The sky of the Demon World is a deep blue.
Morning, noon, night, dawn.
No matter the time, it always maintained the same color.
…I initially thought it was that way, but it turned out it wasn’t ‘the sky’ at all.
It was a dense mass of gathered mana.
It is said that the sky in the Demon World is always covered by thick clouds of blue mana.
Surely, the sun is rising beyond that, but I’ve heard you can’t see it.
Is that why?
I felt incredibly glum.
“Are you okay?”
Reeve, who was sitting next to me, quietly opened her mouth.
I was staring blankly at the sky and smiled faintly.
Not because it was funny, but because I was exhausted.
“I’m completely worn out.”
Today marks the fifth day since we entered the Demon World.
During this time, we had been walking endlessly.
But.
We were still inside the Great Forest we encountered when we first crossed the Dimensional Gate.
This forest was excessively vast.
No matter how far we walked, only bizarrely shaped ancient trees welcomed us in this heavenly maze.
Even if I flew above the trees, I couldn’t find the way. The horizon was filled with nothing but trees.
That wasn’t all.
We were frequently attacked by fierce monsters and mischievously moving plants, and sometimes the ground itself would shake.
A magnificent forest where danger lurked everywhere.
Even though we came fully prepared, we were overwhelmed by the immense size of the Great Forest and had to wander aimlessly for days.
In the midst of this, Wip’s comment was something else.
“This place is really peaceful.”
According to Wip, who had experience in the Demon World, this was a relatively safe location.
At least, there was no threat to our lives, that was the reasoning.
To think that a place so exhausting for people was just a comfortable area in the entire Demon World.
It was laughable.
I thought we were unlucky to end up in a maddeningly vast forest, but in reality, we were fortunate.
The Demon World, which I had only heard about, was indeed a harsh world to live in.
“It feels like we’re marching.”
“It really is hard just walking aimlessly. Ugh…”
Reeve moaned as she sprawled out on the ground behind her.
Then, staring silently at the ancient tree that was providing us shade, she suddenly spoke up.
“But marching? How do you know what that feels like?”
“……”
Should I tell the truth?
After a brief contemplation, I replied.
“I experienced it a lot during my Hero party days. Sometimes we had to move while protecting the Imperial Army.”
I decided not to lie to a fellow member.
However, I resolutely buried the truth that I had been a man before. There was no real reason to share that.
“I see.”
Reeve immediately accepted this and kept her mouth shut for a while.
I also took a moment of silence to rest.
How long had we been resting?
Suddenly, the would-be saint furrowed her brow.
“Wait, isn’t it ridiculous? That tin can over there.”
“……”
I nodded while staring at the ‘tin can’ resting a bit further away.
“It is ridiculous. Trusting only in the card manifestation ability and making plans…”
The humanoid, Kim Ji-yeon, who had the ability to manifest the effects of a card in reality through magic, acted solely on our ‘witness’s’ words that she could create a quick means of transportation with a card.
First, I would use a Sacred Spell to find out where the Great Demon’s true body was.
Then Kim Ji-yeon would take us there.
After that, we would just have to fight the Great Demon, and it would be over.
If it had gone according to plan, it would have flowed like that.
However, we encountered an unforeseen obstacle.
“Lady Ji-yeon.”
After a sigh, I quietly called out, and Kim Ji-yeon confidently walked over.
I was taken aback by her nonchalant demeanor and asked.
“How much mana do you have charged?”
Mana.
The power cultivated through deep meditation and training.
More precisely, it was energy generated by transforming the mana in the body through spiritual training that adds to the truth.
In essence, it was similar to Sacred Power, but there was a key difference.
Unlike the Sacred Power of the clergy, the mana of a sorcerer did not accumulate quickly.
And.
Currently, Kim Ji-yeon’s mana was completely depleted.
“Just wait a bit. Still not enough. Maybe around this?”
Soon numbers appeared on the talisman glued to her forehead.
[6]
Why such an ominous single digit?
“Is 10 the maximum?”
I asked hopefully, but reality was harsh.
“Not twelve. Not a hundred. A thousand is the maximum.”
“……”
After five days, only 6 out of 1000 was filled?
The ridiculous pace made me chuckle to myself.
Reeve, who was listening, couldn’t help but grin as her face scrunched up.
“Wait, Kim Ji-yeon.”
“Why, why do you call?”
“Why did you use such a slowly charging force on something like a past experience?”
Though it was a bit frantic, it was a legitimate question, so I didn’t stop but waited for an answer.
What kind of excuse would our humanoid come up with, I wondered as I stared at her expressionless face, and Kim Ji-yeon eventually scratched her head and replied.
“Ah, sorry. Just showing off. No reason. Sorry, sorry. I’m reflecting on it.”
“……”
Reeve slowly turned her head to me, her eyes filled with something intense.
Still, I couldn’t allow violence, so I shook my head and frowned.
“I can’t believe this…”
Thanks to the braggart Kim Ji-yeon, our journey had become twisted in many ways.
What were we going to do now?
Should we walk aimlessly?
That was too vague of a plan.
Or should we sit still and conserve energy until the mana is fully charged?
Then, we might have to wait over a year.
There was no feasible choice in this situation.
The longer I thought, the more flustered I became.
Just as I was persistently pondering.
“Lady Eluke.”
The government-affiliated returnee, the ‘Taegeukgi maiden,’ approached me to speak.
“What is it?”
“I have something to say regarding the schedule.”
Saying that, Psycheless took a seat next to me and continued in a cautious voice.
