Theorad's Dream (5)
This was a warning. A warning that she would be killed if she offered any useless excuses. Realizing the Elf's true intent from the sequence of events, Serredi clamped her mouth shut and froze in place.
"You should consider yourself lucky. If I'd met you outside the mansion, I would've killed you on the spot."
"……."
"Wiping a single one like you from this world is easier than stepping on a bug. But I won't. This is Theorad's mansion, after all. It'd be a headache if someone turned up dead."
"……."
"Disposing of a body is simple enough, but if a perfectly healthy person vanished overnight, it'd draw suspicion. That's why I'm letting you live instead of killing you. Lucky for you, right?"
The blades of iron bars encircling Serredi melted away like snow. Only then did she exhale the breath she'd been holding in ragged gasps.
"If you don't want to turn that luck into misfortune, stay quiet. Act like nothing happened, and leave the mansion tomorrow morning. That's your only option left."
The Elf placed a hand on her lower back, untied the strings, and removed her apron. Serredi stared blankly at the graceful motion, and the Elf spoke again.
"Answer me."
Startled, Serredi nodded frantically.
"Y-yes! I'll keep that in mind!"
"Good."
Beneath those merciless eyes, alluring lips twitched faintly. The Elf continued undressing, neatly folding her maid outfit on the desk before climbing into bed in her undergarments. She pulled down the covers, lay down, and drew them back up. As if Serredi posed no threat at all, she slowly closed her eyes—then opened them again, glancing sideways as if something bothered her.
"Not sleeping?"
"Ah, um. Can I really sleep here? Wouldn't it be better if I went somewhere else...?"
"Didn't the head butler explain? All the spare rooms in the mansion are packed with goods—no space to lie down."
"Th-then maybe the hallway..."
Serredi broke into a sweaty, awkward smile. Everything else was fine, but sharing a room with this monstrous Elf was absolutely out of the question.
But the Elf wasn't fool enough to let a dangerous intruder like Serredi roam free. Her icy gaze swept over Serredi's face.
"You're chatty."
The Elf's genuine killing intent prickled Serredi's skin like needles. Denying her one more time would surely shorten her lifespan.
"S-sorry! I'll sleep here...!"
"You should've said that from the start."
The Elf shot Serredi a displeased glare, turned her back, and lay on her side. An uneasy silence settled over the room.
Watching the Elf warily, Serredi kicked off her shoes and slipped into bed. As she pulled the covers up to her waist, a rustling came from the other side. The Elf tossed and turned several times, unable to sleep, before lying flat on her back and staring at the ceiling.
"You."
Serredi jumped in fright.
"Yes!?"
"Slept with a lot of men?"
"Pardon? Well, of course..."
Her mouth halted before she could say "succubus." A sly thought crossed her mind: the Elf probably hadn't fully grasped her identity. If she knew Serredi was a dream demon, she wouldn't ask "have you?" but "you have, haven't you?" It felt more natural that way. She had no idea how the Elf had sensed her demonic energy, but...
The Elf probably just knows I'm from the Magic Realm and not my exact species.
No need to reveal her race, then. She had no hobby of spilling unnecessary info and putting herself in danger.
Ahem! Clearing her throat deliberately, Serredi let her voice flow out clear and bright. It wasn't absolute, but the [Brainwashing] urging mental calm was helping her stay composed.
"Yes. Plenty of times. It happens a lot when I get involved with men in all sorts of situations."
"I see... Then why do it?"
Why? To drain human essence, obviously. But saying that straight would give her away. Serredi blended social norms with her own thoughts (minus the dream demon part) and confessed honestly.
"Sometimes to prove our love, but mostly for physical pleasure. The ecstasy when our bodies collide is incomparable. No wonder they say creatures live for sex."
"Boring answer."
If you think it's boring, why ask? As Serredi grumbled inwardly, the Elf rolled her eyes toward her.
Her heart skipped—had her thoughts been read?—but the Elf asked her next question in a flat tone, without a care.
"How was your first time?"
"Pardon? My first...?"
Why ask that all of a sudden? Racking her brain for when it was, Serredi vaguely recalled the sensation.
"It hurt at first, but it got pretty good by the end. The foreplay was long, so the pain wasn't too bad."
"Didn't hurt."
"Well, pleasure outweighed the pain for me. Of course, breaking the seal hurts differently for everyone. Just because it wasn't bad for me doesn't mean it's the same for all. But why do you ask?"
