Chapter 271: A Date (Primula’s Arc) ⑤
“Flame Cannon! Thunderbolt! Icebolt! Wind Bolt! Earth Bolt!”
“SYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!”
Rest unleashed a barrage of spells, striking the monstrous creature before him. Though the magic chipped away at the beast’s massive form, it quickly regenerated, returning to its original state.
“Damn… what’s going on here?!”
The creature, having completed its restoration, lashed out with its long tail. Rest used Star Eater to obliterate the tail, but to his dismay, it began to regenerate almost immediately.
“This is healing magic… no, that’s not it.”
At first, he thought it was magical healing, but something felt off. He sensed no trace of healing magic. The monster’s regeneration continued steadily, and upon closer inspection, he noticed that the wounds he inflicted were not even bleeding. There had to be some sort of mechanism at play… Just as that thought crossed his mind, Rest recalled the Stone Tablet that had been engraved with this creature.
“Ah, so that’s what it was…!”
He had felt a sense of unease from the very beginning, but now he finally grasped its true nature. Rest knew of a place similar to this one. Although the design and atmosphere were entirely different, he had been abruptly transported there before.
“This is… the Dream World!”
Previously, Rest had been absorbed into the Mental World created by Shoko Sanada. While the vectors of plus and minus were reversed, this space bore a resemblance to that experience.
“Now that I think about it… the artist who created that Stone Tablet was plagued by nightmares…”
Moreover, the person who possessed the tablet also suffered from similar nightmares. Perhaps this Stone Tablet contained the very essence of his nightmares.
“But… even if it’s a nightmare monster, it doesn’t possess infinite power. There must be some trick behind its ability to sustain damage and regenerate…?”
“I don’t like this… it’s all so strange…”
“…………!”
In that moment, realization struck Rest. If this world was indeed a realm of nightmares, then the source of its power was right beside him.
“Primula!”
“I’m scared, I’m so scared…”
“Primula, please hold it together!”
Rest called out to Primula. The source of that monster’s power… it had to be Primula’s fear. Her terror of the creature was likely feeding it energy.
“Primula, please calm down!”
“I’m scared… no, no…”
Primula trembled, clearly losing her mental balance. Merely calling out to her with words was not enough.
“If it’s come to this…!”
Rest steeled himself. Primula was trapped in the realm of nightmares. To dispel the evil imagery, he needed a powerful image to shake off the nightmare.
“Primula…”
“Eh…?!”
Rest kissed Primula, pressing their lips together firmly while embracing her.
“Mmnn…!”
For a brief moment, Primula wore a look of surprise, but soon her cheeks flushed, and her expression turned blissful. Just moments ago, she had been terrified of the monster, yet now it seemed as if she had completely erased it from her mind.
“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!”
Immediately after, the monster let out a silent scream. Its body, which had been restored, halted, writhing in agony. The darkness that had spread overhead began to crack, allowing light to pour in, illuminating the swamp.
“Ahatehayu!”
Seizing the moment, Rest unleashed a finishing blow. While still kissing Primula, he summoned Dark Star, gathering sunlight within it and firing it forth.
“Amaterasu!”
“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The laser of sunlight sliced through the monster, cleaving it in two and ensuring its complete demise.
〇 〇 〇
“Wha…?”
His vision brightened. When Rest regained his senses, he found himself back in the museum. Primula was nestled beside him, and of course, they were no longer kissing.
“Did we come back…?”
“Rest-sama, is something the matter?”
Primula looked up at Rest, blinking in confusion.
“Primula…?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Primula wore a puzzled expression. Could it be that only Rest had been dreaming? However, her cheeks were still flushed, and her eyes glistened as if they had just shared a kiss.
“Ah, here it is, right here!”
“It’s not just ‘right here’… honestly.”
As Rest pondered the situation, two male staff members, likely from the museum, approached. The younger one lifted the displayed Stone Tablet, while the older staff member flashed a sales smile at them.
“Excuse me… this exhibit wasn’t actually scheduled for public display. We need to retrieve it.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be displayed…?”
“Yes, it seems there was a mistake on our part, and it was accidentally put out…”
“I’m so sorry, we’ll take it down now.”
The young staff member cradled the Stone Tablet, preparing to carry it away. But suddenly, the tablet cracked in two and fell to the floor.
“Ah, what are you doing?! It’s broken now!”
“N-No, it broke on its own…!”
“Ugh, come on! I’m so sorry. Excuse us!”
The two staff members hurried off to fetch their supervisor, explaining the situation regarding the broken tablet.
“…Shall we head home?”
“Yes, let’s eat something before we go back.”
Primula linked arms with Rest, beaming with a shy smile. There was no trace of the earlier nightmare left on her face.
(I guess it was just my imagination after all…?)
Had he merely been experiencing a daydream? Rest pondered as he exited the museum.