Chapter 53
Chapter 53
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Secret Code Between the Two
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The room was enveloped in silence.
Princess Elenoa and the Archmage's disciples behind her all kept their mouths shut as they stared at me.
It was a clear demand for me to give them some kind of answer right away.
“…….”
But I was simply lost in thought, taking in the sight of the princess.
Nothing.
There was absolutely nothing.
No evil spirits clung to her at all.
[Hmm?]
Even the Black Necromancer wore a subtle expression as she examined Princess Elenoa from every angle, but she eventually turned to me with a look that said she had no idea.
[See anything?]
I made a mental note that I needed to firmly tell her not to talk to me when people were around as I took a step toward Princess Elenoa.
There are many evil spirits and yokai related to nightmares.
For example, in my era, there was something called a "mak" that was a yokai pieced together from various animal body parts.
Of course, that one fed on nightmares.
In this world, that would be the dream demon. Since demons existed here, dream demons were a given, but they weren't something you could just run into easily.
‘Demons would have already been dealt with by the Saintess anyway.’
Not evil spirits, but demons—no way the Saintess would have let one slip by. She was the antithesis of demons incarnate.
In the game, there was even a major route built around grinding demons while she was in your party for that short time.
Anyway.
It definitely wasn't demons. And she didn't look like she was under attack from evil spirits or yokai either.
‘Maybe it's inside her dreams, so I can't see it.’
As I reasoned it out, Princess Elenoa snapped irritably at me.
“You said you'd treat me! What the hell are you doing?!”
She was practically snarling, her stress pushed to the limit. It was a far cry from the Elenoa I knew from the game.
Which was why I asked her straight.
“What are the dreams like?”
“…….”
“Are they different every night?”
I'd already heard the details once from King Orpheus, but I wanted to hear it directly from the princess herself.
She bit her lip hard before cautiously beginning to explain.
The content of the dreams was always different.
The locations, the situations, the people who appeared.
But the key points were that they were so realistic she couldn't distinguish them from reality, and that she always learned something new about the gap between dream and reality from whoever showed up.
“In, in the last dream, it told me there was no scent... and soon after, scents started appearing in my dreams too.”
The Archmage's disciples let out gloomy sighs upon hearing this. It was easy to see just how terrified the princess was.
After hearing everything, I nodded slightly and replied.
“Go to sleep.”
“......What?”
“You need to sleep so I can check your condition.”
Princess Elenoa shot up from her chair in a fit.
“N-No! I don't want to fall asleep!”
As she backed away from me like she was fleeing, the Archmage's disciples immediately stepped in to block my path.
“Stay put.”
“Move recklessly, and you'll end up crippled.”
But I didn't even glance at them as I addressed Elenoa.
“You can't stay awake forever, can you? You'll have to sleep eventually.”
“…….”
“So sleep while I'm here. That's the only way I can analyze the cause of the nightmares.”
The situations were different, but the dreams were gradually evolving, mimicking reality more and more.
I had no idea where this mimicry would end or what its purpose was.
“But your dreams are catching up to reality. Soon enough, you won't be able to tell them apart. I don't know what will happen then, but to resolve it before that point, I need to check the situation myself.”
“…….”
Even so, Elenoa shook her head fearfully. After a moment's thought, I made her a proposal.
“How about this? We create a secret code that only you and I know.”
“......A code?”
I pushed past the blocking disciples to stand before the princess.
She was trembling so much that she no longer resembled the dignified Elenoa who had faced death head-on.
“Your dreams have one thing in common. The locations and people follow your current situation.”
She dreamed of pre-enrollment when she fell asleep in the dorms, and of riding in a carriage when she was in one.
As time passed, her dreams were catching up to reality, so if she slept now, she'd probably dream of being in the royal palace.
“To confirm if that place is a dream, find me there and ask.”
“......Ask what?”
“No need for anything complicated. You can just ask, ‘Is this reality?’”
“You're joking? If I ask that, the thing in the dream will obviously say yes! Even if we set a code beforehand, it might know it too!”
Like when she read a book in the dream, and the contents of her mind appeared in it.
If the thing in the dream somehow learned the code in her head through some method we didn't know, it was over.
But I reassured her.
