Chapter 169: Nightmare (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: Nightmare (5)
“It was a dream… I see…”
Ophelia hugged herself, trembling uncontrollably. Even if it wasn’t real, the experience of nearly being burned at the stake was more than enough to leave her traumatized.
“We still have a long way to go. Let’s hurry.”
Isabelle said, pointing to the fissure that had appeared as the nightmare faded. Eri helped the collapsed Ophelia to her feet. Just as she’d said, there were still many more people they needed to find.
They stepped through the fissure, and on the other side, they found themselves in front of a rather large inn.
“An inn? Whose dream would feature an inn?”
Mars opened the door.
Perhaps because it was late at night, the first-floor hall was completely empty.
They crossed the hall and started up the stairs to the second floor.
They were just about to reach the top.
“Aah…! Cloud… Haaah! Aaaangh!”
Rough moans echoed from above. It was a voice they all knew well. It was Katarina.
“…I think I know whose dream this is.”
With those words, Eri walked forward without hesitation. The others seemed to share her sentiment, silently following behind her. Soon, they reached the room next to the one the moans were coming from, and Eri opened the door.
“Stop…”
Inside the room was Neria. She was covering her ears with a pillow, tears streaming down her face.
“Please, just stop…”
*
Somehow, the group managed to rescue Neria from her nightmare as well.
With Ophelia and Neria still reeling from their trauma, they passed through the next fissure.
This time, a beautiful garden appeared before them.
The garden was in full bloom, and many people were gathered there, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
The party was puzzled; it was far too bright and pleasant to be a nightmare.
Just then, an old butler in a neat suit approached them.
“Welcome, guests. We are grateful you have traveled so far to join us, but we must ask that you dress formally for the occasion. We can lend you spare suits and dresses, so please follow me.”
His tone was polite, but for some reason, it felt coercive. They felt a flicker of resistance, but there was no point in causing a scene when they didn’t even understand the situation.
They followed the butler into the mansion.
He led them to a dressing room tucked away in a corner of the first floor.
“Whoa…”
Isabelle gasped in awe at the rows of clothes displayed inside. From butler and maid uniforms to suits and dresses, every type of attire was perfectly arranged. It was no wonder she was impressed.
Even Eri, who was born into a noble family, was slightly taken aback.
“Please choose an outfit you like, change in the dressing room, and come out. I will then guide you outside.”
The butler bowed his head.
Mars and the others entered the room and began to look through the clothes.
As Eri examined a black dress, her eyes widened.
“Isn’t this a dress made by the Enes Family?!”
She checked the labels on the other dresses. It was the same. They were all from the Enes Family.
“The Enes Family? Are they special?” Isabelle asked, as if wondering what all the fuss was about.
“Of course they’re special! The Enes Family is the top clothing brand on the continent. A single one of these dresses is probably worth a baron’s entire annual income.”
“Wh-what?!”
A startled voice cried out. It wasn’t Isabelle. Eri tilted her head and walked in the direction of the voice. After passing three display racks, she found the source.
“Th-this thing is that expensive?!”
Katarina was staring down at the V-neck dress she was wearing, completely flustered. Beside her, Leslie watched her with a look of pity, while Marietta smiled awkwardly.
“…What are you all doing here?”
“I believe that’s the wrong question. Shouldn’t you be asking ‘how’ instead of ‘why’?”
Eri glared at Leslie, who simply shrugged.
“It was probably the same as you. We realized it was a nightmare and escaped.”
“You realized it was a nightmare and escaped on your own?”
“I’d like to say yes, but… no. Shedia rescued us while we were lost in the nightmare.”
As soon as Leslie finished speaking, Shedia poked her head out from Leslie’s shadow and made a V-sign with her fingers. Leslie chuckled and patted Shedia’s head.
“So who helped you? The Hero?”
“W-we…”
Eri stammered. She wanted to say they’d escaped on their own, but that would be a lie.
‘There’s no point in telling a lie that will obviously be found out.’
Just as she was about to swallow her pride and tell the truth, Mars beat her to it.
“Isabelle helped us.”
“Is that so?”
Leslie narrowed her eyes and looked at Eri.
“You never change, do you? I’m envious.”
“Sh-shut up!”
Embarrassed, Eri needlessly raised her voice.
“Guests, the ceremony will begin shortly. While I encourage you to choose carefully, please make your decision as quickly as possible.”
