I swallowed the rest of my noodles in one bite.
Leaving some bills on the table, I ran out into the street. Sector A was a bit far from here. The night shift should already be on-site, but since it was a higher-class Creature, it seemed right for me to head there as well.
I mounted the motorcycle parked out front and started the engine.
The black two-wheeler glided forward smoothly, slicing between pedestrians who hurried out of its way. Evening air whipped across my cheeks. I kept my senses sharp as I sped through the crowded street. Fortunately, unlike here, Sector A wasn’t a dense area.
Relieved by that small fortune, I accelerated.
I’d feel it when I got closer to the Creature, surely—
But at some point, something felt wrong.
My vision began to blur rapidly. I narrowed my eyes.
Fog?
[Creature ‘Ashen Mantle.’]
As I slowed down, the voice of the Creature Index echoed in my head.
[Class 4. Swarm-type Creature. Usually appears in the form of mist. Shows nearby lifeforms memories or illusions to lure them toward desired locations. Once lured to a high place, it causes the victim to fall and consumes the remains.]
“Ha.”
A sigh escaped me.
So that was it. I hadn’t recognized it immediately because the researchers had given it such a strange name. But after hearing the description, I knew exactly what it was.
I’d dealt with this thing countless times before.
“The Voice of Dreams.”
That’s what we used to call it.
A psychic-assault type entity—many great knights had fallen to it. In truth, the more battle-hardened the warrior, the more vulnerable they were. Those with deep scars had too many memories, too many regrets for the Creature to exploit.
I’d always been wary whenever I faced one.
Tensing my body, I ran toward the area where civilians had gathered.
The senior Badgers were already there, guiding civilians through the fog.
“Rookie! Go east!”
The senior shouted before I had even dismounted.
“Evacuate the remaining civilians in that area to Sector B!”
I didn’t argue.
I turned the motorcycle and sped toward the direction he’d indicated.
The eastern part of Sector A held a rather desolate park—
a fountain stained with algae from neglect, a broken fence, a half-finished skyscraper abandoned when the contracting company went bankrupt.
Here.
The Creature’s presence was stronger than where the others were.
Its main body must be nearby...
Thinking that, I parked at the park entrance—and froze.
No.
Not again.
“Sir?”
Kudo turned to look at me.
For a moment I felt relieved, thinking he must have heard the same alert and come to help.
But then I noticed the person beside him, and my stomach turned cold.
A blonde woman.
The same one I’d glimpsed at the restaurant. It didn’t take long to understand the situation.
So you were on a date.
I wiped all expression from my face and smiled brightly.
“Good evening. Did you happen to hear that a Creature appeared in this area?”
He didn’t answer, just nodded.
The woman holding his arm looked at me curiously.
I pretended not to notice her at all.
“Since you’re on leave, I’ll handle this. The main body seems to be nearby—please head west and return to safety.”
“Alone?”
Kudo’s voice sounded as if he’d heard something unbelievable.
“Against that?”
Admittedly...
The smile on my lips faded slightly. I understood what he meant. It wasn’t a large park, but unfortunately there were still visitors here and there—and those unlucky few were already staggering through the fog in a trance.
Once caught in it, they rarely regained consciousness on their own.
In short, I’d have to drag them out of the Creature’s influence one by one.
“Then please take my motorcycle.”
I held it out to Kudo.
“It should fit the two of you.”
He stared down at the motorcycle silently.
Thankfully, he soon accepted my offer.
The man and woman mounted the bike together. The blonde woman sat behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. She said nothing—not even when Kudo told me, “I’ll herd the civilians together. You pull them out of the Creature’s range.”
I nodded and prepared to run.
Watching as the engine started...
...Hm?
Why did that woman have a ring on her left hand?
...And why did it look so much like a wedding ring?
My thoughts shattered as the motorcycle took off.
I pushed aside the useless distraction and sprinted toward the sounds of movement.
Honestly, there was no room for stray thoughts anyway. The Voice of Dreams was that kind of opponent—always devastating to face.
Regret and desire—
how many beings could truly be free of those?
***
All civilians evacuated.
It hadn’t been easy, but it was done—and there was progress too. We noticed that those under the Creature’s hallucination were all walking toward one specific place.
The unfinished skyscraper.
That was where its presence felt thickest.
The main body must be inside. Once we sent these people away, we’d have to attack.
As I planned our next move, I overheard Kudo dismounting and reporting to the night team, his tone dry and professional.
Once he finished reporting, I’d have to send him away.
He was on leave anyway—and this wasn’t the kind of Creature someone with lost family should be confronting. The fog here was thin, but closer to the building the influence would be far stronger.
I had to get him out of here quickly.
That thought was still forming when a voice echoed in my ears.
‘Captain.’
That lazy, drawling voice.
‘Guess I should call you that now, huh?’
Kyle.
