Chapter 95

…Delicious? Prey?

Was that a joke? It had to be a joke.

I did not come all this way just to get eaten by some unidentified being!

‘…If it comes down to it, I’ll at least get Lycian out of here.’

On high alert, I carefully chose my words in my head.

If I wanted to get what I needed without offending whatever that thing was—

That was when the shopkeeper let out a low chuckle and muttered,

“Dragon descendants really are fearless.”

I flinched and whipped around toward Lycian.

His hand was already resting on the hilt at his waist. As if he might draw and strike at any moment.

‘N-no…!’

Was he seriously sizing up a fight against that dangerous being?

Horrified, I froze with my mouth hanging open—then snapped back to my senses and grabbed his wrist.

Meeting his eyes, I shook my head firmly.

Don’t. Stay still!

“…….”

Whether he understood or not, Lycian let out a quiet sigh and removed his hand from the sword.

But his gaze, fixed on the night-sky-like being, was still brimming with killing intent.

‘Isn’t he scared of that man at all…? Does he have multiple lives or something…?!’

Because of fearless Lycian, my own heart was pounding out of control.

I rubbed a hand over my sternum, trying to calm myself.

Then I forced an awkward smile toward the ‘shopkeeper.’

Fortunately, he didn’t seem offended. Only the white puppy circled restlessly at his feet.

I cleared my throat and spoke as steadily as I could.

“Hello. My name is… Muriel.”

I bowed politely from the waist.

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he watched me.

“Pass.”

“…Pardon?”

“You. Your character passes, at least.”

“Th-thank you…?”

I’d just been praised out of nowhere.

The shopkeeper gave a low laugh and continued.

“Most humans who come here skip introductions and jump straight to business. No manners at all.”

Clicking his tongue, he flicked a bit of starlight that had spilled from his hair with his fingertip.

The tiny trembling spark shot upward and fluttered back into the sky.

I stared, momentarily spellbound by the strange sight.

Just what was this ‘being’?

As if plucking the thought straight from my mind, the man spoke.

“You’re wondering who I am.”

“Huh? Yes—!”

Flustered, I was still scrambling for words when he continued, and my eyes flew wide.

“I am the brother… of the one who made those scissors you used before.”

“Y-your brother, I see!”

Apparently my reflexive response amused him; he let out a short snort.

Then the laughter faded from his face, and a solemn air settled over him.

“I am Morpheus. King of Dreams. All that dreams cannot escape me. That includes you, half-dragon glaring at me with those lifted eyes.”

“…….”

Even though he’d pointed him out directly, Lycian didn’t so much as blink.

I felt sick with dread, afraid his head might go flying off at any second. So I slipped my arms around him protectively and awkwardly took his side.

“M-Morpheus-nim? Our Lycian may have a filthy temper, but he’s kind…. You know how beagles or chihuahuas can be aggressive but still sweet? It’s sort of like that….”

I gave him a pleading look, asking for leniency.

“Kh….”

The King of Dreams let out a low laugh, as if my words amused him.

Then, with a loose, indulgent expression, he said magnanimously,

“You’re cute, so I’ll let it slide.”

“Th-thank you…?”

As I stood there dazed, Morpheus chuckled again.

Judging by his reaction… it seemed we’d avoided disaster.

‘Still, it’s too early to relax.’

I hadn’t forgotten the system’s warning that he was ‘whimsical, demanding, and cruel.’

“I know why you’ve come here today. You’re here to obtain ingredients for an Elixir.”

At Morpheus’s words, I answered in a trembling voice.

“That’s right. I need a Glacir sapling, and the final drop of blood shed by the Savior.”

The King of Dreams studied me quietly, then tilted his head.

“Unfortunately, you cannot purchase those items with the currency you possess.”

“…!”

I’d had a feeling.

My lips parted slightly before I cautiously asked,

“Then what must I do? What is it that you want from me…?”

“Hmm.”

Morpheus’s gaze slid sideways and landed on Lycian.

My heart dropped.

Don’t tell me he wants Lycian—

“That sword.”

“…Pardon?”

“That sword is one of the divine weapons capable of destroying the Heart of a Star. It is not something a mere half-dragon should wield.”

At that, Lycian flinched—just barely—as if something had clicked into place.

I blinked rapidly, thinking hard. The Heart of a Star?

‘…I’ve heard that somewhere before… Can’t remember right now. Skip.’

Then I asked Morpheus politely,

“So you’re proposing an exchange? The sword for the Elixir ingredients?”

“I like that you’re quick to understand. Yes. Will you hand over the sword?”

I looked at the blade hanging at Lycian’s waist.

Trading it for the Elixir ingredients wasn’t a bad deal.

A sword could always be obtained again.

But—

‘Something feels off.’

This sword was practically a gift from the god who protected me.

If I handled a divine gift carelessly, wouldn’t that be dangerous? I might incur a god’s wrath.

‘And Lycian’s reaction earlier bothers me.’

He seemed to know what the ‘Heart of a Star’ was.

It was just a hunch… but I didn’t think I should hand over this sword so lightly.

‘Let’s think of another way. If I need something worthy of trading for the Elixir ingredients….’

At that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.

I quickly summoned the system window into the air and entered the General Store.

On the home screen, the banner that always occupied the same spot:

‘Yes, this is it!’

This random box could yield an enormous sum of coins—or a rare item.

And the possible items seemed to change every week.

‘This week is….’

I hurriedly clicked the banner and entered the product page.

Then I pressed ‘Check Contents.’

In addition to the usual junk items, several rare-looking ones had been added.

As if it had anticipated that I would need them.

‘System, you really do plan everything, don’t you!’

Wait—wasn’t the daily purchase limit for the random box ten?

I checked the product description again.

…Huh?

The purchase limit… had increased?!

It was 100 coins each, so even buying 100 would only cost 10,000 coins!

‘Jackpot!’

I immediately dumped 100 random boxes into my cart. And then—

“E-excuse me, just a moment!”

“…?”

After asking the shopkeeper for a bit of understanding, I pressed the payment button.

A black-hole-like void opened in midair, and a hundred boxes came pouring out in a clattering cascade.

A mountain of boxes.

“Hmm…?”

Morpheus hummed, looking over at me with faint interest on his face.

I gave him a polite bow and made my request.

“Could you give me a little time? I’ll try to obtain something suitable for exchange—something other than the sword!”

The King of Dreams answered with a subtle smile.

“Very well. Let us see what interesting item you manage to obtain.”

“Thank you!”

And so, round two of my random box gamble began.