Chapter 86

The word dreamlike fit the scenery perfectly.

Blue, violet, pink, indigo—colors tangled together in a riot, like the night sky in a Van Gogh painting.

And across it flowed a brilliant river of starlight.

“Woooow…! What is this place? Muriel unnie! What is this? It’s so pretty!”

Nikke shouted, her voice brimming with excitement.

She tilted her head back to stare at the sky, hopping in place before bursting into giggles.

“It feels like we stepped into a dream!”

It really did.

Like a unicorn might pop into existence any second….

“The vegetable garden and the house are still the samee…? The only difference is… that the space itself feels unusual…?”

Camilla’s hazy voice blended seamlessly into the atmosphere.

Maybe it was the starlight filling the ceiling.

Her dark eyes seemed to sparkle more than usual.

And the others, too, kept gasping in awe, the Milky Way reflected in their pupils.

“The space below is identical to the ceiling. What should I call it…? It feels like an island.”

At Dante’s analytical comment, I found myself recalling the hidden shop I’d visited twice before.

I always called it the hidden shop, but its proper name was—

‘The Hidden Shop in the Rift of Outer Space.’

That name was strange, too.

I glanced around, mulling it over.

Was this place created by a similar principle?

“Ninabel, how’s your spring? Is it the same?”

“Yeees~! Nothing’s changed!”

I directed the question toward the droplet I spotted nearby, and a lively reply came back.

Aside from the Milky Way flowing overhead, nothing else seemed particularly different.

After about five minutes of wandering around, I gave everyone a subtle signal that we should head out.

I was curious whether there were smaller changes, but it would be better to deal with urgent matters first.

After checking one last time that the animals in the barn were safe, I summoned the ‘door’ leading outside.

It seemed to appear and disappear at my will.

I left it wide open and addressed the others.

“Alright, go on out first.”

Mikhail stepped through first. A faint smile touched his lips as he offered his impression.

“That was quite the sight…. Your ability is impressive….”

Allen followed.

“Muriel, next time let’s check the forest and the lake too! Something might’ve changed there!”

Then Daphne, Lucas, Nikke, and Tierra exited in turn.

Next were Dante and his crow, Nigel—

‘H‑his eyes….’

Dante’s pupils were shining so brilliantly it was almost frightening.

‘A madman with clear eyes….’

His voice was thick with excitement as he fired off words like a machine gun.

“I agree with Allen. This peculiar space may have affected the forest and lake as well. Ah! I’m terribly curious! Please invite me again next time.”

“S‑sure….”

I couldn’t hide my discomfort and forced an awkward smile.

Maybe it was because he was a magitech engineer, but Dante definitely had… strong mad scientist tendencies….

Finally, Ninabel and Lycian approached together.

The spirit spun in place as if she were figure skating. She clearly liked this space.

‘It’s exactly Ninabel’s taste.’

Nini’s bright, cheerful voice rang in my ears.

“Master! May I stay here? I’ll train at the spring, and if I notice anything strange, I’ll tell you right away!”

I didn’t hesitate long before nodding.

“Hmm…. Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

It would be nice to have someone manage this place, and Ninabel—who could communicate with me telepathically—was perfect.

“Then you’ll be the caretaker here. I’m counting on you.”

“M‑me, a caretaker?! I’m so honored! Leave it to me, Master!”

After giving the overexcited spirit a few affectionate pats, I stepped outside with Lycian.

Click.

The white door dissolved into the air soon after.

Nothing would probably happen, but just to be sure, I sent Ninabel a message in my mind.

‘Nini, everything okay?’

—Yeees~ It’s perfectly peaceful! The animals are all fine!

‘Good. Let me know if anything happens.’

—Of course~!

Hmm. Good. Reliable as ever.

I turned back with a satisfied smile. The guild members had gathered around Mikhail, who had finished casting.

‘A meerkat family.’

“Muriel! Hurry up!”

“If you don’t come now, we’re leaving you behind~”

“Don’t talk nonsense, old man.”

“Muriel unnie! Hurry, hurry!”

The meerkat family waved enthusiastically at me.

Smiling faintly, I took Lycian’s hand and walked over.

Once the two of us joined them, Mikhail raised his left hand and spoke.

