Great O’Browns ⑨
My forehead grows warm. Someone’s thoughts, prayers, and wishes are transmitted, spreading within my heart.
Thank you.
Uyuni Salt Flats… I had a memory of going there with someone important, a long time ago.
Such a memory existed.
‘It’s like a dream, a dream, isn’t it?’
Someone said that to me with a smile that seemed on the verge of tears. Like a dream… a dream.
“…Ah.”
Something flashed in my mind.
At that moment, I experienced my second Awakening.
“I see.”
I understood what this ‘world within my mind’ was.
It’s a dream.
Probably the same kind of dream as the Goddess of Knives’ mysterious space.
Can Awakening Water allow one to awaken within a dream?
And if this is my dream, then I should be able to do it.
Just like how I changed the scenery from That Forest to the Uyuni Salt Flats.
Everything I think of can become reality.
He held his sword horizontally and dashed towards me.
Once I was in range, he swung his triangular sword with unbelievable speed, freely in all directions.
The me from before would have been sliced to pieces.
But I dodged all of his slashes.
I confirmed the subtle angles, gaps, and decrease in speed, evading them all unscathed.
No matter how incredibly fast the slashes are, as long as there’s a swinging motion, they can be dodged.
However, this evasion far surpassed the limits of my entire body.
Because I could dodge, I was able to counterattack.
I managed to wound his side.
But it was shallow. He manifested countless diamond-shaped [Vanish].
[Phantasmagoria], huh? But it’s useless.
He unleashed it. My form vanished in an instant.
When I reappeared before him, he used [Arms of the Cosmos].
A formidable counter. However, my right arm became clad in the cosmos.
This is the first time I’ve used it in this form.
[Arms of the Cosmos] clashed.
As if repelled, I fell back and ran.
Now I can do it—that longed-for, imitative, pseudo-strike.
I dashed through, raised my Knife, and brought it down.
He took a stance to defend with his triangular sword.
Normally, due to its weight and form, it would have been a perfect defense.
But this, he cannot block.
“Single Stroke Demon Slayer———!”
I bisected his triangular sword and slashed him too, inflicting a deep wound this time.
He stood there, motionless. He still seemed to have some fight left in him.
Will the next one be the finishing blow?
“If you’re still going, my next one is something special.”
There’s nothing I can’t do right now.
That’s why even this— He’s crumbling.
Ah, what? Did I defeat him?
‘I entrust… to you.’
“Eh…?”
I felt like he said something. He vanished. What was he, in the end?
Only I remained.
An endless expanse of blue sky and clouds above and below.
I could hear the sound of waves from somewhere far off. Is there an ocean beyond that?
The sea, huh? I haven’t been to the sea in this world yet. This place is inland, so it’s very far away.
I’d like to go someday.
[Rêve Move: Allows the user to perform up to three actions achievable with current physical abilities without any recoil. Cooldown: 6 minutes.]
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, it was morning.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, and I could hear the chirping of small birds.
The rain had stopped.
I was lying in bed.
I suddenly noticed The Witch sleeping soundly, nestled beside the bed.
“The Witch… Hmm?”
My body felt… I lifted the Sheets and was stunned.
I was naked. Eh, wait, if I look closely, The Witch is naked too?!
She has Sheets covering her, but isn’t she completely naked, this Witch!
“Clothes, where are my clothes!?”
Downstairs. In front of the fireplace! As I hurriedly tried to get out of bed, the door opened.
Eh, who is it?
“Good morning, Master.”
“M-Munieca-san…?”
Wh-why are you here?
Um, this isn’t my room. It’s a private room I don’t recognize. It’s The Witch’s atelier.
“Yes. I am your Munieca. Good morning.”
“G-good morning…”
“Breakfast is ready, so please come downstairs once you’ve changed.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
“I will take this one.”
Munieca-san lifted The Witch.
“Y-yes.”
“Well then, please excuse me.”
She gave a small bow. The door closed with a bang, and she took The Witch with her.
“…………Wait, clothes to change into!?”
She said ‘once you’ve changed,’ which means there are clothes… There were.
“…”
A change of clothes was neatly folded and placed on a chair.
This meticulousness… it’s definitely Munieca-san.
I got out of bed, picked up the clothes, and noticed.
“These are brand new…”
The underwear was crisp with starch, completely different from my usual.
