"Hey. What's your name?"
Pavel asked as he headed towards Karina.
"This is Jeremiah Colesberg."
"Ah, as expected."
Pavel nodded as if he had expected that after hearing Jeremiah's family name.
"I'll tell you in advance before we meet. That woman has been unable to wake up since she arrived here."
"If you mean you didn't wake up for three days right after she got here?"
Jeremiah couldn't hide his worry and surprise.
"There's nothing wrong with her body. She's just not conscious."
Pavel waved his hand, telling him to calm down and listen.
"I don't know if you know it, but I can see into the essence of things."
Jeremiah, who realized that Pavel was the owner of the tower, continued to listen to him.
"Outwardly there is nothing wrong, but the soul is different."
Pavel briefly described Karina's condition as he had seen it through the eyes of truth. Jeremiah, who had been silent for a
moment, opened his mouth.
"Does that mean Karina is in danger right now?"
He asked the same question Mikhail had asked.
"Not right now, but it could become more dangerous as time goes on. I don't know the exact reason why the soul's condition became like that, but I have an idea."
"What is that?"
"I wonder if that girl made a contract with a dragon."
"... Yes?"
Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows at the unexpected and unexpected words. A dragon from a legend? What kind of nonsense is this?
"Are you kidding me right now?"
Jeremiah lowered his voice and spoke seriously.
"Why should I waste my time on such useless things!"
Pavel clicked his tongue and frowned. Judging from his reaction, it seemed like he wasn't joking.
"..."
Still, Jeremiah reacted with disbelief.
"It's just a guess for now, but since you're here, I'm sure we'll be able to confirm it soon."
Pavel, who was walking ahead, looked back at Jeremiah.
"If my guess is correct, you can help that woman wake up. But there is a condition."
"What is that?"
"When that woman wakes up, I want to hear in detail about how she met the dragon and what deal she made."
He said he wanted to share information.
"Wouldn't it be better for us to know the situation properly? Even if she wakes up right away, there's no guarantee that all the problems will be solved."
Pavel mentioned that he had seen Karina at the Imperial New Year and that her soul was already broken at that time. It meant that even if she looked fine on the outside, she might not be completely fine.
"This is a very important matter for us as well. I would appreciate your cooperation."
"..."
Jeremiah, who had heard the whole story, was confused. He couldn't decide whether accepting this condition would be good or bad for Karina. While he was silent, Pavel continued talking.
"If you won't cooperate, we can't help her anymore. Just take her."
"Master!"
Mikhail was furious at the suggestion that Karina be sent away without any action.
"Stay still, you idiot!"
Pavel scolded Mikhail. However, Jeremiah did not hear the two of them arguing. He had been anxious and nervous since he heard that Karina was not waking up.
Magic Tower lord's words about seeing the essence could not be a lie. Just a moment ago, he had experienced the gaze that pierced through everything. So if his vision of Karina's condition was really true, he had only one choice. Now was not the time to ask him for conditions. The most important thing was whether Karina's condition could be restored unconditionally. How to do so.
"What should I do?"
Jeremiah clenched his fists resolutely.
"Please let Karina wake up. I will do anything."
"I'm glad you said that. Let's go in for now."
Pavel, who had arrived in front of Karina's room, opened the door. He turned the doorknob and pushed, and the wooden door opened with a small creaking sound. A red-haired woman was lying quietly on a wide bed in a cozy space.
"Karina!"
As soon as Jeremiah found her, he immediately walked over to her side and examined her complexion. Karina was just calmly closing her eyes, just as Pavel had told him on the way. She looked like she was fast asleep.
"Karina...."
Jeremiah held her hand with a longing expression. Her hand that he held was a little cold.
"...!"
Jeremiah's face hardened at her body temperature, which was lower than he had expected. He quickly wrapped both of his hands around Karina's. Mikhail looked at Jeremiah with a displeased look. Pavel raised his hand to stop Mikhail, who was trying to pull him away from Karina.
"Hmm."
Pavel, who had been quietly watching what Jeremiah was doing, tilted his head.
"I guess she doesn't wake up just by touching her."
Michael intervened, leaving Jeremiah unable to understand what was being said.
"Master. What are you doing now? There's no way something will change just because that guy came."
Pavel reminded Mikhail, who was protesting earnestly, of the contents of the book he had seen earlier.
"I didn't say there had to be a medium related to the dragon."
"What the hell does that have to do with him!"
"There is no rule that a medium is necessarily an object."
"Huh? What are you talking about...?"
Mikhail's question, which he was about to ask, was not properly answered.
