Chapter 202: Merlin: Even Your Queen Wouldn't Object to You Having a Beautiful Dream, Right?
Manaka Sajyou had thought that after Morgan was gone and Vivian was dealt with, she was in a stable position.
In her original plan, she had a feeling something was bound to happen today.
She knew that aside from Morgan, Morgan's sister, that Artoria, also had an unusual relationship with Noah—so in such a situation, if they could accept Artoria, why couldn't they accept her?
But...
She did win.
She also made it to Noah's room, arriving before Noah returned.
Afterward, according to her plan, she would lie here, conceal her presence, wait for Noah to change clothes and lie down, and then take the initiative to attack directly.
But Noah was different from what she had imagined.
Noah, perhaps because he was tired, indeed didn't notice her.
He also changed clothes directly and lay down.
But before Manaka Sajyou could do anything, she heard steady breathing from Noah's side.
Ah, this...
Upon hearing this steady breathing, Manaka Sajyou almost choked on her breath.
However, after seeing Noah's slightly tired expression, her furrowed brows relaxed.
Instead, she let out a soft sigh, then gently kissed Noah's forehead, wrapped herself in the blanket, and snuggled into Noah's arms.
From then on, she slowly closed her eyes and whispered softly.
"I'll just take a little benefit today. Next time, it won't end so simply..."
Manaka Sajyou lay in Noah's arms like this, feeling the warmth of his body, and gradually fell asleep.
She felt that today's situation was somewhat helpless.
But in reality, this matter was completely different from what she had imagined!
Noah had indeed been tired recently.
He had been thinking about the Supernova explosion for a while, and lately, he had been constantly planning matters related to Japan, so he was truly exhausted.
But... Noah handled work in shifts with Mary, and even if he didn't, he wouldn't be so tired that he would fall asleep as soon as he lay down.
After all, Noah no longer needed to sleep or eat.
He slept and ate out of habit, enjoying rest and delicious food, not because he necessarily had to.
So no matter how tired he was, he couldn't possibly fall asleep as soon as he lay down.
This matter, in the end—was Mary's doing!
Noah handled many things in shifts with Mary.
When he was somewhat tired, aside from the Pity System part he was responsible for, the rest was completed by Mary.
In other words, Mary had noticed Manaka Sajyou from the very beginning.
She also understood Manaka Sajyou's intentions.
Then, without telling Noah, she began preparing from that moment.
After Noah lay down, taking advantage of Noah not resisting her and the fact that Noah was indeed tired, she directly pulled Noah into a dream!
What happened afterward was exactly what Manaka Sajyou saw.
At this moment, Manaka Sajyou still thought that although she hadn't achieved her goal as expected, she had still won today!
Who else could be the winner today besides me, Manaka Sajyou!
That's what she thought.
And Mary, who had watched her actions the entire time, probably understood that this was what she was thinking.
Heh...
Consider this revenge for you exposing my dark history last time~
You may have won, but the true victor will always be me, Mary!
Noah quickly realized something after entering the dream.
If he struggled at this moment, he could easily return on his own, but he chose not to.
Because he understood clearly that the reason he had entered the dream so quickly was likely because Mary had pulled him in.
Moreover, as Noah gazed at the endless sea of flowers within the dream Mary had constructed, breathing in the gentle breeze carrying just the right amount of floral fragrance, he truly felt that the fatigue he had accumulated over this period was effectively alleviated.
At that moment, Noah heard footsteps, and just as he was about to turn around, he felt a pair of small hands covering his eyes.
"Guess who I am~"
Since Noah was sitting on the ground, the other person could cover his eyes. Similarly, due to the height difference, Noah could clearly feel the other person leaning against him.
"...If you were anyone else, you might have been dead before your hands even reached my eyes."
Hearing Noah say this, Mary sighed helplessly, then immediately released her hands. Noah turned his head to see Mary slowly walking to his front and sitting down on the ground as well.
However, Mary now puffed out her cheeks and glared at Noah, looking like a sulky little girl.
"Don't be like that. After all, if you think about it carefully, if it weren't you pulling me into the dream, but someone else, they wouldn't have succeeded. So this is something only you can do. Naturally, I could only dream of you, right?"
Hearing Noah say this, Mary hummed a few times and no longer maintained her previous expression.
"So, did you have something to tell me?"
Mary rarely actively pulled Noah into dreams.
And almost every time, it was because she had something to discuss, so Noah asked this question now.
Mary had long known Noah would ask this, so she straightened her back, placed one hand on her hip, and patted her kneeling legs with the other.
"Lie down here."
Seeing Mary say this with her hand on her hip, Noah simply lay down, then looked up at Mary, who was now gazing down at him, and continued waiting for her answer.
Mary, meanwhile, began gently rubbing Noah's face with both hands, and amidst the floral-scented breeze, she slowly spoke.
"Although I don't know what you've been worrying about lately, I can clearly feel that there seems to be a constant pressure weighing on you. And you've also been putting a lot of thought into matters related to Japan recently."
"It's exhausting, isn't it?"
"But if you still insist on that idea of yours, wanting to create an unprecedented Grand Crown, then you might become even more exhausted in the future, with even more things awaiting you."
"So, in this matter, I can only advise you to adapt, but..."
At this point, Noah felt Mary lean down and gently peck the corner of his mouth.
Her movements carried a fragrance, even more fragrant than the flowers.
"————At least when you're tired, I'll help you ease it a little."
After saying this, Mary then pushed Noah up, and after he turned around, she wrapped her arms around his neck amidst the wind-blown petals.
She winked at him with her right eye.
"Looking at a girl more beautiful than the flowers in this lovely sea of blossoms, how about it? Feeling more relaxed now?"
As she spoke, Mary leaned in close under Noah's slightly dazed gaze, then slowly whispered in his ear.
"And this is a dream. Even your queen can't control you having a simple and beautiful... dream, right~"
Mary didn't know that Morgan and Noah had already discussed this matter, and even Artoria had tacitly accepted it—the phrase "I want it all" wasn't even said by Noah...
It was Morgan who said it...
So, with no psychological burden at all, Noah, upon hearing Mary's words, embraced her in return and laid her down into the sea of flowers.
And then.
A beautiful dream simply began.