Chapter ss31: Side Story 31 - Dream in a Dream (31)

A ray of light shone on the lifeless pair of eyes before slowly disappearing. How scary and cold it must've been? How much they must've despised me? My child's eyes looked at me. My wife's eyes slowly closed as she held onto our child. I can still see their eyes the moment the embers of their lives had been snuffed out.

The palace collapsed and the ground caved in. Many died a horrible death and their mangled corpses littered the floor. Their blood formed a stream that flowed into the abyss.

Amid this chaos no different from hell was the princess covered in blood and flesh. My lady that I swore to protect with my life...

I gave up everything to save her. I abandoned my wife and child, crushed by debris, to save the princess...

***

Lancaster stared at the single ray of light shining into his dark room. It made him reminisce about the painful past.

"Begone, light."

The light disappeared with his command and the surroundings returned to darkness again.

His consciousness drifted and he could feel the long-awaited day growing closer. Everyone who died would come back to life and he would right the awful tragedy that happened. He would smash the cogwheels of fate that ran askew and replace them with new ones.

Lancaster was prepared to sacrifice his life for the greater good. The knight untainted by despair and agony would reappear as long as he crushed his corrupted soul. He had to preserve his consciousness for this reason. He would embed his consciousness into those eyes that watched as he abandoned them.

Lancaster slowly sunk.

The young princess was still there in that cozy place like a dream. The lifeless bodies of his wife and child also resided there.

He only hoped that everything could restart in this dream. Everyone's pain would be buried within this neverending dream and they could all be happy again.

The flowers that bloomed that day looked particularly beautiful.

He wouldn't waste this last chance.

***

Galatine unleashed a bright light as the water spirit compressed to its fullest and the sword's amplified sharpness threatened to cut anything in its path.

Shwaaa...

Rachel swung Galatine and the powerful aura surrounding her sword froze the air.

This slashing and freezing became the most lethal combination she could create using both her swordsmanship and spirit.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Yoo Yeonha watched from the sidelines and clapped. Rachel called back her spirit and the glow surrounding Galatine disappeared.

"Excellent," Yoo Yeonha's voice echoed as if in a tunnel.

Their current environment did resemble one. They failed to find a suitable place to train, so they decided to go underground. In other words, they returned to the sewers.

Rachel's spirit purified the water and air, which made the sewers much cleaner than the surface.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I'm certain the necklace amplified your spirit powers."

Yoo Yeonha made an observation and Rachel nodded.

Rachel had grown 1.5 to 2 times stronger after receiving the necklace.

"I wonder where he found something like that..." Yoo Yeonha muttered while looking at the necklace around Rachel's neck. Rachel wondered the same.

Who would've thought that someone could become so much more powerful after wearing just a necklace? Also, where in the world did he find something like that? Lastly, why did he give it to her of all people?

"Hmm... I'll have to go back up for now. Will you be training more?" Yoo Yeonha asked.

"Yes, I'll train just a bit longer," Rachel replied.

"Well, I bet you're having a ton of fun thanks to that necklace. Anyways, see you later."

Yoo Yeonha climbed up the ladder.

"Hoo..."

Rachel sat in a lotus position after being left alone. She relaxed her mind before slowly taking deep breaths. Her breathing method became more effective in the sewers than on the surface because she grew closer to the ground.

Shwiiii...

The sewage water slowly rose as if reacting to her breathing. It gathered around her before shooting up like a geyser and lifting her off the ground.

A small thought distracted her when she almost took full control of the spirit.

"Ah..."

Shwaaaak!

The water spirit dispersed once she lost her concentration and the pillar of water collapsed as well. She fell into the sewage water, which was too clean to be called sewage water.

Rachel remained still and floated in the water with her cheeks flushed red.

"..."

She fiddled with the necklace while thinking of someone.

Did he prepare this necklace just for her? Did he really really really prepare something like this for her? Like, really really really really for her?

