◈ 13. A Mace for the Swindler
“…D-Did you… r-remember… everything?”
Hearing that shameless question from the Count made my fists clench involuntarily.
“Yeah, you brazen bastard. You must’ve been thrilled when you heard I forgot about that day because of the fever. You were planning to play the victim and milk it for all it’s worth, weren’t you?”
Before regaining my memories, I had little knowledge of what had happened at the Count’s estate.
When I first heard people say, ‘Nikellus caused trouble at the Count’s estate,’ I assumed it was just the original Nikellus losing his temper and causing a scene.
I’d nearly coughed up a fortune in reparations, thinking it was genuinely his fault.
If it weren’t for the reward of memory fragments I received upon completing the divine revelation, I might have gone through with it.
But now…
“I’ve remembered everything. So, stop stalling and tell me—where’s The Oldest Seer? Where have you locked her up?”
“The… Oldest Seer…?”
“Yeah, the person you kidnapped. Tell me where you’re keeping them!”
The Count’s expression revealed his fear.
I figured a little intimidation would be enough to make him spill the truth.
But then…
“The Seer is…”
“Hmm?”
“The Seer is mine! Mine alone!”
“…What?”
The man who had been trembling just moments ago suddenly raised his voice.
It was as if he’d been ensnared by some spell, his demeanor flipping without warning.
“What the hell? Have you suddenly lost your mind? Watch your tone—”
“No one, not even you, can take it from me!!”
“Has he really gone mad…?”
“Ask about the Seer all you want! It’s useless! I will never, under any circumstances, reveal anything to you!”
Sure, the Seer he kidnapped was undoubtedly a person of immense value.
But prioritizing protecting the Seer over his own safety, even as he was about to be beaten?
Something about this didn’t add up.
The way his demeanor shifted so unnaturally at the mere mention of the keyword ‘Seer’ was suspicious, to say the least.
‘…Open Information Window.’
Something felt off, so I opened the information window to check.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
His skills were unimpressive, and his Karma Points were predictably low.
Honestly, I had considered the possibility that he was a non-Awakened and that the information window wouldn’t appear at all.
Still, while everything else seemed ordinary, something caught my eye at the very bottom of the window: a section labeled ‘Special Notes’ with an unexpected line beneath it.
Special Notes―Currently under the influence of a mind-control skill.
So, his sudden loss of fear was due to a skill’s effects?
That explained a lot.
When caught in the grip of a mind-altering skill, rational decision-making would naturally go out the window.
‘Now that I think about it, this guy acted the same way when the original Nikellus came here the first time. He was weirdly obsessed with the Seer back then, too. Was he already under the influence of this skill at that time?’
The original Nikellus, fully aware of the Count’s actions, had demanded the immediate release of the kidnapped Seer.
Even as Nikellus shouted and threatened, the Count had held firm.
“I don’t know how you figured out I took the Seer, but without evidence, there’s nothing you can do about it~”
…He even provoked him.
That smug taunt had enraged Nikellus, who, in turn, went berserk, threatening to demolish the estate.
Only then, realizing the gravity of the situation, had the Count fled using a flight item, narrowly escaping with his life.
That was the story behind the incident.
In short:
- The Count had kidnapped the Seer first.
- Nikellus, seeking to rescue the Seer, stormed the Count’s estate, causing chaos and destroying the property.
- After I possessed Nikellus’s body, I lost the memory of the Seer’s abduction.
- Exploiting this, the Count painted me as a lunatic who rampaged through his estate without cause and even demanded compensation.
- But now, it seemed all of this might have happened because the Count was under the influence of a mind-control skill.
‘How did he get caught up in this? It’s not like he’s poor. He should’ve had at least one mind-control resistance item.’
Could it be that the skill affecting the Count was powerful enough to disable his protective items?
If so, this wasn’t any ordinary skill.
It had to be at least A-rank.
‘Either way, this is turning into a hassle.’