“If you ask me if it's reality, I'll say a word that you, Princess Elenoa, have never heard before. A word you've never encountered in your life, and I'll even explain it.”
“......What?”
As she looked baffled, I shrugged and signaled for her to give it a try.
It was faster to just do it than explain.
“Is this reality right now?”
“There is a character named Dooly.”
“......What?”
I couldn't help but smirk at Elenoa's furrowed brow.
“It's a dinosaur I saw in a picture book from my past. Think of it like a magic beast with a green body.”
“Something like that actually exists? D-Dooly?”
“No need to worry about it. But the point is, I know countless words that you don't.”
“…….”
“The thing is only getting fragmentary information from you. In other words, it can't know things you don't.”
Princess Elenoa slowly nodded. She seemed mostly convinced, swallowing hard as she looked at me desperately.
“So find me wherever you are and ask. ‘Is this place reality?’”
“......O-Okay.”
Clenching her fists tightly, Elenoa lay down on the bed as if making a vow.
She slowly closed her eyes, but then snapped them open again and turned to look at me.
“Wait, do the reverse too.”
“The reverse?”
“Yeah, so you don't have to wait for me to check. When you see me, say that word. Then I'll know it's reality.”
“…….”
“Whoever sees the other first says it. Like a game.”
Elenoa smiled faintly, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement. It wasn't a difficult request, so I nodded smoothly.
“Got it.”
And with that, Elenoa slowly closed her eyes.
The exhausted girl fell asleep almost immediately.
* * *
About five hours had passed since Elenoa fell asleep. During that time, Deius Verdi and the Archmage's disciples had kept watch, and outside, the sunset was slowly fading.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
Drenched in sweat once more, Elenoa bolted upright in bed, clutching her head as she gasped for breath.
A fierce headache struck, along with the sensation of something pushing against her brain.
“Princess, are you alright?”
At the man's calm voice, Elenoa glanced sideways.
Deius Verdi stood beside her, giving off a strangely pleasant scent without any cologne.
Deius had apparently figured something out from the situation just now; even with his expressionless face, there was a subtle air of confidence and assurance about him.
“D-Did you... find something?”
As she took the towel he offered and wiped her damp nape, Deius nodded as if it were the most obvious thing.
“Yes, I found a way to resolve it.”
“Good... that's a relief.”
“Did the code help at all?”
“Huh?”
Elenoa finally snapped out of it and nodded with a soft smile.
“Yeah, thanks to you, I realized it was a dream.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Deius nodded slightly, as if he'd expected as much, replying coolly and firmly.
“I should be able to resolve your nightmares by tomorrow.”
“R-Really?!”
Elenoa beamed in surprise, and Deius replied with unwavering confidence, as if there were no issues.
“Then I'll take my leave to make preparations.”
“Yeah, I'm counting on you.”
Elenoa thought she should wash up first as she rose. There was a slight dizziness, but her mood was good.
Deius Verdi was sharp, bold, confident, and cool-headed—just like her first impression.
It fit perfectly.
....
.............
...................
It fit perfectly with the first impression she'd ‘thought’ she had?
She inhaled through her nose, catching the lingering scent of Deius where he'd stood.
She slowly raised her mana; a brilliant blue glow shimmered at her fingertips.
And finally.
Grabbing the door handle as he was about to leave, Elenoa swallowed hard and asked his back.
“Deius.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Is this place reality?”
He slowly released the door handle with a click, letting it return to its original position.
Deius turned around and declared coldly.
“Damn it.”
“Gasp! Gasp!”
Elenoa's eyes snapped open again, sitting up in the exact same bed, soaked in sweat just like before.
Outside, it was already dark; the room lights were on, and just like in the dream, Deius Verdi and the two disciples stood guarding her.
“…….”
Elenoa buried her face in the towel Deius silently handed her, forcing deep breaths.
In that state, she asked Deius.
“I-Is... th-this... reality?”
Deius replied calmly.
“Fermat's Last Theorem. The most famous unsolved problem in mathematical history. Countless mathematicians wept, despaired, and fell silent before it.”
“…….”
“But 358 years after it became known to the world, Andrew Wiles found the solution. A historic moment.”
Hearing that, Elenoa teared up in relief and grumbled.
“What the hell kinda nonsense is that, damn it.”