"Let's get started right away."
Pavel infused magic into the artifact called 'Dream Guide'. As the artifact activated, a bright light gathered in the center. He set the artifact's light to shine on where Karina was.
"If you want to firmly connect consciousness, it's better to have direct contact. Hold your wife's hand and lie down next to her."
Jeremiah obediently followed her orders. Even though she was unconscious, he held her hand tightly so as not to let go.
"You must follow the path illuminated by the artifact's light. At the end of it, you will find this woman's consciousness."
He started off by explaining the usage and precautions of the artifact. And.
"From the moment you connect your consciousness, it is no longer reality. Even so, you should never act recklessly. If you touch something wrong in the realm of the unconscious, this couple's mind could be ruined."
Pavel gave one last serious warning.
"You have to be especially careful."
"All right."
Jeremiah said not to worry and suggested they start right away. Pavel nodded and raised his palm over Jeremiah and Karina's heads. Blue magic flowed out of his hand and drew a magic circle in the air.
"I will now open the way for you to enter this woman's consciousness. It will be an artificial process of bringing consciousness into being, so you may feel some resistance, but do not resist and just fall asleep."
Light dust scattered from the magic circle in the air and poured down on the two people lying down. Then, he suddenly felt sleepy. Jeremiah tightened his grip on Karina's hand once more. He looked at her face, which was sleeping soundly beside him.
'I'll go see you now.'
He looked at Karina like that and then fell asleep.
***
'Here is...!'
Jeremiah opened his eyes in a pitch-black darkness. It was dark and pitch-black everywhere. Even his keen senses as a sword master could not feel anything.
'Is this the place inside Karina's consciousness?
He had doubts for a moment.
'What?'
A strange sense of foreboding came over him. While he was tilting his head in confusion.
Wheeing.
The light from the 'dream guide' in his hand flickered. At some point, a bright beam of light stretched straight out toward somewhere.
"...!"
Jeremiah followed the light without hesitation, thinking of Karina. Strangely enough, he felt strongly drawn to the direction the light was shining. It was as if something was calling him to come.
'Is it true that the Magic tower owner's guess that I am the medium is correct?'
Jeremiah followed the lantern silently. How long did he walk like that?
Small lights began to appear around him. Finding Karina was his top priority, so he focused on going towards the place where the lantern was shining without looking away. However, at some point, the lights around him began to increase in number. They circled around Jeremiah as if they were living creatures begging to be looked at. He tried to shoo them away by waving his hands, but it was no use at all.
'What are these?'
The lights seen up close were sparkling with various colors. The dots of light that had been floating began to gradually gather at the end of Jeremiah's sight. When they grew to a certain size, he could see what looked like a person inside. Jeremiah's steps stopped abruptly after confirming who it was.
"Karina...?"
In a bleak room filled with only a few pieces of rough furniture, Karina was staring blankly at a picture frame hanging on the wall.
"Karina!"
He had to catch her when he found her. He absolutely could not let her go. But she did not respond to his call. Startled, he unconsciously reached out his hand toward the halo of light. The surroundings, which had been dark, brightened and the scenery changed in an instant. Without even being able to grasp the situation, Jeremiah quickly approached Karina and tried to catch her. But.
Swish.
"...?"
His hands passed right through her body. He couldn't reach her.
"Karina! I came to get you."
Even though he called out desperately to her, she didn't look back.
'What? There's no response at all.'
It wasn't just that she didn't respond, it was as if she didn't recognize his presence at all. Suddenly, he felt a subtle sense of incongruity. Jeremiah recalled the warning Pavel had given him before linking his consciousness with Karina.
'From the moment you connect your consciousness, it is no longer reality. Even so, you should never act recklessly. If you touch something wrong in the realm of the unconscious, this couple's mind could be ruined.'
"..."
'Could this be a memory of hers?'
After understanding the situation, he decided to just watch her quietly for the time being. He looked at where Karina's eyes were directed.
'That's definitely...!'
He remembered what he had heard from the maid before.
'The picture frame hanging on the wall is decorated with dried flowers from the bouquet used on the wedding day. It is the most precious item of the Grand Duchess.'
'She said she treasured that picture frame very much.'
As expected, Karina was looking at the picture frame with a very warm gaze. Seeing her, a part of his heart felt warm. Jeremiah, who had been staring at her blankly, turned his head and looked around. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Karina's room in the Northern Grand Duke's House. However, the room was a little strange.
'I clearly told you to change all the furniture. Why is it all the same? Is it because I remember it from before I changed it?'
Jeremiah was lost in thought when suddenly a sharp, cracking sound pierced my ears.
