Chapter 53: New Knowledge

After returning to my room, I let out a sigh while stretching my tensed muscles. I had exerted quite a bit of effort thanks to the Archmage's apprentices.

[You've worked hard.]

The Dark Spiritualist appeared, thinking it was finally time for us to have a conversation. Before, I had glared at her several times to stay still, so she avoided talking altogether.

I glanced at her before removing my jacket.

"When Eleanor was asleep, did you see anything?"

To my question, the Dark Spiritualist firmly shook her head.

[Not at all. Do you really think there's an evil spirit? The more I checked, the more I feel that it's not the case.]

"..."

Seeing me stay silent, she subtly moved closer, mimicking an offer to hold my jacket for me. Of course, she wasn't able to physically hold it, so I hung it on the coat rack, disregarding her gesture.

Seemingly annoyed, she crossed her arms and posed a question.

[And you? In this field, you're more of an expert than I am, aren't you?]

I knew that she didn't see anything.

Still, I had to ask.

Because—

"I, too, did not see anything."

There wasn't any presence of an evil spirit or yokai. In fact, I didn't feel anything whatsoever. This was why I suggested to the Princess that maybe if she slept, I might be able to see something.

And yet, I still saw nothing, which left me a bit perplexed.

"..."

Now that I was seated on the chair, I crossed my legs. However, I soon stood up again, since I was yearning for a sip of coffee or tea. The room was equipped with the essential equipment and ingredients: tea leaves, coffee beans, a grinder, and a teapot.

Normally, I would boil tea, but given what happened earlier, I'd likely be pulling an all-nighter, so I started grinding coffee beans.

Krrrrk.

Krrrrk.

As I turned the grip, the coffee's rich aroma playfully teased my nose.

Suddenly, I thought of Findenai.

I once told her not to touch the tea leaves when she prepared tea, because it would somehow taste like pig's urine. But after that, she developed a taste for brewing and kept bringing me more.

All of them tasted atrociously bad.

I bet she's doing well right now.

She might be challenging a high difficultly dungeon, but the team of Aria and Findenai was the best possible combination given their prowess in close combat. My trust in them was absolute.

Yes, all I needed to do was perform well here.

To be able to roam the kingdom proudly as a Necromancer, I needed to resolve this matter.

After brewing my coffee, I sat back down on the chair. The Dark Spiritualist stared at me, seemingly irritated.

[Since you didn't see anything either, do you think it's not related to spirits? I heard the Saintess also failed, so this might not be an issue involving souls but something else.]

"..."

[Does the Princess even have nightmares in the first place? Isn't she just mentally ill? Perhaps she's delusional?]

"...Is there a way to enter someone's dream?"

I felt something was amiss, and thus, wanted to dive into her dreams myself.

To that, the Dark Spiritualist responded with a peculiar expression.

[Is that even possible? Even if by some miracle, you are able to make a soul-to-soul connection, entering dreams is still impossible. After all, we ourselves don't even understand the nature of dreams in the first place.]

"Hmm, you're right."

As I sat, deep in thought, the Dark Spiritualist proposed an idea with a hint of pity in her voice.

[Let's run away at dawn.]

"Hmm?"

Although her sudden statement seemed out of place, she was dead serious.

[This isn't something we can handle. It's not our expertise to begin with. So, let's run away. After all, it's normal for a dark mage to flee.]

"Haah."

She had such needless words and worries. I sipped my coffee, not even deeming her complaints worthy of a response.

Considering that it was brewed by an amateur like me, the flavor and aroma were rather impressive; it was probably due to the good ingredients.

[You shouldn't be so nonchalant like this.]

Just as I decided to address her matters in one go, the door swung open, showing two figures.

It was King Orpheus and the Archmage Ropelican.

Normally, it would be customary for me to seek them out after my session with the Princess. But currently, I was still essentially a prisoner. Now that I had showcased my prowess, defeating a Mage Tribunal Judge, I was considered highly dangerous. They also seemed to prefer keeping me in a prison-like location.

Honestly, it was more comfortable for me, so I didn't actually mind their precautions.

"So, are there any updates?"

King Orpheus immediately asked about my progress with curing the Princess' ailment, a faint glimmer of hope shone in his eyes.

And so, I gave him a straightforward answer.

"This is not related to evil spirits. And just as the Saintess had failed, my necromancy is unable to identify the entity appearing in the Princess' dreams."

"I see..."

[Are... are you out of your mind?!]

This was how the disappointed King Orpheus and startled Dark Spiritualist reacted.

Failing a trial would be linked back to an execution, which probably explained their reactions.

However, I continued speaking.

"But a solution is possible."

"A solution is... possible?"

"Hmm?"

[Eh?]

The King, Archmage, and Dark Spiritualist turned to look at me simultaneously. It was convenient that I was able to explain everything all at once.

"While it is impossible to verify what the entity is, the Princess' dream is the main issue, is it not?"

"Indeed."

"Then, we simply need to eliminate her dreams."

