Belphegor began to draw magic from those worlds.
Many parallel worlds are utterly powerless to resist.
They were drained before they even knew what was happening.
The dream world expands silently and continuously.
I don't know how much time passed.
The deepest part of the dream world.
Core areas.
A dimly lit room.
The room wasn't big, but it was very nice.
The overall layout style is predominantly Gothic, featuring a deep purple and black color scheme.
The walls were covered with deep purple velvet wallpaper, printed with intricate rose patterns.
A black wrought iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, its surface inlaid with deep purple crystals, emitting a dim and ambiguous light.
The floor was covered with a thick, dark purple shaggy carpet.
In the very center of the room stood a huge, luxurious double bed with a frame made of black metal, engraved with bat wings and chain patterns.
The bed was covered with a dark purple silk sheet and piled with several fluffy black cushions.
There was a person buried in the blanket.
To be precise, a clump of golden hair peeked out from under the covers.
Then the clump of golden hair moved.
"Hmm..."
Mukuro Hoshimiya slowly crawled out of bed.
Her long, golden hair was scattered messily on the pillow, with a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks.
His eyes were half-open, his red pupils not fully focused, and he looked as if he had just been dragged out of a deep sleep.
Her hand unconsciously touched her stomach.
Glug glug glug.
My stomach is growling.
Mukuro Hoshimiya sat up groggily, rubbed his eyes, and scanned his surroundings.
A dark purple-black Gothic-style room.
I don't know him.
Where am I?
She looked down at the clothes she was wearing.
A dark purple-black Astral Dress.
It wasn't the pink cheongsam from before.
strangeness.
But I'm too hungry to think about these things right now.
Mukuro Hoshimiya yawned widely.
Then she noticed another bed in the room.
Next to his large bed, in a slightly lower and smaller spot, was another bed.
There was something lying on that bed.
Round and plump.
His entire body was bound with chains and locks.
My first thought was of a giant doll shaped like a demon.
Then Mukuro Hoshimiya saw the "doll's" belly rise and fall.
He is breathing.
She stared at the thing for several seconds, then a familiar feeling welled up from the depths of her Spirit Origin.
That sense of connection.
It's just like the feeling I had with Leviathan before.
The resonance between the Sephira and the guardian.
In other words...
Is this round, chained, fast-sleeping black demon the Demon King who is now protecting me?
Mukuro Hoshimiya tilted her head and stared at that thing for several seconds.
An occasional flash of green light on the chains. Closed eyes. A slightly parted mouth, with what looked like a trace of saliva.
"That's incredibly lazy."
Mukuro Hoshimiya muttered something under her breath.
Then she decided to ignore it for the time being.
Filling our stomachs is the most important thing.
Mukuro Hoshimiya stepped barefoot onto the thick, long-haired carpet, found a pair of black ankle boots in the room, put them on, and headed towards the room's only exit.
A Gothic-style black double door.
The door handles are shaped like two bat wings.
She reached out and pushed the door open.
The sunlight outside made her squint.
Then she saw the familiar streets.
Trifas.
That small town.
The streets, buildings, and pedestrians were exactly the same as I remembered.
Even the air was filled with the aroma of bread and flowers from my memories.
Mukuro Hoshimiya turned her head and glanced at the other side of the street.
A kindergarten opened nearby sometime ago.
The low, light yellow house had rainbows and suns painted on its walls, and its iron gate was half-open.
The sound of children chattering and laughing could be heard from inside; it sounded quite lively.
I don't think this existed before.
never mind.
I'm so hungry.
Mukuro Hoshimiya stepped onto the street.
Then she realized a very serious problem.
She didn't have any money on her.
Not a single penny.
The last time she went shopping, she borrowed pocket money from Caules, Caules gave her quite a few Romania lei.
But now we don't know where that money went.
Mukuro Hoshimiya walked down the street with her head down, thinking about how to get some money.
Working a part-time job? That's too much trouble.
Borrow from someone? I don't know any of the residents here.
Then she kicked something with her toe.
A brown leather wallet lay on the road.
Mukuro Hoshimiya bent down and picked it up.
Open.
It was stuffed full of cash.
A stack of brand-new Romania lei, thick enough to feed several large meals.
There was also a small note tucked inside the wallet.
A line of text was written above in beautiful handwriting:
"For those who are lucky."
Mukuro Hoshimiya looked around.
Pedestrians came and went on the street, and no one noticed her.
No one looked like they had lost their wallet.
"I never imagined I'd find money on the street..."
She put her wallet in her pocket.
With money in hand, the next step was to find food.
Mukuro Hoshimiya walked along the street for a while and soon found the family restaurant she had visited before.
A handwritten daily menu hangs on a small blackboard by the entrance, with simple chalk drawings of the day's special soup and grilled meat platter.
Mukuro Hoshimiya pushed open the wooden door to the restaurant.
The bell on the door jingled once.
The restaurant's layout was just as I remembered: wooden tables and chairs, soft lighting, and small potted plants on the windowsill.
But unlike last time, there was a large group of people sitting at the restaurant today.
Seven or eight people were sitting around the Round Table by the window.
The most eye-catching figure was a boy with long pink hair, who was gulping down a glass of juice.
Astolfo.
Next to him sat a black-haired boy in a white uniform, his expression serious, speaking in a low voice.
A girl with short, light pink hair.
A woman with long white hair.
And also Jeanne d'Arc of Arc, Karna, Semiramis, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, and Heracles, whom she knew.
Everyone's expression was quite serious.
Except for Astolfo, he was stuffing bread into his mouth.
Astolfo looked up, still chewing on half a piece of bread, his gaze unconsciously sweeping towards the doorway.
Then his mouth opened.
The bread fell onto the plate.
" Mukuro!?"
He jumped up from his chair, nearly knocking over his juice glass.
What are you doing here!? You're eating here too!?
Everyone at the table turned their gaze to the doorway at the same time.
Mukuro Hoshimiya stood at the restaurant entrance, her long golden hair slightly disheveled, her red eyes narrowed, and she held a brown wallet she had found in her hand.
Her stomach growled again.
"Yes, I'm hungry."
A bright smile spread across Astolfo's face as he waved frantically at Mukuro Hoshimiya.
"Come on over here! Let's sit down and eat together!"
Mukuro Hoshimiya took two steps, then stopped.
She glanced at the serious-looking strangers on the table, then at the only one she recognized, Astolfo.
"You two seem to be discussing something very serious."
"Is it really okay for me to join too?"
"It's alright, it's alright!"
As Astolfo spoke, he dragged a chair over from the side and placed it next to himself.
"Sit down, sit down, sit down!"
"And speaking of which, you've come at just the right time!"
He plopped back into his chair, his face showing an expression as if he had discovered something incredibly good.
"We're discussing how to find you at the heart of this dream!"
Mukuro Hoshimiya froze in mid-air, having just pulled out a chair to sit down.
Looking for me?
She blinked.
Why are you looking for me?
"Also, what is the core of a dream?"
Everyone at the table stopped moving at the same time.
The fork in Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand was suspended in mid-air.
Mash's mouth opened slightly, but the words caught in her throat halfway through.
Merlin stopped playing with her Magecraft wand.
The Mukuro Hoshimiya, whom I had been desperately searching for for weeks, located in the deepest core of the dream, and whom I had tried with great difficulty but could not reach.
They are standing right in front of them now.
She said she was hungry.