Philip followed Privia’s guidance and settled into the chair.
“Close your eyes and let your mind ease. Entering soone else’s dream is a privilege reserved for superior beings and a daunting task for humans. However, with your strong ntal fortitude and the child’s unstable mind, there should be no problem.”
“… I understand.”
‘Seems like so kind of hypnotic treatnt.’
Taking slow, deep breaths, Philip ceased all movents except for his breathing.
As he approached a state close to complete trance, he could feel Tania’s breath, hear the rhythm of her heartbeat, and even sense the movent of her internal organs against his knees.
Gradually, the darkness gave way to a hazy image.
It revealed a desolate and bleak landscape. Philip realized that he was hovering in mid-air.
There, he saw Tania, a young kitten, confined in a grimy and narrow prison, her body covered in scars and patches of missing fur.
“That’s Tania.”
An eerie feeling washed over him, as if he had beco a ghost. Philip observed Tania closely.
“She seems very frightened. I wonder what she’s afraid of.”
Soon, he discovered her fear as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps echoing from the corridor outside the prison.
“… Mom… Aunt.”
A feeble and fearful voice reached his ears before the prison door opened.
Three figures entered the scene – a cold-blooded assassin, a man who appeared to be a high-ranking noble, and a figure draped in a robe, their gender indistinguishable.
They gazed at Tania, whose fur was bristling, and engaged in a conversation.
“… Has she cald down a bit now?”
“She is still rebellious, but her mind will collapse within a year.”
The assassin responded to the nobleman’s inquiry.
“Do we really have to go through this cumberso process? Can’t we just torture her a bit to make her more obedient? It doesn’t seem necessary to completely shatter her personality and brainwash her again.”
“Using crude thods to subdue her would be too dangerous due to her Shadow Cat bloodline. Others may be deceived by the Count’s senses, but the Shadow Cat blood flows strongly in this girl’s veins. If we don’t thoroughly break her mind, she will beco a significant threat eventually.”
The nobleman chuckled at the explanation.
“Well, I guess there’s no helping it then. I can only trust you guys.”
“… If you entrust it to us, we will certainly take care of it. Understood, Count Eloy.”
As the assassin addressed the nobleman as Count Eloy, Philip gulped. Although it was too dark to see their faces clearly, the na sounded eerily clear.
“That scoundrel.”
Of course, this place was inside Tania’s dream, so there was no chance of him being caught.
“Now, let’s begin.”
The person in robes, who had been silently standing at Count Eloy’s command, removed the hood covering their face. Seeing the face, Philip couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
“It’s Stella, the chief of the Shadow Cat Tribe.”
Her jet-black hair and slightly sharp facial features were identical. However, the impression he rembered was slightly different; she was wearing a sinister smile that sent shivers down his spine.
Soon, the prison door opened, and a woman with Stella’s face approached Tania, holding a whip.
“No… That’s not my aunt. My aunt would never do that to !”
Tania appeared unstable and shouted in fear. But the woman raised the whip without saying a word.
“Are you going to beat that little child with it?”
Count Eloy asked.
“She endured about five blows at first, but nowadays, she loses consciousness after just two.”
The assassin replied. No one in this place felt any sense of guilt. Philip tried to move his body, but he couldn’t take any form in this realm.
“But I can’t just stand by and watch.”
“Watch out.”
Just as the woman was about to strike with the whip, Philip felt a surge of rage and reached out, choking the woman’s neck. He could feel his own body; the sensation of holding a thin neck, the feeling of standing on the ground.
Before thinking about what had happened or how he managed to interfere in soone else’s dream, Philip’s first thought was to do sothing about those people in front of him. He gripped the woman’s neck and slamd her to the ground.
“Aaargh!”
The woman scread, but her face was buried, and she could only moan.
“… Dad?”
Tania’s eyes widened.
“You monsters…”
Philip growled. How could humans tornt innocent children without any guilt?
“You just wait. I’ll definitely, definitely kill you.”
But those monsters remained frozen in place as if soone had pressed the pause button, and stared blankly at Philip who had suddenly appeared.
Then, the background of the prison shattered like a glass mirror. Tania’s short dream ca to an end. Philip felt his consciousness fading and closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Privia’s face. She was staring at him, amused.
“It’s been a while since soone interfered in soone else’s dream. Haven’t it been about 400 years?”
“What are you talking about?”
“In a dream with an owner, becoming aware of oneself is not sothing that usually happens due to the strength of the spirit. But never mind that, what did you see?”
