The scene looked like a devastated slum.
Shattered homes lay around, pieces of wood strewn everywhere.
All around, people lay unconscious or dazed.
"Why are you here, of all places? Don't you have anything better to do?"
Jefrin found herself overpowered by Astina, who had taken away her staff.
She was taken aback by Astina's capabilities.
With such power, Astina could easily be seen as one of the top talents anywhere.
Judging by her youthful appearance, she could potentially become the empire's most formidable wizard in the future.
Why was someone of her caliber in the Northern region?
Even with the invasion of monsters, someone of her stature wouldn't typically be here.
Jefrin was confident that in a fair fight, she could take her on.
But circumstances weren't in her favor.
She had already sustained damage from Rudy's surprise attack.
Her illusion spell was interrupted precisely at its most vulnerable moment.
As if that weren't enough, Astina appeared right after she cast a major spell.
It was the worst-case scenario.
The spell Jefrin used was called 'Eternal Sleep' – a magic spell to trap someone in an endless slumber.
It was a hallucination spell that consumed an immense amount of mana.
Right after casting it, Astina launched her attack, right when she was defenseless.
Astina looked down at Jefrin, her eyes cold and calculating.
Jefrin was pinned to the ground by Astina's magic.
Astina pressed her foot against Jefrin's back.
"Who are you?"
Astina's expression was one of confusion.
She had clearly sensed a massive amount of mana when Jefrin had swung her staff.
Seeing that massive amount of mana enveloping Rudy, Astina was overwhelmed by a rush of emotions, fearing that something dire had happened to him.
But, when she arrived...
"Rudy, wake up!"
"Uh..."
Luna was fervently shaking Rudy, who lay unconscious on her lap.
He just seemed to be sleeping soundly.
So, Astina was left wondering.
What was that immense mana that enveloped Rudy?
It clearly passed through him, but all he did was fall asleep.
There were no visible injuries, and he looked peaceful.
Astina turned her attention back to Jefrin, pressing her harder under her foot.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"What did you do to Rudy?"
"Heh..."
Jefrin looked up at Astina with a smirk.
"You're asking pretty arrogantly, aren't you?"
Astina chuckled at her comment.
"Oh? Was I too arrogant for you?"
Seeing Astina's expression, a chill ran down Jefrin's spine.
Despite her smiling face, there was an overwhelming aura of menace and terror.
Astina reached for Jefrin's staff, which lay beside them, and brought its gem-end close to her mouth.
"If I set off a few fireballs inside your mouth using this, would I come across as more polite?"
“What...?”
Astina firmly grasped Jefrin's face.
“Ugh!”
Holding both her cheeks, she forced open her mouth and inserted the gem at the end of the staff inside.
“Mmmph!!! Mmph!!!”
Muffled screams escaped Jefrin, the gem trapped between her teeth.
Her garbled words were unintelligible. Her face, however, clearly displayed sheer terror.
“Why the fuss? Shall I let one off just for a start?”
Astina taunted, her grin ever widening.
“Mmph! Mmph!!!”
Jefrin, stricken with fear, squirmed and thrashed.
‘She’s seriously going to do it...!!!’
The rage was evident in Astina's eyes, even amidst her smile.
Those eyes suggested she might actually unleash the magic.
Given her expression, she wouldn’t put it past her.
As Jefrin struggled, Astina’s face soured.
“Stay still.”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Even at her command, Jefrin moved desperately, as if begging for her life.
Astina studied her pitiful state for a moment before removing the staff from her mouth.
A slimy string of saliva stretched from the staff.
Astina grimaced at the sight and then refocused on Jefrin.
“Ready to talk now?”
“I-I’ll talk. Just release me when I do.”
“You want to be released?”
“Yes. I need some assurance of my safety.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Astina brandished the staff again.
“Do you even realize your position?”
“I need a chance of survival too! Only then can I answer you!”
Jefrin's voice held a note of desperation.
‘I can't back down now...!’
She realized that even if she provided every answer she wanted, she might still die.
Astina looked down at her, weighing her options.
“Fine. Talk. What did you do to Rudy?”
Relief evident, Jefrin began,
“I used a magic called Eternal Sleep.”
“...Eternal Sleep?”
“Just as the name suggests, it puts one into an eternal slumber.”
“...What?”
The spell was unfamiliar to Astina.
She surmised it might belong to the category of illusion magic.
Pointing at Rudy, Astina demanded,
“Then undo it. If you release him, I’ll let you go.”
“I can't undo it.”
At her admission, Astina smiled eerily.
“Is that so?”
Seeing her reaction, Jefrin flinched, panic evident in her movements.
“Oh, no! Seriously, I can't undo it!”
“Well then, you should die. If you can't break it.”
Astina gathered mana in her hands.
Jefrin exclaimed hurriedly.
“Wait, wait!!! I can't, but you might be able to!”
“What?”
Astina narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Jefrin.
Could it be true?
Can someone undo a spell even when the original caster can’t?
Especially someone who isn’t well-versed in that particular magic?
