Episode 508 Sleeping sickness (2)
‘The soil is dry. It means they didn’t water it all day.’
Sedina cared for the plants to the extent that she came to the teaching room early in the morning and watered the plants.
Even on busy days, I did not forget to come out early in the morning and water the potted plants.
The weight of Sedina’s steady actions was unusual to pass it off as simply forgetting.
‘The guy who kept coming out saying he’s sorry no matter what happened suddenly didn’t come out without saying a word?’
Suddenly, I remembered a conversation the other teachers had at the cafeteria today.
Rudger looked down at the window.
On the peaceful grounds of Seorn as usual, I could see students walking around bathing in the warm sunlight.
The scenery is no different from usual, but it felt exceptionally heterogeneous today.
First, finding Sedina is the priority.
With that thought in mind, Rudger opened the classroom door and faced a student who was just about to enter.
“Julia? What’s going on here?”
“It’s because Sedina didn’t come out today. I came to ask what happened… Is Sedina here?”
“I was about to go out just in time to find myself. What a strange thing. To think that a normally diligent child is suddenly absent without a word.”
“I know the location of Sedina’s room.”
The two headed to the lodging where Sedina was staying.
Sedina had a room alone, but since it was a female dormitory, Ludger decided to wait outside.
It didn’t take long for Julia, who had gone to look for Sedina, to return.
But her expression.
It was serious like never before.
“teacher. Sedina…”
“What happened? Are you inside?”
Julia’s lips trembled and she nodded.
“Sedina is not waking up.”
* * *
Zero Order was floating in the sky.
The altitude is so high that it is difficult to even breathe.
It was a harsh environment where the temperature was below zero even if he stayed for a short time, and frost formed on his skin, but he was fine.
White clouds spread beneath his feet, and above them was a vast blue sky.
The feeling of having everything in the world at your feet.
But Zero Order still looked up.
It was because there was something higher than himself at the top of the sea of clouds.
It was a big wing.
A strange-looking being with three pairs of white wings similar to birds spread wide, and the other three pairs wrapped around its body.
Flipping the ground with one flap of wings.
Erase the kingdom with two flaps of wings.
Tearing the sky with three flaps of wings.
A legendary being that is said to have brought a storm accompanied by rain and wind once it appeared in ancient texts of the past.
Elemental lord of the wind.
The elemental lord of wind kept his position without flapping his wings, even at high altitudes where oxygen was scarce.
If that’s the case, you might wonder why they have wings that are necessary for flight, but that’s something they don’t know.
That thing flapping its wings meant that at that time an irreversible situation was about to happen.
Zero Order stared at the elemental lord of wind in silence.
The Elemental Lord of Wind seemed to be sleeping.
In fact, beyond what it looks like, he was sleeping, not knowing when to wake up.
However, if you come a little closer, you will not be able to avoid anger.
Zero Order stood right on the borderline.
If you take one more step here, the elemental lord of wind will recognize the presence of the uninvited guest and respond.
That was not what Zero Order wanted.
Beep.
At that time, the magic tool placed in the arms of Zero Order shone.
“hmm.”
After confirming the signal, Zero Order’s body sank downward.
The Zero Order passed through the sea of clouds and continued to fall, leaving behind a white tail.
A high-altitude fall that lasted over several minutes.
Before long, a densely grown forest was visible to Zero Order.
Just before being dispatched to the ground, Zero Order’s body rotated lightly and both legs stepped on the ground.
Very light and graceful footwork.
Zero Order, who had managed to ignore it, turned his gaze straight ahead.
“Have you been watching Elemental Lords again?”
There, the sender of the signal was waiting.
“There’s nothing wrong with checking regularly.”
The man who gave the signal.
Franz raised his head and gazed beyond the clouds hanging over the forest.
His eyes do not see existence beyond the clouds.
But the fact that Zero Order was there meant that the Elemental Lord of Wind was there.
“Why do you care so much about a spirit that has been sleeping for hundreds of years?”
At that, Zero Order smiled lightly.
“That’s why it’s a headache when the elemental lord of wind wakes up.”
Every elemental lord is dangerous in its own way.
However, the level of the Elemental Lord of Wind was extraordinary.
