Chapter 34 - Damn Reincarnation

Bolero Street

Dream demons burrow into human dreams.

Unlike reality, anything is possible in a dream. No matter how wretched reality may be, in dreams you can attain every happiness you desire.

Even if you have nothing to eat, in dreams you can savor every delicacy in the world. Even if you haven't a penny to your name, in dreams you can live in a mansion overflowing with gold and jewels. Dead family, friends, lovers. You can never see them again in reality, but in dreams you can make new memories with them.

In dreams, you can do anything.

Dreams are happy and pleasant.

That is what makes them dreams.

Dream demons are vile even by demonic standards. The bastards prey on the weaknesses of the heart that no human can escape. They show people things unattainable in reality, things possible only in dreams. And so they make them feel a false happiness.

The queen of the dream demons.

She was one of the demons Hamel had most wanted to kill in his previous life. That fucking demon had attacked Hamel and his companions repeatedly in Helmuth. Whenever they had the chance, the dream demons loyal to their queen burrowed into his dreams and dredged up his regrets. The family he had lost in a monster attack. His own helplessness. His rivalry with Vermouth, his sense of inferiority. They laid all of it bare in his dreams.

In his dreams, Hamel had not lost his family. The young Hamel had brought his innate talents into glorious bloom and slaughtered the monsters. His parents and the villagers called him a hero.

In his dreams, Hamel was greater than Vermouth. No matter how hard Vermouth tried, he could not defeat Hamel. "It's because you're a fucking idiot." Hamel mocked Vermouth.

In his dreams, Hamel stood at the head of the expedition. All those who had been lost on the journey across Helmuth. Those who had not been counted among the Hero and his companions, whose names had not survived. None of them died. Hamel vanquished every threat at the forefront. Countless people were saved by him.

He killed every Demon King.

In his dreams.

'It isn't real.'

Hamel knew that.

Eugene knew it painfully well.

No matter how sweet the dreams a dream demon showed you, they would never become reality.

After you woke, the sweetness lingering from that delusive dream collided with reality and bred vicious self-loathing.

You were happy in your dreams, but reality was fucking awful.

To change that fucking awful reality, you must not retreat into dreams again.

You had to tear the dream apart.

You had to kill the dream demon that showed you those damned dreams, broke your spirit, and left you wandering through illusions.

Three hundred years had passed.

The Demon Kings and the demons had changed. So had the dream demons.

Eugene could understand what Lovellian had said. He wasn't entirely wrong. Crushed beneath his miserable reality, Eward would want a chance to breathe, even if only in his dreams.

"Outdated."

Eugene muttered the word, pressing his temple. He could understand, but he would not sympathize. He knew how horrifying dream demons were, and how hollow dreams could be. He did not consider Eward's excursions a harmless little diversion.

Once you became addicted to dreams, you turned away from reality. That was how you became a fucking idiot.

Eugene felt no brotherly affection for Eward, but Gilead had shown him a great deal of kindness.

"Outdated? What brought that on?"

"I mean your clothes are hopelessly outdated."

Eugene turned his head. He was in a flying carriage, with Gargis sitting across from him. The carriage's interior was fairly spacious, but Gargis was so absurdly large that he had to hunch his shoulders slightly.

"What is outdated about my clothes?"

"Why have you got those ridiculous frills on? Who the hell put you in that outfit?"

"My mother chose it for me. She said it suited me."

"Now that I look again, it suits you wonderfully. Those dainty frills complement your rugged appearance. You look like a wild beast concealing its fangs."

At Eugene's hastily added words, Gargis smiled in satisfaction.

"I think so too."

Eugene had desperately managed to take back what he'd said, but Gargis was still painful to look at. The bastard wore formal attire with frills on the sleeves and chest. At least the cologne had eliminated his body odor, but that appearance combined with the overpowering fragrance made him even more horrifying.

"... Just stop wearing cologne."

"Why?"

"Body odor would be more natural for your look than cologne. It suits you better."

"I think so too."

Eugene turned back to the window.

It was a full-moon night. The day Bolero Street opened.

Eward had left the tower that morning. According to Hera, he'd gone to buy materials for magical experiments. Eugene didn't know whether that was true, but the bastard who'd been holed up in his room all this time had chosen today, of all days, to go out?

'Moron.'

Eugene glared at his reflection in the window.

His face and hair color were different. He couldn't cast an advanced spell like Polymorph even if he wanted to. But he could use a spell that altered his facial features and hair color.

