Chapter 52: A Code Just Between the Two of Us

The room was enveloped in silence.

Both Princess Eleanor and the grand mage’s disciples watched me with closed lips.

As if urging me to provide an answer quickly.

“......”

I was lost in thought, my eyes fixed on the princess.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Not a single evil spirit clung to her.

[Hmm?]

Even the Dark Sage wore a nuanced expression, scanning Eleanor from head to toe, then finally looked at me as if to say, ‘I have no idea.’

[Do you see anything?]

Thinking that I should explicitly warn Dark Sage not to speak when others are present, I took a step closer to Princess Eleanor.

There are several evil spirits or monsters related to nightmares.

For example, in the era I was in, there was a monster called ‘Mack’, composed of various animal body parts.

Of course, that one is a monster that eats nightmares.

If we compare it to this world, there are Mongmas. Since it’s a world where demons really exist, having such demons is quite natural, but demons were not entities that could be easily seen.

‘And if it were a demon, the Saintess would have already dealt with it.’

While evil spirits are one thing, a demon would never have been overlooked by the Saintess. She is, in a sense, the antithesis of demons.

In the game, the way she goes on a demon-grinding spree while she is a party member was so significant that it was established as one of the main routes.

Anyway,

It’s definitely not related to demons. Nor does it appear she’s afflicted by evil spirits or monsters.

‘Is it something within the dream that I can’t see?’

Just as I was contemplating, Princess Eleanor snapped at me irritably.

“You said you’d heal me! What are you doing now!”

Her outburst, perhaps exacerbated by stress, seemed far removed from the Eleanor I knew from the game.

‘Are her nightmares shocking enough to change her personality…?’

I asked her outright.

“What are the contents of your dreams?”

“......”

“Do they vary every day?”

I had already heard about it once from King Orpheus, but I still wanted to hear it directly from the princess.

She clenched her lips tightly, then cautiously started to open up.

The content of her dreams always differed.

The locations, the circumstances, the people appearing.

But what was crucial was that the dreams were so realistic, it was hard to distinguish them from reality. And always, someone appeared to learn something new about the disparity between dream and reality.

“Last time, after I told them there was no scent... after a while, my dreams started having smells.”

The disciples of the grand mage let out melancholy sighs upon hearing this. How terrified the princess was became readily apparent.

After hearing all of this, I nodded my head slightly and responded.

“Please sleep.”

“....What did you say?”

“You need to sleep for me to check your condition.”

Eleanor sprang up from her chair as if having a fit.

“No, no way! I don’t want to fall asleep!”

As she retreated from me as if fleeing, the grand mage’s disciples rushed in, blocking my path.

“Stay still.”

“Make a move and you’ll be reduced to ashes.”

However, I didn’t even glance at them; I responded to Eleanor.

“You can’t avoid sleep forever, can you? Eventually, you will have no choice but to rest.”

“......”

“So, please sleep while I’m here. That’s the only way I can analyze the cause of these nightmares.”

The situation is different now, but dreams are evolving, gradually imitating reality.

I don’t know where this mimicry will lead or what its end goal might be.

“Your dreams are catching up to reality. Surely there will come a point where the two are indistinguishable. We don’t know what will happen then, but to resolve this beforehand, I need to assess the situation.”

“......”

Despite my words, Eleanor fearfully shook her head.

After a moment’s thought, I made a suggestion.

“How about this? We create a code known only to you and me.”

“......A code?”

Pushing aside the disciples who were blocking my way, I stood in front of the princess.

Her trembling form looked nothing like the dauntless Eleanor I saw facing her death.

“One thing is common in your dreams. The places and people in them mirror your current situation.”

When she slept in the dorm, she dreamed of the time before enrollment; on a carriage, she dreamed she was riding one.

As time passed, her dreams were increasingly mirroring reality; if she slept now, she was likely to dream of the royal palace.

“To verify whether you’re in a dream, find me. And then you ask.”

“......Ask what?”

“Well, we don’t need to make it complicated. You can simply ask, ’Is this reality?’”

“Are you joking? If I ask that, the guy in the dream would surely say it’s reality! Even if we set a code, he could also know about it!” - Just like the book she read in her dream;

The content in Eleanor’s mind was also written in the book.

If the entity within the dream found out the code in her mind by some unknown means, then it was all over.

However, I reassured her.

“If you ask me whether this is reality, I will reply with a word you’ve never heard before. A completely new word, and I’ll explain it to you as well.”

