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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Nightmares.
Dreams you hope will never become reality.
Within them, unimaginable cruelties unfold, tricking you into believing they are real.
And now.
Hare was experiencing such a nightmare.
Slurp- Slurp-
“A-Ah…!! M-Mister…!!”
An illusion of him and an illusion of Aina were locked in a passionate kiss, their tongues intertwined.
Hare screamed in agony watching the scene.
Her face was stained with tears, indicating that a considerable amount of time had passed.
Had she been watching this whole time without even turning her head away?
‘Besides, even when I accidentally kissed Aina back then, it wasn’t this intense…’
It had been an accidental kiss, a brief moment.
They hadn’t done anything so vulgar and lustful.
This scene was probably based on Lust’s memories, not his.
That low-class succubus must have devoured quite a few men to ascend to the position of Demon Lord.
‘That damn bitch.’
He wasn’t pleased watching the illusions of him and Aina kissing.
‘I’ll take out this unpleasant feeling on Lust. But first, rescuing the children is the priority.’
He had to wake them from this horrific nightmare before their minds were completely consumed.
He approached Hare, who was kneeling and crying, carefully.
She didn’t even notice him and Estia approaching, completely lost in the illusion.
She seemed half out of her mind.
“M-Mister… Pl-Please look at me… I-I’m going to die… If you don’t look at me, I’ll die… I-If you’re not here… I-I have no reason to live… Pl-Please stop kissing her… and… l-look at me, Mister…”
His illusion remained indifferent, refusing to spare her a single glance.
Hare ignored his words, seeking attention from the illusion that was only focused on its own desires.
But the reaction she craved for didn’t exist.
Hare seemed to fall deeper into despair.
Perhaps because of that…
Hare drew the wooden dagger from her waist.
And then…
“I-If I die… Th-Then you’ll finally react, right…? My heart aches so much, Mister… I-I want to tear it out… I-I can’t bear this pain anymore, Mister…”
Drip, drip-
Hare shed tears as she reversed the grip on the dagger.
The sharp tip of the blade was pointed at her heart.
Her next action was predictable.
‘This crazy…’
Was this also part of the answer sheet’s content that had been scorched by black flames?
Though she couldn’t pierce her heart with a wooden dagger, it could still inflict pain on her real body.
And the heart was a dangerous area.
He immediately rushed to Hare and grabbed her arm.
Thwack-
“Hare. What are you doing?”
“M-Mister…? You’re… looking at me…? F-Finally…? Y-You only looked at me… b-because I was trying to die…?”
Her voice was a mixture of sorrow and elation.
Tears streamed down her face, but a bright smile spread across her lips.
As he expected, she wasn’t in her right mind.
“I-If you weren’t here… I-I was going to… die… I’m glad… Mister…”
“…”
…It must be temporary.
It was probably happening because she mistook the illusion for him.
So, he had to help Hare regain her senses.
Help her wake up from the dream.
He spoke to her firmly,
“Hare, you were having a nightmare just now.”
“Huh…? What are you talking about, Mister…? You… you abandoned me and kissed another woman…”
“…Look over there. That’s not me.”
Hare followed his gaze.
The illusion had stopped kissing and was staring at them with a look of displeasure.
It had shed its imitation and returned to its demonic form.
-We could have stayed in the dream forever-!!
-I’m so disappointed… It would have been nice to stay with us…
The faces of the illusions crumbled like mud.
As if their task was complete, they melted away and disappeared.
Seeing that, Hare said in a surprised voice,
“I-I thought it was a dream…? Th-That wasn’t Mister…? He… kissed another woman in front of me…?”
“Yes, you were seeing an illusion. The me from before was an illusion, and that woman… was also an illusion.”
“I-Is that so…? Th-Thank goodness…”
Whew-
Relieved, Hare let out a sigh.
Then, she looked down at the dagger she was holding in reverse grip.
“U-Uwaah…!!”
She immediately dropped the dagger and screamed.
Clang-
“N-No…! Mister…! P-Please forget everything I said…!! I-I didn’t say anything…!! Th-That… That was just a threat…! A-An experiment…!!”
The me from before wasn’t really me!
I just said those things as an experiment!
I’m serious!
Hare began making excuses, afraid of being scolded.
“I-I am…! Getting rid of my feelings for you…! I-I wasn’t trying to die…!!”
Hare desperately tried to justify her actions.
She probably knew his personality well.
Attempting suicide.
That was something the Hero’s party could never do.
He quietly spoke to Hare,
“Hare.”
“Hic-!”
“I won’t scold you. But remember this one thing.”
Don’t ever throw your life away again.
If you die, thousands of people will die.
‘That is the weight of the Hero’s party.’
For the Hero’s party, who had to save the world, to commit suicide…
That was unacceptable.
“Do you understand, Hare? Never make such a foolish choice again.”
“I-I don’t know much about parties… b-but… I understand about not dying…! I-I won’t do that again… I’m sorry, Mister…”
Well, she probably couldn’t grasp the concept of the Hero’s party yet.
Hare hadn’t received that kind of education after all.
He’d have to explain it to her properly after defeating this Demon Lord.
‘She hasn’t experienced it firsthand, so she wouldn’t understand.’
