The Scholar's Lucid Dream (1)

We recovered proof that we'd exterminated the ogre from its hiding place, along with the test subject's personal effects. The items were a set of leather armor and a dagger. Since they had a name engraved on them, they could probably establish his identity. We never did find the adventurer plate, though.

"I'll deliver the report to the village chief myself."

Once we returned to the village, Tirsi handled every last chore without complaint. She insisted it was the party leader's responsibility and presented the ogre's shattered teeth along with clear evidence of its defeat to the villagers.

Feeling guilty about dumping all the annoying bits on her while I took it easy, I volunteered to explain everything to the trolls. Actually, since it felt like we'd each pulled half the weight, let's scratch the "trolls" remark.

"You really defeated that monster? Looks like I misjudged your strength."

Vigan was still out cold—which was honestly a relief, since I'd have been exhausted if he'd woken up and started preaching about sparing lives—and Arthus spoke in his stead.

"We won without a single injury. You won't be getting any of the spoils, though. That all right with you?"

"Do whatever you want. The important thing is that you came back alive."

"Understood. And congratulations on your Silver Class promotion."

"Same to you. Now I can finally get some proper rest."

Apparently Arthus hadn't been able to sleep, not knowing when the ogre might show up again. He passed out almost immediately. The healing priest assured us he'd recover enough strength by tomorrow to ride back, so our return trip wouldn't be delayed.

After we'd finished cleaning up the loose ends, I turned to Veronica.

"If you don't have anywhere to stay, just sneak into the inn. You left that cat you were dragging around in my room anyway."

"Would that truly be acceptable?"

"Yeah. Just don't climb onto the bed, got it?"

"I possess at least that much courtesy."

"Go on ahead. You said you were tired. I'll go meet Tirsi and come right back."

"Very well. However, I have a request. Will you hear it?"

A request, huh. When I nodded, Veronica continued.

"Whether it be at dawn or any other time, it matters not. Accompany me to our sanctuary. It would be best if you chose the rune stone for yourself."

"Me too? I thought you said there was no guarantee I could even use that magic circle."

"Nay, it should be possible. If the mana of the rune within the seal merges with the rune mana you already possess, the requirements will be satisfied. Your knowledge of runes is more than sufficient, and I shall handle activating the circle."

"In that case I don't mind, but... you're not going to keep me there until the curse is lifted or anything, right?"

When I shot her a slightly suspicious look, Veronica answered as if she'd expected it.

"I shall swear it. An oath upon the rune of ᚷ (Gebō)."

"An oath?"

"Observe."

Veronica answered curtly and activated the rune. Between the sheep-like horns on her head, the symbol floated into view. The ᚷ (Gebō) rune transformed into threads of mana that connected me to Veronica. I reached out to touch them on impulse, but my hand passed straight through; they weren't physical. Veronica spoke as if in prayer.

As soon as the words of the oath ended, Veronica's shadow stretched out in the shape of ᚷ in every direction. It pulsed with mana before returning to its original form, and I could tell that some kind of magic had been cast on Veronica alone.

"What did you just do?"

I asked because I didn't recognize the rune magic. In the books I'd read, ᚷ (Gebō) was a rune used for fusion in otherworldly sorcery. If you put water and oil into a flask engraved with ᚷ, they would mix. Veronica answered my question.

"It is the Oath of ᚷ (Gebō). Normally it requires an equal price to activate, but since I already owe you my life, I used it. I have sworn that if you do not return safely, I will atone with death or something even worse."

"What?"

She'd die? Fuck, why the hell would you cast something that dangerous without mutual consent? If I screwed up and died while going back and forth to the sanctuary, didn't that mean she'd have to follow me to the grave?

I was about to demand why she would stake her life on someone else's shoulders when I saw the deadly serious look in her eyes and held my tongue. When she was this earnest, what could I possibly say? The atmosphere made it clear that it was her own responsibility, so I couldn't even argue.

I let out a sigh.

"...Can that rune be used on other people?"

"It cannot. ᚷ (Gebō) is used for oaths, but its true nature is exchange. You may think of it as a gift. Because it is a promise born of goodwill, forcing someone to do something they hate is impossible. Simply put, it is a rune one can only cast upon oneself."

"I never asked for your life."

"Did you not wish for me to return safely from the sanctuary? The only grace I have received from you is the saving of my life, so I have offered a price of equal weight in return."

Veronica spoke with the confidence of someone who had just written a cosmic waiver of bodily rights.

"In any case, you no longer need to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worry about betrayal from me. Should I ever threaten or betray you, I will pay with my life and the lives of my entire clan."

"Fine, fine, I'll go. Jesus, you're straight-up threatening me with your own life now."

"Hehehe. Refusing the invitation will not cause me to die. Whether you accept or not is entirely up to you."

"I said I'll go, you crazy bitch. Hurry up and go back to sleep."

I waved her off and waited for Tirsi to return. She appeared shortly after Veronica hid her body with a rune and slipped into the inn. Tirsi was walking while gazing at the sky; when she spotted me, she gave a polite bow.

"Were you waiting for me? It is rather cold out."

"Heh. You're in the same boat, aren't you?"

"I do not feel the cold very much. My constitution is particularly suited to ice and wind."

"Must be rough in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠summer, then."

"The Mage Guild has temperature-regulating magic tools, so I manage somehow. Still, I imagine I will suffer from the heat quite a bit during requests, so please keep that in mind when forming parties?"

"Of course. I'll make a note of it."

I almost took out my notebook to write it down, but decided that would be rude while we were talking and put it off.

