Franz sighed deeply once again and continued speaking.

“That power, which went out of control and began to run wild, overlaid the entire imperial palace with hallucinations. The other palace residents either went mad in the dream shown by the hallucinations or went insane and committed suicide. The reason I didn’t go mad is because I fled here early on.”

“Why here?”

In response to Martin’s question, Franz looked around the dark room and answered.

“This room was used in the past to store special items. Our ancestors installed a device here to suppress abilities in order to prevent the power contained in the items from running wild.”

“So you don’t see hallucinations when you’re in here?”

“That’s right. If I take even one step out of this room, I’ll see hallucinations, so I’ve been trapped here for days unable to leave. That’s when you came looking for me.”

Hearing this, Martin examined Franz again.

Franz’s appearance was not intact, as if he had really been trapped for days.

His clothes were dirty, his cheeks were gaunt, and an unpleasant smell was coming from his body.

Martin’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked.

“But it’s strange. Why did you get the chimera implant knowing there was only a 33% success rate? You’re not the type to do such a reckless thing.”

“You’ve been calling me ‘you’ since earlier, Your Majesty…”

“If you don’t want to get hit, shut up and answer my question. Why did you do such a reckless thing?”

Franz hesitated again before shooting Martin a slightly resentful look.

“It’s because of you all.”

“…?”

“His Majesty wanted to get Lord Schneestern back. But when he realized it was impossible, he made a wrong and dangerous choice out of heartbreak.”

Still looking at Martin with undiminished resentment, Franz continued grumbling.

“I know well because I’ve served His Majesty for a long time. He only makes careful and accurate judgments. How heartbroken he must have been because of you all… Ack!”

Martin roughly let go of Franz’s collar that he had been gripping.

Then, leaving Franz who had fallen on his behind without finishing his sentence, he quietly muttered.

“That bastard. Is this what he ended up doing with the ability he gained by even modifying monsters? Hallucinations that drive people mad.”

Clicking his tongue, Martin’s eyes narrowed.

Such an excessively powerful and dangerous power ended up in the hands of the worst possible person.

Ernant, who had never handled abilities in his life, would certainly not be able to control the power no matter what efforts he made, and even if he did manage to control it, it would be a problem.

It was clear he would only do wrong things with this powerful power that had fallen to him.

I’m glad I didn’t bring her after all.

Amidst his complicated feelings, Martin was relieved like that.

That he was right not to bring Yulia after all.

It was horrifying just to imagine what would have happened if Yulia, who was pregnant with a child, had entered such a dangerous place.

Phew… Letting out a long sigh of relief, he began to ponder ways to escape the hallucinated corridors.

Hoping there would be a better method than setting everything ablaze with flames.

Huff, huff, after calming my breath that had become ragged from running, I looked ahead.

I saw a pitch-black wall.

I had finally arrived at the place with the black sphere after shaking off the other members.

Martin is in here.

I glared at the black wall beyond which nothing could be seen, muttering that to myself.

My husband must be beyond this wall. If so, there was only one action I should take.

“Hah…”

After letting out one last long breath, I moved my feet.

To enter the unknown space where my husband would be trapped.

Step, step.

Without hesitation, I moved my feet and was finally able to safely enter that place.

That’s when it happened.

“Ah.”

For a moment, my mind went hazy.

It was a sensation I had felt before.

I had felt this sensation briefly when facing monsters that showed hallucinations to people.

Thanks to that, I could predict what I was about to experience.

I’m going to see hallucinations. I need to keep my wits about me.

After inwardly making that resolution, I continued to remind myself.

I must not be consumed by the hallucinations. I must maintain my sanity somehow.

With that as my last thought, I lost consciousness and fell into a long and terrible dream.

“Deputy Commander! Are you coming to?”

“Elma…?”

As I was barely regaining consciousness after fainting, I heard Elma’s voice.

It was strange.

I should have lost consciousness right after entering the black sphere to save Martin.

But for some reason, Elma was calling me now.

I struggled to open my closed eyes and asked.

“What happened to that black sphere? Why am I lying here?”

