Chapter 824
Chapter 824
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 824
Chapter Title: Purple Rose (4)
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1.
On the research table, Siu and Eloa lay side by side, hands clasped, letting out soft breaths.
If you didn't know a spell had been cast on them, you could have mistaken them for being lost in the deepest, most peaceful sleep—their expressions were that serene.
"Why do I have to be here too? There's nothing more I can do anyway."
As their lovers paced around with worried looks on their faces, Gretel alone sipped her black tea and grumbled.
This wasn't some lazy excuse born of hassle.
Once Autonomous Defense activated to that degree of immersion, even peeking into their dreams became impossible.
That was why they'd spied on everyone else's dreams but couldn't glimpse the Tiferet Duke's, right?
The options were simple: have one person shoulder the burden and dive in to pull them out, or manipulate the time flow ratio from inside.
"I told you, nothing's going to happen."
It wasn't a combat kill spell, nor some vicious mind control or curse.
And yet, they insisted on keeping watch right by their side. Under the pretext of emergency treatment if things went south, they wouldn't let even Gretel leave.
Gretel was utterly fed up with her lovers' overreactions.
"Does only one person have to go in alone?"
"Two or more is impossible."
"Hmm, what a pity. I had quite the interest in the pink duke's dream as well... Ack...!"
Lurye, who had been yawning in shared boredom, had her mouth quietly covered by Dorothy.
It was to prevent the somewhat inattentive Lurye from accidentally invoking Tabula Rasa.
"Your Majesty, as for the Tiferet Duke... probably..."
"Oh..."
Lurye fell silent upon hearing the full story.
"That truly is a tragic tale..."
It was a fact unknown to her, who had lived only in a submarine since childhood until recently emerging.
Her personality didn't lend itself to paying much attention to those around her, which only amplified her ignorance.
But now that she'd heard it, it was heartbreaking.
Lurye decided to spare the pink duke the scolding she'd planned for later.
Tormenting someone whose heart ached would tarnish a queen's dignity.
"In any case, Soul Witch, if anything—however small—happens to my envoy or the pink duke, I won't let you off."
"Do as you please."
"Do as you please? Did you just say that to me?"
Just as Lurye bristled at the utterly disrespectful tone,
-Rumble!
Suddenly, the research table where the two lay shook.
-Whoooosh!!!
Just like when she'd pointed the Red Branch at it, Autonomous Defense generated around Eloa.
The difference this time? It encompassed Siu as well, lying beside her with their hands joined.
"What is this?"
Amelia asked, startled by the sudden phenomenon.
"W-What's going on?"
But Gretel, who should have answered, was the most shocked of all.
Shed never seen anything like this in the research data.
"You're courting death."
So stunned that she dropped her teacup, Gretel felt a chill touch her throat.
A Japanese sword pressed against her neck, its edge so sharp it felt like it could slice through skin without even direct contact.
"Stop this at once."
"I-I don't know! It's not me! I didn't do it!"
"You expect me to believe that nonsense? Do you think I'm a fool?"
"I'm a doctor! I don't harm patients even if a knife's at my throat! And have I lost my mind? Why would I pull something like that when you're all glaring at me, and I'm the only suspect here?"
Gretel grit her teeth and shouted.
Shed let her guard down because of the absurd antics shed seen in dreams, but her opponent was the Sword Witch.
She might really lop her head off without hesitation.
"Linne, calm down. Gretel, if you want to prove your innocence, find a way."
Dorothy didn't think Gretel was lying.
Witches prized their own lives above all else.
If anything happened to either of them, Gretel wouldn't survive.
As if terrified Dorothy might change her tune, Gretel rushed to the two, pretending to do something—anything—to help.
2.
No other methods came to mind.
They wouldn't listen to the truth, wouldn't even try.
If it had just been her stubbornly unyielding master, that would be one thing.
But with Eloa shedding those poignant tears, shoulders trembling, Siu had no other choice.
At this point, the only solution Siu could think of was one.
Destroy the lotus, the suspected source of the nightmare, with the Red Branch.
Truth be told, there was no concrete evidence confirming the lotus as the nightmare's origin.
