Chapter 52 - A Secret Code Meant For Two

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༺ A Secret Code Meant For Two ༻ 

 The room was filled with silence.

 Both Princess Eleanor and the Archmage's apprentices watched me with their mouths shut.

 As if urging me to provide an answer swiftly.

 "..."

 My eyes fixed on the princess, lost in thought.

 Nothing.

 Absolutely nothing.

 Not a single evil spirit was attached to her.

 [Hmm?]

 Even the Dark Spiritualist wore a puzzled expression, scanning Eleanor from head to toe, then finally looking at me as if to say, 'I have no clue.'

 [Do you see anything?]

 I took a step closer to Princess Eleanor while thinking that I should clearly warn the Dark Spiritualist not to speak to me when I was not alone.

 There were several evil spirits or yokai related to nightmares.

 For example, back in my original world, there was a yokai called 'Maek', composed of various animal body parts.

 Of course, that was a yokai that consumed nightmares.

 If we were to compare it with creatures in this world, there existed Dream Demons. Since it was a world where Demons really existed, it was quite natural for them to exist. However, when it came to Demons, they were not beings that could be easily seen.

 'The Saintess would have already dealt with it if it were a Demon.'

 While evil spirits were one thing, the Saintess wouldn't have failed to perceive a Demon. She was, in a sense, the antithesis of Demons.

 The way she went on a Demon-hunting spree in the game, while she was a party member, was so significant that it was established as one of the main routes.

 Anyway.

 It was definitely not related to Demons. Nor did evil spirits or yokai appear to be the cause of her affliction.

 'Is there something within the dream that I am unable to see?'

 Princess Eleanor snapped at me irritably as I was contemplating.

 "What are you doing now! You said you'd cure me!"

 Her outburst, perhaps aggravated by stress, seemed far removed from the Eleanor I was familiar with from the game.

 'Are her nightmares shocking enough to cause her to change her personality…?'

 I asked her directly.

 "What are the contents of your dreams?"

 "..."

 "Do they change every day?"

 I still wanted to hear it directly from the princess even though I had already heard about it from King Orpheus.

 She clenched her lips tightly, then began to speak carefully.

 The content of her dreams kept changing.

 The places, the events, the people appearing.

 But what was important to note was that the dreams were so convincing, that it was hard to differentiate them from reality. And someone always appeared to grasp something new about the inconsistency between dreams and reality.

 "Last time, after I said that there was no scent… My dreams started having scents."

 The Archmage's apprentices let out sighs of sadness upon hearing this. It had become apparent how terrified the princess was.

 I nodded my head slightly and responded after listening to her.

 "Please sleep."

 "….What did you say?"

 "I need you to sleep for me to be able to check your condition."

 Eleanor jumped up from her chair as if having a fit.

 "No, no way! I don't want to fall asleep!"

 The Archmage's apprentices rushed in, blocking my path, as she retreated from me as if fleeing.

 "Stay still."

 "You'll be reduced to ashes if you move."

 However, I didn't even look at them and spoke directly to Eleanor.

 "Does that mean you will never sleep for the rest of your life? Eventually, you will have to sleep."

 "..."

 "So, please sleep while I am here. That is the only way I will be able to analyze the cause of these nightmares."

 Although the situation differed, dreams were concepts that gradually changed and evolved, imitating reality.

 Though where this imitation would end or what its purpose might be was something I did not know.

 "Your dreams are catching up to reality. There will definitely come a time when the two will be indistinguishable. We don't know what will happen then, but I need to assess the situation to prevent that from happening."

 "..."

 Despite my words, Eleanor shook her head in fear.

 After pondering for a moment, I made a suggestion.

 "How about this? We can create a code that only the two of us will understand."

 "...A code?"

 Pushing aside the apprentices who were blocking my way, I stood before the princess.

 Her trembling form looked nothing like the determined Eleanor I saw facing her death.

 "There is one thing that is common in your dreams. The places and people in them mirror your present environment."

 When she slept in the dorm, she dreamt of the time before her enrollment; on the carriage, she dreamt that she was riding one.

 As time passed, her dreams were increasingly reproducing her current reality; if she slept now, she was likely to dream of the Royal Palace.

 "To check if you are in a dream, find me. And then ask me."

 "...Ask you what?"

 "Well, there is no need to make it complicated. You can simply ask, 'Is this reality?'"

 "Are you kidding me? If I ask that, the guy in the dream will definitely say it's reality! Even if we set a code, there's a good chance that he can also figure it out!" 

 – Just like the book she read in her dream;

 The content from Eleanor's mind was written in the book.

 If the entity within the dream found out the code in her mind by some unknown means, then it was all over.

 However, I reassured her.

 "If you ask me whether this is reality, I will reply with a word you have never heard before. Something out of the world, and I will provide you with an explanation as well."