"No way..."
Mikhail turned to look at Jeremiah with wide eyes.
"If you're talking about the Grand Duke of Colesburg, then he's probably the family that branched off from the imperial family in the previous generation and inherited the blood of the first Emperor?"
Pavel continued his explanation.
"...!"
In front of a shocked Mikhail, he recited additional contents of the ancient book he had discovered just before coming down.
"Anything that can contain the power of a dragon can be used as a medium. The founding father of the empire received the blessing of the dragon directly on his body, and thus fulfilled the conditions as a perfect contracting party and medium in itself, and was granted the great power of the dragon."
Pavel briefly summarized the contents of the book while touching the tip of his chin.
"If you are a descendant of a royal family blessed by a dragon, you can act as a conduit for the dragon's power. How interesting."
"..."
Unlike Pavel, who showed the wizard's characteristic curiosity, Mikhail swallowed with a look of bewilderment.
"So you're saying that guy is the medium?"
"That could be possible."
"This is ridiculous."
Mikhail gritted his teeth.
"Does that mean you need me to wake up Karina?"
Jeremiah accurately understood the content of the conversation just by listening to the two.
"Yes. If that woman really made a contract with a dragon, there must be a medium to continuously transmit the dragon's power. And judging from the fact that I sense a rather strong dragon's energy from you, I think there is a high probability that you are that medium."
"..."
There was a moment of silence between them, but soon Mikhail broke the silence.
"Master, your guess may be wrong. Look at this now. Karina hasn't woken up yet."
As he said, Karina was still unconscious even after touching Jeremiah.
"I think the confirmation is complete, so shall we leave now?"
Mikhail looked at Jeremiah and spoke coldly. At that moment, the fingertips of Karina that Jeremiah was holding moved slightly and showed a reaction.
"...!"
It was a subtle movement, but Jeremiah didn't miss it. The same goes for Mikhail and Pavel, who were watching Karina.
"..."
Mikhail's mouth was shut tight as if it were a stiff neck.
"It seems like she's showing a little bit of a reaction?"
Pavel approached Karina and checked her condition. After a while, Karina, who had been lying still, grabbed Jeremiah's hand that was wrapped around her.
"Oh!"
"...!"
Everyone present was surprised. Jeremiah was both surprised and moved.
"Why don't she wake up right away?"
"There could be many reasons."
Pavel continued, his eyes sparkling.
"It could be because she has been away from the medium for too long or because this is not the Empire. It is important to wake her up as quickly as possible..."
He started going through his inventory, looking for something.
"Oh, here it is."
In his hand, which had come out of his Inventory, was an artifact that looked like a small lantern. A soft light was leaking out from inside the artifact, befitting its shape...
"This is an artifact called the 'Dream Guide.' It's literally an object that helps you find your way in your dreams."
Pavel held it out to Jeremiah.
"I will connect this woman's consciousness with yours. Go into her dream and find her consciousness."
Before Jeremiah could even answer, Mikhail interrupted.
"I'll go!"
He looked very excited.
"You can't."
"Why?"
Mikhail looked as if he could not accept it at all.
"Why can he do it, but I can't? As a magician, I'm better at handling these artifacts. It's also easier for me to find Karina in my consciousness because I use magic."
What he said was somewhat true, but not in the current situation.
"Do you know where this woman's consciousness is connected? If it is in the subconscious of the contracted dragon, it is dangerous for you, who is not the medium, to go. You may get lost and not be able to return, so you cannot go."
Pavel drew the line firmly.
"Still...!"
"I will go."
Jeremiah cut off Mikhail's words and took the artifact from Pavel's hand.
"Karina is my wife, so it's only right for me to go."
Mikhail's face suddenly distorted.
"You really are a piercing mouth. You shameless brat. Do you think Karina will be happy to see you?"
"Are you done talking? You're the one who should stay out of our relationship."
"What? Between us? You're about to get divorced, and you're talking nonsense."
"If you say one more word, I'll tear out your tongue."
"Why don't you give it a try?"
"Do you think I can't do it?"
The two people's gazes met in the air, growling at each other and showing fierce hostility. Pavel stopped the increasingly serious confrontation between the two.
"Stop! I don't have time to waste like this!"
Pavel, who had been circling the area loudly, spoke to Jeremiah.
"I'll teach you how to use the artifact. It's important, so listen carefully. If you make even the slightest mistake, you might get lost and not be able to return."
Pavel warned seriously. Jeremiah nodded with an expression that said it was no problem at all. He would do anything if he could just bring Karina back safely.
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