WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 131

──────

What I had prepared as the sixth-floor puppet was a form made by combining a spider and a human. In other words, a human upper body attached to a spider’s body. Since it was the final puppet, I had put quite a bit of effort into it.

And now that thing was completely collapsing. Unable to hold itself up, it fell over and opened its mouth at us. Lumira instinctively tried to dodge, but there was no need.

All that leaked from its open mouth was the sound of escaping air. Normally, it would have spat webs from that mouth, webs that melted everything. But there was a deep hole in the back of its neck.

It was the single point where every grain in its body gathered. The result of Lumira stabbing the weakness I had deliberately created. With that one wound alone, the thing had collapsed like this.

Its body went limp. At the same time, the murky magical power rippling from its body gradually lost its center and began to fade. The thing had fallen completely.

After confirming that, I floated into the air. I lightly flapped my wings in front of Lumira and scattered powder. Then I set off a small explosion magic, creating a sparkling light. I clapped my hands and smiled brightly.

“Congratulations on your victory. You were truly amazing!”

“Ahem, yes.”

Lumira gave a small nod. I kept smiling brightly as I looked at her. It had not taken all that long to clear this floor either. She had only died five times.

I glanced at the spider puppet. If it had not spat webs from its mouth, we could have finished even faster. The way it had transformed was extremely bizarre.

As if reviewing the battle just now, Lumira drew a small magic circle. A translucent spike sprang out from within it. It was the one that had pierced the spider puppet’s neck.

I swallowed as I watched that spike slowly rotate. Its sharpness was beyond imagination. Just being near it would definitely tear this body apart. Even my main body could never block that.

“Then please compose yourself. I’ll go welcome that child back!”

I said that while subtly putting some distance between myself and the spike. Lumira glanced at me, then nodded. After that, she settled down and closed her eyes.

She began breathing lightly. I could see magical power gathering toward her. It was flowing out of the spider puppet. The magical power, which had only been murky before, was purified and headed toward her.

That could be called an inner demon. And this was probably the process of the inner demon lodged inside the puppet being cleanly cleared away.

This one was the last real inner demon within her. The deep regret Lumira had felt all this time had been layered inside it. That emotion had been pulling at her like thread, making her realm unstable.

Now that the inner demon had been defeated, that regret would no longer be able to hold Lumira back. This was not an expensive dream for nothing. Thinking that, I flew toward the spider puppet.

Its limp body was gradually growing faint. I needed to check it quickly before it disappeared. I landed on its body.

This was the last puppet I could check. Mira, just like I had seen in the crystal ball before, had not been affected by Lumira’s inner demon. I lightly scratched my nose and settled on the thing’s chest.

I slowly closed my eyes and stirred my magical power. That faint magical power slowly entered the spider puppet’s body. I sent it along its circuits, observed the flow, and began thoroughly scanning its body.

The flow was fairly stagnant inside its heavily transformed body. Maybe because it was the final inner demon, the lingering traces of magical power were thicker than before too. They still had not drained away, leaving marks everywhere.

I followed those lingering traces until I reached its mana heart. Perhaps it had sensed my magical power, because the heart began faintly resonating with me. That probably meant its body remembered my magical power.

I sent my will toward the mana heart. Sensing my will, it slowly split open the puppet’s chest and began floating up. I carefully received it with both hands.

The mana heart had hardened solid. The fact that its life had ended meant it would soon disappear from this dream. I quickly filled my eyes with magical power and examined it.

Then I gave a small nod. The spider puppet’s heart had the same form as the previous ones. The murky magical power inside it sensed my magical power and twitched slightly.

The inner demon inside the mana heart was still moving. Like this, the inner demon had half-assimilated with the puppet’s mana heart and was controlling that body freely. Creating transformations, amplifying its power, having the time of its life.

And this was at the center of it all. I split the heart open. Inside, I saw a small tree branch intertwined with a magic circle.

That piece of wood was the core that formed the puppet’s ego. It had also originated from me. I took it out and calmly observed its form. Murky magical power was leaking from it.

