Chapter 35


Conra opened his eyes. The first thing that came into view was an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. He slowly sat up, feeling the feather blanket that had been covering him slip away. He blinked blankly.

“Conra, you’re finally awake?”

At the gentle voice in his ear, Conra slowly turned his gaze. It was a familiar voice. As expected, there stood his revered master.

Even though over ten years had passed since they first met, his master was still beautiful. In fact, her mature charm, now in her thirties, blended with her innate grace and elegance, making her even more captivating.

“Hmm, seeing you sleep in so uncharacteristically, yesterday’s training must have been quite tough. Should we adjust today’s schedule a bit?”

“No, it’s fine, Master. If I can’t even manage my condition properly, I can’t call myself your disciple.”

The ‘young man’ Conra spoke firmly, thumping his chest. And so, that day, and the next, passed like any other.

Guided by the spirit Gabrielle, they helped the weak and innocent, vanquished evil, thwarted demonic schemes, and explored various dungeons. They trained and honed their skills daily, occasionally enjoying sweet breaks.

In his twenties, Conra spent another five years traveling with Sophia.

They achieved many feats, and epics praising her and her disciple spread across the world.

By now, Conra’s spear skills had matured to a level unmatched by anyone except his master. Holding the pride of defeating many foes, he still didn’t boast, continuing his unwavering journey of training. He hadn’t surpassed his master yet, and he couldn’t afford to be complacent.

One day, Sophia asked Conra:

“During your travels, has there been any lady who caught your heart, or anyone you’ve set your heart on? I’m starting to worry, seeing as you’ve been a bachelor for so long.”

Conra thought for a moment. At twenty-five, he was a bit late for marriage. Some of his peers who married early probably had children around the age he was when he first started following Sophia.

But Conra shook his head at Sophia’s question. He had never given his heart to anyone during his travels. There was a clear reason for this.

“If I marry and settle down, I won’t be able to travel with you anymore, Master.”

As he said this, Conra glanced at his master, expecting a touched expression. But what awaited him was not her usual gentle smile…

[Tsk tsk, what a year for nonsense.]

*Thwack!*

It was a familiar flick to the forehead. The ‘boy’ Conra’s vision momentarily filled with stars and turned white.

+++++

Hildegard’s childhood was as comfortable as anyone could wish for. Though from a fallen noble family, her father, skilled in farm management and trade, had overcome difficult circumstances and become a self-made success.

In the city where their trade headquarters were located, Hildegard’s family was treated on par with other nobles, and in the village where their farm was, Hildegard was considered a precious young lady.

Despite this, the lively Hildegard spent her days playing with village children, running through mountains and fields. Though a beautiful young lady distinct from the village kids, her innate strength and somewhat bold, fierce nature eventually made her the leader of the village children.

One day, while pondering what to play with the kids, her father returned to the village from the city on business. Hildegard, seeing her father’s face after so long, immediately ran barefoot into his arms.

“Daddy!”

“Oh, my princess! Did you miss Daddy?”

“Yes, so much!”

As they walked home, chatting about why he took so long and when he’d leave again, Hildegard’s mother looked at her sternly.

“Hildegard, didn’t I tell you not to run around barefoot?”

“…Yes, you did.”

“Sigh, I don’t know why a young lady like you acts so much like a boy.”

“Now, now, don’t be so hard on her. It’s fine for our princess to run around a bit.”

“You, be quiet! It’s because you spoil her that she’s so unruly!”

Even as she was scolded by her mother, those moments were precious and happy for Hildegard.

Watching young Hildegard spend peaceful times with her family, the nun knight Hildegard stood silently. Her expression was a complex mix of warmth, longing, melancholy, resignation, and lingering attachment.

But young Hildegard’s peaceful days were soon shattered.

Amidst flames engulfing the village, young Hildegard trembled, hiding in the underground cellar. A calamity of evil had struck the village, and the village lacked the strength to withstand it, crumbling under the disaster.

The burning village. Monsters slaughtering the villagers. At the center, a creature resembling a human but with a grotesque, eerie appearance, smiling chillingly as it watched the scene. Emitting a sinister aura, the demon plunged the village into a pit of calamity.

Watching this, a black flame of hatred and beast-like killing intent surged violently within Hildegard. Even though it was a past event, just a memory, why did this scene shake her so?

Struggling to resist the urge to grab her halberd and charge at the demon, a voice echoed in Hildegard’s mind.

{Why are you holding back? Isn’t it hateful? The enemy before your eyes.}

“Is it you? Showing me this damned scene.”

{So, what will you do?}

“I was just thinking. If I ever see the one showing me this scene, I’ll tear them to pieces and feed them to the dogs.”

{Hah, you? Do you even know where you are?}

“Well, judging by the looks of it, it’s some dream space or something, right? Even paladins train in lucid dreaming, you know.”

As Hildegard said, paladins, knight templars, and nun knights all knew how to handle lucid dreaming. Some demons attacked through dreams, so this training was necessary to counter them.

