Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Satou here. I've heard that dreams are fragments of the brain organizing memories.

That said, ever since becoming a working adult and living with shorter sleep hours, I hardly ever dream anymore.

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When the time came, I switched night shifts with Pochi and the others. Arisa said, “I'm here to watch you so you don’t go on a night walk,” and came to lie down beside me. Usually, I’d push her away, but since she had helped negotiate well with the old man today, I figured a little reward wouldn’t hurt.

Of course, I warned her that if she tried any sexual mischief, I’d tie her up and hang her from a tree.

Even Lulu came to lie down on the other side, stammering, “I-I’m here to watch too,” so we ended up sleeping in a row.

I hope five years pass quickly.

To my pleasant surprise, Arisa didn’t play any weird pranks and fell asleep.

If she was always like this, I wouldn’t mind lying down next to her anytime.

Before sleeping, I did my daily check on the demon race’s positions.

They still seem to be wandering between the castle and the forest where the bandits are. Occasionally, they produce level 1 clones called Splitters and let them roam the city. I once watched overnight and found they weren’t killing people, so I assume these clones are for gathering information.

There were other notable movements in the territory.

The bandits near Muno City appear to have joined a large bandit gang in the forest by the city. Many escaped serfs from nearby villages have joined them, and now the group exceeds 500 people. Small groups on the move will likely bring that to around 700. Is a revolution brewing?

From the northwest direction—a bit to the right when extending from my current position towards Muno City—a group of demi-goblins has entered the territory. Last night there were about 50, but now nearly a thousand stretch out in an unbroken line outside the territory.

I wonder if the “demi-” refers to a goblin subspecies. It’s a bit surprising they are classified as monsters, not demi-humans. I haven’t seen one in person yet; I’d like to see them sometime.

I haven’t seen an orc either, but since they appear as antagonists in stories of this world, they probably exist.

The person knight Eral was searching for during the day is likely the baron’s second daughter. She was spotted in the bandits’ stronghold. Perhaps she was kidnapped and taken hostage. Maybe the sins of the parents fall upon the children.

Thanks to the bandits moving away, tomorrow looks peaceful. It should cut down on unnecessary hassle, so we should reach Muno City by the morning after tomorrow.

After finishing the survey, I went to sleep.

◇

I had a strange dream.

It was of playing with my first love in the courtyard of a shrine back in the countryside when I was a child.

If it were just that, it would have been a nostalgic dream, but although it was supposedly the same girl, her personality changed every time the scene shifted.

I can’t even recall her name. Maybe this dream came because Arisa and Lulu were hugging me.

◇

“So, I just can’t forgive that whole ‘reversal’ thing!”

Arisa shouted weird words as she sat up. The sound of her teeth grinding had been loud. Plus, her claws dug into my arm, which hurt. I ignored it since the redness was just healing before real damage set in, but pain is pain.

“Good morning, Arisa.”

“Good morning? I’m Arisa, and you’re my darling.”

“Close, but the last part’s wrong.”

Arisa pretended to slap me lightly in response, but tears marked the corners of her eyes. I wonder what kind of dream she had.

Lulu was still asleep but also had tear stains. Looking down, Pochi and Tama were curled up on my stomach, murmuring about being cold and hungry.

Everyone seemed to have had bad dreams, so I woke them up one by one by gently pinching their noses.

“Master? That’s a relief!”

“Good morning~? Meow, it’s so warm.”

“Good morning. It’s time to prepare breakfast.”

All three were still groggy, rubbing their faces against my chest or shoulder. Lulu acting like this is rare. Usually, Arisa would join in, but she went off to wash her face.