Chapter 40: Where the Dream Began

Chapter 40: Where the Dream Began

After returning to the real world, Alger patiently waited for the mission Mr. Fool had mentioned to arrive.

On this day, wearing papal vestments and a silver-black mask, he was discussing internal affairs of the Sea God Church with Danitz, the Divine Envoy, when he suddenly saw a bishop enter.

“Your Holiness, the Church of Storms has sent an emissary with two gifts to congratulate you on becoming God’s representative.” The bishop held a box made from white tin and bowed respectfully.

Danitz, who had secretly been rejoicing over Bayam’s telegraph line having broken down earlier, was startled and blurted, “Where is that emissary?”

“He left after delivering the gifts,” the bishop at the door answered with considerable helplessness.

Although members of the Church of Storms were often irritable and impulsive, behavior like this was still quite rare.

Alger nodded gently.

“That they do not treat us with hostility, and even sent an emissary with gifts, is already enough.”

As he spoke, he raised his right hand and made a gentle grasp. The white tin box in the bishop’s hands was lifted by a gust of wind and flew toward him.

After catching the small box, Alger’s movements suddenly slowed, as though he sensed its weight.

He opened the container bit by bit and saw, placed inside, a book bound from yellowish-brown parchment.

Upon the book’s surface, a line of words was written in Elvish:

Book of Calamity.

Book of Calamity… After clearly seeing those words, Alger was momentarily dazed, feeling as if he were dreaming.

But very quickly, he understood this was real. He understood what mission Mr. Fool had spoken of.

Alger sighed soundlessly and looked toward the bishop at the door.

“What is the second gift?”

“It is a ghost ship called the Blue Avenger. It is already docked at the harbor,” the bishop answered, not sensing anything unusual.

Blue Avenger… When Danitz heard that name, he instinctively turned his gaze toward Pope Alger beside him.

He remembered very clearly that this had been the other party’s ship when he was still a pirate.

This meant the Church of Storms knew that the Pope of the Sea God Church was their former cardinal!

Is this supposed to be a congratulation, or a declaration of war? As Danitz’s heart tightened, he realized that the other gift was also something he knew quite well.

It was the extraordinarily evil Book of Calamity, which he had once seen while following Gehrman Sparrow.

“Write a letter back to the Church of Storms for me, thanking them for their gifts,” Alger, having already steadied himself, calmly instructed.

After that bishop left the room, he turned to Danitz and said, “Divine Envoy, I have received Mr. Fool’s oracle. Next, I will leave to complete a mission. Perhaps I will only return several years later.”

“Oracle?” Danitz blurted in astonishment.

At that moment, only one thought echoed through his mind:

Why didn’t I know?

Alger nodded.

“Mr. Fool will soon enter slumber.

“However, this will not affect your prayers receiving responses.”

“…” Danitz was so shocked he could not speak.

Alger continued, “Gehrman Sparrow has also entered slumber along with Him.

“After I leave, the Church’s affairs will be transferred to Elder Derrick Berg of New City of Silver. You must cooperate with him and record in the scriptures the fact that the Sea God is a subordinate god of Mr. Fool, so that all believers accept it.

“Our faith is the key to Mr. Fool’s awakening. As His Divine Envoy, you must set an example in this regard.

“Of course, He may give you new oracles at any time and assign you other missions.”

Danitz felt somewhat dizzy and lost as he listened, but he still understood the gravity of the matter.

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded heavily.

“All right.”

After finishing his instructions, Alger stood, holding the Book of Calamity, and returned to his own room.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he laughed once, then slowly removed the triple tiara from his head and took off the silver-black mask from his face.

Several days later, at Bayam Harbor, on a crowded pier.

Alger lifted his head and looked at The Sun Derrick, whose figure was much larger than his own, and said with a smile, “You have done very well during this period. The Sea God Church has been functioning normally.”

Derrick instinctively wanted to lift a hand and scratch the back of his head again, but he held himself back in the end. With a slight sense of melancholy and reluctance, he said, “Mr. Dow—Your Holiness Wilson, when will you be able to return?”

Alger shook his head.

“Everything ahead remains unknown. No one can say for certain.”

Without waiting for Derrick Berg’s response, he changed the topic.

“You are already sufficiently mature and steady. There is nothing more I need to remind you of.”

At this point, Alger paused, but still spoke.

“If the Rorsted Archipelago encounters a disaster you cannot resist, do not sacrifice yourself to protect this place.”

“Ah?” Derrick immediately froze.

This was Mr. Fool’s most important land of faith and the new homeland of the City of Silver. How could it simply be abandoned?

Alger had long anticipated Derrick’s reaction. With a solemn expression, he explained, “To Mr. Fool, what is most important here are the believers, not these islands. To the City of Silver, what is most important are the people, not the city.

“As long as you can protect Mr. Fool’s believers, protect the citizens of the City of Silver, and transfer them in time, then even if Bayam is lost, even if New City of Silver is lost, even if the Rorsted Archipelago is lost, we can rebuild a new city and a new home elsewhere at any time.

“Remember: do not sacrifice the substance for the sake of form.”

Derrick was deeply moved, grasping the key issue at once.

With heartfelt sincerity, he answered, “I understand. Thank you, Mr. Dow—Your Holiness Wilson. I will protect Mr. Fool’s believers and the people here.”

Alger said nothing more. He turned and walked toward the Blue Avenger, which was docked at that pier.

This ghost ship remained an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship, lagging behind the times, unchanged from before.

