The first dream I had was familiar, the landscape of a chat window.
- Bro!
A message I've seen so many times, I felt like I could recite it by heart.
- Bro, you're amazing. How did you clear that?
The first chat that popped up on my stream in almost six months, a time when no one seemed to care.
Even though it was just a simple, voiceless text, it felt like a powerful knock.
- I've bookmarked you. You'll stream again, right?
And so, I still dream of that day.
I still... regret it.
***
The problem was the dream that followed.
A vast and red, unfamiliar room.
'I' was lying on a bed, struggling to breathe heavily. As if I had a fever, my body felt burning hot, but the air felt like a freezing cold bite.
Then.
Soothingly.
A cool and gentle touch caressed my forehead.
The hand pushed away the sweat-soaked hair from 'my' face. 'I' tried to turn, with great effort, rubbing my cheek against that hand.
- Mom... Don't go...
As a soft sob escaped 'my' lips, the owner of the hand whispered soothingly.
- It's okay. My precious Born Hater.
The hand paused, and then I felt a soft kiss on 'my' forehead.
- I promise, Ash.
And with those words, she vanished.
***
Suddenly, my eyes shot open.
"...Huh!"
A ragged breath escaped my lips.
"Heave... heave..."
Thankfully, a familiar ceiling came into view.
Crossroad Lord's bedroom. The ceiling adorned with an old-fashioned wallpaper (which Evangeline once painted pink and then restored).
"Ugh..."
As I struggled to sit up, I felt a heavy weight on my legs.
What now? Looking down, I found...
"Zzz... Purr..."
"Snore..."
Evangeline and Damien, peacefully sleeping with their heads on my legs.
'...What the hell happened?'
My legs felt numb, indicating they'd been there for a while. I gently slid my legs out from underneath them.
Evangeline and Damien, unperturbed, turned over and continued to sleep, snuggling into their arms.
I glanced outside. The sun was setting.
Then it hit me.
'I fainted earlier.'
After the defensive battle, I had suddenly collapsed.
After overworking and sleeping so little in the past days, my body couldn't cope.
I didn't realize my character was so weak, even if the stamina stat was on the lower side...
So after I fainted, I was brought here, and these two, exhausted from days of battle, must have stayed beside me and fallen asleep.
"..."
Slowly, I propped myself up. A wet towel that had been placed on my forehead slid off.
Touching my forehead, I felt the heat. I must have had a fever.
'Before I chastise myself for unintentionally overexerting, there's something else.'
What was that dream?
I tried to recall the images I had seen just moments ago.
The first dream I had was undoubtedly one 'RetroAddict'—me—experienced.
The persistent shadow of guilt that trailed behind me, my personal burden, my sworn mission. All of it tied to a familiar nightmare.
But the second dream?
'That memory isn't mine.'
I pondered the vivid images.
Without a doubt, it was the Star Palace from when I had visited the Imperial Capital. And... the face of the woman from the portrait.
Ash's mother.
In other words, that dream was Ash's memory.
'But why... how could I recall that memory?'
It was a vision of Ash being nursed by his mother during his illness as a child.
I had never witnessed nor experienced such a scene. Yet, it appeared so clearly in my dream.
'Was it residual memory in this body? Or...'
Or what?
Lost in thought,
Creak-
The door cautiously opened, and in came Junior and Saintess Margarita.
Seeing me awake (and the two sprawled next to me), their expressions shifted from surprise to relief, rushing over.
"Your Highness, you're conscious!"
"We need to check your condition immediately. This way..."
Fortunately, it wasn't a severe ailment, merely exhaustion.
"I mean, I did rest during the festival. But just a few days of overwork and I collapse?"
As I grumbled, Margarita, hanging a bag that appeared to be filled with saline by my bedside, replied with a stern tone.
"Did you truly rest during that time?"
"Uh...?"
"Your body doesn't lie, Your Highness. Your recent collapse is the result of the accumulated stress."
I watched Margarita, who usually floundered in front of me. Now that I was unwell, her tone was authoritative.
"The body is honest, Your Highness. It's signaling that it's reaching its limits."
"Um, okay."
"If you ignore these warnings... more severe consequences might follow."
Saintess Margarita's warning, veiled in a gentle tone, gave me chills. Without realizing, a shiver ran down my spine.
"For the next three days, you need to put all your tasks aside and rest."
"What?! Is that even possible?!"
"It's possible. In fact, I've already informed the others."
Margarita gestured to the side.
"Don't you have competent subordinates? Don't worry, things will run smoothly."
