The Artist Who Paints Dungeon
Chapter 252

"Why on earth did the pillow come along too."

Aram looked down distastefully at the pillow she was hugging. Well, it felt soft and pleasant, so she decided to carry it for now. She didn’t need to use her hands for attacking or defending anyway.

‘It’s fine if my hands are tied up.’

Besides, if the opponent was on the level of an evil god, not being able to use her hands was a trivial penalty.

‘But... this is a little different than I expected.’

Her wish had been: “Please let my family escape from the Dream Amusement Park.”

A demand that directly contradicted the dungeon’s reason for existence. So Aram considered a few scenarios:

First, the dungeon shows a dream that fulfills her wish.

Second, the dungeon’s master gets angry and attacks.

Third, nothing happens and she just falls asleep.

She also considered exceptions, but those three were the most likely.

‘But this is... an amusement park?’

A gorgeously decorated amusement park. She’d never been to one, but Earth had similar places. As a child who could never grow up, there weren’t many rides she could take, but she had been curious once.

“Hm...”

As she paced in place, she realized she was barefoot.

“Ah... I should’ve worn shoes.”

She’d apparently arrived in the state she had been sleeping in. She had prepared loose clothing for comfort, but had forgotten the shoes. She must’ve been out of it after the fight with the bishop. It made her a little glum.

‘No, I’m the Saintess of the Moon Sect. I can’t slump here...!’

Hugging the pillow tightly, Aram looked around.

‘I’ve never been to an amusement park, so I can’t tell how different this is from the ones on Earth. Teacher was right a hundred times over. Just studying theory within the Moon Sect doesn't make you wise. Even now, I can’t come up with a convincing idea...’

After walking a little farther, she sensed someone nearby.

‘...Wait. Someone?’

She could sense a human presence?

‘Is it a monster mimicking a person? Or someone like me, who ended up here instead of the dream they wished for? I should check. Should I hide?’

She wrapped herself in divine power, concealing her presence and appearance. Then she lifted her feet slightly off the ground to avoid leaving footprints. Drifting ghost-like through the air, she cautiously approached—and saw something.

“Oh my.”

“!”

“So here you are, guest.”

A woman with jet-black hair and eyes. She was an adult wearing a tidy suit, and was looking straight at Aram. She bowed politely.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Crow, Sesil.”

“...You can see me?”

“Our eyes are quite sharp.”

“Your eyes...”

She didn’t feel any particular aura from her.

‘Crow, she said. Is that a species? I’ve seen Hunters on Earth with animal traits before. Or is this a crow that took human form? What is she?’

There were rumors of beastfolk in other dimensions—maybe this was one?

“......”

There was no hostility, no trickery. And if there was, Aram had no way to counter it anyway. She’d called her “guest,” so playing along seemed the best move.

Aram dispelled her concealment and greeted her formally.

“My name is Aram. Could you tell me where I am?”

“Of course. That is precisely why I was assigned to you. Please allow me to accompany you.”

“You’re not taking me somewhere?”

“This is the Dream Amusement Park. You are free to enjoy and observe everything you desire. I am merely an attendant to ensure you face no trouble.”

“Then... as I just asked, could you tell me exactly where I am?”

She’s more polite than expected. Maybe this dungeon didn’t call for battle, but knowledge and wisdom. This was a mystery’s belly. If she obeyed the rules set by the dungeon’s master, she could avoid losses.

Crow Sesil replied cheerfully.

“As I said, this is the Dream Amusement Park. Here, you may enjoy what you’ve longed for—whether it was only in dreams or strong enough to appear in them from time to time.”

“Am I a special case? I was invited the same way as others, but ended up in this amusement park instead of the dream I wished for.”

“You could say you’re special, yes. But you needn’t worry about side effects. You were simply brought to the place you truly desired.”

“You’re saying I wanted to come here?”

“Our Dream Amusement Park always reflects the guest’s desire. What you truly wanted wasn’t a dream, but reality. That’s why you were invited here. A dream cannot be forced upon one who refuses to dream.”

“......”

If that were true, then this place wasn’t primarily about writing a wish beneath a pillow.

‘So writing a dream wish under the pillow wasn’t essential. It was probably just a spark, a way to help the dreamer visualize their desire. The real core is the dreamer’s own °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° inner yearning...’

