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Chapter 9: The Cocoon World
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[Location – Unknown]
Tsukasa: Ah, where are…? No, more importantly, is everyone unharmed?
Yuu: Yeah, for the most part. But where did that fortress-looking monster go?
Harriet: The rook has disappeared, just as Leo Tsukinaga’s castle crumbled away.
Merc: I see. So you’re saying this place isn’t Leo-san’s kingdom anymore.
Ritsu: Yaaawn…☆ This weather’s nice and warm♪
Arashi: But even so, Yuu-chan and Merc-chan are still here. I assume we haven’t made it back to Yumenosaki yet.
Hey, Harriet-chan. What happened to us?
Harriet: The rook was the symbol of the castle, but it all collapsed when Leo Tsukinaga raised the flag of rebellion against it.
It doesn’t seem to be over yet, though. This place is the stage on which that dreamlike experience was performed.
This is the fertile field that birthed the world of the picture book. This is not the picture book itself, nor is it your world.
Izumi: Hmm? Speaking of which, we’re still in our stage outfits. Nothing’s changed from before, then, huh?
Harriet: That’s right. You have not yet returned to your bodies.
Tsukasa: So you are Harriet-san, correct? Excuse me, but may I ask one question? Why are we in these outfits?
Harriet: Whether there may be internal or external reasons, I do not know the details myself.
The picture book is nothing more than a creation. Most likely, your hearts were reflected in an outer appearance appropriate for the picture book’s acting cast.
The same can be said about your swords and bows. They are not replicas, but real weapons.
Leo: Mmm~? I think I’ve been to this river before…?
Oh, this is where I met that big butterfly! Wahahaha, I wonder how he’s doing~?
Mmm? But something’s a bit weird. I thought the fog was thicker here?
Heeey, Harry~? You seem to know a lot about this place, but do you know how to get out, too?
No matter how far we go, the river keeps going on. I have no idea where we should be going.
Harriet: I do know a little. I have heard of this place before, but this is my first time visiting it.
A monster that grows and feeds on imagination… it built a nest in that picture book I gave you.
I was careless. It must have slipped into the picture book secretly, disguised as a butterfly bookmark.
Isn’t that right, Fairy Knight?
Fairy Knight: Kyu!
Merc: Myu?! A monster came down from the sky!!
Leo: Ohh! Long time no see~♪
Wahaha, still dressing like a knight, I see☆ So you were the one behind this~
Harriet: You might have figured this out already, but the reason you were struggling with composing was because Fairy Knight had been stealing your imagination.
Leo: Hmm, this guy, huh? What do you plan on doin’ with that?
Fairy Knight: Kyu…!
Leo: Wahahaha☆ Showing your claws now, huh?
Harriet: Fairy Knight lures humans into its world of daydreams, and absorbs those fantasies as its nutrients.
Leo: Just for a meal…? But even so, you seem ready to fight for it.
Hey, you’re a knight too. You have something you wanna protect with that sword, right?
I’m the same. I can’t be a coward anymore.
I am the King of Knights - I won’t be taken down here.
Fairy Knight: Kyu!
Leo: Wahahahaha! En garde, Fairy Knight! It’s a duel! Let us sing, dance, and fight each other~!
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< Chapter 8: Moonlit Rebellion || Merc Storia Masterlist || Chapter 10: The Tale of the Dream-Blooming Knights >
---
[Location – Unknown]
Tsukasa: Ah, where are…? No, more importantly, is everyone unharmed?
Yuu: Yeah, for the most part. But where did that fortress-looking monster go?
Harriet: The rook has disappeared, just as Leo Tsukinaga’s castle crumbled away.
Merc: I see. So you’re saying this place isn’t Leo-san’s kingdom anymore.
Ritsu: Yaaawn…☆ This weather’s nice and warm♪
Arashi: But even so, Yuu-chan and Merc-chan are still here. I assume we haven’t made it back to Yumenosaki yet.
Hey, Harriet-chan. What happened to us?
Harriet: The rook was the symbol of the castle, but it all collapsed when Leo Tsukinaga raised the flag of rebellion against it.
It doesn’t seem to be over yet, though. This place is the stage on which that dreamlike experience was performed.
This is the fertile field that birthed the world of the picture book. This is not the picture book itself, nor is it your world.
Izumi: Hmm? Speaking of which, we’re still in our stage outfits. Nothing’s changed from before, then, huh?
Harriet: That’s right. You have not yet returned to your bodies.
Tsukasa: So you are Harriet-san, correct? Excuse me, but may I ask one question? Why are we in these outfits?
Harriet: Whether there may be internal or external reasons, I do not know the details myself.
The picture book is nothing more than a creation. Most likely, your hearts were reflected in an outer appearance appropriate for the picture book’s acting cast.
The same can be said about your swords and bows. They are not replicas, but real weapons.
Leo: Mmm~? I think I’ve been to this river before…?
Oh, this is where I met that big butterfly! Wahahaha, I wonder how he’s doing~?
Mmm? But something’s a bit weird. I thought the fog was thicker here?
Heeey, Harry~? You seem to know a lot about this place, but do you know how to get out, too?
No matter how far we go, the river keeps going on. I have no idea where we should be going.
Harriet: I do know a little. I have heard of this place before, but this is my first time visiting it.
A monster that grows and feeds on imagination… it built a nest in that picture book I gave you.
I was careless. It must have slipped into the picture book secretly, disguised as a butterfly bookmark.
Isn’t that right, Fairy Knight?
Fairy Knight: Kyu!
Merc: Myu?! A monster came down from the sky!!
Leo: Ohh! Long time no see~♪
Wahaha, still dressing like a knight, I see☆ So you were the one behind this~
Harriet: You might have figured this out already, but the reason you were struggling with composing was because Fairy Knight had been stealing your imagination.
Leo: Hmm, this guy, huh? What do you plan on doin’ with that?
Fairy Knight: Kyu…!
Leo: Wahahaha☆ Showing your claws now, huh?
Harriet: Fairy Knight lures humans into its world of daydreams, and absorbs those fantasies as its nutrients.
Leo: Just for a meal…? But even so, you seem ready to fight for it.
Hey, you’re a knight too. You have something you wanna protect with that sword, right?
I’m the same. I can’t be a coward anymore.
I am the King of Knights - I won’t be taken down here.
Fairy Knight: Kyu!
Leo: Wahahahaha! En garde, Fairy Knight! It’s a duel! Let us sing, dance, and fight each other~!
---
< Chapter 8: Moonlit Rebellion || Merc Storia Masterlist || Chapter 10: The Tale of the Dream-Blooming Knights >