That magical power was writhing with far more life than the ones I had checked before. I gathered that magical power in my hand and lightly handled it. A slight tingling sensation traveled along my fingertips. That was a type of contamination too.

I let it flow between my fingers and fell into thought. For some reason, this thing called an inner demon was highly compatible with my piece of wood.

Was it because of my innate magic? Fake Soul. My innate magic was engraved into every puppet around that piece of wood. After thinking for a moment, I shook my head. There was no problem with the magic. Even a piece outside the magic circle contained that power like this.

Then was there a problem with my tree itself? I was the only one who planted a tree inside puppets. Was that why the puppets had gone so wild? I tilted my head. What effect would my tree even have?

As I continued thinking, one thought brushed through my mind. I fiddled with the piece of wood in my hand. The murky magical power rippling beyond it leaked out, making my fingertips tingle.

Why was Mira not swept away by the inner demon? The reason was clear. It was because the desire she possessed was extremely distinct. To a treasure, desire was practically its reason for existence.

A treasure’s desire. I stared at the inner demon. Then I tilted my head slightly. This thing called an inner demon, in some ways, resembled a treasure’s desire. That thought came to me.

Should I call it a lower concept of the same kind? It was only an endless clump of negative emotion, but that could also be called a clear direction.

I stared at the piece of wood. Then, as I checked the murky magical power inside it, the remnants of the inner demon, I blinked. Had my tree become accustomed to this because it had held too much of a treasure’s magical power?

But that was a little unclear. If it had been endlessly conditioned by a treasure’s magical power, it would have taken on a form like Hao’s tree. To prevent that, I had raised my own tree with purely my own magical power.

So my piece of wood was not a very attractive medium. I lightly stroked my chin. Then I calmly reviewed what the previous puppets had been like.

Unfortunately, I had not been able to properly check the wolf puppet, the first opponent. Still, I could infer a little just by looking at how it had changed.

And from the cow puppet on the second floor onward, I had been able to check them all directly like this. They had been greatly swept away by the inner demon’s magical power that originated in their chests. They forgot that it was an act and accepted the changes that magical power gave them as they were.

They had simply moved as the magical power led them. That was not a result I had expected. I lightly flicked my finger. The way those things had acted somehow resembled me when I had been obsessed with Professor.

That obsession had also been something I had not expected. I had thought I would be able to restrain it well enough, but I too had become far more deeply stained by a treasure’s desire than I had predicted. Enough that I caused a major incident in the end.

A tree. Maybe I was the same kind of case as them. And perhaps that was another reason my obsession had grown.

But I could not be sure where exactly it had come from. Whether it originated from my tree, or from my soul. A tree could be called the result of a soul blooming, after all.

Even so, I could clearly tell that something existed inside it, something I had not yet noticed. I lightly placed a hand on my chest. Then I felt the tree beyond it.

What secret did it have? In response to my will, the thing lightly shook its branches. A clear will that said it knew nothing came through. It too was just as puzzled by this situation as I was.

At that, I smiled bitterly. If I did not know, it had no choice but to not know either. The opposite was also true. I shook out my hand. Then the mana heart scattered and disappeared.

I lowered my head slightly as I looked down at the vanishing puppet. I had not expected to find a clue about my abnormality in someone else’s dream like this. It was all thanks to these puppets.

“If you’re finished, come here.”

I heard Lumira calling me. I smiled brightly and looked at her. Then I gathered my thoughts. I needed to stop thinking about this here and complete the dream first.

My heart felt a little lighter. We had passed six floors. Now every problem had been resolved. Only one thing remained in this dream. Mira. Once we faced her, the dream would end.

I quickly flapped my wings and approached Lumira. She held out a hand to me. I landed on it and looked around. She already seemed fully prepared to move.

“You must be very careful on the 7th floor! A terrifying person is waiting there.”

Lumira tilted her head slightly while looking at me. She stayed still a little longer, as if waiting for me to continue, then opened her mouth.

“You aren’t going to tell me the weakness?”

At that, I smiled a little bitterly. Then I lightly flew up. I met Lumira’s eyes and shook my head.

