am-books Chapter 65
Chapter 65
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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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 to last 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 their comrades without hesitation to save themselves.
‘For example, scum like the Black 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 your comrades just to survive.
But why?
Why do men like this still roam freely, wreaking havoc on innocent lives?
“Speak.”
Summoning an almost superhuman patience to keep himself from accidentally 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 most compassionate, 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 had come back from the dead.
“What do you mean the Great Emperor will return?”
“Kuh, kuhuh...”
The man raised one hand and stared at his blackened 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 asleep last night, the two curses must have clashed.’
And in that clash, the stronger curse must have prevailed.
Naturally, the stronger curse would be the one that had already been placed on him.
A curse cast over 5,000 people versus one cast on a single person—there was no comparison.
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 minutes later, 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.
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 discomfort.
“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 docile lamb, 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 constantly lash 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 dream last night.”
“For the last time, he’s not my boyfriend!”
Flustered, Veronica glared 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 my late 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 explaining.
“A corrupted entity is like an automated system created by the Nightmare Baron. It can’t execute commands 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.
[Translator - Night]
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