Chapter 242 – Lucid Dreaming
Three days have passed since then.
To be honest, Glinda’s 1:1 tutoring was terrifying.
As someone who has been digging one well all her life, her obsession may have been foolish, but I felt that her desire to share her knowledge was a bit too early for modern humans to handle.
“The calculation in this part is wrong. So try substituting the formula again.”
“You mean here?”
The magic of this world is closely related to mathematics.
On the outside, it seems flashy and everything can be solved as long as you have mana, but that is why it is greatly influenced by an individual’s talent.
Some people say they feel joy when they see the complex formulas or sequences that make up a magic circle, but unfortunately, I, who has the sensibilities of an ordinary person, cannot sympathize.
Still, the reason I don’t run away and learn is because I am also responsible for the death of the Demon King.
If I hadn’t planned such an unreasonable plan, the Demon King, who was the commander in chief, wouldn’t have had to go to the battlefield, and furthermore, Ozma wouldn’t have had to let his father go in vain.
I could come up with as many excuses as I wanted, but I didn’t want to do that because it felt like I was giving myself indulgence.
I just take responsibility silently.
I studied endlessly, saving my time eating and sleeping in order to reach the 8th rank before the battle broke out again.
Honestly, this was the first time in my life that I studied with this much concentration.
If it weren’t for the special herbal tea that Glinda made herself, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this level of concentration.
At first, things that seemed like earthworms on paper, not magic formulas, are now starting to make sense to some extent after the third day.
Still, there are times when the formula is wrong, but it could be said to be a huge improvement compared to the beginning.
“Would you like to solve this problem and this problem this time?”
“Yes.”
Glinda gave me a sample problem to make it as easy as possible for me to understand the formula, and watched me solve the problem with an excited expression.
She doesn’t do this every day, so I might be used to it by now, but honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel uncomfortable with those looks.
So, rather than being in the middle of solving a problem, I asked a question carefully.
“Um… Glinda?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you get bored just looking at it like that?”
Then Glinda tilted her head and answered.
“No? It’s not boring at all?”
… Since you said so, I have nothing to say.
However, it was obvious that if we ended the conversation like this, her burdened gaze would continue, so I gathered a little more courage and spoke to her.
“Honestly, I’m the one studying, so there’s no reason for me to be bored, but Glinda has to just watch while I solve the problems. That’s what I’m worried about.”
Then Glinda seemed to understand what I meant, and she smiled sweetly and answered.
“Thank you for your concern, but it’s really okay. I just feel good about being able to share my knowledge with others.”
“Why is that?”
“Hmm… Rather than saying there’s a special reason, it’s good to have someone I can talk to as an equal. I’ve seen many wizards in my long life, but the one who showed me the potential to rise to the 8th rank like me is Kald. There were only Lashu and Esmeralda.”
“…”
If you think about it, she must have lived a lonely life in her own way.
In the first place, the overwhelmingly strong cannot be understood by anyone.
In that sense, she seemed to know the reason for her cooperation as Glinda was happy just because there was a being with whom she could have a conversation with as an equal.
“Anyway, let’s start studying again now. I think we’ve already spent 30 minutes talking.”
“Oh, yes.”
I came to my senses at Glinda’s urging, and began to seriously face the complicated formula in front of her again.
It will probably take at least 3 hours to solve all of these problems.
However, if you think that this is all just a process of becoming stronger, surprisingly, you don’t hate it all that much.
***
Elven Wood camp at that time.
“Master Mayer, the atmosphere among the soldiers is becoming more and more sinister.”
After hearing the secretary’s report, Mayer Griffith washed his face dry with a serious expression.
“Didn’t you order the executives last time to stop joining?”
“That’s true, but there are many among the executives who agree with the soldiers’ opinions…”
The moment the secretary said that and bowed her head as if she was sorry,
Mayer Griffith felt the string of reason she was barely holding on to in her anxious mind being broken.
Bang!!
“Then! Arrest those who disobey orders and throw them in prison!”
“Hi!”
As he shouted in a fit of rage and slammed his fist on the table, the secretary who was reporting took a few steps back with a frightened expression.
At that time, I heard a young boy’s voice from behind.
