Chapter 66: Dream Mage
ㅤThe fugitive dispatched knight, Cretias・Abygee・Ziltemea, attacked a traveler on the highway, stole his clothes, and headed north on the road that stretches north and south from Loft.
ㅤThe closest border to Loft is to the north.
ㅤIt’s rational for a fugitive to head north.
ㅤ
ㅤ…That’s what the pursuers would think.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Damn it, why am I on this back road…”
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ㅤCretias swung the common straight sword he had obtained in the northern town, clearing the undergrowth and branches of the unmaintained back road as he progressed.
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ㅤ”This back road has been closed for a long time because it was once infested with bandits. Unless you’re a local, you wouldn’t even know it exists.”
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ㅤThe reason Cretias knew about this road was because he had run away from home and wandered around this area when he was still young and naive.
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ㅤ”Latifa was with me back then. At the time, I didn’t even care that we had different mothers. It was the folly of youth.”
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ㅤCretias, the older half-brother, ran away from home with Latifa, who was being bullied and crying.
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ㅤ”We encountered goblins. I fought desperately with the swordsmanship I had just learned.”
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ㅤFeeling Latifa trembling behind him, Cretias summoned his courage and fought, finally managing to slay the goblins.
ㅤIt was after that that Cretias began to devote himself to the practice of swordsmanship.
ㅤ
ㅤ”When did things start going sour between us…?”
ㅤ
ㅤAs the legitimate son, Cretias had a private tutor and was drilled in all aspects of etiquette and aristocratic society.
ㅤBefore he knew it, Cretias had come to look down on commoners and feel ashamed of having a half-sister born from a concubine.
ㅤAs Cretias grew up as a nobleman and learned about the world, his affection for his half-sister turned into shame and hatred.
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ㅤBut, of course, he wasn’t the kind of man to reflect on that.
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ㅤ”Hmph… She was a useless woman until the very end. I’ll give her credit for her skill in manipulating men, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe Count of Loft, Cretias’s father, must have been easily manipulated by Latifa’s mother as well.
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ㅤ”I don’t even want to touch a lowly woman. It would defile my noble body. Only a peerless beauty is worthy of me.”
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ㅤThe strong self-esteem and self-absorption that considered marrying up as a matter of course were quite similar between the siblings, despite their different genders.
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ㅤ”If I can escape the Tree Country and reach the Oceanic City-States… with my sword skills, there will be plenty of opportunities for employment.”
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ㅤCretias was now heading south on the back road.
ㅤHeading north at first was a diversion. He deliberately made himself conspicuous, making it seem like he was heading north.
ㅤWhile the pursuers blocked the main roads and headed north, Cretias would use the back road to head south.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Damn it, this is infuriating. My sword is not meant to cut weeds! I need pawns. I need lowly but competent pawns who will obey me and do all the dirty work.”
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ㅤPart of the back road seemed to have been maintained to some extent.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmph. The kind of people who live in a place like this, off the beaten path, can’t be anything good.”
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ㅤBut he was grateful that the horse could now pass without any problems.
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ㅤ”Just you wait, Adventurer Minato. I will repay this humiliation tenfold.”
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ㅤShould he torture and torment her to death?
ㅤShould he fabricate false charges using his authority and let her die in prison?
ㅤOr should he leave her in a dungeon as a breeding ground for goblins?
ㅤ
ㅤCretias rode his horse in secrecy, repeatedly fantasizing about ways to take his revenge as he traveled.
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ㅤ”Phew. I should be south of Loft by now. Let’s set up camp after we cross that mountain pass. I can’t afford to exhaust the horse.”
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ㅤConsidering his pursuers, he wanted to keep riding all night to put as much distance between them as possible, but in his current situation, there was no way he could secure a replacement horse.
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ㅤBy the time he crossed the pass, the sun had already set.
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ㅤCretias struggled to start a fire and made a makeshift tent by layering large leaves.
ㅤFrowning, he somehow managed to butcher the deer he had killed, covered in mud. He filled his mess tin with water, hung it over the fire, and boiled the meat.
ㅤThe resulting boiled meat was tough, bland, and terribly difficult to eat.
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ㅤ”This is disgusting. This is the worst meal I’ve ever had… Damn that adventurer! Don’t think you’ll get away with putting me in this situation…”
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ㅤFueled by rage, he forced himself to chew the tough meat.
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ㅤCretias’s main occupation was a Royal Guard Knight.
ㅤHe had only received training in camping once, shortly after joining the order.
ㅤSuch lowly knowledge is unnecessary for a knight – he had carelessly dismissed it, and now he regretted it.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias drew his sword and repeated the swordsmanship forms he practiced every day, trying to move his body that had stiffened from riding.
ㅤNormally, his mind and body would calm down as he repeated the forms, but today, his anger wouldn’t subside no matter how long he practiced.
