Self-Aware Dream (7)

The moment Veronica told me that rune mana could never be separated from its owner, I was genuinely shocked. My knowledge of rune magic wasn’t that deep, so I had no idea. Maybe learning the runes before Veronica arrived had been a mistake? No, from the way she was talking, it sounded like she had been watching me from the very beginning. The fact that I hadn’t noticed her surveillance meant that getting caught was inevitable. The only unlucky part was that it had happened in less than a single day.

“Uh? No, I mean… I don’t know the reason either. It must be some kind of special constitution or something.”

I was so flustered that I started babbling nonsense. I had sensed a strange atmosphere from Veronica and was trying to hide my panic. But the moment she heard my answer, her face lit up like she had just met a respected academic giant who agreed with her theory.

She placed a hand on her own shoulder in a dramatic pose, like the “shoulder” part of the Head-Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes song. Then she continued with a perfect triple-positive structure.

“Once is coincidence. Twice is a miracle. But if something similar happens three times, it can only be called fate.”

“Fate?”

“Yes. While I was trapped in that clumsy circus troupe, I thought about it. Was my journey nothing but futile labor, bound to the predetermined fate of prophecy? And indeed, that was the truth. Was I not saved not by my own power, but by the coincidence of meeting all of you?”

She wasn’t wrong. Everything about how Veronica and I had met had been pure coincidence. But it felt like she was trying to assign deeper meaning to that coincidence.

Veronica continued, “The legends say that even the Sky God could not overcome prophecy. The moment fate is glimpsed, the future becomes fixed by that outcome. Even though I tried to live without relying on prophecy, in the end I still moved exactly as it foretold.”

Was this some kind of quantum mechanics bullshit? I remembered that Odin’s avatar also hated the word “fate.” On Earth, the Ragnarok from Norse mythology—the one that middle school edgelords and Hitler fanboys loved to jerk off to—was literally a predetermined apocalypse. Still, this felt way too forced.

I waved my hand, trying to calm her down. Completely ignoring the crazy-eyed goddess’s words from my dream, of course.

“Saying I might be the subject of the prophecy seems like a huge leap. What if it really is just coincidence? There must have been other Bicorns who experienced something similar to you before.”

“The only one who can converse with our kind, who coincidentally met me, and who even lifted half of my curse. If all of that is truly just coincidence and delusion, then so be it.”

—Twirl.

Veronica spun her body 180 degrees. She stepped down from the magic circle left behind by the demon horse.

“The elders of my clan used to say I was still a clumsy little girl. At the time I was furious, but now I see they weren’t wrong. My heart is pounding so fiercely at the mere mention of fate—what else can I do?”

She placed a hand over her chest as if checking her own heartbeat, then curved her eyes into gentle crescents.

“I have decided to believe that meeting you was fate. However, do not think too deeply about it. Prioritize your own circumstances. I would hate to become a burden to you. So I ask you this—I have already received half the release of my curse from you. In return, please allow me to help you achieve what you desire.”

Her attitude was humble and sincere. I let out a groan. She was being so honest that it started to prick my conscience not to tell her the truth.

Fuck. Isn’t this like pouring oil on a fire?

I forcibly calmed myself. Hadn’t I been planning to ask her anyway?

“Hey, sorry for changing the subject without answering first, but… is there any magic that can show you the dream I had?”

“A dream? That is quite the sudden request.”

Veronica tilted her head, then nodded.

“Now that the curse has been lifted to some extent, it should be possible. Send the image using the ᚨ (Ansuz) rune. I will assist it with my magic.”

“I’m counting on you. It’s hard to explain with words. Don’t be too shocked.”

“The way you speak so seriously is making even me nervous.”

Veronica swallowed hard. She endured the growing side effects of the curse and began chanting.

“ᚨ (Ansuz).”

I waited for her chant to finish before activating the rune magic. Since our minds were already connected, transmitting the image was as easy as pie. For Veronica, who received the image of my dream, however, it was anything but.

“……Ugh?!”

The transmission of the dream ended in the blink of an eye. It took her a little time to process the images that had flooded into her mind, but that was actually fortunate. If it had taken as long as transferring a file on a computer, her concentration probably wouldn’t have held up.

“……What? The Sky God? Why does he appear as a woman…? The World Tree, and even Gungnir…?”

Veronica muttered in disbelief as she pieced together the fragments of the dream I had experienced.

“──A successor?!?!”

After suffering alone for several minutes, Veronica suddenly jerked her head up as if someone had yanked her by the hair. Just like when she had first heard that other races had lifted the curse, she completely lost her composure. She grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

“You never told me you had a dream like this!! No, more importantly—are you out of your mind?! How dare you speak so casually to a god?! What is wrong with your head?!”

