Chapter 30

The incense was wafting, and the candlelight was clear. In a room decorated with mysterious and intricate designs, the black cat sitting on a high stool looked at the girl waking up in the armchair, and continued to speak seriously.

“Shalia, tell me the truth. Did you encounter any danger in the Dream Realm?”

After gathering her thoughts from the initial confusion of waking up, Shalia responded.

“Yes, Grandfather, I encountered people from the Black Dream Hunter Group. They chased after me? I barely managed to escape…”

“The Black Dream Hunter Group? Hmph, those despicable traitors… They have no real skills but are everywhere like flies…” The black cat snorted coldly, then continued with disdain. Then he looked at Shalia again and spoke seriously.

“You met those traitors, but your reaction doesn’t seem like your mimicry was destroyed. How did you manage to escape? Normally, your current mimicry wouldn’t be able to get away from them.”

“Oh… Well, Grandfather, what I’m about to say is absolutely true! You must believe me!”

Shalia’s words were slightly agitated. Seeing this, the black cat showed a puzzled expression. Then, Shalia recounted her experiences in the Dream Realm, and as she spoke, the black cat’s eyes widened even more.

“What? You said a Dragon? You foresaw a dragon-like mimic in the Dream Realm!? You didn’t encounter an image entity, did you?”

The black cat said incredulously, while Shalia nodded firmly, clenching her fists.

“I can confirm, Grandfather! It was definitely not an image entity! That dragon took care of those hunters in a few moves; it couldn’t have been an image entity! And he admitted himself that he was a mimic!”

After hearing Shalia’s words, the black cat fell silent for a moment. His expression turned serious, and he sat silently on the high stool, seemingly lost in thought.

“A Dragon… A dragon mimic… This shouldn’t be possible… How could there be a dragon mimic in the forest… This shouldn’t be possible…”

The black cat muttered silently, while Shalia asked curiously.

“Grandfather, aren’t you already very powerful by mimicking lions or tigers? Now a dragon has appeared. Do you think this might be one of the high-ranking members of those secret societies…?”

“Hmph… Those so-called high-ranking members? Although many of them are now unrecognizable, they are still essentially human…”

Listening to Shalia’s words, the black cat snorted derisively and continued.

“And now, almost no one among humans can mimic ancient mythological creatures. Even those so-called high-ranking members cannot. If someone can master the mimicry spell of mythological creatures, they would have to bear the poison of the same level. Such beings can no longer be considered ordinary humans. Do you understand, Shalia?”

The black cat said sternly to Shalia, who was stunned and could only mutter to herself after a moment.

“Not ordinary humans… Is it really that terrifying? Good thing I didn’t provoke him… Perhaps I even pleased him! I gave him the little secret transmission I found last night. Do you think He will be happy because of that, Grandfather?”

As Shalia became increasingly excited, the black cat was taken aback and then exploded.

“What! You gave him the secret transmission you collected? Are you crazy, kitty!?

Standing on the stool, the black cat’s fur stood on end, his entire demeanor filled with anger.

“I haven’t taught you the proper method of transferring secret transmissions in the Dream Realm yet! Giving it away so casually leaves a mental trace? Such beings can use such tiny traces as mediums! You might have been completely mastered by him! He could k*ll you just by moving a finger! Do you understand!?”

The black cat scolded Shalia harshly. Feeling shocked and hurt, Shalia’s mouth drooped.

“But… I don’t think that dragon was anything bad. He seemed very friendly. He probably won’t harm me. Besides, I followed your teachings, Grandfather, to know gratitude…”

“Friendly? Friendly my a**! The morals I taught you apply to everyday life. Don’t bring any moral concepts of good and evil into the hidden world! Always be cautious! Never trust anyone! Have you forgotten?”

The black cat continued to scold her sternly. Hearing his criticism, Shalia began to sob, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Now I remember… Grandfather… I was wrong… Will I be killed immediately…?”

Seeing Shalia like this, the black cat felt a pang of guilt and softened his tone.

“Alright, I may have exaggerated a bit. Since that being has reached such a level, why would he care about someone like you? Since you’re still intact, he probably doesn’t take your trace seriously. I just wanted to teach you a lesson, so be more careful in the future…”

“Is that so? That’s great, Grandfather!”

Hearing the black cat’s words, Shalia immediately smiled broadly and happily lifted the black cat from the stool, spinning him around.

“Put me down, you brat! Don’t hold me like that! Stop spinning!”

Hearing the black cat’s somewhat frightened words, Shalia immediately put him down. Then the black cat immediately commanded sternly.

“Go to sleep! Continue working hard tomorrow. You need to quickly accumulate spirituality to advance further. Only then will you have the capital to resist stronger poisons. I can then teach you stronger mimicry spells. If you want to avoid being chased by those traitors again, take this seriously!”

“Yes, Grandfather!”

…

In the daylight of Igewent, the sun was high.

At noon, Dorothy, who had slept in, slowly woke up from bed, then got up drowsily.

Due to the loss of spiritual energy the previous night, she had slept late and hadn’t recovered yet. She woke up simply because she was hungry.

‘Let me find something to eat and then go back to sleep… This mimicry in the dream realm really drains energy. I’ll go later after a few days of rest…’

Thinking this, Dorothy, wearing a white nightgown, put on slippers, unlocked the door, and opened it. To her surprise, she saw Gregor sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding several documents.

“Good afternoon, Dorothy. Sleeping in isn’t a good habit. You should change that.”

Looking at Dorothy, who had messy hair and a confused look, Gregor smiled. Dorothy, seeing this, asked in puzzlement.

“Gregor? Aren’t you working today?”

“No, I took a short leave. I won’t be working today or tomorrow morning. I prepared some materials and tools for you today, and I’ll take you to register at school tomorrow. I’ve told you about this before, right?”

“Huh? School?”

Dorothy, who had studied forbidden knowledge all night, heard her brother mention this familiar yet unfamiliar term, feeling as if she had returned from another world.