“To help, you mean...?”
“Did you forget? Nowhere but our school holds information about Dreamland. Naturally, the parts about the depths of Dreamland you’re looking for are there as well.”
“You know much about Dreamland’s depths?”
“Not at all. But I’ve been told countless times by the elders how dangerous it is.”
Julia lightly twirled a lock of her long hair with her fingertips.
“The depths are a place even the most seasoned dream-walkers refuse to step into. The moment you enter, your unconscious devours your consciousness, leaving you wandering endlessly between dream and reality. And what’s even more frightening is—that’s only a tiny fraction of what’s known.”
Her voice carried a gravity unusual for her.
“Of course, I’ve only heard about it. I’ve never seen it myself.”
“You’ve never felt curiosity about it?”
“I have, once or twice. But after reading countless documents and encountering information myself, I realized—some things should never be touched out of mere curiosity. For me, Dreamland’s depths are exactly that. So don’t brush off my warning.”
Ludger didn’t reply.
Julia shook her head, not expecting him to.
“Even if I say all this, you won’t listen, will you?”
“I’m well aware of the danger.”
“Yes, I know. So consider that my token warning.”
“Token warning, is it...”
“When someone shows too much interest in this subject, our school always tells us to issue such cautions.”
She truly had only passed along a warning.
Ludger gave her a complicated look. Was that a warning at all, or should he praise her for at least doing as instructed?
“So how do you intend to help me?”
“There’s only one thing I can do—introduce you to someone who knows the information you seek.”
“You mean the mages of the Dreaming School.”
“Who else?”
“If I approach them seeking knowledge of the depths, won’t they be angry?”
“I warned you, didn’t I? That’s where my role ends. No one said I had to stop you by force, so I won’t be scolded.”
“With that attitude, you’ll probably be scolded anyway.”
Julia gave a short snort.
Even after disregarding the elders’ warnings, she showed no sign of worry.
“Whatever they say, I’ll let it go in one ear and out the other. They don’t mean it wholeheartedly. In fact, if I introduce you, they’ll probably like it.”
Ludger blinked in surprise.
“Like it?”
“They preach that one mustn’t do dangerous things, always warning others to be careful. But the moment someone actually seeks danger, their interest flares instead of cooling.”
“That doesn’t make sense. They warned you, yet secretly wish otherwise?”
“That’s about right. Everyone there is like that. Eccentric, contradictory, their words never quite match their actions.”
“...That—”
Ludger looked at her strangely.
Julia scowled, sensing his suspicion.
“What?”
“...Nothing.”
“Hmph. Of course, since I’m part of the Dreaming School too, I know I’m not exempt from that description.”
“So you’re aware.”
Julia glared at him sharply.
“...Anyway! The mages of the Dreaming School are all idealists. From their perspective, you’d be a welcome guest, Professor Ludger. Someone risking danger to explore the depths? They’d never be able to resist.”
That was unexpected.
He’d thought that even with Julia’s introduction, they’d slam the door in his face. But to be welcomed instead?
Judging by Julia’s tone, she wasn’t lying.
And he had heard rumors in the mage world of the Dreaming School’s eccentric ways.
‘So the tales weren’t just exaggerations. If Julia herself says so, then they really are that bizarre.’
Either way, the chance he thought he’d lost was now before him again.
“So, will you go? I’ll ask you one last time—as a warning.”
Julia had already warned him once, yet she warned him again.
That alone showed how perilous this matter was.
But even so—
It was not something Ludger could refuse.
“I’ll go at once.”
* * *
Sedina had arrived at the elves’ homeland, the Forest of Life.
This time she hadn’t been kidnapped or flown in by airship—she had entered openly, through the forest’s gate.
The fragrance of nature, the voices of trees and grass—everything filled her with the feeling that she had finally returned home.
Coming from a city of smoke and steam, this freshness felt both welcome and strange.
‘Huh?’
Sedina widened her eyes.
Normally, elves would appear to welcome her, but the forest was oddly quiet.
‘What’s going on...’
A strange unease crept over her.
Had something happened during her absence?
Her steps quickened.
The first place she had to go was the Burke family estate, where Aunt Ambella resided.
As guardians of the forest, they had established strongholds beginning right at the entrance. Among them, the Burke estate stood at the foremost line.
That meant it was the most dangerous in war, [N O V E L I G H T] but also the first reachable by visitors.
The forest wind carried Sedina’s body lightly forward.
Her will alone—to reach somewhere—was enough for the forest to respond.
Trees and grass parted to open the path, rocks moved aside.
Spirits pushed at her back, speeding her along.
It was no exaggeration to say the forest itself loved her.
‘Please, let nothing have happened.’
Soon, Sedina reached the Burke family estate.
Prepared for war, the estate was built like a fortress—so much so it was nicknamed Forest Fort.