She covered her face after feeling embarrassed over nothing. The cool water splashed on her, but her face still felt hot. Even her heart began to act up.

Did she catch a disease somewhere or get poisoned too?

Rachel placed her hands on her chest and tightly closed her eyes. She tried to calm her breathing and her heart, but to no avail.

"What's going on..." She muttered before giving up and floating in the water with her arms and legs stretched out. She blankly stared at the ceiling while floating.

The gently splashing water and the cool breeze over her face made her eyelids grow heavy.

"..."

A dream slowly came to her in this peaceful scenery and she closed her eyes.

***

[Pinnacle Rank External Injury Healing Potion]

[Royal Armband]

[Paper Crane]

[Great Magic Scroll]

[Magic Scroll...]

"These are what we have."

Yoo Yeonha opened the sack they received from the royal palace.

It contained numerous useful artifacts enchanted with effects like magic power amplification and magic resistance. They also received a pinnacle rank healing potion and magic scrolls.

"That day is in February, right?" Yoo Yeonha asked while putting on the armband.

"Yes," Rachel briefly replied.

"Hmm... As you know... we're severely lacking in firepower with just the two of us. I'm certain their army will number in the thousands at least. We won't be able to face them alone," Yoo Yeonha said.

She made a fair point. Rachel couldn't possibly face an army of more than a thousand no matter how much her powers had been amplified.

"Even if we have excellent equipment... Wow, this is really good," Yoo Yeonha interrupted herself after coming across the capes from the royal palace.

Rachel picked one up and wore it too. "It even has a gliding function."

"I know. It seems they spared no efforts in supporting us. Also, the design is quite pretty. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, it looks luxurious."

"That's right. It looks like a branded item befitting the royal family. I won't look tacky wearing this in Seoul later, right?"

They merrily chatted over the capes and suddenly became silent. Then, they went back to the main topic.

"Can you trust Marcus?" Yoo Yeonha asked.

Rachel couldn't easily reply.

Marcus declared that he was a double agent, but he could be a triple agent or even a quadruple agent for all she knew.

"He hinted at something when he mentioned that he would open the door. It sounded as if he would open a backdoor so we could immediately fight Lancaster without facing his minions, right?"

They had a chance if Marcus sincerely helped them. Rachel's abilities had been greatly amplified, so she could face Lancaster one-on-one now.

"How are you related to Marcus?" Yoo Yeonha asked.

Rachel bit her lips before weakly replying, "Marcus lost his parents at the Hampton Palace incident."

Yoo Yeonha furrowed her brows, "You accepted him into your guild despite knowing that?"

"Because he did nothing wrong. That wasn't his fault," Rachel replied.

She even sponsored Marcus' tuition fees at Cube.

Yoo Yeonha sighed before suddenly exclaiming, "Ah! I have a great idea!"

She proceeded to tear up the bedsheet and Rachel flinched at her sudden action.

Yoo Yeonha tied the pieces here and there to form something like an animal.

"What are you doing?"

"Can't you tell? I'm making a vessel for your spirit."

"Huh? Ah!"

Rachel finally realized it after some time.

Yoo Yeonha placed a bird on top of the bed after tying the final knot. It looked quite detailed despite being made from a bed sheet.

"Now, try infusing your spirit into this."

"But I've never tried before—"

"It's alright. Your teacher was an expert at this, right? I'm certain you can do it too."

"..."

"Hurry up. What we need most right now is someone to scout for us."

As Yoo Yeonha said, they desperately needed to scout the enemy since they didn't have any information.

Rachel sighed at the bird. She had only heard of this difficult technique and never attempted it before. She had never even seen it accomplished in person.

However, she felt confident thanks to the necklace's power.

Rachel closed her eyes and summoned her spirit. Then she infused it into the bird on the table. She chose the wind spirit and needed something to act as a link between her consciousness and the spirit.

She focused as hard as she could for a few minutes and the bird finally flapped its wings.

