I Can Hear the Saint’s Inner Thoughts

39 – Ready, Cue, Action! (2)

The beings that rule the Demon Realm are fundamentally divided into four kinds.

First, the Demon Lord, the head of demons and monsters.

This guy stays cooped up in his Demon Lord’s castle and never comes out.

He’s declared war on a continent far away from here and even sent out various troops, yet his actions were completely contradictory.

I heard that in the past, he really did set half a continent ablaze and exterminated entire races by killing them all.

Why has he changed his methods to be so passive now?

“The Demon Lord and the Four Heavenly Kings are all hiding in hard to reach places…”

I sighed as I looked around. For a moment, I forgot that this was the Demon Realm because some sweet jazz music was flowing from all around me.

The second kind that rules the Demon Realm are the Four Heavenly Kings, directly chosen by the Demon Lord.

The memory-eating slime, Memoria.

The Unbeatable Knight, Death Knight Durahan.

The wolf that devours time, Romulus.

And lastly, the Succubus Queen, Bellamora Lyktis, called the endless dream.

It is said the territories ruled by the Four Heavenly Kings take on appearances fitting their traits.

For instance, in the case of my nemesis Durahan, he becomes impossible to kill within his territory, fighting until one side is completely obliterated or a bloody pulp.

Similarly, the place ruled by Succubus Queen Bellamora had a distinct characteristic that set it apart.

“Welcome! Our Nightmare Theater welcomes everyone with a story, regardless of race, age, or gender! Let go of the bleakness of reality and enjoy a happy dream!”

It was a place that seemed like paradise on Earth, so bright and cheerful it was almost overwhelming.

The expressions on the faces of the countless people lined up, as if they’d traveled a long distance for this place, were filled with elation and joy.

“We’re finally alive! Now, we can be happy too!”

A human couple, as if they had brought their child, were hugging each other, even shedding tears of joy.

“Mommy…. I’m tired…. And I’m itchy and sore all over….”

The child sandwiched between them was rubbing their eyes and yawning widely.

Normally, for an ordinary person to break through a demon realm swarming with monsters and demons would be close to suicide, so why did they bring their child along on such a dangerous path?

“Hahahaha! I told you! We dwarves no longer have to be cooped up in the mountains hammering away! Ice-cold beer and greasy, delicious chicken are waiting for us!”

Before my eyes now was even a dwarf from the northern Cardaron mountain range, laughing heartily with his companions.

Normally, they are a race that creates high-quality ornaments and weapons, regarding making what’s called a masterpiece as their life’s work.

“I heard that they can surely cure your illness here…. We’re finally here…. Just hold on a little longer.”

And there was even an elf man carrying an elf woman on his back, her entire body withered and pale.

“Yes! Everyone! Thank you for waiting! We will now begin admitting guests! I am the monster, Habaya, who will be checking your tickets!”

Looking at the crowd, a monster with white fur all over its body was smiling brightly and extending its arms. To anyone, it looked like a Yeti protecting its territory while living in the snow mountains.

“I am the demon, Hameln, who will help you if you have trouble entering or can’t have a dream.”

A pale-skinned demon man was sending a greasy smile toward me and my companions. Judging by his tail, horns, and wings, he seemed to be a lower-ranking incubus.

“Thank you!”

“Is it really okay for someone like me to enter…?”

“I sold all my possessions to come here! I’m just a shell of a person!”

As soon as those well-dressed demons and monsters, like guides, appeared, people rushed up, all asking questions as if they couldn’t wait.

“Yes, of course! The currency of the demon realm is blood, dreams, and lifespans! If things aren’t going well, you can even sell your memories in this territory!”

Watching the Yeti and Incubus, speaking with smiles brighter than anyone else, a nauseating feeling rose up, making my mouth taste like vomit.

It was because those smiles felt like sharp blades, meticulously concealing malice, wrapped in a guise of benevolence.

“Woaaahhh!!”

Shouts rose up with their words, people waving their arms, embracing each other in joy. I couldn’t understand their behavior.

“…….”

How the hell was this territory being run? Races that were usually itching to kill each other were now showing such warm anticipation.

“…This is a really unsettling place. It’s supposed to be ruled by a succubus queen, but to see demons, fiends, humans, and all sorts of other races mingling happily while they wait to enter, it’s just wrong.”

Victoria clicked her tongue, watching the fur-covered demon diligently stamping each person’s hand.

– I should have smashed that succubus’s skull with my hammer when we ran into her last time…

Victoria’s inner thoughts were a bitter regret of past events.

Originally, we had been wandering the Demon Realm, aiming to take down the Four Heavenly Kings before killing the Demon Lord, when we accidentally bumped into Bellamora.

Bellamora had immediately trapped us in her dream, and then just vanished without doing anything else.

