Chapter 141
“A dream demon? Pfft. That won’t last much longer,” the dream demon said, puffing out cigarette smoke.
“In a little while, I’ll devour her dreams and her body will be completely mine. Then I can be promoted to a higher-ranking demon, not just a dream demon.”
“Do you think I’ll just let that happen?”
“If you don’t, are you going to interfere? Pfft… I warn you, don’t disturb her. She’s having a good dream right now.”
The dream demon was showing the host a dream so sweet she wouldn’t want to wake up. If left alone, Bella would suffocate in that sweet dream. I clicked my tongue.
“If you’re a demon, you should just go to hell…”
“Ha! Are you crazy? I climbed from a monster to a demon. You think I’d go to such a place? I’ll never go. Besides, your woman is scheduled to go there instead of me. Pfft…”
The dream demon let out a bitter laugh. Hell is like a prison for demons. Souls whose bodies are taken by demons fall into hell.
*Crash!*
Lightning struck again. The rainstorm was pouring down to the eaves.
“I need to go in.”
“Huh? Where do you think you’re going?”
The dream demon blocked me as I tried to open the door and enter.
“I don’t know how you got here, but I’m the only one who can enter this house.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Yeah. You need to help me.”
The dream demon looked at me with a confused expression.
“…Help who?”
“You. Help me.”
“Uh… What if I don’t want to?”
“I don’t want your help either, if possible.”
But there’s no choice. Only the dream demon can freely enter and exit the dream, aside from the dream’s owner.
I grabbed the dream demon’s arm.
“Cooperate with me.”
“Hey… Are you out of your mind?”
Yeah, it must look that way to him. Just wait and see.
I focused all my nerves. Then… something amazing happened.
“Uh, uh?!”
The dream demon shouted in a panicked voice. His body was fading. To be precise, the part where my hand touched him was becoming transparent.
“My, my arm?! What is this?!”
The dream demon groaned, looking at his arm with a hopeless expression. I quietly told him the truth.
“Dream demons are intangible beings. The reason you could easily enter the dream is because you’re made entirely of ‘magic power.’ So, what if there’s a magic that manipulates ‘magic power itself’?”
“…What are you talking about?!”
Of course, the dream demon had no intention of cooperating. I decided to swallow him whole. With the Moon Magic I’ve learned, it’s possible. From now on, I will assimilate with him.
As I twisted my hand, the dream demon’s shoulder disappeared.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Soon, his chest and body were being sucked into my hand. It felt like I had become a vacuum cleaner. I could feel him entering my body.
“Looks like it’s working.”
“What, what did you do?!”
“As you can see, I’m receiving your cooperation.”
“Wait, stop! Stop! You bastard! I’ll cooperate! Stop!”
“It’s already too late.”
I completely absorbed the dream demon with Moon Magic. The sight of his arms and legs crumpling and being sucked into my palm was grotesque.
“You-!”
The dream demon, who was about to say something, finally entered my body completely. I’ve absorbed various magic powers before, but since I’ve never swallowed a demon itself, it felt strange. Is this what it feels like to assimilate with a dream demon?
“Ugh…”
My body heated up and then cooled down repeatedly. Probably because of the guy going crazy inside me. But I have ‘patience.’ I swallowed that bizarre sensation.
“…My stomach feels heavy.”
After imprisoning the dream demon inside me, I rubbed my belly and entered the mansion.
*
Under the dazzling chandelier, many people were dancing together. The scene of men and women in dresses matching their steps and laughing felt like something out of an old film.
I instinctively knew this was Bella’s dream. One of her many dreams.
Before escaping the dream demon’s dream, there was a process I had to complete. Gathering all the scattered memories in the unconscious. Without that, I couldn’t fully wake from the dream. To ensure I didn’t leave any part of my memory in the dream, I had to find Bella.
After staring blankly at the ball for a moment, I looked up at the large shadow that appeared before me.
“Welcome.”
A butler, easily over 2 meters tall, was looking down at me.
“May I see your invitation from the Izakhel Family?”
Of course, I didn’t have such a thing. After a moment of thought, I quietly and gravely said,
“I don’t have one.”
“……”
It was shameless, but rather than making a pathetic excuse, this was more like Tristan. No, let’s be even more shameless.
“Then you cannot enter the ball.”
“I can’t participate? Me, from the Ruelberta Family?”
“…Ruelberta?!”
At my words, the butler’s eyes widened. He finally seemed to recognize me.
