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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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Yuma called the Zoin tribe member who claimed to know well about curses to his side.
The Zoin tribe member Legores sat down next to Yuma.
“You said there was a way for me to observe inside dreams.”
Legores began trembling again.
“Yes, yes. That’s correct.”
Yuma made eye contact with Legores.
“Explain the method once.”
Legores steadied his breathing and began his explanation.
“The reason you can attempt this method is because you are a god, Lord Yuma. And it’s possible because the two people currently trapped in the nightmare curse are your believers.”
Legores continued speaking.
“The two people’s dreams are proceeding individually. Even if Lady Hestia appears in Lady Cloney’s dream, that would only be Lady Cloney’s dream. Lady Hestia would separately have to wake up from her own nightmare.”
It meant that they weren’t sharing the same dream, but were each trapped in their own nightmares.
Dreams.
When Yuma was listening to Legores’s explanation about how Yuma could enter as an [observer] of nightmares, Cloney’s dream had already progressed to some extent.
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“….”
The black-haired, golden-eyed girl slowly raised her body.
Cloney looked at the grave before her eyes.
It was Yuma’s grave.
It was the grave of Yuma, who had met his death at the hands of the god called Barbatos.
It had been a fierce battle.
The God of War Yuma had fought desperately and cornered the god Barbatos, but ultimately Yuma could not defeat Barbatos.
Barbatos, whose entire body had become like rags, hurriedly returned to the divine realm, but Yuma’s life had already been cut short.
One month after the God of War’s death.
Deep gloom had settled over the Astes Empire on the Geherugen continent.
The empire’s core.
No, Yuma, who had been everything, was dead.
The empire’s emperor, Brigitte von Astes, had been holed up in her quarters for a month without coming outside, living in seclusion.
Grand Sword Master Bell had been swinging her sword in the training hall all day long.
The only time anyone could see her face was at 7 AM when she ate breakfast.
What about herself?
“Lord Yuma.”
Swoosh….
Cloney stroked the top of the large tombstone with Yuma’s name carved on it.
“I’m researching magic for time regression.”
Taboo.
Time regression magic that most mages in this world dreamed of, but not a single mage had ever succeeded in.
“Lord Yuma might call it escapism from reality, but….”
Cloney’s right hand placed on the tombstone trembled.
“I can’t believe it. I just can’t.”
Cloney knelt down and sat in front of the grave.
“Even if I died. Even if everyone else died… I thought Lord Yuma would never die.”
Cloney’s two golden pupils were endlessly vacant.
As if they had completely lost their vitality.
Huah…
Cloney let out a sigh deep enough to cave in the ground and slowly stood up.
Then she came down from the imperial cemetery and entered the imperial magic tower.
Creak
She opened the door and went inside.
She checked the materials she had researched about time regression.
Many questions about the research remained.
Was time regression even possible?
Even if she succeeded in that magic, could she change the future?
Wouldn’t it just result in seeing the terrible scene of Yuma’s death once more?
Would only she regress?
Even if time regression magic truly succeeded, would it be right for the entire world to reverse time?
Countless questions were written in the record book.
These questions had been born in her mind from the moment she first delved into [time regression] magic.
“This isn’t a situation to be calculating all those things.”
In Cloney’s mind, there was only the thought of reviving Yuma.
Only that thought filled her head completely.
What was spread on the ground was a giant white paper.
Cloney, crouched on the floor, began writing on the white paper.
She endlessly wrote magical calculations.
Black letters were densely written on the giant white paper.
Beyond the curtained windows, the scenery began changing countless times.
The sun slowly set and darkness descended.
Cloney continued her calculations with wide-open eyes despite the headache pounding her head.
Her dark circles grew deeper.
Her mind became pitch black and hazy.
Only when she reached the state where sweetness vibrated from her mouth did her endlessly moving right arm stop.
“…Would doing it this way work?”
The theory of time regression magic had been established to some degree.
Cloney frantically checked the documents she had written with eyes filled with emptiness.
“This part… contradicts, if I do this there’s a risk that the world’s order could become mixed up during regression.”
Cloney slowly opened her mouth.
What flowed into her dry mouth was very strong coffee.
Cloney had felt her body’s balance becoming distorted since a week ago.
Even so, she couldn’t stop this obsessive behavior.
It was an obsession created by the desire to see Yuma—to see the face of a living Yuma.
“Definitely, definitely… I must find a way no matter what.”
Scratch!
Cloney didn’t even care that her finger was cut by the sharp edge of paper and continued searching through materials.
Cloney, who had been frantically searching through materials, suddenly turned her head.
