As a Stigmata Terminal, she was born with mastery over numerous abilities. Peering into the memories of others—in a dream world like this—was not difficult for Araya at all.
This was merely one application of her power. She could sense the resistance buried deep within Robin's heart.
For anyone else, facing someone who could at any moment pry into their memories and privacy would indeed create immense pressure. Instinctively, they would resist.
Araya did not find it strange.
Three minutes was not long.
They stood behind a street cart by the roadside. The overpass where they were positioned was an excellent viewing spot. From there, the dazzling colors of the dream could be taken in at a glance.
"I really hope we can find something useful from him." Kiana had little mind to spare for the scenery.
With Araya helping, she was considering how she should guide Robin toward Dreamflux Reef.
And how she should tell her about Sunday.
Robin was by no means a fragile flower that would break at the slightest touch. But Kiana still wanted to reveal the truth hidden within the mist in the gentlest way possible.
"Don't hold too much hope. Hunting dogs like them, who only keep watch, can't truly reach the core of things."
Robin knew clearly that trying to uncover the traitor hiding behind Penacony through such a method was almost impossible.
"I know." Kiana had not placed much hope in it either. She nodded. "The chances that they know the truth are slim. If we gain anything, it'll just be an unexpected bonus."
"Let's hope for that unexpected bonus."
"There isn't one." Araya opened her eyes after Robin finished speaking. "There are no valuable clues. He doesn't know who ordered him to keep watch."
"In his understanding, he isn't watching you—he's secretly protecting you," Araya continued. "The 'Watchmaker's' legacy has drawn many ill-intentioned individuals. You are an important part of this Charmony Festival. They need to ensure your safety."
Through the memories of that so-called hunting dog, Araya gained a deeper understanding of Penacony, including an analysis of the current situation.
Robin gave a bitter smile. "That really isn't surprising at all."
Precisely because of such reasoning, she had come up empty-handed—and she knew there was nothing to extract from these people.
They were merely doing their jobs.
They knew nothing.
"If you wanted to slip out of their sight, you should have quite a few methods, shouldn't you?" Araya asked.
"I do." Robin said, "But if I suddenly disappear, it would easily alert them and make whoever stands behind them more vigilant."
So she wanted to stroll around with Kiana for a few days, letting the person behind the scenes believe she knew nothing about the fog enveloping Penacony.
Only that way.
Only by convincing the one behind the curtain that she knew nothing and had no intention of investigating—devoting herself entirely to the Charmony Festival and her friends—
Would those people lower their guard. Only then would the chances of uncovering the truth and finding the traitor increase.
"Humans are really troublesome."
"Letting the enemy relax is how you create an advantage for yourself. Being cautious allows you to go farther." Kiana placed a hand on her shoulder. "If a little trouble can create a favorable situation, it's worth it."
Araya nodded lightly. Whatever Kiana said, she agreed with—whether right or wrong. Agreeing immediately was always correct.
Mother's words were truth.
Even though Mother herself clearly preferred not to think too much and would rather choose the simplest, most direct, and most forceful solution.
"But it's about time we took action. I can feel it—the attention from the shadows is less than yesterday," Robin said. "They probably believe that I invited you here purely for a tour."
Kiana brightened with interest. "So where do we start?"
Robin fell silent for a moment before saying, "Did you know? The Family once promised Dreamchasers that dreams are safe—that death does not exist within them."
Kiana looked at Robin in surprise when the topic shifted to death. She hadn't expected Robin to uncover a clue related to Dreamflux Reef so soon.
She might not understand what "death" truly was, but there was no doubt—Robin had indeed found a crucial lead.
"There's no death in this dream?"
Araya looked over curiously. There was indeed such a rule in this dream world, one that protected those within it.
"People believe it without question."
"Have you found some kind of information?"
"Rumors." Robin frowned. She wasn't sure whether to believe them, but their content made them impossible to ignore. "While tracking down the 'noise,' I happened to hear news of someone dying within the dream."