If he puts his mind to it, he can cross continents at speeds over five times the speed of sound.
Flying at a speed that cannot be seen with a wingspan of 300m.
It was not an exaggerated myth that the ground turned upside down with a single flap of its wings.
The elemental lord of the wind could rip through the stratosphere and slaughter life on the surface if he wanted to.
Although Mother Nature would not do such a thing.
The elemental lord of wind had a slightly different disposition.
Other elemental lords usually take a wait-and-see attitude no matter what happens in the world.
The recently observed elemental lord of the earth showed a slightly unusual behavior, but it was not to the extent of interfering with the ecosystem.
But the Elemental Lord of Wind did not.
The elemental lord of wind was the only elemental lord who created the ‘contractor’ in the distant past.
The Elemental Lord is the ultimate representation that all spirits that exist in each element can reach.
Of course, like other spirits, making contractors.
It wasn’t theoretically impossible.
“Because that guy has an oath.”
An oath that will never be erased is engraved on the elemental lord of wind who created the Contractor.
Even now, when the Contractor is dead, the oath still exists.
If the trigger is pulled and the pact causes him to open his eyes.
Back then, it was hard to even guess at Zero Order what was going to happen in this world.
As soon as it moves, there is no one in this world who can stop it.
It is the same even if it is the same elemental lord.
The range of activity of the elemental lord of air is the entire expanse of this expanse.
An elemental lord of flame who lives in the magma of the volcanic region.
A water elemental lord submerged in the depths of the great sea.
An elemental lord of ice who lives only in the land of extremes.
The elemental lord of the earth that exists underground.
A superior activity range that is enough to combine all the elemental lords.
That was the reason the elemental lord of wind had to be guarded.
“Because it’s good that the typhoon doesn’t wake up.”
“Isn’t there another reason?”
“I can’t say there’s no other reason. So why did you come all the way here and call me?”
Zero Order naturally switched topics.
Franz didn’t even bother to delve into that part. It was the same because he had an important business right now.
“It looks like he’s already moved.”
“hmm. In this situation, to suddenly say that he is a guy.”
The quick-witted Zero Order smiled bitterly.
“You finally woke up. [Nirva] go.”
* * *
“Sedina is inside. But I am not in good shape.”
“Not good.”
“I’m sleeping.”
Are you sleeping?
If I was in the dormitory at this time, it wouldn’t be strange if I took a nap because I was tired or sick.
But it was Julia Plumhart who said it.
A wizard of the School of Dreams and an outstanding Dream Walker who will become the next master.
Of course, it was said that he knew better than anyone whether Sedina was just sleeping because she was tired or lying down for something else.
“Exactly what condition is Sedina in?”
“He sleeps quietly as if he were dead. No matter how much stimulation is applied from the outside, it doesn’t happen. I literally fell into a sleep I never woke up from.”
“Has there ever been a similar case?”
“yes. However, it has never been observed by the general public. Most of it happened with Dreamwalker. Those who were greedy too much for their subjects.”
“If it’s too greedy, maybe it’s what I think is right.”
Julia nodded heavily.
“yes. Sedina is into Dreamland right now.”
Julia looked around the dormitory.
It was a dormitory that was no different from usual, but after checking the abnormal situation, it looked different.
Among them, besides Sedina, there were other students who couldn’t wake up.
It’s not just here.
The men’s dormitory would be the same, and the same would be the place where the workers stayed.
“It is a situation where an unspecified number of people have fallen in Dream Land. No matter how you look at it, it’s not natural at all.”
“yes. I don’t think this was a terrorist attack with someone’s intention.”
“Terror.”
It’s not strange if this happens.
A terrorist attack on a place like Seorn would have a huge impact on the world.
But the way it was was a bit strange.
This is not the way guys like the Liberation Army can do it.
Making you fall into a sleep you won’t wake up from?
This is the first time even Rudger has heard of it.
‘Could it be because of what I saw earlier in the depths of Dream Land?’
It could not be said that this incident had nothing to do with the impaled god.
Whatever it was, it had a deep connection with Dreamland.
However, it is also the case that there is no right answer right away.
Now, the priority is how to solve it rather than why this happened.
