Advancement Quest (10)
Truth be told, I had no idea whether bundling up a bunch of mid-tier spells would actually be enough to blow the entire palace sky-high. For that matter, I wasn't sure if it was even realistically possible to plant bombs all over the place, detonate them, and have everything vanish except for one perfectly intact room. It's not like I had any professional knowledge of architecture or demolition. But if we're going to split hairs, the very concept of bombs I'd never installed exploding on their own was already absurd. In dreams, logic and theory don't matter much. It's all about what feels believable. At the very least, the princess had found my words plausible, and the scene unfolding before us was proof enough.
An empty field. To be clear, it wasn't ruins—it was completely barren. Ruins would have at least left behind some wreckage, but there was nothing here at all. I hope you can imagine how I felt when I flung open the door to escape, only to be greeted by nothing but a desolate plain.
“......”
The miniature version of the princess was staring at me with wide, horrified eyes, but I felt unfairly accused. What I'd had in mind was a somewhat flashy internal explosion, not this eraser-wipe level of destruction. Or was this what “explosion” meant in her subconscious? If she was using her own firepower as the baseline, that was downright terrifying. I'd told her to head for an open space, but I'd only meant to get some fresh air—not create a landscape that looked like someone had just booted up a new game of SimCity.
Just how spectacularly had everything been erased that there was nothing visible in any direction—
—Huh?
That was when I finally noticed something strange. No matter how violent the explosion, wasn't it odd that there was literally nothing beyond the horizon? The palace disappearing was one thing, but the total absence of any other buildings or cityscape was far too bizarre.
“Hmm. How interesting. This isn't the aftermath of the explosion. It seems the ‘outside of the palace’ never existed in the first place. The creator of this stage must have projected their own psyche onto it. The person appears to have possessed a rather narrow worldview.”
“You can tell that just by looking? I don't see it at all.”
“Unlike you, who possesses limbs and a face, I am a talking pebble. I need to have at least some ability like this.”
Was that how it worked? The more I saw of this entity, the more I was convinced it was utterly bizarre, but right now dealing with the princess took priority.
“Well then, what do you think, Lady Lyla? Isn't this scenery far more refreshing than that stifling palace? This is all thanks to my power!”
“......”
I spread both arms wide in a dramatic, shadowy-mastermind pose. The princess stayed silent for a moment, then spoke with a suspicious look.
“Judging from the conversation and your reaction earlier, this doesn't seem like the outcome you intended, does it?”
“...You heard all that?”
“Yes.”
Wasn't the cliché that such conversations were either inaudible or dismissed as meaningless nonsense? Even if she was young and mentally fragile, a princess was still a princess. I could already sense the aura of a prodigy radiating from her. Or maybe it had been unrealistic from the start for a pure-hearted, conscientious merchant like me to play the role of a dark schemer.
Still, the fact that the princess was clearly analyzing the situation wasn't entirely bad news.
“Then let's take a moment for some questions. Your Highness, don't you find this scenery strange? Why is there nothing around us?”
“That's because… from the beginning—”
“From the beginning? You're saying the residence of the empire's empress and princess was suddenly erected in the middle of a barren wasteland with zero infrastructure?”
“Father… doesn't cherish me or Mother…”
“He doesn't cherish you, yet there are so many maids and guards swarming the place? Well, let's set that aside. Even without affection, political value alone can justify protection and surveillance. But then where are the quarters where those people lived? How did they obtain food? What about the roads for transporting supplies from outside? Surely you don't believe everything was perfectly self-sufficient within the palace walls.”
The princess closed her mouth and hesitated. Being intelligent, she immediately understood that my argument was logically sound. She'd found it strange the entire time she'd been observing the dream. Ligret, Fiore, Crow, Pino, Rabaul, and all the others—the dreams had differed in content, but the story had always revolved around the dreamer themselves. The characters and backgrounds reflected the person's personality and tendencies.
But this place was different. The princess's dream stood apart. The identical twin maids. The guards whose faces were hidden behind helmets. A narrow worldview so limited that destroying a single building left nothing else in existence. The princess I knew wasn't nearly this narrow-minded or biased. On the contrary, despite the lofty status she was born into, she was the type who listened carefully to those around her and dove headfirst into harsh, difficult tasks without hesitation.