“My, my apologies! You must be Count William’s son. I didn’t recognize you!”
Huh? Something’s off…
“Please enjoy your time…!”
As the butler bowed, I felt a strange sense of dissonance. Just in case, I headed to the corner of the ballroom. Specifically, to look at the mirror there.
“Ah…”
In the mirror stood a young, handsome boy. His long black hair tied in a ponytail made him look like a girl, but the tuxedo revealed he was a boy.
Most importantly, I knew this face. Jet-black hair and cold eyes that didn’t match his age. It was Tristan’s childhood appearance after the trial. No wonder the butler mentioned Count William—Tristan wasn’t widely known yet. Plus, everyone around me seemed taller because I had shrunk.
Looking into the mirror, I concluded. This must be Bella’s past. Surely, she must be somewhere here… and I quickly found her.
A group of people visible beyond the mirror. And in the center, sitting like a queen, was a beautiful girl. The same girl I saw in the trial, exuding arrogance.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I noticed a mask placed beside the mirror. A black lion mask someone had left behind. Coincidentally, it symbolized the Ruelberta Family. Feeling a strange coincidence, I, as if entranced, put on the mask. Then, an inexplicable courage surged.
After taking a deep breath, I approached Bella. Then I realized why so many people were gathered around her.
“Would you dance with me?”
“No.”
“Then with me…”
“No. I’m not in the mood to dance right now.”
“Me-.”
“No.”
“I, I haven’t even said anything yet…”
“Enough. Go away. I’m tired.”
All the boys at the party seemed to have lined up in front of Bella. They all wanted to be her partner. But one by one, they were being mercilessly rejected.
Even at a young age, Bella had striking looks. Her rare silver hair shimmered under the chandelier light, and her slender arms had a jade-like glow. The mole under her eye added an uncharacteristic maturity for her age.
I walked straight up to her. Of course, without waiting in line.
“Uh, what?”
“Move aside.”
Passing through the noble children, I finally stood before her.
“…Huh?”
Bella’s eyes narrowed as they met mine. It was understandable—a masked man suddenly appearing out of nowhere. She soon began to scrutinize me with interest.
“Who are you?”
“Want to know?”
I extended my hand to Bella.
“Then dance with me.”
“…What?”
To escape the dream, I needed to make contact with Bella. This was also part of the process to piece together the memory puzzle, so I decided to act as Tristan-like as possible.
When I abruptly asked her to dance, she looked at me incredulously.
“How rude. Why should I dance with you?”
“Weren’t you looking for someone to dance with? Seems like none of these people suit your taste.”
“True. I don’t want to dance with anyone who can’t dance better than my father.”
Bella gestured to the center of the ballroom, where Duke Fred Izakhel was dancing. In his prosperous days, he threw parties almost daily, and his dancing skills were extraordinary.
Of course, Bella had no intention of dancing with anyone to begin with…
“Then go away, Mr. Lion.”
Bella turned her head away dismissively. Even now, Bella was at her most arrogant. But Tristan was just as arrogant.
“Ridiculous.”
“…What?”
“How can you judge someone’s dancing skills without dancing with them?”
Bella’s face stiffened. But only for a moment, as she shrugged.
“Hmph… I can tell just by looking. I’m probably the second-best dancer here after my father.”
“Ah, certainly…”
“Lady Bella has been dancing with the Duke since she was young…”
The people around her agreed with her words. I, disregarding such things, asked her,
“Then how do I look to you? Do I seem like a good dancer?”
“No. You look like a complete beginner.”
Fair point… But I have ‘pride.’ I may be a beginner who doesn’t know the first thing about dancing, but I’m an expert in shamelessness.
“You won’t know until you try.”
I took off the mask. Then, the sound of people gasping could be heard.
“……”
Bella, who saw my face, was equally surprised. However, it wasn’t the look of recognition. It was the look of seeing a complete stranger. In other words, this was the day Tristan and Bella first met. A backstory not even mentioned in the original work, I vaguely guessed.
I stared intently into Bella’s eyes. Her winter lake-like eyes wavered faintly.
Even her high pride was shaken by Tristan’s appearance at its peak during this period. Well, what do you think…
“Hmm… Alright.”
After silently looking at me, Bella finally took my hand and stood up.
“I’ll see for myself how well you can dance. Consider it an honor.”
At her words, I smiled with ‘pride’ and responded,
“The honor is mine.”
