As the record player began spinning, the first track played.

The melody, filled with happiness, would manipulate my mind and ease the pain to some extent.

Elantia's moans lessened, and her gaze grew dazed. It seemed there was also a hypnotic effect, which made things easier for me as I had to extract a confession.

“Elantia, what happened to Reid?”

“I don’t know...”

“Are you really sure you don’t know?”

“Yes... All I remember is being forcefully expelled from the dream by him... after that, I don’t know...”

It would be better to get a more detailed account of the situation and extract an answer.

“Reid isn’t coming out of the dream. Why is this happening?”

“Maybe it’s because he’s in paradise in the dream, and doesn’t want to leave... I also wanted to stay in my nightmare forever, you know...”

“Ah, right. For demons, nightmares are good dreams.”

The problem is that Reid is, first and foremost, human.

He may be corrupted, but he's still human.

There’s no way he’d be having a pleasant dream.

“How can I wake someone trapped in a nightmare?”

“They have to... come out with me...”

“Got it. First, hand over your Nightmare Catcher.”

“Here...”

“Good. Keep playing the first track of the music box over and over.”

“Okay...”

I grabbed the Halloween-themed Dreamcatcher made of bone and barbed wire, the same one I had been carrying around for the past few days.

As soon as I turned my back on Elantia, I quickly kicked the floor and ran.

I crossed the corridor at a fast pace. I had to get to where Reid was. He must be trapped in an unpleasant dream right now.

‘Perhaps that dream...’

I gritted my teeth, anticipating what it could be, and quickened my pace.

I arrived at the bedroom in no time, kicked open the door, and entered. Despite the loud noise, Reid was still asleep, unresponsive.

I held my breath as I approached. He appeared to be in a peaceful, serene sleep, as if I could mistake him for someone who had simply fallen into a deep slumber.

People often talk in their sleep. Reid was no exception.

“Enough.”

“...”

“I want to die now.”

“...”

If language had a shape, what I had just heard would have been a rusty knife.

It pierced deeper into my heart than any physical wound, more painfully than if it had been stuck into me. It felt like my blood was turning into the burning venom of metal.

The gap between breaths felt long, as I struggled to take in air again. Eventually, my breath became cold and slow, and I bit my lip.

“Reid.”

It’s always you who causes problems.

You keep pulling at my heart like this.

“I can’t help it.”

I sat down heavily on the opposite couch. I pulled out a sleeping potion that I had roughly shoved into the dimensional warehouse.

Clutching the Nightmare Catcher, I closed my eyes. I needed to retrieve the lost soul wandering through the dreadful nightmare.

Chapter 13: The Dreamlike World of the Past

His reflection in the mirror twisted the corners of his mouth.

What he saw in his eyes was a handsome man, with silver hair, seemingly carved from pure moonlight, from head to toe.

His appearance was one that would naturally provoke admiration, but the illusion in the mirror was not met with praise, but with scorn.

The true reality outside the mirror.

Not just his face, but his outfit was twisted into a mess that matched his expression. The white °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° robe of the Holy Order’s paladin was wrinkled and crumpled in his grasp.

After thoroughly inspecting himself, he looked around. Everywhere, angel statues filled the space. The mirror reflecting him also had small angels as its decoration.

The sculptor's atelier.

The place where his regression began.

From the hallway connecting to the room, the noise grew louder. A group of humans was getting closer, their hurried footsteps and voices growing nearer.

He instinctively recognized that they were the Chanyeong Knights. Not exactly faces he wanted to face.

This really is a nightmare.

At first, he hadn’t thought much of it. He thought he could wake up easily from the dream.

I’ll just die, I guess.

He decided to try the quickest method to escape.

However.

“...”

Once again, he heard the sounds of the Chanyeong Knights approaching from the hallway.

He tried a few more times, but it was the same. Only then did he realize that he couldn’t wake up from the dream by dying.

“Ha.”

It was absurd. Not only was reality trapping him, but now the dream was locking him in and making him endlessly regress.

With a hot hand, he pressed it against his eyes, then wiped it away. When he removed his hand, his face no longer held a single trace of a smile.

Only the twisted expression of someone on the verge of suffocating to death remained.

“Enough.”

He was done with it.

“Please.”

Now...

“I just want to die.”

He placed both hands on the wall. If he didn’t, his frail body, burdened by his broken mind, seemed like it would collapse at any moment.

After a short while, he removed his hands from the wall and straightened his hunched back and waist.

Turning around, his face was once again perfectly arranged, his emotions severed.

“...”

With a face as cold as his expression, he surveyed the situation. Then he made a decision.

For now, it’s best to follow the flow of the dream and observe the situation.

The pace of the dream was chaotic. It felt like he had been invited to a concert by a player who played recklessly.

Skipping over all the parts he disliked, fast-forwarding through the neutral parts, and playing only the ones he liked.

Naturally, the parts that the nightmare liked were selected based on a very grotesque taste. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Every moment that could bring a bit of happiness was skipped, and even the neutral times were fast-forwarded. Only the memories of betrayal, loss, and death played at their normal speed.

Thanks to this, Reid was given a horrific opportunity to relive the climaxes of his life.

Uh, uh? This can’t be happening! This wasn’t supposed to go like this!

Oh my god, Captain Gedville! What are we going to do now? Tesilid can’t hold on! If he collapses, we’re all dead!

Re, Rector Vice-Captain! What... what do we do? Aaargh! I don’t know!

The incompetent Captain Gedville’s tactical command pushed the entire Chanyeong Knights into crisis. Led by Captain Gedville, the Chanyeong Knights tried to flee from Reid, but it was useless.

In this round, the only power Reid was granted was at the level of an Aura Expert. The front line he barely maintained collapsed, and the Chanyeong Knights were wiped out.

It was the 2nd round.

Death transferred him to yet another round.

I didn’t want to go this far.

...

Well, as a mere knight, you should have known your place. Who are you to challenge my authority as Vice-Captain? Just because you own the Holy Sword?

...

It’s all your fault. Don’t blame me too much.

He had been caught in a scheme by Rector Vice-Captain, who envied his abilities, and was killed in a dungeon accident disguised as an accident. As he slowly died, he recalled the moment.

The 5th round...

With a laugh, he closed his eyes again, only to return to the starting point of regression.

The nightmare continued to act on its own whims. Sometimes skipping several rounds, and at some point, the order of the rounds became completely scrambled.

A woman with mystical blue and gold eyes visited him in the dead of night.

Tesilid... I’m not saying this because I’m afraid of death. I’m only worried that our country might fall into danger due to the absence of the only Saint. You understand my heart, don’t you?

...

The cursed Saint, Myriel Filize, who had become terminally ill from the Demon King’s curse, secretly led him to her room.

He accepted. It wasn’t a bad deal for him, as he wanted to die.

Yes, this was the 86th round...

His eyes closed. And then they opened again.