Side Story 04. A Summer Day’s Dream

Just then, they arrived at the village.

 

-“Is this Sentino?”

 

Lai laughed.

 

-“I don’t know where Sentino is, but it has a similar name.”

 

The village was similar to the Sentino that Riv remembered, but it was also completely different.

 

The village she knew was surrounded by wilderness and vegetation.

 

But here, the wilderness was dense enough to be called a jungle, full of trees and flowers from exotic Southern countries.

 

Among the trees were strange houses.

 

They were oddly shaped with huge chimneys and tall towers, and each door sported an unusually shaped sign.

 

This was the village of wizards.

 

-“Come on.”

 

Everything seemed like it was from a different world.

 

-“Follow me. I’ll show you around. There are many strange things to see.”

 

Lai was excited, and Riv felt the same.

 

The village was full of bizarre and unusual magic goods, all created by wizards.

 

There were no normal things in the village made up of more wizards than ordinary people.

 

When night fell, they ate a hearty dinner.

 

It was dark when they returned to the castle on the hill.

 

Riv looked around the foundations of Sentino castle.

 

The place she remembered was in ruins, but the castle here was in a good state.

 

However, since it was still being built, everything was empty.

 

As Riv looked around, Lai looked puzzled.

 

-“It’s still a long way from being finished. It will take a long time, but we will build a strong castle.”

 

-“When will it be completed?”

 

-“Perhaps when the wizards decide to help?”

 

This castle was likely built while Lai was alive, and completed after his death.

 

Then it was destroyed by fire.

 

Just as Riv’s thoughts were about to turn gloomy, Lai lit a lamp.

 

-“This is fairy fire.”

 

Glowing firefly fairies sprang out of the lamp and flew in circles around their heads.

 

When Riv glanced at Lai, the contours of his profile were identical to Lionel’s.

 

This place was not real, and the man next to Riv was nothing but a character resembling Lionel. And she was a ghost that would soon disappear.

 

-“Lai, I’m really… I’m not here.”

 

-“I know.”

 

Lai smiled softly.

 

-“Because your shadow is not being cast.”

 

Lai spoke lowly, his voice identical to Lionel’s.

 

-“Riv, you are a witch.”

 

-“I am.”

 

Riv couldn’t believe her words, but she was strangely convinced.

 

It was said that the Duke of Sentoren had a lineage of wizards and witches. Magic had not been passed down to Lionel, but it was different for his ancestors, hundreds of years ago.

 

And Riv knew.

 

The person in front of her was not Lionel. He was purely a character in a book. She projected Lionel’s figure onto the character Lai.

 

The man, who took on the form of her husband, whispered to her.

 

-“I knew I would see you again.”

 

-“……”

 

-“I knew it years ago, when I watched a witch stop a typhoon.”

 

His face had the same wounds, the same face as Lionel.

 

-“You seemed to be here, but you really weren’t. Perhaps the real you is where your husband is.”

 

Riv neither confirmed nor denied his statement.

 

Lai would build a castle here and found the Duchy of Sentino. And after two hundred years, the castle would fall and only ruins would remain. And a time would come when the magic that dominated this place would disappear.

 

-“You’re right, I’m not here.”

 

Riv reached out her hand, stroking his wounded cheek.

 

It was a very familiar face and body. She lightly kissed his lips.

 

Lai opened his eyes wide. He was confused.

 

-“H-Hey, Riv.”

 

He grabbed Riv’s hand and squeezed it.

 

-“A while ago you said you were a married woman with children? Why? Are you trying to cheat on him?”

 

Riv smiled happily. As she did, the fairies in the lamp flew around, illuminating the castle as if it was the middle of the day.

 

-“Lionel.”

 

-“What?”

 

She realized that this was an illusion created by magic and her own dreams. Her energy was drawn to the ancient book.

 

So, all of this was also a projection of her mind.

 

-“You can stop playing now.”

 

-“What?”

 

-“Lionel, it’s time to wake up from this dream, from this story.”

 

-“……”

 

Lai paused for a moment. He then made eye contact with Riv and smiled.

 

It was Lionel’s characteristic smile.

 

-“You just noticed, Riv?”

 

The surrounding landscape changed. And Lai slowly turned to her husband, Lionel.

 

Riv was confused, but it didn’t matter if Lai was Lionel or if Lionel had been borrowing Lai’s appearance. It didn’t matter whether the chicken or the egg came first.