At that, Evangeline and Damien, standing by my bed, nodded in agreement. Hey, you two, first wipe off that drool on your faces!
"Your Highness, you are indispensable to this city."
Margarita left me with her parting words.
"You need to take better care of yourself. Please don't overexert yourself from now on."
"..."
Watching the back of the departing Saintess, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. Then, I turned to my side.
"Thanks for caring for me and being concerned."
I softly spoke to my party members who gazed at me with worry.
"But today, we need to wrap up the defense battle. I hate to ask, but I need your help."
"Just leave it to us!"
Evangeline enthusiastically responded, rolling up her sleeves. Although she and Damien seemed fatigued, having been sleeping on my legs earlier, sharing the burden felt right.
"Where's Lucas?"
"Lucas is outside, clearing the monster corpses! He said it was a top priority..."
I chuckled. At least Lucas was acting responsibly as the deputy commander, knowing what needed to be done in my absence.
"Damien, help Lucas with the task. Sanctifying the monster corpses will need your holy powers. Let him know I'm awake too."
"Got it!"
"Junior, go to Lilly and get the artifact status report. Check on the artifacts with your own eyes. As a mage, you might have a better sense than I do."
"Understood, Your Highness."
"Evangeline, take charge of the victory banquet preparations and the celebratory speech. I doubt I'll be up for attending the banquet tonight. I'm counting on you."
"Awesome! I've always wanted to do that!"
After delegating tasks, the three of them sped off.
The three stopped by the door, glancing back at me with continuous nagging.
"You need to rest, Your Highness! Really, no more work, just rest!"
"We'll report back tomorrow morning. Everything should be fine."
"I'll handle the banquet! Just take your medicine and get plenty of sleep, okay?!"
I waved them off, urging them to leave quickly.
They continued to fuss until they finally disappeared from sight.
"..."
In the newly quiet room, I leaned against the bed's headrest, lost in thought.
How well could the city function without me? That worry lingered. And then...
- "I promise, Ash."
...Ash's biological mother.
I reflected on the smile of Dustia, the Second Empress, from the dream.
'Why?'
She was unrelated.
To my existence and to my objective of clearing the game.
Yet, I had an inexplicable feeling, a gamer's intuition if you will.
It's related.
Everything is related.
Everything I've encountered on my path to the true ending is interconnected in some way.
My dream of her wasn't a coincidence. I just hadn't found the connection yet...
"..."
Ignoring Margarita's advice to rest, I furrowed my brows, lost in thought.
Reflecting on all the events since I fell into this world.
Desperately seeking the elusive link between them.
***
That night.
The corpses of the Skeleton Legion scattered from the forward base to the walls of Crossroad, and it took a considerable amount of time to collect and incinerate them.
Lucas arrived to visit the ailing Ash, only when the moon was high in the sky.
If Ash was asleep, Lucas planned to leave a report and go. If awake, he intended to inquire about his health.
So, with a bundle of reports in hand, he approached the lord's mansion, when—
"Oh my."
Almost simultaneously, the Silver Winter Merchant Guild's carriage arrived and halted at the mansion's entrance.
Serenade, leaning out from the carriage, offered a strained smile. Lucas responded with an awkward, perspiring nod.
"...Miss Serenade."
"Captain Lucas."
In the midst of a tense atmosphere, the two exchanged greetings.
They had a shared history, but were never particularly close.
From their younger days, at the Star Palace of the Second Empress of Dustia... they grew up alongside Ash.
Ash had always been a constant between them. Their relationship entirely stemmed from Ash.
Even without the years-long gap since their last encounter, any meeting between them would have been inherently awkward.
"...You've changed a lot, Miss Serenade."
Put another way,
"For someone once dubbed 'the Frostbite of Silver Winter' due to your cold demeanor, you now smile as warmly as spring here. It's... unsettling to see."
"..."
Back in the Imperial Capital, when Ash was notoriously known for his deplorable behavior,
The two of them, still stuck in memories from that time,
"You've transformed too, Captain Lucas."
Clearly,
They didn't get along.
"From 'Born Hater's Mad Dog,' now such an esteemed knight. It's surprising."
Serenade, with her smooth smile, gently responded to Lucas's sharp comment.
"No, I must have misremembered because it's been so long. Wasn't it... 'The Mad Dog that Bites Its Master'?"
"..."
The two locked eyes.
Their gazes were devoid of animosity, and their voices remained calm, but,
Whoosh—
...For some reason, an icy tension seemed to sweep between them.