It wasn't a complete solution.

There might be something within the Princess that could lead us into a bigger maze of problems, but resolving the issue at hand was possible.

"Is that feasible?"

I knew that composure instilled trust in the listener, so I calmly replied to King Orpheus' inquiry.

"Yes, it is possible. There are entities in this world different from demonic monsters—ones formed from spiritual concepts."

"Spiritual concepts?"

"It is an exceedingly rare area, you may not be familiar with it. Nonetheless, that is what I plan to use."

In fact, the Human-Bone Centipede created by Maalkus, and Setima's Angel which was formed by wishes, were of this nature.

Yokai and thought forms also materialize from the desires of someone accumulated over time.

"The yokai I intend to create is called Maek, and it is a yokai that consumes nightmares."

I had said it before, but this unique yokai's nose was that of an elephant, its body was that of a bear, and its tail was that of a cow and it had tiger claws. I've heard it referred to as 'Baku'1 in Japan.

When Archmage Ropelican saw that King Orpheus seemed lost in the conversation, he interjected.

"So, you intend to create something based solely on a concept? That is the realm of creation. No matter how you frame it with magic, it's impossible."

He was right.

What I aimed to do resided in the realm of creation.

While the Human-Bone Centipede and Setima's Angel were concepts created through the desires of many, Maek was a concept that only existed in my mind.

"No. While it is challenging, it is not impossible. With the Royal Family's and Archmage's support, we can achieve it."

It was a shot in the dark, but I was confident. I had witnessed a successful attempt in the underground chambers of the Verdi Household.

Moreover, we had access to more skilled mages, superior facilities, and ample resources here.

Additionally.

I possessed Lemegeton.

"We do not need to create it perfectly. If we can just manifest it once, then that would be enough."

I wasn't aiming to craft a flawless creature like the Human-Bone Centipede, but simply a single-use yokai that consumed nightmares.

Both of them seemed skeptical of my idea of dealing with such an undefined field.

But I firmly asserted myself.

"It is to save the Princess of this nation who has suffered for many years. Who will you seek next? Doctors? Priests? No, even the Saintess and I, a Necromancer, have failed."

I turned my gaze at King Orpheus.

His clenched fists already indicated his resolve to save his sister. So, I added fuel to the fire.

"That is the magnitude of the challenge. We must confront the impossible with the impossible."

* * *

After yesterday, the plan rapidly progressed.

On the surface, this research centered around the Archmage. However, I would be leading the initiative.

After all, I was the only one with knowledge and understanding of the yokai called Maek.

Once I finished changing my clothes, I went outside my room. The Archmage's disciples were waiting for me, clearly irritated.

To travel within the castle, I had to have these two by my side.

It was undeniably inconvenient, but it couldn't be helped.

As I walked with these thoughts, Princess Eleanor suddenly appeared from around a corner.

Seeing the princess, both the disciples and I promptly paid our respects. Princess Eleanor, with a hint of awkwardness, cleared her throat and spoke.

"Deus, is this reality?"

"Napoleon Bonaparte, originally a soldier in France, became the Emperor through the coup of the 18th Brumaire."

Having prepared information in advance, I smoothly relayed this to Eleanor. She quickly tilted her head in confusion.

"France? Napoleon? Am I the only one unaware of this?"

When I shrugged my shoulders, she asked the two disciples beside me, and they too shook their heads.

"We... We are also unfamiliar with it."

"It is the first time we have heard of it."

"Hmm, interesting."

The Princess nodded, looking somewhat relieved, and walked past us. She probably thought it was a simple story I had crafted.

Yet, after that, Princess Eleanor kept seeking me out on a whim.

She would appear even during meal times.

"Deus? I think I dozed off for a moment. Is... is this reality?"

"There was a website full of videos called YouTube. I used to frequent it quite often."

"Youtu— What? Vid... what are you talking about?"

And even while conducting research.

"Deus! Is this reality?"

"There is a conjecture called the Theory of Relativity, submitted by Albert Einstein. It is a vital concept that explains the fundamental laws of the universe."

"...I really have no idea what you're talking about."

As evening approached, on my way back to the room—

"Is this reality, Deus?"

"...There is something called a cellphone. It is a versatile device that can take photos, send texts, and make calls."

"Hm, quite the peculiar object."

Eleanor nodded with satisfaction.

As she was about to turn away, I called out to her.

"Princess, do you enjoy listening to these tales?"

"Wha—?!"

Eleanor responded in alarm, fluttering her hands about. Her face turned a bright shade of red.

"I-It's not like that! I genuinely need to verify if this is reality!"

Although she said this, her embarrassed demeanor made me think I had some insight into why she acted the way she did.

Meeting me and being able to immediately discern reality probably brought her relief from her ongoing stress.

And, as if addicted to that sensation, she kept seeking me out.

"I... I'll excuse myself!"

Whoosh!

Watching her swiftly turn and leave, I couldn't help but think I'd be dealing with this quite often.