[Vol. 7] Chapter 217: So-called Gods
"I didn’t expect this ability to temporarily shift awareness using a [Dream Seed], and influence someone’s actions through their subconscious, would also let me feel the physical sensations of the person to some extent... That part caught me off guard."
As if hearing something surprising, “Philoae” suddenly looked shocked, and her face turned even redder.
"Only a third of the original sensory input? Then if I were fully exposed in this kind of stimulation without restraint...no wonder the creatures of this world are so terrified of vampires. Their fangs are truly formidable..."
A faint, flame-like gray symbol appeared on the skin at the edge of Philoae’s loose robe. At the same time, a calm voice spoke from [Nightmare].
"After all, she is the descendant of a being created from the same origin as me. Something close to a mythical creature. If it were someone like Lucine or even one of her direct first-generation offspring, and you dared to take them lightly like this, you would already be completely in love with her by now, mind and body.”
“This little vampire’s bloodline has been passed down for too many generations, and many of her natural powers have already been greatly weakened… Honestly, you were pushing your luck this time. You only succeeded because you got lucky."
“Pushing my luck? …There’s no way a vampire of noble rank would ever work as a maid for someone,” the one currently inside Philoae’s body said with a helpless shake of the head. “I saw Princess Lucine’s strength with my own eyes. In the entire empire, there probably aren’t many who can fight her head-on. If it were the Headmaster of the Academy herself, I wouldn’t even think about trying something like this.”
She sighed.
“But still, I never imagined that the headmaster of the Sainz Academy would be a vampire princess. That’s such a shocking piece of news. When you first told me, I couldn’t believe it…”
[Nightmare] replied casually, “Only people like you on the outside would still be so clueless. The real big shots probably all knew already. They just didn’t say anything, or didn’t dare say anything… or simply didn’t care. After all, that Lucine is, in a way, a monster who has even killed a god before. Who would dare to cross her?”
“K-Killed a god?! Is… is that really true?”
“Ahem…”
Seeing the girl so shocked that even the dazed look in her eyes from the blood loss started to clear, [Nightmare] realized it had said too much. It gave a few awkward coughs and quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, now that you’ve successfully planted the [Dream Seed] in the vampire, what’s your plan next? Let me remind you again… a [Dream Seed] of this level cannot be hidden from the powerful one backing her. If you think you can get away with this easily, I suggest you give up that unrealistic idea right now.”
“Let’s start by getting some information out of her about [Scorching Dragon Golden Flame] and Miss Violet. As the maid who’s always close by, this vampire should know a lot of secrets. After that, I’ll find a way to make the [Dream Seed] grow even more…”
While thinking out loud, “Philoae” glanced at Mia again, looking slightly confused.
“To be honest, this maid seems a little strange. Even though she’s a vampire, she’s way too sharp and cautious. It’s like she already sensed this was a trap. That’s why I haven’t dared to act openly, and had to hide my awareness deep inside this body, using her blood as the only way to plant the [Dream Seed]... Can a normal maid really do something like that?”
“And what’s even more unbelievable is that she clearly has no trace of ‘Law Power’ on her, yet she seems extremely resistant to the power of [Nightmare]. Normally, just some fluid contact would be enough to plant a [Dream Seed], but she had to drink so much blood before I could even form a small, controllable seed. And she could even sense the abnormality just by instinct? That’s way too weird!”
“Hmm… now that you put it that way, it does sound unusual…”
[Nightmare] stayed silent for a moment, then said,
“The power of [Nightmare] comes from divine laws, it’s a kind of divine power. It’s not very broad in concept, but for ordinary beings, they would need to reach at least transcendent level and start to touch the most basic laws of the world before they could barely resist it. And to truly stand against it, they would need another form of divine power from a different law. This little vampire’s bloodline is really thin. Her strength is probably no more than sky-level at most. She can’t even mimic the laws of the world. There’s no way she could resist on her own.”
“Could it be connected to the being she serves, the one His Divineness mentioned? But I didn’t feel any clear protection or divine blessing on this vampire… so how exactly is she being protected?”
“…What are you mumbling about? I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”
“Not understanding is a good thing for you. Even I barely understand this stuff. For a normal human like you, knowing too much will only bring bad luck. Anyway, time’s short, let’s just get started——”
But right after [Nightmare] casually said that, its voice suddenly stopped.
When it spoke again, it was full of confusion, fear, and shock. Something hard to describe.
“Ahhh! That… that’s… Her?! No way… That’s impossible… Why would She appear in a place like this?! Her eyes are still watching… so how…?”
“So what’s actually going on? If you’re going to talk in riddles, at least give me a hint! Who is this ‘Her’ you’re talking about?”
“Philoae” tilted her head slightly, confused and a little annoyed.
But [Nightmare] didn’t answer her question. Instead, he suddenly shouted in a panicked voice, louder and more urgent than ever before. It was so intense that even her consciousness, which was currently linked to this body, started to shake.
“Run! Get out now!! Pull your mind back to your real body and leave! Right now!!!”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the sudden change, “Philoae” turned to look at Mia, who was still in a dreamlike state, her dark red eyes empty and lifeless. She hesitated a bit.
“But we haven’t gotten any information yet… Even if she did send out a distress signal, there’s no way someone could get here instantly, right? Maybe I can just hide the [Dream Seed], we might use it later…”
“Just listen to me, you stupid human!! Forget all of that! Run, you idiot!!! She’s about to arrive!!!!”
“......”
Since they met, this was the first time she had ever seen the mysterious [Spirit], who had given her such strange and powerful abilities, act so terrified. And when it said “She”, she started to realize something truly scary.
If this really was one of those beings… something far beyond human understanding…
She clenched her teeth and, with great reluctance, gave up on the target she had worked so hard to catch. She closed her eyes and quickly pulled her consciousness out of the body it was using, returning to her real one, nearly a kilometer away.
——Inside a small, empty room of another apartment building, a girl named Orluk slowly opened her eyes. She was just about to speak when a strong and urgent warning rushed through the [Nightmare] mark on her body. It was so intense that she didn’t even have time to steady her breathing. She quickly cut off all connection with the dream world, holding her breath and nervously waiting for that unknown being to arrive.
How much longer? Half a minute, or maybe ten seconds, five seconds even? From the moment she succeeded until now, it's only been a few lines of dialogue. Even if the other party is truly some so-called god, it shouldn't be possible...
But in the very next moment, within a single breath, she felt it.
That overwhelming presence, vast and powerful like a god in the heavens… full of an endless, living energy… rolled in like crashing waves, sweeping through the air, right past where she was hiding!