382. Omen (1)
Sparks flew up with the hot wind. Fernandez clenched his dry eyes and steadied his breathing in the scorching breeze.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a plain flowing with crimson lava over the charred earth. Winged monsters shrieked in the dark green sky, and red-skinned demons surged from the cracks in the split ground.
It was all too familiar. Fernandez let out an involuntary chuckle and shook his head.
“Asleep, huh?”
Of course, it was a dream. He felt a bit regretful that he knew it was a dream—no, that he had come to realize it was a dream. He could no longer rest peacefully in sleep.
It was lucid dreaming. At some point, sleep no longer guaranteed him rest. The dreams grew increasingly vivid and harsh.
“What is it this time?”
He decided to call this dream “regret.” It was a display case for his past sins. Today’s theme seemed to be the apocalypse. He found it rather amusing.
“How foolish. I never witnessed the moment of the end.”
Though he had been on the side that pulled the trigger toward destruction, by the time the world met its literal end, he was already an old man teetering on the edge of death. Even when he betrayed Tyban, the world was still barely holding on.
Strictly speaking, it could be considered the end when humanity’s last hope was crushed, and even the gods of the Temple of the Gods had given up on restoring the Material World. But he hadn’t actually seen the moment of the end with his own eyes.
So, this dream was a fragment of his imagination.
“Ah, is that so? How impressive.”
At that moment, a snickering voice came from behind. Fernandez couldn’t help but laugh as he turned around.
An old man in a splendid robe was looking at him with a twisted smile.
“What? Are you happy to see me?”
“Who would be happy to see themselves, you madman?”
Faijashi chuckled at his words and waved his hand. In an instant, magic intertwined, creating a chair and a table. He nonchalantly sat down, conjured a teacup, and offered it to Fernandez.
“Drink. It’s made from Drek leaves from Hell, brewed with magic-tainted water. A real delicacy.”
“Ah, I missed this taste.”
“Exactly. Dreams are great. You can eat and drink whatever you want from your memories.”
Faijashi and Fernandez shared similar smiles as they sipped their tea. A demon fell from the sky with a thud, crashing to the ground. Faijashi watched the scene and spoke.
“Are you satisfied with that world?”
“Honestly, it’s hard to understand, Faijashi.”
“What is?”
“We clearly merged our souls. Strictly speaking, there’s no longer a distinction between you and me after the split. Faijashi and Fernandez no longer exist. So—”
“So, an individual consciousness like me shouldn’t exist?”
“Exactly.”
At Fernandez’s question, Faijashi snickered and wiggled his fingers. As his twisted fingers drew in the air, magic intertwined, creating strange patterns. It was just a playful charm knot, looping and unlooping in the air without any meaning.
“Is it really such a big deal to talk to yourself in a dream?”
“So, this is just a hallucination I created? Faijashi, does that mean your existence isn’t real?”
“If you want to dive deep into philosophical musings even in your dreams, I can play along. But is it necessary?”
Faijashi smirked and took a sip of tea.
“Just enjoy it. Don’t we, who were driven out for not enjoying life, deserve to enjoy at least a moment in our dreams?”
“Deserve… deserve, huh?”
“Even if we save the Material World and bring ‘peace to all,’ would we be granted even a single plot of land or a handful of grain? Honestly, would we even consider those things our rightful possessions? Peace… would there be a place for us in that beautiful picture? Fernandez. We’re just fools trying to wring out a wet rag back into the bowl.”
So, why not allow yourself this dream? He stared straight into Fernandez’s eyes as he spoke.
It was true. Everything he was doing now for the sake of the main world—more precisely, for the Reverse Heaven Ritual—was his atonement, self-deception, regret, and transaction. It was nothing more than a child’s effort to rebuild a collapsed sandcastle.
But Fernandez shook his head. Even if it was a dream, he couldn’t allow himself rest. For a mage, stagnation meant regression. Stopping to catch his breath was no different from retreating.
Hadn’t he vowed never to settle for even a single moment in life? That was the one oath he had made with his soul on the line.
Fernandez set down his teacup and stood up.
“It was a pleasant conversation, Faijashi. It was good to see you. Truly.”
“Leaving already?”
“Yes. There’s much to do. A reunion fitting for us would be more appropriate on my final day, far in the future.”
“But remember this. I am a part of you that you created, and this moment is nothing more than a self-reflection disguised as a dream.”
-Kugugugung…
The sky began to collapse, and the ground split apart. Beyond it, there was no night sky or the world below—just deep, dark abyss.
The boundary of the dream was crumbling. Amidst it, Faijashi, still holding his teacup, smiled at the fading Fernandez and said,
“Therefore, my words are your other truth, Fernandez Sernerd. You may not admit it, but you too desire rest… no, peace.”
“Someday.”
Fernandez smiled bitterly as he glanced at the fading Faijashi.
“At least not today, nor tomorrow, but someday.”
-Kuung!
The world was engulfed in darkness, and with the sensation of being swept away, the dream collapsed.
* * *
As always, Fernandez began checking his condition before opening his eyes. He wiggled his fingers, slowly loosening his muscles, and observed the flow of magic within his body. His Magic Circuits were nearly fully restored, and aside from slight muscle soreness, he felt no significant injuries.
Sunlight warmed his eyelids. He slowly opened his eyes.
Against the backdrop of a straight window, Abel was staring down at him intently.
“Are you awake?”
After blankly gazing at her blue eyes for a moment, he realized he was lying with his head on her lap. This was her room.