Alger looked at it. He looked at the few crew members on deck. Suddenly feeling something, he lowered his head and glanced at himself.

He wore a linen shirt, a brown jacket, and the wide-legged trousers popular locally. Around his waist was a specially made belt, into which were tucked a dagger and a short staff made of white bone.

The corners of Alger’s mouth curved faintly. He took a step forward, rose with the wind, and landed on the deck of the Blue Avenger.

Then he turned and looked at the endless azure sea. Raising his right hand, he said in a deep voice:

“Set sail!”

…

Backlund, Queens Borough, inside the Hall family’s luxurious villa.

Audrey sat on a comfortable sofa, watching her father, Earl Hall, and her brothers, Hibbert and Alfred, discuss the kingdom’s recent situation and future direction. She watched her mother, Lady Caitlyn, constantly summon the butler and stewards, making final arrangements for the ball that was soon to be held.

She did not speak. With a faint, not especially obvious smile, she quietly watched this very common scene from daily life.

After an unknown length of time, Earl Hall looked over with a smile.

“What is our little princess thinking?”

Audrey pressed her lips together, then answered with a light smile, “Guess.”

“I guess you’re thinking about which dress to wear for tonight’s ball, and what hairstyle and makeup to match it with,” Hibbert said in their father’s place, his expression relaxed.

The corners of Audrey’s lips lifted.

“Correct, but there is no reward.”

She then slowly stood and said to her parents and two brothers, “I’ll go upstairs and change into my gown.”

Earl Hall smiled and nodded.

“No need to hurry. Everyone agrees that you are worth waiting for.”

Audrey gently bit her lip, keeping her smile as she walked step by step toward the door.

Just before leaving the room, she paused and turned back for one more look.

Her parents and her two brothers had already resumed what they were doing, either discussing matters or making arrangements.

Audrey’s green eyes seemed to freeze. Bit by bit, she withdrew her gaze.

She left the room, returned upstairs, and entered her bedroom.

The golden retriever Susie had long been waiting there.

Audrey inhaled almost imperceptibly, then raised her right hand and used her index finger to sketch faintly glowing patterns in midair.

Those patterns seemed to come from the deepest layer of dreams.

Several seconds later, the faint light twisted, becoming an exceptionally beautiful girl with blond hair and green eyes—becoming Audrey Hall.

Unlike Audrey, however, this young girl still carried a hint of childishness and a touch of romantic temperament.

“Good evening, Miss Justice~” the girl greeted in a cheerful tone.

The corners of Audrey’s lips curved slightly as she replied, “Good evening, Miss Audrey.”

After that temporary Tarot Gathering, she had finally made up her mind and advanced to Dreamweaver, preparing to split off an identity to accompany her family while she herself left them, keeping them from being affected by the various dangerous matters she would bring.

After looking at herself for two seconds, she turned toward the golden retriever beside her.

“Susie, are you sure you want to follow me?”

“Mm. We are friends forever,” Susie the golden retriever answered seriously.

Justice Audrey said nothing more. She separated a “virtual persona” and entered Susie’s Mind Body, whose restrictions Susie had opened on her own.

Then she once again raised her hand and sketched another Susie into being in midair.

The moment this Susie formed, it opened its mouth and barked.

Audrey then withdrew her gaze and looked at the other version of herself.

After a stretch of silence, although she knew that their thoughts and intentions were shared, she could not help saying to the blond girl before her, “From now on… from now on, I’ll have to ask this of you.”

“Remember to act spoiled with Father more often and make him not work so hard. He is no longer young. He needs to pay attention to his health. Many things can be completely handed over to Hibbert, to Alfred, or to the butlers.

“And slowly guide Mother. Tell her she doesn’t need to care so much about other people’s opinions, and that she doesn’t need to remain perfect in social settings. That is very tiring.

“Mm, don’t forget Hibbert. Make him laugh more often. Don’t let him be so gloomy or always think of things in such complicated ways. Alfred will not threaten his position.

“Alfred… Alfred needs a good wife, someone who will make him no longer want to go adventuring…”

“Mm? Why are you crying? We have already grown up. We cannot still be like little girls.”

Audrey lowered her eyes slightly and smiled at herself, who was crying before her.

“I know. I know.” After that Audrey finished speaking, she tightly pressed her lips together and nodded heavily with a mournful expression.

Justice Audrey withdrew her gaze, picked up the cloak placed nearby, and draped it over herself.

Then, leading the golden retriever Susie, she left the bedroom and entered the corridor.

Below, the hall was already lit. Guests for the ball were arriving one after another. Earl Hall, Lady Caitlyn, Hibbert, and Alfred had already left the previous room and were standing by the entrance.

Audrey stood behind the railing and silently watched for quite some time.

Then, lifting the hem of her skirt in an empty gesture, she gave her parents and brothers, separated by a great distance, a solemn and slow curtsy.

After holding that posture for two seconds, she straightened and raised a hand, pulling up the hood attached to her deep-blue cloak and hiding her face.

Beside her and behind her, the lights were bright and the noise lively. Before her, the sea of collective subconscious, made from countless dim lights, emerged.

“Let’s go.” Audrey’s voice was slightly hoarse as she spoke to Susie.

With that, she stepped into that dark, illusory ocean.

The Audrey inside the bedroom rushed out, crying as she shouted, “You must come back!”

Audrey did not look back. She only raised her right hand and waved once, indicating that she knew.

Her figure, draped in a blue cloak, gradually moved farther and farther through the swaying, silent darkness, until it vanished entirely.