– Well, thanks to that b*tch, at least I’m now in a fake relationship with Astal, so I guess I should be grateful in a way.

She was the reason that Victoria and I were doing this fake couple routine in the first place. To resist the dream, you had to exploit the discrepancies with reality.

“I agree. What in the world is in this territory that makes everyone act like a bunch of crazed lunatics…?”

Sweet, delicious fruit attracts flies, but the sheer number and intensity here felt beyond excessive.

Bellamora’s territory, known by the moniker “Endless Dream,” was just a place filled with rumors.

Some called it a paradise where anything you couldn’t do in the real world was possible. Others said it was hell, a place from which you could never escape.

“Astal, the perception-blocking magic is working properly, right?”

Anima asked me for confirmation, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

“Yeah, but Bellamora will see through us. She’s a mage of the same caliber as me.”

I spoke, thinking back to the last time I’d seen Bellamora.

A black-haired woman, hiding the tail and wings that were characteristic of her species, as if denying her own nature as a succubus.

– Oh my, hello. Your name is… Astal Kaisaros, correct?

That was the first time my perception-blocking magic had ever been seen through.

In the past, Bellamora showed Victoria confessing her feelings to me in the dream, and seeing that, I immediately used magic to blow my head off in self-defense.

– You’re the first man who’s managed to break out of my dream so quickly. It’s practically fate. Why don’t we spend some time getting to know each other?

That’s what Bellamora had said, a look of surprise on her face as she brought a hand to her mouth, a smile playing on her lips.

– If you attack me now, your friends will never wake up from the dream, you know?

I had immediately prepared to unleash my magic, but she just looked around, calm as could be, humming a tune.

My companions, unlike me, hadn’t been able to escape her dream so easily.

– Think carefully, genius mage of Mabilos village.

I don’t know what method Bellamora used, but she mentioned my hometown, which has now even vanished from the map.

Seeing her like that, I ground my teeth and showed my fury.

– Hmmm, so coercive methods weren’t so great after all. Sorry, Astal. Then, how about I give you this ticket? Would you come visit me someday?

The succubus queen, as if sensing something was wrong, bowed her head and acted respectfully.

What I received then is this rectangle ticket, mixed with black and red, now tucked inside my robe.

I’m looking at this thing that says [VVIP – We’ve prepared a fantastical dream just for you.] and debating whether to use it.

‘If I use this, Bellamora will definitely realize we’re entering her territory….’

I crossed my arms, my mind racing.

Normally, Bellamora’s tickets are so expensive that we couldn’t buy them even if we sold all our blood or lifespans.

“Anima, can your spirit create a replica of this ticket?”

“It’s impossible. This is a ticket that Bellamora made herself with dream fragments. If they find out we’re the hero party, we might have to fight everyone here.”

Anima, having checked what the ticket was made of with her earth spirit, shook her head, her bear ears perked up, scanning the surroundings.

“There are too many civilians here. I think I could evacuate some of them using my wind spirit, but….”

“…Then, it’s best to minimize casualties.”

I stepped forward, stopping in front of the yeti checking tickets. Since Bellamora gave me the ticket directly, entering with it is probably the safest method.

Even if it’s a trap, I’ll be the only one exposed as an enemy. That would buy time to evacuate everyone around here.

“Astal, let’s find another way. Me, Tarion, and Anima could donate blood to buy at least the cheapest ticket.”

“Yeah, I think I can help this time too…”

“…No, the amount of blood we’d need would mean more than one person would die. In the end, we’d have to sacrifice dreams, lifespans, or memories to meet the quota.”

I shut my eyes tightly, speaking to Kyle.

“Kyle, you need to go back safely to your childhood friend in your hometown. You said you wanted to open a little flower shop after defeating the Demon Lord, right? I can’t let you sacrifice dreams or memories like that.”

Everyone standing here holding tickets has given up something to get this deep into the demon realm.

I didn’t want to become the same kind of person as them.

“Welcome! Please present your ticket!”

“…Here.”

“T-This is? VVIP…?!”

I then pulled out the ticket Bellamora gave me from my robe, and I saw the yeti and incubus’ eyes widen, their pupils shaking.

For a moment, I truly suspected it was a trap.

“A VIP is entering!! Everyone, please welcome them with thunderous applause─!”

*Pop, pop-pop-pop!*

A small explosion ripped through the air, and then the spectacle of fireworks painting the night sky caught my eye.

“Are those behind you part of your group as well? We at Nightmare Theater have been eagerly awaiting your esteemed visit!”

“Wait, is this not a single-person ticket?”

“Indeed! It’s a ticket granted only to those chosen by Bellamora! There’s no limit to the number of people!”

The yeti and incubus threw open the once-sealed iron gates, ushering in not just me and my companions behind, but also…

“May you all have sweet dreams today!”

…even all those who had been wandering outside without tickets, beckoning them in.