Chapter 126: Sleepwalking – 2
Chapter 126: Sleepwalking – 2
After regaining my memories, I recalled the starting point of the Sleepwalking Quest.
The ‘real’ Eighth Quest. Sleepwalking.
Back then, after carefully reading through the rules on the Bulletin Board, I broke out in a cold sweat.
I had already dealt with Kaid in advance, but even without him, I thought it was fundamentally a difficult game.
Then even worse news reached me.
After sweeping her gaze over the participants, Aina said this.
“That guy is Kaid.”
Just like when the ‘fake’ Eighth Quest had begun, she instantly perceived that Kaid had revived.
Just as I had done when the fake quest began, I approached Kaid again.
And just like back then, I tried to persuade him.
“Don’t you want to quit all of this?”
“……!”
“Aren’t you sick of being subordinate to an MVP and being pushed into unreasonable and impossible missions? Don’t you want to escape that kind of life?”
“Mason.”
“I’ll help you.”
Yes.
Even at this time, I had tried to win Kaid over.
After thinking for a long while, Kaid replied.
“May I make a suggestion?”
“What suggestion?”
“Please look over there.”
Kaid pointed at the Bulletin Board.
Each participant will be given three hints that allow them to realize that this place is a dream.
“Aren’t there as many as three hints?”
“And?”
“I will alter one of those three.”
“……? I don’t understand what you mean. If you do something like that, Magireta will cause a scene.”
Magireta’s personality was filthy to begin with, but if someone interfered with her quest, she became even filthier.
“Little brother. You’re thinking something rude right now, aren’t you?”
“Of course not.”
“Hm……. Well, anyway, just as little brother said. A Dream Demon like you dares to interfere with my quest? Do you have infinite lives? Ah, right. You actually do.”
She raised her index finger and continued.
“Then shall I kill you infinitely?”
“Hiiik. I-I’m sorry. But please hear me out first.”
“Fine. Speak.”
Kaid bowed his head obsequiously and said,
“I never said I would remove one of the three hints. I only said I would change one.”
“Either way, you’re interfering with my quest.”
“No. The hint I change will still function properly as a hint. It will simply be more difficult……. Yes, that’s all.”
Magireta fell into deep thought.
Kaid continued.
“To begin with, I received an order from my master to kill Mason.”
“…….”
“If I use my ability, I can make Mason unable to wake up from the dream forever. Even if he realizes, ‘This is a dream,’ I can prevent him from waking.”
“If you do something like that, you’ll be torn to pieces.”
“But my master will revive me cleanly, won’t he? Isn’t that right?”
Grit.
Magireta ground her teeth.
At that, Kaid rubbed his palms together again and explained.
“Lady Magireta cannot stop me. If you did, it would result in obstructing my master’s objective, and that…….”
“Are you trying to say it would be impossible due to the Hidden Rule?”
“Yes. Exactly. I apologize deeply for saying this, but I am the one holding the hilt of the blade right now.”
Up to that point, he suddenly lifted his nose.
His shoulders rose as if they knew no bounds.
In the end, he even crossed his arms and swaggered.
“Now that I think about it, that’s really true, isn’t it? I’m completely the one holding the initiative.”
“…….”
“Hehehe. Shouldn’t you be the one bowing your head right now? Lady Magireta?”
“Mm. Kaid.”
“What is it?”
“Take a deep breath.”
Kaid tilted his head but did as he was told.
Magireta continued in a gentle tone.
“And think carefully. About what you just said.”
“…….”
“Certainly, as long as your master’s omnipotence exists, you will revive quickly even if you die. But did you not consider that I could turn you into a body that can neither die nor live?”
“……!”
“Now repeat what you said earlier.”
Kaid’s legs began trembling immediately as he answered.
“What did I say?”
“…….”
“I do not remember.”
“Yes. You’ve returned to a good posture.”
“An-anyway, that’s the point. Regardless of the hints, I could make Mason unable to wake up at all, but I won’t. This is practically the same as half-defying my master’s order.”
He turned his head toward me.
“For me as well, this is quite a reckless gamble. If this reaches my master’s ears later, who knows what punishment I’ll receive…….”
“So you want me to be grateful that you’re only changing one hint?”
“That’s right! Ah, no. I apologize if that sounded presumptuous.”
I quietly fell into thought.
His words were not exactly wrong.
Regardless of the game’s rules, he could put me to sleep forever.
If that happened, I would be eliminated from the Sleepwalking Quest without being able to do anything.
And the result would be exactly as I had seen in the Future Diary—becoming a monster of Hell.
‘The reason I failed in the Future Diary must have been because this guy interfered recklessly and prevented me from waking.’
Compared to then, this situation could be considered slightly better.
He had taken a step back, so I could not push too hard either.
I spoke.
“What hint are you going to change, and how?”
“As if I would tell you. That’s the core of it.”
I turned my gaze to Magireta.
“Noona. You said there are three hints, correct? What does each of those three hints tell us?”
“Secret.”
“In the world of dreams, an absolute Dream Demon has intervened. You should at least give me a bit of an advantage.”
“Mm……. Hoo. I’m not really supposed to do this.”
Magireta shoved her hand into her hood and scratched her head roughly.
Then, with the feeling of “Fine, I’ll be generous,” she opened her mouth.
