Favored by the Family That Will Become the Strongest! - Chapter 72

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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He had never been the sort to listen readily to others. The only person he’d ever truly acknowledged was Malacar. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have deemed it an affront—someone daring to issue commands to him. But now, he found himself overwhelmed by Diena’s brilliance. And so he followed her words without resistance.
“Hmm, ah yes. Very well then—let’s hear what you have to say.”
Diena sent her mana flowing slowly toward Ludrick. It was not an easy thing to perceive, but unlike the Innate Ability, mana was something all people possessed as a matter of course.
She turned to look at Helio and asked him a question.
“Don’t you find it strange?”
At her words, Helio—who had been studying Ludrick—widened his eyes sharply. He could see it now: the mana’s flow was unmistakably irregular.
He could only comprehend it after Diena had spoken. But how had this girl noticed it? Helio looked at her with trembling eyes and asked.
“How did you figure it out? You detected the abnormal mana just from hearing the symptoms?”
Diena met his gaze with a troubled expression. The truth was, she didn’t know precisely what was wrong. She had simply mimicked an action that Malacar from her past life had taken upon witnessing an Ability User afflicted by the Nightmare Phenomenon.
“Diena, observe this. Those Ability Users struck by the Nightmare Phenomenon all exhibit the same peculiarity—their mana flows unnaturally toward the head.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“……Don’t you find it strange? Look more closely.”
“I’m afraid I cannot discern it.”
“Well, it’s understandable you wouldn’t catch it. I myself only discovered it after observing for several months.”
Malacar spoke thus and added further.
“Still, if other mages become aware that something is amiss, they’ll perceive it soon enough. You’ll come to understand it in time as well.”
Yet Diena, pretending ignorance of that past, nodded with confidence.
“Yes.”
Helio clenched both fists tightly, his entire frame trembling.
“So you were able to discern all of this because you’re a prodigy? You’re asking me to believe that……”
Diena had never explicitly claimed genius—but Helio had interpreted it so himself. From his perspective, it was only natural he should feel some indignation at being asked to accept such a thing.
“I understand your skepticism……”
“I have no choice but to believe it.”
Diena fell silent. Since he was choosing to trust her of his own accord, there was no need to protest. She simply nodded in acknowledgment.
“……Thank you for believing me.”
She paused briefly, clearing her throat, then continued.
“The reason I’ve asked for your help is precisely because of this matter.”
“So—you suspected that someone was inducing these nightmares through an Innate Ability, and upon observing Prince Castleton, you became certain?”
“Exactly. If my hypothesis is correct, I thought your assistance would be necessary.”
“Using Sleep Magic, we enter the dream directly, and if fortune favors us, we discover the source of the nightmare and awaken Prince Castleton. A sound approach indeed.”
Helio nodded while murmuring thoughtfully, then asked with deliberate casualness.
“Ahem, well. Did Malacar ever happen to mention me? He seemed utterly uninterested in Sleep Magic, yet it appears he wasn’t entirely indifferent.”
Diena felt somewhat uncomfortable. The Malacar of the present had never said a word about Helio. Had she not possessed memories of her past life, she would never have known of his existence.
“Ahem, well.”
Helio raised an eyebrow, pressing for a response. Diena smiled faintly and replied.
“I too am a mage of the Magic Tower. I’ve taken a personal interest in Sleep Magic and made inquiries on my own.”
At that, Helio’s face brightened instantly. This explanation pleased him far more than hearing it from Malacar would have.
“So you knew of me even though Malacar said nothing? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Yes. Sleep is humanity’s most vital domain, is it not? Especially for Ability Users. I simply agreed with your philosophy.”
“Hmm, your master’s student is quite sharp. As you say, quality sleep is indeed essential. Humans cannot survive without it.”
Helio appeared satisfied with her answer.
“That is precisely why I had to reach out to you, though I knew it impertinent of me.”
“This certainly seems like work requiring my assistance. And fortunately, I have just completed a spell that allows one to approach another’s dreams!”
At this, Diena’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Yes, that is exactly why I’ve summoned you. I thought together we might discover what manner of nightmare Prince Castleton is experiencing, and find a way to cure him.”
“How perceptive. You would be wasted as Malacar’s student.”
Helio nodded in agreement.
“Very well, I concur with your theory that this phenomenon stems from an Innate Ability. We shall employ magic. Follow me.”
Diena took her place beside Helio before Ludrick. At that moment, Barcan—who had been quietly observing the proceedings—spoke up.
“Then what exactly are you about to do?”
At Barcan’s question, Helio shrugged as though he had been waiting for it.
“I intend to use my latest masterwork—Dream Synchronization Magic. Rather than merely glimpsing a dream, it will allow us to actively influence it.”
Helio withdrew a vial of Crystal Powder with a soft blue luminescence from within his robes and began scattering it around Ludrick. Then, pointing toward a bed, he turned to Diena.
“Lie here, Diena.”
At his words, Barcan’s face filled with protective concern as he asked.
“Why must she lie down?”
“Because she must sleep.”
Helio spoke to Barcan while continuing his preparation.
“My student and I will both enter the nightmare that Prince Castleton is experiencing.”
“There’s no danger to Diena, is there?”
“I’m not entirely certain myself.”
At Helio’s irresponsible answer, Barcan frowned deeply.
“Precisely. Since I don’t even know what manner of dream he’s having, how should I know whether it’s dangerous? That much becomes clear only after we’ve entered.”
“Looking at the prince’s expression, the nightmare seems quite severe.”
“That varies. The threshold of what constitutes a nightmare differs from person to person. What seems dreadful to you might not trouble him at all.”
“Then I shall go in her stead.”
Helio stared directly at Barcan. An unmistakable stubbornness radiated from him—a resolve never to let Diena go without protest.
But Barcan had overlooked something crucial. When it came to stubbornness, Helio yielded to no one. He spoke with an uncompromising tone.
“That is not acceptable.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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