"Ah!" Yoo Yeonha exclaimed in surprise, but Rachel ignored her and only focused on the bird.

The bird flapping its wings soon linked with Rachel and the infused wind spirit cried out.

"Kiuuuuu!"

"Ugh..."

"Are you alright?"

Rachel staggered and Yoo Yeonha rushed over to catch her while intently observing the bird.

"Kiuuuu! Kiuuuu!"

The silvery bird looked beautiful. Fine dust spread out as it flapped its wings, which proved that the spirit had been successfully linked.

***

Rachel also sent a spirit rat along with the spirit bird to the Hampton Palace.

A saying went that the bird eavesdropped during the day while the rat eavesdropped during the night. This proved to be true as the bird and rat completed their reconnaissance mission. They not only retrieved information regarding the palace's interior, but they also brought back information regarding Lancaster's minions guarding the place.

Rachel drew a blueprint of the palace based on the information her spirits retrieved.

"Right here. This is the only spot that's different from the Hampton Palace's original design."

She pointed at a passage beneath the palace floors with a pen.

It seemed to be the door that Marcus said he would open.

Yoo Yeonha rubbed her chin. "Then I guess this will be our destination and Lancaster is probably in there?"

"That should be the case if we go by Marcus' words... and trust him."

"Well, what can we do? We don't have any other options than to believe him, right? That's the best we can do now."

Yoo Yeonha tapped on the blueprint.

"Hmm... I guess we'll have to dig as well to get there..."

Rachel nodded in agreement.

Lancaster's minions guarded various paths to the Hampton Palace according to their new information, which meant any normal route would be no different from rushing head-first into a fire.

"Let's change our hideout first. It's simply too dangerous to stay in the same place. We should use the sewers as our hideout from now on."

"Yes, but I will carry Hajin—"

"I know. I never said anything about touching him. Go ahead."

"No... That's not what I meant..."

The duo brought Kim Hajin along and went down to the sewers, which they already grew quite familiar with.

Yoo Yeonha made a makeshift bed and Rachel placed him on top.

"Hmm... This place gives off a camping vibe. You know, setting up a tent beside a stream?"

The sewers became more of a natural garden thanks to the spirits that made the stream crystal clear and the fresh air had no hints of any pungent smell.

Yoo Yeonha smirked and set up a meeting table on top of the stream.

"Now, let us—"

A sinister vibration shook from somewhere when she prepared to start their meeting.

Badum...

Rachel immediately took out Galatine while Yoo Yeonha took a few steps back.

Badum... Badum... Badum...

The sound seemed to be coming from nearby.

"W-What is it?" Yoo Yeonha asked while nervously gulping.

Rachel took a few steps closer towards the sound with her guard up.

Badum...

The sound grew closer.

Badum... Badum...

A dense mana could be felt from where the vibration originated.

Cold sweat formed on Rachel's forehead and she summoned her spirit to scout ahead. The spirit butterfly fluttered its wings and flew towards the vibration.

Rachel closed her eyes and borrowed the spirit's eyes and ears.

Bam! Bam! Grrr... Grrr Waaaah!

Something roared in a beast-like manner and didn't make any sense.

It slaughtered numerous things... but Rachel couldn't get a closer look because the berserk violence swept up her spirit.

She opened her eyes and spoke in a serious tone, "Yeonha, I'll leave Hajin to you."

"Okay," Yoo Yeonha immediately held onto Kim Hajin and prepared to run away if anything happened.

"Who are you?" Rachel asked as she raised Galatine. Her sword brightly shone to illuminate the dark sewers.

The light slowly spread throughout the sewers before a figure appeared.

"Strike first and take the initiative!"

The hideous figure screamed and charged at Rachel.

"Euk!"

Rachel instantly swung Galatine and blocked the first strike, but the next strike connected with her chin. The strike came so fast like an uppercut and completely neutralized her in one shot.

Ding!

That was the last sound she heard as her brain shook and struck her skull.