“I’ll keep you alive.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.”

I don't know why I'm grateful, but I guess something good is good...

Reed got up and walked over to the sofa.

I sank deep into the luxurious single-seater sofa that at first glance looked like a throne, and placed my hands on the armrests.

“Then Eyelet.”

"huh."

“I’ll leave my two hours to you.”

He said something that felt like it was something I should say, then closed his eyes. Soon, I could hear his calm, even breathing.

<Are you sleeping?>

“I guess so. Because you have to sleep to dream?”

[The 'Inspector of Weather Leakage' is said to have no sleep problems despite being in a state of mental disarray.]

[I am secretly linking you to 'The Scales that Judge Souls' because they are meeting the possessed and are being healed.]

I felt a little disappointed.

“If you want to sleep, sleep in bed.”

I sat on the couch opposite her, hugging the blanket I had brought to cover myself in case I got cold.

Since he entrusted himself to me, I was going to at least pretend to keep it faithfully, even though it was unnecessary.

I dozed off and waited for him to wake up.

✠

Elantia was still in the dream world she had built to her liking.

A dream library so elaborately implemented that it is almost indistinguishable from reality.

For her, who loved books, this was a paradise where she wanted to stay and be locked up for the rest of her life.

“Tch, you broke it again. But it’s okay. Next time, I’ll hold you back so you really can’t get away.”

Elantia moved busily, lost in her own joy and ecstasy.

I made a list of books to read and discuss with my high-quality reader Mongma. Among them, I selected and stacked literary books with carefully selected keywords of mutual obsession.

I planned to talk about my feelings until my throat became hoarse, so I didn't forget to prepare some sweet-smelling tea.

“Wouldn’t tea made with the stamens of a human-faced flower be good?”

I was feeling happy after finishing setting the tea table.

Damn it.

The devil's pointed ears perked up. It seemed as if her partner had entered her dream.

“You’re back!”

She was intoxicated with wild excitement and had a big smile on her face when she suddenly realized something strange.

Damn it.

The sound was heavier than the footsteps Elantia knew.

That wasn't all.

Since lighting is important in places where people read books, Ellantia's dream was very bright.

But now the darkness that had been lurking everywhere was moving quickly like a snake with its belly attached to the ground and gathering in one place.

'What, what is it?'

The place where the footsteps stopped was filled with darkness. It was when a cold sweat ran down the back of my neck due to a terrible sense of discomfort.

Finally, someone emerged from behind the veil of darkness.

“Ellantia Levant.”

“Oh, you are the evil of chaos?”

In Reed's hand was a Nightmare Catcher held as if by magic.

At other times, she would have been impressed by the fact that she had dared to pair up with Chaos Evil, but Ellantia's mind was blank at the unexpected turn of events. Of course, her face was also pale.

Reed approached leisurely and gently stroked the wood grain of the bookshelf with one hand.

“It’s elaborate. It’s no different from reality.”

“.......”

“It’s a nightmare though.”

In fact, from the perspective of the demon Elantia, it is nothing more than a pleasant and ecstatic dream, and it is the human perspective that determines it to be a nightmare. And the standards and definitions of nightmares vary from person to person.

As evidence, while Aylett found endless work here, Reed saw brutal and suggestive book titles.

Even the books were like living creatures, each noisily babbling about its contents.

The unpleasant noise died down as soon as the dream owner opened his mouth.

“Oh, welcome. But, why did the Chaos Evil come here...?”

“That question makes me question the qualifications of the librarian.”

"yes?"

“Why are you asking questions about something you already know? You seem to lack intelligence.”

“......Ugh!”

Elantia, realizing that it was useless to try to get away, shut her mouth.

What punishment will he receive for daring to taunt the dreamer favored by Chaos Evil?

Ellantia trembled all over and opened her eyes wide.

“Just a light warning.”

However, the aura that rose like a mist over her shoulders was by no means light. The sublime pressure seemed to be squeezing and crushing Ellantia's windpipe.

“Ugh...! Ho, chaos, evil, this... yea, ugh.......”

She had to crawl without even being able to scream. Reid's cold voice fell on the sky-blue head lying on the floor.

“What timeline is this?”

“.......”

“If I get robbed again, I’ll feel so bad.”

“Ugh, ugh.......”

With a gasp of breath, her body crumbled and disappeared.

