WVKWnovel Chapter 164 : Interference - 2
Chapter 164 : Interference - 2
For a moment, Magireta looked somewhat stunned.“What? Are you serious?”
“I am. Right now, we consider Drod to be our greatest threat. Of course, we hate Odline and consider him our enemy as well, but dealing with Drod takes priority.”
“......”
“If we modify the Rule the way you suggested, our lives still won't be guaranteed. Let's discuss it again another time.”
Magireta's lips twitched.
She clearly wasn't pleased.
But I couldn't back down.
Of course, refusing to back down and offending this devil were two entirely different matters.
I spoke in a gentle voice.
“Please don't be too upset, Sis.”
“......”
“We can always resume negotiations later. Once conditions arise that satisfy both you and us.”
“Do you really think such a thing is possible?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
Her expression finally softened a little.
Magireta stood up from her seat.
“Alright. Even getting this far is tremendous progress.”
“......”
“I don't like the thought of that maggot getting to live a little longer, but I've endured for hundreds of thousands of years already. Surely I can wait a little longer.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Magireta waved her hand dismissively.
She was just about to disappear when something seemed to occur to her.
“Oh, wait. There's something I'm curious about.”
“Go ahead.”
“You proposed the condition, 'If MVPs fight each other.' How did you come up with that?”
“......”
“Do you think MVPs are actually going to fight one another? Or perhaps...”
A cruel smile spread across her lips as she continued,
“Are you planning to make them fight?”
Instead of answering, I simply smiled back.
Magireta shrugged.
“This is getting interesting again.”
With that, she slowly disappeared.
The moment she vanished, everyone finally released the breath they'd been holding.
Aina spoke.
“Ha... I've really lived long enough to see everything. Who would've thought that if we gathered together, we could even modify the Hidden Rules?”
“Do you think that's an appropriate expression for someone your age?”
“Well, I suppose someone around Sienne's age would be the one saying things like that.”
“Miss Aina. I'd like to have a word with you in private.”
Benjamin turned to me.
“To tell the truth, I was wondering about what Magireta asked just now as well.”
“Mr. Benjamin.”
“If I know you correctly, Mr. Mason, you wouldn't have proposed such a condition merely because there was no other option. You have something in mind, don't you?”
I slowly nodded.
Then I pulled back my chair and stood.
Armelia tilted her head.
“Mason? Where are you going?”
“To see Kaid. He lives right next door.”
“That Dream Demon? Surely you don't mean...”
“Yes. I'm going to meet Odline through Kaid.”
“For safety's sake, of course. Inside a dream.”
Karin asked,
“You're going to meet that maggot? And what are you planning to do?”
“What do you mean, what? Given the flow of this conversation, isn't it obvious?”
Grinning, I answered,
“I'm going to drive a wedge between Drod and Odline.”
Our group headed next door.
It was already late at night.
Normally, visiting someone at this hour would've been rude.
Neither I nor anyone else cared in the slightest.
Because it was Kaid.
Our target was Kaid.
It was Kaid, after all.
Knock, knock.
Aina knocked and immediately threw the door open.
“Why even bother knocking?”
“Good point. Why did I knock?”
“......”
“They don't even lock their door.”
Berseum stroked his mustache.
“Hm. What a shame. If they'd locked it, we'd have had an excuse to break it down.”
“......”
“Actually... why not just break it anyway? Do we really need an excuse?”
“Please calm down, Brother.”
So Berseum really was deeply attached to his own house.
In any case, we followed the faint light.
Through the living room.
Into a small bedroom.
As soon as we opened the door—
“T-Thieves!”
It was Kaid.
“It's me.”
“Uh... Yes. Huh? Why are you here at this hour?”
Instead of answering, I glanced around the room.
The bed had a suspicious lump under the blanket.
Judging by the shape, Louis had pulled the blanket over his head.
“Is Louis asleep?”
“Yes. That's why I'm trying to wake him up.”
