Chapter 181: Nightmare (17)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 181: Nightmare (17)
The first thing Cloud's party did upon waking was search for the Succubus Queen's physical body. After all, it was a golden opportunity to defeat one of the Four Heavenly Kings with ease.
But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find the Succubus Queen.
"Did she escape in that time..."
Frillite clicked her tongue. She didn't know that the Succubus Queen could travel in and out of the dream world with her physical body. Concluding that they had lost her, the party gathered around the still-unconscious Cloud.
Everyone except Isabelle wore a grim expression, but it wasn't out of concern for Cloud. It was his strange power, after all, that had allowed them to escape the dream in the first place. It was a foregone conclusion that he, too, would eventually wake up.
The reason for their dark expressions was the scene they had witnessed in the dream.
The turbulent life of a man named Han Jisu.
What did that have to do with Cloud? They were lost in their own thoughts, shrouded in silence, when it happened.
Cloud opened his eyes.
Katarina and Leslie moved to help him sit up, but Frillite was faster. Cloud stood up with Frillite's support.
"Thanks."
"It's nothing. More importantly, what about the Succubus Queen?"
"She escaped."
"I see."
Frillite didn't bother asking how he had managed to drive off one of the Four Heavenly Kings. For some reason, she just felt that if it was him, it was possible. Since escaping the dream, he had become... mysterious.
Should she say he had become unfathomable?
Because of that, neither Frillite nor the others knew what to ask first.
"Who... are you?"
Except for Neria.
Unlike the others, she had no interest in complicated circumstances.
"You're not Cloud, are you?"
Only Cloud's well-being mattered.
Not Han Jisu's.
"Answer me!"
Neria pointed her sword at Cloud's throat. Startled by her sudden and outrageous act, Eri and Ophelia tried to stop her.
The two, who were close to Neria, tried to reason with her verbally, but the others reacted differently.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Did the nightmare drive you mad?"
Katarina's beautiful face contorted into a scowl as she gripped her dual scimitars. A cold chill emanated from Leslie, ready to freeze Neria at a moment's notice.
"..."
Shedia waited silently in the shadows, poised to take Neria's head the instant things escalated.
"Neria, I believe you've crossed a line."
Mars gripped the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
But the most menacing reaction of all came from Frillite.
"Let go of the sword. You will die."
Killing intent.
A horrifying sensation, as if dozens of blades were scraping against her skin, washed over Neria. She gritted her teeth and endured it.
"Answer me!!"
"You really want to..."
Just as Frillite's expression hardened and her hand moved toward her greatsword, Cloud raised his hand.
"Stop. You were all curious about this anyway."
"Curiosity and disrespect are two different matters."
"Frillite."
Cloud shook his head. Frillite sighed and withdrew her killing intent. Cloud looked back at the others.
"You too."
"..."
The party members looked reluctant, but they obeyed. After watching them sheathe their weapons, Cloud turned his gaze to Neria. He could read the emotions on her face.
Fear, impatience, and anxiety.
Contrary to her fierce exterior, her inner self was incredibly fragile. It was like watching a wounded stray dog barking to act tough.
Cloud hesitated for a moment.
He considered the repercussions his words would have on the party. But he soon realized such worries were a luxury.
It was a truth that had to be revealed eventually.
Cloud opened his mouth.
"You're right. I'm not Cloud."
"..!"
Cloud had just confirmed her uncertain suspicions as truth. A wave of dizziness washed over Neria, and for a moment, she staggered. Cloud caught her as she slipped and was about to fall.
Finding herself suddenly in his arms, her eyes widened. If she hadn't known, it might have been different, but now that she knew the truth, this situation was humiliating. She ground her teeth and grabbed Cloud by the collar.
"What are you? What gives you the right to be in Cloud's body?!"
"I'm Han Jisu. The one you saw in the dream—"
"I'm not asking who you are! Cloud! What did you do to Cloud?!"
