Carrot and Whip - It's So Nice to See Your Face Like This, Even in a Dream...?
Let's see, subjectively that felt like two billion years? No, was it only two seconds? What is that sound...? Someone was talking happily right in front of me.
When I tried to open my eyes, my eyelids refused to move, as if something was holding them down. Ugh, what the hell? The same went for my body. I couldn't shift even an inch. Only my consciousness remained.
What is this...? Don't tell me I've been kidnapped again? At this point, kidnapping was getting old. From the Forest of Nightmares all the way to the current imperial palace. I was truly sick of it.
The voice drew closer until it seemed to hover directly in front of my nose. Hoo. I could clearly feel her breath against my skin.
"Oh? That's an interesting suggestion... filled with some rather twisted desire, too."
Suggestion...? If it was a suggestion or hypnosis, there was only one person who could have cast it on me. Lumiela... put hypnosis on me?
"Still, licking someone else's lover is a bit... you know? Hmph."
Chuu. A soft sensation pressed against my forehead.
A kiss...? Out of nowhere? Before I could even question it, a hot feeling followed right after. Or more accurately, it felt like something was being sucked out of me. The sensation was completely unfamiliar.
Ugh, what is this...? Huh? At first I was startled by the strange touch, but it didn't hurt. If anything...
"Feels good, doesn't it...?"
Slurp. It was as if every bad thing inside my body was being drawn out. A clean, refreshing coolness spread through my mind.
"No matter what, I can't let you be swayed by such low-grade hypnosis. Who do you belong to, after all?"
"Is this what they call supporting one's husband? Hehe."
Huh? The more I listened, the more familiar the voice sounded. It was light and crisp. This was definitely the same voice from back when I was kidnapped in the Forest of Nightmares... Ugh.
A sudden headache struck. I wanted to clutch my head, but my body still wouldn't move at all.
"Oh? You're already reclaiming your true self...? As expected of my husband, your talent for dream thought is overflowing."
True self? Dream thought? What is she talking about? The words were unfamiliar and strange, but what caught my attention most was the word "husband."
What now...? I had no idea who this woman in the dream was, but lately it felt like way too many women were getting tangled up with me. Honestly, it was getting hard to handle.
"Could it be the peach blossom curse...? Well, in any case, most of them are just bitches chasing after my husband's ability and nothing more."
Huh...? Maybe it was just my imagination, but the voice kept mixing in a lot of strange words. It was almost like... she wasn't from this world.
"Oh dear, it seems a bit of the collective's residue still remains. Don't worry. 'We' will become one soon...?"
We? Words I couldn't understand kept coming one after another. Before I could ask what any of it meant...
"It's time to wake up now...? Ha, I wonder when I'll get to see you next..."
Along with the sound of her licking her lips in regret, the world began to shatter.
When I came to, I was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Is this the imperial palace? An ornate chandelier sparkled overhead. As I looked around, I spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
"...Is Ian going to be all right?"
"Yes. The bruises are surprisingly minor. The most serious injury is to his leg. If we'd been even a little later, he might have lost the use of it."
"You're certain the treatment was complete? If even the slightest aftereffect remains in Ian's body... you'd better prepare yourselves. And not just you—your entire family."
"O-of course! He's fully healed now!"
Lumiela was pacing anxiously, pressing someone hard.
"Noona...?"
The moment I sat up, Lumiela startled and rushed over to me.
"Ian...! Are you okay?"
She reached out hesitantly and began touching every part of my body. Her hands were clearly full of worry. Hmm, she's touching me a lot more than necessary... Face, neck, shoulders, arms. Her touch slowly moved downward until it reached my stomach, then slid down my legs again.
Well, she's probably just checking for injuries. Maybe I was being overly sensitive because I'd just woken up. Or perhaps it was because of the "suggestion" I'd heard in the dream.
Ah, it was probably just a weird dream. Besides, there's nothing Lumiela would want to get from me anyway. As an imperial princess who lived in luxury, what could she possibly want from a former servant like me? No matter how I thought about it, it didn't make sense.
"I-Ian! You're not hurting anywhere, right?"
Seeing her worry about me so desperately made me smile without meaning to. When I suddenly laughed, she asked again.
"Ian...? You're really okay, aren't you?"
"Haha... Yeah. I'm fine."
...I guess I'm pretty exhausted too. I'd been running nonstop until now. Unconsciously, I'd been desperate for a place to rest. From the moment I first possessed this body until now, there had never really been anywhere for an outsider like me to belong.
