CH 34

D8.

Dante opened his eyes.

Several times, the sunlight obscured his vision like an afterimage, and what he finally saw was a small house and someone’s familiar back.

As if he was facing something that hadn’t been seen in a long time, it was a place that was clearly familiar to the eye, yet was strangely unfamiliar. Dante stood there for a moment, then he realized where he was, startled.

But it was faster for the person standing in front of him to turn around than for him to fully accept the situation.

“Dante?”

His name was called, and their eyes met. Brown hair rustled over her shoulders, drawing a gentle trail.

Ah, did his eyes get sore from the sunlight that shone at that moment, he wondered.

“What are you doing, without coming in?”

Ei stood in front of the door and looked at him with puzzled eyes. When Dante stood still for a long time without answering a word, she narrowed her eyes as if she was asking why.

It was her usual expression. It was also the expression that Dante had been drawing every single day for 10 years after Ei left, and he thought he couldn’t bear to miss her again.

He prayed, he would do anything if he could see that look again. Dante looked at Ei, thinking in his blank mind.

He must have prayed so, even before falling asleep.

…However, that was pretty good. Indeed, now that she was in Dante’s eyes, everything was fine.

The dream of Ei was familiar. But the familiarity didn’t dull his feelings, so Dante was helplessly swept away by his feelings whenever he dreamed of her appearing.

And even now. Everything in here was peaceful, yet Dante didn’t say anything. Before the scenery in front of his eyes disappeared, he thought he had to say something, but he couldn’t open his mouth easily as something scratched his chest.

After Ei called out to Dante once more, he could barely utter a word. His voice was impetuous and unpolished even to his own ears.

“Ei.”

“Hm?”

“I have something to say.”

For some reason, he looked at Ei with the feeling of being chased by something. The thought that he had to get his word out quickly before she disappeared made him impatient.

By the time his hands clasped together involuntarily, his skin turned pale, and a series of nervousness that he couldn’t hide spread across his face.

Ei, who had been looking at him without saying anything, opened her mouth.

“No, don’t tell me.”

“…”

“Anyway, this is your dream.”

Ei turned around again. Then she casually walked over and grabbed the doorknob of the house, and he stood there as if he was nailed to the spot, watching.

The greenery faded, the wind that carried the scent of flowers blew from afar, and the breeze swayed her hair. No, it was actually a fantasy.

Because this is his dream.

“Now, come in for real.”

The woman ‘made from his dreams’ said so, and in the end Dante was forced to move. Even in the midst of that, Dante had to try not to cry at the peace he felt as soon as he held Ei’s hand.

You don’t know how fortunate I am to see you even in my dreams.

Dante thought so, and Ei laughed, knowing what he was thinking.

It seems that he wished that he would never wake up from his dream forever.

***

But dreams are just dreams.

Dante finally opened his eyes, and had to confirm her absence once again.

***

L1.

“Your Highness the Princess.”

Liliana turned around at the voice calling her name, and when she saw the gray-haired old man, she gave a small smile.

“Chamberlain.”

The old man, whom she called ‘Chamberlain’, looked at her anxiously with a hardened face.

It was etiquette and duty for those who worked in the Imperial Palace not to express what they felt. But at this moment, neither the Chamberlain nor Liliana cared about that fact.

“I’m also worried. Since you went to meet the owner of the Magic Tower, it must be a rough road for Your Highness the Princess.”

“It’s a rough road.”

It was a bit odd to stop her simply because the road was rough. Unable to contain her spilling laughter, Liliana checked the luggage once again.

“I’m saying this because people keep forgetting it.”

“Yes.”

“I went to the war too. This means that I have been on that ‘rough road’ countless times.”

However, even with Liliana’s words, the Chamberlain’s complexion didn’t improve at all. Rather, he only became more somber at her words.

“That even makes it more of a nonsense. Why does someone who has gone to the battlefield and all the rough things have to go through all this hard work…”

“Hmm.”

