Dreams, Memories, and Voices (1)

"This is a gift from Professor Deculein to the captain."

A night where the bonfire pierced the darkness.

Premien handed Ganesha a mirror. It was a hand mirror engraved with luxurious patterns.

"……?"

Ganesha's eyes widened round. She had all sorts of questions.

Deculein, a gift? So suddenly?

No, why would that man give something to us?

On behalf of the dumbfounded Ganesha, Lia spoke up.

"……A gift, yeo? From Deculein, that professor, yeo?"

Premien nodded dryly.

"Yes. Any problem?"

"No, not really……."

Lia had no particular thoughts. She fidgeted with her fingers, then resumed pondering which constitution to choose.

Ganesha, glancing back and forth between Lia and Premien, suddenly had a flash of insight.

"……No way?"

Snap! She flicked her fingers. A chill ran through her body like electricity, raising goosebumps.

"I think I get it somehow."

Premien asked the gravely murmuring Ganesha,

"What?"

"……."

Ganesha glanced at Lia for a moment.

"……Why, yeo?"

The innocent girl tilting her head, resembling Deculein's old love.

Deculein's feelings upon seeing this child must be profoundly complicated.

Of course, nothing as vulgar as ulterior motives. Never. The professor wasn't that depraved a scum.

But surely, faint, hazy thoughts and emotions from that time would stir in his heart. Memories of the one who once filled it to bursting, aching to resurface.

"Lia. Did the professor say anything?"

Ganesha asked with utmost seriousness. Lia shook her head, clueless, but then a memory surged back.

"……Ah."

"What?"

Just before blacking out from the great tiger's blow, amid fading consciousness, Deculein's words had filtered in.

A voice hazy like fog.

"Well…… he did say this."

Lia cleared her throat with a cough cough. Then she imitated Deculein's voice.

"———Her personality is the same as well."

"……."

In that instant, all eyes focused.

Ihelm, of course, Julie, Ruina who had appeared unnoticed, Gwen, Syrio, Rafel…… Many of Deculein's contemporaries were there.

Pfft.

Ganesha finally burst into laughter.

"Then it's settled~ Lia~?"

"Yes?"

"This is for our Lia~"

She handed the mirror to Lia.

"Eh? Why me?"

"You threw yourself to protect the professor, right? So it's only fair you take it~"

"……Ah."

"Go on, take it."

Ganesha looked a bit regretful herself, but Lia accepted it anyway. She subtly checked its item value first.

An adventurer's occupational instinct—Adventurer's Intuition.

Treasure?! What treasure?! A handmade hand mirror is treasure?!

As Lia's eyes spun,

"Lady Julie. Why not sit down now~?"

Ganesha called out to nearby Julie.

"……."

Julie approached with a slightly awkward expression. Ganesha teasingly nudged her shoulder with an elbow.

"Did we talk too much about the professor~?"

"No. It's fine."

Julie shook her head calmly. It was a surprisingly mature response, so Ganesha waggled her eyebrows slyly.

"Have all your feelings settled now, back home~?"

Lia glanced at Julie. Deculein and Julie's relationship was a key element in her independent quest.

Fortunately, Julie declared firmly.

"Not at all."

She muttered it like swallowing bitterness, glaring at the bonfire. Her mana-infused gaze made it crackle—freeze over.

"I am not…… that sort."

The knight fell silent.

The mood chilled in an instant.

Heavy silence enveloped the space. Ihelm slipped away uncomfortably, and Gwen and Syrio went off to spar.

Then,

A soft, warm tone flowed in like a gentle breeze, thawing the cold.

"You seem like a really kind person, knight lady."

Julie turned that way.

The girl named Lia gazed at her with eyes far too mature for a child.

"……Thank you."

Lia beamed.

"And so cool, yeo! That armor, yeo! I wanna wear tiger armor like that someday too!"

Back to being a child. Julie was momentarily flustered by the incongruous sight but soon responded with sincerity.

"Yes. I wanted that when I was young too. Lia?"

"Eh? Ah, yes—"

"There's no need to rush."

"Eh? It's not rushing—"

"Becoming an adventurer at your age is achievement enough. So from here on……."

Julie's advice and counsel lasted exactly 13 minutes.

I flexed my arm.

Up, down, left, right. East, west, south, north. The sutures held well, but it wasn't as natural as before.

Probably need about a month of recovery and training.

"……Constitution."

More importantly, I examined the constitution catalog.

In truth, I'd already decided what to choose.

In other words, a 'stack' type constitution that benefits the calmer the mind.

However, a single major surprise wipes the entire stack, so the penalty is huge and versatility low.

A typical NPC would find it utterly useless.

Of course, I am no ordinary person. My mind approaches crystalline stillness, emotions rarely fluctuate greatly, and against mental interferences, I am invincible.

I acquired the constitution without hesitation.

