The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

The Dreamer (2)

I assure you, the one who twisted my life the most was ＜The Dreamer＞.

You could say it was my mortal enemy. Thanks to it, I even lost my name and the way back home.

And I must have lost many other things that I can’t recall.

But this time is different. This time, I decided to face that trial.

Not an unprecedented disaster encountered by chance, but a faith I summoned myself to call forth the mist.

Borrowing the power called ＜Morpheus’s Dream Fragment＞, I bind the unstable existence with a complete contract to borrow that power.

“Please, call the dream into reality.”

The machine device, which was brightly lit by a white light bulb, became foggy.

Yes, this mist. The mist that took countless things from me is coming.

A mist so thick that I can’t see an inch ahead.

My hands tremble with instinctive rejection. I took out the cigarette from my chest and tried to light it, but even the faint light couldn’t be seen.

And with the sensation of being isolated from the world, it came.

-Dream…

Something seemed to move faintly in the gray mist.

It looked like a human figure, but without eyes, nose, or mouth, it merely appeared as a doll made of gathered mist.

“……This is something I didn’t know.”

To Morpheus, the ＜Dreamer＞, there is no form. Therefore, he is classified as a phenomenon even among trials.

Like a natural disaster encountered by chance, the mist that shows dreams is said to be drifting and blending into the world.

Yet, it includes a clear form……. Is this special this time? Or, have I always been like this but just couldn’t remember?

The doll made of gathered mist approached me silently.

-I will protect you……

It gently caresses my cheek.

Even without eyes, it seemed to have an expression of concern.

-I will protect you……

“Is that so.”

It was an emotionless voice.

It must be because I have lived crawling on the ground for countless years.

A being that appeared to show sweet dreams to those who are crying, with only the determination to protect people remaining.

A being that, without realizing its already pierced divinity, received compensation instead of showing sweet dreams.

-Don’t worry…… In your happiest moment……

The hand that was caressing my cheek moves up to my head. In that seemingly stroking action, the world surrounded by mist takes on color.

The dark sky, the pure white light illuminating, the small tea table, and the numerous sweets laid out on it.

The moment I was happy.

The time when I was having tea and small talk with the saint.

The stage is set. I am already dreaming. And Morpheus’s figure is no longer visible.

What is visible is just a chapter of memories.

“Mr. ■■■. Welcome. Thank you for your hard work on this mission.”

“You are too much.”

“Pardon? What do you mean? This mission wasn’t that difficult.”

“Didn’t you say it was the happiest moment? Morpheus.”

“Mr. ■■■……?”

What I saw in front of me was the saint sitting at the tea table.

Like a greedy child, holding a teacup and sweets in each hand.

At that sight, a bitter smile appeared for a moment, then my expression twisted.

“Saintess. Even in… even in moments like this, I can’t fully remember you?”

A pure white mask on the face.

Even though I am looking at the color of the hair, I can’t tell if it’s long or short.

I could feel her presence within me fading away more and more.

“Do you think it makes sense to wear a mask even when drinking tea?”

“Do you want me to take off the mask?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“…”

What kind of expression am I making right now? Perhaps I couldn’t hide the expression that seemed like I was about to cry.

I know. I remember.

I know well that Morpheus’s trial takes this form.

I’ve experienced it several times and haven’t I been frustrated several times?

I reach out my hand towards the mask covering the Saintess’s face.

But I can’t reach it. I must not reach it. Because I didn’t come here to sink into this dream.

“A friend is badly injured.”

“I see.”

I don’t forget Linea’s struggle.

The reason I called Morpheus is to overcome this situation, not to escape.

“So I must go back.”

“Without confirming the fragment of your happiest memory in front of you?”

“Yes, I won’t confirm it. Instead, I will pay the price, so please grant me a dream worthy of it.”

“What kind of dream do you want?”

“Then please, the scenery where you shone the brightest.”

I can’t do it with my current self. I lack the skill. But if it’s her whom I admired, it would be possible.

I borrow that power, that dream.

“The price will be high.”

“I will endure it.”