Second-circle magic.

He hadn't learned anything beyond that. No reply had come yet regarding the recommendation Lovellian had written, but he had gladly taken his advice. Eugene wasn't sure he would actually receive a pass to Akron, but he'd decided not to learn any more spells until the reply arrived.

Instead, he had practiced the magic already in his head until it became second nature. The introductory spellbooks he had read through contained first- and second-circle spells. He had grown accustomed to replacing circles with his core and casting magic.

As a result, he could now use spells up to the second circle without difficulty. The spell he currently had in place was also a second-circle spell: a basic transformation. Even a low-level Dispel could undo it, but it was sufficient for Bolero Street.

Though the place was tacitly tolerated, most of what went on in Bolero Street was illegal.

Many of its visitors wanted to conceal their identities. Since an advanced spell like Polymorph wasn't easy to cast, basic transformation spells were popular. Consequently, dispelling transformation magic was strictly forbidden on Bolero Street.

'Anyone who can recognize me will still recognize me, though.'

Dispelling magic wasn't the only way to see what lay beneath it. High-level mages could easily see through low-level magic. Ultimately, it was little more than a pretense.

Still, wasn't it better than doing nothing? Eugene pulled up his robe's hood and opened the carriage door.

They had arrived at Bolero Street.

"... More than I expected."

Eugene muttered as he surveyed the bustling crowd. It couldn't compare to a tourist attraction, but there were quite a few people. They called it a tacitly tolerated black market, but at this point, wouldn't they be better off developing it into a tourist attraction outright?

"An entry pass costs two million sals."

"What?"

"Two million sals."

The hulking man blocking the street entrance glared at them. He wasn't intimidated even by Gargis, who was larger than he was. Without that much nerve and ability, he couldn't have served as the street's gatekeeper.

"Four million sals for the two of you."

Eugene opened his wallet. He handed over four checks and held out his arm. The gatekeeper then fastened paper wristbands around Eugene's and Gargis's wrists.

"Two million sals for admission? That's far too expensive."

"It's two million per person just to get inside. Each establishment charges its own admission fee."

"That's insane."

Every tourist attraction in Aroth charged expensive admission, but Bolero Street's fee exceeded anything Eugene had imagined.

"Apparently, even a cheap tavern charges at least a million sals just to enter. The auction house charges another five million for admission alone."

"Eugene, didn't you say this was your first visit too?"

"I did my research beforehand."

Shaking his head, Eugene looked down at the wristband. A two-million-sal paper bracelet. He gave it a light tug, but it didn't break.

This bracelet served as identification on Bolero Street. Legal identification wasn't used here. A wristband and money. Those were the only two things you needed.

"Let's go."

"Didn't you say you had something else to do?"

"I'll take care of that myself. For now, let's hole up in the auction house."

Eugene reached inside his robe. A small magical communicator rested there. These devices were sold for people to keep in touch with their companions in the sprawling, shady confines of Bolero Street.

["Have you come inside?"]

["How did you know?"]

["These communicators only connect within Bolero Street. I knew because I got a signal."]

An excitable voice came from the communicator. It belonged to the guide Eugene had met on his first day in Aroth. Eugene had sought him out yesterday, paid him handsomely, and asked him to do some spying.

It was a simple task. Linger around the succubus district and send a signal if he spotted Eward. Eward might come wearing a transformation spell himself, but...

["You're worrying over nothing. Lord Eward doesn't use transformation magic."]

["What?"]

["He... uh... I've heard he always wears the same robe. He doesn't display his family's crest, but he wears his hood so that a little of his gray hair shows..."]

["Crazy bastard."]

Apparently, he enjoyed subtly revealing his identity and attracting attention. He had always looked cowed at the main family's estate, and even in the tower he walked around with slumped shoulders and lowered eyes. Yet on a street that was nothing to be proud of, he flaunted his status and strutted around?

'If he were my son, I'd beat that habit out of him.'

Eugene had never fathered a son, but that was what he thought.

"You pay the auction house admission."

"All right."

"About those giant... those giant balls. If they're too expensive, I'm not paying for them."

"How can you say that after we've come all this way?"

"Think about my position. The family head gave me a black card, but he'll be shocked if I spend too much."

"He would."

"If he asks me what I spent so much money on... what the hell am I supposed to say? 'I bought giant balls'? I'd rather fucking die than say that."

"I'll pay you back."

"... That's not what I'm worried about. I'm telling you, I can't bring myself to say I bought giant balls...!"