“I’ll have to tell the president about the situation.”
“I don’t think you need to.”
It was then that another voice was heard.
Rudger’s and Julia’s gazes simultaneously turned to the speaker.
“Because I came here myself.”
Ceorn’s chancellor Elisa Willow.
She appeared with light steps.
He smiled softly as usual, but was subtly annoyed.
“I came all the way here to meet Miss Julia because of the current situation. I would have thought Mr. Rudger was there too.”
“The president was also aware of the situation. How did you know?”
“Wilford didn’t come to work today.”
“…That’s a bit serious.”
Wilford is a retired knight.
He even possessed the skills of at least a senior knight.
Even though he has grown old, Wilford has mental strength and physical strength that far exceed that of ordinary people.
‘If even Wilford could not do anything about it and fell asleep.’
It was said that this unspecified identity was not affected by the opponent’s strength.
“It may be necessary to evacuate the students and workers outside of Seorn.”
“If you have the worst in mind. I don’t know what the situation will be, but if I go around diligently even now, I might be able to end it here.”
“I understand. It hasn’t been long since classes started, and if this happens, problems will grow in many ways.”
We haven’t reached the dangerous level yet.
However, the fuse has already caught fire and the burning embers are running toward the powder keg.
Now you don’t know when it will explode.
This one couldn’t be comfortable either.
“Suddenly falling into a dream, is this magic related to the Dream Walk?”
Julia denied it.
“If it was dream magic, I would have noticed it sooner than anyone else. But the fact that I didn’t know until the situation was like this means that it is something different.”
“Ugh. As the president, I’m sorry to say this, but is there any possibility that you’re a better wizard than Julia?”
“no.”
Julia adamantly denied it.
The answer was so sharp that Rudger and Elisa were slightly surprised.
“I was chosen as the lumber of the next Master. There may be dream walkers who are better than me right now, but there is no dream walker who can use dream magic skillfully enough to deceive my eyes. Even if you are a Master now.”
unwavering voice.
The clear pupils appealed for conviction.
It was an attitude that could not be shown without a firm belief in one’s own talent.
Should I be the overwhelming senior?
Elisa stared at Julia with eyes filled with strange emotions.
To President Elisha, Julia was a strange child.
Should I say that it evokes a strange longing in her?
‘That’s right. This kid looks like me.’
I realized the source of the familiarity I felt in Julia.
Julia looked exactly like herself in her school days.
It’s the part that makes everyone laugh at his age with his overwhelming talent, and at the same time, he has infinite trust in his own talent.
‘I miss you a little.’
There was a time when I was so full of spirit.
Not now.
It wasn’t humble. It’s just that I can now naturally hide this confident mind.
Will this child grow up to be like me or someone else?
Elisha faced the current reality while drawing an interesting future.
“No matter what, the fact that this happened means that the caster exists somewhere. And he will be inside Theorn.”
“I guess it’s because I’m drunk. But wouldn’t it take too much time to find out who it is? There are over 10,000 people staying here.”
“For now, it would be better to disperse and search for them. Before things get any worse.”
“It’s as Mr. Rudger said.”
“Would you like to communicate the situation to the other teachers?”
“It should be. Not all, but the people you can trust to do this.”
For now, they disperse and look for clues.
The three of them, having agreed to do so, dispersed.
The place Ludger was heading was outside of Ceorn.
It happened inside Seorn, but someone else might have sneaked in from the outside.
To confirm that, there was nothing like his own independent information network he had created in Ledervelk.
When I entered Royal Street, the guide attached as if I had waited.
“owner. I waited.”
“What is going on?”
If it was normal, he would have pretended not to know, but the fact that he came directly like this means that there is something going on over there as well.
The guide did not immediately answer Ludger’s question.
Rudger felt uneasy from that hesitation.
“Where is Hans?”
“I will guide you.”
Guidance? If it’s Hans, he’ll be looking at the documents in the hideout of the secret branch as usual.
Rudger followed the guide to where Hans was.
It was a private mansion where Hans usually stayed.
“…”
And Hans.
He was asleep in his room as if he were dead.
A very deep sleep that doesn’t wake up no matter how much you shake it.
