Chapter 1314

<Chapter 1314> 1314. The Plum Swordswoman Reincarnated Into a Viscount Family

I observed the state of the war.

The fortified Cobalt Royal Castle was so well-defended that even after two hours, we couldn’t breach it.

Whenever a siege tower approached the city wall, magic would fly out and burn the towers to ashes. Our siege weapons continuously hammered away at the walls but with little effect.

Below the city wall, the bodies of our troops began to pile up. If the wall had been of reasonable height, we might have been able to stack our fallen comrades to form a staircase to climb over—but the Cobalt Royal Castle’s wall stood an impressive 20 meters high. It would take an absurd number of bodies to make such a staircase.

Most importantly, our soldiers were starting to panic. Unable to scale the walls, they were being slaughtered one-sidedly, and fear was only natural.

Some of the soldiers charging toward the Cobalt Royal Castle began to turn back and flee. Most of them were slave soldiers with no loyalty to speak of.

Greeted by our elite forces, axes swung mercilessly, cutting down the poorly armed slave soldiers without hesitation.

“You bastards! Are you too dumb to tell which way is forward? You’re supposed to be heading for that castle, not standing here! Charge!!”

The soldiers desperately tried to manage the fleeing slave soldiers, fully aware that unless the slaves breached the enemy’s defenses, they themselves wouldn’t be safe.

The slave soldiers had two choices: die by our hands or die by the enemy’s.

“When are you going to stop this meaningless battle?!”

Sharneal approached me and shouted, her trademark red twin-tails swaying dramatically as her ridiculously large chest bounced just as impressively.

“This *is* war. It’s not meaningless.”

“…If you ask me, I could probably send off a Hellfire blast or two.”

“Your willingness to help is appreciated, but you need to conserve your strength. Winning this war isn’t our true goal, remember? We’re here to rescue Priscilla.”

“Master… So when exactly are we planning to infiltrate the castle? Surely you don’t intend to wait until the wall is breached?”

“We’ll go in when the castle is most chaotic and vulnerable—before the wall is broken. Don’t worry, save your mana. My hands are already full.”

Sharneal narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not trusting my words and openly suspicious.

“We don’t know Priscilla’s exact location, do we? For all we know, there could be a trap instead of her. That’s why we’ve drawn Dilubard’s attention with the war and sent a scout to infiltrate.”

“A scout alone can’t do much…”

Sharneal muttered irritably before suddenly looking surprised.

“Could that maid be the scout?”

“That’s right. You know how skilled Yuria is.”

“…Now I understand why you’re so confident. If she’s involved, she’ll likely handle anything minor. But are you really sure she can handle it alone? That’s deep within enemy territory. Red Dragon Leotheo might be there.”

“It’s fine. Even if Leotheo is present, the Demon King won’t be. And I’ve instructed Yuria to prioritize Priscilla’s rescue above all else.”

Yuria is an assassin. Infiltration is her forte. If she uses her full strength to conceal her presence, no one will detect her.

BOOM!

A deafening sound erupted. The siege…


The sound of the city wall finally doing its part rang out. A hole had formed in part of the fortress wall. The demon of the stronghold immediately began repairing it, but once a crack has formed, it won’t be long before it collapses.

“Hmm, looks like about 30,000 have died already.”

I check on how the rebel forces are doing. The battle is ongoing, but it feels half-hearted for some reason. Melissa is holding back with her troops.

“Well, I’d prefer a more intense fight, but what can you do when Melissa’s like this?”

Zzzt.

A transmission came through on the radio clipped to my waist. There’s only one person who would contact me through this.

“Yuria. Did you find Priscilla?”

“Yes, Master. I’ve found her. She was sealed away in the royal archives. Though ‘kept safe’ might be a better term.”

“You found our teacher? Is she alright? Any injuries?”

Charnele darted towards me, eyes shining, hugging me while talking into the radio. My hand accidentally (?) lands on her oversized chest.

“Woah, woah, calm down. I’m in the middle of talking to Yuria here. Yuria, how’s it looking over there? Any dangerous foes?”

“There were two demon contractors guarding the entrance, but they were dealt with upon sight. The enemies don’t seem to have noticed my intrusion yet.”

“How’s Priscilla doing?”

“It’s difficult to judge just by appearance since she’s in her dragon form rather than human.”

“The seal? Can you break it?”

“It appears to be the seal of the Dream Demon, Libre. To break it, one must enter the dream world. However, due to my lack of strong connection to Priscilla, it’ll be difficult for me. I suggest leaving the unsealing to Charnele.”

The Dream Demon, Libre.

Just hearing that name made me grimace.

Libre was the most annoying demon in Panteum. Of course, annoying doesn’t necessarily mean powerful.

“Back in the day, Priscilla and I got trapped in the dream world. So this time, she’s been trapped alone without me?”

Regardless, things are progressing well. We’ve located Priscilla, which makes this mission practically a success.

“Yuria, we need to head your way. Prep everything.”

“Already done. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Of course.”

I cut off the transmission with a sigh of admiration. Charnele’s giving me an anxious look, while Scarlett calmly observes the battlefield.

“Scarlett, I’m leaving the battlefield in your hands. Think you can handle it?”

