NOVEL NEXT Chapter 307 - A Dream I Don’t Want to Believe
A Dream I Don’t Want to Believe
“……───su…”
I’m having a dream. Ahh, I still haven’t mastered Dream Walking. I felt discouraged, but there’s nothing I can do, now that I’ve seen it. I have to properly remember.
But it’s strange. It’s blurry, like it’s covered in fog. I can tell there are two people, standing, facing each other, but…
“Wh────? … No!!”
“It can’t… the other……!”
I can’t even hear their voices properly. Why? It’s unusual for it to be this unclear? Come on, it’s my dream, my ability, show me properly! Magic power, listen to me!
Now then, show me… what happens next.
“I’m going to kill you…!”
────Eh?
I woke up, sitting up in bed. I was breathing heavily, my whole body covered in sweat. It’s still a bit dark outside, so it’s probably a bit before dawn. But Gil-san’s not here, so he’s probably already up and working, or maybe he worked all night. I’m sure it’s the latter.
Phew… I calmed down a bit, after confirming the current situation. But my hands are still shaking. Yeah, I’m okay. And I remember the content of the dream.
“Licht……”
I’m sure of it. That was Licht. He said that, “I’m going to kill you,” staring straight at the other person with those determined eyes.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to see who he was talking to. Because Licht didn’t say their name.
“He looked… how he looks now… Licht. It’s definitely… something that’s going to happen soon.”
That’s right, and this is important. If he looked older, then I’d think it was going to happen in the distant future, but he looked the same as he does now. So this is something that is going to happen quite soon.
I’ve thought that before too, right? When I had that dream about him fighting Gil-san. …So… does that mean… the person that Licht said he was going to kill was…
“Is it… Gil-san? No way…”
Well, it hasn’t been confirmed yet. But it is the most likely possibility. Eh, isn’t that reckless? I mean, it’s Gil-san! There’s no way Licht could win… but, I can’t say that for sure.
Because Licht’s magic power quality has improved considerably. To be honest, I was always amazed at how the quality of his magical power was refined every time we met, and how his magical power was increasing in quantity. And I thought it was because he’d been training hard at Demon Castle, that he was amazing.
But seeing Licht in that dream… I realized that was his objective. So he’s been working hard… for that? …To… kill Gil-san?
Of course, it’s not necessarily a precognitive dream. Maybe it was someone else’s nightmare, and I just happened to see it with Dream Walking. I’m hoping that’s the case.
Ah, this is bad. I don’t think I can act normal when I see Licht, or Gil-san. They’re going to notice something’s wrong. And that would be bad.
I want to talk to someone about it, but I’m hesitant because of what it is. Even if I do talk to someone about it, I need to think carefully about who I should talk to.
“Okay! First… I’ll focus on training today!”
That’s all I can do right now. I might be able to think of something else, after eating and exercising! I’m not going to worry. It’s such a nice day!
“Good morning, Asuka! You’re eating a lot again today!”
“Good morning, Meg! Of course! You’re just having fruit today too, Meg?”
“Nope, I’m going to eat properly today. Ah, Schlie-san! Good morning!”
After getting ready, I headed out of the tent and towards the dining area, and saw Asuka eating breakfast, his plate piled high with food. He eats so well. We were talking, and then I saw Schlie-san, carrying a tray with a tea set, so I greeted him.
“Good morning, Meg. You seem to be full of energy again today.”
“Ehehe, I trained a lot yesterday and slept a lot!”
Schlie-san chuckled, so I flexed my arms and energetically replied. …But I still don’t have any muscles.
“That’s good. But don’t overdo it, okay? Today, we’ll focus on the basics, and then spar at the end.”
“We get to spar again!? Okay! I’m not going to lose today, Meg!”
“I’m not losing either!”
We were both pumped by his suggestion. Schlie-san, watching us with a gentle smile, made some tea and placed a cup before me.
“First, you need to fuel up. Shall I bring you something?”
“Nope, I’ll get it myself! Thank you, Schlie-san.”
Here, we get our own food, just like at the guild. They’ve prepared a kitchen tent, so we just go there and get what we need. Yesterday, I just had fruit, so I brought it from my storage bracelet.
And of course, the food is all prepared by Tio-nee and the others in charge of cooking. Instead of bringing pre-made food for the expedition, they’ve connected the kitchen to the Ortus cafeteria with a slightly larger Teleportation Circle that can transport anything aside from living creatures. So basically, it’s a system where they deliver freshly made food in real time. Dad said they did that so that the workload wouldn’t be much different from usual. It’s considerate of them. But it’s only possible because of Ortus’ technology, the Teleportation Circles. They’re incredible, as always.
