Chapter 172 - I Dreamt of the Family Head

The voice in the darkness had no specifiable form.

All that existed in this space was the dreamer and the voice.

Nevertheless, images of the voice's owner surfaced in my mind one after another.

Thoroughness. Cruelty. Calculation. Unexpressed emotions.

Not everyone in Millesdusk was cold, and not everyone in Wisdom was warm.

Rather, the two had opposite natures.

Wisdom created formulas to suppress the chaotic nature of magic.

Millesdusk, on the other hand, did not suppress chaos but rather unleashed it, leading to diversity.

The Family Head of such a Wisdom family was second to none in suppressing and controlling things.

Even if it was his own flesh and blood.

“You wouldn't think you could gain something by using me. You never had any expectations of me from the start.”

─I do not expect anything from anyone. Expectations are ultimately temporary, so one is bound to be betrayed somehow.

“Did you come all the way into my dream just to preach your philosophy?”

The voice chuckled softly.

─As your time in the East has grown longer, your once-round personality has become quite flawed.

“This is the real me. You were the one who carved me into a round shape to fit Wisdom. It was only after coming to another's land that I found myself.”

─What is this 'yourself' you speak of?

The voice slowly circled around her.

─Sweating and hammering in front of an anvil? Engraving the magic system that Wisdom has built onto a piece of rock?

“What's wrong with that?”

─To say such things even after experiencing a thousand years of wisdom firsthand.

A hint of anger crept into the Family Head’s voice.

Nevertheless, the illegitimate daughter did not stop. She did not want to stop.

Just as she had stopped fighting dozens, hundreds of times before, she did not want to keep her mouth shut even in a dream.

“I don't know anything about a thousand years of wisdom. What could an illegitimate daughter possibly know in the first place? Illegitimate daughters and sons aren't even included in the family's teachings.”

─If you truly had not learned, such a complaint would not even have arisen. The knowledge you claim is a speck was all of Wisdom just a century ago.

If they were from Millesdusk, they would have started fighting long ago, but the blood of Wisdom did not.

They continued their debate, putting forward theories, knowledge, wisdom, and proof.

This was because the conclusions they obtained this way became their strength.

This was very natural, and the Josephine of Wisdom would have continued the argument just like this.

However, Josephine, the master of Eclipse's Belir, no longer played on Wisdom's tongue.

“Stop it. You didn't come here to point out how uneducated I am, did you?”

─Right. That is not it.

The anger was gone, and only an ice-cold composure settled back into the voice.

Even appearing angry was all an act.

A trick to induce the opponent to let their guard down, fooled by the appearance of anger from losing an argument.

Even after time had passed, her snake-like father had not changed.

“Let me guess. You came to make a proposal, Father. A proposal to leave my current position and defect to Wisdom.”

─Correct. However…

She had only gotten the right answer, but not the reasoning.

─Why would we make such a proposal? Can you answer this as well?

“……”

Her response was cut off.

It was the Family Head's turn.

─While disposing of family items, I discovered your research journals. They were quite impressive.

“…Pardon?”

─Therefore, the family elders and I have decided. The opinions of the other direct bloodline children may differ, but the upper echelon has decided to accept you.

Being accepted did not simply end with Josephine as a single person.

─Your research and ideas. The Magic Tower will invest so that you may continue all of them at Wisdom.

“Ah…”

A faint, weak sound escaped from her open mouth.

The voice in the darkness became a notch softer.

─Even if you stay there, Millesdusk will not accept you. To them, you are just another Wisdom. A blood that must dry up on this land.

That was the predicament of one who had defected to the enemy camp.

She, who had been a fixed stone, had voluntarily become a rolling stone and was once again looking for a place to embed herself.

However, the stones around her new spot could not quite like the newcomer.

Because they hated the newcomer's hometown very, very much.

Its smell, its blood, its way of thinking, everything.

─Freshwater and seawater are both the same water, but they can never be said to be the same. It is time to return to the sea, Josephine.

The persuasion of her Family Head and father was truly sweet.

She heard all the words she had desperately wanted before smuggling herself to the East.

She was so happy she suspected this might not be a magic but a real dream.

However, the young sorceress had grown up.

She could distinguish between dreams and reality and knew the difference between fantasy and delusion.

So she could say it.

“I don't like salty things.”

─…A strange play on words.

“It felt like something Dante would say.”

─Dante, you mean the Fifth Son of Millesdusk. What has that burn-to-death bastard done to you?

“He's done a lot for me. He gave me a good home, a place to work, and a dream. Things Wisdom couldn't have given me even in a thousand years, he gave me in just a few months.”

Josephine had a smile on her face.

“The research of mine you were trying to dispose of, just go ahead and dispose of it. It'll take you at least three years to decipher it without me, and in that time, I'll have grown incomparably.”

─…Josephine. This is your last chance. Do not make me kill a blood relative with my own hands even after the war with Millesdusk is over.

“Oh my. Did someone prophesy that Wisdom would win? You appeared in the dream of someone like me because you're not confident, didn't you?”

The Family Head scoffed.

Among all the emotional outbursts so far, that one was definitely real.

─Delusion is a freedom. And you will regret it. The Fifth Son will die at the hands of Wisdom, and at the hands of Millesdusk.

…At the hands of Millesdusk? What does that mean?

Before she could ask, an intense white light covered her vision.

“Heuk─!”

Startled, she shot up.

The workbench where she had prostrated herself to take a nap, the workshop, were all as they were.

Everything was the same, except for the drool running out of her mouth.

“Qu-quickly!”

Josephine wiped her mouth with her sleeve and ran out in a flurry.

“Uh, uhh…! Josephine-nim! Where are you going!”

Unable to stop, she kept running even when she bumped shoulders with Belir's apprentices.

