Disturbing Dream

――Applying the registration of Gilbert Loto Amelia as a proper member of the subjugation picture book―――― Denied.

―Applying the registration of Gilbert Loto Amelia as a provisional member of the subjugation picture book―――――Permission granted

――Due to the register of the soul during the registration as a provisional member, the microscopic alteration has been made in common sense, mind, and flesh.

My consciousness arose from the abyss upon hearing that inorganic voice.

Opening my eyes, I found myself inside the cave.

「Oi, Gil, are you okay!?」

My body was shaken repeatedly by Chigi inside that cave.

「This place is…」

After looking around few times in hurry,

「—!?」

I hurriedly rose up from my position, looking around in hurry due to those vivid memories in my brain.

The red haired girl with a bob cut looked at me with a displeased look on her face. Her figure overlapped with the girl in my memories whose head chopped into mince me――

「TAMA!」

When I stood up immediately and hug her as I called her name,

「Are you okay!? Are you hurt somewhere!?」

I patted her whole body to confirm her safety.

「HEH!?」

Though Tama was dumbfounded for a while, her eyes turned around as her face flushed red from embarrassment――

「▽〇◆×――」

She raised an enigmatic scream, pushed me away and ran into the innermost part of the cave.

A while later, I finally regained my composure after pondering for a while.

What in the world was I seeing just now in my memories?

I've tried to confirm it a few times but, I found that both Tama and Chato were safe and sound. And above all else, they forgot that both of them were assigned to move along with me. Or should I say that "Forgot" was an incorrect expression for this situation.

――I mean, it's as if that horrifying massacre never happened.

That was the only conclusion I arrived at after thinking carefully.

As if the time rewinded to the moment of our quarrel in front of the cave, a few hours before our death. It seems I suddenly passed out right in the middle of the quarrel and fell flat on the ground.

Was that a daydream? But, it felt too realistic to be a mere dream. But, I couldn't say it was real either, just from a mere dream.

Since that was the case, this might be a future vision, or should I say, prophetic dream. Since I lost my memory, I had no idea about my gift either. Thus, this power might be the effect of my gift.

And then, it would be triggered when I got in danger. Thus, I was forced to see the future once something dangerous was going to happen to me. If that was the case, then that dream would make sense.

Since that was the case, it means that we're in a really dangerous situation. We wouldn't be able to defeat that blue haired man. Rather, I couldn't even see his movement since it was simply too fast. As it is, everyone would be killed. If possible, I wanted them to escape but that would mean abandoning Shar. For some reason, I instinctively knew what would happen if I escaped from this.

「We're cornered huh…」

When I scratched my head, trying to find the best solution, Chato and Chigi came to me. Well, we're about to bet our life in this incoming fight after all. They must have noticed something from my attitude.

Chato grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the private room of the innermost part of the cave. Chigi followed behind.

「Is something the matter, Gil? Can you tell us about it?」

Chigi asked with a serious look on his face.

Maybe the reason why they dragged me into this room was to prevent others from eavesdropping. Chigi did a really good job in this regard. A mass panic might occur if the others knew that we were about to fight against the opponent that we could never beat.

「It's depending on whether you two can trust what I'm about to tell you or not.」

They frowned upon hearing my story.

「Prophetic dream huh. Sure enough, that's the worst possible outcome.」

Chigi muttered quietly.

I was really surprised to see him trust my story. I mean, even I had a hard time believing that kind of phenomenon immediately and had to make several assumptions. And yet, Chigi trusted such absurdity without a shred of doubt in his voice.

「Oioi, Chigi-san, are you really going to trust such absurd story?」

Chato frowned as he asked the most sensible of questions. Chato seems to doubt my story but, since he wasn't enraged, it seems he at least realized that I wasn't joking.

「Well. That person happens to have the same gift. It might be the prophetic dream gift given by the god of humans, your people's god.」

「Seriously, does that mean I really am going to die as is?」

Chat paled as he muttered.

「Don't worry, I've got a plan. Have patience.」

""

Chigi left for a while, and then returned with a long and narrow wooden box.

「This!」

When the lid of the box opened up, I saw three stake-like items.