It was pure intuition.
But dreams were passages to the unconscious.
The stuff dreams were made of came from the raw materials of the subconscious.
Embarrassing as it was to speculate as the subject himself...
Amelia's dream had unfolded in the cabin.
A place where her happiest and most agonizing times coexisted.
There, Amelia had bid farewell to her master and been left alone with Siu.
Shed sublimated her guilt and resentment toward her master, and the one who filled that void was Shin Siu. That was the dream's interpretation.
So what of the lotus that had revived Rafi at the cost of immense sacrifice?
It couldn't possibly play no role in this world's core material.
It was worth investigating.
But Siu's attempt was immediately stopped.
There were no other surveillance devices, yet Eloa—who should have been asleep by now—had pursued him into the dream.
His heart sank, but certainty solidified.
The paranoid aversion he'd felt toward the brooch made sense if it was a "device to extract Shin Siu from dreams."
Similarly, her odd fixation on the lotus.
"Siu, hand over that brooch."
As these thoughts swirled, Eloa extended her hand.
Her expression and tone were utterly resolute.
This brooch was an escape device for cases of excessive immersion.
He couldn't give it to her.
"Master, as I said, this is for Sharon. I'll give you something else."
"Even if I earnestly ask?"
"...Yes, I'm sorry."
But.
He had to consider it here, just once.
Whether he was taking this too lightly.
Eloa spoke calmly.
"Just as I thought. You're ensnared by the Whisper Witch right now."
And in that moment, looking at his master, he realized.
Something was deeply, profoundly wrong.
"Master, what do you—"
-Whoosh!
The fiercely swung blade was Tiferet's ceremonial sword, "Contract Blade."
Had he not reflexively dodged, the brooch pinned to his chest would have shattered.
A chill ran down his spine.
This brooch was his escape device.
What if it broke? Would he end up trapped in this dream like her?
"Master!"
By now, sparks of pink light flickered from her eyes like embers.
Her pupils burned with determination and fighting spirit.
"Some parasites manipulate their host's actions. Drowning them or making them get eaten on purpose. The Whisper Witch does something similar. She sends you sprinting toward ruin without even realizing you're being controlled."
Why had he assumed?
That this world's master would act exactly like the real one.
Dreams weren't just spaces where desires roamed free; they liberated repressions too.
This master was his master, yet not the one Siu had always known.
"What are you talking about? I have no connection to the Whisper Witch!"
"You tried to destroy the lotus. Can you truly say that was your own will?"
"No! It was just an investigation..."
"Then why are you trying to fight me?"
Siu flinched and checked his state.
Before he knew it, shadow armor enveloped his body.
The Red Branch was gripped in his gauntlet.
A change that happened unconsciously, independent of his will.
"If the Whisper Witch has you enthralled, sound judgment will elude you. You won't know truth from lies."
"Master..."
"This is no dream, Siu, unequivocally."
Then this change was born of Eloa's confirmation bias.
Shed twisted reality itself to force a scenario favorable to her.
If the two tried resolving this conflict through force, Siu could never beat Eloa, and she could impose her will.
"I contract."
With Eloa's incantation, a hidden contract realm unfurled.
The view through the spiral staircase's window warped gradually.
He saw her grip her sword tighter.
"Raise your spear."
Now he understood.
He was so pathetic he could barely lift his face.
His master, always noble, righteous, and proud.
Siu had only seen the facets she showed him.
But the inner wounds Eloa revealed too late still festered.
Enough to point a sword at her beloved disciple.
Enough to desperately deceive herself and avert the truth.
Enough to shoulder the most painful role in a dream where everyone else could be happy.
Claiming he hadn't known it was this bad was just an excuse.
While claiming to be her lover, failing to see through his master's strong front was undeniably his own failing.
"I understand."
Being a lover wasn't just about loving.
It was about shouldering the rage, the grief, the sorrow.
Sharing the pain of the one you love was Siu's duty too.
"You said swordsmen speak with their swords, right?"
And when a lover strayed down the wrong path, grabbing their hand to stop them—that was Siu's role as well.
"Bloom."
Siu raised his spear.