Chapter 297

Chapter 297

The first dream I had was familiar, the landscape of a chat window.

- Bro!

A message Ive seen so many times, I felt like I could recite it by heart.

- Bro, youre amazing. How did you clear that?

The first chat that popped up on my stream in almost six months, a time when no one seemed to care.

Even though it was just a simple, voiceless text, it felt like a powerful knock.

- Ive bookmarked you. Youll stream again, right?

And so, I still dream of that day.

I still... regret it.

***

The problem was the dream that followed.

A vast and red, unfamiliar room.

I was lying on a bed, struggling to breathe heavily. As if I had a fever, my body felt burning hot, but the air felt like a freezing cold bite.

Then.

Soothingly.

A cool and gentle touch caressed my forehead.

The hand pushed away the sweat-soaked hair from my face. I tried to turn, with great effort, rubbing my cheek against that hand.

- Mom... Dont go...

As a soft sob escaped my lips, the owner of the hand whispered soothingly.

- Its okay. My precious Born Hater.

The hand paused, and then I felt a soft kiss on my forehead.

- I promise, Ash.

And with those words, she vanished.

***

Suddenly, my eyes shot open.

"...Huh!"

A ragged breath escaped my lips.

"Heave... heave..."

Thankfully, a familiar ceiling came into view.

Crossroad Lords bedroom. The ceiling adorned with an old-fashioned wallpaper (which Evangeline once painted pink and then restored).

"Ugh..."

As I struggled to sit up, I felt a heavy weight on my legs.

What now? Looking down, I found...

"Zzz... Purr..."

"Snore..."

Evangeline and Damien, peacefully sleeping with their heads on my legs.

...What the hell happened?

My legs felt numb, indicating theyd been there for a while. I gently slid my legs out from underneath them.

Evangeline and Damien, unperturbed, turned over and continued to sleep, snuggling into their arms.

I glanced outside. The sun was setting.

Then it hit me.

I fainted earlier.

After the defensive battle, I had suddenly collapsed.

After overworking and sleeping so little in the past days, my body couldnt cope.

I didnt realize my character was so weak, even if the stamina stat was on the lower side...

So after I fainted, I was brought here, and these two, exhausted from days of battle, must have stayed beside me and fallen asleep.

"..."

Slowly, I propped myself up. A wet towel that had been placed on my forehead slid off.

Touching my forehead, I felt the heat. I must have had a fever.

Before I chastise myself for unintentionally overexerting, theres something else.

What was that dream?

I tried to recall the images I had seen just moments ago.

The first dream I had was undoubtedly one RetroAddictmeexperienced.

The persistent shadow of guilt that trailed behind me, my personal burden, my sworn mission. All of it tied to a familiar nightmare.

But the second dream?

"Ill handle the banquet! Just take your medicine and get plenty of sleep, okay?!"

I waved them off, urging them to leave quickly.

They continued to fuss until they finally disappeared from sight.

"..."

In the newly quiet room, I leaned against the beds headrest, lost in thought.

How well could the city function without me? That worry lingered. And then...

- "I promise, Ash."

...Ashs biological mother.

I reflected on the smile of Dustia, the Second Empress, from the dream.

Why?

She was unrelated.

To my existence and to my objective of clearing the game.

Yet, I had an inexplicable feeling, a gamers intuition if you will.

Its related.

Everything is related.

Everything Ive encountered on my path to the true ending is interconnected in some way.

My dream of her wasnt a coincidence. I just hadnt found the connection yet...

"..."

Ignoring Margaritas advice to rest, I furrowed my brows, lost in thought.

Reflecting on all the events since I fell into this world.

Desperately seeking the elusive link between them.

***

That night.

The corpses of the Skeleton Legion scattered from the forward base to the walls of Crossroad, and it took a considerable amount of time to collect and incinerate them.

Lucas arrived to visit the ailing Ash, only when the moon was high in the sky.

If Ash was asleep, Lucas planned to leave a report and go. If awake, he intended to inquire about his health.

So, with a bundle of reports in hand, he approached the lords mansion, when

"Oh my."

Almost simultaneously, the Silver Winter Merchant Guilds carriage arrived and halted at the mansions entrance.

Serenade, leaning out from the carriage, offered a strained smile. Lucas responded with an awkward, perspiring nod.

"...Miss Serenade."

"Captain Lucas."

In the midst of a tense atmosphere, the two exchanged greetings.

They had a shared history, but were never particularly close.

From their younger days, at the Star Palace of the Second Empress of Dustia... they grew up alongside Ash.

Ash had always been a constant between them. Their relationship entirely stemmed from Ash.

Even without the years-long gap since their last encounter, any meeting between them would have been inherently awkward.

"...Youve changed a lot, Miss Serenade."

Put another way,

"For someone once dubbed the Frostbite of Silver Winter due to your cold demeanor, you now smile as warmly as spring here. Its... unsettling to see."

"..."

Back in the Imperial Capital, when Ash was notoriously known for his deplorable behavior,

The two of them, still stuck in memories from that time,

"Youve transformed too, Captain Lucas."

Clearly,

They didnt get along.

"From Born Haters Mad Dog, now such an esteemed knight. Its surprising."

Serenade, with her smooth smile, gently responded to Lucass sharp comment.

"No, I must have misremembered because its been so long. Wasnt it... The Mad Dog that Bites Its Master?"

"..."

The two locked eyes.

Their gazes were devoid of animosity, and their voices remained calm, but,

Whoosh

...For some reason, an icy tension seemed to sweep between them.