“......What?”
“If this Monster falls asleep, who's supposed to protect me?”
I pressed a hand against my forehead.
Just then, Louis wriggled out from beneath the blanket.
“Please... just take that bastard away...”
“Sorry. Impossible.”
“He spends all twenty-four hours of every single day talking complete nonsense. Says he gets anxious if he doesn't.”
Karin tilted her head.
“Then why haven't you thrown him out?”
“......”
“No. Wrong question. Why haven't you killed him?”
“Seriously... what's wrong with you people?”
Kaid tried to protest.
But before he could, Louis muttered,
“I still feel sorry for him.”
“Huh?”
“He and I were both abandoned, after all. We have something in common.”
Hmm.
That wasn't quite right.
Louis had definitely been abandoned.
Kaid had run away on his own.
Instead of pointing that out, I turned to Kaid.
“You've contacted Odline before, haven't you?”
“Huh? Of course. Who do you think I am? I even have experience putting Master's maggot into someone's body.”
“Don't sound so proud of that. Anyway, that means you can summon Odline into a dream too, right?”
The tension immediately became visible on Kaid's face.
He answered cautiously.
“I refuse.”
“I haven't even asked yet.”
“You're not about to ask me to connect you and Master inside a dream, are you?”
“Uh, yes.”
“You crazy bastard!”
He shouted furiously.
But after all of us silently glared at him, he immediately shrank back.
“My apologies. I got carried away.”
“You apologize far too often.”
“Either way, no. I finally escaped from Master. I'm not going back.”
“You're invincible inside dreams. No matter how powerful Odline is, he can't do anything to you here.”
“I know, but...”
Kaid still hesitated.
I gently patted his shoulder.
Then I forced the kindest smile I could manage.
“Listen. This is all for your own good.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think I'd ask you to summon Odline for no reason?”
“......”
“We're going to kill Odline. More accurately, Magireta is, but still.”
The light in his eyes changed.
“Asking you to summon Odline into a dream is simply laying the groundwork for that.”
“Uh...”
“Just be brave this once. Your life... well, your life as a Monster... will change.”
Kaid remained silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought.
Eventually, he cautiously asked,
“You really mean that?”
“Of course.”
Provided everything went according to plan.
And so, I fell asleep.
The familiar fog-covered path appeared once again.
As I looked around, Kaid's voice reached me first.
“Mr. Mason. Over here.”
“Oh. You're using your true form again.”
“Of course. I was already a coward to begin with, but in front of Master, I become a coward beyond imagination.”
“......”
“He'll be here any moment now. You know, right? You have to protect me.”
Shouldn't you be protecting me inside a dream?
You're supposed to be a Dream Demon.
Just then—
“Heh. Well now. What an interesting sight.”
Odline!
His current appearance was that of an exceptionally handsome man.
Apparently, this was some unfortunate Monster who had swallowed his maggot.
Or perhaps, since this was a dream, Kaid had simply dressed him up a bit.
“Kaid Bel.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Don't you have something to say to me?”
Kaid immediately threw himself flat onto the ground.
I'd never seen that posture before.
Because of his horns, he couldn't press his forehead against the floor.
Instead, like a woodpecker hammering into a tree, he repeatedly drove his horns into the ground while shouting,
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”
“What exactly are you sorry for?”
“For betraying you and siding with Mr. Mason!”
“......That's true, but hearing you say it so openly only makes me angrier.”
“Eek! Mr. Mason, please save me!”
Though it wasn't exactly my intention, I stepped in front of Kaid.
Then I faced Odline.
“I asked him to arrange this meeting.”
“I assumed as much. Kaid would never summon me voluntarily.”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Hm. Go ahead.”
His expression was surprisingly relaxed.
He even folded his arms with a faint smile.
I tilted my head.
“You seem calmer than before. Weren't you treating me like your love rival?”
“I still hate you.”
“But I owe you.”