“Alright, we’re moving…. Don’t suddenly run, make big movements… or do anything reckless. If your limbs go flying, I’m not taking responsibility….”

Lucas grinned, about to crack a joke, only to get smacked on the back by Dante. He was promptly accused of aging in reverse.

In any case, our group safely arrived at the Vintzheim guild branch.

Our first goal was to quickly wrap things up here and then flee to the Grastea Empire.

‘I should help too.’

I was about to follow the guild members inside when someone grabbed my arm.

It was Lycian.

He pulled me close, wrapping me in an embrace as he whispered by my ear.

“Leave it to them.”

“I think I can at least help with cleaning up….”

“Don’t. Muriel.”

“…?”

A grin curved his lips, and gold light swirled in his eyes.

Then, with a dull thud, a heavy pouch dropped into his left palm. My mouth fell open.

‘Guess being a dragon’s descendant means teleportation magic is second nature!’

Lycian flung the pouch toward Dante, who stood at the entrance.

“Eight hundred thousand rubels in total.”

“As expected of Your Highness! So generous~!”

I blinked rapidly, thrown by the sudden turn of events.

‘What? What is that? What’s inside the pouch?’

Lycian’s voice was cool.

“Use it. Sell it. Do what you want. Consider the debt settled.”

“Ah, that’s not quite right. We’re already in the same boat….”

“I don’t intend to turn my back on you. I’m the one who dealt Kabil Tierney a fatal blow.”

“Then—”

Before Dante could finish, golden mana erupted from Lycian like an explosion.

“…!”

It surged like a massive storm, swallowing Dante and the entire guild branch building whole.

And us along with it.

‘No way…?’

The thought struck me, and I stared at Lycian with wide eyes. He smiled.

“Muriel, what’s my full name?”

“L‑Lysianthus Epherne Grastea…?”

“Good. You know my name now. You know who I am. So I have nothing left to hide.”

So you were holding back all this time?

‘How did you resist using magic every time we traveled back and forth to the village…?!’

My mouth refused to close.

All this time, the strongest being in the world had been right beside me.

The absurd physical prowess Lycian had shown before—now that I knew he was a dragon’s descendant, it all made sense.

And what he was about to do now was—

“As expected of Your Highness. To think you’d move the entire building.”

That’s right.

He was teleporting the guild branch building—and everyone inside it—wholesale!

“Contact any guild members who aren’t inside separately.”

“Yeah, I will. Nigel will help.”

Even witnessing this overwhelming spectacle, Dante didn’t seem particularly shocked. He must have been used to Lycian’s power.

At that moment, a memory surfaced in my mind.

‘When I was much younger, I was pathetically weak. I didn’t even know how to fight.’

He’d said he was weak when he was young… Was that a lie?

Or did he simply grow stronger?

As I stared at Lycian’s profile while he focused on casting, the air trembled faintly.

A wave of dizziness followed, and my vision flipped in an instant.

‘Ugh, I’ll never get used to this feeling.’

How should I put it? Like plummeting on a roller coaster at terrifying speed.

My swaying body was firmly caught in Lycian’s arms.

And the sight that unfolded before me was—

“Wow….”

A tall, beautiful white fortress, as if plucked straight from a fairy tale.

Built on high ground with a blue lake and deep green mountains at its back, the magnificent structure exuded an old, dignified charm.

The road leading up to it looked impossibly far.

And where we had arrived was—

‘A… a vegetable garden?!’

…Right in the middle of someone else’s field!

The moment I realized it, a woman’s scream rang out.

“Eek! W‑what is this?! A building just—out of nowhere—! Huh…?”

She looked about twenty. When her eyes fell on us, they went wide.

Her gaze, trembling like a candle in the wind, locked onto Lycian.

And then—

“Y‑Your Grace, the Grand Duke?! It really is you? Oh my goodness!”

She rattled off exclamations before sprinting off somewhere, shouting, “His Grace the Grand Duke has returned!”

Only then did I take in more than just the nearby fields—there was an unpaved road, houses scattered in the distance.

“So this is….”

“One of the villages of Arblis. It’s responsible for supplying food to the lord’s castle, so it’s close to Epherne Castle.”

Lycian answered smoothly, then turned to me.

A smile curved his lips.

“Welcome to my territory, Muriel.”