Seongjin was squatting down, staring into the campfire.

Crackle. Crackle.

From the foggy view and the strangely pale landscapes, even the red flames seemed to have their heat diminished. It was like watching scenes from an old film.

This must be a dream, Seongjin thought blankly.

-What are you grilling now, hyungnim (brother)?

He asked someone in a small childs voice. Then, a kind mans voice answered.

-Freshwater crayfish.

-Freshwater crayfish?

-Yes. I was dragged into the mountains for survival training a while ago and starved for several days. Im grilling these because I remembered the taste of the crayfish I ate then.

-Hmmm.

Seongjin, no, the child, then poked at the small crustaceans wriggling above the campfire with a stick in his hand, seemingly curious.

-Where did you get these from?

-I asked the gardener to get some in exchange for money. It feels like Ive been ripped off.

Haha.

A bashful laugh followed.

Seongjin couldnt see the mans face, but he thought the voice sounded strangely familiar.

And then, the two waited silently for the crayfish to cook.

Crackle. Crackle.

The savory smell was probably spreading all around. Seongjin couldnt smell anything, but he knew that the child in the dream was looking forward to tasting the crayfish.

Is this really a dream, or just someone elses memory?

The child patiently waited for the man to peel a crayfish for him, and finally, he was able to take a bite.

Hmm, how should I put it? Its more bland and mushy than I expected.

Seongjin couldnt taste it, but he could vividly feel the disappointment the child felt.

The child spoke a bit sulkily.

-Hmm Brother, this doesnt seem to taste good.

The man, who was also chewing on crayfish meat next to the child, laughed and scratched his head. A glint of bright golden hair seemed to show.

-Yes. Actually, I just thought the same thing.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

The birds of the Pearl Palace were chirping, flying in at the same time as always. Seongjin opened his eyes and blankly stared at the canopy above him.

Its been a long time since Ive had a dream.

Seongjin usually didnt dream often. In his previous world, he was too busy fighting monsters in his sleep, and even after his soul inhabited Morress body, he hadnt dreamt until now.

Moreover, the dream felt more like glimpsing into past memories than a simple dream, making him feel strange. He vaguely realized that the dream was of Morress childhood.

[Why? What did you dream about?]

The demon kings soul asked in a clueless voice. It felt like he was stretching after a nap.

[Why? You didnt think souls need sleep?]

Is that so?

While Seongjin was surprised, the demon king grumbled.

[No, what do you want me to do then? I cant stay away from you, and I dont have anyone to talk to while youre sleeping. What else can I do but sleep?]

Well but

Isnt sleep for the brain to recover?

[Souls also need time to recover from fatigue!]

That seems plausible.

Anyway, Seongjin explained everything to the demon king. He had a hunch that the scene from his dream actually happened inside the palace, and he felt as though the childs perspective in the dream was that of Morres.

[Hmm.]

The demon king affirmed the possibility.

[You already know this places language, which we assumed was because were using Morress brain. Then, theres no reason why you couldnt recall the memories of Morres stored in that brain.]

So, its like that?

[If its only this one time, I wouldnt worry, but if this continues, you might end up recalling all of Morress memories.]

That didnt sound too favorable. Isnt it better to recall more memories?

But the demon king was considering a more serious assumption.

[Dont underestimate memory. Remember the time when you once mistook the language of Delcross for that of Sigurd-34 planet?]

Thats right. To be honest, it still feels like Korean unless I consciously think otherwise.

[So, wouldnt it be the same with memory? At first, you might feel you can distinguish yourself apart from Morres. But if you continue to mistake his feelings for yours, his knowledge for yours, wouldnt there eventually be times when you overlap yourself with Morres?]

That seems plausible.

Lately, the demon kings eloquence seemed to be improving.

[Do you get it? To preserve your identity as [Lee Seongjin], you might need to come up with some special measures.]

Seongjin nodded seriously.

Hmm, for now.

[For now?]

I need to train.

Training is the best for headache-inducing matters.

[Wow, what a simpleton.]

The demon king stuck out his tongue in disdain.

Having quickly consumed his breakfast, Seongjin rushed to the training ground, beginning his meditation with great focus. His aura energy was noticeably increasing. He felt satisfied, thinking he might soon attempt the fifth level of aura.

And from Sir Masain, he finally learned how to weave Banahas 2nd Form.

So, this is the Nutcracker

During lunchtime, Amelia, who had come to visit the Pearl Palace, curiously inspected the sword. She had come holding a new fairy tale book to lend to Seongjin.

Having been scolded severely by the Holy Emperor for not studying during his near-death experience, Seongjin passionately read the new book aloud.

Listen. The representative of God. The weak Dr, agon said

Listen. The representative of God. The wicked dragon said.

If my request is rejected soon, the spark of, disaster, will spread in this land?

If my request is rejected, the spark of calamity will soon spread across this land.

Amelia, who had read the book to the point of memorizing it during her childhood, corrected Seongjins reading without even looking at the book.

The book she brought was a famous fairy tale that reportedly contained the tales of the first emperor. The story was about the representative of God who overcame the temptations of a wicked dragon and eventually established an empire called Delcross, bringing peace and prosperity to the continent.

