Rederbelk was in a state of emergency.
The Dream Sand had vanished, and while the incident had ended, the damage remained.
Many people woke from their slumber, but just as many did not.
At first, joy over survival had come to the forefront, but that was quickly drowned out by the grief of losing loved ones, weighing the city down in sorrow.
“This is a headache.”
In the mayor’s office of Rederbelk, the First Princess Aileen clicked her tongue at the endlessly rising pile of paperwork.
Barely a day had passed since the end of the incident, yet the reports stacked so high they filled an entire side of the large room.
It was proof of how serious this disaster had been.
‘At least relief supplies are being distributed as quickly as possible.’
But the horror of the event left the city in turmoil.
Some who had awakened from the dream could not grasp reality.
Incidents piled up in the hundreds where people muttered that they were still dreaming, causing chaos as they tried to “wake up.”
Violence and looting broke out everywhere, and citizens cowered in fear.
Outside, guards, police, and knights were doing their best to maintain order, but manpower was short.
With unrest erupting all across the city, handling every case was simply impossible.
Even the normally complacent mayor had taken to the streets to reassure people directly—though part of that was because he felt uneasy being in the same room as the First Princess.
‘There is one area strangely quiet.’
Aileen’s eyes moved to the map of Rederbelk covering an entire wall.
It was dotted with red pins, each marking an incident of violence in the city.
And those were only the most serious—if every incident were marked, the map would have been drowned in red.
But there was one area with noticeably fewer pins.
‘That street from that day.’
Royal Street.
Once an abandoned slum, it had been transformed when an unknown wealthy man invested heavily in it.
The filthy, crime-ridden neighborhood had disappeared, replaced with the most affluent street in all of Rederbelk.
“I wonder what that man is doing right now.”
As a teacher of Seorn, he surely had matters of his own to handle.
While thinking this, Aileen glanced toward the door of the mayor’s office.
“Enter.”
At her natural command, the door opened.
“The sword of Your Highness, Passius, has returned from his mission.”
“There’s no need to put on airs when no one is watching. Speak as you normally do.”
“Haha, you’re right. I prefer it this way too. Still, you never know who might be listening—it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“Listening ears, hm...”
Aileen’s gaze sharpened.
“What news?”
“The Theocracy of Bretus has moved. A dispatch is already on its way to this city.”
“The scale?”
“The largest yet. I’ve heard that the vanguard has already crossed the border. They will arrive soon.”
“Of course. After how little time has passed since the last demon-related disaster, they wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip.”
Even as she spoke, Aileen’s hands did not stop skimming through the paperwork.
Passius let out a wry smile as he watched.
‘These are matters her subordinates would handle anyway.’
Such was royalty.
They only had to lift a finger, and people would rush to take care of everything.
That was power.
But Aileen was different. Call it stubbornness or conviction, but she insisted on handling things personally.
‘Likely because she once felt powerless.’
When no one was there for her, she had nearly been overthrown by the coup within the military.
If not for Ludger that day, the Exilion Empire would be known by another name.
The memory of that helplessness was carved into her bones.
She had keen eyes and a sharp mind, but without hands and feet to match, she had been powerless.
And so, Aileen despised inaction.
Even now, though she was sorting papers, just moments ago she had been touring the streets and directing officials.
But that did not mean she micromanaged everything herself.
‘She knows how to use people flawlessly.’
Her judgment of others was sharp.
At a glance, she could tell their level of ability and what they could handle.
Unlike others who overburdened or underutilized their people, Aileen assigned tasks precisely at the limit of their capability.
There was no room to complain of impossibility, because her judgment was rarely wrong.
Passius had never once seen her fail in this regard.
She could squeeze the last drop of ink from a dried squid.
That was why he, too, suffered countless hardships as her guard knight.
‘And yet, knowing all that, I chose to follow her.’
Passius shook his head with a sigh.
“There are too many witnesses from this incident. We won’t be able to stop rumors from spreading.”
“You mean the Demon of Dreams. With thousands of people saying the same thing, it can only be true. A perfect justification for the Bretus Theocracy to act. What about the local branch of the Church?”
“We’ve been watching their movements closely, but for now, they remain still.”
“Still?”
Aileen stroked her chin, suspicious.
“Strange. Isn’t Priestess Remria here in the city? With her rank, she should have acted already.”
“Perhaps they feel at a disadvantage and are waiting for reinforcements. After all, Commander Lutus and Archmage Clinton are here in this city.”
“Perhaps. Still, it bothers me.”
Just then came a knock on the door.
