Chapter 127 : Sleepwalking -3
Chapter 127: Sleepwalking -3
She asked in a cautious voice.
“Is it possible that what’s written there isn’t everything?”
“…….”
“There must be some kind of hidden condition for passing that isn’t on the Bulletin Board. Am I right?”
I merely responded with a gentle smile.
That alone was enough to change the expressions of my Companions.
Benjamin spoke.
“But a passing condition that isn’t on the Bulletin Board sounds strange. That has never happened before.”
“Brother. This is only the Eighth Quest. Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it never will.”
“To begin with, hidden rules like transactions or contract guarantees were never explained by Magireta herself either.”
“Then why can’t you tell us what that condition is? Is it under a prohibition as well?”
At the last question, I silently nodded.
Everyone’s expressions grew serious.
I continued speaking.
“The moment I inform you all of my realization, I will be eliminated.”
“……!”
“That’s why I can’t tell you. This time, you’ll have to realize it with your own strength.”
After a brief silence, my Companions nodded.
At that moment, Aina opened her mouth.
“For now, let’s put that issue aside. More importantly, let’s think about how to protect the Dolls from the Thief.”
“…….”
“If all the Dolls are taken within a week, we’re definitely eliminated.”
No.
Strictly speaking, that wasn’t it.
It wasn’t that we would be eliminated if all the Dolls were taken.
We would be eliminated if we failed to realize that this was a dream before all the Dolls were taken.
‘That difference is quite important.’
Two hours passed in the meantime.
Karin, who had lost her Doll early on, came down from the Guard post with her shoulders slumped.
Then, in contrast to earlier, Aina comforted her.
I spoke to Armelia.
“Please tell Karin about the conversation we just had.”
“You will not tell her yourself?”
“No. I have something to discuss with that guy.”
I jerked my chin toward the Rock.
At this point in time, the only other one who had passed besides me. Kaid.
I left my Companions behind and moved behind the Rock.
“Mmgh… mmgh…”
Kaid was dozing off.
No, wait. Aren’t we inside a dream?
Was he falling asleep again inside a dream?
For some reason, his carefree appearance irritated me.
I swung a kick at the back of the crouching guy.
Thud.
“Uwah! Master. I’m sorry!”
“What are you sorry for?”
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m sorry first. It’s all my fault— huh?”
He recognized me and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
“Did you just kick me?”
“No. Why would I?”
“My back is actually throbbing right now.”
“What a vivid dream. To even feel the pain of getting hit inside a dream.”
Kaid’s eyes turned strange.
He reached out toward my right arm, and I didn’t stop him.
Tick.
Once again, my Mini Bulletin Board with the word ‘Pass’ written on it appeared.
He let out a faint laugh and said,
“You noticed faster than I expected.”
“Yeah. That’s my win, right?”
“I don’t recall competing with you.”
“You wanted to test me.”
“Yes. But that wasn’t to compete with you. I only wanted to confirm whether you were someone trustworthy.”
His gaze deepened.
“But this is disappointing.”
“Disappointing? I realized that this place is a dream.”
“In that case, let me ask you— what is the hint I changed?”
“…….”
“As expected, you don’t know.”
He continued leisurely.
“If you didn’t even notice the hint I altered, how did you figure out this was a dream? I find that more fascinating.”
“…….”
“Anyway, figure out what hint I changed. Only then will I join hands with you.”
I grew a little anxious.
From the direction of the Open lot, noisy voices could be heard.
“Uwah. I, it was taken again.”
“Does that mean only twenty-six are left now?”
“Damn it. Where did it come from this time?”
“Ugh. I hate this.”
Had the Thief stolen another Doll again?
I glanced that way, then spoke to Kaid.
“Fine. Whether we join hands or not can wait.”
“…….”
“First, we have to make them realize it. That this place is a world inside a dream.”
“Yes. Do your best. I wish you good luck.”
“Are you really going to act like that?”
“Now that your memories have returned, you know, don’t you? I said it from the very beginning of the Sleepwalking Quest. Even this much is already a big concession.”
I pressed my lips tightly together.
Then, after letting out a deep sigh, I said,
“Fine. See you later.”
“Yessir. Good luck with that.”
At that irritating reply, I kicked him in the back once more.
“Argh!”
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“No, just now you blatantly kicked my back—”
“As if I would. You must’ve been dreaming.”
“What the— You’re even more shameless than Master.”
I ignored him and returned to my Companions.
The atmosphere among them was endlessly dark.
At this rate, they must have been thinking there was no way to protect the Dolls.
My heart felt heavy as well.
‘At this rate….’
They would never realize that this place was a dream.
From the start, even I had only realized this was a dream because of the absence of the Diary Book, not through the proper route.
In the end, I had to find the hint.
‘I’ll put aside the hint Kaid hid for now.’
Then among the total of three, the remaining one hint.
– The hint that the Boundary Duty Quest was fake.
I had to find that first.
After that, the situation continued to unfold rapidly.
Even our party members, who were among the most outstanding talents on the continent, couldn’t stop the Thief.
There was no way Ordinary participants could detect the Thief’s approach.
No matter how wide they opened their eyes and stood guard, the Thief stole the Dolls through bizarre methods.
“Again, we got hit again.”
“So this is what it means to get beaten while wide awake.”
“Other than Mason and Her Highness the Princess at the beginning, not a single team managed to protect their Doll.”
“How many Dolls are left now?”
The number of Dolls had been reduced to twelve.
We had already passed the halfway mark.
Thirty-eight hours had passed.
To lose more than half of the Dolls in less than two days, let alone a week.
