Chapter 40: How Did You Know?

“Ugh — it hurts —”

The clanking of armor sounded in short, rapid bursts as Lance slowly stood up, clutching his head.

‘What just happened?’

Lance tried to remember, but all he recalled was a flash of white.

For a moment, it felt as if he had evaporated into thin air.

Only after waking did he realize the magnitude of the pain that had pushed him past his limits.

‘Did I just faint from the pain?’ Lance wondered silently. He shook his head vigorously, forcing his consciousness to clear.

Thinking back to the Witch’s sweet smile, Lance felt nothing but shock and horror.

Was that really 9th-Ring Magic?

The current [Great Sage] was only an 8th-Ring Arcanist, wasn’t he?

Lance shuddered at the thought. An 8th-Ring mage far surpassed a Saint-Rank Expert in terms of pure offensive power.

Yet, Falia was a high-tier mage who could unleash 9th-Ring Magic without even using a wand.

With that kind of strength, she wouldn’t even fear the Popes of the Three Great Orthodoxies if she faced them all at once.

No wonder she was kept under the joint supervision of the Three Great Orthodoxies and the Academy of Sages…

Just then, a rustling sound came from beside him. Lance looked over and saw the capable Adventurer with dark gold hair slowly pushing herself up.

One jade-white hand covered her right eye. Her face was deathly pale, as if she had just experienced some great terror.

“Um… are you okay?” Lance asked, startled. He quickly checked on Astrid’s condition.

Hearing his voice, Astrid’s long eyelashes fluttered.

It took her a moment to grasp the situation before she replied, “I’m fine… This Dream was a bit strange…”

Lance hesitated, wondering if his Master had ruined the Elf’s dreamscape. He asked tentatively, “Was it different from the last Dream?”

Astrid nodded and slowly stood up. “It was going well at first…”

Mid-sentence, she stopped. As she recalled more, she looked at Lance suspiciously.

Lance grew nervous. He didn’t know if he should confess that he had also entered her Dream. In the garden from her dream, he felt like he had done something to embarrass her. He could only ask awkwardly, “Going well?”

Shaking her head as if to banish an intrusive thought, Astrid continued, “I don’t know what happened afterward. I was suddenly killed by a white light. The pain felt quite real…”

Lance breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Astrid didn’t seem to take the events of the Dream to heart.

‘Master, will we enter a Dream again?’

A chuckling voice rang out in his mind. ‘Don’t worry. It won’t be able to affect your minds or force you into a Dream Entry for a while.’

‘So, what should we do next?’

‘Go to Takin Village and subdue the Dream Eater, of course! It’s weak right now!’

Lance caught the specific word and felt a jolt of energy.

Subdue?

‘Master, subdue? Not eliminate?’

‘That would be such a waste! That hurricane lamp from before can capture evil spirits. Use it to seize the Dream Eater and leave the rest to me.’

Lance, who no longer doubted Falia’s status or power, did not dare raise any objections.

At that moment, he realized his throat was incredibly dry, as if it were about to smoke.

He pulled a prepared waterskin from the traveler’s bag at his waist and took a large gulp.

He felt his physical state recover slightly, though the dryness in his throat persisted.

Seeing Lance take out his water, Astrid felt she also needed some to clear her head.

With a graceful flick of her hand, she opened a Spatial Rift and pulled out her own waterskin.

Pop.

She uncorked the seal and poured a small handful of water to wash her pale, stained face.

Hearing the splashing sound, Lance turned around. He saw Astrid leaning over, eyes closed, rinsing her face with cold water.

Her fair neck revealed faint, light-green veins. Lance’s crimson eyes flashed for a second, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

‘She looks delicious…’

The thought popped into his head out of nowhere. Once he realized how wrong it was, he panicked and turned away, slamming his hand against his helmet.

Gong —

The full-cover helmet let out a metallic ring.

Astrid wiped her face and looked at Lance in confusion. “What is it? An enemy?”

Lance waved his hands hurriedly. “Nothing, nothing. Don’t mind me.”

“Maji and the others don’t seem like they’ll wake up anytime soon. Let’s drag the two of them back to the village first. I feel like something has changed there.”

Astrid’s gaze was deep. She found it strange that Lance was speaking to her with his back turned.

‘Why does he feel so distant now?’

Recalling the dream she just had, a suspicion resurfaced. Astrid stepped forward and patted Lance’s pauldron.

“Lance, what was your dream? Why did you wake up at the same time as me?”

Lance’s armor stiffened. He let out a nervous laugh. “My dream? I just dreamed I was still a playboy young master at the Earl’s estate. It felt too fake, so I woke up.”

“Oh? Your mental fortitude is quite strong then.”

“I’m not so lucky,” Astrid said. “I dreamed I was escaping out a window using a rope, but I was too scared to open my eyes.”

Lance felt something was off. He forced a smile and changed the subject.

“Time is short. We should hurry to Takin Village and see what’s happening. Something seems wrong over there.”

Astrid nodded, seemingly agreeing with him.

She said naturally, “True. But I’m just a Low-order weakling. I doubt I can help you much…”

Lance froze. He didn’t understand what she meant.

Wasn’t Astrid a High Rank veteran adventurer? Was she still not fully awake, thinking she was the Low-order Princess from the Dream?

Was this a side effect of entering a Dream too deeply?

Lance grew anxious and turned to face her, his eyes filled with concern through the slits of his helmet.

Astrid took two steps back. The script she had prepared was instantly forgotten. She stammered, “W — What is it?”

Lance waved five fingers in front of her eyes and asked with concern, “Do you remember who you are? Do you feel tired, and does your head hurt?”

He fired off three questions in a row, leaving Astrid unsure which one to answer first.

“Lady Astrid, you’re High Rank now, not Low-order! Have you not completely broken free from the Dream yet?”

While asking this, Lance consulted Falia in his mind, asking if the Elf Girl had suffered any lingering effects.

Falia didn’t think so. That dream was far from a deep-level Dream Entry. There shouldn’t be any side effects.

But since Lance asked, Falia used his Soulfire to scan the Elf.

As Falia scanned her, the Elf Girl seemed to pick up on something. Her panicked expression vanished, replaced by a sharp gaze.

“Mr. Lance… how did you know the Low-order part was related to my dream? I don’t believe I told you any details about it, did I?”

Wait.

That wasn’t right.

Astrid stepped forward, her damp face pressing close to Lance’s chest. She tilted her head up and glared at him fiercely.

Lance’s heart hammered in his chest. He instinctively took a step back.

The Elf Girl gave him no room to breathe, stepping forward to follow him.

“How did you know? My Knight?”

Lance’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He spoke with difficulty, “There’s a complicated reason for this, Princess Astrid…”