A Smooth Journey
Seira's Journey was going surprisingly smoothly.
Though she constantly seemed to drift somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, as if half-caught in a dream...
Whenever training began, she approached it with focus and sincerity.
You've gotten used to this level already.
Let's move on to something a bit more advanced next time.
Yes, Captain...
Um... Compared to when I first started the Journey...
I can really feel that I've grown stronger...
It's all thanks to you, Captain.
You've been doing great, Seira.
Fufu... you're always so kind...
...Please stay with me until the very end of the Journey, Captain.
It was a quiet weekend afternoon with no training or tasks scheduled.
Wondering if I could find something to help Seira on the Journey, I headed down to the library.
I picked out a few books that caught my interest and was just about to sit down to read, when...
I noticed one book whose cover bore a familiar word in large letters.
The Legend of the Succubus.
...Before I knew it, I was standing right there, reading it on the spot.
Succubi are beings that feed on the dreams of others.
To do so, they create a dream domain around themselves...
Anyone who enters their domain slowly becomes absorbed into that dream world without realizing it.
...Eventually, they grow addicted to the endless sweetness of those dreams...
...And can never wake again.
The book detailed various incidents supposedly caused by succubi, both major and minor.
According to it, succubi were terrifying beings that brought misfortune to everyone around them.
Whole towns and cities would fall prey to the nightmares they created.
And they would happily devour the despair and nightmares born from those trapped within.
But no matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like a credible account based on solid evidence.
If anything, it felt more like compilation of made-up stories and floating rumors.
Unbidden, Seira's faintly lonely smile flashed through my mind.
...No, that couldn't be.
That night, I found myself unable to sleep soundly for the first time in a while...
The next morning...
...I need to get up and head out for training, but my head still feels a little... hazy.
...
If I go back to sleep now, I'll probably get to enjoy another pleasant dream like always.
...Just five more minutes...
In the end, I gave in to the temptation of sleep and pulled the blanket over my head.
—tain?
Captain...?
A drowsy voice drifted toward me from afar.
Captain, it's time to wake up.
The voice grew closer...
Captain?
Seira...?
...Yes.
Seira came into view, her expression uncharacteristically somber.
Startled, I sat up quickly and glanced around—the sun was already high in the sky.
Did I really sleep all this time?
Captain... are you all right...?
You didn't show up, so... I came to check on you...
...Sorry. I overslept.
Let's go. I'll work twice as hard to make up for it.
Not wanting Seira to worry, I pretended to be fine and headed to the training grounds with her.
As I led her training, my body felt unusually sluggish and tired.
I'm sorry. I had such a hard time waking up today...
*Yawn...* It's fine. I was late too...
*Yawn...* But is it just us today...?
Seems so... maybe we should just head back and nap again... *Yawn...*
They say yawns are contagious—just watching the maids slack off made me yawn too.
Captain... are you tired?
Huh? No, I just couldn't help yawning...
You look exhausted...
...
I'll stay behind and clean up here. Please... go get some rest.
Okay... Thanks, Seira. I'll leave it to you.
Come to think of it, most people don't normally enjoy day after day of perfect sleep.
Everyone has restless nights once in a while, and today was just one of those days.
…Thinking that, I headed back to my quarters. Behind me, Seira's shadowed gaze lingered for a long while.