“You might end up wandering the back alleys in pain like before.”

“It’s different now than it was back then.”

“What point?”

“This time, it’s not a journey taken alone.”

Even if I make a mistake or fall, I have someone ready to move forward in my place.

The Saintess puts down her teacup.

Morpheus sets down the refreshments.

The Saintess and Morpheus. The being assimilated into the dream bows its head.

A parent who loved their children.

The god of dreams, who, through the medium of ＜Morpheus’s Dream Fragment＞, can temporarily exercise their original power.

“Then I must show you.”

“Thank you.”

Crack!

The moment I forced a bitter smile, the space before my eyes shattered like broken glass.

Buildings rose around me as if another landscape was overlaid on top.

The sky was still dark, and this time there was no light to illuminate the surroundings.

The only light in the deep darkness was the remnants of the divine power emitted by the Saintess before my eyes.

I remember this moment.

“I told you, the price would be high.”

Morpheus, who had somehow stood beside me, pointed in one direction.

There stood another Saintess, the Saintess of my memories.

“Will you endure it even so?”

“Yes, I will endure it.”

The moment I met the Saintess while wandering the back alleys after losing everything.

The turning point of my life.

The most precious memory.

Morpheus was asking if I wanted to dream for a moment, even at the cost of such memories.

Yes, this price is quite high.

But as high as the price is, the scene of the dream that can be brought into reality will also be powerful and precise.

-Then please, my beloved son, have a happy dream.

Morpheus nodded and disappeared into the mist.

Now, all that remained was me, standing far away, looking up at the stage.

Only the protagonists of the stage. The curtain rises and the actors move.

The saintess reaches out her hand.

A little below, towards the man lying in front of her.

The moment I met the saintess. The moment she reached out her hand to me.

The point at which I began to strive to live in this world again.

The scene that follows is deeply engraved in my mind.

It is still a vivid memory.

I grasp that hand. Desperately wanting to live a little longer, I clung to that hand without even checking whose hand it was.

When I finally looked at her face after grasping her hand.

– I found you. My ■■■.

With the girl’s bright smile, my second name was given.

The name she gave me held meaning in itself.

That’s why it was precious. That’s why I can’t use it now.

Because it is a baptismal name that holds meaning because she gave it to me.

– Now, shall we go together?

What did she find in me?

That is still a mystery. But because she reached out her hand, I am here now.

My lifesaver. The direction of my life.

And the proof of my determination.

“……Saintess, it seems a bit difficult to go together now.”

I cannot intervene in the stage.

This is just a scene from the past, my words cannot reach it.

Now that hand does not reach me.

The girl who reached out her hand to me no longer exists.

In the memory, I am holding that hand as if I had been saved.

But now I am just watching it from here.

Engraving a moment that will never come again meaninglessly on my retina.

Memories are damaged.

The memories I thought I would never forget are erased from my mind like spreading paint.

A tear flows down my cheek. But soon I will not even understand the meaning of that tear.

But it’s okay.

This is the ending I chose.

“You’ve held my hand for so long, now I will walk on my own.”

So that I can move forward, fueled by that brilliant moment.

I may never remember this moment again…

“So I will do my best now, so I won’t regret this moment.”

I aim to become someone who can move forward without relying on memories.

The fog clears.

I wake up from the dream. What I see again is the desolate, gray metal.

The lonely and cold mechanical fortress surrounded by walls.

“It’s blue.”

But in my eyes, still.

I see her sky.

*     *      *

Crackle!!

I melt all the mechanical devices that were blocking my way with lightning.

Unlike when I was assisting from behind Titan, I now lead and crush everything myself.

As I walk, I clear everything in front of me.

Before a new entity can even draw a new weapon, I melt it with lightning.

The power I gained in exchange for memories I no longer recall is a fragment of a dream.

The power that depicted the moment when the saint of the sky dominated the battlefield.

Her divine magic, ＜Judgment of the Sky＞, loved by the gods of the sky.

Even in this isolated space, I can see the blue sky.