"But when I tried to investigate, I couldn't find much information. Even the person who supposedly died seemed as though they had never existed."
"It felt more like an urban legend. Out of curiosity, I once investigated it thoroughly. Although I didn't find many useful clues, I discovered that this rumor has actually existed in Penacony for a long time—just that no one ever paid attention to it."
Penacony did not lack Dreamchasers. Those living within dreams were countless.
What unsettled Robin was that even if someone truly died or disappeared within a dream, if that person lacked strong social ties, and no friends or relatives ran around seeking answers, the matter could very well be quietly ignored.
"Investigate an urban legend?"
Araya was slightly puzzled. Since she was already here, she naturally hoped to leave Mother with the impression that she was reliable and capable.
"...What exactly do you want to investigate?"
Kiana had not explained Robin's situation clearly to Araya, so Araya now felt somewhat confused.
What truth did she seek?
What did she intend to do?
So Kiana hadn't told Araya everything about her circumstances. A trace of goodwill rose in Robin's heart. After glancing at Kiana, she gently explained to Araya:
"Penacony is about to hold the Charmony Festival, and I will be performing at it."
"But after being invited back to Penacony, my voice was affected by it—I nearly lost it. There is a discordant note within Penacony, and I was influenced by that discord."
"A discordant note appearing within what should be a unified melody is no small matter. It may very well affect the upcoming Charmony Festival."
"A discordant melody suggests there may be a traitor within the Family. Before the Charmony Festival begins, we must find that traitor."
So she was helping her find a traitor.
Araya now had a clear direction for what they were about to do. No wonder the topic of surveillance had come up earlier.
"But what does finding a traitor have to do with investigating an urban legend?" she asked, confused.
Is there a connection?
Of course there is. Even if this thread represented another discordant note—the earliest and the final discord within Penacony.
"Even if it's not necessarily connected, we don't have a better lead right now," Kiana said. "And besides, 'death' is the kind of thing you can't just ignore."
"Exactly. Even if we investigate to the very end and discover it was all a misunderstanding, we won't have gained nothing."
Robin nodded in agreement. The word "death" alone was impossible to overlook.
If it turned out to be nothing more than a false alarm, that was fine.
At least they could set their minds at ease.
But if it was real, then intervening now would not be too late.
If such news were to break just as the Charmony Festival was about to begin, it would be a devastating blow to Penacony's reputation.
And by then, there would be even more Dreamchasers in Penacony than there were now.
The possibility of accidents would only grow.
Araya fell into thought. "If we want to verify whether death truly exists, that's simple. We just need to find someone and test it, right?"
Crude, but logically sound.
It was the simplest and fastest method.
"Absolutely not!"
Robin was startled by the miniature version of Kiana delivering such a statement. To find someone and test whether death truly existed in the dream—
She said it so lightly.
If the rumor were true, if there really was a flaw in Penacony's dream and death truly existed, then what would happen to the person who helped them test it?
The corner of Kiana's mouth twitched. She looked at Araya as if staring at a living King of Hell. She knew perfectly well what "death" in Penacony entailed, yet even she could not bring herself to casually suggest finding someone to experiment on.
She definitely didn't learn that from me.
"If the rumor is true and death truly exists in the dream, wouldn't we become executioners who killed someone?" Robin continued. "Using someone else's sacrifice to achieve our own goal is absolutely unacceptable!"
After saying that, she glanced at Kiana.
"It wasn't me who taught her!" Kiana hurriedly explained, thinking Robin had misunderstood something. "She definitely didn't learn that from me."
As always, she had no habit of dragging others into her own affairs. Even if she truly had to use someone, she would plan the aftermath carefully and offer sufficient compensation.
"I never said we had to sacrifice someone else." Araya couldn't help but add, "You can kill me."
Kiana: "..."
With a single sentence, Araya silenced the Kiana who had still been trying to defend herself. It was as if her mouth had been glued shut. She could no longer say that it absolutely wasn't something learned from her.