"Let... Let me explain what Eternal Sleep is first…"
According to Jefrin, Eternal Sleep was a spell that made the recipient experience dreams.
Dreams.
Specifically, incredibly sweet dreams...
It would create the happiest moments of their life and lure them to remain within that dream.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})The ones affected by the Eternal Sleep would willingly stay lost in their dreams.
And if they stayed in that dream state, their mind would deteriorate over time, and their body would fail from prolonged inactivity.
Thus, the magic led them into an eternal slumber.
That was the nature of Eternal Sleep.
“So, how do we break it?”
After hearing the story, Jefrin grinned awkwardly.
“Well... There are two ways to break the Eternal Sleep spell... One is by destroying the spell’s core...”
“The spell’s core?”
“The spell is implanted within that boy, constantly keeping him asleep. We need to get rid of that core.”
Astina looked at Rudy.
The core of the magic…
“That method won't work unless you're an expert.”
Astina frowned.
“Then? What’s the other way?”
Jefrin smirked at Astina.
“You need to enter his dream yourself.”
“What?”
“You have to go in and persuade him to end the dream. The spell's true nature is that if the person truly wishes to break free from the dream, they can.”
A loophole in the magic.
If one wishes to escape the dream, they can.
But this very loophole made the spell even more potent.
Who would want to leave such a dream?
Jefrin laughed.
“Think you can persuade him?”
It was Jefrin's trap.
It was nearly impossible to convince someone immersed in their happiest memories.
If Astina entered Rudy's dream, she would become trapped.
Only Rudy could end that dream.
Jefrin was trying to trap two birds with one stone.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Astina asked,
"How do I enter the dream?"
“Astina, wait!”
Luna shouted in response to Astina’s question.
"It's a trap... Please don't... Let me instead..."
Astina shook her head.
"I know."
However, she couldn't refuse.
And she couldn't let Luna take her place.
“Luna, if you enter into Rudy’s happiest moment, can you be certain you won’t get lost there?”
“...”
If Luna entered, there was a hundred percent chance she would also become trapped in that dream.
Because to her, Rudy was everything.
But Astina felt differently.
She cared for Rudy, but she had no reason to stay in a dream.
She had reasons to return to reality.
Astina smiled at Luna, saying,
“I'll be right back. If I don’t wake up in 2 hours, send the pre-arranged signal.”
The pre-arranged signal.
It was a signal to notify Professor Gracie and Lord Darren.
A signal requesting help.
She said this because she didn’t know what might happen if she fell asleep.
Astina then turned her gaze to Jefrin.
Jefrin grinned and spoke up.
"So, you'll release me if I help you enter his dream?"
“I’ll release you if you promise not to play any tricks and simply run away.”
Jefrin chuckled,
“Of course~.”
Astina dispelled the magic restraining Jefrin and helped her up.
“Then let’s make a pact.”
Astina lay beside Rudy, taking his hand in hers.
Luna watched over Astina, while Jefrin gently placed a hand above Astina's head.
"Come back soon, Astina."
Luna whispered.
A smile graced Astina's lips upon hearing Luna.
Jefrin stifled a chuckle, casting a glance at Astina.
Though Jefrin wanted to plant a strange spell in Astina for revenge, she was bound by a magic contract with Astina.
Breaking it would cause her heart to burst, so she dared not act on her impulses.
Jefrin began to channel her mana.
"When the spell is cast, you'll lose consciousness and enter the dreams of the person next to you. When you wake up, you'll find yourself within that dream."
Her mana fluctuated increasingly.
"When you open your eyes, he'll be right there. How he appears depends on his desires, probably in the way he desires to be seen."
Jefrin explained, laughing lightly.
And then, she chanted.
"Dream Intervention."
Jefrin's mana surged, emitting a brilliant light.
It entered Astina's mind, with a glow also emanating from the hand of Rudy that Astina was holding.
Grinning, Jefrin spoke.
"Have a pleasant dream."
As her words echoed, Astina felt her consciousness fading.
"Please come back safely…"
And then, Luna's voice was heard.
With that, Astina's awareness snapped, and everything went dark.
"Ugh…"
She groaned, feeling a throbbing headache.
Slowly, Astina sat up, looking around,
"Where is this…"
According to Jefrin, she'd be in a dream, and Rudy Astria would be in front of her.
Scanning her surroundings, she mumbled,
"Huh?"
A loud horn blared.
"Wow, look at her! Is that some sort of cosplay?"
"Check out her hair color!"
Murmurs filled the air around her, accompanied by the sounds of horns.
She spotted towering… structures?
Her eyes widened in surprise,
"Where… am I?"
Just then, a voice from in front of her spoke,
"…Astina?"
"Rudy?"
Astina called out Rudy's name and looked in the direction of the voice.
The tone was unmistakably Rudy's.
But…
"…What?"
Astina stared in disbelief.
Before her stood a tall adult male with black hair... dressed in a suit.
With a dazed expression, Astina asked,
"Who are you?"
In this unfamiliar place, confronted with this unfamiliar person, numerous questions swirled in Astina's mind.
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