Dream

When she was told that she would be having dinner with Klein that evening, Alice initially refused.

But there was no helping it—this was a group dinner, after all. Alice ultimately appeared at the table, joining Klein, who had lost his appetite after an afternoon of combat training, as someone else protesting against having to eat with her eyes closed.

"This is Alice Kingsley. Even if you haven't met her, you should have some understanding of her situation," Dunn introduced. After all, Alice had only started appearing frequently at Blackthorn Security Company recently. Before that, she had not met most people here, and she truly lacked a formal introduction.

Alice Quickly Realized that several gazes had fallen upon her. She was not surprised—or rather, she would have found it strange if those who knew about her did not examine her.

Dunn raised the glass of red wine before him and continued, "Let us welcome our newest official member, Klein Moretti. Cheers!"

Klein endured his discomfort and raised his champagne. Alice also lifted the juice before her... well, orange juice.

For this dinner, Alice had specifically found a piece of white cloth with rather poor light-blocking properties. Under sufficiently bright light rays, she could make out what was in front of her. Well, it seemed the requirements for seeing the abnormality on Klein were still rather strict...

Alice's unusual attire quickly caught the attention of the Nighthawks who did not know what had happened between her and Klein. After Klein set down his wine glass, Sica Traun asked curiously, "Alice, why are you dressed like that?"

"Ha," Alice replied in a melodious, operatic cadence, "because our Mr. Moretti's Fate conceals secrets that cannot be looked upon directly."

The other people looked curiously at Klein because of Alice's words. Klein successfully displayed the flustered embarrassment Alice had been hoping for.

Only after her desire for revenge had been satisfied did Alice restrain herself and drink her orange juice contentedly. At times like this, she suddenly understood the benefits of being a child—for example, she could drink childish sweet beverages on occasions like this, and she could express her dissatisfaction with Klein through pranks like this, even though Klein had not actually done anything wrong.

By the time the food before Klein had been divided and eaten by Leonard and the others, the waiter had brought out servings of pudding and ice cream—Alice's favorite part of any meal.

She Quickly Realized had finished eating her blueberry-sauce-topped ice cream and was considering ordering another when Dunn suggested, "Let's stop here. Let us raise another toast to Klein."

Before he had even finished speaking, Klein blurted out, "Captain, can I have some dinner?"

During the silence that followed, Alice immediately added, "Captain, I want another serving of ice cream!"

Everyone burst into laughter. By the time Alice had finished her second ice cream, Klein's black pepper steak had also been served.

Alice watched Klein eat his steak and licked her lips. When she failed to taste any lingering sweetness, she felt disappointed for a moment, then looked at Dunn expectantly and murmured, "Captain~"

"You cannot have a third serving of ice cream." Dunn mercilessly refused her request.

Alice pouted and listlessly tapped the table as she waited for Klein to finish eating.

That night, Alice suddenly woke up from her Dream. But unlike being startled awake, she Quickly Realized that she was still dreaming... uh, because she was in a room made of desserts. The walls were cakes, the table was chocolate, and it was piled high with ice cream...

Looking at Dunn, who sat across from her with an expressionless face, Alice felt that she understood why she had woken up.

But Dunn did not say a word. He simply stared quietly at Alice. At first, Alice could continue eating ice cream with the mindset that it was free food, but Dunn kept watching, and watching, until Alice gradually began to feel that eating ice cream had become a form of torture.

This Is Truly a complete Nightmare... Alice silently thought in her heart, deprived of all joy. She began to regret reminding Dunn of that sentence... It probably wasn't just herself—there was also Madam Daly. She didn't know whether Klein had reminded her.

Alice realized that the captain was likely still trying to find the Acting Method for Nightmare. Remembering how she had lazed around as a Lucky One for three years, she suddenly felt a little like reflecting on her attitude.

...But reflection was useless! The Monster pathway was not like the Sleepless pathway; the Church did not even have a potion formula!

Eh, come to think of it, why could she remain conscious in a Dream?

Alice suddenly realized something. She remembered the first time Dunn had entered her Dream to question her. She had actually been awake then too—for example, she had deliberately concealed the fact that she remembered the unfortunate courier being frightened because he saw her suddenly wake up.

Moreover, after Dunn entered her Dream, the setting of the Dream had changed as well...

This power could not possibly have belonged to her from the start. Upon realizing this, Alice suddenly felt fear—she had always lacked reverence for supernatural power, but at this moment, she truly felt a trace of dread.

Who had tampered with her Dream? That unknown existence could keep her awake in Dreams, but could it one day make her die in a Dream, unconscious and unaware? Or make her sleep forever, becoming trapped in a vegetative state?

Just thinking about all those possibilities filled Alice with fear. There were also her lost memories, and the process by which she had seemingly been arranged to become a Beyonder.

Just like a Puppet... Alice thought. For an instant, she even suspected that she was a character someone had written with a stroke of their pen, with all her experiences, thoughts, and actions under control.

Then, if that was the case, had her suspicion about this very matter also been written by someone else?

Alice shuddered and drove away the terrifying, dangerous thought. But the Dream could no longer hold together under her fear and gradually shattered. She woke up with a start from the Dream, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the holy emblem of the Goddess of the Night.

Alice had never found the Goddess of the Night's holy emblem so reassuring. Remembering that the Goddess held authority over slumber, she closed her eyes and silently prayed in her heart:

"O Goddess of the Night, loftier than the Cosmos and more eternal than eternity; You are also the Lord of Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Calamity and Horror, and the Lord of Slumber and Silence. Please grant me peaceful sleep. Grant me a good Dream."

The prayer seemed to truly work. Alice's fear slowly faded, and she once again fell into a deep Dream. Judging by the smile gradually blooming at the corners of her lips, it truly seemed to be a beautiful Dream.

This was the closest Alice had ever come to the truth. (That tone.)