Chapter 216. A Dream Inside a Dream (4) (1/2)

“….”

His cheeks hurt. Damp fog tickled his eyes and caused them to water up. Seol Jihu rubbed his eyes harshly.

He felt like he woke up from a catnap he took in the middle of an exam period.

[Are you okay?]

Flone shoved her face in front of Seol Jihu.

“Yes….”

Seol Jihu replied powerlessly, then turned his gaze.

‘This is…’

He could tell he was in a forest, but he couldn’t see the sky.

[Do you think you can stand up?]

It was then that Seol Jihu realized he was lying down.

‘So that’s why my back felt so comfortable.’

He raised his upper body and immediately became dazed. Everyone was lying down on their backs or stomachs. Their eyes were closed as if they were all sleeping.

At that moment, the bluish light flowed through the fog, glimmering in front of him once again.

[Don’t look!]

Flone placed her hand on Seol Jihu’s head and pushed it down.

“Flone?”

[The same thing happened before!]

Flone shouted impatiently.

[Everyone fainted when the stone suddenly shone!]

“…What?”

[It’s true! Everyone just plopped down one by one…!]

According to Flone, the expedition team had lost consciousness after seeing the light. This had to mean that the light had the power to forcefully put people to sleep.

Seol Jihu quickly turned his back on the dolmen.

“What about you, Flone? You’re okay…?”

[Me? I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong with me.]

Flone didn’t dream. She didn’t even lose consciousness. She had proven that the curse didn’t work on her.

Perhaps it was because she wasn’t a living being, or perhaps it was because members of the Rothschear family were being protected somehow.

[Are you sure you can just sit still?]

Flone asked carefully while Seol Jihu was organizing his thoughts.

[Your comrades… they seem to be in danger. Though it’s not as bad as you.]

Seol Jihu looked around in a startle. Just like Flone said, he could hear groans ringing out everywhere. Everyone looked sick and pale…

“Uek… keuk…”

But there was one person in particular who seemed to be in a serious condition.

“Liar… you’re a liar…”

Phi Sora was drenched in cold sweat, murmuring in her sleep. Seol Jihu wasn’t sure what she was dreaming about, but it was easy to see she was in agony. He shot up, then paused.

He had to save her, but how?

“Flone, you were the one who talked to me in my dream, right?”

[Yeah. You heard me?]

“Yes, how did you talk to me?”

[Well… I’m not sure.]

Flone spoke hesitantly.

[Everyone suddenly collapsed… and I didn’t know what to do. You didn’t wake up when I shook you, and slapping your cheeks didn’t work…]

‘So that’s why my cheeks hurt.’

Seol Jihu asked as he rubbed his chin.

“So?”

[So I put my mouth against the pendant as a last-ditch effort and just shouted….]

“Ah.”

Flone must have shouted when he was in his room wallowing in despair.

[Do you have any idea how worried I was? Your face turned pale and you suddenly had trouble breathing…]

While Flone grumbled quietly, Seol Jihu fell into thought.

‘I don’t have enough information.’

“Flone, did you hear anything else about the pendant?”

[Mm… I think it has some other secrets.]

“Really?”

[Yeah, but Grandpa stopped to tell me to run away, when he was in the middle of telling me about it….]

Flone spoke sulkingly.

[But he said to bring the pendant if we’re going to go search for the inheritance. He said it would work as a lighthouse.]

“Lighthouse?”

[Yep. Even if there is an external threat, he said the ‘promise’ would protect us…]

Seol Jihu bit his lip. He was sure that the pendant would help them find the inheritance, but he had no way of knowing what function it had exactly.

‘At this rate….’

The nightmare was getting more and more intense the longer the dream went on. He had to hurry and wake everyone up.

“Kuk… kuk…”

While Seol Jihu was racking his brain for an answer, Phi Sora’s breathing became irregular.

Now wasn’t the time to hold anything back. Seol Jihu approached Phi Sora as if to clutch at straws. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was worth trying the same thing Flone did.

And so just as he held the pendant up with his left hand and rested Phi Sora’s head on his right…

Pzzzt!

An intense current of electricity flowed through his palm to his body.

“Ah…!”

He immediately experienced the feeling of freefall as if the ground vanished and he was descending into an abyss.

[Ehh!?]

As Flone’s voice grew faint, Seol Jihu’s vision instantly blackened.

*

When light returned to his eyes, a familiar scenery was spread out in front of Seol Jihu’s eyes.

An endless sandy beach and a single villa standing on a steep seaside cliff. It was the ancient emperor’s villa.