A Distant Reverie

Chapter 29

The air was suffused with an inexplicable tension. Lady Ouro's question remained unanswered, permeating in silence, beckoning for a response. The trio stared intently at the figure behind the translucent screen, their thoughts in disarray as they tried to process what the otherworldly being had just said.

A single wish.

Vesper's eyes were trembling. The sight of hundreds of books and scrolls inscribed in the runic language of his world was burned into his mind. He had never witnessed such a scene, even as a librarian of the Great Alexandria. Runic books were a rarity, a treasure, a relic of a mythic era when spellcasters were the backbone of every great civilization. These books possessed an arcane knowledge lost to time. Just obtaining one of these books could allow one to ascend to the peaks of the spellcaster world.

And they might even have something for a defect like me.

A way to cure his body's intolerance to mana. He had no doubt such a thing existed, especially from a period that marked the pinnacle of spellcasters. He found himself salivating. Lady Ouro showed him a glimpse of salvation. He used to pray to be liberated from his cursed constitution. And so, he couldn't help but allow himself to be enthralled by this temptation.

Even so, Vesper couldn't give her a straight answer. It felt too convenient, too simple, too obvious of a decision. His rational mind warned him to not be so easily swayed and to examine every spoken word with caution. The others must have felt the same way, and so the three of them remained in an uneasy silence.

Lady Ouro let out a faint giggle, "You humans are always so skeptical. So very amusing. Very well, I'll disappear for a bit. Use that time to discuss amongst yourselves. By the time I return, I hope you'll have a response for me."

True to her words, the figure behind the translucent screen suddenly disappeared without warning. She simply vanished, phasing out of sight. Vesper felt the tense air dissipate. He let out a breath of relief.

"...She really is gone," Suisei said as she bravely wandered behind the translucent screens where Lady Ouro had been. Not a single trace of the otherworldly being seemed to have remained. No footprints on the ground. No blades of grass flatten or bent. Not a single blemish or mark in the vicinity. It was as if she had never existed.

"I don't know if I should be surprised anymore," Marine said with a strained voice, still lying prone on the ground. Vesper stared the pirate gravely. She was in a pitiful state—her clothes were ripped into tatters and her limbs had been gruesomely torn in uncanny ways, like a wool doll pulled apart by an angry child.

"Ms. Houshou..." Vesper wanted to help her, but he didn't know what to do. The state of her body was beyond his abilities—he was scared to even touch her, fearing that he might accidentally rip off a limb.

"It's fine. She said she would fix me. I have a feeling she's not someone who would lie," Marine said, wincing. It was obvious that she was still suffering.

"You trust her?"

"Not at all, but you saw what she did to me," Marine said, "An otherworldly being with an unfathomable power. Does someone like that need to tell lies?"

"She needs our help, does she not? Otherwise, why try to negotiate with us in the first place, and not just use force to make us submit?"

Marine let out a bitter laugh, "How much more force do you need to see, Mr. Noir? Is my broken body not enough? Or would you rather have a taste of the experience yourself?"

His pride stung a bit at Marine's mocking tone. But he could understand why the pirate was being derisive.

"...My apologies. That was a stupid question."