Zheng Qing was the last to leave Sakura Tavern.
Before him, sensing the subtle atmosphere in the air, Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin had both slipped away early under the pretext of "using the restroom," leaving the trouble to their captain and the tavern owner.
Zheng Qing decided to make one more effort.
"A few days ago, I had a terrible dream..."
He described the dream in detail—from the dried crows hanging from the scaffolds, to the frenzied, dancing worshippers, then the enormous claw descending from the sky, and his former Magical Creatures Studies teacher, Gan Ning. Only as he recalled it all did he suddenly realize that everything in the dream had been so vivid, as though it had happened only minutes ago.
His heart sank slightly.
Words Doctor had once said immediately flashed through his mind—the scene he had witnessed in the dream might have been carefully staged. Only false dreams would remain so clear after waking.
"An interesting dream."
Colmar's voice brought the boy back to himself. He looked in surprise at the witch behind the bar, only to find her tilting her head and staring intently at the glass in her hand and the apple juice gently swaying within it.
Noticing the young wizard's gaze, she did not look up. She merely raised her glass, then changed the subject. "...But for Jiuyou Academy students, having terrible dreams is hardly unusual. The endless homework assigned by professors and the endless experiments are like mountains of dreadful nightmares that appear in everyone's dreams every night. Besides, as I understand it, you enrolled in thirty courses this semester. Tsk. If my class schedule had held that many courses back then, I would definitely have had terrible dreams every night."
"Not thirty. Only twenty-eight," Zheng Qing muttered, quietly correcting her.