After the throne was carefully lowered onto the platform, Lillie gracefully descended, waving excitedly at the crowd as they parted to make way for her to walk down the red carpet. Toy soldiers flanked her on either side, marching in perfect rhythm.

  One thing that Victor found particularly amusing was that she was actually wearing a fake white moustache as though to enhance her role as “king.” The whimsical detail was so characteristically Lillie that Victor couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

  “My citizens!” She announced, “Now I shall begin today’s royal exhibition!”

  Thus, the exhibition began.

  Lillie raised her hand, and the plaza transformed into a stage of wonders as the sky above seemed to darken. The toy citizens gasped in awe as wondrous constructs appeared, seemingly conjured from thin air. Miniature towers of spinning light rose like carnival rides, radiant flowers bloomed mid-air like bursts of fireworks, and golden orbs floated lazily above, resembling celestial bodies suspended in a dream. It was as if a dreamlike festival had been brought to life.

  Lillie moved her hands with practiced ease, orchestrating the dreamlike display as if she were conducting an invisible symphony. Even a Magus like Victor was captivated by the scene. The Dreamscape itself seemed to be courting her — she was using dreamforce!

  When his gaze met Lillie’s, Victor cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, “Lillie!” His voice cut through the cheers and gasps of the crowd.

  One of the toy soldiers closest to her turned sharply, its button-like eyes narrowing as it marched toward him. “Silence, traveler! Hold your foul tongue!” the soldier barked, pointing its toy-like weapon at Victor. “How dare you utter Her Majesty’s name so informally!”

  “Please forgive my transgression. But I have an important matter to discuss with Her Majesty.” Victor raised an eyebrow, waiting to see Lillie’s response.

  However, contrary to Victor’s expectations, Lillie didn’t seem to recognize him. She took a few steps forward and addressed him with a formal tone. “O traveler from afar, I bid ye welcome,” she said with authority. “Long have I heard of your deeds across the land… What intention do you have for coming to my kingdom?”

  Victor blinked in confusion. Huh? She’s not referring to herself in the third person? That alone was unusual for her, but there was something far more concerning. Why doesn’t she recognize me?

  At first, Victor suspected that this might be part of her role-playing, but he quickly dismissed the idea because Lillie wasn’t showing signs of deliberately doing so. Besides, she would never ignore him, especially not when he was standing right in front of her.

  “Your Majesty,” Victor began carefully, testing the waters, “it’s me… Victor. Surely you remember?”

  Lillie tilted her head slightly, her mismatched eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Victor, you say? I am afraid the name does not ring a bell.”

  Interesting. Truly interesting.

  In that split second, Victor was able to deduce that something external was influencing her mind, and he knew who the culprit might be—

  “GWWAAAHH!”

  Before he could probe further, a thunderous roar echoed from the distance. The ground trembled beneath Victor’s feet, and his head turned toward the source of the noise. Over the horizon, a massive blocky beast hurtled through the air with terrifying speed toward this location.

  “The Toy Dragon!” one of the toy soldiers bellowed, pointing its weapon toward the sky. The peaceful carnival atmosphere of the plaza quickly dissolved into chaos as the dragon descended, its wings slicing through the air like blades.

  The beast was a sight to behold — a creature seemingly cobbled together from blocks of wood, metal, and colorful fabric. Despite its patchwork appearance, it radiated a menacing power that was impossible to ignore. Its eyes were glaring with malicious intent, and as it opened its massive jaw, a searing stream of blazing energy erupted forth.

  Boom!

  The impact of the dragon’s breath was devastating, equaling that of an all-out attack of a peak Elemental Adept Magus. Entire swaths of the plaza were obliterated in seconds, and the toy citizens caught vanished in an instant, while the rest scattered in panic.

  “{Space Fold}!” Victor chanted. A fold in space appeared before himself and Lillie’s group to protect against the dragon’s attack.

  “Your Majesty, we must retreat!” the toy soldier nearest to Lillie exclaimed, stepping protectively in front of her.

  Victor’s eyes narrowed as he quickly assessed the situation. Of course, it had to show up now. Should I take it down? But to do so, I’d need to use at least two sigils…

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  Although Victor had recharged his infused mana and the used sigils through consuming mana-restoring potions, if he were to run out of mana in the middle of battle, it might spell his doom. Still, what was the most important was to protect Lillie and escape from this place.

  He took out the Voidborn Orb from his interspatial ring while devising the best way to deal with the beast. “Lillie!” Victor shouted instinctively, turning toward the girl, but she remained calm and regal, showing no signs of panic.

  “The dragon dares to disrupt my kingdom’s peace?” she declared, her voice filled with authority. “It shall be dealt with.”

  Dealt with? But you’re just a first-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte. You’ve never even learned a proper spell model… Victor thought in confusion. Unless… she’s going to use the power of her heterochromatic eyes.

  Just then, Lillie’s eyes began to shine as she raised her hand high into the air. The dreamlike aura around her thickened, and the very fabric of the Dreamscape seemed to warp and bend to her will. Golden tendrils of dreamforce swirled around her, flowing like radiant streams of light into her outstretched palm.