Judging by the Count’s current state, I’d likely need to employ some forceful interrogation methods to extract the Seer’s whereabouts.
Before proceeding, I subtly signaled Rubin with a glance, indicating it was time to start recording.
Once Rubin nodded in acknowledgment, I turned back to the Count.
“Yours? The Seer belongs to no one. Kidnapping her under the cover of night. And now you’re brazenly justifying it?”
“I—I took her for their protection!”
The Count blurted out exactly the response I’d been steering him toward.
He’d fallen into the trap far too easily.
Perhaps this was the effect of the mind-control skill?
Regardless, I kept my expression steady to coax a more complete confession.
“Protection?”
“If I’d left her in that flimsy Tower of Prophecy or whatever, sooner or later, foreign powers would’ve dragged them away!”
“Are you implying that you kidnapped her before that could happen?”
“I couldn’t just sit by and watch such a valuable human resource be so carelessly managed! Before any foreign force could whisk them away, I acted first, for the good of the Empire—to protect her—!”
“That’s enough. You can stop barking now.”
The moment I heard everything I needed; I turned to Rubin.
“Did you get all that?”
“Yep, I captured his face clearly, and the audio’s perfect.”
“Good. Make sure to save it securely. This is critical evidence to expose his kidnapping scheme.”
Even in this era of slow technological advancement, magical recording devices for capturing footage did exist.
It seemed the Count realized this too, as his expression stiffened.
He had figured out that his confession had been recorded.
Though he clamped his mouth shut too late, Rubin had already saved the incriminating scene.
Now, all that remained was to get the Seer’s location out of him. And for that—
“You can stop the recording now. What’s next is better left unseen by the public.”
…With that simple request, I gave Rubin the go-ahead to stop.
I’d worried that he might stubbornly hold out, but fortunately, it only took three punches to get him to talk.
Even under the influence of a mind-control skill, the Count was clearly unaccustomed to physical violence, which made him cave quickly.
The first punch left him mumbling in disbelief.
“How dare you… How dare you strike me…?!”
The second punch made him scramble to negotiate.
“I—I’ll double the compensation I promised! Let’s just stop here, shall we…?”
And with the third punch, he finally broke.
“The villa… Southwest coast of Filma Ridge (필마령) 1필마령 (Filmaryeong) likely refers to a specific location within the story, such as a mountain pass, ridge, or geographic feature. The word “령 (嶺)” in Korean commonly translates to “ridge,” “pass,” or “mountain range.”!. That’s where I’m keeping the Seer!!”
He blurted out the Seer’s location.
I could’ve stopped there, but I landed two more punches for good measure.
This was the same man who had taken advantage of the memory gaps caused by my possession of Nikellus.
He’d hidden his role in the Seer’s abduction and even painted Nikellus as the sole aggressor, demanding compensation.
His vile antics deserved some correction—courtesy of my fists.
For now, the Count was securely restrained in a secluded area while Rubin and I headed to the villa he mentioned.
Flying swiftly through the air, Rubin, who carried me on his back, suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, Niké. Can you explain what’s really going on?”
“Hm?”
“I get that this ‘Oldest Seer’ was kidnapped by the Count. And now you’re rescuing them for the sake of justice?”
Justice, huh?
The question pricked my conscience, so I hesitated for a moment before responding.
“Well, not exactly for something as lofty as justice. When the seer was kidnapped, she appeared in my dreams. She said she was taken by the Count and promised to reveal some critical information if I helped her. It was a sort of proposal… in my dream.”
“In your dream…?”
“Yeah. Do you know about the ‘Dream Demons’?”
Rubin’s tail swished energetically as he answered.
“Of course! They’re a type of low-ranking demon, right? They appear in dreams with a beautiful form, beguile their victims, and feed on their vitality.”
The female ones are called ‘Succubi’, while the male ones are known as ‘Incubi’. Collectively, they’re referred to as Dream Demons (Mongma, 夢魔).
The Oldest Seer have always had a deep connection to those Dream Demons.