One normal attack. Critical hit. Silence inflicted.
"I never said we had to sacrifice someone else."
"You can kill me."
Kiana's feelings were indescribable. She looked at Araya with a complicated expression, suddenly grateful that Acheron was not by her side at this moment. If she had heard that line, Kiana would undoubtedly have received Acheron's heavy, wordless gaze.
"That's even more unacceptable!"
After a brief moment of shock, Robin's tone grew even more serious. Even her beautiful brows furrowed.
This was worse than using someone else as a test subject. At least if they used someone else, they could choose a criminal who deserved punishment and make some use of waste.
But speaking so casually about sacrificing oneself—
Robin deeply disliked that.
She solemnly admonished Araya. "We must respect the lives of others, and we must cherish our own lives even more!"
"Life is never a bargaining chip to gamble with!"
Especially when Araya looked just like Kiana did as a child—though she had never seen Kiana as a child, she imagined she must have looked something like this.
Robin bent down, placing her hands on Araya's shoulders, and spoke with utmost seriousness. "You must never lose your reverence for life. It is not something you can wager or discard at will."
After a brief pause, perhaps realizing her tone had grown too stern, Robin glanced at the quietly standing Kiana beside them. When she spoke again, her voice returned to its earlier gentleness.
"You're a good child. You wouldn't want to see Kiana sad because of you, right?"
Araya stared at her for a moment, then suddenly nodded. "You really are a good person. I acknowledge you."
In her eyes, Robin now stood out from the countless ordinary humans. Her impression score rose a few points.
Anyone who could say such words—
Must be a good person.
"...Haha, thank you for the recognition."
Robin froze for a moment, then laughed and reached out to pat Araya's head. Araya frowned slightly and glanced at Kiana, but after thinking it over, she did not dodge.
"Robin is really good at teaching children," Kiana interjected at the right moment.
She didn't want Robin to realize that Araya had truly learned those words from her.
Araya had been born from her trials.
She had probably picked up the habit from watching Kiana, during those trials, repeatedly disregard her own life—casually saying she could sacrifice herself to verify a hypothesis.
Herta. Ruan.
Twice it had been like that.
Only in the cycle where she was with Mei had it been different. That time, she hadn't sacrificed herself to test a hypothesis—she had instead lost control after becoming a Herrscher and slaughtered the entire world.
Mei had strongly expressed her dissatisfaction with her behavior. Ruan had also harbored some objections to her way of thinking. The last time Kiana sought Ruan's help in joining the Stigmata Terminal project, Ruan hadn't agreed immediately. Instead, in an uncharacteristic move, she told Kiana to think it through carefully.
Although she ultimately agreed, it wasn't hard to see that Ruan had her reservations.
As for Herta...
She had met Herta relatively late. Herta didn't fully understand the things Kiana had done in the past.
But something similar had happened during the trials as well, leaving a deep impression on Herta. If that event hadn't occurred within the Stigmata trial—if it hadn't been like a dreamlike cycle—
Herta would never have been so easygoing.
Looking at it this way, she really had been dancing on a minefield all along. The fact that she was still alive and well now owed much to Mei's formidable patience and willpower.
She knew that very few things could truly kill her. Therefore, when faced with something that would make the future better—even if it was detrimental to herself—she was very willing to do it.
Wasn't that a guaranteed profit with no loss?
After all, she wouldn't truly die.
But now, standing from the perspective of a bystander and watching Araya earnestly say, "You can kill me,"
Kiana found herself unable to suppress a surge of worry and anger.
She doesn't cherish herself at all!
The moment that thought surfaced, Kiana's body stiffened as she recalled the words Mei had once said to her.
"But I wouldn't really die," Araya continued. "This place is special. And even if I truly die, it doesn't matter. I would revive in the Stigmata space."
Robin, who had already been stunned, now frowned tightly, her expression turning even more severe than before.
And Kiana's expression didn't look good either.
The sense of déjà vu grew even stronger.
So this was how Mei had felt back then?
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