“Unfortunately, that person does not have any clear weakness like the other children. You simply have to do your best against her. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

I placed a hand on my chest and bowed my head. In this final fight, there was no problem, so there was no need to reveal a weakness. This was not where anything had gone wrong. Also, there truly was nothing that could be called a weakness.

I recalled Mira’s body. The body I had made with everything I could put into it. Unlike the other puppets, I had not given her any weakness at all.

It was not simply because I thought tampering with that body would be a waste. It was because of her position as the inner demon she symbolized. I glanced at Lumira. Her goal was to climb to the 7th floor.

And climbing to the 7th floor meant leaving the realm of Complete Tree. That tree would extend its branches, and she would fully leave the species called human behind.

Raising one’s realm could be called an extremely distant task. It was because of the wall that blocked it. Many people died because they could not pass that wall. She too had hit that wall and bought this dream.

Mira represented the inner demon of that wall. Lumira’s despair, as she looked upon that wall which would not be pierced no matter how many times she challenged it, was lodged within her.

So there could not be any flaw in Mira, who handled that wall. If I deliberately gave her a weakness and tried to force a breakthrough, the dream would clearly break. So the only way was to fight endlessly and finally overcome her.

Seeing Lumira fall into thought for a moment, I landed on her shoulder. Then I smiled brightly and shook my fist.

“Please don’t worry too much. Mage will definitely win! I guarantee it, so just trust me like you have until now!”

That was also the result fixed in this play. Maybe Lumira sensed my confidence, because she chuckled and lightly patted my head. She nodded, then put me into her pocket.

“Then shall we go straight to the top floor?”

“You won’t rest a little to celebrate passing the sixth floor?”

Until now, every time she cleared a floor, she had enjoyed being cared for by me like that. Lumira felt over her body for a moment, then lightly shook her head and began walking.

“After I see her once. I need to grasp that power first. It seems like she’ll be different from everything so far.”

She spoke with a frown, as if she had sensed something. Like that, she headed toward the final floor. I too watched the path to the next floor from inside her pocket.

How long had we walked? A cavern came into view. From beyond it, a faint rose scent began drifting over. It was definitely from Mira. Lumira seemed unable to sense that rose scent as she stepped inside.

The scenery of the cavern she stepped into looked very similar to the other floors. And in the center of that cavern, I saw a woman leaning back in a large chair. Dressed in a luxurious robe, she carried an air of elegance.

The woman, who had been reading something with glasses perched on her nose, set it down with a gentle smile. Lumira saw her appearance, then I felt her glance at me. Probably because our appearances were similar.

Lumira looked back and forth between the two of us, then seemed to come to some understanding on her own and nodded. Then she looked at the woman, Mira, again. Only calm magical power was rising from Mira.

The magical power that originated from that inner demon must have been quietly settled inside Mira’s body. It seemed she too had finished every preparation thoroughly while waiting for us. I flew up to Lumira’s ear and whispered softly.

“That person is the master of the tower. Be careful. She is very strong.”

Lumira stirred her magical power and layered magic circles. Then she began approaching Mira. Mira glanced at Lumira and smiled slightly.

“A guest has arrived. I was waiting.”

After saying that, Mira’s eyes turned slightly toward me. She smiled with her eyes and continued speaking. Her eyes were filled with undisguised delight.

“And a slave too. How very insolent. Clinging to someone else like that.”

A trace of killing intent also entered her eyes as she said that. I subtly hid inside the pocket. Some of what was in those eyes was acting, but I could also feel her real feelings beneath it.

Lumira stroked my head and faced Mira. She let her magical power flow and opened her mouth.

“I didn’t think there would be someone who could talk in this tower. You must be the last one.”

Mira covered her mouth and laughed. A very captivating rose scent flowed from her as she laughed. It seemed to spread through the entire cavern. Mira lightly nodded.

“Hehe, yes. That’s right. If only I fall, this tower will collapse.”

At Mira’s words, Lumira nodded. She slowly began building up her magic. Several spikes began springing out from those magic circles. She touched them with her fingertips and glared at Mira.

“Then there’s no need to talk. You die too.”

Her eyes flashed with killing intent. It was truly a mage-like mindset. Since she had only been kind to me, I had not known, but this was probably her true nature.

