Chapter 131

In this world setting, the power known as magic definitely existed.

However, the magic in this world wasn't like waving a wand as in Harry Potter, nor was it like wielding some mysterious power as in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Magic was the materialization of power that humans could not manifest, obtained through a transaction.

For instance, the artifact used by the Information Guild that prevented sound from being heard could be considered a case of magic embedded in an object.

These powers that were lent to humans mostly came from intelligent deities.

One might think that these deities would be closer to holy power or clergy, but they were distinctly different.

Calling them 'deities' was merely from his perspective.

In this country that believed in a single deity, there was no way they would acknowledge other gods besides the main god.

Therefore, the beings he called 'deities' were treated as heretical.

Grimoires were books that compiled knowledge about such magic.

Books that described methods to summon 'deities,' various other worlds, and mysterious objects.

However, as grimoires were thoroughly classified as forbidden books by the temple, few people were aware of their existence.

When he first possessed Arenheit's body, he had thought that the Hartmann ducal family might possess a grimoire,

But seeing that he couldn't find one even in the secret room in the Duchess's study, he realized grimoires must be rare.

And such a grimoire was right here, in Dreamland?

"The Pnakotic?"

"Yes, the grimoire with the most diverse information among grimoires. It's the greatest power you can possess now, worshipper. You're not strong, and your body is weak, so shouldn't you at least understand how the world works?"

"Where is it?"

"Right here. Can you see that round tower over there?"

The place the snowman pointed to was inside the city. In the distance, a huge tower rose, dominating the jagged ridgeline.

It looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but was incredibly grand and antique.

"It's the Temple of the Old Ones. Originally, Bast's monks and sages lived there, contemplating this city. But since they've all disappeared in your dream, it's a golden opportunity to get your hands on the grimoire."

"If animals and people are gone, isn't there a high possibility that the grimoire is also gone?"

"Those are all lives that exist and don't exist simultaneously. But the Pnakotic is definitely a cornerstone that exists in Dreamland."

What was he saying?

He glared at the snowman who was spouting unintelligible words, then looked at the magnificent tower.

In any case, if he went there, there would be this thing called a grimoire.

He should try whatever he could do here.

He moved his steps toward the tower wrapped in hazy clouds.

* * *

"Exactly what kind of person are you looking for?"

"S-someone who can treat an i-injured person, and w-who can also respond well to e-emergency situations."

"If that's the case, why not go to a physician? Why do you need to recruit someone here?"

"But I'd p-prefer if this person w-wasn't a recognized p-physician."

"...? So you want someone who can treat injuries but isn't recognized as a physician?"

"That's right. S-so, someone like a p-physician who was b-banished from somewhere. And it w-would be even better if they w-weren't afraid even when s-seeing dead people."

"...What exactly are you looking for?"

The man and woman who had come to the guild in broad daylight were inexplicably asking for someone to be found.

It wasn't strange for people to look for someone at the Adventurer's Guild,

But the problem was that the conditions were quite bizarre.

The Adventurer's Guild, though bewildered, accepted the silver coins Amelia offered.

The conditions were strange, but they thought they might as well collect the fee, since it seemed unlikely they would find such a person anyway.

After writing a detailed recruitment notice and leaving the guild building, the dazzling sunlight stung their eyes.

Amelia unconsciously frowned and muttered to Leandros beside her.

"W-we might have to s-stay here for a long time. Even I th-think this is a s-strange notice."

"We might find one sooner than expected. No one knows what lies ahead."

"It's f-fortunate that there's no s-specific time for His Grace to th-thaw. Of c-course, it would be better if His G-Grace wakes up as s-soon as possible."

Leandros nodded.

It was a blessing in disguise, one might say.

Hard to believe, but the snowman had the ability to keep Arenheit frozen indefinitely.

Thanks to this, the two had gained time to prepare as thoroughly as possible.

The Lord of the Extreme Realm, was it?

They couldn't understand why the separated consciousness of the lord was helping Arenheit so meticulously.

But for now, they had no choice but to accept the lord's favor.

It was just as Leandros was looking up at the Adventurer's Guild and turning his steps that it happened.

The sound of small, hurried footsteps was heard, and then something heavy clung to Leandros's thigh.

Looking down, he saw a round little head.

"A-a child?"

While Amelia was taken aback, a man was running from afar, shouting in a resonant voice.

"Jonas! You rascal! You can't just go off like that, you'll scare your dad- Oh my, Sir Knight! Aren't you the Duke's knight!"

A man with sparse facial hair, whose appearance was familiar, suddenly rushed over.

He firmly grabbed Leandros's hand and shook it up and down vigorously, looking like an excited puppy that didn't know what to do with itself.

"To think I'd see you in a place like this, Sir Knight! I can only express my deepest gratitude for what you did before. Do you perhaps remember? The map of the Dikenter Mountains, right? You remember, don't you?"

"I remember."

"That's a relief! My son has been talking about you constantly. He said he'd love to meet you again, even from a distance. The same goes for me."

"Is that so."

Having rarely encountered such an enthusiastic person, the startled Leandros quickly added.

"I'm glad to see you're healthy."

"How could I not be healthy after you saved me, Sir Knight? To run into you in a place like this is truly moving. I was planning to return after receiving the ducal family's request, but I heard my mercenary band was nearby, and somehow I ended up joining them here. Ah, who is the lady beside you?"

Ah, right.

Leandros quickly turned to Amelia.

Amelia had no acquaintance with these two people.

Should he introduce her as Lady Arnold of the barony?

And how should he explain how a knight of the ducal family and a baronial lady happened to be together?

While Leandros was silent, thinking, Amelia stepped forward.