Liliana fell silent for a moment, then she made sure that no one was around. Since she had already given orders to all the servants except for the Chamberlain, it was natural for her to be without people, but she wanted to show the Chamberlain what she was doing. As if to emphasize that the story she was about to tell was confidential.

A few times as she turned her head left and right as she carefully examined the surroundings, she spoke in a private voice.

“Actually, it’s because I can’t entrust it to those two.”

“…”

The Chamberlain gave no answer. Liliana knew her words had taken hold, and she wanted to laugh out loud, yet she held back, fearing that the old man in front of her would find out her intentions.

The ‘two people’ Liliana had just spoken of were her companions who would travel with her in the future.

And they were also colleagues who fought in the war with Liliana.

All three, including Liliana, were praised as heroes for their great achievements in the war.

Ever since the Master of the Magic Tower didn’t come out of the Magic Tower and was left alone, the Crown Prince constantly dispatched his subordinates to the Magic Tower. However, the dispatch team only returned missing or unable to find the owner of the mage tower.

After several dispatches all ended in failure, the Crown Prince, who had been suffering from headaches, made the final decision to organize a contingent of war heroes.

The main reason was that even the Master of the Magic Tower wouldn’t refuse a visit from friends with whom he had fought close together. Fortunately, the war heroes also agreed with the Crown Prince, and today was the day they left for the Mage Tower.

In fact, Liliana wasn’t included in the contingent from the beginning. As a defense and healing magician, she saved many people’s lives in the war, but she was a princess of a country before she was a war hero, so she wasn’t in a position to be dispatched.

Liliana understood the Crown Prince’s intentions by not including her in the contingent. However, understanding him and getting his only special treatment were two different stories.

Of course, as she said to the Chamberlain, the two being unreliable was the biggest reason. If she fell out, only the other two would have to go to meet the Master of the Magic Tower, and it was doubtful whether they would be able to complete the mission properly.

It wasn’t that she doubted their abilities as they had made great contributions in the war, but the dispatch team had to go beyond dealing with the Master of the Magic Tower and convince him. And Liliana knew that those two weren’t good at persuasion.

Both in terms of fairness and efficiency. By all accounts, it was right for Liliana to be included in the contingent.

However, most of the people in the Imperial Palace opposed Liliana’s dispatch, especially her brother, who was extremely opposed to her dispatch until the end, so Liliana had no choice but to reveal her intentions in front of everyone.

[I’m also a war hero, so I will join the delegation to the Magic Tower.]

So that the Crown Prince wouldn’t directly deny her words.

If he denied that in public, people would think that the Crown Prince handled things emotionally, blinded by private interests rather than public ones.

At Liliana’s declaration, the other nobles praised her, saying that if the Princess of the Empire visited the Magic Tower directly, even they wouldn’t be able to refuse her.

Is it really so?

Liliana muttered to herself and looked at the Chamberlain. His face, always full of a benevolent smile and maintaining his dignity, was unable to hide sorrow today.

His worries seemed unusual, but upon closer consideration, it was only natural. He had taken care of Liliana since she was very young, and as much as he had watched her grow up right beside him.

Liliana knew that well, and she deliberately smiled brighter than before.

“I will be fine.”

“Of course… I believe so.”

“I’m just going to meet someone, so don’t worry too much. No matter how crazy he is, will he even kill his comrades who fought alongside him?”

She said it lightly, yet she got the idea that it might be enough for the Master of the Magic Tower who can’t see anything else right now. She thought she could do it because she had been watching him from a close distance.

Fortunately, her words seemed to have worked for the Chamberlain, and she could see that his sorrowful face straightened a little. She checked it out, sighed involuntarily.

Really, at this moment, it was fortunate that the Chamberlain didn’t know much about the Master of the Magic Tower. This poor old man would faint if he knew that the Master of the Magic Tower could cut a person in half with a single gesture.

Liliana finished greeting the Chamberlain before it was too late.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Please be careful.”

“Yes, yes.”

Liliana waved her hand, then she turned behind with a slightly tense look.

Now, it was time for her to go see the mad Master of the Magic Tower.