CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 53 IT’S QUITE A COINCIDENCE

The ethereal dreamscape shattered, revealing once more the plain bedroom scenery.

On a nearby bed, Dyres lay limp on the pristine white sheets, her pitch-black wings twitching unconsciously. The Succubus Queen gazed vacantly at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

Dyres had unleashed her full power in Dreamscape Genesis against Shiayar for the last time, instantaneously generating a massive surge of Desire Power. Having received this tide of Desire Power, she rode the momentum and successfully broke through the 3rd Soul Pact. More than that, the residual Desire Power continued to wash over Dyres’s soul, even after the breakthrough. For a while, she struggled to assimilate the endlessly expanding Desire Power, her consciousness becoming hazy, to the point where even maintaining the dreamscape became difficult.

There was no helping it. Even if she belonged to a race of old temptresses, Dyres could still be considered a disgrace among Succubi. Absorbing Desire Power from a dreamscape was also a first for her; utterly lacking in experience, green as grass—she crashed right there and then.

「...」

Elsewhere, at a table and chair, Shiayar pulled out a tissue and wiped his hands. On the wooden table, the silver top that had been infused with Spirituality had toppled over and was no longer spinning. Shiayar crumpled the tissue into a ball and tossed it into a nearby trash can, then took out some paper and a pen from a drawer beneath the table. Then, under the glow of the magictech lamp on the table, his fountain pen glided across the paper as he began to ponder the gains and losses of the night.

Overall, even though it was the Empire’s officials who initiated this probe by sending someone here, it was also me taking advantage of the situation.

If not for that, I could have completely refused Dyres’s ritual catalyst and Dreamscape Genesis.

It’s just that I have too many secrets.

Without discussing anything else, just the fact that the system can directly improve a Pet Beast’s skill proficiency is enough to cause a huge commotion.

And there’s the creation of entirely new skills... as well as Pet Beasts from Echo of History that I have contracted with, which have nearly gone extinct in the modern era—these are all considered hidden existences.

I can’t possibly completely avoid using these abilities in real life. Traces were left behind during my previous exploration of the Ancient Dukedom Azure Garden. None of these traces can be perfectly concealed, as the previous Ashes Cult incident has already drawn attention.

If things continue this way, the attention I’ll attract will keep growing.

Since this is the case, rather than facing increasing caution and investigation from more powers later on, it would be better to take the initiative.

Shiayar’s pen paused for a moment.

Moreover, the advantage of proactively reaching out is that I can deliberately reveal a part of my Mind Landscape, then hide another part.

With Silver, a pure Mental-type Pet Beast, as his main pet, combined with his previous experience against opponents who were equally adept at Illusion Techniques, Shiayar’s resistance to Mental-type skills was already quite high.

Dreamscape Genesis, being the exclusive racial skill of the Succubus Royal Family, plus the likelihood that there were strong entities monitoring through the Astral Realm... Shiayar couldn’t completely twist the dreamscape without anyone noticing. But to control and conceal it to a certain extent wasn’t too difficult.

All that occurred in the dream was indeed a part of my true inner Mind Landscape, but it was only "part of the truth."

Just like how that Sea of Stars truly represented the ideal world that I aspired to, but was only "the end of the ideal."

The Space Elevator, the Dyson Sphere... those magnificent feats of engineering were certainly awe-inspiring, but they deviated from the current Western fantasy world. Aside from seeming grand and impressive, they did not reveal much more detail.

And the steps to reach "the end of the ideal" were hidden by me.

The subsequent pink hues of desire operated on a similar principle.

That streak of pink was something I purposefully exposed. Even going so far as to materialize it and ramp up the Desire Power to its peak, causing Dyres to be unable to sustain the dreamscape, was all within my plan.

A saint who appears perfect and compassionate may seem ethereal, unrealistic, and even raise suspicion...

But a lecherous, flesh-and-blood person seems much more real and is much more reassuring.

As for how much truth there was in that pink and magnificent dream, I can only maintain my silence.

Although Ennie in her cat-ear maid outfit was indeed fabulous—

I would never admit to any fascination with my Golden Elf Instructor.

I’m afraid of being killed by my own instructor.

「...」

Time ticked away, second by second.

On Shiayar’s bed, the fluctuations of spiritual energy and Desire Power that had been emanating from the Succubus Queen began to slowly retract. Her horns, jet-black wings, and heart-shaped tail all started to fade into translucency and then disappeared entirely. Dyres transformed back into the pure and innocent student council president she was before.

"Stabilized at the 3-Ring intermediate position?" Shiayar glanced at her and clicked his tongue in amazement. "It’s no surprise, coming from a race of the Abyss Plane. You succubi level up much more effortlessly than us Humans."

"The main reason is that this is my first time using Dreamscape Genesis," Dyres said as she sat up on the bed. Her eyes were soft and beautiful, though tinged with exhaustion. "The effect won’t be as good in subsequent uses. Besides, all of this was thanks to Student Shiayar. Though I’m inexperienced, according to the records of my kin, the quality of others’ dreams can hardly compare to Student Shiayar’s."

She switched on the magictech illumination lamp on her bedside table, then stuck out her pink tongue to lightly lick her crimson lips. "Also, this was my very first time as a succubus... Student Shiayar, you must take responsibility for your actions."

"Don’t say things with such ambiguity." Shiayar glanced out of the corner of his eye at the door. "If Ennie heard that, she might really think something sordid has happened between us. Alright, if I’m not mistaken... you’re here on behalf of someone else to probe and assess me, right? Now that you’ve entered the dream you wanted and seen the secrets you wished to see, the assessment should be about over, shouldn’t it? Once you’re done, I’m going to sleep. Ennie’s Intuition is too strong. I might need some time to tidy up the scene, or else that girl might get jealous again tomorrow."

Dyres stood up, about to say something. But then, the words she had yet to utter were interrupted by an incoming communication. Dyres listened for a while, then turned her gaze back to Shiayar.

"Her Highness wishes to see you."

Her Highness?

Shiayar picked up on the information embedded in that term. He took the pale blue crystal Dyres handed him and infused it with his spiritual power. Soon, through the communication network built by the Astral Wandering Spirits, he saw the scene on the other side of the light screen.

It was a silver-haired, red-eyed girl, dressed in a black and red Black Vulture military uniform. The compelling authority on her delicate face made one unconsciously overlook her age.

Shiayar was not unfamiliar with the girl in the military uniform because he had just seen her in a dream not too long ago.

Just... quite coincidental.