“Owe me...?”
“Heh. The hood. The hood.”
As he said that, Odline's face twisted into something revolting.
Just moments ago I'd thought he looked rather handsome.
Apparently appearances could change that dramatically.
His flaring nostrils alone were almost unbearable to look at.
“The day I obtained Lady Magireta's hood, I experienced absolute ecstasy. It was all thanks to you.”
“......”
“Besides, you promised me, didn't you? That if I refrained from interfering with the world, you'd occasionally provide me with treasures like that in the future. I can't exactly treat such a generous patron badly.”
Hmm.
I didn't remember making any such promise.
I'd merely implied that it might happen.
‘Besides, Magireta doesn't even wear the hood anymore...’
Naturally, I didn't mention that.
Instead, I got straight to the point.
“Speaking of that hood...”
“Yes?”
“The hood I gave you... Well... I don't know if this is the right way to phrase it, but... were you making good use of it?”
“No. Unfortunately, I lost it.”
Crunch.
He suddenly bit down on his lip.
“To be precise, it was taken from me.”
I knew.
To be even more precise, I also knew it hadn't merely been taken—it had been burned.
I recalled the conversation I'd overheard between Odline and Drod through the Listening Device.
‘There was definitely the sound of something burning.’
Then Beat herself had confirmed she'd burned it.
It had probably disgusted her because it was covered in Odline's filth.
And that was precisely what I was aiming for.
I carefully chose my words.
“Don't tell me... Drod Kuhalim was the one who took it?”
“......! How do you know that?”
“You know I have some rather unusual abilities.”
“Hoo... That's right. That damned bastard took it. I even told him to send it to my territory, but apparently he ignored me completely.”
A genuinely sorrowful expression crossed his face.
“Well, I understand. I did ask, but I never actually expected him to agree.”
“......”
“It was Lady Magireta's signature hood. That very hood. If a treasure like that fell into my hands, I'd preserve it as a family heirloom for generations.”
It was complete nonsense, of course.
Rather than responding, I continued.
“But according to what I've confirmed...”
“Hm?”
“Drod burned Lady Magireta's hood.”
The next moment—
‘Gasp.’
Without thinking, I drew in a sharp breath.
This was a dream.
Kaid should've been able to control everything here.
“......What did you just say?”
Odline lowered the temperature of this place below freezing.
For the briefest moment, I felt an oppressive pressure that surpassed even Magireta's.
Still, I calmly answered,
“I said he burned it.”
“Don't joke with me.”
“It's true. Drod treated that precious hood like garbage. He burned it in the blink of an eye.”
Boom.
Odline slammed his foot into the ground.
Kaid, whose horns were still buried in the floor, leapt into the air.
“Master, please calm down!”
“Aaaaaargh! That damned Drod bastard!”
“Master, please...! The dream world is falling apart!”
“Huff... huff... huff...”
When I came back to my senses, huge cracks had spread across the ground.
Just how destructive was his power?
Was his rage overwhelming even Kaid's control over the dream?
After taking several more deep breaths, Odline suddenly looked at me.
“Is this true?”
“It is.”
“I can verify it myself. By going to see Drod.”
“Be my guest.”
“Hoo... Very well.”
Odline jerked his chin toward Kaid.
“Hey. Kaid.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Wake me immediately. I'm going to see Drod.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
It sounded as though I heard glass shattering.
As the dream world began collapsing, Odline spoke.
“Thank you for the information, Mason.”
“Not at all. I simply couldn't forgive Drod for burning such a priceless treasure.”
“Heh. So you understand its value as well. Unlike that fool Drod...”
Sparks danced in Odline's eyes.
“It's like putting a pearl necklace on a pig. No—it's even worse than that. The pig trampled the necklace into the mud before taking a dump on it.”
“......”
“If what you've told me proves to be true...”
He added one final sentence.
“It's war.”
Perfect.
Go ahead and fight your hearts out.