Philip roughly explained the events he learned from Tania’s dream. It was information that he wouldn’t easily reveal to others, but Privia was different.
“… So this guy, Count Eloy, was involved with the Crescent? That ans he has so connection to the demons, doesn’t it? If what you said is true, then this kid was originally destined to be Count’s hidden blade.”
“Seems so. I still don’t know what he intended to do with that blade, but now I know what I have to do. I no longer want to see Count Eloy’s face in my life.”
With that declaration, Privia felt her heart skip a beat. She didn’t show it, but lately, she had been enjoying watching Philip’s actions from the sidelines.
For over a century, the Academy had remained relatively uneventful.
“First, we’ll handle this politically. We need to seek assistance from Lord Baroun in the North. Given his temperant, he’ll contact soon. Additionally, it seems the Shadow Cat Tribe is ready to take action, so I plan to assign them so tasks.”
Privia nodded with satisfaction.
“Well, it won’t be boring for a while.”
“But why isn’t Tania waking up? Could there be a problem?”
“Why do you think? It’s because you revealed yourself, causing a burden on her mind. You forcibly injected new information, and it’s only natural she needs ti to process it. Don’t worry; she’ll wake up after a day’s rest.”
“… That’s a relief.”
Philip sighed, feeling a sense of responsibility to treat Tania better, now that he had indirectly glimpsed into her past life.
* * *
Upon returning to the villa, Philip soon received a visit from Hailey Baroun and Janice Morrela.
“We happened to et nearby. When I heard he was going to the Instructor’s house, I decided to follow along. There’s sothing I wanted to discuss,” Janice said, sipping her honeyed tea.
“I ca here to apologize to you for my personal behavior.”
Hailey Baroun bowed deeply without even sitting on the sofa in the reception room.
“My thoughtless actions caused you trouble, and I sincerely apologize for that. Fortunately, my father said he would step in to rectify my mistake.”
“It’s not like you did anything wrong. Bleuhan Eloy was the one who started the trouble, right?”
Hailey shook his head. “No, that’s not it. Regardless of the outco, the trouble caused by my actions is entirely my fault.”
Although they belonged to the noble family, their upbringing was different. Philip couldn’t help but respect Hailey Baroun’s father for raising the 14-year-old boy so properly.
It was evident that such proper upbringing required exemplary parents.
“Normally, our family mbers don’t discuss past fights, but this ti, I will officially lodge a complaint against the Eloy family. Before blaming you for knocking Bleuhan down, they should explain the persecution of , the family’s successor.”
Janice, who had been listening, quickly raised her hand. “I ca for the sa reason. My father wanted to repay you for helping before, so he said he would stand on the Oswald family’s side in this dispute.”
Philip beca more puzzled, feeling that things were resolving too easily.
If a mber of the Baroun family and the influential Marquis Morrela from the magic world were willing to help him, this dispute could very well beco a non-existent issue.
“That would be greatly appreciated if you do that.”
Philip nodded while Janice quietly rejoiced, making sure her excitent didn’t show.
“Alright, I understand. Since we’ve co this far, let’s take a break and have so fun with Lua. If you’re alright with it, I’ll even treat you to dinner.”
After seeing Janice and Hailey off to Lua’s room, Phillip set out for his own work. His purpose was to visit Joseph Association.
“Oh, Master Phillip. What brings you here?”
The staff warmly greeted Phillip.
“I’ve co to see the storekeeper, Blatt.”
“Blatt is probably in Warehouse 2. If you wait a mont, I’ll call him for you.”
“No need, I’ll go there myself.”
Phillip headed towards Warehouse 2. While the warehouses were typically off-limits to outsiders and even the association’s staff, Phillip was an exception.
“I am honored that you have co to see . Do you have any orders for ?”
Blatt, the warehouse keeper, was a black-haired man in his thirties and a mber of the Shadow Cat tribe.
“There’s sothing to investigate. The target is the Eloy family. I want evidence or witnesses of their cooperation with Crescent.”
Having suffered a major setback in the previous incident, the Shadow Cat tribe had transford under Phillip and Joseph Association support, becoming Phillip’s personal information organization.
Though not yet an official organization, they could assist with basic information gathering.
“I’ll do my best to help, Master.”
Blatt replied with a determined expression. He was ready to make sacrifices for Phillip, who had opened up opportunities for the Shadow Cat tribe and provided unwavering support.
“If you sense anything amiss, imdiately halt all activities and report to . If you need anything for the mission, feel free to request it from the Joseph Association.”
With a few more instructions, Phillip left the association.
———-
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