「What is this?」

「I received this from a certain hunter a really long time ago, it is a stake that can restrict ability.」

「Eh, are you referring to the same hunter who give that pendant to Shar?」

「Yes. That person said that it was almost used up anyway, so it was kinda like giving away the last batch of it. The way to activate its effect is by infusing magical power into the three stakes when that dangerous fella is within the vicinity. Unfortunately, none of us among the sheep cat can use it save for Shar who is gifted with magical power. But, since you can also use magical power, can you use this?」

I took one of the stakes and studied it carefully. If I wasn't mistaken, the letters engraved on its surface were of the ancient alphabet. This was definitely an ancient weapon excavated from some sort of ancient ruin in this world. The fact that it came from ancient ruins itself is enough to regard this as a national treasure class weapon. If this weapon really could restrict abilities, then it was plenty enough to weaken that monster. This might be our only chance to turn the tables against him and win this battle.

「Yeah. We've no other choice. But there's still a huge problem, namely we've to wait till THAT appears before we can invoke the effect of this stake.」

I couldn't read that monster's behavior at all. I mean, I don't think that monster was stupid enough to stay still, waiting for me to invoke the effect of the stakes.

「Is that guy really that fast?」

「Too fast. Too fast for me to perceive his movements.」

I mean, he was already right behind me before I noticed. We might be akin to slow moving slime in that monster's eyes. That's why stopping his movement was the crucial part of this plan.

「Is there any plan to somehow force him to stay in his place?」

「I've told you right, he doesn't recognize us as a threat at all. To stop hi――」

No, wait a minute, what was that guy said back then.

――Oh my, my hand slipped. I've to catch the female alive yet I ended up killing one.

Yes, that was what he said back then. If both Chato and I didn't have any weapons in our hands, Tama might've survived.

「Anything is okay! Please, please save the future of the village!」

Chigi grabbed my hands, and begged me desperately. I guess hiding the fact that I found out just now would only cause him to doubt me. And I knew that Chigi would understand the reason for this dangerous tactic.

「I saw in my dream that guy said that he have to keep the female alive.」

「But, you said he killed Tama, right?」

「If what he said back then was the truth, the matter of him killing Tama is truly an accident. But, it's just as Chato had said, there's a chance that he might kill Tama. This is a dangerous gambling that I don't want to use.」

「I see… I understand. We really have no other choice but to think of another plan…」

""

When Chigi dropped his shoulders in disappoinment――

「I'll become the bait!」

The door of the room suddenly opened by the red haired girl with a bob cut―― Tama, who declared so as she entered the room and placed her hands on her waist. She might've eavesdropped our conversation from the other side of the door.

「No. It's too dangerous――」

「Be quiet, outsider!」

Tama shouted at me, walking toward Chigi and then bowed to him.

「Chigi-sama, I'm willing to become a bait!」

「No! Gil have told you that it's too dangerous right!?」

And got rejected by Chigi.

「If that human really is as strong as you say, then we literally have no way out of this situation. If he catches us, we either become a slave, or die. Since those are the only choice, I'm willing to take this gamble and bet my life for the safety of the entire village!」

She was serious, her face was that of someone who prepared to accept her fate.

「Chigi-san, I agree with Tama in this regard. If that man is really that fast, we're nothing but sitting ducks for him. Whether It Be bait or not, he is still going to hunt us down. But, since Tama is a woman, he might not kill her. And that moment of hesitation is our chance to strike back!」

""

「Please understand Chato, I've told you that man is way too dangerous!」

「GIL! TAMA HAD TOLD YOU RIGHT!? THOSE PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT FROM YOU! THEY REGARDED US AS LIVESTOCK! THAT'S WHY THIS IS OUR BEST PLAN! AM I WRONG!?」

Chato raised his voice angrily while gritting his teeth.

I was wrong. Talking with that guy was only a waste of time since he saw the sheep cat as nothing more than livestock. If we didn't resist, he would see us as nothing more than mere commodities. That's where our chance to win this battle can come from.

「I understand. I shall obey Chigi's decision.」

A while later, Chigi's closed eyes opened wide and,

「Let's do this! Let's protect the village!」

He said those words.