Eldritch Horror Theatre

Oh?

He had to admit, the young girl Lotte's demeanor was a marked departure from before—even compared to how she had just acted outside the dream.

She still couldn't be called cheerful, but the oppressive gloom that had clung to her for so long was gone.

"Thank you for the information. You've worked hard these past two days."

Taking note of this, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and thanked her sincerely.

"It was. So much so that even though I've accepted the outcome, I still don't want to think about the process..."

Lotte sighed.

"But why are you thanking me?"

"Because I was using you. My only concern was whether you would still remember."

"...My sister really didn't tell me that."

Her expression in that moment was quite colorful. It caused a ripple across the dreamscape centered around her, though it remained nothing more than a faint disturbance on a pool of stagnant water.

She seemed to have come to terms with the final outcome. After a moment, she even let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"She really should have told me... it would have saved her a lot of trouble."

"Family often fails to notice when the kids grow up. She probably just lacked confidence in your ability to accept it."

Offering this casual analysis, Fu Qian mercilessly steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"So, what did you forget? Describe the exact boundary."

...

"You just told me you were only using me. Aren't you worried I won't cooperate?"

Faced with such an abrupt pivot, Lotte didn't react strongly; she simply stared at Fu Qian.

"I'm not worried."

At his unflinching reply, she fell silent for a moment before pointing at her own head.

"There really is a very clear boundary. Some parts remain, while others have left no trace at all."

"I can remember you telling me about the path of faith, and even the Emblem and the honorific name. But the actual details behind those concepts vanished without a trace the moment I woke up. No matter how hard I try, I can't recall them."

"Yet the things I want to forget are perfectly clear. The process of discovering you, your critiques of me, even my inappropriate outfit... and some rather inappropriate words."

Lotte's expression grew a little awkward toward the end, likely recalling the transaction she had once proposed.

"That change put me in extreme agony for a time, far more than when I realized it was all just a dream."

"I tried every possible method to make myself remember, even forcing myself to constantly fall asleep."

"But it was useless. It was as if they had never existed..."

It was exactly as the mission summary had stated. Yalakir and those higher entities in the Nightmare Corridor had been barred from entry by something akin to the Law Grade.

Listening intently to the volunteer's account, Fu Qian recalled his previous prison break experience.

At the time, he had set her up as a smokescreen, as well as a reference case to verify against once he succeeded. Lotte's greatest merit was her profound yearning for the Transcendent Tier.

Fu Qian had the utmost confidence in the efforts she would have made to recall the Emblem and the honorific name, which made her total failure to recall anything all the more convincing.

As for why he himself could still remember?

That was indeed a good question.

In truth, ever since he finished listening to the mission summary, Fu Qian had been pondering the reason behind this.

Ultimately, he believed the greatest possibility lay in his own identity—not as the King of the Abandoned Prison, but as an unemployed vagrant.

Rather than possessing immunity to certain laws because he wore the Divine Skin, Fu Qian leaned more toward his intrinsic nature as an Emissary.

Otherwise, as with Blazing Rainbow and the rest, this world still had a few surviving higher entities. If they possessed immunity, it was highly likely that Yalakir's name wouldn't have completely vanished from this world in the first place.

Following this line of thought, he was actually a little curious about what kind of special reaction he would trigger if he roared that honorific name right now.

Of course, it was strictly curiosity. The volunteer had already made her contribution.

"Of course, this is only the sensation from the level of my feeble will. I hope it helps, but if Your Excellency needs further assistance, please just say the word."

In the next moment, the eloquent volunteer even candidly acknowledged her own shortcomings.

"There's no need. I trust your experience."

...

He listened to her words and observed her demeanor.

While conversing with the volunteer, Fu Qian had already imperceptibly mobilized the authority of the Dream Dominator to scrutinize her condition inside and out. This time, he chose not to ravage her will any further.

But while casually validating the volunteer's efforts, Fu Qian expressed his curiosity about her current behavior.

"I can see you've gleaned quite a bit of insight into life recently, so what's with the discrepancy between inside and outside the dream?"

"Did you wait to show this side of complete enlightenment until you confirmed you were in a dream where your sister couldn't see you?"

From the moment she frankly confessed her desperate situation upon entering the dream, it was obvious that this rebellious young girl's mind had finally matured, adopting the compromise and quiet acceptance of an adult.

Self-growth relied on self-destruction—facing her yearning for the Transcendent Tier head-on, and accepting the fact that she lacked the talent for it.

This coincidental volunteer recruitment activity seemed to have inadvertently achieved the effect of fighting poison with poison.

Even if the Transcendent Tier was beyond her reach, the rebellious girl likely no longer needed her sister to worry about her. Out in the real world, however, she didn't seem inclined to show it.

"That's because if I acted like this, my sister might actually worry even more."

As if expecting this question, Lotte offered a helpless smile.

"With such a stark contrast, if my emotions seemed too flat, I'm afraid she'd follow me even when I went to the washroom... My original plan was to use the excuse of my mood improving once the treatment was finished, as long as it had even the slightest effect."

"Understood. Your sister probably couldn't have imagined you'd be this willing to come here."

Kids certainly had rich inner worlds. Fu Qian immediately signaled his understanding.

If the swordswoman waiting anxiously outside could hear this explanation, she would undoubtedly be deeply moved.

Of course, it wasn't a problem. He believed it wouldn't be long before she realized her rebellious younger sister had truly grown up.

"It really is inconvenient."

Shaking her head slightly, Lotte swung her left arm vigorously.

"But aside from receiving treatment, there's another thing. My sister has wasted a lot of time over the years because of me. I thought that, given the chance, she might be able to find a path to growth here."

As she spoke, she smiled at Fu Qian.

"Respecting the goodwill of others doesn't mean I can't offer my own goodwill, does it?"

Not bad, not bad. To think she actually remembered my famous quote.

Fu Qian naturally knew these were words he had spoken in the dream. For a moment, he felt a deeper sense of immersion in his identity as a mentor educating the youth.

"Also... could you not tell anyone about what happened in the dream back then?"

Lotte hesitated for a moment before finally voicing her request with a touch of caution.

"As a form of repayment—even if it doesn't count for much—I will follow my sister's instructions and keep absolutely everything a secret as well."

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