“Oh my, how barbaric. I waited so long to say my lines, too.”

Mira slightly puffed out her cheeks and muttered in dissatisfaction. That was not acting, but something she had genuinely said. I shook my head slightly. I knew how much effort she had put into this performance.

I had seen her organize everything, from her greeting to her introduction, enough to fill an entire sheet of paper. Lumira ignored Mira’s grumbling and began rotating the spikes rapidly.

Those spikes shot toward Mira like beams, embroidering their trajectories through the air. The lingering magical power spreading around them alone was enough to gauge their strength.

Mira watched them and waved a finger. Mist instantly wrapped around her. And from within it, a giant hand stretched out. It was the hand of a dark, murky giant.

I blinked softly at the sight. What was that? That could not be called condensed mist. It would be more accurate to call it part of a living being. Did Mira’s mist have that kind of function too?

That hand took the spikes head-on. The spikes dug into the skin of the hand, but they could not pierce the flesh. The hand clenched into a tight fist, crushed all the spikes, then vanished back into the mist.

Mira gathered the mist back in, then rested her chin on her hand. She looked at Lumira and smiled brightly.

“Do you still have no intention of talking?”

Lumira clicked her tongue slightly at Mira, then violently spewed magical power from her body. So much magical power poured into the air that my body went numb, and it formed magic circles, creating masses of spikes.

The reason Lumira only used that magic was clear. She wanted to kill Mira quickly and easily. At that attitude, Mira lightly scratched her chin, then sighed.

The spikes poured toward Mira once again. The flow of spikes swirling in from every direction was like a single vortex. A flow that ripped apart everything nearby.

Mira saw that and made the mist ripple again. But the spikes tore through that mist and dug inside. They reached near her body faster than Mira could spew out mist.

Like that, the spikes shot right in front of Mira. But beside her was the giant hand from before, which had appeared at some point. The hand wrapped around her body.

The mass of spikes Lumira had fired embedded densely into that hand. They tore and broke its skin, aiming for Mira within. And they looked ready to succeed at any moment. If not for another hand appearing.

Another hand blooming from the mist slammed down onto the vortex of spikes. A few spikes shot toward that hand as if counterattacking, but the hand ignored being pierced and focused only on breaking the vortex.

Lumira staggered from the impact that disturbed her magic. Along with that, a momentary opening appeared in her spell. The hand that had been wrapped around Mira instantly opened its palm and began crushing the mass of spikes.

After smashing every spike like that, the hand naturally returned to Mira’s side. Mira gently stroked both hands, then laughed lightly.

“Hehe, how satisfying. This place really is fun. I didn’t think I would be able to recreate this hand.”

After muttering that, she looked at Lumira, whose body had stiffened from the backlash of her magic exploding. Then she lightly waved her hand. Mist gathered and flowed from her fingertips.

“You should calm down a little and come again. Then I will see you next time. You will need to use a different method next time.”

Mira wrapped Lumira’s body in mist. I began to sense something writhing inside that mist. Lumira squeezed out magical power, drew out a spike, and shot it toward the source of the sound.

But the source could not be found anywhere. After searching the surroundings for a long while, Lumira’s face suddenly began turning blank. Soon, her body slowly sank.

She collapsed onto the floor. Then she gradually became faint. She had died simply by being wrapped in mist.

After confirming that, I closed my eyes slightly. Right, Mira’s mist specialized in devouring life. I had forgotten because she did not often use her mist that way.

Since Lumira had died, this attempt had failed. I too waited quietly for death. But the mist merely flowed past my body.

The mist lifted me up and carried me in front of Mira. I blinked quietly while facing Mira. Ah, right. I was no longer needed in the dream. So there was no need for me to die together with Lumira.

Mira stared at me. I gave her a slight bow. She nodded back, then opened her mouth.

“Pfft, was it Ian? I saw how hard you worked. It was so entertaining.”

She covered her mouth several times as if holding back laughter and chuckled, then finally began giggling at me. Seeing that, I let out a low sigh.

“You may laugh as much as you like.”

