Even after Argen and Jura's intimate encounter, we continued walking. Beyond Argen, other scenes appeared, but most of what we saw was related to him.
"That's strange," Priscilla suddenly remarked.
"Huh? What's strange?"
"You and I are the core of this Dream World. In this entirely artificial realm, only our physical bodies are real. Yet everything this world shows me is from my memories. Why isn't it reflecting your memories too?"
"N-now that you mention it, that's true. Why is that?"
"..."
Priscilla stared intently at me.
Even looking at it that way, I still couldn't figure out the reason. Could it be related to the fact that this world moves according to my imagination?
"Perhaps it's because I'm human? Lady Priscilla, you've lived dozens of times longer than I have... Your memory capacity must be vastly different. My memories barely span twenty years."
Feeling inexplicably guilty, I quickly made up an excuse. Fortunately, Priscilla seemed convinced by my explanation.
"That's quite plausible."
"But... do you think we can find the exit by wandering around? We've been moving quite a bit, but the scenery just keeps changing."
"What other choice do we have but to keep moving? Do you have a better idea?"
"...What if we stay still and do nothing?"
"If we stay still, nothing will change. We must remember that our bodies are real."
Our bodies are real.
In a few hours, we'll be hungry and exhausted. Everything in the Dream World is fake. Eating fruit might give us a fleeting sense of fullness, but we won't gain any real nourishment.
The danger lies with me. I'm human, while Priscilla is a dragon. Even if I don't know the full extent of her physical abilities, she's undoubtedly far stronger than I am. If we starve to death, I'll be the first to go.
"Um... what about actively intervening?"
"Do you think that would make any difference?"
"...Probably not."
In the end, it's just a daydream that would vanish with the slightest touch. Moreover, intervening could lead to real physical harm and even death. I must avoid rash actions.
Thinking about it, the Daydream Demon's ability is truly dangerous. If my imagination hadn't influenced the Dream World, I could have easily been killed by a passing monster. In this world, I can't use Mana.
The thought made me feel dizzy.
"What's that?"
Priscilla narrowed her eyes, watching the airplane soar through the sky. The plane was something I had imagined and created.
"Ah, that's an airplane."
"...An airplane?"
"It's a machine that flies through the sky."
"A machine... Are you referring to engineering technology? Even if that's the case, something like that doesn't exist in my knowledge."
I pretended to hesitate for a moment before telling her, "...Lady Priscilla, I actually died in another world and was reincarnated into this one. That airplane is a machine that existed in my previous life."
"I see."
Priscilla's reaction was remarkably composed, just as it was in the Original Work.
"...You don't seem very surprised."
"I'm already aware of beings from other dimensions. I also know that they're so distant that ordinary methods can't reach them. The only exception might be the Demon Realm. Though it's another dimension, its proximity to Middle-earth allows for the creation of portals."
"Ah."
"Still, it's astonishing that you're a Reincarnator. How did you reincarnate into this world?"
"I'm not entirely sure. When I opened my eyes, I had already reincarnated into this world as a newborn infant."
"...Perhaps your soul accidentally drifted through a dimensional rift?"
In this world, when a person dies, their soul separates from the body and disperses. There was no concept of reincarnation.
"Since it wasn't a proper process, it's understandable that you retain complete memories of your past life. ...Hmm. How mundane."
Priscilla muttered softly and resumed walking, her legs moving again after a brief pause.
I followed behind her, my gaze fixed on her swaying hips.
A battle unfolded before my eyes. Argen was fighting against dozens of masked assassins.
Argen systematically eliminated the assassins one by one, wielding both sword and magic.
His combat style was breathtaking a seamless blend of dazzling magic and precise swordsmanship. Anyone who witnessed it would surely be captivated.
I can feel it... Argen's emotions and combat instincts...
I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. His combat instincts were beyond comparison to my own.
I felt Mana draining from my body. Argen was using magic.
He's not just draining Mana. He's arranging the extracted Mana according to the Magic Circle...? Damn. I understand nothing about magic.
I could only sense it, not comprehend it. If I were asked to cast magic in the real world, I'd be utterly helpless.
Focus on the combat instincts, excluding the magic. Argen is still spreading his Qi sense even during the fight.
Argen focused not on sight or hearing, but on his Qi sense. This made the assassins' surprise attacks ineffective against him, for while they could conceal their forms, they couldn't hide their presence.
Argen coated his sword with Aura. The crimson Aura blazed like a roaring flame.
Was that just the sensation of using Aura...?
I swallowed hard.
My right hand was empty, yet I felt as if I were gripping a sword.
Aura isn't about drawing Mana from within the body and channeling it into the sword.
Through Argen's perception, I realized:
The sword becomes an extension of the body. Mana flows naturally into it, like water finding its course.
It's not about scooping water from a flowing river with a bucket, but about carving a channel to guide the river's current directly into the sword.
"...This is it! This was it!"
A wave of satisfaction coursed through me, making my body tremble.
It felt as if the wall that had been blocking me had shattered into a million pieces. A refreshing breeze seemed to have swept through my stifled heart.
Now I can create Aura! If only I can remember this feeling! ...What exactly did it feel like again?
Argen's Aura manifestation had been momentary too fleeting to grasp. It was nearly impossible to memorize with just one glimpse.
Though Aura now clung to Argen's sword, generating it and maintaining it felt distinctly different.
I wish he'd use Aura again...