There, books that she had firmly tied up with the resolve to never open them easily were gathered in one place.
“…If not. If I can’t complete time regression magic, I might have to touch Lord Yuma’s corpse. I must find it.”
The materials gathered in the corner were related to black magic.
Necromancy-type magic that revived the corpses and souls of dead people.
“I can’t bestow such an aura on Lord Yuma’s body.”
Cloney took another sip of coffee.
She had already pushed her mind to its limit.
The coffee transfusion from just before was nothing more than pouring water into a bottomless jar.
Cloney fell asleep only when the morning sun rose.
Chirp chirp…
During the day, the sound of birds chirping could be heard.
“Cloney, Cloney!”
Cloney slowly opened her eyes at the sensation of someone strongly shaking her shoulder.
“Who… are you?”
A powerless voice flowed from her mouth.
Cloney, who barely opened her eyes, slowly raised her body.
And she was able to face the person who woke her up.
“Cloney.”
Cloney barely focused her wavering vision and looked at the being before her eyes.
“…Lord Eldrie, the Tower Master.”
The Red Tower Master, Eldrie Freie.
He was both a benefactor who had greatly helped her reach the 5th Circle, and a mage who had reached the 7th Circle hierarchy, who could be called the strongest mage in the empire.
“…….”
Eldrie looked at the necromancer-type magic books tucked away in the corner with a hardened face.
The red-haired mage, Eldrie, trembled his shoulders.
“No matter how great the shock of losing Lord Yuma is, do you think it’s right to lay hands on such wicked taboos?”
Black magic was a line that elemental mages should not cross.
And the same was true for [time regression] type magic.
“Not only necromancer-type magic… this time regression magic is also too dangerous. Cloney. No matter how meticulously you design it, there will definitely be gaps. Those gaps could cause the flow of this world itself to collapse.”
Eldrie glared at Cloney with his brows deeply furrowed.
“Even if this world’s flow would be quickly restored, there’s a high possibility that Cloney’s body and soul, who executed it, would return to nothingness without leaving a single trace.”
Cloney let out a dry sigh.
And slowly opened her parched lips.
“…Yes, I know.”
Cloney felt her head throbbing again.
This headache’s recurrence was definitely because of Eldrie in front of her.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know something so obvious?”
Eldrie’s eyes widened at the very sharp response.
“What?”
Cloney continued speaking.
The voice of her continuing words was trembling fiercely, as if anger was the underlying foundation of her consciousness.
“Lord Eldrie… when Lord Yuma passed away, you’re the one who did nothing.”
Eldrie couldn’t help but flinch at Cloney’s suddenly changed attitude.
The 4th floor, room 402 of the imperial magic tower was being used as Cloney’s personal research room.
This place was also full of magic circles that Cloney had prepared in advance.
Zzzzzing──!
Two magic circles each began stirring on the ceiling and floor.
Binding magic and telekinetic magic were simultaneously activated from the four magic circles.
Charrrrrk!
Red heat haze strands bound both of Eldrie’s legs.
And from a magic circle drawn from the staff Cloney held in her right hand, a bright red spear burst forth toward Eldrie’s heart.
Puuuuk!
Eldrie’s heart was pierced through in one strike.
Dark red blood gushed out from Eldrie’s mouth, gurgling.
“Somehow… by doing whatever it takes, I will revive Lord Yuma. Even if, even if… I have to break that taboo of reviving the dead.”
That was the moment.
Slowly…
Cloney suddenly felt her vision going dark.
“Cloney!”
And a voice was heard.
Along with warmth felt on her shoulder, a very familiar voice.
“Cloney!”
Cloney slowly lifted her head that was on the desk.
Cloney turned her head back.
Standing there was the cat-tribe swordswoman, Hestia.
“…Sister Hestia.”
“Just how long were you researching? If you’re going to sleep, you should sleep in bed… doesn’t your back hurt?”
Looking at Hestia who was asking about her with a worried face, Cloney opened her mouth again.
“…What about Lord Eldrie, the Tower Master?”
“Huh? He went down from the capital yesterday.”
“…Right, so what just happened was a dream.”
Cloney sighed and got up.
No matter how mentally worn down she was due to Yuma’s death, killing Tower Master Eldrie, who was like a benefactor, didn’t make sense.
And Eldrie wasn’t someone who would die so easily either.
A dream within a dream, a dream within a dream.
Not only killing Tower Master Eldrie just now was a dream, but Cloney hadn’t noticed at all yet that this situation itself was her dream.
“Let’s go, you need to eat something.”
At Hestia’s words, Cloney slowly nodded her head.
“Yes.”
The two slowly walked down from the imperial magic tower.
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