Rene couldn't say anything.

It felt as if her heart and lungs were filled with water.

No voice came out of her open mouth.

Rene pressed her lips tightly together and stared clearly at the other person.

She could see it.

Beyond the dark warning sent by the judgment eye was the figure of a man standing quietly in the darkness.

He was somewhat ordinary but not really ordinary. Just looking at his appearance, he was gorgeous, and a handsome man not easily seen.

But strangely, his impression wasn't distinct and didn't remain well in memory.

It's the same even now as she continues to stare at him.

It feels like staring at a mirage.

Even knowing this place was Dreamland, it felt like she was dreaming.

"Oh my, did I surprise you too much?"

Zero Order raised both hands as if to prove he was harmless.

As soon as he made that gesture, the darkness swirling around him noticeably thinned.

Freed from the pressure squeezing her heart, Rene was finally able to speak.

"W-who...are you?"

"Your voice is trembling. I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention."

"Answer me! Who exactly are you...?"

"Hmm. What if I say I'm a lost traveler? Would you believe me?"

Rene didn't believe Zero Order's words.

There was no way a lost traveler would emit such a terrible aura.

Feeling her still wary gaze, even stronger than before, Zero Order let out a chuckle.

"You're being too cautious. Don't look at me like that. When I see those eyes, it reminds me of old memories I'd rather not recall."

"..."

"Anyway, saying I was just passing by isn't a lie. I really was passing by chance. I just didn't expect to run into you here."

"Me, you mean?"

"Yes. What's your name?"

"...I have no name to give to someone I don't know."

Zero Order grinned at the bold response.

It was a charming smile that could bewitch one's senses, but Rene didn't feel that way at all.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"I am afraid."

"Yet you still speak like that?"

"I'm afraid, but that doesn't mean I can bow my head to the other person."

In truth, she wanted to kneel down right now.

Her fingertips kept trembling with the instinct to beg for her life but Rene suppressed that reaction.

To immediately lower her tail without properly confronting someone.

The person she respected would never have done that.

Recalling the image of Rudger, who never yielded even knowing the opponent was strong, Rene took courage.

Zero Order observed her and tilted the corners of his eyes.

Though his face was smiling, the emotions nestled in his eyes were too complex to express in words.

'What is it?'

Even Rene, facing that subtle reaction, could feel it.

"Let's end the small talk here. So you don't intend to tell me your name?"

"If you reveal your name first."

"Oh my. Were you serious?"

Zero Order stroked his chin as if contemplating.

Rene felt sweat forming on her clenched fist.

Come to think of it, she remembered seeing something similar to this.

It was when the black storm swept through the capital that day.

It was more than similar to what she saw that day; it was very close.

The density and dangerousness of the power felt even stronger than Basara's.

That meant the identity of that man was...

Just as her thoughts reached that point, Zero Order opened his mouth.

"Fine. Since we've come this far, there's no need to hide anything. My name is Surna. And yours, miss?"

Zero Order. Surna revealed his name and asked for Rene's.

"...Rene."

"Rene. Hmm. I see. You're a student at Theon, right?"

Rene nodded in response instead of answering.

"I knew it."

"Do you know about me?"

"I know about the power you possess. Especially those eyes of yours."

Surna spoke while pointing at Rene's eyes.

Rene was startled by those words.

It felt like a secret she had never told anyone had been exposed.

"This wasn't originally my plan, but fate is truly amazing. To encounter what I've been searching for so long, in a place like this."

"...What is your purpose?"

"Aren't you curious?"

Rene's eyes widened at those words.

"About the source of the power you possess. Why were you born with such an ability?"

Rene's figure was reflected in Surna's eyes, which curved as if pleased.

The figure of a naive girl who was trying hard not to show it, but couldn't completely hide her emotions.

"I can help you."

Surna whispered cunningly like a snake.

Rene's eyes trembled greatly.

* * *

"...Nirva."

At Nirva's sudden appearance, Rudger and his companions all raised their guard.

But Nirva, as if blind to such reactions, pulled out a book from a nearby bookshelf and flipped through the pages rapidly.

It was a book containing someone's lifetime of knowledge, memories, and experiences.

A dangerous item that consumes one's own memories the moment it's read.

But Nirvana casually flipped through the book to the end and then closed it with a thud.

"Isn't it fascinating?"

Nirvana put the book back in its original place.

"This place is full of all kinds of knowledge. But only a chosen few can access that knowledge."

I am one of them.

Nirva didn't bother saying those words. His actions had already demonstrated it sufficiently.

"What purpose brings you here? Do you intend to take action yourself?"

Rudger couldn't help but think so.

Since his servant had been defeated, it was natural for Nirva himself to step forward.

"Initially, that was my intention."

"But?"

"Seeing you come this far, my mind has changed a bit. I'm thinking of giving you one more chance."

"A chance, you say?"

Zantman's eyebrows shot up in an inverted V shape, as if those words were particularly irritating.

"What you might call persuasion. Rather than choosing to fight, I'm offering help that might tempt you."

"That's hardly believable."

"These books you see around. Knowledge that everyone covets but dares not touch because of its dangers. Don't you want to read them?"

"What?"

"Why hide it? As a magician, no, as a human, isn't that natural? That you have curiosities. For instance, that young man over there. Hans."

Hans was startled when Nirva pointed to him.