“T-That was… in a dream… so I… didn’t realize…”

“You call that an excuse?! Not only did you speak rudely to the Sky God, you even sent him flying?! This is a grave sin worthy of divine punishment—Ah.”

The cocktail-shaker treatment suddenly stopped. Veronica’s eyes shrank to the size of peas.

“I-I’m so sorry! I lost my mind for a moment! Please forgive my rudeness!”

She scrambled backward like someone who had just realized the priceless porcelain vase they’d been casually touching was worth millions. I doubted even touching a live high-voltage wire would have produced a stronger reaction.

—Tremble tremble.

Her whole body shaking, Veronica lifted the hem of her skirt and knelt. Watching the dizzying 180-degree attitude shift with my spinning head, I was completely speechless.

“What the hell? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“I’m sorry! Even if I had a hundred mouths, I would have nothing to say! I’m sorry!”

She had completely abandoned her usual slightly arrogant tone and was now speaking in the most respectful honorifics imaginable. I hadn’t completely imagined this kind of scene, but was she really reacting this extremely just because Odin’s avatar had called me his successor?

Well, if a hidden divine heir really had appeared, it made sense for a devout believer to act with utmost humility. Even the people who learned that the Messiah was the Son of God had reacted similarly.

“You’re acting like this just because of one dream?”

But the image I had sent her was nothing more than a dream. I asked in genuine confusion. Of course, to me it had felt impossibly vivid, but was she really placing absolute trust in nothing but an image with no evidence whatsoever?

“D-Dreams that descend from the divine are primal revelations. Moreover, to personally experience the moment when the Sky God first created writing at the dawn of time… this is a miracle that cannot even be described as divine possession. There is no room for doubt.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Veronica shook her head frantically as if the very idea was absurd. At the same time, she looked at me with eyes full of disbelief. If even a shred of her previous rudeness remained, she probably would have slapped me across the face by now.

I unconsciously frowned. Seeing the once-confident, princess-like Veronica now kneeling on the floor and trembling made me feel like a massive asshole.

“Hic.”

The more I frowned, the more she trembled. It was a vicious cycle. Flustered, I quickly relaxed my expression and helped her to her feet. I wasn’t some twisted pervert who got off on abusing innocent people with power.

“Hey, Veronica. That’s enough. Get up. This isn’t like you at all.”

“N-No, Lord Nord! You must not touch someone like me! Your noble hands will be sullied!”

“Will you please stop already? Hearing you speak so formally is making my skin crawl.”

If this had been a complete stranger, I might have just let it go after a half-hearted attempt to stop her. But this girl wasn’t a stranger. In a sense, we were more intimate than even Tirsi or Larilura—we had literally seen and touched each other’s most private parts. And if I was being 140% honest, I didn’t exactly hate it.

I was a healthy man, and when Veronica took human form, she was a stunning beauty. I used to curse the protagonists of fox-girl novels as pathetic furries, but back when I was still a virgin, I definitely would have stared at her breasts and thighs without shame. Her sensual figure had something that made a man’s gaze naturally follow her every movement—unlike Franc’s unbalanced sexiness or Dana’s refined silhouette.

Or, to be completely honest, it wasn’t “something.” It was mostly her massive tits and wide hips. The horns were just a bonus.

Anyway, having a beauty like her kneel and submit to me? In a fantasy erotic novel, that would be a pretty good situation. If she had been a total stranger I had met ten minutes ago, would I really have tried to persuade her to be friends instead of enjoying this?

I wasn’t a eunuch. A little bit of ulterior motive was only natural.

But doing this with someone I was getting along with just a moment ago feels a bit…

I could overlook any guy who wanted to make an imaginary beauty E-14 kneel or engage in domination play. But if a man got off on his close female friend suddenly dropping to her knees and bowing her head without any warning, that guy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was dangerous no matter the reason. Sexual fantasy and reality were two completely different things.

Besides, five minutes ago we were laughing and talking like normal friends.

This sudden shift was too much for me to keep up with.

“Ah, I realized far too late… I cannot even lift my head in shame. If only I had noticed sooner, I would have gathered the entire clan, made them kneel, and prepared to welcome you properly at the sanctuary…”

“Fuck, please don’t do that…”

I forcibly pulled Veronica up, even throwing in some rhyme to lighten the mood. It looked like I was shoving my hand under the belly of a stubborn old dog that refused to stand.

—Thud.