“S-sorry! I'll be right back after seeing the Head Maid-nim!”

She ran without rest all the way to the Dark Moon Grand Castle.

For some reason, the usual gatekeeper wasn't at the castle, nor was the Youngest Son.

The absence of the gatekeeper was unusual, but the absence of the Fifth Son was a common occurrence.

Instead, one employee who had recently returned was always guarding her post with dignity.

“Head Maid-nim!”

“What is it?”

“I just had a dream!”

Wisdom. I don't know what kind of scheme you're plotting, but I'm going to tell on you!

***

“Haa…. Haa….”

Thwack─!

A pale hand touched the rough stone wall.

At the same time, I gasped for ragged breaths.

My lungs felt shriveled up, and my calves felt like someone was grabbing and shaking them violently.

Had there ever been a time I was this breathless while living as the Youngest Son?

I couldn't recall. Actually, there might have been, but I probably couldn't think of it with this head.

In any case, the fact that it was insanely difficult right now didn't change.

“Success…ful…. Ugh….”

I leaned against the wall and bent over.

I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the floor.

Even so, my breathing was rough and did not calm down easily.

“…Tough bastard.”

Ransis draped a cloak-like robe over my tattered clothes.

The robe, made of fabric so smooth that a hand would slip, covered my ruined clothes.

It warmed my body, which was rapidly cooling as the sweat evaporated.

“Towards the end, when it got tough, you just took the non-lethal attacks, didn't you?”

“I had to save my magic, and phew, I didn’t have the strength to dodge.”

The key to the Skeleton Soldier Challenge was speed.

Dangerous situations were bound to arise, and to minimize them, I had to be fast in the end.

So I ran like crazy.

Regardless of what appeared in front of me or what followed behind, I just ran.

‘To think I’d experience a speedrun in my life.’

The speedrun that some users did to set records was literally a speedrun.

It was running so fast your feet were a blur.

“Did I pass the basic training?”

“The sun hasn't even risen yet, you bastard. You just ran the whole time, so I don't know if your basics have improved at all.”

Ransis clapped her hands lightly.

“Let's go again. This time too, I'll only use Skeleton Soldiers. But you can use other sorcery.”

“No.”

The Youngest Son answered with his breath barely evened out.

“I will also only use Skeleton Soldiers.”

[Reward 「Jin Skeleton Soldier」 has been acquired.]

Beneath his bloodshot eyes, his red lips formed a faint but clear smile.

***

“…Are you out of your mind?”

That was the first thing Ransis said after they exchanged blows with Skeleton Soldiers.

“What about?”

On the other hand, the Youngest Son had returned to his usual self.

This was because there was nothing that couldn't be understood by looking at the system.

──「Jin Skeleton Soldier」──

[Description]

: A special Skeleton Soldier obtained through a challenge. What could be so special about it? I don't know either! But the important thing is that it's special!

[Effect]

: The limit of the skill Skeleton Soldier disappears.

*Extended interpretation becomes possible.

───────────

“No, how can the bones of a Skeleton Soldier suddenly scatter and draw a curse formula!”

“You can get a pretty good shape by drawing curves with the ribs and making straight lines with the leg bones.”

“That's not supposed to be possible! It's absolutely impossible!”

Thanks to the extended interpretation, it became possible. It was a fancy way of saying it, but the essence was just fitting things together.

“Don’t be like that when you saw it yourself. More importantly, could you take me to my bedroom?”

Even while taking the Youngest Son to the bedroom where he had first started, Ransis did not stop talking.

The very strange things she had felt during their short exchange.

How could the Skeleton Soldiers, after being completed, merge again and move as one body?

It was clearly a humanoid Skeleton Soldier, but he had transformed its spine to create a beast-type. What was that? And so on.

The Skeleton Soldier, whose limits had disappeared, surprised the messenger several times.

She wouldn't have been this surprised even if she saw a high-grade curse created by Kapus.

The reason she was surprised was that this was a Skeleton Soldier that 90% of sorcerers could create.

“Please go inside. Thanks to you, I have gained a great realization, Teacher-nim.”

Even though I couldn't fill my Bloodstone because I only used Skeleton Soldiers, it was a great harvest.

“Shut up. Get lost.”

I spoke with all due respect, but what I got back was a stream of curses.

I did what she told me to do, so why is she like this?

“Ah, I don't know! Just go to sleep!”

Ransis left with only those words and disappeared in a flash.

Whether she was angry or not didn't really matter, but the problem was that I was extremely tired right now.

Creeak─

I opened the door and went out to find one of the building's custodians who was keeping watch through the dawn.

“Could you prepare a bath for me?”

“O-of course. Please wait upstairs.”

It was a request from a direct bloodline member drenched in blood and sweat; it couldn't be refused.

The Youngest Son thought while in the hot bath that had been prepared.

‘It’ll be a catnap, but it won't be a problem for filling the Bloodstone.’

The main point was to tame Emma Kisius, the legion commander of the foremost frontline.

A woman who dreamed of revenge against the First Son but knew it was realistically impossible and lived as if she would die tomorrow.

However, whether it was luck or skill, there was no place for her to die on the battlefield.

Then, Emma, who rose to the position of legion commander, felt the beauty of this place like the Gatekeeper.

Now, considering the frontline as her home, she wanted to protect it.

From the legion commander's perspective, threats had to be eliminated, and a huge threat would soon descend.

‘The second process is also ready, so I’m not afraid anymore.’

I soaked my body deep in the hot water.

The second process, completed by my clone, would now be finished with just a bit more time.

While waiting for that, I would also wait for the signal of war that Wisdom would fire.

They would not know.

Where the blade they drew to cut their opponent was actually heading.