Her voice, shouting as she glared daggers at him, was almost a shriek. He didn't avoid her furious gaze. He met it head-on and spoke.
"He's dead."
"...What?"
Neria's mind went blank.
*
Cloud was dead.
The moment those chilling words reached her ears, her thoughts came to a halt. Cloud's death. The reality of it wouldn't sink in. She felt completely detached from the world around her.
Looking at the dazed Neria, Cloud sighed.
"Let me say this upfront so you don't get the wrong idea: I didn't kill him. He killed himself."
"Suicide...? What are you talking about? Cloud had no reason to..."
"You think he had no reason?"
Neria flinched at the sudden coldness in Cloud's eyes. In reality, his gaze hadn't changed. It was only her own guilty conscience that made her shrink back, making it feel that way. Pant... pant... Neria's breathing grew ragged.
The strength drained from the hand gripping his collar.
"No way... D-Did you know... everything...?"
Her trembling eyes pleaded with him to deny it. But reality was cruel. Cloud slowly nodded, and she broke.
"Ah... Aah..."
She stumbled back a few steps and collapsed weakly to the ground.
"Neria!"
"Are you okay?!"
Eri and Ophelia rushed to check on her, but Neria was in no state to accept their help.
"Ugh...!"
The nauseating sensation that had been tormenting her for some time now rose in her throat again.
"Bleargh...!"
Before they chased the Succubus Queen, she had been wandering the festival with Eri and Ophelia, but she hadn't eaten anything. Thanks to that, she was spared the disgrace of vomiting food. She dry-heaved, spitting up stomach acid.
After a long moment of this, she crawled forward unsteadily and grabbed onto Cloud's leg.
"I-It's a lie, right...? Cloud is still alive... You just switched bodies, that's all... Right...?"
"Neria..."
"Please... Please just tell me he's alive... Please...?"
Tears welled up in her eyes and began to stream down her cheeks.
"I-I was wrong... It's all my fault... I'm begging you... I'll do anything you say, so please... just tell me he's alive... okay?"
Had the immense shock caused her to lose her mind?
The way Neria was acting now was not rational. Telling her Cloud was alive wouldn't bring a dead man back.
Looking at Neria's pathetic state, Cloud called out a name.
"Shedia."
"Yes."
Shedia emerged from the shadows and struck the back of Neria's neck with her scabbard. The attack was so sudden that Neria was knocked unconscious instantly.
Thump.
Cloud caught Neria as she collapsed. He looked at the rest of the party, their expressions hard to describe, and said, "Let's head back for now."
*
Cloud's party returned to the city of Aikenhard.
The people who had fallen asleep had not yet woken, so they returned to the castle in silence.
After laying Neria down in her room, Cloud explained in detail what had happened to him.
He told them he wasn't from this world and that the original Cloud had sacrificed his life to bring his soul into this body.
Naturally, the party was confused by his story. The very concept of another world was unfamiliar to them.
Deciding they each needed time to think, Cloud suggested they disperse for the night, as it was getting late. The others agreed.
Just as Cloud lay down on his bed alone, ready to be lost in thought...
"May I come in?"
A knock sounded, and Ophelia's voice came from the other side of the door.
'Ophelia? Why?'
Though puzzled, Cloud gave her permission to enter. The door opened, and Ophelia and Eri came inside.
'Eri too?'
Their minds must still be a mess, so what could they want? Had they come to condemn him for pretending to be the real Cloud all this time?
...Even if they had, he would have had nothing to say.
In a way, he had deceived them by pretending to be their old companion.
But the words that came from their mouths were not what he had expected.
"Cloud... no, it was Han Jisu, right? I, I don't dislike you. I don't hate you, either. Th-That's all!"
"Eri is right. Even if you aren't Sir Cloud, our memories with the Hero won't disappear."
Eri looked embarrassed, and Ophelia wore a warm smile.
They were clearly saying this out of consideration for him, but...
For some reason, instead of feeling happy, he felt slightly displeased.