The moment I let go, she immediately dropped back to her knees and hands. She had fully reverted to quadrupedal mode. Goddammit. If you were going to crawl on all fours anyway, why did I even bother lifting your curse?

“What do I have to say to make you go back to your normal way of speaking?”

“N-No matter what you command, omitting honorifics would be disrespectful…”

“In the records, there are tons of humans who spoke casually to gods.”

As an archaeologist, I spoke with confidence. There were so many dwarves and humans in the myths who spoke rudely to Loki and Thor that you could sweep them up by the truckload. It also meant that the gods of Germania had been quite close with mortals. The Odin I had met had almost zero dignity despite his immense power.

“If you truly respect me, then restore your original speech first. The gods you serve aren’t the kind who force your kind to their knees and yank on their leashes, right?”

Veronica opened her mouth, hesitated, then nodded.

“I… I understand… Is this okay?”

“No, it is not.”

“……I understand… it is.”

Even while clearly resisting, she still answered sincerely. She looked up at me with the pitiful face of a dog that had been ordered to bite its owner.

“B-But Lord Nord… Ah, no. You went too far too. Why didn’t you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tell me sooner… at least if you had revealed it at the sanctuary…”

“Even if you say that, I still can’t really feel it. We didn’t talk about it for very long.”

I tapped my shoulder with my prosthetic and sighed. If he had revealed his identity during that cool scene, I definitely would have gone “Whoa! Odin!” But how was I supposed to know that the ghost-like Mr. O was peeking out from inside that skull?

“Ugh.”

When I said that, Veronica let out a pained whimper like a dog that had been kicked in the stomach. She curled up, recited the transformation rune, and reverted back into pony form. The concentration she had been using to suppress the curse’s side effects had finally broken.

“You held it together for over ten minutes. Of course you’d collapse.”

“I’m sorr—Ah, ugh, I’m sorry.”

Veronica scrambled back to her feet at my words. She really couldn’t seem to get a single sentence out properly.

“U-Um… If you permit it, may I investigate your dream?”

Veronica asked cautiously, watching my reaction. Investigate a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dream? The combination of words felt strangely fitting and unfitting at the same time. I thought it was an interesting expression.

“I don’t mind, but what will you do with it?”

“You also received quite a few words from the Sky God. If we can control your dreams, there is a chance we might learn something from his memories like in the first dream…”

“From the dream? If that’s possible… then there’s no reason not to.”

Even a quick mental calculation showed clear benefits. We didn’t know how far we could investigate with our own power, but if luck was on our side, we might even find the god who cursed the Bicorns and the method to lift it. It wasn’t a losing deal.

“However, for that… I would need to perform the Seiðr ritual with Lord Nord… How could someone as rude as I dare ask for such grace…?”

After explaining it to me, Veronica began muttering to herself as if retracing her own words.

“Moreover, to chant and maintain the magic, I would first need to suppress my curse… No, if I ask you to go all the way to the end of the Seiðr… and considering how the number of experiences increases every time we meet, Lord Nord would also… Wait, that’s right. There’s no way the wives would permit it…”

—Mumble mumble mumble.

Her whispers were so quiet that even my ears could barely catch them. It felt like she was talking half to herself. After failing to eavesdrop, I cleared my throat.

“Veronica. Can you speak loud enough for me to hear too?”

“Hyaah?! I-I’m sorry!!”

—Flash!

She instantly transformed back into her divine form and slammed her forehead to the ground. It was the frantic energy of an 80s elementary schooler who had been caught dozing off during a strict teacher’s class. Holy shit, look at that reaction speed. She still hadn’t dropped the honorifics at all.

“T-That is!! To explain it properly, I need some precious reagents and mental preparation…!! So please wait until then!!”

Veronica clasped her hands together politely like a priest making a request. For some reason, it felt like a private getting permission from his company commander to go out after study hall. This was basically just master-servant role-reversal play at this point.

“—Hup! Sorry… I mean, sorry!”

The moment she realized she had used formal speech again, she clapped both hands over her mouth and studied my expression. How the hell was I supposed to explain this girl to Franc and Larilura?

My head was starting to throb. I covered my face and sent a 5,700-character string of curses toward the one-eyed bitch who had caused all this. Come to think of it, that meddling goddess had told me to actively make a move on the girl. Was this what she had been predicting? If so, then getting cursed out by me wasn’t unfair at all—it was her own damn karma.

You fucking German chaos goddess…

I prayed to the Mr. O who had turned my friend into his lackey by feeding me mugwort and garlic and raising me like a horse. I hoped my prayer would reach those cheerful Germania bastards. It’s your original sin for making Mr. Loki your soul bro, you god of fury.