Not only was he singled out here, but Nirva knew his name even though he hadn't introduced himself.

"Ah. It's surprising that I know your name when you didn't introduce yourself. But that's to be expected. How could a host perform his duties without seeing the guest list?"

"You're not exactly the host. More like the butler, or head steward."

"While that one sleeps, I am the highest administrator. This much is natural. I know not only your name and past actions but also about your peculiar constitution that allows you to transform into a beast."

"...!"

Hans's pupils trembled greatly.

A constitution that transforms into a beast. How much trouble it caused him.

If not for this, Hans could have lived like an ordinary person.

The unwanted transformation was nothing short of a curse.

That's why Hans had long been searching for a way to resolve this constitution on his own.

"Are you saying the solution is here?"

"Why wouldn't it be? This is a treasury of knowledge. A place where all of human history is engraved. Surely in the distant past, there existed someone with a constitution similar to yours. And how they solved it."

"That's..."

Hans barely managed to calm his rising excitement.

Partly because he couldn't distinguish whether the other's words were all true, but mainly because he remembered who he trusted and followed.

Knowing this, Nirva shifted his gaze from Hans to Rudger.

"That's right. Rudger Chelici. What about you? You continue life as a teacher at Theon, but in reality, that's not the case at all. Isn't there something you're desperately searching for?"

"Nonsense."

"Haha. So full of caution. Your refusal to blindly believe others' words is commendable. But am I really telling lies? Am I really just testing your heart?"

Nirva grinned.

It was a confidence that could only be shown if one was certain of holding something.

"You're looking for a solution to non-attribute magic power."

"..."

"Oh. No reaction? Then how about this? The reason you seek that solution is because of guilt over a child who lost their mother. Is that accurate enough?"

Guilt?

Everyone turned to Rudger at Nirva's words.

Sedina, in particular, had been observing the subtle relationship between Rene and Rudger before, so Nirva's words hit her harder.

She knew she shouldn't listen to the words of this demon who appeared as an old man but they were too difficult to ignore, as each and every word he spoke scratched at her heart.

"If not that, then how about revenge against the Bretus Holy Nation?"

When the Bretus Holy Nation was mentioned, this time Zantman was puzzled.

What connection could there be between a Theon teacher and the Bretus Holy Nation?

But Zantman didn't voice his question.

Rather, the experience of a long-lived magician allowed him to read that Rudger had some connection to the Lumensis Order.

"If not that, then how about a method to give peace to an immortal being?"

Nirva spread his arms as if saying ask whatever you're curious about.

"I can give you all the knowledge you desire."

"And the condition for such generosity?"

"Simply that you stay quietly in this place."

"That's absurd for the price of knowledge. Even if one receives knowledge, what's the point if they're trapped in Dreamland?"

"Then I can send you outside. I can grant that much mercy."

Mercy.

Nirva uttered that word.

It wasn't said to deceive or mock the other.

He truly believed what he was offering was mercy.

If he wanted, he could have killed Rudger's group right here with his powers.

The fact that he was resolving this through dialogue instead was already a huge concession from Nirva's perspective but that would only work on someone who didn't know the truth.

"Ridiculous. If you send us out, what are you planning to do with the remaining hundreds of thousands of people?"

"That's not for you to worry about."

"I'm sure it isn't. But I can guess what you're trying to do."

At those words, Nirva's eyebrows twitched but he quickly composed himself and displayed confidence.

"Is that so?"

"You're not gathering all these people for a feast. Everyone gathered here is just a sacrifice, isn't it?"

Sacrifice.

At that word, the smile on Nirva's lips completely disappeared.

"To resurrect the imprisoned god, this many people would be necessary."

"That's really..."

Nirva started to say something but shook his head.

He realized there was no point in concealing or denying the truth once they knew this much.

"Well, well. I wonder how you figured it out."

"From your actions. While guiding us deep into Dreamland, you simultaneously sent your servant to try to kill us."

"There was a need to thin out the numbers."

"That's exactly the point. Why thin them out? Maybe there are people who are interfering with something. Perhaps, for example, not even a small impurity can be tolerated in a crucial core process."

Nirva didn't answer, he just stared at Rudger as if saying continue, but that made it eerie.

His golden eyes without pupils showed no emotion, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

‘Unknown terror.’

Sedina now understood why she felt bad every time she saw Nirvana.

"Deep down, someone is sleeping. A being in deep slumber, pinned to a massive obelisk-shaped stake. You're trying to resurrect that being and make this world yours again, aren't you?"

"I've heard your words. But you've made three mistakes."

"Quite a few."

"I'll kindly point out your three mistakes."

Rudger gestured with his chin as if saying go ahead.

"First, my goal is not the resurrection of a god. Resurrection applies to the dead, how can one resurrect someone who is already alive? What's needed is just to wake up the one who has gone to sleep. The people gathered here will only be consumed to simply wake her up."

The number of lives needed just to wake someone from sleep is at least in the tens of thousands?

It was truly a mind-boggling scale.

"Second, my goal is not to make this world mine. Originally, the world belonged to the goddess, and it was the wicked Lumensis who took it away. How can you describe returning something to its original owner as stealing?"

"Right. And what's my third mistake?"

"Third."

Nirva's face, which had been stained with a smile, frowned for the first time with an irritated emotion.

"That you rejected my final mercy."