Black Badger

I shoveled the remaining noodles into my mouth in one bite.

I placed some bills on the table and dashed out onto the street. Sector A lay a bit of a distance from here. The night shift had been on duty, but given my tier, heading straight to the creature emergence zone had seemed like the better option.

I hopped on the motorcycle parked in front of the shop and turned the ignition.

The motorcycle started smoothly.

The sleek black motorcycle wove effortlessly through the pedestrians, who parted like the sea. The evening air whipped against my cheeks. I kept my nerves on edge as I sped past the crowded streets. Fortunately, unlike this area, Sector A had fewer people.

I let out a small sigh of relief at the minor stroke of luck and accelerated.

I'd sense it when the creature got close, I thought.

But at some point, something felt off.

I narrowed my eyes at my rapidly blurring vision.

Fog?

[Creature 'Ashen Cloak']

As I slowed down, the voice from the codex rang out.

[Tier 4. Swarm-type creature. It usually appeared in the form of fog. It showed memories and hallucinations to nearby living beings, luring them to desired locations. It induced fatal falls from high places and then consumed the corpses.]

"Ha."

I let out a sigh.

So that was it. The researchers had given it such an odd name that I hadn't recognized it right away. Only after hearing the codex's description did I realize what this creature was.

It was something I'd encountered all too often in the past.

'Dream's Voice.'

That was what we called it.

A psychic attack-type entity that had claimed the lives of even renowned knights. In fact, those seasoned in battle had been especially vulnerable to it. They had plenty of wounds to dredge up, and thus an abundance of memories and hallucinations to exploit.

That was why I'd always been on guard whenever we crossed paths.

I tensed my body and headed toward the area where people had gathered.

The seniors guided civilians through the fog.

"Newbie! Head to the eastern sector!"

The senior issued the order before I could even dismount the motorcycle.

"Evacuate all the remaining civilians there to Sector B!"

I didn't argue.

I turned the motorcycle around and headed to the spot he'd indicated.

The eastern sector of Sector A housed a somewhat forlorn park. A fountain stained with grime from neglect. Broken fences. A high-rise building that had been under construction when the contracting company went bankrupt, left half-finished.

This was the place.

The creature's presence felt stronger here than where the seniors were.

The main body had to be nearby...

As I pulled the motorcycle up to the park entrance, my eyes widened at the familiar figure in my sights.

No way.

Again?

"Senior?"

Kudo turned to look at me.

For a moment, I felt a surge of relief, thinking he'd come after hearing the alert too.

But when I saw the person gazing at me alongside him, a chill ran down my spine.

A blonde woman.

It was her, the one I'd glimpsed briefly at the restaurant. It wasn't hard to piece together what was happening.

You're on a date, huh.

I wiped the honest expression from my face and flashed a bright smile.

"Hello. Have you heard? There's a creature sighting in this area."

The senior nodded in response instead of speaking.

The woman, gripping Kudo's arm, eyed me curiously.

I did my best to ignore her presence.

"You're on leave, so I'll handle this. The main body seems to be nearby, so please head west and loop back around."

"By yourself?"

Kudo's voice carried a tone of disbelief, as if he'd heard something absurd.

"Against this thing?"

Fair point...

The smile on my lips faltered. I could easily understand his concern. The rundown park had few visitors, but unfortunately, it wasn't completely empty. And the unlucky ones already staggered through the fog.

Once ensnared like that, they wouldn't snap out of it easily.

In other words, I had to carry these people out of the creature's influence range.

"Then take this motorcycle."

I offered it to Kudo.

"You two can ride it together."

Kudo stared down at the motorcycle for a moment.

Fortunately, he accepted my suggestion soon enough.

The pair climbed onto the motorcycle. The woman, who had been holding Kudo's arm, got on behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She hadn't said a word the whole time. Not even when Kudo ordered me, "Round up the civilians in one spot and drag them out of the creature's range."

I nodded and prepared to run.

As I watched the senior start the motorcycle's engine...

...Huh?

Why was there a ring on that woman's left finger?

...It looked just like a wedding band.

The stray thought shattered as the motorcycle roared to life and sped off.

I shook off the distraction and sprinted toward the presences I sensed.

Honestly, this wasn't an opponent that left room for wandering thoughts. No matter when you faced Dream's Voice, its power had always been just as devastating.

Regret and desire. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

How many beings could truly transcend those?

*

I evacuated all the civilians.

It wasn't easy, but we succeeded in the end. We even made a discovery: those ensnared by the creature's hallucinations had all been trying to head to a specific location.

The half-built high-rise.

It was where the creature's presence felt the thickest.

The main body was probably in there. Once I sent these people off, I'd go take care of it.

As I formulated the plan, I overheard Kudo reporting after dismounting his motorcycle. He gave a curt update to the night shift.

Once he finished reporting, I'd drive it out of here.

He was on vacation, after all. This wasn't a creature for someone with a deceased family member to face. The fog was thin here, but it would thicken near the high-rise, amplifying the influence.

I needed to get rid of it quickly.

Lost in those thoughts, a voice echoed in my ear.

'Commander.'

It was a slurring voice.

'Guess that's what I have to call you now?'

Kyle.

There he stood before me, clad in silver armor, his black curly hair tied back. He wore his signature crooked smile.