It seemed she had seen me acting cute too. Of course. She could check the lower floors as well. It was something I had expected.

At my words, Mira began laughing loudly while tapping the armrest of her chair. Hehe, hehehe. She kept laughing without end, looking more delighted than ever. It was the first time I had seen her laugh that excitedly.

After laughing for a long while, she even had tears in her eyes. I frowned slightly as I looked at her. Seeing that expression, she laughed even harder. I finally gave up and quietly closed my eyes.

It did not take long for her to calm down. She lightly stroked my head and smiled brightly.

“I didn’t know Evron would enter the dream. I was truly surprised. And in that form, too. Was it Professor again?”

Mira snickered again. I shook my head at that. Professor? This was just something I had made while thinking of something cute... Mm, I traced back my thoughts. Maybe my obsession had activated again when I made this. I subtly avoided her gaze.

“More importantly, what do you plan to do now?”

I asked Mira. She smiled brightly. Then she moved her fingers. Following that light movement, the hand stretching out from the mist swayed here and there.

“The previous puppets caused a bit of trouble. So I should end the dream as quickly as possible. I intend to cleanly arrange the ending of this story.”

I nodded at that. She would definitely adjust her strength on her own. Strength... Speaking of that, there was something I was curious about. I lightly gestured with my chin toward the giant hand and spoke to her.

“What is that? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Hehe, it is a body I made long ago.”

A body, she said. I had heard she had wandered the world in the form of mist. Mira lightly stroked that hand. Then she continued.

“I suppose you could say I realized I needed a body to move on to the next step. So I was making one. Of course, Professor smashed it, so it no longer exists. This is only a small recreation of the memory from back then.”

As she said, it was something possible because this was a dream. I quietly stared at that giant hand. Horrifying magical power was leaking from it. I could not imagine what it would have looked like if it had been completed.

She lightly clapped her hands. Then the hand faded and disappeared. Mira looked at me.

“So what do you plan to do from now on, Evron? You have solved all the problems.”

At those words, I lightly stroked my chin. She was right. I had finished my role in this dream. The story was now approaching its end.

Even so, it would be a little difficult to simply disappear. Lumira had been paying me a great deal of attention. If I vanished without a trace, she would definitely become suspicious. I organized my thoughts for a moment, then nodded.

“I have a good idea.”

There was a way to use myself well. A way to leave effectively without earning suspicion. I looked straight at Mira. She met my eyes and smiled with her eyes.

“What method might that be?”

I whispered the method softly into her ear. After hearing it, Mira lightly clapped her hands in delight.

She licked her lips and lightly wiped away the drool at the corner of her mouth. I smiled bitterly at that. I could guess how she would move.

Like that, I began decorating the cavern together with Mira. Lumira arrived not long after. She ran into the cavern, breathing hard.

“Ian, are you here?”

Lumira spoke. Her voice rode her magical power and echoed through the cavern. Mira glanced at me. Her eyes narrowed and took on a mischievous look.

“Are you trying to take even such a strong mage into your arms? I am so sad that even I was not enough for you.”

She whispered that. I shook my head slightly and tapped her hand. Now was the time to focus on the dream, not play around. Mira smiled slightly, then lifted me up, bound.

“Hm, it seems you were looking for this friend.”

Lumira found me and froze. I flapped my wings wildly and tried to escape the mist binding my body, but it wrapped around me like a cocoon and showed no sign of letting go.

Mira looked at me as if I were cute, then lightly pressed down on my head. Then she added another layer of mist restraints. My body sank.

“This friend is the Tower Fairy... Pfft, ah. Pardon me. It was just so funny that the Tower Fairy tried to leave this place. To think you dared try to betray me.”

Lumira tried to approach from afar, but soon had no choice but to stop. The thick mist spewed from Mira blocked her path.

I trembled and looked at Lumira. Mira lifted me and began examining me here and there. Soon, she met my eyes and laughed lightly.

“It would be best to punish a child who betrayed me. Then what punishment should I give?”

Mira smiled with her eyes. Then she glanced at Lumira. After looking back and forth between us, she lightly clapped her hands.

“Aha, I thought of a good method. I can just eat you. That should make things more fun.”

