[Vol. 7] Chapter 207: Rise to Great Heights
“Desire, fear, love, hate, and anger. All of them mix together to form deep dreams. In most cases, dreams don’t affect the dreamer much. They come and go like bubbles, appearing naturally and disappearing just as easily. Many people don’t even remember what they dreamed about when they wake up…”
“But the dreams from the [Nightmare] are not like that.”
“It uses the deepest emotions in a person’s heart to create illusions that no living being can resist or escape. It’s like a powerful drug, addictive and impossible to fight off. Through these dreams, it can control its target in many ways, and it feeds on the desire and emotions of its victims to grow stronger.”
“Since dreams reflect a person’s soul, being eaten away like this will slowly start to change their personality. In the end, the person will be completely controlled by the [Nightmare], changed into whatever it wants them to be. This is far more dangerous than normal mental magic, so much so that even we vampires can’t compare.”
“Miss Violet, those injured people we treated yesterday... you noticed something inside them, didn’t you?”
The vampire smiled, but in her deep red eyes, there was a flash of something cold and sharp, like a glint of blood.
“That’s what we call a [Dream Seed]. It’s the sign left behind by the [Nightmare]’s power. Anyone affected by it will have one inside them.”
“And I’m sure of one thing, there are more [Dream Seeds] hidden throughout the academy city. What we found so far is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve already had people check all the competition teams under the excuse of giving treatment, but Sainz is a chaotic place right now. There are way too many outsiders here, it’s impossible to fully screen everyone.”
“That’s exactly what our enemy is trying to take advantage of. They’re hiding in the dark while we’re exposed in the light. You and your companions need to be extra careful, especially that child...”
Hearing the genuine concern in Lucine’s voice, Violet didn’t seem too worried. Instead, she gave a faint smile and nodded slightly.
“Don’t worry. We haven’t figured out their full plan yet, but if they really are targeting Light, then it actually makes things easier for us. In fact, I’m planning to take her to a very interesting place. If they have the guts, they’re welcome to come after us~”
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“Eh? We’re going to [Morst Underground Labyrinth] again?! Why, Sister Light? We just finally came back yesterday! And that place is full of monsters going crazy. I heard the Austre Empire has already sealed off the dungeon entrance so no explorers can go in. Wouldn’t going back now be like a tiger walking into a sheep’s mouth!?”
“It’s ‘a sheep walking into a tiger’s mouth’... if you can’t use idioms correctly, just don’t use them.”
Casually stuffing a few bags of jerky that Selna had just prepared into her personal storage space, the little dragon girl turned her head and gave Lenka, who looked a bit troubled, a helpless glance. Then she spoke with a flat expression.
“This was arranged by my sister. She’ll personally take us to do something, it might take quite a bit of time. Don’t ask why. I don’t really know the details either. But my sister said, if you don’t want to go, you can stay in the city. Mia and Selna will take care of you.”
“Just me? Then... then it’ll be just like staying home again. That sounds super boring... Ugh, fine! It’s just a few weak monsters, right? I’ll go too! I’m coming with you!”
“~”
Seeing the brown-haired little girl clench her fists in a determined pose, clearly trying hard not to get left behind, the little dragon girl’s emotionless, delicate face seemed to briefly show a faint smile, so quick it almost went unnoticed, before she turned back to continue packing food and supplies.
“You said it yourself. No backing out later.”
“Bah bah bah! I, Lenka Dorgon, never exterminated a promise!”
“It’s ‘never break a promise,’ not whatever weird phrase you just said. I told you not to copy Sister’s words if you don’t know what they mean…”
Completely unaware that she herself was also subconsciously copying someone’s usual way of speaking, the little dragon girl picked up a few more food packs, then turned to look at Mia, the maid who had just entered and was now helping Selna with the preparations.
“It’s almost noon. Sister still isn’t back?”
The well-trained maid gave a graceful bow and replied politely:
“Yes, Miss Light. Lady Violet left instructions this morning, if she hasn’t returned by now, you should take Miss Lenka and go on ahead. Everything’s already been arranged on the other side. Our people will meet you there. Lady Violet will catch up once she finishes her business.”
“I see... That’s fine. We can’t rely on my sister for everything. Lenka, let’s go.”
With practiced ease, the little blonde girl snapped her fingers. Instantly, a silver-white swirling portal appeared in the open area beside the bedroom, giving off a calm, mysterious wave of space energy.
“Eh? Is that a teleport gate? It just popped up out of nowhere! I didn’t know we had one of those in the house, woah woah woah!!! Sister Light, don’t drag me like that!!!”
Amid Lenka’s loud cries, the two small girls tugged at each other and stumbled into the portal, vanishing from sight.
Even though it was also their first time witnessing such a scene, the two loyal vampire maids simply lowered their heads and lifted their skirts slightly in a respectful bow toward the glowing silver gate, which slowly began to fade.
As the ones who helped with the preparations themselves, the two maids knew very well, this trip would probably take quite a long time.
“Have a safe trip, young ladies~”
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Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had gone by since the start of the World Academy Joint Exchange Conference.
After a short break, the teams that had returned from the [Morst Underground Labyrinth] continued to compete in front of a large audience, putting on fierce battles for the honor of their home countries and schools.
Although there were some accidents and injuries during the first round, thanks to the well-prepared response of Sainz Academy, all the injured had fully recovered before the second round began. That even included the nearly 100 students who had fallen into a coma after the mysterious enemy attack, students who many had feared Sainz wouldn’t be able to heal.
But soon enough, they all safely returned to the public eye.
However, even though their bodies had recovered, something strange happened: all of them seemed to have completely lost their memories of the attack. Regarding this, Sainz gave an official explanation.
The enemy was a mutated magical beast inside the [Morst Underground Labyrinth], known for using powerful mental attacks. That caused the students to fall unconscious and led to some memory loss afterward, but it was only those specific memories, and there were no other long-term effects.
Since the academy gave such a firm explanation, and because Sainz had already proven its amazing skills and ability to handle unexpected events, both the students and their families eventually accepted the answer.
After all, as Sainz said, there were no signs of any other lasting problems.
“Well, of course! I was the one who treated them~”
Inside a special viewing room at the tournament venue…
A certain priestess girl lazily leaned back on the sofa, munching on sweets while watching the huge crystal screen in front of her. The screen showed dozens of teams moving forward or fighting, it was like watching live footage.
This was a projection system created using the power of the [Tower of Clarity] from the Sixth Academic District. It worked like a real-time monitor.
As the world’s first large-scale exchange tournament, the events couldn’t all be held in secret closed spaces. After all, one of the goals, besides the competition, was to showcase the strength and heritage of the major nations and the younger generation.
The event currently taking place was supported mainly by the [Tower of Origin], with help from the other great towers. Together, they created a realistic illusion zone for the teams to enter. The [Tower of Clarity] then broadcasted everything across the entire city, a competition that was also meant to entertain and impress the audience.