hoping he would appear with that sweet, warm voice, asking, 'Are you alright, Miss Epherene?' as if his concern could heal the cracks in her heart.

“

Oh

.”

Suddenly, tears slipped down her cheeks, and Epherene wiped them away with the edge of her robe. She had cried so much already, but somehow, more tears continued to fall.

“... Why won’t these tears ever dry up—?!” Epherene screamed.

“

Oh

, you scared me,” Drent said, flinching as he looked up from his exam preparations in the shared research room, then added with a composed voice. “You’ve got to pull yourself together, Leaf. You know the assistant professor wouldn’t want to see you like this. Besides, the new year’s already come and gone.”

“... Of course I know.”

Over time, Epherene had participated in a total of thirteen rounds of reducing the number of monsters and two exhibitions, growing stronger with each mission. She had advanced to the point where her sparring partners were now knights, and just last night, she faced Haalan, a peer her own age, and won against him.

"I'm not stupid. I know how much time has passed...

yawnnnnnn

," Epherene muttered, letting out a wide yawn.

"You're going to tear your mouth open with that yawn. Get some rest—you must be exhausted from yesterday's sparring. I'll wake you up later," Drent said with a chuckle.

"Really?

Oh

, then... okay! I'll just take a five-minute nap... or maybe fifteen."

“Alright, alright.”

"Wake me up in fifteen minutes. Oh, and don’t go snooping through my notes."

“... I won’t.”

Yawnnnnn—

Epherene yawned once more before collapsing onto the desk, slipping into sleep almost instantly. Exhaustion pulled her under so completely that even dreams couldn’t—

“... Epherene.”

A sleep where dreams couldn’t find her...

“... Epherene, wake up.”

At the sudden voice calling her name, Epherene pulled herself from her sleep, still lost in a haze of drowsiness, and mumbled, "What is it... has it been fifteen minutes already...?"

Epherene found herself staring blankly, her mouth slightly open, her vacant eyes drifting around the room, her face carrying the hollow stillness of someone lost in thought, caught in the quiet pull of her own daze.

“Wait, this place is...”

In her vacant gaze, a familiar, dilapidated house appeared before her—a fragile structure on the verge of collapse, more like a shack than a home. Epherene knew exactly where it was, as it had once been her childhood home.

“Epherene.”

And a voice called her name, and Epherene flinched, snapping her head toward the sound. For a moment, time itself seemed to stop. It felt as if the entire world had contracted into this single space.

“Epherene, you’re finally awake.”

The face she had missed so much, a face she thought she would never see again. The voice, one she had long since forgotten. The person she loved most in the world—standing at the distant vanishing point—was Kagan Luna, her father.

“D-Dad?”

“Yes, Epherene,” Kagan said.

No more words were needed, and Epherene’s legs moved on their own, carrying her toward him—her father, the one she had missed so desperately, the one she had always longed for—drawn to him like a magnet.

“Come here, let me hold you.”

As he smiled warmly at her, a chilly breeze swept through, brushing against Epherene's hair.

Whoooosh—

Suddenly, a Wood Steel hidden within her robe vibrated, and Epherene flinched, coming to a sudden stop. Having become a true mage, she possessed the qualities that matched her acquired knowledge, and that was none other than...

“Wait a second.”

Cold rational doubt, situation analysis, and inference of the present. Epherene drew the Wood Steel from her robe, its surface quivering as it locked its aim on Kagan with intensity.

"What are you waiting for, Epherene? Come here," Kagan said, his smile deepening more than before. "I have really missed you so much."

The trembling Wood Steel fell silent, its vibrations suddenly stopping.

“... Are you really Dad?” Epherene asked, her eyes locked on Kagan.

“Of course.”

“Then tell me, on August 13th, ten years ago, what did the letter I sent say?”

“...

Haha

.”

Kagan—or perhaps someone merely wearing his mask in disguise—smiled as if he adored the child. And just as he parted his lips to speak, as if he were about to recite something...

Thud—

Epherene heard footsteps behind her, and as she turned around, she was startled.

“

Ahh

!” Epherene exclaimed, falling backward and landing on her bum, her hands pressing against the ground as she looked up at the man. “W-what are you doing here, Professor?”

Right in front of her stood Deculein, and he used

Telekinesis

to lift the fallen Epherene back to her feet.

“Professor, where did you come from all of a sudden?” Epherene asked, still on the ground.