At Mira’s words, Lumira began building up all sorts of magic. Then she tried to tear through the mist with them. But the mist kept flowing out, quickly filling the empty spaces again.

Mira picked me up with her fingers. Then she slowly began bringing me toward her mouth. Hanging from her fingers like that, I met Lumira’s eyes. The pupils looking at me were trembling a little.

I smiled at her. It carried the pride of having completed my duty. These were the final words I would speak in the dream.

“Please don’t mind me! Mage will definitely win. I believe that...!”

Before I could finish, I was thrown straight into Mira’s mouth. The mist rising inside it slowly wrapped around my body. Then it began gently melting my puppet body.

This was a perfect method. Lumira had gradually come to rely on me as she climbed the tower. If that version of me died at Mira’s hands, she would surely grow furious.

I was being used as an auxiliary material for a sort of awakening. Doing this would make the story even more complete. My role ended here. There would definitely be no more revivals.

More importantly, I had not thought she would really eat me like this.

Mira did not make empty remarks. She had really swallowed me. It was possible because this place was a dream. No wonder she had looked so expectant while waiting for Lumira. Like that, I melted inside her mist.

The sounds of a noisy battle seemed to faintly reach my ears. Then the flow of my thoughts stopped. And like the other puppets, I fell into a deep standby state that would last until the dream ended.

What woke me again was cold magical power soaking my body.

The sensation of magical power was cold enough to make my entire body ache, and it jolted me awake. I sprang up. I quickly scanned my surroundings to check whether I was in the dream or outside. Then I smiled softly.

Because Dream Theater’s room had come into view. It was not a dream, but reality. That meant every dream had ended well.

“Now, now. Wake up.”

Koite lightly nudged my body with his foot. I nodded and stood up. The magic circle that had been wrapped around the coffin was now winding around the room again. It seemed to have returned to reality along with the dream.

Then I noticed the puppets sprawled all over the magic circle. They were my puppets that had participated in this dream. I connected to them again. As they connected to my shadow tree, their lights sparkled.

They twisted their bodies and stood up. Then they slowly approached me and stopped. I tidied their bodies and lightly patted them. These things had worked very hard.

Then I glanced at Mira, who was standing beside me before I knew it. I sent magical power to her too. She lightly received it and began forming the connection that had already existed.

Mira seemed satisfied with what had happened in the dream, and she was smiling very brightly. She looked at me, lightly smacked her lips, and leaned against me while licking her lips.

“Hehe, Evron was quite delicious. Dreams are nice. There’s nothing to worry about even if I eat you up like this. That person tasted rather good too.”

She lightly patted her stomach and glanced at the coffin in the center. It was where Lumira had entered. Since her dream had ended, she would certainly wake up soon as well.

Magical power began gathering toward that coffin little by little. Within that flow of magical power, the coffin stirred. Then its lid opened, and Lumira sat up. Her face was very blank, as if proving that she had been inside a dream until just now.

“Now, since you have returned to reality, you must quickly come to your senses.”

Koite said that and poured cold, shining magical power over her. It was the same magical power that had woken me. As it seeped into Lumira’s body, she shivered lightly.

After quickly coming to her senses like that, she checked her body. Magical power surged toward her like a tide. All the inner demons that had blocked her had been removed, so she had gained such an active flow of magical power.

Compared to before, her magical power had grown stronger in purity, quantity, and flow. Very noticeably, too. Koite checked her condition and nodded.

“You have become far stronger than before. At this level, saying you can crack the wall would not be an empty boast.”

At those words, Lumira clenched her fist. As she looked down at her own fist, firm conviction filled her eyes. Koite bowed his head to her.

“So, Lumira, were you satisfied with the dream provided by our Dream Theater?”

Koite asked her politely. At those words, Lumira glanced at Mira. Mira smiled brightly at Lumira. I could see Lumira’s complexion pale a little at that.

What had happened in the dream after I disappeared? I had been dead, so I could not see. I smacked my lips in disappointment. Still, one thing was certain. She had overcome the inner demon. Mira must have adjusted her strength delicately.