Of course, it was only the spirit body in the dream that was shattered. The physical body that was hit would feel pain for a while, but it was not an actual death.

As Elantia, the master of nightmares, departed, the living library also began to collapse.

It was a surreal sight, as if space was being split into small blocks, disintegrating and disappearing.

That was when.

"......this."

A rare look of despair appeared on Reed's expressionless face.

Just as oil painting is revealed beneath watercolors dissolved in water, a new dream appears in the place of a shattered dream.

that.......

“Die! You have to die so we can live!”

“Please. If you were just one person, everyone could live.”

“This world needs your sacrifice.”

It was his nightmare.

✠

At some point, my eyes suddenly opened.

It seems that he dozed off on the couch, hugging the blanket, and eventually fell asleep.

<Did you sleep well?>

“Ah, what should I do? I lost it, Agnes.”

<It's okay, it's okay. I was watching you both. If there was a problem, I would have woken you up a long time ago.>

“Aha. Thank you.”

<Yeah, yeah. But eyelet.>

"yes?"

<Actually, I was trying to wake you up just now?>

Does that mean there's a problem?

I looked straight ahead. Reid was sitting upright, leaning on his armrests, sleeping.

It was a sight that preserved the exact same posture I had seen before I fell asleep.

It looks fine on the outside?

'You're not breathing, are you?!'

Startled, I immediately approached Reed. When I put my finger under his nose, I could fortunately feel his breath.

I felt relieved, but at the same time I thought it was too early to jump to conclusions. Just in case, I should check the heartbeat... ... .

<No, I'm not dead, so just take your face off my chest.>

“Oh, okay.”

I felt a little embarrassed. I guess I got flustered without realizing it.

<I just slept for too long. Something was wrong.>

“Oh, come to think of it, my body and mind feel so refreshed right now. How many hours has it been since I fell asleep?”

<3 hours.>

My face also became serious.

-I'll leave my two hours to you.

Reed is not the type to break promises. Since ancient times, the ultimate mastermind has been a job that requires the utmost thorough planning, and the most important thing in planning is the concept of time.

"lead?"

“.......”

"lead."

“.......”

I shook his shoulder slightly, but there was no response.

[The Scales of Justice whispers that the traditional way to wake a prince is with a kiss.]

I thought for a moment, then brought my face closer to Reed's. Slowly, I approached until our noses were almost touching.

[I am very confused, wondering if the 'scales that judge the soul' are really doing this!]

[The 'World-Building Word' screams and stops you!]

[The 'Creative Economy Manager' receives a warning for spamming the chat window with words like 'prepayment post-love,' 'prepayment post-love,' and 'prepayment post-love.']

Of course it stopped. At a razor-thin distance.

“You must be sleeping really deeply.”

<... ... No, surprise. I guess he was just checking to see if I was pretending to sleep.>

"yes."

Now it's time to consider other possibilities.

The possibility exists that Reed may be in a situation where he cannot break his dream on his own.

Under these assumptions, it was clear what I had to do.

“I have to go find Ellantia. I should have just done it from the beginning.”

<Okay.>

I put on my clothes and harness and strode out the door. I turned on the map and marked my destination.

Elantia Levant is [N O V E L I G H T] a demon who is crazy about books. And this is the castle of the Demon King Inferinos who loves knowledge, so it was natural that there would be a palace library.

The prediction was right.

“Ugh, it hurts... It hurts so much....”

A blue-haired demon was seen crouching and shivering in a shady corner.

Although his appearance does not seem to be particularly abnormal, judging from the pain he is feeling, it seems that he suffered a considerable blow to his mental body in the dream.

“Hey, Ellantia.”

“Ugh, huh? High-class dream lady......?”

“Okay. Answer my questions.”

“Ah, it hurts. It hurts....... Help me....... Sob, sob.......”

It seems like he hasn't come to his senses yet. Given his demonic nature, divine powers would probably have the opposite effect.

After thinking about what to do, I was able to think of something that might be useful.

[<Item> 'Unisus Carousel Music Box'

An item created by Elliniro to control the emotions of women who have become hypnotic dolls.

Plays a beautiful fairy tale melody that stimulates the senses.

It consists of a total of 4 tracks.

Track 1. Happy Candy Shop

Track 2. Cinderella's Revenge

Track 3. The Snow Queen Who Was Broken

Track 4. The Temptation of the Naked Emperor]

I took out the music box and wound it up.