“One is a hint that a separate condition for passing exists. Another is a hint implying that the Boundary Duty Quest is fake.”
“…….”
“The last one is a hint that tells you, ‘This place is a dream.’”
Before I could respond, Kaid cut in.
“I will change the last hint as I please.”
“Hey. Don’t decide that on your own. You’re saying you’ll alter the most crucial hint.”
“It’s precisely because it’s the most crucial that I’ll change it. That way, I’ll at least have something to say to my master later.”
“Your entire way of thinking revolves around whether that MVP will scold you or not.”
“Heh. You see right through me. It’s wisdom gained from hundreds of thousands of years of slave life.”
Was that really something to say so proudly?
At that moment, Armelia, who had been quietly listening, spoke.
“What is your reason?”
“Pardon?”
“As you said earlier, from your standpoint, the method that would get you ‘scolded the least by your master’ would be to forcibly prevent Mason from waking. And Magireta cannot interfere due to the Hidden Rule, can she?”
“…….”
“Despite being in an overwhelmingly advantageous position, why do you go out of your way to only change one hint and show leniency?”
Kaid’s expression turned serious.
I had thought this frivolous fellow incapable of seriousness, but unexpectedly, a stern face suited him quite well.
“Mason said he would take care of my master. Just like what happened with Helena.”
“More precisely, I said Magireta would do it, not me. But I did say I could give the advice.”
“You were able to kill Helena because of a combination of various luck and coincidences. Unlike Helena, my master is not a ‘manufactured MVP.’”
“…….”
“So I cannot blindly take your hand. At the very least, in this quest, you must show that you can avoid the trap I set. Only then can I trust you even a little.”
In short, he intended to test me.
To see whether I truly had the ability to help him.
…….
Fine. I made my decision.
“Very well. I will avoid your trap.”
“Good. If you do that, then afterward, depending on the conditions, I may join hands with you.”
“There’s one thing I want to make clear……. Aside from altering one hint, do not interfere with us.”
“Yes. Do not worry.”
I looked around at my companions and spoke.
“You all heard him. This quest is quite difficult, but at least we’ve avoided the worst-case scenario.”
“Mm.”
“Furthermore, because of this, we may even join hands with Kaid. Let’s overcome this crisis while looking forward to that reward.”
Everyone nodded.
At that moment, Magireta snapped her fingers.
Snap.
At the same time, a wave of drowsiness unlike anything I had ever experienced rushed over me.
Before falling asleep, I left one final remark to my companions.
“Then let’s meet in the dream.”
Right. So that’s how it happened.
A participant who realizes that this is a dream passes. A participant who passes in this way regains their lost memories.
In accordance with Rule 7 of the real Eighth Quest, Sleepwalking, I regained my memories.
All the conversations from before I fell asleep returned to me as well.
I spoke to Armelia.
“Your Highness. Please touch my arm.”
“Mm? Ah, very well.”
Tap.
Armelia’s hand did not touch my right arm.
Just like last time, it was blocked by something, and soon a Mini Bulletin Board floated up before me.
“M-Mason.”
“Yes?”
“On your Mini Bulletin Board…….”
I examined my board.
“What is this?”
“That’s what we should be asking. What is it?”
“It’s a Mini Bulletin Board.”
“No, I know that. And if you know that, why are you asking?”
“You’re the one who knows, so why are you asking?”
It seemed that all of us, myself included, were slightly panicking.
We repeated meaningless exchanges devoid of substance.
But soon Berseum, having regained his composure, opened his mouth.
“If I am not mistaken, it appears to say ‘Pass’ on there.”
“Yes. It does.”
“Could it be that what appeared before Kaid earlier was also…….”
“Yes. On his Mini Bulletin Board, it also said ‘Pass.’ We confirmed it through Karin’s spirit.”
Now I understood.
Magireta had said that during the fake quest, Boundary Duty, three hints would be given.
– A hint that a separate condition for passing exists.
– A hint that Boundary Duty is a fake quest.
– A hint that this place is a dream.
‘This Mini Bulletin Board must be one of those hints.’
Among the three hints, the first one—‘A separate condition for passing exists.’
Magireta must have been certain that, as a Dream Demon, Kaid would pass the moment the game began.
She must have thought that the word ‘Pass’ would appear on his Mini Bulletin Board at a very early stage.
However, the rule board of Boundary Duty only stated that if all the Dolls were not taken within a week, everyone would pass.
A week had not yet passed, and not all the Dolls had been taken.
There was absolutely no reason yet for pass and fail to be determined.
And yet Kaid had passed.
That fact itself became the hint that ‘a separate condition for passing exists.’
I spoke calmly.
“Just now, I realized something that you do not know.”
“……?”
“And because of that, I passed. The fact that my Mini Bulletin Board says ‘Pass’ is proof.”
“What is it?”
“That is…….”
I could not answer, We are currently inside a dream.
A participant who has passed and regained their memories will fail if they mention the ‘Sleepwalking’ Quest or inform other participants that this place is inside a dream.
It was impossible for me to speak the correct answer with my own mouth.
However, Rule 9 stated that giving hints was allowed…….
“I cannot tell you the specific details. But it is true that Kaid and I have passed.”
“But according to the rules on the Bulletin Board…… Ah.”
Armelia suddenly wore a face of realization.