Chapter 98: Perhaps Everyone Is a Traitor
This time, Leona was smarter.
That cunning Abyss always paused mid-sentence, waiting for Leona to express her surprise before delivering the rest, just to embarrass her. This time, she wouldn’t fall for it.
She stared at Abyss, her guard up, her rarely used brain working overtime.
Everyone is a traitor? Connecting this to the enemy’s nightmare manipulation ability, a possibility dawned on her.
“Are you saying this enemy might be using the dreams of everyone sleeping in this camp to determine our location?” Leona asked, snapping her fingers.
Abyss looked at her with a hint of admiration. “You actually thought before reacting with shock. Impressive progress.”
“Damn necromancer, you want to die?” Leona threatened, raising her fist.
Abyss quickly shielded his head with his arms.
Flora also gasped in realization. “Ah, I didn’t think of that at first. Leona’s right. If the assassin can manipulate nightmares, he might be able to influence and sense the dreams of the sleeping soldiers in this camp, using their combined perceptions to pinpoint our location…”
“Exactly. You two are really in sync with me,” Abyss said with a smile. “Flora is probably better suited for the next step. Divine Arts are gentler than my magic.”
“Leave it to me,” Flora said, readily accepting the task.
Peeking into dreams was possible with both magic and Divine Arts, but their approaches differed. Magic required influencing a person’s mind first, then using specific mechanisms to project their dreams for observation. Divine Arts, as a higher-ranked power, bypassed these complexities. It could directly project a person’s dream into the user’s mind without affecting the target’s body or mind, making it a more efficient and less intrusive method. This was why Abyss chose Flora for this task.
Flora chanted softly, a gentle light flickering on her forehead. Using Divine Arts as a conduit, she established a connection with everyone asleep in the camp. With a mere thought, she could access their dreams.
“How can I show you these dreams? Do you need to cast a spell on me, Abyss?” Flora asked.
Abyss shook his head. “No need for a spell. You and Leona both have my necromantic link. I can use its functions to connect our perceptions… Like this.”
Leona, who had been watching with amusement, suddenly felt her vision expand. She could see the inside of the tent from three different perspectives simultaneously.
“Huh? Huh? Why do I have three pairs of eyes? No, wait, am I sharing your vision?”
“That’s right. The necromantic link is a wondrous thing, with countless functions. Only your imagination limits its possibilities. It’s a necromancer’s bread and butter,” Abyss said with a smile. “If you want, I can share other senses with you, like touch or smell.”
Leona blushed, seemingly thinking about something inappropriate. Fortunately, Abyss wasn’t sharing their thoughts, unaware of what was going on in the mind of this surprisingly mature yet short woman.
After a brief adjustment, Flora adapted to the shared vision. With a thought, she activated the Divine Arts’ detection mechanism.
…
She entered the dream of a soldier.
In the dream, the soldier was in the camp, gnawing on a piece of stale bread. A pot of unappetizing jerky simmered nearby. Despite the meager and unappealing meal, he ate with gusto.
“Hey, Finch, give me a bite of your bread. I ran out of rations,” a bearded man suddenly appeared beside him, smiling and extending his hand.
“Haha, Burke, you’re always so hungry,” the soldier said, chuckling and breaking off a piece of his bread, offering it to the bearded man.
Burke took the bread and munched on it contentedly, smiling at the soldier.
“Finch, I miss home. When the war is over and we help the princess reclaim our country, let’s go back to our village. You have to marry your sister to me. There’s no man in the village who loves her more than I do.”
“Hmph, if you truly love her, would you dare to perform the ‘Hero’s Trial’ for her?”
“Just killing a bear, two wild boars, and three wolves,” Burke said smiling. “I’m a fifth-tier Dou Warrior. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
“You always exaggerate. There aren’t that many wild beasts near our village. Where are you going to find them, you fool?”
“…Say, Finch.”
“Hmm?”
“My chest hurts. Can you take a look?”
“Your chest hurts? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know… It really hurts. It feels like something’s inside, tearing at my heart… I’ve never felt such pain…”
Burke’s expression contorted in agony. Finch, concerned, looked at his friend’s chest.
There was a large hole where his heart should be, revealing the scenery behind him.
“Finch, what’s wrong with me? Why does it hurt so much…?” Burke asked, his eyes wide with fear, a trail of dark red blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse.
“You… You’re not Burke… Stay away from me!” Finch stumbled backward, terrified.
“What’s wrong, Finch? It’s me, Burke… Why are you running away? Don’t you want to marry your sister to me anymore? It hurts so much… I feel so terrible… Finch… Help me…”
Burke’s voice grew louder, becoming a piercing shriek. His body began to transform, his human form swelling, twisting, and then rotting. Black goo oozed from the wounds on his body. Within moments, the once-jovial, bearded Burke had transformed into a grotesque, bloated, hairy monstrosity, writhing towards Finch.
“Finch… Finch… Don’t leave me… It hurts so much… It hurts so much…”
“Stay away from me! You’re not Burke! Get away from me! Monster! Monster!”
Finch ran for his life, his heart filled with terror.
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