Clang!
"...!"
A maid dropped a picture frame in front of Karina's eyes. The frame shattered into pieces and glass shards flew everywhere. Karina froze as she saw the broken frame.
The only frame she treasured.
'I'm sure you said it was a framed decoration made from the dried bouquet used on the wedding day.'
Jeremiah's expression also hardened. However, the maid showed no sign of embarrassment or regret despite breaking the Grand Duchess's treasured possession. Far from trembling in fear, she did not even think about cleaning up the broken glass, but simply lowered her head and did not move.
"The picture frame fell off by itself without me even touching it."
All she did was make excuses in a half-hearted tone. That alone was enough to warrant a reprimand. But it didn't end there.
"...!"
Jeremiah's eyes widened. He looked down at the floor and saw clearly. The maid was laughing in front of the embarrassed Karina. The maid's expression, trying to hold back laughter, was reflected in the broken pieces of glass scattered on the floor. The maid was even glancing at Karina to see what kind of expression she was making, heartbroken by the broken picture frame.
'What a disgusting...!'
Jeremiah clenched his fists. Karina looked down at the shards of broken glass and the messily mixed dried flowers with a puzzled expression. Karina soon came to her senses and opened her mouth.
"Flowers... Can I save the flowers and put them in another frame?"
Contrary to his expectations that she would immediately punish the maid, Karina frantically tried to pick out flowers from the debris. She was so focused on trying to somehow get the flowers back that she didn't have time to look at what the maid was doing. With a desperate look on her face, she diligently picked out the flowers one by one. Meanwhile, the maid stood stiffly in front of Karina, who was bending down and just watched her actions blankly.
Jeremiah felt anger rising to the tip of his chin as he watched the situation. A fire rose in his heart at the sight of Karina being ignored and looked down upon by her maid. At the same time, he did not understand.
'Why is this memory in Karina's consciousness?
That picture frame would still be hanging. proudly in her room in the Northern Grand Duchess' mansion.
'Could this be a dream, not a memory? No. Even if it is a dream, something like this...!'
Whatever it was, he didn't like the fact that Karina was in this shitty situation. At that time.
"Ouch!"
Blood oozed from her fingers as if she had cut herself on a sharp shard of glass.
"Karina!"
Jeremiah quickly approached her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.
"Oh my, did you get hurt? What are you doing? I guess it would be best to just throw it all away."
"No!"
Karina said urgently at the word "throw away".
"It doesn't have to be perfect like the first time. I just want to pick out the things that aren't damaged and leave them behind."
Her voice was earnest.
"Do you really have to leave it?"
"Yes."
"..."
The maid, who had been staring at Karina, finally brought a tray.
"Please place the flowers you have picked here."
Then she took a dry cloth out of her pocket and wrapped it around her hand. Then she picked out a few more flowers that were lying around and got up.
"Since you asked so much, I'll try to do it, especially this time."
The maid acted as if she was listening to the child's tantrum. Karina's expression brightened at the maid's words that she would try.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
The maid left the room with a kindly smile.
'Ha.'
Jeremiah was speechless with anger. Not only did she look down on Karina, but the maid's actions of trying to please her and manipulate her as she pleased made him angry. Before he could control his emotions, the scene before his eyes became distorted.
"Wait! Karina!"
Jeremiah tried to grab her again, but it was no use. The scene changed and a new scene appeared. His brows narrowed as he saw the person before him.
'Sister...?'
In the pure white garden of the North, Caroline was having tea time with Carina.
"Karina, I'm sorry about the picture frame thing."
Caroline, dressed up in all her splendor, continued speaking, covering her mouth with her fan.
"My maids tried their best to save the flowers, but oh my. While they were drying them in the sun after brushing off the glass shards, bugs came and ate them all up."
"Yes?"
When Karina heard those words, her expression turned pale for a moment. Caroline gestured to the maid next to her, and the maid brought a tray of flowers. On the tray were flowers with insect marks here and there, without even brushing away the glass fragments.
"Ah..."
Karina's face turned even paler after checking the condition of the flowers.
"I had a handy kid do it, but who knew there would be bugs in this weather?"
Caroline pretended to comfort Karina.
"Don't be too sad. You can just buy more flowers, right? I'll buy you prettier ones."
"But these flowers are dried bouquets used at weddings, so their meaning is different..."
Caroline cut Karina off in a scolding tone.
"Oh, really. Are you going to make me feel bad about something like this on such a nice day?"
"..."
"I can't help it. I brought something good. I'll show it to the Grand Duchess especially, so look at it and feel better."
As she said that, what she took out was a brilliantly shining emerald necklace.
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