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Chapter 65: The City of Dreamers (5)
“Grr, are your ears plugged? The only one I follow is the Great Emperor… Kuhek!”
Oscar, his face devoid of emotion, pressed firmly on the neck of the man lying beneath him.
A little more pressure, and the man''s neck would snap.
“…I’ve seen enough of scum like you tost a lifetime.”
There had been plenty of men like him during the war.
People who were so terrified of the demons that they lost their sanity.
Or opportunists, deceived by the sweet promises of the demons.
Beasts in human skin who sold out theirrades without hesitation to save themselves.
‘For example, scum like the ck Tower Lord of that era.’
Men whose betrayal left wounds that would never heal.
Oscar remembered well.
He remembered the countless people who had died for no reason, without meaning, because of such traitors.
As their faces resurfaced in his mind, Oscar bit down hard on his lip.
‘…But the war is over.’
This is a time of peace, isn’t it?
There’s no longer a battlefield where humans fight demons.
No longer any reason to betray yourrades just to survive.
But why?
Why do men like this still roam freely, wreaking havoc on innocent lives?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
“Speak.”
Summoning an almost superhuman patience to keep himself from identally killing the man, Oscar demanded:
“The Great Emperor is dead. So why follow someone who’s no longer here?”
“Kuh, the Great Emperor was the strongest, the mostpassionate, and the most perfect of all beings. One day, he will return to this world. On that day, this filthy empire and humanity itself will perish. Only those like us, who followed him first, will be reborn as the new humanity.”
“….”
Oscar frowned at the man’s blind faith.
But something about his words stuck in his mind.
‘…The Great Emperor will return?’
In the past, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.
But now, he couldn’t be so sure.
After all, he himself hade back from the dead.
“What do you mean the Great Emperor will return?”
“Kuh, kuhuh…”
The man raised one hand and stared at his ckened fingers in rapture.
“He will return. Without fail…”
“….”
Literal fanaticism.
Unable to listen to any more nonsense, Oscar pressed down harder with his foot, growling:
“Fine. Tell me what you’ve done to this city. Why won’t the people wake up?”
“The people? Ah, have you ever heard of the Nightmare Baron?”
“…What?”
Why that name here?
The man snickered, noticing the flicker of recognition in Oscar’s eyes.
“Judging by your expression, you know the name. He’s the one who put the entire city to sleep. By the time today ends, all of them will likely…”
Crack!
Oscar crushed the man’s neck and swiftly turned away.
He had no time to waste on further conversation.
‘The Nightmare Baron. If he’s the one behind this mess, everything makes sense.’
Why he alone had been unaffected, even though everyone in the city was asleep.
It was probably because the Nightmare already cursed him.
‘When I fell asleepst night, the two curses must have shed.’
And in that sh, the stronger curse must have prevailed.
Naturally, the stronger curse would be the one that had already been ced on him.
A curse cast over 5,000 people versus one cast on a single person—there was noparison.
Hurriedly returning to the inn, Oscar looked at the deeply slumbering people.
‘First, I need to figure out the wavelength of the dream they’re experiencing.’
If he could identify that wavelength and mimic it, he could enter the same dream.
After all, his soul already bore the mark of the Nightmare curse, allowing him to enter the realm of dreams freely.
“Scan.”
His mana swept through the entire inn.
A few minutester, the results were in.
Oscar climbed upstairs and found an empty room.
‘….’
The results materialised before his eyes after calming his mind and waiting briefly.
Oscar quickly analyzed them, and his gaze sharpened.
‘Found it.’
The same wavelength was detected in dozens of people.
Oscar transferred it into his own mana code,y down on the shabby bed, and cut off all oxygen flow to his brain to induce unconsciousness.
* * *
“Huff!”
Oscar’s eyes flew open as he bolted upright.
Descending to the first floor, he saw a lively scene of bustling people, starkly different from earlier.
‘….’
Though the sight was vivid and realistic, Oscar wasn’t shaken.
He was the only person on the continent with this much experience in such dreams.
He might as well be called the ultimate nightmare expert.
‘Dream curses sometimes end without incident. But…’
When the curse’s purpose was the victim’s death, the dream would invariably mutate.
And the only way to escape such a nightmare was simple:
‘Eliminate the mutated entity within the dream.’
Leaving the inn hastily, Oscar’s ears were filled with Christmas carols and the ringing of Salvation Army bells.
He scanned the streets teeming with people, pondering.
‘First, I need to figure out whose dream this is.’
Even if 5,000 people were dreaming together, a protagonist would always be among them.
And finding that protagonist was critical for one reason:
‘The only way to break the Nightmare Baron’s dream is to destroy the mutated entity.’
That entity would always linger near the protagonist.
‘But….’
Gazing at the countless people, Oscar frowned.
He had no idea how to identify the protagonist.
‘I can’t just kill people randomly, either.’
They were real, living beings.
If they died here, they would die in reality, too.
As he bit his lip and pondered a way out, a familiar face brushed past him.
“Wait, Veronica!?”
“...Ugh, seriously, why are you grabbing me all of a sudden? Did you eat something bad this morning?”
“This is perfect. I’m d I ran into you. We don’t have time to waste here.”
“What? Hey! Wait!”
Oscar urgently grabbed her hand and pulled her into a deserted back alley before he started talking.
“Veronica, listen to me carefully. We’re inside a dream world right now.”
“...Are you having fun?”
Her half-lidded eyes turned toward him, but Oscar hastily protested.
“I’m not joking. Do you know the Nightmare Baron? That guy cursed the entire townst night.”