I opened the inn door.

"Anyway, thanks for your hard work. Explaining everything to the villagers must have been tough."

"It is my job. I received a little flour and some potatoes. They wanted to give me an entire sack. If anyone wants more, they said we can take extra on the way back."

"Potatoes? Nice. I'll take some. It's a bit plain as payment for saving their lives, though."

As far as I knew, potatoes were an old staple crop that had spread across this world long ago. They went straight to people's tables without needing to be processed as livestock feed. Potato dishes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't sound bad at all.

As I was thinking that, Tirsi followed me inside and said,

"Indeed. Adventurers who help for free like this are rare. If the villagers don't want something like this to happen again, they will have to find ways to protect themselves."

"Means of self-defense, huh. Would stationing troops in every village like they do in Romania work?"

"The system of stationed troops was already a dead letter by the time I came of age. Ever since the senate became a hotbed of corruption, that tends to be the case."

Tirsi spoke in such a casual tone that it actually felt more disturbing. In my personal experience, the people who talked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about political issues with that kind of indifference were the dangerous ones. Most people formed their stance on politics based on self-interest or ideology. That was why it felt like Tirsi—who appeared to be from a fallen noble house—was deliberately hiding her emotions when she spoke so lightly about Romania's corruption.

"I see."

I answered carefully. I had never been the type to pry into other people's private affairs unless it directly triggered my own trauma. If the topic was sensitive, I was twice as reluctant. Mixing personal matters into business relationships only made things awkward.

So honestly, I was planning to let the subject slide again this time. If Tirsi had just been "Mage A" instead of a party member, I would have done exactly that.

"Do you want to return to being a noble, Tirsi?"

But it seemed I'd grown close enough to her that the question came out naturally. It wasn't strange to ask a female friend about her future aspirations. And if those aspirations could affect my own life since we worked together, maybe other people would be curious too. If Tirsi was trying to regain her noble status, it wouldn't end with a simple "Wow, I'm a noble again!" Like the ogre we'd just fought, it wasn't some hundred-year plan, but even repeating the calculated moves she'd mentioned would probably take at least ten years to bear fruit.

"Returning is the wrong word. The name Arma Shunas can never appear on Romania's register of nobility again."

Click.

Tirsi answered without any sign of embarrassment and opened the door. We had already reached her room.

"No matter how freely Romania has been selling noble titles lately, there is no path for the daughter of a fallen house to become the founder of a new noble family. It is absolutely impossible because of 'vested interests.'"

"My apologies. It seems I misunderstood."

"No, Nord. You guessed correctly. If I wish to become a noble, I would have to either change the laws of Romania or change my surname."

Change her surname. It took me a full ten seconds to process that. Some might think that was fast, but spacing out for nearly ten seconds in the middle of a conversation was pretty stupid. Still, I hope you'll understand. My mother, Kim Seon-hee, never changed her name to Kang Seon-hee after marriage.

When I stayed silent for those ten seconds, Tirsi suddenly poked just her face out from beside the door. In a tone completely devoid of humor, she asked,

"Or... are you interested in a Romanian noble title as well, Nord?"

What the fuck?

I understood the question in one second flat. But I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to say in response, so my mouth just hung open. Goddamn it. I used to have confidence in my quick comebacks, but my self-assurance just took a nosedive. I realized it too late, but I was basically a quasi-virgin when it came to receiving this kind of advance from a woman and brushing it off smoothly.

Well, my wives never said stuff like that even when we were just friends.

I was moving my lips, trying to come up with a response that wouldn't sound awkward, when Tirsi suddenly let out a soft chuckle. It was a refined, elegant laugh.

"It was a joke. A joke. I'm sorry for teasing you."

She gave me a polite bow.

"Thank you for helping me with the promotion request. I'll visit your home with a gift next time. Sleep well, Nord."

"Yeah. Good night."

Damn. What a heart-stopping joke.

Tirsi smiled as she closed the door and returned to her room. I tugged at my collar and entered my own. I'd expected an adorable little pony to soothe my heart, but what I found was a busty beauty with horns wearing a Romanian dress.

I was genuinely shocked to see Veronica sitting formally on the floor in the lotus position.

"What the hell? Why are you in human form?"

"After the curse was lifted, simply maintaining my horse form consumes mana. I thought it best to grow accustomed to the curse."

"You're sweating buckets right now, you know?"

Veronica's face was deathly pale and she was pouring sweat. She looked like someone with a terminal illness.

She cracked open one eye and muttered.

"...To be honest, it feels as if my heart has become a nest of snakes."

"You idiot, why are you enduring that? Use this."

I tossed her the Ogre's Seal.

Veronica, who had been sitting in meditation, widened her eyes.

"...Hmm. It is surprisingly easy to earn your trust. I should have sworn the oath sooner."

A mischievous smile spread across Veronica's face. In the dream everything felt unreal, so I hadn't noticed, but seeing her like this, she really was an incredible beauty.

I kicked off my shoes, lay down on the bed, and waved my hand dismissively.

"Shut up and use the mana inside that thing to transform so you can sleep. If we're going to your sanctuary at dawn, we need all the rest we can get right now."

"I shall make good use of it. I will wake you, so rest easy."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."

I gave a half-hearted reply and closed my eyes.

Fuck. I'm scared Tirsi might show up in my dream too.

Lately I'd been having strangely vivid dreams. Even though Veronica had cut the rune that connected our consciousness, the whole thing with the seal made falling asleep feel terrifying.

But surprisingly, the person who appeared in my dream was someone I could never have imagined.