Knock knock—Mission report.

A knock and voice sounded right on cue.

I opened the door.

Todays reporter was, as expected, Julie.

She approached with steady steps and submitted the documents formally.

"No anomalies in the third mission phase. Zero casualties. Three injured. Total monsters slain: 1,305."

After the great tiger's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠defeat, the culling resumed smoothly.

I nodded.

"Report received. Inform the knights that the slain great tiger has been dismantled. Half the hide will be offered to Her Majesty, half I shall keep. The adventurers and knights who pursued it shall have the teeth, claws, and other useful parts."

"Understood."

Julie assented without complaint and soon exited.

"Hm……."

Yet this brief moment satisfied me greatly these days. Just thirty seconds a day, but sharing the same space and seeing that face.

Of course, not enough to affect the constitution.

"……The hide."

The great tiger's hide, practically the true quest reward.

Tan it and apply Midas' Hand to make a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠robe. The skin pattern is too conspicuous, so dye it black.

"……."

Mid-pleasant imaginings, a sudden curiosity struck.

A scrap of robe on the desk.

The last item from Allen—no, Eli—that Ihelm had painstakingly preserved and delivered.

Seeing it made me wonder where this one was now, and what they were doing.

I inexplicably wanted to know…….

……Eli was in the desert.

"Hot."

Having left the north, she arrived underground in the desert. Near the oasis, abutting bedrock, the entirety formed a small village.

A shelter where the Altiegue people lived—cramped passages like an anthill connecting various spaces.

"You're here."

Eli descended to the deepest heart of the burrow. A conference room strewn with strategy maps and magic items.

"……."

There, a bob-haired woman resembling Eli but sharper-faced glared at her.

Altiegue's next elder—Elesol.

Sign language. Eli nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry."

Whoosh—hiss—shish—signs flew at light speed.

"No need."

"Killing the professor won't stop the sweeps."

Elesol handed Eli a document. Her fingers moved busily.

Eli skimmed it with a rustle and stated firmly.

"Won't catch him."

"No."

"I'm listening. Just saying it's impossible."

"Professor's smarter. Much more than you, Elesol."

"……."

Elesol's face stiffened. She ground her teeth with a crack and stormed out of the conference room.

Bang!

The door slammed. Eli scratched her nape, guessing why Elesol was angry.

With many emotion-processing nerves deficient, Eli sometimes struggled to read situations.

"No idea."

It's fact the professor's smarter than Elesol. She'd sent reports too. If that's what angered her…….

"……Professor wouldn't get mad over this."

Eli pouted at the closed door. She scanned the conference room.

A landscape utterly unlike the tower.

Barren desert.

Underground, no light penetrating.

Just open one door, and she'd meet the professor.

"……."

With a faint sigh, a thought crossed Eli's mind.

A single line circling her head, perhaps a wish.

"Someday…… will we meet again?"

……Ifrin was in the north, Recor Dak.

Her condition haggard and disheveled, but studying for Deculein's advanced lecture exam.

"Haa……."

Two weeks since Allen left us.

Ifrin still couldn't adapt to that reality.

His absence felt empty, sad.

Look around, and it'd seem Assistant Professor Allen would appear, asking "Ifrin, you okay?" in that clear, warm voice.

"Ah."

Suddenly, tears trailed down her cheek. Ifrin wiped them with her robe hem.

Despite crying so much, more tears remained.

"……Why won't my tear glands dry up—?!"

"Whoa, scared me."

Drent, studying for the exam in the same lab, flinched. He treated Ifrin with composed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dignity.

"Get over it already, Ifrin. Assistant Professor wouldn't like seeing you like this. New year passed, you know?"

"……Obviously."

Thirteen culls total. Two advances.

Ifrin participated in all, growing daily. Now her sparring partners were knights.

Last night, she beat Hollan, a junior peer.

"I'm not dumb enough not to know the time…… Haaaawn."

Drent chuckled at the yawning Ifrin.

"Your mouth'll rip. Sleep a bit. Tired from last night's spar, right? I'll wake you."

"Huh? Oh, yeah…… Okay! Just 5 minutes. No, 15."

"Sure sure."

"Wake me. And don't peek at my notes."

"……I won't."

Haaawn—

Ifrin yawned again and slumped over the desk.

She fell asleep instantly.

Exhausted, into dreamless slumber…….

……Ifrin.

No, plunged into dreamless sleep…….

……Ifrin? Wake up, dear.

At the calling voice, Ifrin opened her eyes. She shook her hazy mind and mumbled.

"What…… already 15 minutes……?"

Ifrin froze mid-sentence. Her mouth gaped blankly. She stared around in a daze.

"Here……."

Her vacant pupils reflected a familiar, shabby house.

Precarious, on the verge of collapse—almost a shack.

She knew this place, of course.

Her old home.