"P-pleased to meet you. I'm A-Amelia, assisting His Grace the D-Duke of Hartmann with his w-work."

"Oh, hello. I'm Max, and this is Jonas. Just to let you know, Jonas can't speak, so please understand. Recently, His Grace the Duke kindly gave us a request, and we had the undeserved honor of being invited to the ducal residence."

"Y-you seem particularly g-glad to see Sir Leandros. Did you m-meet him when you r-received that request?"

"That's right, miss. Let me tell you how I met the knight at that time."

Max spilled everything about what had happened in the mountains right then and there.

His memory was so vivid and detailed that even Leandros, who was listening, had an expression that seemed to say, 'Did I really do that?'

Max's lengthy praise of Leandros continued for a full ten minutes, and during that time, Jonas remained clinging to Leandros's thigh, looking up with sparkling eyes.

Amelia listened patiently, maintaining a dignified smile.

"...And so, Jonas and I were able to complete the request safely. Even now, my heart pounds when I remember that time."

"That h-happened? Mercenaries s-seem to have a g-great admiration for s-strong people."

"Hahaha, you caught me! It's only natural to admire and look up to strong people. Everyone wants to be like that. It's an admiration for the pure strength that an individual possesses, beyond the realm of the mercenary profession. That's the kind of people mercenaries are."

Max ruffled Jonas's head, which was still attached to Leandros's leg.

"This boy, too, even though he said he'd only make maps, has been insisting on wielding some kind of weapon since meeting you, Sir Knight."

"The more weapons mercenaries can handle, the higher their survival rate. I think it's a good thing."

"Do you really think so too, Sir Knight? But this kid doesn't do strength training well. I don't think he'll be able to hold a sword like this."

Jonas glared at his father, then buried his face in Leandros.

He seemed upset that his embarrassing point had been revealed.

Amelia bent down to match Jonas's eye level.

"A s-sword is cool, but o-other weapons are g-good too. Get a w-weapon that s-suits your physical c-condition."

"..."

Jonas stared intently at Amelia, then reached out his hand to her.

When Amelia opened her palm, Jonas's small fingers tickled her palm.

-What kind of weapon?

"Well, if you d-don't have much s-strength, how about a d-dagger? It's light, e-easy to grip, and y-you can carry it c-concealed, so it s-seems good. And it's l-like a small sword."

Jonas pondered for a moment, then nodded.

He seemed to particularly like Amelia's comparison to a "small sword."

Amelia looked at Jonas fondly, then stood up.

In the meantime, Max and Leandros were conversing.

"But what business brought you from the ducal residence all the way here? Isn't this a royal direct territory?"

"There are circumstances. I'm not sure how long we'll stay, but it might take quite some time."

"So it's not an easy matter. Is there anything I can help with?"

"As for things you can help with."

Leandros, who was about to say there probably wasn't anything, paused briefly.

Although the plan to incorporate Gallo into the ducal territory was a secret,

Treating His Grace might not need to be a secret.

Moreover, being a mercenary, Max might have connections everywhere and could provide clues about the kind of person Amelia and he were looking for.

"I'm asking just in case, but do you know a skilled physician? Someone who doesn't get surprised easily and has a brave personality."

"A physician who needs to be brave? You mean someone who can handle looking at terrible wounds?"

"Similar... but a bit different. Anyway, someone who doesn't get startled easily and keeps secrets would be better."

Max thought for a while, then shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sir Knight. I've been to all sorts of physicians because of Jonas, but someone like you described is just..."

"As I expected."

"I would like to introduce you to a physician from our mercenary band if possible, but we're having some trouble these days."

"What trouble?"

"You see, our mercenary band has been recruiting a lot of new mercenaries lately. But you know how it is, being newcomers, they often get hurt because they can't control their temper and act arrogantly."

There were many people with aggressive personalities among mercenaries.

This was especially true for newcomers.

When blood rushed to their heads, they couldn't control their temper, lost their reason, and easily became violent, resulting in major injuries.

People with some experience, like Max, knew how to manage their emotions and understood that it increased their survival rate.

But new mercenaries had none of that.

"So because there were many injured, we recruited additional physicians. But they didn't get along at all with the physician who was already with the mercenary band. They kept saying 'I'll leave if you leave,' and finally, the original physician left the mercenary band as of yesterday."

Max sighed heavily.

"So the atmosphere is quite unsettled, and it's hard to ask them to see an outsider... I couldn't be of help."

"Not at all. By the way, the new physician seems quite formidable."

"Don't even mention it! It's no joke. It's like seeing Jonas's terrible three-year-old phase!"

Max jumped up and fired off words like a machine gun.

"Completely eccentric. I should have realized when I first saw that appearance! Claims to be a physician but doesn't even trim their hair properly, and when patients come, instead of treating them, starts observing what kind of wound it is and how it happened! Even with painkillers readily available, they'll stitch up raw flesh, saying that if there's no pain during treatment, patients won't appreciate how valuable physicians are!"

"Huh."

"That's not all, Sir Knight. They bring animal carcasses from somewhere to study! Do they think they're a veterinarian? And recently, they've been pestering us for demonic beast corpses and testing newly developed treatment methods on new mercenaries! That person is completely insane!"

While Max was venting his frustrations, Amelia and Leandros exchanged glances.

After quickly exchanging looks, Leandros said to Max.

"That person seems to be the one we're looking for."

"Whaaaat?"

"Could you guide us? Please."

"Whaaaaaaaat?"

It didn't matter what kind of sour expression Max made.

While Leandros was making a request that wasn't quite a request to the troubled Max, Amelia secretly clenched both hands.

We're coming to meet you now.