In Mary's dream.

Yes, this is my dream.

In my dream, I am in a flower garden, drinking a nice cup of tea in a gazebo - a covered table and benches.

Would you like another cup of tea?

The handsome butler with blond hair, Ronnie, asks me this question.

He is a servant of the Witch of Time, and for some reason he is taking care of me now.

'Hmm, thanks.

I thank him and ask him to pour me a cup of tea. My free hand reaches for a cookie.

In front of you is a large mirror.

There is a man and a woman.

I drink the most delicious tea, eat the cookies, and watch their adventures in the mirror.

The adventures of Rana, my older brother, and Prine, my childhood friend.

They are going to the lowest level of the dungeon to find the elixir to wake me up after the witch put me to sleep.

As for me, I don't care about such a thing and I didn't ask for it, but it's a good thing that my brother, who once gave up diving into the dungeon because of me, decided to try again.

A few hours had passed since I had woken up here. It is strange to wake up in the middle of a dream, but there it is. My body is not tired at all, and I don't feel the need to go to the bathroom. I can drink all the tea I want.

Time seems to flow strangely here.

In the mirror, it has already been four days since they started their adventure. Along the way, Ronnie has been using a long, thin, small box-like device to speed up the flow of time. Something like 'it's a fast forward'.

It is now the fifth day of the dungeon crawl.

A hastily organized party defeats the boss, and--...

'Demon!

A demon who claims to be under the command of the evil god Mastima has just arrived.

He asks Ronnie.

'What, what, what is this? Who is this guy?

The butler replied with a smile as brilliant as the sun.

'I don't know.

You don't know?

It's not true.

'You're lying!

I couldn't help but to give a hard scolding. The cookie in my hand broke.

I take a deep breath and glare at Ronnie.

Who is this guy? I mean, is there really such a thing as the devil?
'There are gods and monsters in this world. It's no wonder there are demons in this world, right?
'That's true, but... So there really are ....... Isn't that bad?
'It's pretty bad, isn't it?
'But hang in there, big brother, Prine-chan ......!

I whispered this to reach the two people facing the demon.

In the mirror, the battle against the demon began.



A few minutes later.

Gee! Big brother, big brother! Don't die! Come on! Live!

'Oh, you son of a b*tc*! Don't touch Prine with your filthy hands!

'What ...... lie, right ......? Big brother ...... no, run away ......!

'............'

'..............................'

'.............................. Ike,''

'Go, go, go, go! Yeah, brother! There it is!

'IYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! Nice Lana! Well done!

Gut-punching to the heavens.

Ronnie smiles at me as he watches me.

'Well, that was a thrill for me,' he says.
You don't look like that at all. But, yes, thank goodness you're both okay. ......'

I was standing up, and then I was sitting down in a chair, and then I was sneaking back down even further.

'......I ain't gonna let you two die trying to wake me up,' he said.
'Yes, absolutely.

Ronnie laughs, looking rather pleased with himself.

I asked again.

'What the hell is that demon ......, that ...... guy?

He was after my brother. He wanted my brother, who has breathing skills.

If that thing is waiting for us in the future, .......

'Forget about me, don't do anything more dangerous ......'

Ronnie opens his mouth.

'Well, well, you're looking very timid, aren't you? I thought you said you were glad that Rana had started to dive in the dungeon.
I didn't think that something that bad was after me. What the hell, that demon. He's going to kill my brother.
'That's what you said.'
'But ...... Mastima, right? It sounds familiar. ......
''Hoh?''
'I wonder if I heard it through rumors. But it doesn't sound like that. Where did I hear that? ......'
''Ho-ho-ho?''
'I mean, it wasn't called Mastima ( ) in the first place. ...... hmm'.
'I see, I see.'

I glare at Ronnie who smiles.



It's as if you were saying, 'I know everything, but I'm enjoying myself without saying a word.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm scared, I'm scared.
'Tell me about it.
I'm sorry. I can't give you an answer because of the Lord's command.
Tell me, okay?
I'm very sorry.

He's stubborn.
We have no choice. Let's use the other way.

I pulled one shoulder out of the dress and gave Ronnie a withering look.