"Ifrin."

And a voice calling her.

Ifrin whipped around in shock.

"……!"

Her brain halted. Thought stopped.

The whole world contracted to this space.

"Ifrin. You've finally awakened."

A face so longed for.

A voice long forgotten.

The one she loved most.

Standing at the vanishing point: Kaigan Luna.

Her father.

"Ah…… Dad?"

"Yes."

No more words needed. Ifrin's legs moved on their own.

Toward him, the father she'd missed so, always yearned for.

As if entranced.

"Ifrin. Come here."

As he smiled kindly, a chill wind brushed her hair.

Whiiiir——.

Her throat steel vibrated from within the robe.

"……!"

Ifrin halted abruptly.

Now a true mage, she possessed fitting discernment.

"Wait."

Cold suspicion. Situation analysis. Current inference.

She drew the throat steel from her bosom. It vibrated, glaring at Kaigan.

"What are you doing? Ifrin. Come here."

He said. His smile thicker now.

"I really wanted to see you."

The quivering throat steel stopped dead. Ifrin stared at Kaigan and said,

"……You're Dad?"

"Of course."

"August 13th, ten years ago. Recite my letter."

"……Haha."

Kaigan—or whoever wore his guise—smiled endearingly.

As he opened his mouth to recite,

Step—

A presence from behind. Ifrin turned and yelped.

"Wah!"

She fell on her butt unthinkingly. Hands on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ground, she looked up at him.

"Wh-what, Professor!"

Deculein stood right before her. He lifted her fallen form with Telekinesis.

Ifrin asked.

"Professor, where'd you come from?"

Deculein didn't answer. More expressionless than usual.

"More than that, Professor. Where is this?"

"I am not Master Deculein."

"Huh? What do you—"

"Your defense mechanism."

"……?"

Blink blink—

Blink blink—

Ifrin blinked quietly and asked back.

"What does that mean?"

"Exactly as stated. I am not the master. I am an artificial intelligence designed by your mana, based on shared understanding with the master."

"……."

His words were vague.

But in any case, this Deculein was not Deculein.

"Then, perhaps……."

Ifrin showed him the throat steel. The fragment that had just ceased resonating.

"This you?"

"Yes."

Deculein—no, the throat steel—nodded. Ifrin's jaw dropped.

"You needn't worry."

The throat steel stepped forward, placing Ifrin behind it.

"As long as the master and I are here, they cannot kill you in your dreams……."

Metal shards surged from Deculein's inner pocket.

The father—or the thing mimicking him—faced it, face twisting.

……What a ghostly farce.

The throat steel said.

"Now return."

"!"

At those words, Ifrin awoke.

"Hah!"

She bolted up, exhaling sharply. Quickly checked her surroundings.

Back in Recor Dak's lab.

"Hm? Up early."

Drent checked his watch.

"Not even 15 minutes yet."

"……."

Silent, she sought her throat steel.

"Ah."

Neatly placed on the desk.

Ifrin snatched it up. Sighing in relief at the sight.

"……Thanks."

Then something curious happened.

The bracelet on her wrist. Mana gushed from it, seeping into the throat steel.

"What's this now?"

Ifrin furrowed her brow. But stood without dwelling. Probably just mana phenomenon.

Drent asked.

"Where to?"

"Had a total crap dream. Super lame. Gonna get some air."

"Blizzard today. Don't go far. Beasts everywhere."

"……Yeah."

She opened the door and stepped out.

But immediately ran into someone.

"So for now, you be the chairman, Deculein. I'll……."

Deculein in the first-floor hall. Ihelm beside him.

"Hm?"

The conversing pair looked her way.

"Oh, Ifrin."

"……."

Ihelm smirked; Deculein said nothing.

"Ah…… Hi. Hello……."

"Not crying anymore? You bawled every day."

"……I didn't cry every day."

For some reason embarrassed, Ifrin kept glancing at Deculein. The dream flashed back.

So, basically, Professor Deculein (or throat-steel-lookalike) is on standby in my dreams……?

Ihelm said.

"Anyway. Monster wave soon. Get ready. Red Garnet adventurers looking for you again."

"Huh? Y-yeah……."

Ifrin tried to pass with vague replies, but Deculein, who'd watched silently, grabbed her.

"Ifrin."

"……Gulp. Yes?"

"Did you have a dream, perchance."

Ifrin startled greatly at his words. Hands to chest, she croaked like a frog meeting a mantis.

How'd he know!

"H-how—"

Ihelm answered for her.

"How? Your face has hair and drool all over."

"……What?"

Ifrin touched her cheek. Strands stuck clumped with drool.

"S-sorry."

Bowing, she peeked at Deculein.

His blue eyes still fixed on her.

Perhaps sensing some 'aura' more irksome than her mess…….

Ifrin stammered.

"Wh-why stare like that……?"