“Have I ever not handled it when you left? Don’t worry about it. Just focus on what you need to do.”

Scarlett will do fine without me. She’s never let me down.

“Charnele, you’re coming with me. Follow.”

“Planning to go where Priscilla is? How though? Word of warning, teleportation won’t work. The vibrations from the castle are interfering with space magic.”

“I’m aware, no need to explain the obvious. Now follow.”

Taking Charnele with me, I entered the tent and pulled out a mirror from my inventory, placing it in the center.

“…A mirror?”

“Not just any mirror. It’s called the Mirror Tunnel. Pour hot water on the surface.”

Charnele hesitantly created some hot water with magic and poured it onto the mirror. Steam filled the air around it as the Mirror Tunnel activated, showing not us but Yuria.

The maid-outfitted Yuria gave me a warm smile. Apparently, she prefers wearing maid uniforms because they’re “comfortable.”

Without hesitation, I stepped straight into the mirror surface, feeling myself being drawn through.

“I’ve prepared somewhat, knowing you’d come. Don’t worry about any dust or such.”

“Nah, didn’t need to bother with that.”

I chuckled nervously, glancing behind me. Charnele appeared through the Mirror Tunnel, slightly losing her balance but managing to steady herself.

“To think you possess an artifact capable of spatial travel despite interference. You’re full of surprises.”

It’s not an artifact…


Though it was an item brought from another world, I didn’t bother to correct anyone. It was just too much of a hassle to explain.

I left Sharneil behind and looked around.

Yuria called the place shabby, but in my opinion, it was rather an elegant space. The ceiling was about 16 feet high, and the walls were lined with shelves.

“To call this a kingdom’s archive seems lacking in items.”

“All have already been accounted for. Most were pieces of art, a few relics, and some suits of armor and weapons crafted by dwarves. Shall I show them to you?”

“Nah, it’s fine. We’ll settle up later. Priscilla?”

“She’s further inside. Given the dragon’s immense size, they created a new chamber for her.”

Sharneil and I followed Yuria toward where Priscilla lay.

The moment we entered the massive cavern, my jaw dropped. There, curled up as if asleep, was a colossal Blue Dragon filling the vast hollow. A rough estimate put its size at nearly 160 feet.

Four horns sprouted from its head. Naturally, its eyelids were closed since it slumbered. Without thinking, I reached out toward the dragon. Its scales were surprisingly not rough but soft like silk.

“Master…!”

Sharneil rushed forward, shaking Priscilla’s head while calling out to her. She embraced part of the dragon’s head with both arms and repeatedly shouted her name.

“Master…! Master! I’ve come!!”

It was a touching reunion between teacher and student.

“Yuria. What do you think of Sharneil? Doesn’t she seem a bit dimwitted? Priscilla is still sealed and obviously can’t respond.”

“Indeed… Though it feels rude to say so, she does appear somewhat lacking. It’s simply astonishing that she’s an Arch Mage.”

“…”

Did she hear us? Sharneil, who had been cuddling Priscilla’s head and showing off her overly large chest, awkwardly stepped back.

She cleared her throat twice before using magic to check Priscilla’s condition.

“…A seal of the Dreaming Realm… Her spirit is trapped within a sort of mental plane. It’s unbelievable. The master has lived for thousands of years as an ancient dragon. With such a powerful mind, it’s strange she can’t break free from this seal.”

“This isn’t just any ordinary spirit-binding. It continuously torments and tests the mind. An average human would have gone insane within minutes.”

Sharneil nodded at Yuria’s words.

“I don’t know much about this stuff. What must I do to save my master? Teach me.”

“I will open the Dreaming Realm where Priscilla’s spirit is imprisoned with magic. You, Sharneil, must enter and rescue her.”

“…Is there a reason why *I* have to do it?”

“As I said before, I have no connection to Priscilla. Her subconscious would reject me. But as her disciple, you will be accepted easily.”

“How exactly do I break the master’s seal?”

“Just awaken Priscilla’s spirit. As for how to do it… I leave that to your discretion.”

Sharneil wore a determined expression.

“Got it. Let’s start right away.”

“Please wait five minutes.”

Five minutes passed.

Thirteen magical circles enveloped the colossal Blue Dragon, resonating together. I glanced at the runes Yuria had drawn, shaking my head—I didn’t understand a single thing. Judging by Sharneil’s shocked reaction, it was apparently super impressive.

“It’s impossible… Each circle is a large-scale ritualistic magic. How could she set all this up in just five minutes…?”

“I’ve been studying these things on and off after being cursed by the Demon of Dreams. Once you get used to it, it becomes easier. Now, let’s open the gateway to the Dreaming Realm.”

Yuria pointed toward Priscilla’s brow. The air warped, creating a portal-like phenomenon. Beyond the portal, nothing could be seen.

Its structure seemed invisible from the outside.

Swallowing hard, Sharneil stepped into the portal. I stared at the portal for a moment before stepping forward.

“Yuria. This won’t work. I’m going in too. I can’t trust Sharneil alone—it’s too risky.”

“…Alright. Please be careful.”

“I’ve done this before, so no worries.”