Chapter 73: The Labyrinth of Dreams Part 1

"Thank you deeply for your hospitality, Sir Sylvanus."

When I arrived at Darion's mansion, or to be exact, the Sylvanus family's mansion, I was greeted with overwhelming hospitality. It seemed the news of me passing the "Proof of Ritual" had already spread as Darion's father, Sir Sylvanus, welcomed me in a very friendly manner.

"If Darion sees you as a brother, wouldn't you be like a son to me?"

"It's an honor."

"Make yourself at home."

Though he wasn't a council elder, Sir Sylvanus was known as the queen's "nephew" which meant staying here could be beneficial in many ways. I politely expressed my gratitude to him.

Afterward, I was escorted to the annex where my companions were staying.

– Kuun! Kuun Kuun!

Ayla, who perhaps had already caught my scent, was running towards me from a distance. She leaped with all her might and threw her large body into a hug with me. Of course, I couldn't withstand Ayla's weight and fell backward.

"Master!"

El who had arrived a bit later extended her hand to me. I took El's hand and got to my feet.

"You seem to be doing well, El."

"Yes. Mr. Darion has been quite accommodating to us, though he did treat us somewhat like servants…"

"Haha. That can't be helped. It's because he's an elf."

After patting El on the head, we walked together back to our room. I found Lloyd tending to his sword in front of the room.

"Mr. Lloyd."

"You're here."

"Yes. You might not be very curious, but still, nothing much happened."

"That's good to hear."

His reaction was excessively lukewarm. Well, it's certainly better than someone like Darion making a fuss.

"There shouldn't be much danger while we stay here."

"...."

"However, I think we need to be cautious. Please stay vigilant."

"Understood."

"I'm not saying I'll leave everything to you. I'll also be attentive."

Although the elders found me intriguing and mysterious, their feelings were not exactly friendly. After all, I would be under surveillance during my stay in Lysette, even if not explicitly. If they felt threatened, they might try to remove me from Lysette…

It would be wise to prepare in advance for various possibilities.

I wonder if the full bloom of the guardian tree will turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing…

Well, worrying about it now was pointless, but I couldn't help but be concerned.

"By the way, have you eaten? Darion has invited us to eat with him."

"...."

"...."

Both Lloyd and El seemed to be in a bad mood. Why?

"Well, he has been taking good care of us, but…"

"But?"

"It's been overwhelming. He keeps asking us things so much that we haven't had time to eat. Honestly, I feel like I might get sick. Right?"

When El sought agreement, Lloyd nodded lightly.

I see…

"Well then, I'll go alone. I can take Ayla with me."

– Kiiin…

"Eh? Ayla, you don't want to go either?"

"Ah, that's because… he's been touching Ayla a lot…"

I see…

– Ppiyoppi?

As I was feeling down, Beepy flew over and perched on my head. So, this little guy is the only one I can bring along. He might not be of much help, but…

"It can't be helped. Then I'll have to go to dinner alone tonight. Darion has indeed helped me out, so I really can't refuse."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

If El and Lloyd weren't around, it might have actually been a blessing in disguise as it could allow the Sylvanus father and son to share more intimate stories with me.

After settling into the room, I checked the items the Council had returned to me. The space ring, intact. The totem, intact. And most importantly, the "old book"…

Intact.

– Flap, flap…

I flipped through the book and checked its content page by page. It was in Korean, so it would have been unreadable to them. The book itself didn't seem like a magical item, so it likely didn't arouse much suspicion.

…the scroll of Demarcushel hasn't been discovered either.

Unless I opened the dimensional garden, there was no way they could have realized such an item existed. Anyway, my items had passed without any suspicion at all.

What a relief.

Everything seemed fine. I quickly organized my belongings, put the totem back on, and slipped the old book into my coat, the space ring back onto my index finger. Ah, now I felt somewhat normal again. Being without the totem had felt like being completely naked.

After catching my breath for a moment, the evening had arrived. A servant sent by Darion came to escort me to the annex, so I put Beepy on my shoulder and followed him out.

The Sylvanus estate was arguably the most beautiful piece of architecture I had seen on the continent. It exuded the unique beauty of Elven architectural styles. A veritable feast for the eyes.

Of course, even that could not compare to the distant beauty of the Lysette Royal Palace.

Can I really enter that place?

Leaving those thoughts behind, I gazed at the royal palace twinkling like a star in the distance and entered the mansion. Darion welcomed me warmly.

"You look well. I'm glad."

"It's all thanks to you."