Then whose perception had shaped this dream?
It wasn't completely devoid of the princess's own influence. If it had been, the explosion wouldn't have occurred at all. But that wasn't the whole story. The princess had said her mother had spent most of her life trapped here. And then there was that riddle-like fairy tale I'd seen and heard when first entering the dream. I didn't fancy myself a great detective, but when the hints were this blatant, even I couldn't miss them.
“—Lyla.”
At the bold voice, I turned to see the old witch—no, the empress—had appeared at some point. Rich golden hair. An extravagant dress. She was indeed a beauty, as expected of the princess's mother. But beauty needs the right setting; suddenly popping out alone in a pitch-black void was honestly terrifying.
“Mother…”
“Come now, hurry over here. You mustn't stay near such a dangerous man, Lyla.”
The empress spread her arms in welcome, but the princess didn't move. At her daughter's stillness, the empress's previously gentle expression twisted in an instant.
“Lyla, what are you hesitating for? Come back at once!”
“......”
The princess hesitated as if wrestling with something, yet she slowly began to step forward. Hmm. It seemed the effect was still a little weak.
“Lady Lyla, pardon me for a moment.”
“Kyaa!”
I grabbed the princess and lifted her into my arms. The empress's face—which had never been friendly to begin with—crumpled like used tissue.
“You scoundrel! How dare you lay your filthy hands on her!! Release her this instant!”
“If you think I'll obediently let go just because you order me from on high, I wouldn't have taken a hostage in the first place. Try thinking before you speak. Tsk tsk.”
“Wh-what?!”
The black butterflies swirling around her head seemed to glare at me like living people, but I paid them no mind. I also ignored the talking pebble beside me that seemed to be murmuring “Ohh” in admiration.
“Guards! Subdue that villain at once and rescue Lyla!”
Clank.
At the empress's shout, heavily armored knights materialized from thin air. One, two, five—dozens of them now surrounded us.
The situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous, yet I smiled.
“Don't you find it strange, Lady Lyla? Where exactly did these people come from, and how?”
“Do not listen to him, Lyla! This mother will save you, so just wait a little longer!”
Despite the empress's claim that she would “save” her, the knights slowly tightening the encirclement with weapons drawn radiated pure killing intent. It made sense. It was contradictory, but the empress viewed the maids and guards as both obedient subordinates and enemies who threatened her and her daughter. Such people wouldn't show careful consideration for the princess's safety.
This time there was no escape route. Nor could I easily fight and win while carrying her. Therefore, all I could do was speak.
“Look closely, listen carefully, and think, Lady Lyla. This is nothing more than a nightmare.”
Parental abuse leaves deep trauma in a child. The goals and past grudges her mother had constantly instilled in the young princess must have been an enormous burden. If she had inherited some of her mother or grandmother's memories as I suspected, it would be even worse.
“After you wake up, you might feel terrible. The memories may surface and torment you from time to time. When that happens, just drink a full glass of water and take a walk in the sunlight.”
I couldn't honestly claim to understand her pain. How could I, when I'd never experienced it myself? But I could at least pat her back and offer comforting words. It was better than doing nothing at all.
“No matter how many times I say it, if you need anything, just tell me. I'll provide it as best I can.”
The princess in my arms gave no reply. A knight swung his sword. Well, even in a dream, that was probably going to hurt. Professor Psyche was watching, so it wouldn't turn into the worst-case scenario, but it was still a shame.
The metal blade traced a sharp arc toward us—and—
Clang!
—it was stopped cold by a barrier of magical power that materialized around me.
Recognizing what it was, the empress screamed.
“Lyla! No! You mustn't! Obey your mother's words!”
The princess didn't answer her. Instead, she asked me,
“...You said you were a merchant, correct?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Then, in exchange for what I desire, what must I pay?”
Because I was holding her, I couldn't see her face. But it was clear she had stopped trembling.
“There are many ways to settle the price, but if you help me overcome this crisis, I believe a substantial discount would be in order.”
“Hehe.”
The princess laughed. The counterfeit world was dyed pure white. The knights, the ground, even the woman trapped in the illusion—all of it.
“—As always, it's a swindler's contract, Chrome.”
To the voice laced with mischief, I replied with equal playfulness.
“Where would you find a swindler as good-natured and sincere as me?”