Indeed, dragons appear in fairy tales. But when he asked Amelia if she had ever seen a dragon, she looked at Seongjin with the kind of smile a mother might give when asked about Santa by a child.

Ugh, it seems that in this world, dragons are merely creatures of legend.

And if you were to pinpoint the most malicious aspect of the dragon, the antagonist in this story, it would undeniably be the way it speaks.

Why is it using such an overly pompous and archaic tone? Its hard to read.

Having recently read books where cats meowed and dogs barked, the vocabulary difficulty suddenly increased too much. At this rate, he wondered when he would be able to read books on theology or philosophy.

As he was browsing through the poorly illustrated book with a deep sigh, Amelia was mumbling something incoherent while inspecting the nutcracker.

I distinctly remember that in the past, Father, His Majesty, having this until the very end, but what changed that this ended up with you?

Whats she talking about?

Well, unexpected occurrences might be a good sign. It must be!

Amelia seemed to have convinced herself of something and nodded.

Right, this sister is living somewhere in fourth dimension. Sometimes I cant even keep with her conversation.

Amelia looked pleased as she examined and swung the Nutcracker from different angles.

She always talks about the satisfaction of revenge, but watching her like this, Im wondering if she actually enjoys learning martial arts.

Just as Seongjin had predicted a while ago, she had been making significant progress in accumulating aura lately. Even as a beginner in aura initiation, he could sense that the aura around Amelia was becoming more active.

She had her struggles, especially with the initial stages of aura cultivation, as she had started just a few days ago and the introductory initiation method was that notorious Weiloz.

Wondering if there was a way to help, a brilliant idea occurred to Seongjin.

Sister, the royal audience is soon, right?

Considering that the Holy Emperor had returned from seclusion and was frantically dealing with official tasks, there probably wouldnt be any delays in the royal audience. Amelia nodded.

Yes, why?

How about asking Father for help? Its amazing how that nobleman handles Aura.

Seongjin shared a story hed heard from Masain with Amelia.

The impressive tale of how, for the sake of a nephew who struggled with aura, he had personally infused his own body with aura daily.

If its Holy Emperor, perhaps he could easily do something similar? After all, hes the person who even blocked the otherworldly passage with aura.

Amelia admired and nodded her head.

I didnt know that about Masain orabeoni (brother). Given how young he became the commander of the knights, I thought he was just a prodigy.

Orabeoni (brother)?

Seongjin tilted his head at the somewhat unusual term.

..so Imperial Father is capable of such things. Amazing. I should ask him to teach me like he taught orabeoni (brother).

Filled with ambition, Amelias eyes began to sparkle like stars.

Hmm? I feel like this conversation is going off track.

So, why dont you start by asking if thats possible? I am thinking of asking you to tell me the story about Sir Masains uncle

Yes, from Imperial Father huh?

Only then did she seem to realize that their conversation had gotten off track.

Who else but Imperial Father could be brother Masains uncle?

Huh?

Seongjins mouth gaped open.

You didnt know? I wondered why you kept mentioning brother Masains uncle specifically.

Amelia smiled.

I know you dont remember the past, but havent you been frequently hanging out with orabeoni (brother) lately? I thought he wouldve told you. Its like him to keep silent on the matter.

Sir Masains uncle is the Holy Emperor?

Seongjin had always imagined an elder master, not someone close in age. The revelation was a shock.

She patiently explained to the still-shocked Seongjin. The Holy Emperor was originally the 3rd prince of the previous emperor. Above him were two older princes and a princess.

Sir Masain is the second son of the eldest prince, Cameron. That makes him a cousin to Morres.

Although now bearing the name Klanos instead of Klein, and having lost the right to the throne, hes still quietly treated as a member of the imperial family.

Wait

That reminded Seongjin of the twins he met previously. They clearly greeted Masain as

Hello, Masain orabeoni.

Hello, Masain hyungnim.

The way they said hello huh?

W-Why didnt you tell me something so important, Sir Masain?

Amelia began, Honestly, him and you Morres were somewhat distant before. She glanced at Seongjin and hesitated, In fact, you were the only one who didnt call brother Masain brother.

While Amelia stopped there, Seongjin inferred more from her hesitancy.

Morres, you jerk! Youve been mean and disrespectful to Sir Masain, havent you?

A headache crept on Seongjin, and the demon king quickly spoke.

[Whoa, your blood pressure is rising. Relax! Relax!]

Does it look like I can stay calm?

How am I supposed to treat Sir Masain now?

Yet, the afternoon lesson time inevitably arrived.

Distracted, unlike his attentive morning self, Seongjin caught Sir Masains curious gaze. Still, Sir Masain refrained from reprimanding him, probably because Seongjin usually had a good attitude.

As the sun set over the training ground, Masain, who had finished his meditation, looked at Seongjin who seemed like had something to say. As Seongjin tried to play it off, Masain, looking determined, bowed his head.

I have a request. Please.

Uh Yes? A request?

Yes, could you lend me the Nutcracker for a moment?

Masains face was uncharacteristically serious. Without realizing, Seongjin nodded and handed over the Nutcracker.

Hmmm, who is this brother in Morres's memory?