"Let's go; my father is waiting."

I walked down a long corridor together with Darion. The walls were covered with portraits of what seemed to be the past heads of the household; they were all elves. The paintings were so lifelike and eerie. It was somewhat creepy how much they all resembled Darion.

I had heard that the Elf Queen had no direct descendants. Instead, her siblings had established their own lineages and lived on… The Sylvanus family was one of them. Even if they were only distant relatives, their authority was considerable since there were no direct descendants of the queen…

However, the political infighting among them is a headache.

Upon reaching the dining room, we were greeted by Darion's father Paton Sylvanus and his wife.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"I hope the meal is to your liking."

Although there were only four of us eating, over twenty servants were attending to us. Quite impressive. I could see why El might have refused to come here. I gave an awkward smile and sat down on the chair a servant pulled out for me.

For appetizers, white bread and green soup were served. The bread was so fragrant and soft that it nearly melted in my mouth. It was almost too delicate to be called bread.

I wonder what the soup is made of.

It wasn't peas or broccoli. What could it possibly be…? While I was pondering such trivial thoughts, Paton Sylvanus spoke to me.

"You passed the Ritual of Proof quite splendidly, I hear."

"Ah, that is… too kind of you to say."

"The holy water washes away all that is impure."

He sure had a refined way of saying it burns them to death. I smiled nonchalantly.

"Actually, it was quite refreshing. It felt as though both my body and soul were being reborn."

"Pure ones gain enlightenment through the Ritual of Proof. It seems you did as well."

"Hahaha. Thank you."

"And I hear that's not all. The guardian tree blossomed fully, didn't it?"

"Yes. I don't know why… but it was beautiful."

Paton's eyes softly glowed. I subtly avoided his gaze and took another piece of bread.

"That's a very rare occurrence. Normally, elves only manage to bloom one or two flowers during their coming-of-age. For the entire guardian tree to be in bloom… that's something…"

"I heard it last happened at Her Majesty's coronation."

"That's right. You already knew? It's no ordinary event."

"I think it's just a coincidence…"

Paton shook his head. Oh, this man, don't tell me….

"Darion told me everything. You already knew about the ancient elf mythology, he said."

"That is…"

"Whoever told you, you seem to know it quite accurately."

That's because I thoroughly read through the game's lore. I'm the type who obsesses over details, and it was part of my "job" after all.

It's sad that it feels like it's from a time long past now.

Should I correct this misunderstanding? I pondered for a moment as I slowly stirred my soup.

If I deny it too vehemently, it might look suspicious. They might even think I'm deliberately hiding my origins.

Among the ancient elves, there were a few who were "banished" from Lysette. Most are said to have hidden in the Dark Forest…

Being mistaken for a descendant of these "banished" ancient elves could be dangerous.

Maybe it's safer to stick to the initial approach and feign ignorance.

"Yes. But I can't remember who told me. I have very few memories from my childhood."

It's not a complete lie. After all, I didn't spend my childhood in this damned otherworld.

"Perhaps it was a story you heard in a dream."

"That's not an impossible notion either."

Paton Sylvanus's wife who had been silent until now opened her mouth.

"There is such a thing as soul transference."

"…Soul transference?"

"If your ancestor had sacrificed part of their own soul to use the 'soul transference' magic, then it's all possible."

Ah, I hadn't thought that far, but does that explanation actually make sense?

For my part, I might consider it but Paton and Darion looked completely convinced.

"Outside of Lysette, it's almost a wild world, so it would make sense to use such magic to avoid revealing one's origins."

I nodded my head appropriately, as if amazed. It was really convenient when they convinced themselves…

"Ah, if only the Queen could see for herself, then you might know the truth."

"Huh?"

"She is the closest to the ancient elves, after all."

"Ah, well, but she's busy, so that would probably be difficult, wouldn't it?"

The surroundings instantly fell silent at my words. This atmosphere… what is it? As I looked at Darion with a puzzled expression on my face, he awkwardly glanced at his parents before opening his mouth.

"The Queen…"

"Darion."

Paton interrupted Darion's speech. It seemed he was worried his son might misspeak. After a not-so-brief silence, it was Paton who spoke next.

"Actually, there's a favor I'd like to ask of you."

"A favor… you say."

It wasn't unexpected. After all, pure goodwill without expecting something in return is nonexistent in this world. I wasn't surprised and calmly waited for him to continue.

"You might be able to enter the 'Labyrinth of Dreams'."

The Labyrinth of… Dreams?