Sorcerer’s Handbook - Chapter 335: Internal Resolution
Meanwhile, Lise and her sisters finally reached an agreement.
Lise would stay in the real world to watch over their bodies, while the others would enter the Family Dream.
“Why is it always me who has to stay behind!?” Lise pouted. “Lise wants to play in the dream too! The Virtual Realm didn’t let me go, and now the dream won’t either!?”
Seeing Little Lise throw a tantrum, her sisters remained unfazed. The White Queen said, “Lise, you know we have a mission in the dream this time, right?”
“Yeah! Isn’t it just about falling in love? Lise can do that too!” Little Lise boasted, hands on her hips.
The White Queen replied, “Then, our smartest Lise, can you tell me how many people it takes to fall in love?”
“Um… two people, right?” Lise held up two fingers.
“That’s correct, it takes two people to fall in love. But as Banjeet mentioned earlier, the other strangers in the Family Dream are scary adults. You wouldn’t want to fall in love with them, would you?”
Lise shook her head vigorously. “No way! Their eyes are so scary!”
“So, we can only rely on internal resolution,” the White Queen explained. “I plan to fall in love with the Black Butler, and the Secret Princess will fall in love with the Scarlet Dead Apostles.”
Given the dangers in the Family Dream, Deya and her sisters wouldn’t recklessly venture in. They had one significant advantage over others—they weren’t just individuals!
Ashe’s suggestion was spot on. Since merging with Senhaeser would lead to assimilation, the most prudent strategy was internal resolution. Unlike others who had to find someone to resolve with, Deya and her sisters could handle it internally!
Lise blinked, taking a few seconds to process this. “What about me!?”
The White Queen in the mirror shrugged, “The five of us will pair up, which means you have to stay behind.”
“No, no, no!” Lise protested, “I don’t want to be left out! Make me a little sister, and I’ll fall in love with her!”
“Creating a sister for that purpose is not acceptable!” the White Queen said. “Lise, be good. It’s not that we don’t want to take you with us this time, but the conditions simply won’t allow it. Stay in the real world and play as you like. Ashe’s Substitute will help with intelligence gathering, so don’t cause trouble.”
“No, Lise can have a partner too!” Lise suddenly had an idea. “I can get Dad—”
“Don’t drag Ashe into the Abyss of crime!” The White Queen reached out from the mirror and knocked Lise on the head. “Kids aren’t allowed to fall in love with adults.”
“But that’s not what I meant,” Lise said, rubbing her head. “If Dad joins us, then there will be six of us. Lise can fall in love with the Scarlet Dead Apostles, and Deya can be with Dad. That way, everyone will be happy!”
The Scarlet Dead Apostles suddenly interjected, “Why me?”
Lise replied, “Because you’re the nicest to me! You’ve never scolded me!”
The White Queen couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. Despite being the one who cared the most for Lise, the White Queen was the one Lise feared the most. The Scarlet Dead Apostles, who never took part in Lise’s education, were seen as the nicest sister.
Feeling her sister’s emotions like a wave, Lise quickly tried to remedy the situation. “Actually, I like the White Queen too. How about I pair with the White Queen, and the Black Butler can be with Dad—”
“Just stay home and watch the house!”
Lise stood at attention. “Yes, ma’am!”
When the heraldry on the back of her hand stopped glowing, Lise knew her sisters had entered the Dream. Bored, she tossed and turned on the bed, watching the Substitute diligently flipping through books and doing homework. She went over and lay beside him, watching.
The Substitute continued his meticulous Retrieval of academic materials, seemingly oblivious to her presence.
“By the way, Dad’s hair seems really long!” Lise suddenly clapped her hands. “I should help him cut it.”
The Substitute hesitated slightly.
“But first, I need to learn how to cut hair.”
The Substitute’s hand started to tremble.
“If I can’t find scissors… oh well, I’ll use a knife!” Lise picked up a fruit knife. “Substitute, show me your head!”
The Substitute slowly pulled back his hood. Whether it was due to the lighting or something else, his face seemed even paler than before.
The White Queen opened her eyes to a world shrouded in white mist, with a river of colorful bubbles flowing above.
“So, this is the Family Dream. It feels quite similar to the Virtual Realm…” She stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong. “Am I separated from them?”
Looking down, she saw she wasn’t wearing Deya’s black and white checkered suit but her own pure white dress. There were no other voices in her mind and no other figures around. This made the White Queen feel slightly uneasy—this might be the first time since her birth that she was separated from her sisters.
She needed to find them quickly. As soon as the White Queen had this thought, a sudden gust of wind blew away the mist. Feathers descended from the sky, the air filled with musical notes, and the sound of footsteps in polished shoes echoed rhythmically, as if stepping directly on her heart.
The White Queen turned her head and immediately felt relieved. “Black Butler?”
The newcomer was dressed impeccably in a black suit and white gloves, with short, sharp hair and a slight smile. It was indeed the Black Butler she knew, although there was a small difference—she didn’t remember the Black Butler having crimson eyes.
However, in a dream, appearances could be freely altered. The White Queen thought it was quite restrained of the Black Butler not to transform herself into a man.
“Black Butler, we…” The White Queen began to speak, but the Black Butler took her hands, and the ground transformed into a stage. Fireworks erupted around them, dazzling lighting descended from the sky, and the air’s musical notes shifted into a passionate, exhilarating nocturne!
“Thud!—Thud!—Thud!—”
“Tap!—Tap!—Tap!—”
Chaos sang, death cheered, the melody of skeletal pianos danced along the beams of light, and the beat of Elf drums guided the dancers’ breaths. Countless corpses raised the stage with all their might, with the demonic red and the fallen gold focusing on the two figures on the stage!
However, the White Queen’s eyes were already dazzled by the overwhelming lights. Her pupils reflected only the grand, magnificent performance, her ears heard only the exhilarating music, and her entire being moved in sync with the person before her!
“Here, you can finally rest. No need to worry about the Witches, no need to think about the Observer, no need to fret over Lise. Just immerse yourself in the dazzling, colorful life you’ve always dreamed of, basking in everyone’s admiration, because this is your very own Queen’s Dream.”
“Give me your heart,” the Black Witch said with a charming smile, her voice dripping with a soothing tenderness that could melt anyone.
“Hey, White Queen, you…”
The White Witch hugged the Black Butler from behind, inhaling deeply beside her neck. “You’re actually a very shy and passive child, aren’t you?”
“White Queen, something’s off with you,” the Black Butler said, panicking as she tried to break free, but she was abruptly pushed onto a bed—a bed?
“It’s just the two of us now. Whatever happens here, no one will ever know.” The White Witch grabbed her tie, speaking domineeringly, “Give me your heart.”
Meanwhile, Deya, who was studying the Family Dream, turned to see someone who looked exactly like her emerging from the white mist, as if her reflection had stepped out of a mirror.
“Little Red?” Deya asked curiously. “Why are you wearing my clothes?”
“I might be Little Red, or I might not be.”
The Witch tilted her head with a sly smile. “Let’s play a game—by the end of tonight, guess who I am?”