A man in silver armor, with curly black hair tied back, appeared before me. He wore that familiar crooked grin—self-assured, smug, tinged with arrogance and pride.
A knight everyone admired.
His hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword as he looked straight at me.
‘Congratulations on the promotion. A month later than mine, but still.’
Shut up.
I think that was what I said. It was after the promotion ceremony—the slippery Emperor had finally forced the title of Knight Commander onto me. I had refused countless times, insisting Kyle was enough. But it hadn’t mattered.
What was his excuse again? That the Empire was too vast to have only one Knight Commander?
Something ridiculous like that.
I remembered Kyle’s delighted laughter—
and then, the figure running toward us afterward...
“Sara!”
The sharp cry snapped me back to reality.
“Sara Perry!”
Ah.
Kudo’s desperate shout made me turn.
And my stomach dropped.
I’d messed up.
While I’d been distracted by that illusion,
the blonde woman had run straight toward the skyscraper.
It hadn’t been long, just a moment of inattention, but that was enough. She was already completely ensnared by the Creature’s hallucination.
Golden hair fluttered as she ran, legs steady, unhesitating.
The distance had already widened.
Kudo bolted after her instantly. I bit my lip and followed close behind.
The humid summer night air whipped against my face.
Damn it, I’d let my guard down.
As we sprinted, I shouted,
“I’m sorry!”
“We have to grab her before she falls.”
Kudo’s eyes were locked on Sara’s back as he muttered.
She had already reached the building entrance.
As he said, she’d start climbing soon—then jump from a deadly height.
At least the gap was closing. We’d catch her before the third floor.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed harder.
We burst into the building almost simultaneously—
And—
Whoosh.
The door slammed shut behind us.
Damn.
“The Room of Dreams.”
I muttered. Kudo’s eyes flicked toward me.
He didn’t stop running, but I didn’t need to explain further. The scene before us changed instantly.
That was what happened once you were trapped inside an area seized by the “Ashen Mantle.”
It could manifest greater power within confined spaces. The gray, dusty construction site melted away—replaced by a warm, quiet place.
Huge violet curtains.
Rows of seats stretching before them.
Spotlights falling from above.
A theater.
And on the massive stage, before the red curtain, stood a man in a suit, holding what looked like a contract. His facial features were blurred—as if it didn’t matter who he was.
Sara sprinted down the aisle toward the stage.
Or rather—toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
I shouted as Kudo and I chased her.
“An actress?!”
He only bit his lip, saying nothing.
It’s easier to break the trance if I know what desire or regret they’re caught in!
“Was she an actress?!”
Kudo didn’t answer, just ran faster.
We rushed up the aisles—the stairs, to be exact—but of course, the stage never got any closer. The stage was meant to be where she would fall from.
Too low at the second floor, so it would lure her higher—to the third.
Sure enough, Sara began running up the stairs toward the third floor.
That let us catch up.
Kudo reached her just as she arrived and grabbed her arm.
“Ah!”
She screamed, thrashing in his grip.
“Let go! I’m late!”
“Are you all right?”
I asked as I watched Kudo hold the struggling woman tight.
“You’re not hearing or seeing anything strange yet, right? You should get out of here with him. I’ll handle the Creature.”
“You?”
“Yes. I know how to deal with it—it’s fine.”
A strong slash would blow it apart.
“Don’t worry, just go down first.”
“Let go!”
“Saving civilians takes priority.”
“I said let go! I have to sign the contract!”
“If necessary, I’ll follow right after you.”
“...It’d be better to leave together and reenter—”
“Let go!”
Sara shrieked, twisting wildly, and finally managed to free her left hand. Then—she slapped him hard across the face.
“Let go of me!”
Smack!
Thank God.
He’d turned his head just in time. Otherwise, her hand would’ve shattered. It only grazed him. Her palm must still be stinging.
Indeed, her hand looked fine.
But she’d do it again—she still wasn’t lucid.
We needed to get her out fast—
I turned to speak, and froze.
Kudo had gone pale.
He was holding the struggling Sara tightly, but his eyes were fixed on something glinting.
Clink, clink!
A ring rolled down the steps.
The one from Sara’s hand.
It bounced and fell through the railing gap between the second and third floors.
“Sir.”
I didn’t let myself think too much about Kudo’s whitened face or the events I’d just witnessed.
“Let’s go down first.”
He obeyed.
***
Ricardo and Shu arrived at Shu’s home.
“Kid~.”
Following the homeowner’s lead, the green-eyed man drawled lazily as he stepped into the small studio apartment.
“You shouldn’t invite strange men into your home so carelessly~.”
“There’s nowhere else to play.”
Shu ignored the lecture and walked toward the game console.
The room looked just as it had when she’d invited Hilde.
Moving to her favorite spot, she glanced back at Ricardo without much interest.
“Sit down. I’ll get you something to drink. We’ll start {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} right away—what would you like?”