Confidence. The leisure born of it. A hint of arrogance and pride.

The knight of envy.

He rested his hand on his sword hilt and looked me straight in the eye.

'Congratulations on the promotion. Only a month behind me.'

Shut up.

That was what I'd said, I thought. It was after the promotion ceremony. The cunning emperor had finally seated me in the knight commander position. I'd repeatedly refused, saying Kyle was sufficient, but it fell on deaf ears.

What was it he said? That the country was too vast for just one knight commander, or something ridiculous like that.

Anyway, I remembered him spouting nonsense to justify promoting me.

Kyle had been thrilled about it...

And then, the one who'd come running up after...

"Sara!"

A sharp cry snapped me out of it.

"Sara Perry!"

Ah.

I whipped my head around at Kudo's urgent shout.

My stomach dropped.

I'd messed up.

I'd been caught up in this for just a moment.

In that time, the blonde woman had bolted toward the high-rise. It hadn't been long, but while the senior and I were distracted, the civilian had been fully ensnared by the creature.

Her blonde hair fluttered.

Her legs moved without hesitation.

She was already quite a distance ahead.

The senior immediately charged after her. I bit my lip and followed in Kudo's wake.

The humid summer night air lashed at my cheeks.

Damn it, letting my guard down like an idiot.

As I raced across the distance, I shouted.

"I'm sorry!"

"We have to catch her before she jumps."

Kudo muttered, his eyes fixed on Sara's back.

Sara had already reached the building's entrance. As he'd said, she was probably about to climb up and leap from a deadly height.

Fortunately, the gap was closing. We could catch her before she reached the third floor.

I gritted my teeth and picked up speed.

The senior and I burst into the building almost simultaneously.

And then,

Whoosh

The door slammed shut with a harsh gust of wind.

Shit.

"It's the Dream Chamber."

As I muttered to myself, Kudo's eyes flicked toward me.

But we didn't stop. Anyway, I didn't need to explain—I knew what came next. The scene before us shifted in an instant.

This was what happened when you got trapped in a space dominated by the Ashen Cloak.

The entity exerted even greater influence in confined areas. The gray space piled with dust-covered construction materials faded away, replaced by a cozy, quiet place.

Massive purple curtains.

Rows of seats stretching out before them.

Lights shining down on the curtains.

It was a theater.

And on the stage of this grand theater, in front of the red curtains, someone stood. Dressed in a suit, holding what looked like a contract. Their facial features were blurred, suggesting it didn't matter who it was.

Sara dashed down the aisle between the seats toward the stage.

More precisely, she raced up the stairs to the second floor.

I chased after her with the senior, shouting.

"You're an actor?!"

Kudo just clenched his lips and didn't respond.

To break the hypnosis, you needed to know about their desires or regrets!

"Were you an actor?!"

Rather than answer, Kudo chose to accelerate.

We bounded up the theater's aisles—or rather, the stairs. Naturally, the stage didn't draw closer. It was meant to be the place from which Sara would fall.

The second floor wouldn't be high enough, so it was luring her to the third.

Sure enough, Sara started climbing the stairs to the third floor.

That allowed us to catch up.

Kudo grabbed her arm just as she reached the third floor.

"Agh!"

She screamed, then thrashed wildly in his arms.

"Let go! I'm late!"

"Are you okay?"

I spoke to the senior, who was firmly restraining the flailing Sara.

"You haven't heard or seen anything strange yet, right? It'd be best if you two get out of here quickly together. I'll handle this creature."

"You?"

"Yes. I know how to deal with it, so it's fine."

Just unleash a massive sword slash to drive it back.

"Don't worry and head down first."

"Let go!"

"Isn't rescuing civilians the priority?"

"Let me go! I have to sign the contract!"

"If it really seems impossible, I'll follow behind."

"...It might be better to get out together and come back in."

"Let me go!"

Sara shrieked.

Then, twisting wildly, she wrenched her left hand free and slapped Kudo across the cheek.

"Let go!"

Smack!

Good thing.

The senior had turned his head with the incoming hand, so it just grazed her. Otherwise, Sara's hand would have shattered. As it was, her palm would just sting.

In fact, Sara's hand looked fine.

But she'd try something like that again. She still wasn't in her right mind.

I needed to get her out of here fast...

As I turned to speak to her, I spotted the senior, pale as a sheet.

The man holding the thrashing Sara tight, staring at something.

His gaze was fixed on the glinting object.

Clink, clink!

A ring rolling away.

The one that had been on Sara's finger.

It tumbled down the stairs, falling between the railing connecting the second and third floors.

"Senior."

I spoke without delving too deeply into the sequence of events or Kudo's ashen face.

"Let's head down for now."

Kudo followed my words.

*

Ricardo and Shu arrived at Shu's house.

"Kiddo~."

As he entered the cramped one-room apartment following the homeowner's guidance, the green-eyed man drawled.

"You shouldn't invite strange men home so carelessly~."

"There's nowhere else to play the game."

Shu brushed off the nagging with one ear and headed to the gaming console.

The space hadn't changed much from when she'd invited Hilde.

She walked to her favorite spot in the room and glanced indifferently at Ricardo.

"Have a seat. I'll get you something to drink. We're starting the game right away—what would you like?"