Deculein stood in silence, his presence as heavy as the air before a storm, his face unreadable, colder and more distant than ever.

"Okay, let's forget about that for now. Professor, where on earth are we?"

"I am not Master Deculein."

"Sorry? Wait, what do you mean—"

"I am your defense mechanism."

Blink, blink—

Blink, blink—

"What do you mean by that?" Epherene asked, blinking her eyes, confused by his cryptic words.

"Exactly what I said. I am not Master Deculein. I am an artificial intelligence, designed using your mana and built upon mutual understanding with Master Deculein."

The words he spoke were vague, but she understood that this Deculein meant he wasn’t

the

Deculein.

“Does that mean...?” Epherene muttered, glancing down at the Wood Steel in her hand, the one that had just stopped vibrating. She then held it up, showing it to him. “Is this you?”

“Indeed,” Deculein—no, Wood Steel—replied, nodding.

Epherene opened her mouth in silent shock.

"There is nothing for you to worry about"

The Wood Steel added, stepping forward, positioning Epherene behind its back.

"As long as Master and I are with you, they will never be able to harm you in your dreams..."

The steel moved toward the figure that had once claimed to be her father. His expression twisted.

From the Wood Steel, or rather, from Deculein’s inner pocket, a shard of Wood Steel shot forth, and the expression of her father—no, the impostor mimicking him—twisted in response.

... What in the world is happening?

Epherene thought.

"Now it is time for you to return," the Wood Steel said.

At those words, Epherene was pulled back from her dream.

"

Ahh

!" Epherene gasped, sitting up straight in bed, quickly scanning her surroundings and realizing she was back in the Rekordak research room.

“

Oh

? You woke up early,

huh

?” Drent said, glancing at his watch. “It hasn’t been fifteen minutes yet.”

Without responding, Epherene immediately looked for her Wood Steel.

“

Oh

,” Epherene muttered.

It was resting neatly on the table, and she quickly reached out, clutching it tightly and letting out a quiet sigh of relief as she looked at it.

“... Thank you.”

Then something strange happened as mana stirred within the bracelet on her wrist with a faint click, flowing into the Wood Steel and seeping deep inside.

“What’s this?” Epherene muttered as she stood up, frowning, but brushed it off quickly, assuming it was just another magical phenomenon.

Drent looked up and asked, “Where are you going?”

“

Oh

, I just had a weird dream. So annoying. I need to get some fresh air.”

“The blizzard is still bad outside, so don’t go too far. There are a lot of beasts out there.”

“... Okay,” Epherene replied, stepping outside, but as soon as she opened the door, she ran into someone.

“So, Deculein, you can be the chairman, and I will...”

Deculein was standing in the hallway, with Ihelm beside him.

“

Hmm

?”

They both turned around as Epherene approached them.

“

Oh

, it’s you, Leaf,” Ihelm replied with a smirk.

Deculein remained silent, as he usually did.

“

Oh...

Yes, h-hello,” Epherene replied.

“Are you not crying anymore?” Ihelm said. “You’ve been crying every day.”

“... I didn’t cry every day.”

Epherene felt a wave of embarrassment and kept glancing toward Deculein, unable to shake the thoughts of what had happened in the dream.

So, does that mean there’s Professor Deculein, or rather, Wood Steel that looks like him, always waiting in my dreams...?

“Anyway, the monster wave is approaching. Make sure you’re well prepared. Also, the Red Garnet Adventure Team has been asking for you,” Ihelm said.

“Sorry?

Oh

, okay...”

Epherene tried to walk past them, but Deculein, who had been silently watching, stopped her.

“Epherene,” Deculein said.

“... Yes?” Epherene replied, swallowing hard.

“Did you have a dream?”

At his words, Epherene pressed her hands to her chest, startled, as if a frog had been confronted by a predator.

How did he know?!

Epherene thought.

"H-how did you—"

“What do you mean, how did we know? You’ve got drool and hair stuck to your face everywhere,” Ihelm replied.

“... What?” Epherene muttered, rubbing the side of her cheek, her fingers catching a clump of hair matted with drool. “

Oh

, I’m sorry.”

Epherene lowered her head and glanced up at Deculein, whose blue eyes stayed locked on her. Surely, he must have sensed something more unsettling than her untidiness.

"Why... why are you looking at me like that?" Epherene stammered.