LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 11
Area 3, Holy District.
We all shifted our steps towards the Headquarters of the Silver Cross Knights.
I wanted to ask how the districts in the city were divided, what kind of place the Holy District was, and so on.
But the atmosphere coming from Ivelyn, who was dragging the disposable magic gagged Hans, was too tense.
“⋯.”
So, I just quietly followed along, occasionally whispering with Yeriell.
After walking for an hour or so, the atmosphere definitely changed, confirming that we had entered a different district.
It felt quiet and solemn? It seemed like a place where disturbances wouldn’t easily arise.
Looking around, it mainly appeared to be an area filled with pure white buildings.
‘Wow, that’s seriously huge. And fancy to match its size. That must be the Cathedral?’
As we continued walking and looking around, I spotted a building that screamed Cathedral.
The white hue resonated with dignity, while the stunningly colorful stained glass contrasted perfectly.
“Yeah, that’s right. Isn’t it really big?”
I asked Yeriell just to confirm, and she nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go inside.”
After leaving the Cathedral behind, we walked a bit more until we saw the building of the Headquarters of the Silver Cross Knights.
This place had a solid vibe, like well-trained steel.
Clang! Clang─!
One! Two!
The sounds of swords clashing and the training shouts resonated from the entrance. Their zeal was incredible.
I thought to myself, they truly were a force worthy of being called a knights’ order.
As we went inside, taking in the sights along our path, we finally arrived at the Commander’s office, where Ivelyn suddenly shouted.
“Lieutenant! Get to my office immediately!”
Before long, the door burst open, accompanied by urgent footsteps.
Bam!
What appeared was a very stern-looking man with his hair neatly styled and wearing glasses.
“Commander, you called! I heard you were going to see Yeriell. Has your business concluded?”
Upon hearing his words, Ivelyn replied coldly.
“Yeah. I reunited safely and brought her back. But we have a small problem. Him.”
He looked at Hans, who was bound and unable to move.
“Isn’t that a slave? Did you rescue him from the Guild?”
“No, I received his rights from Aren over there.”
The man glanced at me, so I slightly bowed my head in greeting.
“Well then, there won’t be any issues with abuse of power. How would you like to handle him?”
Ivelyn opened her mouth, clenching and unclenching her fists.
“Handling it isn’t necessary. Lock this guy in the interrogation room. Leave him with the interrogators for about three days, and then I’ll come see him.”
Is she trying to show her authority as a commander? The atmosphere was totally different from the one she had when talking to Yeriell or in the Guild.
“Remember. Thoroughly break him but don’t kill him. He dared to touch Yeriell. Starting with his fingers and nails sounds good.”
The man’s eyes hardened as he nodded, promising to take Hans away.
Having calmed down a bit, Ivelyn turned to me.
“Now, Aren, let’s go to your quarters.”
With the fact that I was personally attended to by the commander grabbing my attention, I felt quite burdened as we arrived at the lodging.
Ivelyn received the room key from the manager and handed it to me.
“Here, it’s a private room so there shouldn’t be any issues. I’ve got some things to take care of, so get some rest and see you tomorrow, Aren.”
Watching her leave, I made my way to the room indicated by the number on the key and opened the door.
‘Room 306.’
Click.
As I stepped inside, the sight of a room sufficient for a single person caught my eye.
The bed and various furniture exuded cleanliness and a sense of careful maintenance, and thanks to magic, it even had a bathroom and shower.
“Alright. I’ve got a place to stay for the time being, so that’s one less problem.”
The issue of where to stay was settled, and Ivelyn mentioned she would handle my identification issues.
Reflecting on the significant events that had occurred since I fell into this world in less than a week, I felt nothing but exhaustion.
I washed up and flopped onto the bed.
Zzz….
Just as I was about to drift off.
‘Where am I? I definitely just fell asleep in bed, right?’
As I regained my senses, I found myself standing in a completely white space.
*
It was clear I had fallen asleep. Could it be a dream? A lucid dream, perhaps?
First off, my body felt completely functional… was there nothing around?
I slowly walked around, but there was nothing but me in this white space.
“What the heck, I’ve got no idea what this means. With nothing to touch, what am I supposed to do here all alone?”
If I assume it’s a dream, am I just meant to sit and wait until I wake up?
After a moment of wandering and talking to myself, I felt a wave of boredom wash over me and stopped.
Should I test if I can sleep here too?
It was just as I bent my legs to lie down.
Boom!
Suddenly a loud sound came from behind me.
‘What the heck is that? I’m not the only one here?!’
I quickly turned around, and there was black smoke billowing up.
Straining my eyes, I managed to see something within.