“......What?”

At her bewildered question about what on earth I was talking about, I shrugged and gestured for her to give it a try.

Sometimes, it’s faster to try something than to explain it.

“Is this reality right now?”

“There’s a character named Dooly.”

“......What?”

Seeing Eleanor’s frown, the corners of my mouth oddly lifted.

“It’s a dinosaur I saw in a children’s book a long time ago. You can think of it as a green, beast-like creature.”

“Is there really something like that? Doo, Dooly?”

“There’s no need for you to worry about that. The point is, I know countless words you’ve never heard of.”

“......”

“That thing only gleans fragmentary information from you. In other words, there’s no way it could know something you don’t.”

Princess Eleanor slowly nodded her head. She appeared almost convinced by my words, swallowing hard and gazing at me earnestly.

“So wherever you are, find me. And then ask whether this place is reality.”

“......Okay, got it.”

Clasping her hands tightly, Eleanor lay down on the bed as if making a resolution.

She slowly closed her eyes but suddenly reopened them, turning her head to look at me.

“Hold on, do the reverse as well.”

“The reverse, you say?”

“Yes, if you see me, say that word. Then I’ll know it’s reality without having to check.”

“…….”

“The first one to see the other speaks. It’s sort of like a game.”

With a smile that hinted at a slight thrill, Eleanor spoke. Given her rather simple request, I gently nodded in agreement.

Content with my response, Eleanor slowly closed her eyes.

Having forced herself to stay awake, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Five hours had passed since Eleanor fell asleep. During that time, Deus Verdi and the apprentices of the Grand Mage stood guard, while outside, the twilight slowly faded away.

“Huff! Huff!”

Eleanor sprang up from the bed, drenched in sweat, and took ragged breaths as she clutched her head.

A splitting headache came crashing in, as if something was pushing against her brain.

“Princess, are you alright?”

At the calm inquiry of the man’s voice, Eleanor briefly glanced over.

Standing beside her was Deus Verdi, who emitted a subtly pleasant scent even without any applied fragrance.

Though Deus maintained a stoic expression, there was an aura of subtle confidence and assurance on his face.

“Did...did you figure something out?”

As she took the towel he offered to wipe her sweaty neck, Deus nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Yes, I’ve found a solution.”

“Good... that’s a relief.”

“Was the code any help?”

“Huh?”

Only now regaining her wits, Eleanor smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes, thanks to it, I could realize it was just a dream.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Deus nodded slightly, responding with an air of calm assurance.

“It seems we’ll be able to resolve your nightmares by tomorrow.”

“Re, really?!”

As a visibly surprised Eleanor responded with a radiant smile, Deus confidently assured her, “Absolutely, without a doubt.”

Soon, he spoke again, “Then, I’ll take my leave as I need to prepare.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

Eleanor sat up, thinking she needed to wash up for starters. There was a slight dizziness, but her mood was upbeat.

Deus Verdi remained exactly as she first perceived him—precise, confident, yet cool-headed.

A perfect fit…

...

...

...

He was a perfect fit with what she ‘had imagined’ as her first impression…

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she sensed the lingering scent of Deus left in the close vicinity of her.

Slowly, she reached out to draw in mana. At her fingertips, the mana manifested as a shimmering blue light.

And finally,

As Deus was about to exit, his hand on the doorknob, Eleanor swallowed hard and questioned him.

“Deus.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Is this reality?”

He slowly let go of the doorknob, and it clicked back into place.

Deus turned around and spoke coolly.

“Damn it.”

.

.

.

“Huff! Huff!”

Eleanor woke up, finding herself in the same bed, soaked in sweat just like before.

The room lights were on, indicating that it had grown dark outside. Just like in her dream, Deus Verdi and Grand Mage’s two disciples were standing watch over her.

“......”

With the towel that Deus silently handed her, Eleanor wrapped her face and forced herself to take deep breaths.

In that state, she questioned Deus.

“Is, is, is this... reality?”

In response, Deus replied dispassionately.

“Fermat’s Last Theorem. One of the most famous unsolved problems in the history of mathematics. Many mathematicians have wept, given up, and remained silent before it.”

“......”

“However, 358 years after the problem was posed to the world, Andrew Wiles found the answer. It was a historic moment.”

Upon hearing this, Eleanor’s eyes moistened with relief, and she muttered irritably.

“What nonsense was that, damn it.”

--- End of The Chapter ---

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