Especially when a sentient being sleeps, their consciousness forgets their real self and lives another life in the dream world. No matter how strong a knight templar or nun knight is while awake, they become extremely vulnerable in this state. Lucid dreaming training was to prevent this, allowing them to remain themselves even in dreams.

{True. Despite being caught in my dream demon spell, you haven’t fully synchronized with your younger self, thanks to that training. But you’re still far off. You think this place is somewhere in the dream world, but that’s not the case.}

“What?”

{Heh, it’s a bit bothersome to explain. Let’s just say it’s something like this.}

Before Hildegard could react, a strange pressure, as if pinned by scissors, bound her movements. Then, before her eyes, the scene of her younger self living happy, peaceful days unfolded.

Time passed, and the village burned again, the hateful enemy appearing once more. The happy memories played out again, time passed, and the village burned again. And again. And again.

“Stop, damn it, stop! Enough!”

Even as Hildegard screamed with a strained voice, the other ignored her, repeating the scene. The whites of Hildegard’s wide eyes were bloodshot, turning red.

“Bastard! I’ll feed you to the dogs! Damn it, damn it! I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you!”

{Hoh, still resisting? Quite the spirit. But how long can you hold out?}

“I’ll hold out as long as it takes! You asked if the enemy is hateful? It is! I hate them to the point of madness! That’s why I swore!”

To leave no trace of demons and witches, those who feed on the blood and sorrow of the innocent, on this land.

For a moment, light power surged through Hildegard’s entire body. Hatred with clear direction, righteous and just anger, gave rise to a violent light, sharp as thorns of pain.

“Ariel! Are you watching!? Come here now!”

{It’s useless. This is neither reality nor the dream world, but my world. No matter what you do, you can’t escape on your own.}

Despite Hildegard’s unprecedented brightness, the voice, though slightly anxious, still doubted her superiority, when another voice intervened.

[Oh? What if I help?]

{What!?}

“This voice!?”

At the familiar voice, Hildegard’s eyes scanned the surroundings. But she saw nothing.

[Don’t look with your eyes. I’m not in a realm perceivable by the five senses. Focus on your inner senses. Ariel has just entered your body, so I’ll guide you to sense that connection.]

Following the voice’s owner, Sophia’s words, Hildegard nodded inwardly and closed her eyes, focusing on her inner senses. Soon, she felt a familiar connection, and a fierce smile spread across her lips.

“Hah, you witch. You’ve had your fun toying with people. This time, I’ll show you what I’m really made of.”

Soon, Hildegard’s vision was also filled with bright light.

+++++

In the darkness, Sophia clicked her tongue.

[I admit. You’re quite something.]

In the empty darkness, Sophia’s applause echoed. Then, a voice filled with doubt from the formless witch came.

{…What’s going on? My dream demon spell steals a passage to the dream world, recreating the dream realm. No human should be able to escape it. How are they maintaining their consciousness without being trapped in the dream?}

[Oh? Curious?]

In the darkness, the formless Sophia smiled, lifting her invisible lips.

[All is impermanent, and there is no eternity. No self, no other, no form, no emptiness. Have you heard of this?]

Suddenly, Sophia spoke to the witch Farelina. Like a teacher testing a student or a professor laying groundwork before a lesson, Sophia spoke with a peculiar nuance. But Farelina couldn’t understand her words. Not that she wanted to.

More importantly, at this moment, Sophia’s presence within the dream demon’s world was completely unnoticed. Inside, yet not inside. This bizarre situation shouldn’t be possible for Farelina, the spell’s caster and master.

This dream demon’s world, created and maintained by Farelina’s spell, was her own world. Within it, no being or event should escape her awareness.

{What nonsense are you spouting…?}

[Hmm. You don’t know. I thought you might understand, given you meddle with spells connecting to the dream world. But it seems you don’t.]

{What?}

Suddenly, a golden light bloomed in the dark space.

[In the realm where there is no form, no emptiness, no birth, no death, no suffering, no attachment, only then can this mind technique manifest. The true emptiness, the home of all dharmas.]

*Kiiing.*

Farelina instinctively felt it. That was dangerous. She couldn’t let that light manifest. Clearly, that light was Sophia’s true form, unnoticed by her. And at this moment, as a demon’s servant, Farelina and her dream demon’s barrier were in extreme opposition to that existence.

[Upon awakening to the light power in this life, this mind technique’s function changed somewhat. But its fundamental principle remains unchanged.]

But even realizing this, Farelina could do nothing. All she could do was watch helplessly.

A technique that shatters all sorcery and illusions like pottery, banishing evil and vain existences to where they belong, the ultimate fusion of Taoist and Buddhist teachings. Named the Vajra Bright King Immovable Lord, before this mind technique’s light, sorcery and illusions held no power.

The golden light illuminated the dark curtain. Cutting through darkness, delusion, dreams, and the spell-woven world, it cleaved the space itself.

Soon, the world beyond the curtain revealed itself. And Conra, Hildegard, and Sophia opened their eyes simultaneously. Before them, the witch-turned-demon Farelina was crawling on the ground, trying to escape.