The butler’s voice poured cold water on the escalating atmosphere.
“Let’s just grab anything and get out of here. Our goal is to escape this nightmare, not enjoy a party, right?”
“I was going to do that even if you hadn’t said anything!”
Hmph! With a snort, Eri grabbed the black dress she had spotted earlier. One by one, they all chose their outfits and changed in the dressing rooms. Only after everyone was ready did they leave.
“I will guide you directly to the ceremony venue.”
The butler hurriedly led them back to the garden where they had first arrived.
The only difference was that before they had been in a corner of the garden, whereas now they were in the center.
Perhaps because it was the central area, it was packed with people, all of whom exuded an air of elegance.
Leslie observed them carefully before speaking.
“I believe this is Lady Frillite’s dream.”
The others agreed with her assessment. The only ones left to find were Cloud and Frillite, and between the two, Frillite was the obvious fit for such a stately atmosphere.
Cloud was a commoner, while Frillite was the legitimate daughter of the Ferdiac family, one of the most powerful houses in the Empire.
However, there was one thing that neither Leslie nor the others could understand: why would such a cheerful dream be a nightmare?
That question was answered a moment later when Cloud appeared in a suit, followed by a woman in a wedding dress.
“…The ‘ceremony’ the butler mentioned was a wedding?”
As Eri and the others stared at the bride and groom with looks of disbelief, Neria collapsed to the ground with a thud.
“N-no…”
She shook her head as if in denial.
Fearing she might scream, Eri quickly rushed over and covered her mouth.
“…This is definitely a nightmare, all right.”
Leslie clicked her tongue as she watched the bride and groom gaze at each other with affectionate eyes.
“Now even I’m starting to feel disgusted. Let’s find Lady Frillite quickly and leave.”
“Ah, there! Frillite is over there!”
The group turned their gazes in the direction Isabelle was pointing. In a corner behind the wedding stage, Frillite was leaning against a vine-covered garden wall, watching the ceremony with her arms crossed.
Then, she turned her back and disappeared beyond the wall.
“…Her eyes look so lifeless.”
“It’s a nightmare. She must be exhausted. Let’s go and make her realize this isn’t real.”
“W-wait. I think it’ll be counterproductive if we all rush over at once. I’ll go by myself. You all wait here!”
Isabelle lifted her dress slightly and dashed off. She headed to where Frillite had disappeared and found her soon after.
‘Thank goodness, she didn’t go far.’
Slightly relieved, Isabelle approached Frillite, who had her head pressed against the wall.
“Frillite—”
As she got closer, Isabelle flinched in surprise.
“You’re… crying?”
The woman who looked so stoic you’d think she wouldn’t bleed a single drop even if stabbed was crying.
Though her face wasn’t contorted and she wasn’t sobbing, the liquid streaming down her cheeks was unmistakably tears.
.
.
.
.
.
“This place is a dream…?”
“Yes. Think about it. It doesn’t make any sense. How can two Heroes come from the same family? And isn’t it strange to see a relative as a romantic partner in the first place? I mean, the world is a big place, so maybe there are one or two people like that, but you’re not one of them.”
After hearing Isabelle’s explanation, Frillite was lost in thought.
Some time passed.
Frillite came to a conclusion.
“Indeed. As you say, many things don’t add up. My memories are a mess.”
“Right? So from now on…”
“From now on, I just need to shatter this damn nightmare.”
A red energy began to spread rapidly from Frillite.
The energy coalesced, forming massive hammers.
Dozens of these newly formed hammers floated in the air.
“U-unni? What are you doing right now?”
“Just what you said. I’m about to destroy this nightmare.”
“No, I didn’t mean destroy it physically… Isn’t this a bit much?”
“Half a year.”
“Huh?”
“Half a year. That’s how long I’ve been tormented by this so-called nightmare. I’m sick of it. I want to escape this damn thing as soon as possible.”
She snapped her fingers.
The hammers swung down toward the ground in unison.
CRASH—!
Unable to withstand the powerful impact, the nightmare shattered into pieces.
“Hmph. So it really was a nightmare.”
Frillite watched the dream dissolve into particles with a satisfied smile.
“You said the only one left is Cloud? Let’s go. We don’t know what kind of pain he might be in.”
Without hesitation, Frillite strode toward the black fissure that had formed where the nightmare had collapsed.
Isabelle stared blankly for a moment before she and the others followed after her.