“If we just keep walking like this, we will all be exhausted before we even face the Great Demon. We need to come up with countermeasures, don’t you think?”
“I was just thinking of some solutions.”
Despite all the preparations, if we kept going like this, we would fail the Demon World expedition due to lack of transportation.
Somehow, we had to find a contingency plan. Otherwise, we would end up as a group of stranded individuals wandering in a gigantic forest even a month from now.
“Do you have any good ideas?”
I asked hinting, and Psycheless nodded immediately.
“I do. It’s a way to utilize the ‘Dream’s Path.'”
The Dream’s Path.
I didn’t know exactly what it referred to, but I understood whom she intended to ask for help.
“Is it Lady Lilith who will assist?”
“Yes. Last night in a dream, she told me to let her know if we wanted to cross the Demon World quickly.”
Succubi are known to engage in dreams.
In other words, they probably knew how to traverse the Demon World through the dream realm. This was incredibly welcome news.
However, I couldn’t ask for help just like that. I still didn’t know what side effects existed or how dangerous it was.
I needed to understand how this transportation method worked first.
“So, what exactly is the Dream’s Path?”
“Um….”
As Psycheless seemed to be organizing her thoughts, she paused for a moment before replying.
“Every dream is interconnected. So, one can enter someone else’s dream through someone’s dream. This is called the ‘Dream’s Path.'”
So, it’s a way to utilize the dream world as a sort of shortcut?
Based on the explanation I had heard so far, it sounded like a convenient and quick form of space travel.
However, any system in the world that had only advantages wouldn’t exist.
If it was easy and simple compared to other methods, then a cost would certainly come along with it.
“Now, please tell me the downsides.”
“You could get trapped in the dream.”
That was an easy-to-understand problem.
“Is it like ending up in a Hollywood movie where you complete missions within dreams?”
“I suppose you could say that. But I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been trapped.”
“Is there a countermeasure to avoid that?”
“You just serve Lady Lilith. Then you gain the ability to roam freely in dreams.”
“……”
As a member of the church, I decided to respect Lilith as a person.
However, no matter how I looked at it, the pope couldn’t become a devotee of a succubus.
“I’ll take that into consideration for now.”
Having said what I didn’t mean from courtesy, I leaned back against the tree behind me and contemplated.
Before us lay two choices.
One was to walk toward the Great Demon’s location without any plans.
This posed the issue of taking too much time, leading to exhaustion even before the fight.
On the other hand, utilizing the Dream’s Path.
This method could greatly reduce travel time, but it came with the risk of getting trapped in dreams.
So, ultimately, there was no easy or safe route available.
“Sun, what should we do?”
As I called upon the Goddess, there was no response.
It wasn’t that she was busy, but it felt as though communication had simply been cut off.
This uncomfortable feeling was entirely different from usual.
Perhaps it was because it was a place where the sun couldn’t cast sunlight on the ground, causing a brief lapse in communication.
“So this is what it feels like.”
Only after experiencing this did I somewhat understand how Reeve must have felt.
She might have been in a state of anxiety and frustration that would drive anyone mad.
Yet, being able to speak and act like nothing was wrong was remarkable. Such a resilient will made me want to emulate her.
Having been disconnected from the goddess for a while already, Reeve was that strong, so there was no way I, the pope, could be discouraged.
I tried to gather my strength and addressed everyone.
“Given the circumstances, we have no choice.”
At my words, all expedition members turned their attention toward me.
I exchanged glances with each of them slowly, then got up from my spot.
With a strong voice, I declared.
“Let’s borrow the power of Lady Lilith.”
Rather than risking getting trapped in a dream, I’d prefer to take our chances with the Dream’s Path than walk across this unbearably vast land.
*
“I’ve got one.”
To enter the dream realm, we first needed someone who was asleep.
So, I asked Yao to capture a nearby monster.
-Crrr!
The captured mole monster bared its sharp teeth, threatening us, but after a punch, it quieted down.
Soon after, Psycheless placed her hand on the monster’s head and quietly chanted.
“Sleep now.”
Blinked and blinked.
The monster was soon engulfed in a sleeping aura and fell asleep shortly after.
A remarkable level of hypnosis.
It was a skill that proved quite useful in modern society.
“You should open a sleep clinic later.”
“That’d be tough because of the Archbishop, right? She can put everyone to sleep just by speaking.”
“She’s a good rival.”
As we exchanged frivolous conversation, it soon became time for everyone to prepare to enter the dream realm.
“I’m going in.”
After scanning us all, Psycheless conjured a powder of deep pink hue and sprinkled it around.
The powder fell over everyone’s heads, including mine.
It created the exquisite scene as if pink snow was falling.
As I stood still, feeling the powder, suddenly I was enveloped by a sensation of being pulled into somewhere.
It wasn’t just a feeling; it actually was happening. We were being drawn into the dream realm.
Hee hee hee.
At that moment, as I heard a peculiar laugh from somewhere,
I found myself cradled in someone’s arms.
The soft chest wrapping gently around my face and a fragrant scent tickling my nose.
Then, a hand subtly caressing my backside.
Though the evidence was scant, I knew who it was.
“It’s you, Lady Lilith.”
“Nice to see you, Pope! Welcome to the dream realm.”
Lilith then gently released me from her embrace.
She pinched my cheek lightly, gazing down at me with intention.
“You really are cute, just as Cubica said. Want to spend the night with your big sister?”
“……”
No matter how kind she was, a succubus was still a succubus.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