This place currently looked like our lodgings.

The lodgings I had escaped from after shaking off the other members.

Elma burst out laughing and said.

“Don’t you remember? You removed the sphere yesterday!”

“I did…?”

“Yes. It turned out an item that went berserk in the imperial palace had generated that strange sphere, and you personally shattered it. Thanks to that, the imperial palace returned to normal too. See for yourself.”

Saying that, Elma pulled back the curtains of the lodgings to show me outside.

It was true.

The imperial palace that had been invisible, enveloped by the black sphere, had returned to its normal state.

“I resolved it… I don’t remember at all.”

“You must be tired, that’s why.”

“Is that so? Then where’s Martin, my husband? Did he return safely too?”

Elma had a blank expression for a moment.

Then she slowly asked me.

“Husband? What do you mean…”

“My husband, I mean the Commander. Commander Martin. He entered the sphere before me, did he return safely?”

Elma again had a blank face as if she couldn’t understand, then said to me.

“Husband… But Deputy Commander, you’re unmarried? And our Commander’s name isn’t ‘Martin’ either.”

“…Huh?”

“Our Commander’s name is ‘Oscar’. I’m hearing the name Martin for the first time too…”

It felt like something was crumbling inside me.

I jumped up from the bed and grabbed Elma’s shoulders.

“Stop this strange joke. You don’t know Commander Martin? Then why did you all stop me when I said I’d enter the sphere?”

“Stop you? But we never stopped you…”

“No, you stopped me on Commander Martin’s orders. He ordered you to prevent me from entering dangerous places because I’m pregnant.”

“Pre-pregnant? You, Deputy Commander?”

Elma, who had been standing in a daze, burst into laughter.

“Ahaha! You must have had a dream. Deputy Commander, pregnant? But you’ve never even been married!”

A chilling shudder ran down my spine for a moment.

I reflexively lowered my hand to touch my stomach.

What do you mean I’m not pregnant? How can you not know about the life residing in my womb?

Elma looked at me with worried eyes as I trembled at the empty sensation.

“Deputy Commander?”

“Hallucination… I must be seeing a hallucination right now.”

“What?”

Yes, it was clear.

There’s no way my husband and child don’t exist.

It seemed that the moment I entered the sphere, I was hit by a mental attack and fell into a hallucination because of it.

Everything I’m seeing right now must all be a damn hallucination and dream.

As soon as I realized this fact, I asked Elma.

“Can I borrow your dagger for a moment?”

“Dagger? Do you need to cut something…”

“I need it for something. Hurry and lend it to me.”

I said this to Elma since I currently didn’t have a sword.

Elma lent me the sword, though looking a bit uneasy.

As soon as I grabbed that sword—

Stab.

I deeply stabbed my palm.

As I was shuddering from the chilling pain, I heard Elma’s scream.

“De-Deputy Commander!! What are you…”

“I’m sorry for doing this, Elma. But I need to wake up from this dream.”

“Dream?”

I explained to Elma who was crying in shock.

“Yes, I’m seeing a hallucination right now. You’re a hallucination too, and this whole world is all a hallucination. To wake up from here and return to reality, I need to feel pain like this. You know, we learned that when hit by a mental attack, you need to stab your body like this to wake up.”

“De-Deputy Commander, what are you saying… Ah, wait a moment, I’ll go get a potion.”

I just let Elma go to get a potion.

Since I had deeply stabbed my hand and felt pain like this, I should wake up from the hallucination soon.

This hallucinatory world should disappear cleanly too.

But something strange happened.

“I brought the potion. Let me see your injured hand.”

“…Why am I not waking up?”

As I blankly watched Elma pour the potion on my hand, I muttered again.

“I injured my hand but I’m not waking up… Why?”

“Deputy Commander… This isn’t a dream.”

Elma, who had cleanly healed my hand by pouring two bottles of potion, looked straight at me and said.

“You’re not dreaming. This is reality, and I’m real too.”

Listening to Elma’s voice echoing in the quiet room, I thought.

Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to easily escape from this terrible nightmare.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.