In that sense, even though our relationship had started from a misunderstanding, having a "Noona" who worried about me like this... didn't feel bad at all. It was nice enough that I unconsciously hoped this kind of situation could continue.
When I kept smiling, Lumiela puffed out her cheeks and pinched my cheek hard.
"Ouch... W-what are you doing?"
"...I'm angry."
"Eh...?"
When I tilted my head in confusion, Lumiela spoke with a slightly serious expression.
"Ian, if you'd been even a little later, you might never have been able to use your legs again."
Oh my god... It was true. I had pushed my legs without thinking. My body was already torn apart from the skill's recoil, and I'd driven it to its absolute limit again... In a way, the result was inevitable.
Though I was quite shocked inside, I smiled again.
"Come on, it's fine now. My legs are completely healed, and more importantly... Noona's worrying about me made everything better right away, didn't it?"
It was a little cringey, but I meant it sincerely. After all, Lumiela had done so much for me.
She flinched. "......"
Huh...? The moment I finished speaking, Lumiela's expression shifted in the most colorful ways. She seemed to be desperately holding back a smile, forcing herself to keep a blank face.
What is that about? After a while, Lumiela finally composed herself and continued.
"Ian. From now on... if anything like this happens again, you have to tell Noona right away. Got it?"
In truth, this incident hadn't been my choice... but there was no need to ruin the mood while she was worrying about me.
"...Yes. If anything hard happens in the future, I'll make sure to tell Noona."
"Good. That's how it should be. My little brother..."
Lumiela pulled me straight into her arms. The violent pressure of her chest pressed against me. The soft sensation continued without pause. Just as I was thinking how nice it would be if time like this could last forever, Lumiela smiled naturally and asked me a question.
"That's right, Ian. Before you collapsed... you definitely said there was a separate mastermind behind this incident, right?"
Her tone was as gentle as before. But her eyes had already turned ice-cold.
"...Yes?"
"Who was it?"
The warm atmosphere from moments ago flipped in an instant, and Ian was thrown into confusion. He hadn't explained the details of the incident, but he'd thought the mood had let it slide. For Lumiela, however, this was not something she would simply let go.
Faced with her interrogation, Ian naturally tried to play dumb.
"Huh? Did I say something like that...?"
When Ian subtly turned his head and glanced sideways, golden Magic Eyes had already formed in Lumiela's gaze. A sign that she was activating her power. Before she could utter her command, Ian shouted urgently.
"A-actually...! That was also something that happened because of a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding..."
Lumiela let out a twisted smile and leaned close to Ian's ear, whispering. Her voice was so cold it sent chills down his spine.
"Ian, you've been saying it's a misunderstanding this whole time, but from Noona's perspective, it only sounds like you're making excuses."
Ian trembled lightly. He knew he was being unreasonable, but... he had no choice. Of course he didn't have any good feelings toward Evangeline, but he couldn't ruin everything just for simple revenge.
If I provoke Evangeline now, the empire's destruction will only come sooner. The Devil of Jealousy, Envy, who stayed by Evangeline's side. She seemed to have regressed as well, but the true cause of the empire's "destruction" wasn't Envy. The real cause had always been Evangeline herself.
For now, it's better to hold back. Holding back wasn't always the best move, but seeing Lumiela like this, it was clear she would torment Evangeline mercilessly even if she didn't kill her.
Just as Ian thought that...
"Ugh!"
Squeeze. Lumiela pressed down on his body from above, forcing him to lie flat.
"Ian. What do you think I am...? Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Squeeze. The force pressing down on his arms grew stronger.
"Ugh, wait a moment."
"Why on earth are you taking the side of the bastards who hurt you...? Hm?"
As if she truly couldn't understand. With a sorrowful expression, Lumiela whispered.
"You can't trust Noona that much...? Do you... do you hate me that much...?"
When Serena asked seriously, Bianca jumped in surprise.
"Hiiik! S-Serena, you're not thinking anything weird, a-are you?"
When Bianca freaked out, Serena's face grew stern.
"Did you seriously think I would try to steal your Magic Eye?"
"W-wasn't that it?"
"Sigh, you really... We already possess divinity. What would we want with something as troublesome as a Magic Eye? I was simply curious."
"R-right...? Besides, transplanting a Magic Eye has been impossible from the start. E-even in ancient times, so many people researched the secrets of Magic Eyes, but in the end, the only thing they could confirm was that it passes through bloodlines. They couldn't figure out anything else..."
"Is that so? Then I suppose that's that."
Serena fell into brief thought at Bianca's words, then immediately headed outside. Watching Serena's figure grow more distant, Bianca felt strangely anxious.
S-she's not going to do anything strange... is she?