Estia, who was clinging tightly to his hand, also agreed with him.
Very vehemently.
Her golden eyes were filled with madness.
“Even though I hate you, Brother! You’re right about that! We can’t die! There were so many children who wanted to live more than anything!”
“Huh…?”
“Those children can’t speak anymore because they’re dead… but I’m sure they all wanted to live! They definitely didn’t want to die! They wanted to live!”
“U-Uh…?”
“So… we have to live for them… you understand…? We have to be~ extra happy in their place.”
“…”
Was this because of the aftereffects?
Estia seemed abnormal too.
Hare was trembling in fear.
He should probably stop Estia.
“Estia, that’s enough. I’m sure Hare understands. Right, Hare?”
“Y-Yes…! I-I understand…! I-I don’t need to hear anymore…!”
“I’m glad you understand!”
Hare, who had witnessed Estia’s madness firsthand, seemed to have instantly regained her senses.
Though she wasn’t exactly sane to begin with…
He could say that she was a bit closer to normalcy.
‘She must be regretting picking a fight with Estia, who could be considered the most abnormal one in the party.’
Anyway, as they were having that conversation…
As if signaling Hare’s awakening from the dream…
A door leading to someone else’s dream appeared in the air.
He looked down at the two girls who seemed determined not to let go of his hand.
“Let’s move to another place quickly. The other children are also trapped in nightmares.”
“Th-The other children too…?”
“Yes, Luna and Saten must still be in their nightmares.”
He didn’t know what kind of nightmares they were having, but…
Since Hare had just attempted suicide…
They were most likely in a bad state.
So, he had to wake them up from this dream quickly and, as the answer sheet showed, eliminate the Demon Lord.
He held the hands of the children, who seemed to rely on him, and opened the door.
Creak-
“This is…”
Beyond the door lay a shabby hut.
It was the house where Saten used to live.
Having read about her past, he remembered it vividly.
Saten’s bleak and lonely upbringing.
Looking at the dilapidated hut, Hare and Estia whispered quietly.
“It’s much better than my house…”
“I was an orphan, so I didn’t have a house! As expected of a noble!”
“Be quiet, you two.”
No matter how much better her upbringing was compared to theirs…
The emotional void she felt was immeasurable.
Only those who had personally experienced Saten’s past, like him, could understand.
The past where she gradually lost her emotions and became like a puppet.
Whether it was her survival instincts kicking in or not, Saten eventually ran away from that place…
“…I can sense a presence inside. But it’s fading…”
A fading presence.
The moment he thought about why it was fading…
‘Don’t tell me…’
He ran towards the hut.
“M-Mister…! W-Wait for us…! Pl-Please take us with you…! ”
“Brother…! D-Don’t go! I’m scared! Help me!”
Leaving the children who were waddling after him like penguins…
He hurriedly opened the door to the hut.
Crash-!
Saten was sitting on a chair.
And.
There was a reason why her presence was fading, though he could still sense it.
“You’re finally here. Welcome, Mister.”
“…Saten, what are you doing?”
“Ah, this?”
Saten showed him what she was holding in her hand.
It was a food he had seen her eat once before.
A food that had caused her considerable pain.
“…Why are you eating poisonous mushrooms, Saten?”
Saten was chewing on the poisonous mushrooms with an emotionless expression, as if she felt no pain.
It was an action beyond his comprehension.
Something must have happened.
“Why… are you eating poisonous mushrooms? You shouldn’t even feel hunger here. Were you tricked by the illusions?”
“No. I did it on my own. I ate them myself. No illusions appeared.”
“Then why-“
“That’s why I ate them.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t see or hear any illusions. Just like when I was young, I was all alone.”
But…
“I felt a stinging pain in my chest. So I ate the mushrooms. I thought I might be sick. When I was young, eating mushrooms made the pain go away.”
“…The reason the pain went away after eating mushrooms was because your body was in pain, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, my body was in pain back then. Now, I can’t feel pain, so my body doesn’t hurt. But I tried eating them just in case. But the pain in my chest is still there.”
As she spoke, Saten coughed up blood.
If he left her like this, the poison would spread throughout her body, and she would die.
He immediately approached Saten and checked her pulse.
“…I’ll stop the poison from spreading with my magic. It’s just a dream, so you won’t feel anything in your real body when you wake up.”
“Yes, thank you, Mister. But strangely… the pain disappeared as soon as you arrived.”
“…Is that so, Saten?”
Looking into Saten’s emotionless black eyes, which were expressing gratitude…
He thought to himself.
Why hadn’t Saten seen or heard any hallucinations?
Could it be that she was experiencing something so despairing that the illusions were unnecessary?
Was being alone in her past the most despairing thing for her?
‘…There’s no way to know for sure.’
But.
He could tell one thing for certain.
What Saten’s pain was.
What emotion she was starting to feel.
‘Loneliness.’
The emotion that had always been with her since childhood.
The emotion she hadn’t felt since being kidnapped by him.
The tightly shut door was slowly creaking open…
Creak-
And as if she were caressing a precious jewel she cherished…
Saten gently stroked his hand and whispered,
“It’s strange. When I’m with you, Mister, it doesn’t hurt.”
It seemed that Saten’s emotional cells were starting to stir.
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