The Elf blinked blankly at the ceiling a couple times, then turned her back again.
"None of your business. Shut up and sleep."
Her cryptic attitude felt odd, but pushing further would only backfire. Serredi quietly closed her eyes.
In the darkness of her vision, her mind raced busily.
Time to enter Theorad's dream.
To fulfill Lerazie's orders, she had to invade his dream. The problem was the Elf sleeping beside her—an overwhelming threat. If the Elf caught her entering Theorad's dream, it wouldn't end well.
But... can the Elf even detect it?
Interfering in others' dreams was a dream demon's unique magic. A few odd humans called "astrologers" did similar things, but the Elf learning astrology seemed unlikely.
So, she could sneak into Theorad's dream undetected, grab the info, and leave. Keeping a half-open eye on the Elf until she slept, Serredi whispered the incantation in the tiniest voice.
Whoosh—
As the spell ended, Serredi's body and soul separated. Her soul floated free, confirmed the Elf was deep asleep once more, then passed through the wall toward Theorad's room.
Crossing a few walls, she emerged into a space of marble floors lined with ornately crafted furniture. Clearly an antique chamber.
Glancing around, she spotted Theorad asleep in the bed by the window. Flying over, Serredi licked her lips as she gazed down at him.
He's handsome.
Sleek, refined black hair, sharp jawline, flawless skin—it drew the eye effortlessly. Without the Elf, she might've seduced him outright. A pity, but she was here for work, not play. Resigned, she manifested Theorad's "dream" in midair and dove in without hesitation.
*
Darkness everywhere. Serredi plummeted through an abyssal void. Down, further down. Amid the dizzying fall, her toes brushed something solid.
She had reached the dream—the manifestation of Theorad's subconscious and unconscious.
Landing lightly, she looked up. Reciting the incantation for her personal magic [Dream Interpretation], ripples spread across the ground. She began "interfering" with the dream.
Fwoosh—
Darkness parted to reveal a blue sky, the ground carpeted in vibrant flowers. Suddenly atop a flower-filled hill scented with blossoms, Serredi advanced, somewhat baffled.
This is... Theorad's dream?
For the man who toppled a diocesan bishop, it brimmed with too much hope. Gentle, pastoral, lyrical. No defensive mechanism emerged to expel the intruder.
It's warm.
As if forgiving and embracing her mere info-gatherer, the dream shone radiantly. Could a human subconscious be this tender and beautiful?
Murmuring admiration, Serredi walked on—and encountered the dream's master: Theorad. Boyish face, small stature. About five years old, nothing unusual. Dreams differed from reality, after all.
The issue: he wasn't alone.
...A witch?
In the flower field's center sat a witch in a wide-brimmed black conical hat. Fine clothes, but ragged. Her top's belly torn by blades, half her black robe charred beyond recognition. Her eyes held no light, staring blankly at the ground as if cradling all the world's despair. Cracked dry lips, unkempt black hair cascading past her waist to the dirt in disarray.
She exuded gloom just by existing, and black mana radiating from her withered the surrounding flowers one by one.
Ugh...
A breeze brought an unbearable stench. Tempted to flee, Serredi endured and watched. The child Theorad sat before the witch, telling her a story, holding a flower crown he'd made in his tiny, fern-like hands.
I don't get it. What kind of dream is this?
No clear purpose. Well, there was one: the child wanted to comfort the despairing witch. But was that all?
As Serredi puzzled, the child stood, placed the crown on the witch's head. She finally looked up at him. Gritting her teeth, she screamed hysterically, sobbed wretchedly, then laughed with shaking shoulders. She seemed mad.
Terrifying, yet the child never left her side.
Wait. That witch...
Familiar somehow? As Serredi frowned, piecing it together, the answer came from right beside her.
"The Black Flame Witch."
"Ah, right! The Black Flame Witch!"
Serredi snapped her fingers gleefully—then froze, trembling.
What?
Why was a third party's voice here—and the Elf's, no less? She couldn't comprehend.
"Human subconscious is impressive. Remembering her despite erasing the memory. You'll forget when you wake, though."
Gulp.
Tensing, Serredi slowly turned. There sat the Elf on a rickety chair. Her silvery hair whipped in the breeze, watching the witch and child with distant nostalgia.
H-how is she here...?
It could only mean Serredi's death.