Tensing up, I kept my gaze fixed on the source, when suddenly it jumped out and lunged at me.
“Holy crap!”
What the heck, an ambush?! There’s monsters even in dreams?
I was about to dodge, but something felt off.
…Why isn’t it moving slowly?
As I was flustered, the creature lunged right in front of me.
The black smoke wrapping around its body expanded, and it let out a horrific scream.
“Graah!”
Wait a minute, that’s not a scream, it’s more like a feminine voice.
“Pwahaha! You cute little thing. Did I scare you?”
What stood before me wasn’t a monster, but rather something resembling a person. With black horns on their head.
Dressed in a fur cloak and barely covering her breasts with a scandalous outfit, she was, above all, incredibly beautiful.
Without realizing it, my fists loosened.
‘What the hell? Am I supposed to let a beauty take my life in a real situation? Get a grip, idiot!’
Slap!
I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up, but she just chuckled as she watched.
“Hmm. Do you like my human form polymorph? Your face is just lit up with it!”
She smiled brightly at me.
Who is this, being so friendly on our first encounter?
Polymorph? Isn’t that a magical device that dragons sometimes use?
With the horns on her head and that familiar aura…
─Chaos is the one who orchestrates and applies it; however, the blood within is pridefully theirs.
─So, the being I’m communicating with is a dragon? Considering that the gods are referred to as ‘master’, there can’t be anything ordinary about her.
No way.
“Chaos?”
The moment she heard my words, she started clapping joyfully.
Clap clap clap!
“Yep, you’re quick on the uptake! Yes, I am the Chaos you’ve been talking to through the system!”
“⋯Huh.”
That’s probably why she didn’t respond when I was charged at.
I must’ve been in a situation where I couldn’t suffer any damage at all.
“Chaos, what’s going on! I thought I could only see you through system windows.”
I was genuinely pleased.
After falling into this world, Chaos was all I had to rely on.
Even when I was laughing and chatting with the party members, a part of my heart still felt hollow, tagged as an outsider.
But with Chaos, who knows my past, conversing with her made that solitude feel blissfully forgotten.
Moreover, the one who dragged me here was a goddess, and Chaos was merely her servant, so I held no resentment toward her.
“Ha ha! Aren, you’ve grown so much since safely escaping the labyrinth, that now you have a bit of breathing room in the city, I thought I’d make an appearance in your dreams!”
And then she smiled as she continued.
“I’ve been anxious watching you. But you pulled through and got to the city, so come here!”
Not understanding why she was asking me to come closer, I approached her, and she ruffled my hair.
“Aww, such a good boy! Shouldn’t a wonderful child be praised? More, more pats for you!”
Pat pat.
Her pats sparked a strange feeling, as if I had turned into a little kid.
“Mommy… ugh.”
That was insane. I nearly lost my mind from her affectionate touches.
Also, this odd way she speaks while treating me like a child, plus being a member of the Dragonkin race… how old is she, really?
Is she not a mom, but more like a grandma?
Thud! Thud!
“Gah, ah!”
“Wipe those strange thoughts out of your head immediately!”
While she was continuing to pat my head, I grabbed my head in dismay.
“Hmph. Serves you right.”
I made sure not to think about her age.
She tightened her expression, as if it was time for business.
“Aren, I have a few things to discuss with you. Listen carefully…”
Boom!
What? Why’d it suddenly explode mid-sentence?
I coughed in the thick smoke that spread in my face and waved my arms, trying to clear it, when I heard her voice.
“Oh dear, even here in a dream, my power is still limited.”
“What do you mean, huh?”
Gradually, she became visible through the fading smoke. However, something was notably different.
She just got smaller. …And it was a lot.
Her clothing had also transformed into something more ordinary.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Wow, you suddenly became cute.”
“Eek! How can this be so embarrassing!”
She pouted angrily, a bit flustered.
After calming down, she resumed her serious demeanor.
“This form is a result of my power being too vast to interact with reality, and at the same time…”
At the same time?
“If I wanted to show myself in dreams, it had to be in this half-baked form.”
So she had to keep her power restrained to communicate with me in dreams?
“From the very beginning, simply put, your body and I became bound by the power your master bestowed upon you when you arrived in this world. We’re like family tied by strength rather than blood.”
…Family?
“I am a chaos dragon who feeds on divine power, and you are the only servant of the goddess who received most of her stored power. Hence, we have formed common links that shake our very existence.”
“…Oh.”
“Especially since our spirits have partially interwoven due to the system you received; otherwise, how could we communicate so intimately?”
She pointed at both of us.
“You and I, under the umbrella of the Goddess of Chaos, are now inseparable family, do you understand?”