When Aileen granted permission, one of the guards entered with a troubled face.
The guard knelt before her.
“What is it?”
“T-the thing is...”
“Stop dithering and speak.”
“P-priestess Remria... has come, asking to see Your Highness.”
“The priestess?”
Passius was startled.
Until moments ago, the Lumenis branch in Rederbelk had shown no sign of movement.
They had been busy tending their own many casualties from the disaster.
And now Remria had appeared?
“How many with her?”
The guard’s voice trembled with disbelief.
“S-she came alone.”
“What? A priestess of her standing, without attendants?”
In Bretus, a priestess held high rank.
Wherever she went, a shadow of attendants followed—an entire force of high priests and paladins.
Aileen’s thoughts spun.
‘Did she sneak out? Or is this a ploy to lower our guard?’
Either way, there was no point overthinking. She gave her order.
“Bring her. We can’t leave such a guest waiting.”
“Yes!”
Soon after, Priestess Remria entered the mayor’s office, guided by the guard.
“Oh my.”
With a tiara over her eyes, she smiled brightly, looking every bit a carefree princess from a fairy tale.
Aileen disliked that smile.
Whether it was feigned or genuine, she could not tell.
But one thing was certain—Remria was the very opposite of Aileen.
“It’s a pleasure. We meet again.”
“Spare me the idle chatter. State your business.”
Aileen’s fierce aura pressed down on her.
But Remria’s smile did not falter.
“I’ve come to make you a good offer.”
“A good offer, hm. You sound as if you’re trying to proselytize.”
“Fufu. No, truly, I mean a good offer. As you know, this city has just gone through a great ordeal.”
“And?”
“Soon, people from my homeland will arrive. Won’t that be inconvenient for Your Highness? I thought to offer my help.”
“Help offered out of nowhere sounds suspicious.”
“Don’t be so harsh. Of course, I have my own interests too. Still, how about it? I can’t stop them forever, but I could buy you some time.”
Aileen tapped the desk with her finger.
She wondered why Remria was doing this, but the calculation of what could be gained mattered more.
“For now, I can promise this much: our Lumenis Church will not infringe on the Empire’s rights. This incident is too large to ignore, but we have no intent to act with force.”
“Could you, if you wished?”
At Aileen’s provocation, Remria only smiled.
“So what do you want in return?”
“Only one thing. There’s a being in this city that requires our attention.”
“A being?”
“Yes. Someone our Church has hunted for a very long time is hiding here. All I ask is that you allow us to make contact with them.”
* * *
At the same time.
Elisa Willow, the Headmaster, was troubled over Seorn’s internal state.
“Haa. It’s fortunate that things ended safely, but our academic schedule is ruined.”
Safely—meaning only that Seorn’s students had suffered no casualties.
Outside, Rederbelk was a house of mourning.
The students were no less shaken.
It had not been long since a great incident in the capital, and now this.
And this time, a hair’s breadth could have meant death for all.
For now, the dreamlike unreality kept panic at bay.
‘But once they truly grasp reality, what then...’
Even the teachers meant to reassure them were showing signs of trauma.
Of course.
Most had spent their lives in theory, far from battle.
Now they had fought for their lives.
Survival did not erase the chill down their spines.
‘Still, some are doing well.’
The changes in Selina and Brino were remarkable.
Normally timid and insecure, both had shown striking mental growth since the Dreamland incident.
Not just them—several teachers had matured.
‘Myself included.’
The Dreamland incident had not been only a curse.
But Elisa’s mind was heavy for another reason.
‘Professor Ludger is missing—and with him, the student Rine.’
Rine had always caught Elisa’s eye.
A commoner, yet with striking beauty and an air of mystery.
And her undisclosed mana attribute had piqued Elisa’s curiosity.
Now Rine had vanished, together with Ludger.
Leaving behind only a massive surge of magical energy.
‘By the time I regained my senses and reached the forest entrance...’
Nothing remained but a crater, carved as if gouged by a sharp blade.
At that moment came a knock.
“Who is it?”
“Freuden Ulburk.”
A rather unexpected visitor.
“Enter.”
When permission was given, Freuden stepped into her office.
His expression was as calm as ever, but Elisa sensed a firm resolve in him.
“Freuden. What business brings you here?”
“I have something to tell you about the disappearance of Professor Ludger Cherish and Rine.”
“...You mean, you saw something? Where they went?”
Freuden nodded.
Realizing something extraordinary ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) had occurred, Elisa clasped her hands and rested her chin on them.
Her golden eyes gleamed sharply.
“Tell me. What exactly happened?”