“I understand your nervousness, but wouldn’t it be better not to take out your anger on your close associates? Because if you don’t make a mistake, they might hold a grudge and betray you.”
The person who entered the barracks while saying that was Mizar’s younger brother, Alcor, who went missing while fighting a human mage.
“… Alcor, I don’t remember allowing you to enter the room.”
“I could hear you getting angry all the way outside the barracks, so I came in wondering what was going on. You seemed very nervous, right?”
“Are you saying that now?”
Meyer Griffith got angry when he said that, but then, as if trying to regain his senses as best as he could, he let out a regular, light breath.
Then he asked in a calmer voice.
“So what brought you here?”
“I came to report on the results of Gungnir’s operation.”
Alcor said so, and on the spot he explained to Mayer Griffith exactly what he had seen and heard.
“Due to the last battle, the Septentrion has lost its ranks again, but fortunately, I think the remaining 5 people will be able to handle the mana needed for Gungnir’s maneuver. Of course, if the number of people is reduced by even one more, then the palace will be Nir will also become a burden.”
“… I know that too.”
“So what happened to the search for my sister that I asked for? If she died during the battle, I hope they find her body quickly.”
“If that’s the case, the soldiers under my command are currently doing their best to search. You’ll hear good news soon, so wait.”
“It’s already been three days since I said those words, but since you probably have your own circumstances, I’ll let this go. But I just want you to know that my patience won’t be very long.”
“… Are you threatening me now?”
“No way. The Septentrion is a group created to protect Elven Wood. We cannot forget our duty and harm Archon, who is a pillar of the country.”
“…”
At a time when there was a strong sense of crisis that if he made a mistake, he could be removed from his position as Archon, Mayer Griffith knew that saying such a thing in itself was tantamount to a blatant threat.
Once he steps down from the position of Archon, he can no longer have a vertical relationship with Septentrion.
So he gritted his teeth and said.
“I’ll triple the number of troops searching for your sister. This is the best I can do for now.”
“Thank you, Excellency Archon. Well, now that I’ve told you what I said, I’ll leave now.”
As Alcor said that, bowed slightly and left the barracks as if nothing had happened, Mayer Griffith, who had been watching quietly until his back disappeared, began randomly destroying the luxurious furniture placed in the barracks to relieve his lost anger and frustration. I did it.
***
“Huh?”
I suddenly let out a blank voice.
That’s because I, who was in the middle of studying with Glinda to get to the 8th rank, was standing in an unfamiliar place that I had never seen before.
A dreamy forest that seems to never exist in reality, filled with warmth all around.
“… Is it a dream?”
If I think about it, I hadn’t slept for 5 days already.
Since the fatigue would have continued to accumulate, it wouldn’t be surprising if I fell asleep without realizing it.
When I pinched my own cheek, and it didn’t hurt, I became convinced that it was a dream and looked around with a strange feeling.
This is my second time having a lucid dream this clear.
The reason it wasn’t the first time was because I had a similar feeling before when Camilla’s aunt, a succubus queen named Gremory, hid in her dreams.
“When will I wake up?”
Normally, when you realize it’s a dream, you wake up in reality, but there was no sign of me waking up yet.
However, when I stayed still, I started to feel itchy and started walking slowly along the forest path in front of me.
How long has it been since you started walking like that?
Suddenly, my vision cleared, and an extremely large tree came into view.
“This is…”
It is the world tree.
The same kind of thing I saw when I went to Elven Wood before.
However, unlike back then when it was covered with greenery, the world tree in my dream had white petals in full bloom on all its branches.
As I was looking up at that beautiful figure, I suddenly heard the voice of a stranger.
“Who is there?”
“Huh?”
I ended up making a dazed voice at the sudden appearance of a new character.
That’s because an elf with a very beautiful appearance walked out naked from the spring under the tree.
Blonde hair and golden eyes.
An elf with a very similar appearance to Glinda approached me with a blank expression, tilted her head and asked again.
“Who are you?”
“Ka, Kaldrashu.”
When I, overwhelmed by her beauty, answered in a goofy voice like an adolescent boy, the blonde elf smiled, showing her white teeth as if it was her turn.
“Really? My name is Mimir.”
… What?
