IBYVS 49

Chapter 49

I quickly darted my eyes back and forth.

But there was nothing under the bed.

“That’s strange.”

In the original story, Mephisto lived under the bed…

Mephisto fed on the dreams of his contractors in exchange for lending them power.

As a result, anyone whose dreams were devoured by Mephisto had to endure terrifying nightmares every night.

Horrific dreams filled with self-loathing and self-deprecation, where one would drown in what they lacked most.

Even in the original story, Calib suffered from countless sleepless nights because of this, growing increasingly irritable.

“Lady Elia, are you looking for something?”

Olivia knelt beside me with a worried expression.

She probably thought I might have dropped an accessory while stopping Calib’s outburst yesterday.

“Ah, wait a moment…!”

I stopped Olivia from looking under the bed.

In the original story, due to the aura left by Mephisto, the maids went through a period of severe nightmares.

“It’s nothing.”

Feigning nonchalance, I stood up and prepared to leave Calib’s room with Olivia.

Creek… creek…

If it weren’t for the strange sound from the ceiling…

I looked up, and there it was.

“…Mephisto.”

Mephisto, who should have been under the bed, was hanging from the chandelier lighting Calib’s room, spewing black flames and glaring at me intently.

“Lady Elia?”

I froze in place, and Olivia called out to me with curiosity. At the same time, Mephisto let out a mocking laugh.

“Huh.”

As Mephisto leapt with force, the precariously swaying chandelier began to fall.

The creek… creek… sound must have been the screws loosening.

“Watch out!”

I pushed Olivia out of the room in a panic.

Crash!

A tremendous noise rang out, accompanied by the shattering of tiny pieces of glass.

I had intended to run toward the door as well, but after pushing Olivia, there wasn’t enough time.

“Lady Elia!”

After the chandelier completely shattered, Olivia’s piercing scream rang out.

The lamps from the chandelier broke, and pale smoke rose.

Amid the commotion, I found myself protected from behind by someone.

“Huh… Cedric?”

It was none other than Cedric, who had gone to perform the oath of loyalty.

When did he even appear? Cedric stood in front of me, extending a protective barrier to shield me from the chandelier’s debris.

“Lady Elia, are you alright?”

He kept a keen eye on the surroundings and removed his jacket.

Then, draping it over my slumped shoulders, he helped me stand.

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. Thank you.”

“A major incident, indeed.”

There was a chill in Cedric’s eyes as he spoke, as if he already knew the cause of this disaster.

“Lady Elia…!”

Outside, Olivia called me desperately, but Cedric used gravity magic to close the door.

Then he turned to observe Mephisto, hanging from the corner of the wall like a giant spider.

“Body shaped like a wind balloon, skin covered with black flame-like hair, four insect-like legs, and nine red eyes… Ra—”

Even just looking at him gave me goosebumps, yet Cedric recited Mephisto’s features precisely.

“This is definitely the one from my brother’s nightmare.”

After assessing him, Cedric split the air and drew out his staff.

If Calib’s staff resembled a wand the length of his forearm, Cedric’s staff was like one a great sage might wield.

I guessed that Cedric’s height neared 190 cm, yet this staff was even taller.

This was the same staff he had used in the magic tournament to break the Emperor’s staff.

Wow… so cool.

I had wondered what this staff looked like since there were no illustrations, and now I finally saw it.

But Cedric was such a genius that he could perform considerable magic without a staff.

The protective barrier shielding me was probably cast without it.

In other words, him drawing this staff meant he was going all out.

“How dare you touch my brother.”

Cedric spoke, cold as a blizzard in midwinter.

The words were so piercingly cold that they felt sharp.

“You must be ready.”

He tilted the staff toward Mephisto.

Mephisto was undoubtedly a mighty archdemon but had not yet found a contractor.

So if he fought Cedric now, he’d likely lose.

No, wait—that can’t happen!

I grabbed Cedric’s shoulder in panic.

“Wait, Cedric.”

“Lady Elia, step back for a moment.”

“Just a moment! I… I need to deal with that… that strange creature!”

“…Deal with?”

Cedric looked at me as if I were insane.

As if to say, how could you “deal with” something like that?

I nodded firmly.

“I want to figure out what it really is.”

“Normally, if the cause is eliminated, the chain of events disappears as well.”

That’s true, but…

Cedric turned back to confront Mephisto.

I groaned inwardly.

Though Mephisto tormented Calib, he was also his magical mentor.

Calib was a genius now, but still young and incomplete in many ways.

If this part were improved, he could become an even greater genius.

For example, someone capable of bringing the royal family to the brink of destruction.

Anyway, Mephisto helped fill in those gaps.

So I couldn’t just eliminate him!

I struggled for a solution, then decided to speak honestly.

“…I’m curious.”

“Huh?”

“I want to know what that bizarre thing really is! So, I want to figure it out!”

“….”

“….”

Silence followed.

Cedric didn’t look at me, but I imagined his expression was twisted in puzzlement.

He probably had a million question marks floating in his mind.

I quickly tried to explain.

“So, I want to find the cause. Killing it isn’t the answer.”

“….”

“I want to tell Calib, ‘This is why you had that nightmare.’ That would reassure him, right?”

I found myself speaking fluently without pause.

Damn, I should’ve said this first instead of just blurting out curiosity.

Even as I spoke, Cedric didn’t respond.

I held my breath, waiting.

Finally, he exhaled sharply.

“Hmm, understood.”

“Huh?”

“There are parts I don’t fully understand, but Elia, I believe you have a reason for saying that.”

As expected, he wasn’t easily swayed.

I couldn’t win with a hastily made excuse.

“So, for now—”

Cedric put the staff away and made a gesture as if grasping at the air.

Mephisto, who had been observing us from the corner, floated helplessly as if trapped in a transparent soap bubble.

“We’ll capture it alive.”

Relieved, I let out a breath and pressed my hand to my chest.

“Thank you for listening to me.”

I tightened the jacket draped over my shoulders and spoke with a smile.

Cedric’s ears flushed slightly as he replied slowly.

“Of course. We’re family.”

…Oh. Um.

“Y-Yes.”

I felt like I’d just been unexpectedly attacked.

It was true, and I knew it…

Anyway, after capturing Mephisto, we reopened the door.

Inside the bubble, Mephisto remained temporarily invisible.

Through the bustling servants, I saw Olivia, tears in her eyes, and Calib, disheveled from running over.

“Elia!”

“Lady Elia!”

As soon as they saw me, they rushed forward.

“Are you alright?”

“Any injuries?”

Calib jumped into my arms, while Olivia clasped her hands in front of her and checked me carefully.

Thanks to her fairy strength, I didn’t get slammed by Calib’s body.

I held Calib easily and smiled awkwardly.

“Cedric protected me. So I’m fine. Olivia, how about you?”

I worried that she might have been hurt when I pushed her.

She shook her head, tears in her eyes.

“I’m fine, thanks to your protection, Lady Elia.”

Thankfully, she seemed sincere.

We dismissed the servants and headed to a nearby parlor.

Olivia served tea and left, leaving me, Cedric, and Calib to sit across from each other.

Despite the awkward atmosphere during lunch, things felt normal now.

Cedric spoke.

“I found the source of your nightmare.”

“The source of my nightmare?”

“Yes. And I caught it.”

With a snap of his fingers, the Mephisto bubble that had disappeared reappeared in midair.

I worried that showing it suddenly might trigger a seizure in Calib.

Fortunately, it was opaque, so only a dark silhouette was visible.

“This is the source of your nightmare, the Archdemon, Lord of Deception, Mephisto.”

The distorted Mephisto let out a croaking sound.