Just once more... no, several more times if possible. That way, I could truly imprint the sensation into my memory.
Argen's battle had ended. All the assassins were dead.
"Honestly... I'm a bit disappointed. I thought Yuria would be several times stronger than Argen."
Argen sighed deeply as he surveyed the assassins' corpses.
"They probably didn't want to die either... They must have known they would fail... Why would they do something so foolish?"
I could sense Argen's sorrow.
Not that I felt any sadness myself. My only thought was, Ah, this guy's feeling sad.
I couldn't empathize with Argen's emotions.
Why is he pitying assassins who tried to kill him? Is he an idiot?
I couldn't understand it. If it were me, I would have captured the assassins alive and interrogated them to find out who sent them.
"Lady Priscilla, why was Argen attacked?"
"...Around this time, rumors spread that Cobalt's First King had fallen ill. Consequently, the princes began vying for the throne. Argen sided with the second prince, and the nobles, seeking to eliminate Argen, a close ally of the second prince, sent assassins after him. Argen had to face an average of over fifty assassins every month."
The scene shifted.
An elderly noble knelt before Argen, surrounded by corpses of soldiers and knights.
Argen had aged considerably, now in his thirties.
"P-please spare me! I swear allegiance to His Majesty the King! Just once! Show me mercy just this once!"
"...My Lord, who has inherited the throne, no longer trusts your words."
Argen raised his sword. Crimson aura surged from the blood-soaked blade.
"And neither do I."
The sword severed the noble's neck.
Watching this, I opened my mouth.
"Argen seems to have changed."
"Humans change more easily than you think."
Having completed the purge, Argen received the title of Duke from the King. The Second King owed his throne to Argen's strength and wisdom, and this dukedom was his reward.
Then war broke out. The Cobalt Kingdom, weakened by the purge, became an easy target for neighboring kingdoms.
Argen had to rush to the battlefield, leaving no time to care for his own family.
Argen shone even on the battlefield. His sword was the terror of his enemies, and his magic ensured victory for his allies.
In his mid-forties, Argen transcended the boundaries of mortal ability, becoming a Magic Swordsman who was both an Aura Master and an Archmage.
The war, which had raged for over eight years, ended in the Cobalt Kingdom's triumph. The people praised him, while the nobles feared him.
Soon after, demons began appearing throughout the Cobalt Kingdom. Realizing he couldn't handle the situation alone, Argen sought out his master, Priscilla.
"Master! Please help me! Demons are ravaging the kingdom! If we let this continue, not only the kingdom but the entire world will be in danger!"
"The situation is dire. We must eliminate every demon that has invaded Middle-earth."
Priscilla and Argen began hunting demons, traveling not only through the Cobalt Kingdom but across the entire continent, all in the name of protecting Middle-earth.
What is this? They spent three years traveling the continent together under the guise of hunting demons?
Under such circumstances, it was impossible for feelings not to develop.
I could feel the same love Argen felt for Priscilla every time he looked at her. And one day, Argen confessed to her:
"Master, I can no longer hide my feelings. I love you. How... do you feel about me?"
"...I am a Dragon, and you are Human. I will pretend I didn't hear what you just said."
"Master! I still love you! What does it matter that we're different species?!"
"Argen. I do not love you."
"...!"
From that day onward, the relationship between Argen and Priscilla became somewhat awkward.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Her approach was all wrong. If you look closely at Priscilla's actions, it's clear she cares about Argen.
Dragons are such an arrogant race... There's no way they'd accept a Human's confession. If it were me, I wouldn't have confessed at all. I would have gradually progressed to a physical relationship and made it a fait accompli.
Dragons have a low reproductive drive, but they are not incapable of reproduction.
Even in their Polymorphed human form, they can conceive. However, once pregnant, they remain fixed in their human form until childbirth, unable to revert to their original dragon form.
"Hehehe."
A Demon materialized before them.
It resembled a black cylinder about a meter tall, its body adorned with five mouths, seventeen eyes, and four tentacles.
Zuzurida, the Demon of Madness.
As a High-Rank Demon, Zuzurida possessed the ability to manipulate the emotions and minds of others.
Argen and Priscilla joined forces to slay Zuzurida, but Argen succumbed to madness in the Demon's final, desperate act.
"...It was my mistake. If I had properly understood and countered Zuzuri's power, you wouldn't have suffered like this. I swear on my name and heart, I will restore your mind."
Over the course of a year, Priscilla actively employed Dragon Speech and magic to restore Argen's mind. During this process, she came to understand his memories and emotions.
"Thank you, Master."
"Thanks to you, we were able to kill Zuzuri, the most troublesome demon. I merely did what was necessary."
"I know other dragons would have abandoned me. Thank you, Master. We may never meet again, but I will always remember you."
They exchanged final farewells and parted ways. Argen returned to his clan.
After that, Argen disappeared from sight. The Argen she remembered no longer existed.
"Lady Priscilla, what happened to Argen?"
"Isn't it recorded in the history books?"
"History books aren't very reliable. When I researched Argen, there was no information about you either, Lady Priscilla."
Argen had left no records about Priscilla. This was partly because the title "Dragon" carried immense weight, but also out of consideration for Priscilla.
"...Argen lived a long and full life before passing away. That's all there is to it."
"I see."
I felt satisfied as I reviewed Argen's life story.
Argen had fought in countless battles, and by observing and experiencing his battles, I had learned a great deal.