The pure white wings spread behind me are connected to the sky, like clouds blending into the heavens.

With the miracle of the gods, fueled by something precious, I wield the power of the one I admired the most.

“Hoo.”

A sensation close to omnipotence.

The feeling of divine power that doesn’t diminish no matter how much I use divine magic sends chills down my spine.

It’s an absurd power. Truly a power that could make one arrogant.

But even this is not enough. The view I desire is higher than this.

To accomplish what she couldn’t, I need to become even stronger than this.

The road ahead is still long.

“So…”

I can’t afford to struggle against this pile of scrap metal.

I break through. I surpass my usual limits over and over again. I get used to this sensation and internalize it little by little.

Like taking notes to remember the scene I saw in my dream.

So that I can remember even a little of the power that brought the dream into reality.

Bzzzzzzzz!!

A force that could be called a straight line of light rather than lightning sweeps through the mechanical devices.

The dull gray world brightens as if swallowed by dazzling light.

The ceiling disappears, and the sky reveals itself. It’s a view that not only I can see now, but also Titan, Linea, and everyone else.

At any moment, no matter when.

Even if Belial spreads his wings and dyes the sky itself black. In front of this power, the sky cannot be completely erased.

I keep raising the level as if I had just started running.

The pure white wings have already spread as if they were moving my body.

The lightning that envelops my whole body moves according to my will, turning all the mechanical devices into scrap metal.

The moment the gap between destruction and sprinting itself disappears.

Bzzzzzzzz!!

A light with incomparable power to anything before pours out.

The converged light flies in a straight line, containing intense heat and power.

The moment I fold my wings to block the attack, the advance halts for a moment.

It’s an absurd power.

This is not just an attack from a pile of scrap metal.

Yes, it’s close.

Where Pinocchio is.

“Don’t come!!!”

As if screaming, the boy’s cry is heard, and at the same time, the light beam from a moment ago splits into dozens and pours down.

He has noticed this side. Yet, he continues to attack.

As I expected, has Pinocchio really had a change of heart?

No matter how much he temporarily gained the power of the saint, he doesn’t have the strength to overcome the trial head-on.

Retreat or advance.

In the midst of that dilemma, I felt that no more beams of light were pouring down.

Pinocchio, who had been shouting not to come.

The attack stopped as soon as I stopped moving. A simple warning shot.

If that’s the case…

“If we go back without confirming the reason, we might regret it.”

I follow Linea’s words.

I temporarily set aside all doubts.

I reunite Geppetto and Pinocchio.

I move forward, recalling only that purpose.

Several beams of light pour down.

I block each one and minimize the surrounding damage as I advance.

The speed is slow.

But I move forward steadily.

At the end of navigating through the dazzling beams of various colors,

I realize the space has widened and I reach my destination.

The deepest part of Nidavellir.

Pinocchio’s self-evolution device exists at the center.

“That’s right, Linea. You were right.”

At the moment I saw it, I was convinced that Linea was right.

The sight of Pinocchio, shedding tears, adorned with all sorts of mechanical devices. The shadow reflected on the floor.

Seeing the shadow move as if pulling the strings of a marionette, I understand everything.

Solving the problem of the ＜Corruptor＞ would end everything well?

We could prevent the harbinger of the flames of war?

It was an arrogant thought.

The demon I was trying to confront had been hiding in the empire for hundreds of years, hiding embers one by one.

How could I guarantee that such a creature was different before? How could I be sure it hadn’t done similar things before?

“If I had gone back like this, I would have definitely regretted it.”

A chilling voice comes from Pinocchio’s now expressionless mouth.

“Who are you?”

It feels like bugs are crawling all over my body, making me shiver.

But I have felt this sensation just recently.

Thanks to that, I could understand.

Geppetto did not lie.

Pinocchio did not change his mind.

The source of the weapon filled with malice that we saw was none other than.

“You were very thorough in your preparations. Damn b*stard.”

＜The One Who Is Everywhere＞

Malice

The shadow of the Dark King, Belial.

The malice towards that human was swallowing Pinocchio.