ㅤBefore he knew it, he had been swinging his sword until his arms were too tired to lift.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Damn it. This isn’t nearly enough.
ㅤThat female adventurer’s swordsmanship, though merely a rat’s sword, managed to fend off my attacks.
ㅤOn top of that, she has magic. She can shatter five teacups simultaneously without injuring the cup holders – and just when I thought she had such precise control, she used powerful magic that easily blew me away, even though I was wearing armor.”
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ㅤMoreover,
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ㅤ”That woman… she was holding back so she wouldn’t kill me…! Holding back against me, who always places in the top ranks at the Royal Capital’s tournament…”
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ㅤCretias trembled with renewed rage.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…But in reality, if she hadn’t held back, I would have been killed by the first blow.
ㅤSince it was a duel, she wouldn’t have been held accountable even if she had killed me. Most of the witnesses were adventurers, so even if the knights complained, they would have defended her.
ㅤIn short, I was shown mercy. Does that mean I’m not even worth fighting seriously?! Damn it!”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias was a narcissist with intense self-absorption.
ㅤBut if he were just that, he wouldn’t have been able to be born into a minor noble family and become a Royal Guard Knight.
ㅤHe thoroughly and objectively analyzed the difference in strength between himself and others, and filled that gap with extraordinary perseverance and bloody training.
ㅤThis man’s selfish desire to be number one, at least in the world of swordsmanship, was sublimated into an exceptional desire for self-improvement.
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ㅤ”But… damn it. I can’t think of anything. I had some aptitude for magic, but I can’t imagine catching up to that monster by training now.”
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ㅤTrapped in a vicious cycle with no way out, Cretias took a swig from the bottle of alcohol he had stolen from the traveler.
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ㅤCretias kept drinking while questioning himself, and finally, he collapsed on the ground, drunk as mud.
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ㅤIn a hazy state between dream and reality, Cretias felt the warmth of the dying fire.
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ㅤAs he reached out to get closer to the warmth, his hand touched something cold and slimy.
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ㅤThe slimy thing instantly covered Cretias’s entire body, dragging him into a dark, pitch-black darkness.
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ㅤIn the thick, viscous darkness, Cretias vaguely opened his eyes.
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ㅤIn front of Cretias stood a man in a white robe.
ㅤThe robe’s hood was pulled down low, revealing only the lower half of his young, masculine face. His slightly upturned purple lips at the corners formed words.
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ㅤ”Oh my, oh my. How pitiful.
ㅤYou too are crying, crushed by reality. Unable to control the surging passion while despairing over the inescapable reality.
ㅤI like you. You’re perfect for my ideal.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Who… who are you?”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias couldn’t comprehend the abnormal situation he was in.
ㅤIn a dream, no matter how many irrational things happen that wouldn’t be possible in reality, it’s difficult to doubt that it’s a dream. Caught in a similar effect, Cretias couldn’t determine whether the scene before him was a dream or reality.
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ㅤThe purple lips formed words.
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ㅤ”Dream Weaver. I’ve taken a liking to calling myself that lately. Well, it’s a borrowed name, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Dream Weaver?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I thought I had become somewhat famous, but it can’t be helped if you, who came from the north, don’t know me.
ㅤBut well, that doesn’t matter.
ㅤI was drawn to you to ask you something.”
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ㅤ”Don’t beat around the bush. I’m a Royal Guard Knight of Zamzaria! I’ll capture a suspicious fellow like you and throw you into a dark dungeon!”
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ㅤ”Ahahaha! What a funny joke. A fugitive who’s been driven out of his country is going to capture me? If you return to your country, it’s you who will be thrown into a dark dungeon!”
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ㅤ”Y-You… how do you know that?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I know. Everything.
ㅤYou have someone you desperately want to take revenge on.
ㅤBut you don’t have the power to do so.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Shut up!”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias drew his sword and swung.
ㅤBut the instantaneous slash only passed through the Dream Weaver’s white robe.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Don’t get angry. This isn’t a bad thing for you.
ㅤWhat I want to ask you is this.
ㅤIn other words━━
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ『Do you desire power?』
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ㅤ
ㅤ”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias recoiled at the raspy voice emanating from the white robe.
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ㅤ”I’ll only ask you once more.
ㅤFallen knight, Cretias.
ㅤDo you desire power enough to overturn the injustice done to you?”
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ㅤFor some reason, Cretias instinctively knew that he had to answer this question honestly.
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ㅤDeceive, lie, question back.
ㅤThose options were sealed off by some unknown force emanating from the Dream Weaver.
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ㅤBut from the beginning, there was no room for hesitation for Cretias.
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ㅤCretias immediately replied.
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ㅤ”I want it. Power! Power enough to show all those who mocked me the depths of hell!”
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ㅤThe Dream Weaver nodded in satisfaction at Cretias’s words.