Maybe I’m just being selfish here... Angeline leaned back in her chair and stretched out.
No matter what, she was always looking forward to going home. The bed in Turnera was rougher and harder than the one she had in Orphen, but to Angeline, it gave her far more peace of mind. Surely there, she could sleep at peace without nightmares.
With that said... Angeline couldn’t help but wonder why she had started having these nightmares all of a sudden. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything special that could have triggered their onset. Angeline folded her arms and groaned as she retraced her memories, but she couldn’t concentrate for long before getting lost in the fogginess that shrouded her waking recollection.
She had draped herself over the table again when Anessa came through the door. It seemed she had been out on her own errands.
“Ah, you’re here, Ange?”
“Yeah... Welcome back.”
“What about Maggie?”
“She said she was gonna go spar with Mr. Ed. She wants to keep her body moving since we’re not taking on any requests.”
Anessa set down her shopping basket. “Are you still out of it, Ange?”
“Sorry... I keep having these strange dreams, and I’m more and more fatigued...”
“Dreams, huh...? But you don’t remember what they’re about, right?”
“I don’t... I get the feeling I dreamed of meeting Mr. Kasim this time though.”
“Mr. Kasim? Why?” Miriam cocked her head.
Angeline sighed. “How should I know...? That’s why it’s so bothersome.”
“Doesn’t that mean you want to go see Mr. Kasim?” Anessa suggested.
Angeline pouted. “I don’t really have any reason just to go see him. I want to see dad and mom too.”
“There you go again.”
“Yeah, in that case, it wouldn’t be strange if Mr. Bell and Mrs. Satie showed up in your dreams too.”
“That’s right. My parents just don’t show up in them... Because they’re too busy fostering their love, perhaps... That’s important too. It deserves attention. But it would be nice if they could spare some attention for their daughter too...”
“Aw, it’s the usual Ange.”
“But isn’t it a good thing that they don’t pop up in your bad dreams?”
“Yes... But the fundamental problem is that I don’t want to have bad dreams!”
“Maybe you’ve got some worry that you haven’t realized yourself?”
“Oh Ange, have you reached that delicate age?”
“Shut up, Merry. Show some respect for your leader...”
Still, this isn’t like me at all... There shouldn’t have been anything for Angeline to worry about. Maybe it has something to do with Solomon, then?
From what Angeline had learned from Satie, she knew she was a demon—and what’s more, that she was most likely the product of Schwartz’s successful experiment. Angeline didn’t feel troubled by that at all, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t overlooking the troubles happening right under her nose. “We should see granny soon.”
“The hag? About demons, you mean?”
“Yeah. I need to do some digging too.”
Surely there was some information Angeline could only obtain herself. If she could share her findings once she returned to Turnera, perhaps they would all make some progress. Not that she was overly worried about it, but she couldn’t overlook Schwartz’s existence. He was like a small bone caught in her throat. Angeline wasn’t interested in his objectives, but she didn’t want to get wrapped up in whatever he was scheming either.
Anessa folded her arms. “The demons... Ultimately, they’re still a complete unknown to us.”
“And apparently, Solomon fought the old gods for the sake of humanity. Do you think that’s true?”
Miriam’s gaze wandered. “Hmm, I can’t say for sure. But according to that Nica-something book, Solomon and Vienna were drawn to one another but never actually joined, right? Maybe it really is true, then.”
Angeline finished off the remaining medicine in her cup in one gulp. “Phew... That’s a bit romantic.”
“You think so too, Ange?”
Two people drawn to one another but never to meet... It sounded like something right out of a play. Angeline and Miriam turned to each other, giggling.
Anessa scratched her cheek. “It’s an outrageous tale, as far as the church is concerned... We can’t even tell the sister about this one.”
“That’s another issue...”
“What sort of person was Solomon, anyways...?”
“Yeah, I wonder. They talk about him like he’s the root of all evil, but I doubt it’s that simple.”
“But it doesn’t seem like he was all that good of a guy either.”
“There are no perfect saints or complete villains out there. That’s what my dad told me.”
“Point taken.”
“Hmm, if we can’t take any requests for a while, maybe we should devote our energies to researching it,” said Anessa.
Angeline nodded. After all, it was best not to do any adventuring work when she was in this state. Since she had nothing better to do, it was better to find something to distract her. A misstep in battle with fiends could be fatal, but research wasn’t nearly as risky.
Yeah, we should see Maria sometime soon. If Angeline could consult with her about her nightmares, that was killing two birds with one stone. She might even get to see Ishmael too if the timing worked out. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable, and being sociable seemed to help her forget about her dreams.
All right, it’s settled, then. There’s no time like the present. Just that morning, Angeline had given up on seeing Ishmael out of lethargy, but now that she had some vitality in her, it was best to strike while the iron was hot.
Yet even with that determination, her eyelids began to droop again. Angeline scowled and rubbed her eyes. Is it because I ate too much for lunch?
But this was far stronger than the drowsiness she usually felt in the afternoons.
“I feel sleepy... But why?”
Miriam had been biting into a cookie when she seemed to have some kind of realization. “Ah. I tried mixing it a bit stronger for you. Is it already taking effect?”
“You should warn me...ahead of time...”
“Are you okay? You can use one of the beds,” said Anessa.
Angeline struggled to keep her eyes open for a bit, but it was a losing battle—she was at her limit. She got up on unsteady legs, teetered over to an empty bed, and practically collapsed onto it. The soft, fluffy covers immediately lulled her body into a relaxed state. Perhaps she had been far more exhausted than she’d thought. She rubbed her face against the pillow and picked up the smell of Miriam’s hair.
Oh, this is Merry’s bed, she thought as the strength drained from her body and she descended back into her dreams.