Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
Roland fell silent.
Phyllis was right. To Roland, sensations were something so natural that he almost regarded them as inherent elements of the world. As to his dream, due to its bizarreness and incompleteness, he viewed it as a fictional world created by his imagination. To Phyllis, however, this world was her dreamland. It was the light at the end of the tunnel. No matter what snares and toils awaited for her, Phyllis would try her best to reach for it.
If her intrusion was indeed an accident that would not recur and if she just left like this, she would probably lose something beyond Roland's imagination. If pains were the only thing that Phyllis would experience in this long-lost dream world, that would be too cruel for her.
Roland breathed out a sigh. At length, he held Phyllis' hand and said, "I see. Let's do the test in the evening."
Two days in the dream world roughly had the same timespan as a full night in the real world. He would just wake up a few hours later if he stayed in the dream until evening. So, that should not cause a problem. These few extra hours, however, would allow Phyllis to have a thorough exploration of this brand new world.
"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Phyllis rose and once again placed her hand over her heart, a particular salute normally conducted by senior members of the Union. "I now come to understand why the Witch Union fully supports you."
Roland was about to make a response when suddenly, somebody pounded the bedroom door. He heard Zero's voice outside the room. "I made some tea. Do you guys want some?"
"What the hell... is she doing?" thought Roland. Usually, Zero would disappear for quite a while when she was inflamed. She definitely would not boil water or make tea. "What trick is she playing now?"
Roland opened the door, brows remaining clouded, only to find there was nothing in Zero's hands. The little girl cast Roland a stare and then poked her head into the room. She studied Phyllis critically, eyes full of alert.
"Hey, where's the tea?"
"In the living room. Go fetch yourself." Zero grudged him a grunt. "By the way, don't you guys produce weird noises. You distract me from doing my homework!" At these words, she stormed away.
"Um... so that's the reason." Roland shook her head, speechless. Children these days seemed to be more sophisticated than he expected them to be. If it were him, he would just have inquired about their health with some concerns and asked if they would like to go to hospital rather than forming those crazy, inappropriate ideas in his head.
Roland shrugged after closing the door. "Pay no mind to her. A child born in the 2000s is supposed to be like that. It's a different age after all."
Phyllis looked quite confused. "The 2000s? A different age? What's your relationship with her..."
"Just a roommate," Roland explained to Phyllis without giving her the details. He simply waved away her questions. Although Roland had once told her that his battle with the pope was a Battle of Souls, he had not told her that this little girl was actually the former pope the pure witch. Zero had started a new life in the dream world. Her past was now a history. Roland did not feel it necessary to connect her with the other world again.
Phyllis bit her lip. "I see. Well... please continue. You can use other methods. I'll try to keep silent this time."
Roland put his hand on the forehead, feeling a little amused and frustrated.
"Is she addicted to pains now? There is so much fun in this world. She absolutely doesn't have to stick to this one sensation solely."
"Ahem." Roland cleared his throat. "Since you've come to the dream world, let me show you around."
"Can I go out... like this?" Phyllis asked in surprise. "It's apparently very different from Neverwinter here. Won't I cause you trouble if somebody notices my presence?"
Phyllis had clearly observed the dramatic change in the surroundings, but evidently, she thought people in this world still acted the same way as those in the four kingdoms where witches were repudiated by the mass. She believed people who looked different would always be subject to discrimination or persecution.
Roland smiled at her. "If you were a witch, you would be nothing but a celebrity here. I've told you that this is a brand new world. Being different brings you no harm. Instead, you'll have a lot of fans who admire you. Of course, all of these is on the premise that you don't break the laws."
"Is, is that so?" Phyllis instantly cheered up. "There're taverns and inns here as well, aren't there?"
Roland curled up his lips. "Do you want to try some wines and food here? There're more food and drink than you can ever imagine."
"So her original plan was to stay in and feel pains over and over again?" Although the idea of torturing such a pretty, kind-hearted lady sounded quite thrilling, Roland thought this would lead him to do something irrevocably wrong.
That was such a narrow escape! He almost made a huge mistake.
"By the way, since you're now in your own body, are you still able to use your magic power?"
"Ah... I almost forgot about that," Phyllis exclaimed in a low voice. "Let me try."
She shut her eyes and held her breath. Nothing, however, happened in a while.
"It doesn't work?"
"Yes... I can feel the magic cyclone. It's just a bit rusty since I haven't used it for a while," Phyllis answered, a little embarrassed. "Just a moment... It's coming out."
At these words, two black, scrawny claws suddenly grew out of her back and spread out on her shoulders. At the first glance, they looked like a pair of devil's hands or wing skeletons.
Roland stroked his chin. "This is..."
Phyllis breathed out a long sigh. "I call it Blade Claws. The claws are retractable and can stretch as far as my ability allows. They're much sharper than ordinary ironware. When I fought with Army of Demons, those claws protected me from the attacks from behind and also helped me defy strong Senior Demons."
"So you were a combat witch."
"That's right. In the Taquila age, I was the guard of the Three Chiefs." Phyllis took a pause. "But there's one thing that I don't really understand. Based on the research conducted by the Quest Society, magic power comes from the Bloody Moon. Why does magic power also exist in your dream world?"
Roland spread out his hands. "Although this world is created by my imagination, it probably also has something to do with the Bloody Moon. I'm still trying to figure it out. I'll fill you in when we're outside. Since we've decided to do the test in the evening, we'd better get started rather than wasting time here."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Phyllis replied with excitement.
As it was Saturday, Roland decided to take Zero with them. Otherwise, this little girl might hold a grudge against him for quite a long time.
"Also, you don't need to call me 'Your Majesty' in the dream, just Roland. There's no king in this era."
"Well... in that case, please excuse my impudence."
Roland was not quite sure if it was an illusion, for Phyllis paid more respect to him than before, and her respect seemed not to be feigned. Roland felt this accidental intrusion would not appear to be that bad if he could win the support of a witch from Taquila in this way.