‘I see.’
After thinking quietly for a moment, I opened my mouth.
“This is an impossible mission.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“It means this is a Quest where there is no way to completely stop the Thief.”
My words must have sounded quite absurd, because everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
Benjamin asked,
“That Magireta may be vicious, but still, every Quest so far has been designed with at least some kind of loophole.”
“This one is different.”
“How is it different?”
Because this is fake.
Because the real Quest is something else.
Sleepwalking Rule number ten.
If you fail to realize that this is a dream before the Thief of the fake dream Quest, Boundary Duty, steals all 30 Dolls, you will be eliminated.
In other words, the Thief must have been designed to inevitably steal all thirty Dolls.
Since that was the time limit of the Sleepwalking Quest, it would undoubtedly happen that way.
I guessed that Magireta had separately set a deadline for the Sleepwalking Quest.
The Thief would surely be made to approach in accordance with that time limit.
‘I have to hurry.’
Suppressing my impatience, I looked around.
What on earth could it be? The hint Magireta had hidden.
That was when—
‘Huh?’
The Bulletin Board caught my eye.
The Bulletin Board with the rules of Boundary Duty written on it.
…….
Ah!
Wait.
What had Brother Berseum said before the Boundary Duty Quest began?
– By the way, that Bulletin Board looks a little different from usual.
– Pardon? What do you mean?
– Normally, you could faintly see objects or scenery through the back of the Bulletin Board. But now…
Right. What about now?
‘It’s opaque.’
The Bulletin Board for the Boundary Duty Quest was opaque.
Magireta had spouted nonsense about it being a renewal.
But that couldn’t have been the real reason.
“……Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what Magireta said when she first displayed the Bulletin Board during the First Quest?”
“How could I forget?”
Armelia spoke as if it were obvious.
“From now on, I will designate this translucent panel as the Bulletin Board. Only when this Bulletin Board appears will it signify that a new Quest has begun…….”
“Yes. That’s enough.”
“What?”
“The important part is that she designated a translucent panel as the Bulletin Board.”
Everyone’s faces stiffened.
As if by prior agreement, they all examined the Boundary Duty Bulletin Board at the same time.
“It’s opaque, isn’t it?”
“But she said it was a renewal—”
“No. She clearly said she would designate a translucent panel as the Bulletin Board, yet she blatantly displayed an opaque panel. In other words.”
I lowered my voice.
“What’s floating there is not a Bulletin Board.”
“……! But the rules are clearly written on it. And the game has proceeded according to those rules so far.”
“Try changing your perspective.”
“Your perspective?”
“Assume first that it is not a Bulletin Board. If it isn’t a Bulletin Board…… and the rules written there are all fake, then why is the game progressing according to those contents?”
Aina’s mouth fell open.
She muttered something haltingly.
“That Bulletin Board is fake. Then the rules written there are fake.”
“…….”
“Then the Boundary Duty Quest being conducted according to those fake rules is also…… fake?”
Since the surroundings were so quiet, her voice spread not only to my Companions but to all the Participants.
The Participants murmured in voices full of bewilderment.
“Wait. Then what does that mean?”
“We’ve been carrying out a fake Quest this whole time?”
“That’s never happened before.”
“Why would Magireta do something like this?”
“Does she have no intention of letting us pass?”
I raised my voice to everyone.
“Please calm down. I know it’s confusing, but we need to focus on something else right now.”
“Something else?”
“You understand now that Boundary Duty is a fake Quest, right? Then naturally, doesn’t a question follow?”
“…….”
Soon, Sienne spoke softly.
“Then what is the real Quest?”
I nodded.
Karin abruptly turned toward Magireta.
She shouted angrily,
“Hey! Did you deceive us?”
“Hm?”
“We went through hell for nearly two days doing this Quest. And now you’re saying it’s fake!”
“Sister, isn’t that merely your speculation?”
“Stop spouting nonsense and give us the real Quest. Show us the real Bulletin Board!”
Magireta merely let out a soft laugh and gave no reply.
Karin ground her teeth, but it was meaningless to press that Demon any further.
Armelia asked in a small voice,
“Mason. Could it be that our memories were erased?”
Oh.
That was a question remarkably close to the correct answer… in some sense, piercing through a part of the truth.
If one thought about it carefully, it was a natural conclusion.
We had no memory whatsoever of seeing a real Quest or a real Bulletin Board.
Yet it was almost certain that Boundary Duty was a fake Quest.
Naturally, it was reasonable to deduce that our memories of the real Quest had been erased.
I already knew the answer, but in order not to be eliminated, I carefully chose my words.
“I think that might be the case.”
“If so, there must be some kind of hint. Magireta wouldn’t do something like this without leaving any clue.”
“……That’s true.”
“Considering that ‘Pass’ is written on your and Kaid’s Mini Bulletin Boards…… the two of you must already know what the real Quest is. Am I right?”
I silently nodded.
You’re doing well, Your Highness.
Let’s go just a little further.
This time, Sienne spoke.
“And the passing condition of the real Quest must be to ‘realize’ something.”
“……! Why do you think so?”
“Mason and Kaid. The two of you passed at some point without any sign. If it changed from pending to pass while you were just standing still, then you must have realized something in your minds.”
I felt like applauding the wisdom of my Companions.
We were almost there.
All that remained was for them to realize that this place was a dream.
‘If we’re lucky, it might be possible.’
We might not even need the final hint.
At that moment—
Suddenly, Magireta’s voice pierced my ears.
“Don’t get your hopes up too much, Sister.”