'If you tell me, you can do whatever you want with me ......?
'Creepy.'
"Ah?"
Sorry about that.'

Ronnie clears his throat.

I wanted to say, 'I know how you feel. You are very beautiful.
''Noooooo! Following up like that doesn't make me happy, heh heh heh heh.'

No. I know it's flattery, but I can't stop smiling.
That's what's so bad about good-looking guys.

'If you follow their adventures, you'll find out the truth sooner or later. Let's wait until then.
'...... I'm going to blow you and your master away one day.
'I look forward to that time, sir.

Smile.
d*mn, this handsome guy. He doesn't seem phased.
I mean, there's no way we're gonna blow him and his master away in the first place.
I'm so pissed off!

If I die, my brother will go and beat him up instead of me.

I said with my full sigh of defeat, but the handsome butler's expression darkened,

'............ then.'
'So what then?'

Then he looked at me sadly,

'--in the not-too-distant future.

He muttered.

'......?'

No matter what I asked him, he never answered me again.



My name is Mary. Lana's sister. She is the most beautiful girl in the world who never wakes up from sleep.

Now she is in the flower garden of her dreams, watching over her brother's adventures.





Dungeon attack, Day 10.

The 16th layer.

We passed through the tombs in the dark of night, with only the moonlight to guide us, and Prine and I stood in front of the abandoned castle.

In front of us was a huge gate.

On either side of us, stone statues of gargoyles look down on us, giving us a very creepy feeling.

I mean, Prine looks like she is about to cry.

'Whew....... HIGH....... Huh....... HIGH......!

I take back what I said before. I was already crying.

She was sobbing and clinging to my arm tightly, letting out inarticulate moans and groans.

He seems to be scared out of his wits. He seems to have reached the limit of his sanity. And now he wants to go inside this creepy castle... I'm worried.

'Prine? Can you go?
'Heh,...... hgh,gsss,i,i,i,i,i,i,i,i can,...... ugh!'

I can't do it.

My knees are shaking so badly, it's hard to even walk. I'm afraid I'm going to shit my pants.

Can't you walk?
'Higg ...... sorry, sorry ....... I can walk, I can walk. ......
'If you want, I can go and try it out, make sure it's safe, and then we can--'
No, no, no, no! Don't leave me! Don't leave me alone!

In the middle of making the suggestion, he cried like a wildfire.
I thought of a couple who were breaking up, and I hastily dismissed the thought.

'Oh, oh. I understand. Well, let's go for it.
'Umm, yes......I'll do my best......I'll do my best......Don't leave me......'
'I won't leave you. I won't leave you.
'yeah...... yeah......'

Prine with tears and snot all over her face. He pulls out a handkerchief and wipes her face, and makes another suggestion.

Hey, Prine. You can wear that cape coat on your head if you are scared. You'll be able to see out of it, but you don't have to. Just put out your hand and connect with me at ......'
'Ho, really ......?'

Prine looks up at me with her bright eyes. I'm startled.

'Yeah. It's best you get on with it.
'I'm sorry, Ra. I'm a weakling, a coward, and a liability. ......'
'That's not true. Come on, put your coat on.
'Yeah. ......'



And Prine puts her coat over her head.
The cape coat of the cat god is white in its bare state, so it looks as if Prine herself has turned into a ghost. Well, she is a cute ghost.

What do you think?
'Oh, uh, uh, this is, this is scary!
'Ha-ha-ha, I can't help it.

I went into the coat with him.
Like the body of a cat, the coat stretched out and easily wrapped both of us.

Inside the coat, I put my face close to Prine's crying face and smiled.

'Here, how about this?
'Oh, it's Ra-kun. ......'

Prine looks so relieved.
So cute.

I put her on my back and look back over my shoulder.
She smiles.

'Let's go on like this, just like we did in the desert, just the two of us together.
'Yes! I love you, Ra!
'Me too.'

I used a baby carrier strap I had saved to hold my body in place, just in case something like this happened.
Now both of us could use our hands.

Okay, let's go.

The cape coat has an opening where we can put out our arms. It's like a vertical slit.
I put my hand through it and push the gate of the castle.

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee .......

Surprisingly, the gate of the abandoned castle was opened easily.