“Pfft. Nightmare Baron or Dream Duke, whatever. I don’t care. I have ns, so I’m leaving.”
Even as Veronica actually started walking away from the alley, Oscar followed behind her, still trying to persuade her.
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“I’m dead serious right now. If we don’t deal with the corrupted entity soon, everyone will die.”
“Knock it off. It’s Christmas, not April Fools’ Day. Say one more word, and I’ll curse you out.”
“When have I ever lied to you? Remember the incident at the magic nt? I was right about that.”
“Well… that time, there was a giant cocoon in front of us. I only believed you because I could see it myself.”
Veronica didn’t stop walking but nced at him sideways.
“So unless you have solid evidence like that again, don’t even bother.”
“Evidence, huh…”
He didn’t have any.
Not yet.
He hadn’t even identified who the corrupted entity was.
As he fell silent, Veronica stopped in front of a restaurant and snapped at him.
“How long are you going to follow me? I’m going to my appointment, so leave me alone already.”
“…This is your meeting spot?”
Oscar looked up at the luxurious restaurant.
Through the window, he caught a glimpse of an orchestra in suits ying music inside.
Veronica’s face flushed, as if reading his thoughts.
“What, why? Is a poor girl not allowed to eat at a fancy ce like this?”
“No, that’s not it, but… Fine. Then let’s eat together.”
“Don’t make meugh. Why on earth would I eat with you first thing in the morning?”
The two continued their bickering as they stepped inside through the door held open by a waiter.
Just then, a voice called out from a corner of the restaurant.
“Veronica! Over here!”
Turning her head toward the voice, Veronica broke into a bright smile and waved.
“Mom! Dad!”
“...”
What?
Oscar’s expression turned grim in an instant as he stared at Veronica.
‘...Found it.’
The protagonist of this dream was none other than her.
The orchestra’s performance was superb.
The soft piano and delicate cello melodies were a constant delight to the ears.
‘...This is unbearable.’
But seated at the table, Oscar felt suffocated to the point of agony.
He even thought he’d rather be fighting a demon than sitting here.
The unfamiliar noblewoman beamed at him warmly whether or not anyone noticed his difort.
“So, is this handsome young man your boyfriend?”
“Mom!”
Veronica snapped irritably, and a stoic-looking middle-aged man gave her a warning.
“Veronica, don’t yell at your mother.”
“...I’m sorry.”
“Oh, honey, why are you scolding her over such a trivial thing? You’re making our daughter upset.”
“Ahem, I was just worried about you…”
The three of them seemed like a picture-perfect family straight out of a fairy tale.
A cheerful and lively mother, a stoic but kind father, and their shy yet loving daughter.
‘...They look so happy.’
Maybe that’s why.
Veronica had turned into a docilemb, unlike her usual brash and feisty self.
This must be the family she had always yearned for, even in her dreams.
‘She’s so different from me.’
He was nothing like her.
He had never longed for or wanted a family.
Sometimes, he’d wondered what it would be like to have one, but that was mere curiosity.
‘On the other hand, this girl… She’s always longed for family so deeply.’
For the first time, Oscar saw Veronica smile so brightly.
Had she grown up in an ordinary home, she would’ve turned out just like this—no need to harden herself or constantlysh out at others.
‘But.’
This couldn’t go on.
Seeing her like this only strengthened his resolve to wake her up from this dream.
The longer she stayed in this state, the harder it would be to convince her to leave, even if she knew it was a dream.
“Veronica.”
“Hm? What? And why aren’t you eating anything? Lost your appetite?”
“...We need to break this dream.”
“There you go again.”
Veronica sighed softly, prompting her mother to ask.
“Break the dream? What is he talking about?”
“I don’t know. He keeps spouting nonsense about dreams and corrupted entities.”
“Hoho, maybe your boyfriend had a bad dreamst night.”
“For thest time, he’s not my boyfriend!”
Flustered, Veronica red at him and whispered a warning.
“Hey, if you keep talking nonsense, leave. Don’t ruin the mood.”
“...”
With a serious expression, Oscar spoke up.
“Veronica, earlier you asked me to show proof, didn’t you?”
“Just stop already.”
“I’ll show you. Proof.”
With that, he stood up and extended a hand to the noblewoman.
“Pardon myte introduction. I am Oscar Crucian, a 3rd-level mage of the White Tower.”
“Oh my, there’s no need for such formality. I’m just… Veronica’s…”
The woman’s words trailed off as her expression froze for a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled brightly again.
“Mother. I’m her mother.”
“Pardon me, but could you tell me your full name?”
“Oh, goodness, my name is… It’s… it’s…”
The noblewoman’s eyes lost focus, her pupils spinning like a malfunctioning machine.
“I’m… her mother… This child’s… mother…”
Oscar watched her reaction and began exining.
“A corrupted entity is like an automated system created by the Nightmare Baron. It can’t executemands that deviate significantly from its pre-programmed behaviors.”
“...”
“The easiest way to identify them is to ask an unexpected question, like I just did.”
“...”
Veronica said nothing, her gaze fixed on what she thought was her mother—no, the corrupted entity.
“We have to eliminate it. If we don’t, thousands of lives will be at stake.”
“...”
Just as Oscar opened his mouth to persuade her further, the orchestra’s performance abruptly ceased.
A chilling silence fell over the restaurant.
Feeling countless eyes on him, Oscar slowly looked around.
The waiters serving food and wine, as well as the musicians, had stopped moving and were staring directly at him.
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