Upon hearing about our connection to Chaos, the first thought that popped into my mind was: ‘Interesting. So I have some family-like presence in this new world?’
‘I didn’t have anything like this back there, but suddenly, I have it in this world.’
“Now, if you were to die, half of my spirit would be tainted, perhaps driving me mad. And I may descend upon your realm under the name of calamity.”
She said that with a laugh, then her expression softened into a smile.
“In your world, they say a couple are like one soul. Then, we are half of a couple now!”
She winked at me.
“Come here. I’ll support you, so you can live your life without dying! Hurry!”
Confused as to why she was asking me to come closer, I approached her slowly.
“Right. Oh dear, now we don’t match in height! Maybe try to bend down a bit?!”
Ignoring her requests, I raised her and placed her on my knee.
“Eh?”
“Now it’s my turn.”
And began patting her head crazily.
“Mm….”
Seeing it had gone far enough, I paused, only for her to say.
“Just a bit more… feels good….”
Pat pat.
“Hehe. Oh, dear!”
Her figure began to gradually fade.
“Are you trying to wake up from the dream now? Listen carefully. Don’t underestimate the 1st and 2nd floors just because you’ve passed the 3rd. Also, focus on building strength for the time being.”
Sure enough, humility is essential. I nodded in agreement.
“And—”
Before she could finish, she faintly disappeared.
“Gah.”
And with that, I opened my eyes in reality.
It was morning.
*
[Chaos asks if you slept well.]
“Of course. Last night was quite the adventure. One thing’s for sure—I’ll work harder at everything thanks to you, Chaos.”
[Chaos chuckles softly.]
After washing up and getting ready, I opened the door and stepped outside.
‘Where should I go to eat? Are outsiders allowed to eat in the Knight’s dining hall?’
While pondering, the man I saw yesterday, who was Ivelyn’s aide, approached me.
“Good day, Aren. I trust you had a comfortable stay last night?”
“Yes. I had a deep sleep for the first time in a while. By the way, may I ask your name?”
“I must apologize. I am Cain, the Commander’s aide.”
Aide Cain. I’ll have to remember that.
“Oh, we’re not in the middle of introductions. The Commander sent me to bring you to her personal training area, so let’s go.”
Is there something urgent? My stomach felt like it might stick to my back, but asking for food now might get me in trouble.
Following Cain, I headed towards Ivelyn’s private training area.
‘Whoa. This really is a private training area! It’s enormous.’
When we arrived, I found Ivelyn standing in the center of the training ground.
She spotted us and greeted us.
“Cain, good work. You can leave now.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Cain gave a slight bow before leaving.
“Now, Aren? I’m sorry to spring this on you first thing in the morning, but I want to conduct a test.”
Suddenly?
“A test… you say?”
She nodded.
“Correct. I had a heartfelt discussion with Yeriell last night. My sister wants to join you in the party and venture into the labyrinth if you’re okay with it.”
Of course, I had no objections. I mean, it’s beyond satisfactory.
“But I only heard about your capabilities; I don’t know your real strength yet, so I feel uneasy leaving Yeriell with you right away.”
Well, that sounds right.
Whether I joined a party or created one later, it was better for me to be with someone like Yeriell, who had skill, character, and loyalty rather than going solo.
“I take it you don’t mind Yeriell, so can you demonstrate your trust in me through a duel?”
I nodded at her words.
“Sure! I’ll use the physical abilities of an E-rank average adventurer on the lower floors. Please, do your best to fight.”
Saying this, she tossed me a wooden sword.
“It’s made of iron wood, so it’s quite durable. No need to worry about it breaking.”
She started to warm up as she spoke.
“Grab your sword, Aren. Let’s see your skills!”
Alright, if I can impress Ivelyn here, it would benefit not just me but also Yeriell.
“Let’s do this!”
[Activate Strong Body.]
[Each physical rating increases by one stage.]
“Oh! You know how to activate your Strengthening technique? This is more interesting than I expected. I’ll let you attack first. Come at me!”
[Chaos urges me not to overdo it during the duel.]
‘Don’t worry, it’s a duel, I won’t die.’
“Ha!”
I launched into an assault with a diagonal slash after dashing toward her.
Clang!
Ivelyn narrowed her eyes at the unexpectedly fast and strong attack before retreating slightly and deftly shifting her sword to deflect my strike.
‘As expected, her experience and technique are on another level.’
“I can feel your stats are likely higher than the average for lower floors. This is getting fun! Now it’s my turn, so get ready!”
She charged at me, and I felt my vision slow down due to Chaos.
?!
The speed of her charge and the movement of her attack.
They all matched my statement of E-rank abilities.
Yet, not a single trajectory was visible.