"If you're that worried, I'll tell him for you."

Just how badly did he want those giant balls? Eugene gave a disbelieving laugh at the anticipation brimming in Gargis's eyes.

"Entering another party's space is prohibited, and you may converse only with your own companions."

There were numerous auction houses on Bolero Street, but they all had the same rules. Anonymous bidding. Everyone was shown into separate rooms, apart from those who had come together, and the bidders' identities could not be determined.

Five million sals per person. The gatekeeper at the auction house entrance leading underground continued his explanation.

"There are three buttons at your assigned seats. Press the middle button if you wish to bid, and the right button if you wish to raise the price. If you require any other assistance, press the left button."

Eugene and Gargis were shown into a spacious room. A cloudy glass window covered the front, and no other sounds could be heard. Once they sat down, a masked attendant brought them water.

"Would you care for any alcohol?"

"No, thank you."

Gargis answered in his deep voice. Hard as it was to believe from his appearance, he was still eighteen. Of course, age didn't matter on Bolero Street. Here, even a ten-year-old could guzzle liquor as long as they had money.

"I thought you weren't particularly interested in the auction."

"I need something to pass the time, and I'm a little curious about what they'll offer."

Eugene answered as he tipped his chair backward.

The glass window in front of them shimmered. Where nothing had been visible before, the image of a man appeared. He wore an elegant tailcoat and a mask.

"Thank you for visiting our auction house on this ever-beautiful full-moon night."

The man bowed and continued.

"Our auction house primarily handles rare magical materials from Helmuth. As you know, there are many auction houses on this street. But I dare say that when it comes to magical materials from Helmuth, our quality is unrivaled."

"... I heard in passing that there are slave auctions on this street as well."

"Surely not."

Slavery was an antiquated, evil institution that had already been abolished in his previous life.

"The alchemist told me. Slavery is strictly forbidden, but... illegal slaves are apparently traded in secret. He said most of the slaves traded are demons."

The world had gone mad.

Eugene shook his head as he thought. Demons were being enslaved and sold to humans? He simply couldn't accept that reality. Of course, there had been plenty of illegal slaves in his previous life as well. Elves who had lost their homes to the Demon Kings. Skilled dwarven artisans. Beastfolk such as centaurs... The closer a region was to Helmuth, the more frequently slaves could be seen.

But here in Aroth, not Helmuth? And demons, not demihumans, were being sold as slaves? To humans?

"Our first item is a Balarex's single horn. Bidding will begin at ten million sals."

The auction began. They claimed to specialize in magical materials from Helmuth, and their stock did justify that pride.

'Balarex meat was incredibly tough.'

The memories it brought back weren't particularly pleasant. Eugene balanced on his tilted chair and watched the auction.

"Prosia fruit."

"Mandrago root."

"Yuzrak flower buds."

"Oh, here we have a live Turas spider. Its venom..."

"Are those giant balls even going to come up?"

They were all rare magical materials, but none interested Eugene. He glanced sideways and found Gargis half asleep.

"They will... they will. I heard they would."

"Are you sure?"

"That's what the rumors said."

"I hope they don't. I don't want to waste money."

Grumbling, Eugene drank his water.

"Our next item is... a metal object of unidentified composition. It's been a troublesome piece, remaining unsold for quite some time. Our auction house has been unable to discern its value, but perhaps one of our guests tonight will be able to appreciate its worth."

Unlike before, the introduction was lengthy.

"This metal was discovered in Helmuth's Kazad Hills. It gives off an exceptionally beautiful glow in moonlight, but... frankly, it has no other value. It is too hard to work, yet it will not accept mana."

He'd said it had remained unsold for a long time. That explained the lengthy description. For the other items, bids had begun rising as soon as their names were announced, so there had been no need for such explanations.

"If your bedroom is beside a window, keeping it as an ornament might not be a bad choice. The glow it emits beneath the moonlight is certainly beautiful..."

The guests hadn't come here to buy something like that. What use was a hard metal that neither accepted mana nor could be worked?

But Eugene stared at the metal, transfixed. A piece of metal about the size of his thumb.

A fragment.

"... Bidding will begin at one million sals."

Everything offered so far had started at no less than ten million sals. The metal's price was remarkably low.

Eugene immediately pressed the button.

"Eugene?"

Gargis turned to him in surprise.

["Uh... would you like to place a bid?"]

"One million sals."

Eugene spoke without hesitation.

He knew what that metal was.