I finished eating my salad, sandwich, and corn soup, and was now full and feeling a bit calmer. I’m still thinking about that dream… but I guess having a full stomach makes you feel a bit more at ease. I’m glad I haven’t met Gil-san or Licht yet. I want to see them, of course, but I wouldn’t have been able to stay calm right after seeing that dream.
Maybe I’ll be able to calm down after exercising. I hope so. I then slowly headed for the training grounds with Schlie-san and Asuka.
“Yessss! I defeated Meg today!”
“Ugh! I’m not losing next time!”
I lost the sparring match at the end of our training… I held on for a while, but still. It’s frustrating.
『 Master…? 』
Something pink flew past me. It landed on my shoulder, and Shou-chan, looking worried, quietly spoke to me.
『 Are you okay…? What’s bothering you…? I’m worried. 』
Ah, I’m sure Shou-chan, my Voice spirit, knows everything. I smiled wryly. Hmm, this isn’t something I can talk about, so I’ll answer in my head.
I’m honestly not okay, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. So I need to be mentally prepared, so that I’ll be able to handle it, if something happens. Sorry for being such a pathetic master. I can’t use this as an excuse for losing. I have to get stronger!
『 Shou-chan, no, all of Master’s spirits, are always on your side! 』
“Yeah, I feel reassured. Thank you, everyone.”
As I wipe my sweat away, I feel warm and fuzzy at the kindness of the spirits. Ah, so healing. Spirits are an oasis for the heart!
“Now then, let’s go back to the base and have lunch. It’s study time this afternoon.”
“Eeeh!? Not training!?”
I’d changed using the function in my storage bracelet, and then I heard Schlie-san say that. And Asuka complaining. Ah, that’s right, he’s not good at studying.
“If you train the whole day, like the adults, then you might damage your body. There’s an appropriate amount of time for everything, for efficient growth. And you won’t be able to join Ortus if you can’t even read, write, or do simple calculations.”
“Ugh, o-okay, okay, I’ll do it!”
Those were incredibly persuasive words for Asuka, whose goal is to join Ortus. Eh? What about me? I’m actually already able to do those things, because of my knowledge from my previous life. It’s true that my hands weren’t cooperating when I first came to this world, but I was able to properly write, and read without any issues.
But come to think of it, was that knowledge part of this body? That’s also strange, that a toddler would remember everything. The characters are slightly different from those in Japan, and even the language is different. Eh? It’s different, right? I’ve been talking so naturally that I never thought about it. Is it because of the “Transferred to Another World” buff? It’s still a mystery to me. I wonder if I’ll find out someday.
We were walking back to the base, with Asuka complaining, saying he doesn’t want to study, that he wants to exercise, and I motivated him, saying we can play after. And then we saw two people. My heart pounded when I saw that one person’s black hair.
“Oh, so the Ortus children are done training.”
It’s Licht. That usual, somewhat childish, smile, and casual tone. I’m the only one who’s bothered by that dream. That’s right, only me. Calm down, it’s fine for now.
“…Yeah! What about you? Are you going somewhere?”
Okay! My voice isn’t shaking, and I was able to talk to him normally, right? And I think I was able to smile properly too.
“Nope, we just got back. We went to see the adults’ training, and then walked around town, with Urbano.”
I see. Urbano’s here as a spectator. It must be boring for him until the tournament starts. They’re probably looking after him, in turns, just like us. So today just happened to be Licht’s turn, huh? Huh? But isn’t it bad for Licht to not be training when he’s participating? He smiled, furrowing his brows, as if troubled, when I asked that.
“Well, yeah, but… Urbano’s not good with people, you know? So he’d probably feel more at ease with someone he’s used to… and I can train at night, it’s fine.”
“I see,” I said, but I felt so incredibly relieved that I almost wanted to cry. Why? Because Licht’s still the same kind person. He was always cheerful, leading the way when we travelled together on the human continent. He likes to tease a bit, but he’s so incredibly kind.
He hasn’t changed. Knowing that he’s still as kind as before made me feel relieved. Because I thought he might have… changed, because he’s human.
“Um, I’m sorry, Licht-san…”
“Ahh! Urbano, you don’t have to worry about it! How many times do I have to tell you? You’re finally here, so let’s make some good memories, okay?”
“That’s right,” Licht said with a smile, stroking Urbano’s blue hair. Licht’s still Licht. Whatever the truth behind that dream, I’m sure he’s still a kind person.
I’m going to believe in him. I decided that.