 "...What?"

 At her baffled question that couldn't make sense about what I was saying, I shrugged and gestured for her to give it a try.

 Sometimes, it was faster to demonstrate it than to keep explaining.

 "Is this reality?"

 "There is a character called Dooly1."

 "...What?"

 The corners of my mouth were oddly lifted watching Eleanor's frown.

 "It's a dinosaur I saw in a children's book a long time ago. You can think of it as a green, beast-like creature."

 "Is there really something like that? Doo, Dooly?"

 "There's no need for you to worry about that. The point is, I know of countless words you have never heard of."

 "..."

 "That being only obtains partial information from you. In other words, there is no way it can learn something you do not know about."

 Princess Eleanor slowly nodded her head. She almost appeared to be convinced by my words, swallowing hard and staring at me intently.

 "So wherever you are, find me. And then ask whether this place is reality."

 "...Okay, got it."

 Eleanor laid down on the bed as if making a decision, clasping her hands tightly.

 She slowly closed her eyes but opened them all of a sudden, turning her head to look at me.

 "Hold on, you do the same as well."

 "The same, you say?"

 "Yes, when you see me, you say the code as well. Then I'll know this is reality without having to check."

 "...."

 "The first one to see the other speaks. Like some sort of a game."

 Eleanor spoke with a smile that hinted at a slight thrill. I gently nodded in agreement, given her rather simple request.

 Eleanor slowly closed her eyes, content with my response.

 She quickly drifted off to sleep, having forced herself to stay up.

* * *

 Five hours had passed since Eleanor had fallen asleep. During that time, Deus Verdi and the Archmage's apprentices stood guard, while the twilight slowly faded away.

 "Huff! Huff!"

 Drenched in sweat, Eleanor sprang up from the bed and took uneven breaths as she held her head.

 A splitting headache came crashing in, as if something was pushing against her brain.

 "Princess, are you alright?"

 Eleanor briefly glanced over at the calm inquiry of the man's voice.

 Standing beside her was Deus Verdi, who emitted a subtly pleasant scent even without any artificial fragrance.

 Though Deus maintained a stoic expression, there was an aura of subtle confidence and assurance on his face.

 "Did…did you figure something out?"

 As she took the towel he offered to wipe her sweaty neck, Deus nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

 "Yes, I have found a solution."

 "Good… that's a relief."

 "Was the code helpful?"

 "Huh?"

 Eleanor smiled faintly and nodded as she just regained her wits.

 "Yes, I was able to realize that it was just a dream thanks to it."

 "That's fortunate."

 Responding with an air of calm assurance, Deus nodded slightly.

 "It seems that we will be able to resolve your nightmares by tomorrow."

 "Re, really?!"

 As a visibly surprised Eleanor responded with a radiant smile, Deus confidently assured her, 

 "Absolutely, without a doubt."

 Soon, he spoke again, 

 "Then, I will take my leave as I need to prepare."

 "Alright, I'm counting on you."

 Eleanor sat up, thinking she needed to wash up first. There was a slight dizziness, but she was feeling cheery.

 Deus Verdi was exactly how she had perceived him at first—methodical, confident, yet cool-headed.

 He truly fit perfectly to her first impression…

 ....

 .......

 ..........

 Wait. He fit perfectly to the first impression she 'thought' she had?

 Taking a deep breath through her nose, she smelled the lingering scent of Deus left in her vicinity.

 Slowly, she reached out to gather mana. The mana manifested as a shimmering blue light at her fingertips.

 And finally,

 As Deus was about to leave the room, his hand on the doorknob, Eleanor swallowed hard and asked him a question.

 "Deus."

 "Yes, Your Highness."

 "Is this reality?"

 He slowly let go of the doorknob, and it clicked back into place.

 Deus turned around and calmly replied.

 "Damn it."

 .

 .

 .

 "Huff! Huff!"

 Eleanor woke up, finding herself in the same bed and soaked in sweat just like before.

 The room lights were on, indicating that it had grown dark outside. Just like in her dream, Deus Verdi and Archmage's two apprentices were keeping watch over her.

 "..."

 Eleanor covered her face with the towel that Deus silently handed her and forced herself to take deep breaths.

 In that state, she asked Deus a question.

 "Is, is, is this… reality?"

 Deus responded dispassionately.

 "Fermat's Last Theorem2. One of the most famous unsolved problems in the history of mathematics. Many mathematicians had wept, given up, and were stumped by it."

 "..."

 "However, 358 years after the problem was posed to the world, Andrew Wiles3 managed to prove it. It was truly a historic moment."

 Upon hearing this, Eleanor's eyes moistened with relief, and she mumbled irritably.

 "Damn it, what is that nonsense even supposed to mean?"

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