On the walls of reinforced wood stood guards.
The moment they saw Sedina, their eyes went wide.
“Wh-what?”
“Excuse me!”
Sedina dashed straight toward the walls.
Before the elves could even call to stop her—
Craack.
The wall split apart as if alive, opening a path.
An impenetrable wall, immune even to firebombs or anti-air cannons, parted on its own.
The guards could only gape.
Sedina sprinted through and entered the estate grounds.
She knew the layout from her previous visit.
She ran toward the place where the strongest life force gathered.
“Aunt Ambella!”
Throwing open the door, she found Ambella staring at her in shock.
“Sedina? How did you...?”
“Are you alright? No one was at the entrance, so I rushed straight here.”
“No one at the entrance?”
“I was worried something had happened to you, Aunt...”
To Sedina’s surprise, Ambella was calmly seated in her office.
She’d thought something dire had happened—but apparently not.
“Didn’t you send word you were coming?”
“I did. But Sedina, did you check the date?”
“What?”
“...The appointment was for tomorrow.”
“...Oh.”
Sedina realized belatedly she had arrived a day earlier than planned.
“Um, I... came sooner than expected.”
Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
Ambella watched, then chuckled.
“Early is good. Welcome. I’ll have to tell Lord Dentis our little troublemaker arrived a day ahead.”
Though she joked, Ambella couldn’t help but admire Sedina inwardly.
‘For a moment, she was sure something had happened to me. Did she sense it?’
Sedina must have felt faint traces still lingering in the forest—the traces left by a demon.
That unease had driven her here in haste.
It turned out to be a false alarm.
But only on the surface.
‘That Zero Order...’
Ambella remembered that day.
The man who introduced himself as Zero Order had appeared before her and Vierno like a mirage.
The moment they saw him, they knew—this being was no human, and no elf could hope to match his power.
If he had wished, he could have slain them both where they stood.
‘But he didn’t.’
On the contrary, he had come to thank them.
‘Ventmin... That ruthless one had actually allied with such a monster.’
Ventmin had been one of Zero Order’s subordinates—a First Order.
Yet instead of fulfilling her duties, she had betrayed him, seeking to monopolize the World Tree’s power and dominate the continent.
To Zero Order, that was rebellion. Ambella and Vierno had taken care of it for him.
He had spoken of it lightly, but Ambella had found no humor in it.
‘A being who commands even the head of Lifret...’
And he had openly declared himself a demon.
That alone was shocking.
Demons never proclaimed what they were.
Considering how dangerous demons were, the elves should have attacked him immediately.
Yet they couldn’t.
Because of the words he left behind.
—You must prepare for war.
Prepare for war.
It was not something to say to those who had just ended civil strife.
But Ambella and Vierno had found themselves unable to refute.
His voice carried certainty.
More puzzling still was—why would a demon warn them of future danger?
Weren’t demons meant only to bring chaos?
Did he somehow gain by giving them this warning?
‘What is he plotting? What does he want?’
Ambella could not grasp his intent.
Even after he vanished, she stayed shut in her office for days, burying herself in work to keep from dwelling on his words.
But the harder she tried not to think, the clearer the memory grew.
She knew why.
Because she too could faintly sense the coming unrest.
‘Prepare for war, he said...’
Ambella gazed at Sedina, who stammered excuses, face flushed with embarrassment.
To protect the forest, what mattered most was Sedina—the one who could command the World Tree.
If war truly came, the burden would fall upon her shoulders.
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
Ambella ground her teeth.
Even if war came, she would fight in Sedina’s place.
All she wanted—was for this girl never to fight again.
* * *
Ludger arrived with Julia at the Dreaming School’s residence.
Though rooted in the Empire, they didn’t live in a mage tower. Instead, they rented a mansion in the city, living clustered together.
For mages, it was unusually open.
The mansion was spacious, with even a courtyard, yet looked quiet, as though no one maintained it.
“No one’s here?”
There were many Dreaming School mages, yes—but only compared to other peculiar branches. They were still few.
The mansion was so silent anyone would think as Ludger did.
“They’re all here. No—definitely here.”
Julia sounded certain.
“It’s quiet.”
“They’re probably asleep.”
“Asleep...”
Given they were Dreamwalkers, that strangely made sense.
Julia stopped before the great doors and knocked lightly.
“Elders, I’m here. Open up.”
After a moment, a voice called from inside.
“And who might ‘I’ be?”
It was the voice of an old man.
“It’s me. Julia.”
“Julia? Who’s that?”
“Don’t play games. Open the door.”
Julia’s face creased with irritation.
“Hm? Oh! I remember. That little brat who never once visited us after entering Seorn?”
“...What nonsense. Just open up.”
“Not nonsense. If you’re not the Julia we know, we can’t open the door.”
Julia finally lost her patience.
Bang!
“Ugh, I said open!”