 

All of this was the result of her loving Lionel so much. She couldn’t stand even a few days away from him.

 

When she realized that this was an illusion she had created herself, the floor began to crumble.

 

It was time for her to return to reality.

 

-“I’ll see you later.”

 

The moment she was about to hug Lionel, his figure disappeared.

 

When Riv opened her eyes, it was still night.

 

She picked up the old book. The parchment, which had lost its magical power, faded. The pages scattered and fell to the floor.

 

***

 

Lionel returned two days later.

 

He suddenly had to battle invading pirates and protect their land. Thankfully, he returned safely.

 

When Lionel arrived, Riv was startled. He had a new scar, right above his eyebrow.

 

It was just like the scar on Lai’s eyebrow. Was it a coincidence?

 

“Riv.”

 

Riv welcomed him. They were only apart for a few days, but his absence was so painful.

 

Their children quickly joined in and said hello.

 

“Papa?”

 

“Huh?”

 

The small children clung to Lionel’s reliable body. Four little hands gripped Lionel’s clothing tightly.

 

They chattered a lot.

 

“I had a dream with Papa in it.”

 

“Me too! I saw Mama and Papa, and strange fire flies flew around.”

 

“Light fairies came out of the lamp!”

 

“Fairies?”

 

Riv recalled her dream. Did their children witness the scene where the fairies from the lamp flew away? Were they also influenced by the magic of the book?

 

Since the Duke of Sentoren had wizard blood, it was not surprising that his children felt magic.

 

Nevertheless, there was something odd about it.

 

The children went to bed early, and Riv and Lionel were alone.

 

Riv felt awkward. Was it because she missed him so much?

 

She almost mistakenly called him Lai.

 

It would be strange to say that she had seen him in the distant past.

 

“You know that I love you, right?”

 

“Yes. Because I love you too.”

 

Lionel nodded his head. Riv swept his bangs aside, stroking the new scar on his eyebrow.

 

“What will I do with you? You have scars like this on your handsome face…”

 

“It’s not strange to add one more.”

 

“I hate it.”

 

Riv pouted.

 

She hated that Lionel had fought enemies, and that he had nearly injured his eye. No, more than that, she hated him being in danger.

 

Lionel quickly changed the subject.

 

“Oh, I stopped at Sentino Village for a while on the way back.”

 

“Sentino? Why?”

 

It was where she and Lionel were going to take their children. Unfortunately, their schedule had been delayed due to the sudden appearance of pirates.

 

As she reminisced about Sentino, Lionel shook his head.

 

“I don’t understand it, but the forest has grown thick. We can no longer call it wilderness. It seems that the land has also become more fertile than before.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Riv recalled the lush and quaint village of Sentino when there was magic.

 

“The harvest seems to be increasing, but it is said that trees are growing too fast in various places in the village.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Was the magic returning?

 

Riv clenched her jaw and focused on Lionel.

 

“You didn’t tell me what kind of pirates attacked or how you got the scar. Lionel, tell me.”

 

Lionel sighed and opened his mouth. He had put himself in considerable danger, which caused Riv to slap him a few times.

 

She quickly forgot about the old book.

 

***

 

Riv had a dream that night.

 

In the dream, Lai and his wife, a witch, came into view. It was Riv’s first time seeing his true face. To be precise, it was different from Lionel’s face that Riv had imagined.

 

-“Are you happy?”

 

-“We were happy because we lived on this land.”

 

And at the end of her dream, as always, Lionel appeared. Her beginnings and ends always involved Lionel.

 

***

 

Then it was morning. Riv raised her body and stared at the sleeping Lionel.

 

He was definitely her husband. Her lovely and proud husband. Overnight, the scar on his eyebrow seemed to have softened considerably.

 

Riv hoped she wouldn’t mind the scar anymore.

 

‘It will be fine.’

 

The scar on his cheek, which was as clear as a crack in glass, was almost gone, so the scar on his eyebrow would soon be like that.

 

Lionel slowly opened his eyes. His charming amber eyes were filled with only her.

 

“What was your dream, Riv?”

 

Riv stared at Lionel.

 

“You were in it.”

 

Then Lionel told her about his dream.

 

“I think I dreamed that I was a pirate and you were a witch.”

 

‘No way.’

 

Riv smiled broadly. Perhaps the name of the man in his dream was Lai.

 

It was a sweet, early summer dream.

 

*End of Side Story: A Summer Day’s Dream*