After changing, I left the room and went down the stairs.
A fragrant aroma wafted towards me.
“Ooh, mornin’, Woff-cchi!”
“So you’re awake.”
Chive-san and Shiro-san were sitting at a pure white round table.
The table was Shiro-san’s. Various foods were lined up on it.
“Hey, over here! Sit, sit!”
Chive-san pulled out a chair. I obediently sat down.
“Good morning.”
On the table was a thick, amber-colored soup in a white bowl. White and black bread beans. A large, deep dish prominently featuring a bean and meat stew. Also, a spinach, mushroom, and Bacon quiche. And lemonade. Shiro-san said.
“You must have been tired yesterday. Eat up.”
“Y-yes. Thank you for the food.”
First, I scooped up the thick, amber-colored soup with a spoon and drank it.
Ah, this is onion soup. The Salt and Pepper seasoning is just right, it’s delicious.
I nibbled on a bread bean, sipped some lemonade, and then served myself some of the bean and meat stew.
“Sooo, did you get it? Your trump card.”
“Yes. I definitely got it… H-how do you know?”
“Well, ya know, ‘cause I heard about it~”
“Shiro and the others. We spoke with The Witch and Narcissus-san beforehand.”
“Narcissus-san?”
What in the world is going on? I tilted my head as I ate the bean and meat stew.
I think this dish was called something like cannelé or camaro.
It had lots of beans and large chunks of meat, a heartwarming flavor.
The sausage is especially delicious. Is this tomato paste, I wonder?
“Yesterday, Narcissus-san suddenly showed up at our place, ya know? She suddenly said stuff like, ‘I want Woff to win, so cooperate with me~!’”
“At that time, I thought it was some kind of trap.”
Munieca-san placed a small pastry-wrapped pie on the table.
“But Narcissus-san was serious, wasn’t she?”
“Woff-cchi~ I thought you were pretty fickle~”
Chive-san glared at me.
Wh-what are you talking about?
“So, The Witch carried out the plan she’d been thinking about for a while. It also happened to be The Witch’s turn to sleep beside you.”
“So that was the second Awakening Water… was it?”
“That’s right~”
“But something unexpected happened.”
“Unexpected?”
“It was that Master and The Witch didn’t come back.”
“Taking shelter from the rain~ Well, yesterday’s rain was certainly intense, wasn’t it~”
“Taking shelter from the rain was a fact.”
When I broke open the pastry with a spoon, the filling was white sauce.
“I understand that. Of course. I can also infer why you were both naked, given that your clothes and underwear were placed in front of the fireplace.”
“Um, how did you find this place?”
If it was a sudden decision, it shouldn’t have been easy to find us.
Munieca-san answered while refilling my empty glass with lemonade.
“I’ve known about this atelier for a while. The Witch’s House. Master’s house. And then this atelier—that’s the order in which I searched.”
“I-I see…”
“It was also fortunate that The Witch doesn’t like hotels or inns.”
“Is that so?”
“Woff-kun. Honestly, there are many things I’d like to say, but since you seem to have achieved your goal properly, I’ll overlook this matter for now.”
Shiro-san granted me mercy with a composed expression.
“Ah, thank you very much.”
“And once breakfast is over, let’s check the Relic that Master obtained.”
“Ohh, sounds good~”
“Does that mean a mock battle?”
“Yes. There’s still time before the meeting.”
“Speaking of which, today’s Exhibition Match is a Fairial showdown, right~?”
“A mother-daughter confrontation, yes.”
That’s right.
Today, a match between Mineha-san and her mother, Ruriha-san, is going to take place.
After breakfast.
The mock battle was held on the atelier’s rooftop, as it was just the right size.
I was a little bothered that the floor was still wet.
My opponent was Munieca-san.
She told me to use it without holding back, so I used [Rêve Move].
“Oooh, seriously…?”
“Unbelievable, isn’t it?”
After using it, I had Munieca-san pinned down.
I grabbed her arm, wrestled her down, and pressed my Knife against her neck.
I had her completely subdued.
“A flawless victory, Master. Magnificent.”
“…………Thank you very much.”
I bowed my head at Munieca-san’s praise, who seemed somewhat pleased.
I was able to defeat that Munieca for the first time.
With this, my preparations for battle are complete.