Chapter 73

"Wow!! The lady won!"

"Come on, those who bet on the owner, hand over the money~"

The people were as excited as if a festival had been held, cheering and enjoying themselves.

I collected the money on the table.

"Huh... How foolish. Even though my intelligence is low, my alcohol metabolism is S-class... I'm not drunk at all right now..."

Ding!

[Seiza 'Pro Trainer' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[If you're drunk, wipe your feet and go to bed.]

"But I'm not drunk at all... What are you talking about...? Ah, I want to get drunk too...!"

At that moment, the man who had been following me around and setting up the betting ring chuckled and handed me a large envelope.

"Miss, you asked where the good restaurant was earlier, right? This meat pie is absolutely delicious. It's a gift!"

Why is he giving this to me?

I was curious, but I needed food, so I took it.

Then the man chuckled again and said,

"I bet all my money on you today and won a lot!"

Ah, that's what it was.

I took a big bite of the meat pie and started my journey to find Clyde.

"Mmm. But where should I start looking for Clyde...?"

But the journey wasn't long.

"I'll give you as much money as you want. Please paint me!"

"Oh, my lord. I've never seen such a perfect creation in my life!"

"My muse!"

"......?"

Suddenly, the area where the artists were painting became noisy.

Feeling something was off, I went over and saw a familiar handsome man.

Clyde, dressed in a deep blue toy soldier uniform.

'Some people work hard to earn money, while others just stand there and get paid.'

The injustice of the world made my appetite disappear.

"...He definitely is handsome."

Dressed in a toy soldier uniform, he looked like a prince.

At that moment, our eyes met.

* * *

A few hours before the two met.

Clyde woke up outside the castle, dressed in a toy soldier uniform.

He observed his attire and the surroundings to understand the situation.

"Am I a gatekeeper?"

Although his outfit was excessively elaborate for a guard, it didn't matter.

After all, the dungeon was nothing more than an illusion based on the whims and hopes of the demon contractor.

Dreams must eventually come to an end.

The weak-minded who made a contract with a demon to see such a trivial illusion were disgusting and repulsive.

It was like seeing his foolish father.

Clyde tried to use magic to jump over the castle wall but realized his mana wasn't working.

"Seems like a world without magic."

The dungeon follows the rules set by the demon contractor, so this was possible.

A dungeon without magic was less dangerous but had a high probability of having absurd and strict rules.

Therefore, powerful mages like Clyde usually didn't prefer such puzzle-like dungeons.

'Delve, right? He said he likes art, so it's likely to be a dungeon related to that.'

He didn't understand how his uniform and art were related.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

Then a one-legged toy soldier in the same uniform approached him.

"Hello. I am the messenger of dreams, here to tell the new resident of the village about their dream. I will tell you your dream."

"Dream?"

"Yes. This is a world where you can do whatever you like. Therefore, all residents must pursue their dreams by doing what they love."

Dreams. Do I even have a dream?

Clyde thought it was quite a peculiar dungeon and opened the envelope.

He grimaced when he saw his dream written on the card.

[Clyde's Dream: Live an ordinary life like Tereza]

"What the...?"

Clyde couldn't swear because he didn't know how the rules would apply.

He could understand that his dream was an ordinary life, but why was 'like Tereza' added as a clue?

Does he think I envy Tereza? That fool?

It was absurd.

The one-legged soldier extended a round white bracelet.

"Please wear this happiness bracelet. Since you have no particular interests, it will measure how faithfully you pursue your dream each day."

"How will it know?"

"The white color represents a value of '0'. When you do something enjoyable, the bracelet turns green. Conversely, if it turns black, you will be deemed unsuitable for this world and executed."

Clyde nodded.

"Got it. You can go now."

"Yes. Have a pleasant day."

The one-legged soldier turned and disappeared.

He muttered irritably.

"I need to find Tereza first."

To understand what it meant to live an ordinary life 'like Tereza,' she had to be there.

"Does he want me to be a complete fool?"

Of course, the current Tereza is more like a slightly crazy person than a fool.

But he didn't want to be such a crazy person.

"I'm going to be annoyed."

He moved to a crowded place first.

He had a strange certainty that Tereza would be doing something noticeable.

Then an old man with white hair, sitting by a quiet laundry area, called out to him.

"Hey, handsome soldier. Are you looking for someone?"

Clyde nodded.

"Yes."

"If so, go to the square. If you go further, you'll only find a village of poor people."

Poor people?

He thought this was a fairy-tale world where people only did enjoyable things and pursued their dreams.

He felt something was off and continued talking to the old man.

"Are there poor people here? The village is so close to the castle, it's strange."

"Hehe, this is a village of the waiting."

"...Waiting?"

The old man showed him his bracelet.

The bracelet was almost completely black but not quite.

"Those who fail to achieve their dreams, lose their dreams, or dislike their dreams have their bracelets turn black. Eventually, they are taken to the castle."

"To be executed?"

"Yes."

The old man, who was about to die, didn't seem particularly afraid.

Feeling Clyde's confusion, the old man chuckled and said,

"The lord doesn't know that old people don't dream much. He is young and has many things he wants to do."

"Being young doesn't mean everyone has dreams and things they want to do."

"That's true. Look at that child."

Clyde looked in the direction the old man pointed.

A young boy was digging the ground with a stick.

The bracelet on the boy's wrist was a similar color to the old man's.

"Being a child doesn't mean they have endless things they want to do. Imagination, dreams, and hope are quite luxurious."

The old man looked up at the always clear sky.

"Ironically, that's why the lord wanted this world. A happy and enjoyable world where everyone can dream."

Clyde thought it was a disgustingly twisted idea but didn't say it out loud.

He was an unhappy dreamer.

A desperate desire that could never be fulfilled.

Human.

It was a 'dream' that couldn't be achieved through effort.

Even if he wanted to compromise, he couldn't.

"...Thanks for telling me. Is the square that way?"

"Follow the road, and you'll see a fountain. From there, you'll see a fantastically beautiful scene. Look forward to it."

We'll see. Would someone from the capital be impressed by something beautiful?

Clyde shrugged and headed for the square.

As he approached the square, the crowd grew, and a festival-like scene unfolded.

The excessive joy felt strangely obsessive.

'What a disgustingly unpleasant world.'

A dry and harsh reality seemed much better.

As he reached the fountain, he felt intense gazes on him.

Clyde frowned and looked around.

Everyone, regardless of age or gender, stared at him in a daze.

"An angel..."

It was a common occurrence in the real world, but the reactions of the dungeon residents were unusually intense.

"I'll give you as much money as you want. Please paint me!"

"Oh, my lord. I've never seen such a perfect creation in my life!"

"My muse!"

I want to kill them all.

He ignored the nonsense and scanned the area, stopping at a particular spot.

The first thing that caught his eye was a red skirt fluttering in the wind.

A blouse that revealed blindingly white shoulders and a white headband that accentuated her long, black hair.

A woman with a unique and somewhat dangerous aura that didn't blend in with the surroundings.

"Follow the road, and you'll see a fountain. From there, you'll see a fantastically beautiful scene. Look forward to it."

Clyde frowned deeply.

'What a ridiculous idea.'

But it seemed that to others, she looked fantastically beautiful, as evidenced by the men lurking nearby like waiting wolves.

'So annoying.'

Clyde unknowingly quickened his pace toward Tereza.

Then he stopped.

"...Did you drink?"