  The Toy Dragon roared again, preparing to unleash another devastating attack. But as it opened its massive, blocky jaws, the swirling dreamforce coalesced into a massive construct — a radiant lance brimming with ethereal energy.

  “Begone, beast!” she declared and hurled the lance at the dragon with stunning precision. The projectile soared through the sky like a blazing comet, leaving a trail of light in its wake.

  The lance struck true, piercing straight into the Toy Dragon’s chest. The beast froze mid-air, its body convulsing as the dreamforce spread across its frame like cracks in glass. Then, with a deafening explosion, it shattered into countless fragments, its pieces dissipating into harmless motes of golden light that rained down over the plaza.

  Victor stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. Her ability to control dreamforce within the Dreamscape was amazing!

  He was confident that if a Nexus Temporal Magus were sent here and forced to fight her, Lillie would win ten out of ten times. She was just that powerful in this place.

  “All hail King Lillie!”

  “Long live King Lillie!”

  “…!”

  Instantly, the toy citizens erupted into cheers.

  Lillie turned back to the crowd, standing tall with her hands on her hips. Her fake moustache was slightly askew, but her composure remained strong as she smiled like a child who was being complimented for getting full marks on a test.

  “Just how much control does she have over the Dreamscape?” Victor mused. This pretty much confirmed that this was her dreamland — a realm shaped entirely by her imagination.

  “Your Majesty, what should we do with the foreign traveler?” quipped one of the toy soldiers.

  Lillie tilted her head, her mismatched eyes glinting with curiosity as she looked toward Victor. “Hmm… the foreign traveler, you say?” she mused, tapping her chin. Then, with a bright smile, she clapped her hands. “Ah! Since he tried to save us earlier, I shall personally treat him as my honored guest!” Honored guest?

  The toy soldier saluted sharply. “As you wish, Your Majesty! Shall we escort him to the castle?”

  “No need!” Lillie declared, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll take him there myself.” She glanced at Victor with a mischievous grin. “After all, I want to personally treat our guest to some royal hospitality.”

  Victor resisted the urge to roll his eyes; she must have picked this up from Lizbeth. “Well, I wouldn’t turn down royal hospitality, Your Majesty,” he said, playing along.

  This way, he would get the chance to explore the castle. From what he had observed, the dreamforce concentrated most heavily there, making it highly suspicious. If there was any clue about Lillie’s strange behavior, it was likely hidden within those walls.

  “Good!” Lillie exclaimed, spinning on her heel literally. “Come along, traveler! You are about to witness the grandest of tours!”

  Victor followed Lillie as she marched confidently down the red carpet, her toy soldiers stepping aside to make way for their “king” and her “honored guest.” Despite the destruction caused by the earlier attack, the toy citizens erupted into cheers once more, their button-like eyes gleaming with renewed admiration as they chanted, “Long live King Lillie!”

  Lillie waved at them enthusiastically, and to Victor’s surprise, the toy citizens who had been destroyed earlier were restored before his very eyes through her powers. Blocks and fragments floated back into place, seamlessly reconstructing the fallen figures — this display of life creation ability of hers was similar to what she had demonstrated before.

  “Thank you, my loyal subjects! Your king shall return shortly!” she declared, though her fake moustache was still slightly askew, which made her quite comical instead.

  Victor couldn’t help but chuckle quietly, shaking his head. At least some part of her hasn’t changed. She’s still so innocent.

  As they approached the gates of Brightmoon Castle, the toy soldiers stationed there saluted sharply before swinging the gates open, revealing the castle’s grand interior: The walls were adorned with intricate carvings of stars and moons; floating orbs of light illuminated the vast hall; murals depicting fantastical scenes covered the walls.

  “Welcome to Brightmoon Castle!” Lillie announced, turning to face Victor with a proud smile.

  Victor activated his mana sense, letting it sweep over the castle's surroundings. The concentration of dreamforce here was extraordinary — it saturated the air, almost tangible in its density. Yet, unlike mana, he couldn’t interact with it. As a being from outside the Dreamscape, dreamforce was an enigma to him.

  “This place sure is impressive,” he praised. “It’s beyond any castle I’ve ever seen.”

  “Of course it is!” Lillie puffed out her chest proudly, placing her hands on her hips. “This is the most magnificent castle in all the Dreamscape!”

  Victor offered her a gentle smile, but his attention was focused on the far end of the hall, where a grand staircase spiral upward. The dreamforce there was stronger than anywhere else, almost as if it were calling to him.

  Before he could say anything, Lillie pointed toward the staircase. “Come, dear guest! The royal tour isn’t complete without visiting the highest tower. That’s where all the kingdom’s greatest treasures are kept!”

  Victor nodded. The highest tower, huh? That’s probably where I’ll find some clues to her sudden change in personality.

  Thus, he followed her lead upstairs. Each step seemed to amplify the density of the dreamforce, pressing against his senses like an unseen weight. When they reached the top, Victor found himself standing before a large, ornate door. The air around it thrummed with strange energy, and the dreamforce emanating from beyond was almost suffocating in its intensity.

  Lillie’s heterochromatic eyes shone as she activated her power before the door creaked open by itself. As it revealed the interior, Victor’s eyes widened at what lay beyond…