“In the distant past… No, not as far back as the ancient times when you were born, Rubin. It was more recent than that.”
I whispered close to Rubin’s fluffy ear, ensuring he could hear every word clearly.
“There was a certain Dream Demon back then, but their preferences were a bit peculiar. Unlike other Dream Demons, this one didn’t sneak into people’s dreams to feed on their vitality. Instead, this demon only peeked into their memories and desires.”
“…Memories and desires?”
“Yes. People’s secret past memories, vivid in their dreams, their present recollections… and their hopes for the future.”
After explaining that much, I looked up at the sky.
Three moons hung above this world: a red moon, a blue moon, and a white moon.
Although smaller than the moon on Earth, there were three of them here, shining brightly.
Surrounding them, like countless dreams spun nightly by people, was a river of stars.
Gazing at those stars, I continued.
“Moving through countless dreams, peering, meddling, and peering again, the Dream Demon eventually developed a new ability—one that allowed them to foresee the future.”
“Wait, foresight? That’s…!”
“Yes, it’s incredibly rare. By analyzing the vast data of memories and desires they’d stolen from tens of thousands of dreams, they gained the ability to calculate what would happen in the future.”
“Data analysis…? Oh, I get it!”
Rubin’s tail wagged enthusiastically as he excitedly latched onto a concept he understood.
I took advantage of his interest and slyly asked.
“What do you think that Dream Demon did with their newfound ability to foresee the future?”
“Hmm. If it were me… Maybe world domination?”
“…You want to dominate the world?”
“Hey, it’s just a hypothetical! I don’t actually plan to do it.”
…Really?
A chill ran down my spine, but I chose to continue, revealing the twist in the story.
“Well, anyway, you’re not entirely wrong. Usually, when someone gains power like that, their first instinct is to satisfy their own desires. But strangely, this Dream Demon did the exact opposite. Instead of ruling over others, they chose to hide.”
“Hide…?”
“They abandoned their identity as a demon and married a human, blending into human society. The descendants born from this union are now known as the ‘Seer Clan’. They inherited a fraction of the Dream Demon’s foresight ability.”
That was why I referred to the Dream Demon as a ‘demonkin’ rather than a ‘monster’.
Among demonkin, only those who harmed humans were labeled as monsters, but this Dream Demon caused no harm.
Thus, they weren’t monsters—just a being of a different species from humans.
“But why?”
Rubin tilted his head, puzzled by my story.
He seemed to find it strange that a Dream Demon with the power of foresight would choose to blend into human society instead of dominating the world.
After a moment’s thought, I answered.
“Who knows? It’s hard for ordinary people to understand the thoughts of someone who can see the future. So, I’m not entirely sure either… but maybe they foresaw something.”
“Like a massive catastrophe? Something that made them feel they had to hide within human society?”
“Maybe. They might have foreseen something like that. Anyway, the one I’m going to rescue—the ‘Oldest Seer’—is someone who inherited their powers particularly strongly. I still don’t know why she is called that, but… it seems she carries the Dream Demon’s blood strongly enough to move in and out of people’s dreams.”
I tried to recall the memory I had recovered through the ‘Fragment of a Lost Memory’—the moment the Oldest Seer appeared in Nikellus’s dream.
‘She was quite young. Barely twenty years old, I think?’
The Seer who appeared in the dream had been youthful, a stark contrast to the title of ‘Oldest Seer’.
Around them floated an uncountable number of glowing fragments, each radiating a gentle light.
It wasn’t hard to guess what they were.
Dreams.
The glowing fragments were all dreams, gathered through the Dream Demon’s unique ability to ‘harvest dreams’.
Dreams of the dead and the living…
Dreams of emperors and beggars…
Dreams of great heroes and terrible villains…
The Seer reached out with her pale hand, selecting one dream from among the countless others.
This particular dream shone brighter than all the rest.
Handing it to Nikellus, the Seer posed a question:
—”Whose dream do you think this is?”
…That was the riddle they had given.