“Yes. I’m satisfied. At this level, the points don’t feel wasted.”

Lumira tossed out those words. I could glimpse a hint that she respected Koite a little. Koite smiled brightly and held out several business cards to her.

“Then please recommend us to other people. Ah, and may we use Lumira for promotion? At this rate, you will surely succeed in advancing to the 7th floor someday.”

Lumira frowned slightly. That prickliness showed on her face. She looked as if she would refuse at any moment, but soon she softened her expression a little. Then she opened her mouth with a slight hesitation.

“I’ll allow it if you can give me one thing.”

“What should I give you?”

Koite asked while rubbing his hands together. She lightly felt around her breast pocket. After confirming there was nothing inside, she let out a small sigh.

“The fairy I met in the dream. I think the name was Ian. Was that also a puppet? Then I want that child.”

Pfft. A sound came from my chest. Mira had burst into laughter. Holding onto my arm, Mira began laughing lightly.

I gestured for her to lower her voice, but when Mira saw my face, she started laughing even harder. Koite scratched his head and looked at us. When his eyes met mine, he gestured at me with his chin.

“You should speak with the owner of the puppet. I provided the dream, and he provided the puppets.”

Lumira glanced at me. Her eyes held the look of someone staring at something pathetic.

“Ah, that guy handled all the puppets in this dream, didn’t he?”

Koite nodded. At that, Lumira approached me. Then she carefully began examining the puppets standing beside me. After looking at the types, starting with the wolf puppet, her head tilted slightly.

Her face looked somewhat puzzled. I quickly noticed the reason. It was probably because they looked far weaker than they had in the dream. Her gaze finally stopped on Mira.

Mira lightly waved at her. She was acting very friendly. Lumira avoided Mira’s gaze and spoke to me.

“Ian, where is that child?”

“Right here.”

Saying that, I opened my spatial pouch. Then I took out Ian’s body from inside. It was a simple puppet without a soul granted to it. Lumira frowned slightly when she saw the limp body.

I granted magical power to the thing’s body. It flew up and circled around us. Powder from its wings embroidered the air.

Even so, Lumira’s expression did not relax. It was because she could not feel any life from it. She slowly observed the puppet and shook her head.

“It wasn’t like this in the dream. Where is the real Ian?”

Lumira said that and looked at me. Her eyes held a bit of suspicion. I glanced at Koite to figure out what I should do.

He raised a thumb, then made a sharp slicing motion across his throat. It meant I should tell the truth. She could not remain tied to the dream.

Seeing that, I scratched my head slightly. This was the part I did not want to say. I let out a small sigh and lifted my hand slightly.

“Ah, that was me.”

At those words, she blinked. She tilted her head slightly as if she did not understand what I had said. Then she looked back and forth between the floating fairy puppet and me. Then she slowly blinked again.

“That was you?”

I nodded.

“And you were the one who touched my body.”

“Ahem, I did not touch it. I was adjusting it to its optimal state.”

I made a small excuse. But it did not seem to resonate with her much. She took one step away from me.

“No, that can’t be. Ian was really cute.”

“Yes. I worked hard to make it look that way.”

I nodded as I said that. At those words, her face turned deathly pale. She placed a hand on her chest and slowly backed away. It did not match her strong magical power at all.

She went over to Koite and muttered weakly that she had to go. Then she staggered out of the cavern. Watching her back, I scratched my head again.

“That was very good. That’s how you’re supposed to help someone break free from a dream. The other people working here sometimes go through similar things too. That’s what keeps them from lingering.”

Koite grinned and patted my shoulder. Watching Mira giggle beside me, I smiled bitterly. Mm, I had thought about building a good relationship with a mage who would climb to the 7th floor and making her a connection, but it seemed that was off the table.

Well, it could not be helped. More importantly, this dream had been quite helpful to me too. Not simply as a stepping stone toward entering my own dream. I had found at least a clue to the reason for the obsession I had not understood until now.

I placed a hand on my chest. There was something in my tree. No, perhaps the problem was in my soul beyond it. I glanced at Koite. Since I had resolved the request, it was now time for him to keep his promise.

---

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried