The City of Gods, Kadath, was slightly different from what I had expected.
Of course, since it was a place where gods resided, I had anticipated a splendid and beautiful city.
I had envisioned a veritable Land of Gold, with houses made of gold and trees composed of jewels… but it turned out to be nothing like that.
– …It’s simpler than I thought.
Indeed, upon seeing Kadath firsthand, it was not only simple but downright monotonous. It was as if they had carved a mountain of stone to create an enormous model city…
– So, you were picturing a city of gold?
– …That’s exactly what I imagined.
– Puuhh… Do you really think gods would like such ostentation?
– But there are gods who enjoy receiving gold as offerings, right?
– That’s not because they like gold itself. They enjoy taking what humans value.
I had never considered that, but now that I heard it, it seemed true.
– Then, Lily, you don’t care much for gold?
– No? I actually like it.
– …What?
– It’s pretty.
…It appears that even the gods have varying tastes.
– Is there anything we should be careful about once we enter the city?
– Hmm… First of all, you mustn’t give away that you’re an ordinary human. Kadath is a place full of strange gods, so being ordinary might make you seem unusual. You’ll need something special.
Something special…
After pondering for a moment, I stared intently at Lily.
“You look cute as a cat, Lily.”
– Wh-What the heck?!
“Isn’t it strange talking to a cat?”
– …It is strange, indeed.
“Would it be strange to confess love to a cat?”
– Please don’t do that…
“Then, I’m going in, Lily…”
Due to her experience of betrayal by Nodens, Lily seemed extremely averse to having her true identity revealed. And there might also be gods in Kadath who know Lily. Calling her name here would be reckless.
To enter Kadath, we had to climb stone steps shaped like the city itself. Just as my determination was about to waver facing the endless stairs, the scenery changed once more, and suddenly I found myself standing right in front of the city entrance.
“Thank you, Lily.”
“Nya~”
As soon as I stepped into the city, I understood the meaning of Lily’s earlier words.
“Holy…”
The beings roaming through the city, made entirely of grayish stone, all had completely unique appearances. They may have been in human form, but their skin color, eye color, height, and build were all different, and each had their own distinct features.
The young man who had just passed by me carried a long spear, while another man chatting with someone in the distance wore heavy makeup and dressed rather provocatively.
It felt like I was in a gathering of all the eccentric people in the world—or perhaps at some neighborhood circus. Though surprising, …
“Can we really find a god who will help us here…?”
– This is how it’s always been here. Don’t worry; even if they look strange, they’re still gods revered by humans.
– Compared to Lily, who is an Outer… an Outsider?
– There’s nothing to compare. Even if you gathered all of them together, they’d still be no match for a single Great Old One.
The Outer Gods truly seem to be something above gods.
“So, where should we go now?”
– Hmm… First, we need to locate a god who can help us. Let me think… Hip…? Hmm?
Following Lily’s gaze, …huh?
There was an unidentifiable monstrous entity floating in the air.
It had a translucent jelly-like body with a yellow eye, and its form was familiar.
“…A jellyfish?”
A jellyfish was flying in the sky!
It floated gracefully in the air with cat-like eyes looking at me. Suddenly, it extended a tentacle towards me.
I tried to back away immediately, sensing foreboding, but–
– Guardian! Grab that tentacle, Arthur! Hurry!
In panic, I caught the tentacle at Lily’s urgent cry.
Suddenly, I felt a lurch in my stomach, and the scenery spun around.
It felt much slower than Lily’s teleportation, but I could tell I was moving.
– That jellyfish-like creature is a subordinate of Hypnos.
“Hypnos?”
– Humans call him the old ancient god, a deity affiliated with Nodens. He is also the god who allows us to dream.
“Isn’t that completely dangerous?!”
– Don’t worry. Hypnos is different from other gods. He’s one of the few who genuinely helps humans. You can trust this god.
If Lily says so, then it must be true.
When the transportation ended, I found myself in an achromatic space, devoid of any decoration, furniture, or walls.
– Where are we now?
“Thank goodness! You made it here!”
Suddenly, someone popped out of the air. It was a young-looking man with a long, stylishly flowing beard contrasting his youthful face, topped with a crown made of flowers on his scruffy hair.
He grabbed my hand with both of his and moved it up and down quickly.
“Thank goodness! Truly thank goodness!”
“…Who are you?”
I already knew, but I deliberately asked again for Lily’s sake.
“I am Hypnos. You humans call me the God of Dreams. I’m also quite a powerful god within the realm of dreams.”
Hypnos had an enormous grin with his face full of joy.
“Ahh, I’m glad I kept this guardian in Kadath. It’s fortunate that we’ve met like this.”
“Uh…”
“Ah! You must have a lot of questions. But since there’s no time, I’ll give you a fast explanation. You are dreaming right now. This place is a dimension that’s like a dream but not exactly a dream. Actually, I intended to put you into a safe dream, but that damn Nyarl… cough! Sorry. Anyhow, another entity interfered in that dream and threw you into this strange dimension. This is a very dangerous dimension, so we need to get out of here fast. I’ll help you with that.”
After spilling out those words in rapid succession, Hypnos took a breath and added casually.
“Did anything not make sense?”
“T-”
“If not, fine.”
“…?”
Why ask if you don’t care about the answer?
Hypnos pulled out a gleaming silver key from the air.
The key had a ruby set on its handle.
“Alright, take it. Stick the key into the air, press the gemstone on the handle hard, and turn it. That will open a door allowing you to return to reality.”
Oh, this was conveniently exactly what we needed.
“Just so you know, this method is somewhat of a workaround. Right now, I’m on the run, so… anyway, the door will stay open for just a moment. You’ll need to go in quickly. Any questions?”
This time, I prepared well and asked right away.
“What’s your relationship with the Chancellor?”
If you consider falling asleep immediately after the start of the exam, then the dream we were in must’ve been the exam location. That means the god who created the dream likely has a connection with the Chancellor who oversees the exam.
“First, we’re colleagues. I consider him a friend, but he might only see me as a colleague? End of answer. Hurry up and go back!”
As Hypnos waved me away, the view spun dizzily once more.
“That was quite a unique god, wasn’t he?”
– Don’t you think so too? He’s a bit brash, but he’s a good god.
Just the fact that he regards humans as friends is indicative of Hypnos’s uniqueness.
Though the meeting happened so quickly it felt like a mirage, the coldness of the key in my hand reminded me it was real.
“Mission accomplished. Now we just need to head back to the camp and insert the students.”
– What about that Louis human?
Ah, he’s still out there…
Honestly, I could leave him behind easily enough, but… if there’s a way to save him, it feels like letting him die would be akin to killing him myself.
“Let’s at least look for him.”
– …Alright.
Upon returning to the ashen gray stone city of Kadath, Lily immediately began her search.
– He’s not far. This way.
Led by Lily, we walked among the gods.
As I observed the gods with various skin tones, I wondered if any of them might be an albino when–
– Wait. Stop for a moment, Arthur.
Looking down, Lily wore a very serious expression.
– …This place…!
I learned for the first time that cats’ faces could turn pale.
“Why are you so worried, Lily?”
– …Lift your head and look ahead.
Following Lily’s suggestion, a massive building took up my view.
Amidst Kadath’s plain buildings, this was the only one with decorations.
“Wow… it resembles a royal palace?”
– That’s right.
“…What?”
No, really?
– The royal palace of the Outer God who rules most of the gods in Dreamland.
A god that rules other gods… the scale was unfathomable.
“…Wait. By mentioning this, you mean…”
– The lord of that palace is the god who sent us here. And I sense a human presence emanating from there.
So Louis is meeting that god? How?
“Did Louis make a pact with the same contract I did?”
– Likely. But it’s probably not a normal pact. That god treats humans as mere tools or toys.
“What should we do? Shall we return to the camp?”
Lily, with a serious expression, pondered it.
– Alright. First, let’s–
At that moment.
“KIIEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!”
A chilling scream reverberated in the air.
Covering my ears reflexively, the scene before me left me speechless.
Dark mist rose from the palace like a black sea, and hundreds—no, over a hundred—strange birds took to the sky.
The gods of Kadath, upon seeing this spectacle, all dropped to their knees, bowing to the palace.
“O Great Chaos that Crawls!”
“O King who heralds the end of the world!”
Hearing familiar names in the gods’ prayers, I felt my head grow numb.
“…Crawling Chaos? That’s Lily’s…”
– Arthur!
A sharp mental call pierced through my thoughts and brought me back to my senses.
– Look over there!
Lily pointed to the sky where the strange birds flew. They were as colossal as the statues at the academy’s entrance, with scales instead of feathers, and their heads resembled snouts rather than beaks, somewhat resembling horses.
“What…”
– Look closer!
Narrowing my eyes, I finally understood what Lily had been trying to convey.
Among the strange birds flying toward the center was a significantly larger one. And there was someone riding on it, someone I knew very well—someone we had just been looking for.
“Louis?!”