As his mind, numb from deep sleep, slowly returned, he recalled that he had been healing Abel’s body before falling asleep. Her spirit had been damaged from injuries sustained during the siege of King’s Gate.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Ah, you can stay lying down. It’s only been about three or four hours.”
“That’s enough.”
Even during his time as Diemonica, he only needed four hours of sleep every three days. Even now, his current body wasn’t much different from Diemonica’s, so four hours was already a luxurious amount of sleep.
Fernandez stretched his back and got up. Abel looked at him with a pitiful expression before also rising.
“It’s still early morning, Fernandez. Would you like some breakfast?”
“I’m fine. How’s your body?”
“Compared to the hardships you’ve endured, it’s nothing. But thank you. I feel very alive.”
“That’s good.”
He turned his head and paused for a moment, looking toward the door. Kirhas stood there with her arms crossed, her eyes bloodshot.
“Why are you standing there like that?”
“It’s so unfair. So, so, so unfair!”
She stomped over and plopped down in front of Fernandez. Her tail swished as she sat up and started slapping her thighs.
“Here, lie down. Sleep for four more hours! Goodness, Your Excellency. Did you know? Normal people need about eight hours of sleep a day! Since you’ve only slept for four hours, I’ll be your pillow for the other half.”
“I don’t have that kind of hobby.”
“But I do!”
“I wish you didn’t.”
Fernandez walked past her and headed toward the door. Grabbing the doorknob, he turned to look at Kirhas.
“How’s the work going?”
“You’re really too much! I’m so upset. I got hurt too, you know! My cheek almost got pierced, it was a huge deal!”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
Seeing Fernandez speak as if it were nothing, Kirhas huffed and looked down at the floor, her tail drooping. She let out a wounded cat-like growl, her eyes welling up with tears.
“How could I focus on work when Your Excellency was sleeping on Abel’s lap?”
“Did you fail?”
“No, it was impossible from the start! They didn’t even understand what I was saying!”
As Kirhas shouted, Fernandez finally laughed and ruffled her hair.
“That’s fine. Go eat with Abel. There’s going to be a victory celebration at the Audience Hall tonight, so after that, let’s contact Ana for the first time in a while. We need to hear about the movements of the Federation of Nobles.”
“Yes!!”
Kirhas perked up her ears and smiled brightly. Fernandez gave her a brief nod and twisted the doorknob to open the door.
“Ah, right. Where are those guys now?”
“They’ve set up camp below the Avenue of the Sovereign! No one dares to go near there, so it shouldn’t be hard to find them.”
“Priests, always so troublesome.”
Fernandez chuckled as he left the room.
* * *
“Um… Sir Knight… Is there something you need…?”
“……”
“Do you need anything…?”
“……”
A merchant selling simple food near the refugee line stammered as he spoke to the knight blocking his path.
Like any traveling merchant, this man had a sturdy build and was quite tall. But the knight before him had shoulders twice as broad and stood a head taller, silently staring down at him.
The cold gaze visible beneath the knight’s helmet visor had long since shriveled the merchant’s courage. Trembling, the frightened merchant moved his hand to his pocket.
“If… if you need a seat fee… or… or a tax… or… or…!”
The knight’s gaze turned displeased, and the merchant flinched, grabbing whatever coins he could. He had seen these terrifying knights slaughter Phaeirn’s elite soldiers during the siege of King’s Gate. And now, this knight stood before him, dressed the same as then, with a sharp longsword at his side.
-Ting!
Just then, a shiny copper coin flew over the knight’s shoulder and landed on the merchant’s hand. The merchant looked past the knight in confusion. A young man in a light tunic was walking toward him.
“Will that buy some jerky?”
“Yes, yes, sir!”
No matter how ruthless a knight might be, they couldn’t slaughter innocent people in broad daylight. Especially under the Sovereign of Altberth. Grateful for the witness who had appeared, the merchant quickly handed over a bundle of jerky.
The young man took the jerky with an expressionless face and handed it to the knight beside him.
“……”
“Brother, was this what you needed?”
The knight stared at the young man for a moment before nodding briefly. The young man turned to the panicked merchant and said,
“This knight cannot speak due to certain circumstances. I hope you understand.”
“Oh, there’s nothing to understand! This country bumpkin knows nothing of the world! It’s all my fault!”
“No need for that. Thank you for being so generous.”
Seeing the merchant’s desperate look, as if pleading for him to leave quickly, the young man chuckled and turned away. The knight continued to silently stare at him.
“I am Fernandez Sernerd, a priest from St. Bartholomew Monastery. It’s an honor to meet a brother from afar. Brother, do you know if the Sovereign’s envoy has arrived at the military camp?”
“……”
After glancing between the jerky and Fernandez, the knight nodded and turned to walk away. Fernandez shook his head and followed.
The Pope of Vaitas Church, who had sent knights sworn to silence into secular wars without notice, was not so incompetent or emotional as to leave them unprepared. Naturally, there would be someone from the Papacy accompanying the knights, someone who could communicate.
He needed to meet that person. To find out why the Papacy had intervened in this war.
Was it the Pope’s intervention? Had the Church of the Temple of the Gods decided to directly clash with the royal families of the Material World? Was it a solo move by Vaitas Church? If the council’s declaration had collapsed, what would happen to the relationships between the dioceses?
Each question was a critical issue that could shatter the fragile peace. If conflicts between dioceses erupted, the dissolution of the Temple of the Gods could even lead to a religious war.
Hoping it wouldn’t come to that, Fernandez followed the pilgrim knight through Altberth’s gate and into the plains.
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