Which meant this Dream Amusement Park could read human desire.

‘I heard a fellow sect sibling report something similar. If she’s speaking like this, then what he found must be true. But... out of all the siblings, not one has reported this amusement park. That must mean... their desires were in dreams, not reality.’

No, wait.

“...Then am I in reality right now?”

“Yes, you are in reality.”

“T-then, my body from Earth was brought here?”

“That’s correct.”

No wonder she’d arrived just as she was sleeping!

“M-my parents will be worried! I disappeared without warning...!”

“But in reality, there can only be one of you.”

The attendant who called herself a crow answered kindly.

“No one can escape their body to see the world from another angle unless it’s through a dream. Once born, most are trapped in that one body for life. Especially if they’re lifeforms like you, from Earth.”

It felt as though she were looking down at her own body from outside.

“...Precisely because we only get one body, it becomes all the more valuable.”

“You’re right, and that’s why you were brought here.”

“But you said this was a Dream Amusement Park? If I can do anything I dreamed of here, doesn’t that mean this place can’t really be called ‘reality’?”

“Reality in this dimension and reality on Earth are indeed different. Here, you can taste your wishes. That’s what gives the dream its purpose.”

“Dreams...”

Dreams do not exist merely to enjoy fragments of wishes.

“......”

But one could still long for that.

‘...She’s not wrong.’

It just wasn’t exactly what Aram had expected. She accepted that. If she just treated this place like a dungeon and stayed on edge, nothing would work. She had to keep calm and judge rationally.

“Then have others besides me ever visited this place?”

“Yes, indeed. Especially those who claimed to be staff from the Association—they visit often.”

“Ah, people from the Association?”

“There are also Hunters who said they belonged to Justitia. Not as frequently as the Association staff, but they’re regular visitors.”

“A-and what do those people do here?”

“Unfortunately, most don’t even explore the park. They tend to wake up rather quickly.”

“Why is that? Isn’t a dream supposed to be unbroken?”

“But those who can’t dream simply can’t stay in a dream.”

Crow smiled gently.

“They don’t have dreams. So it’s only natural that they can’t stay here long.”

“...What about me? Can you tell?”

“You can stay here far longer than what you wished for.”

“How do I wake up?”

“If you dream all your dreams, then you may awaken.”

“...Wait a second. Are you saying...”

Realizing something was off, Aram flinched. Crow tilted her head.

“Most guests who come to the Dream Amusement Park are only allowed a short time. After all, they fell asleep not for dreams, but for reality. But for some reason, you are dreaming so very many dreams.”

“T-that’s impossible. That’s a contradiction...”

“Yes, it is a contradiction. But you made it reality. And dreams—until they’re completely spent—cannot end. Even I cannot help you spend them faster.”

“Why do you keep talking about dreams here?!”

Maybe because reality and dreams were tangled. This whole structure made no sense.

“Send me home! This is kidnapping!”

“I don’t have that authority.”

“Then who does?!”

“Only you and...”

Crow’s eyes curved gracefully.

“...the Master of this amusement park.”

“M-Master?”

“Yes. Our Master watches over us.”

“Are they in this dimension now? In this dungeon?”

“He is always watching over us. I cannot presume to arrange a meeting. But if you energetically spend your dreams, perhaps he may take notice.”

“Even so... would he really see me?”

“Of course he would. He loves dreamers.”

“What a peculiar taste...”

She couldn’t bring herself to curse.

‘I don’t know how long I’ll be stuck here—no point in building resentment.’

Patience will become wisdom.

“Hoo...”

“Would you like a place to rest?”

“...There’s such a place here in the amusement park?”

“You can enjoy anything you wish.”

“No. I want to see this place just as it is.”

Her dream didn’t belong in a place like this.

“My dream exists in reality, not in some abstract dimension. I’ll start consuming dreams only after I’ve finished investigating this dungeon. And even then, it’ll only be a means to escape—not the goal itself. Please remember that.”

“Of course, guest.”

Crow smiled again.

“We sincerely wish for our guests’ happiness.”

“......”

Aram hesitated, then asked.

“...Um, also—if there’s another Korean person who came here, could you arrange a meeting? My family back on Earth will be really worried since I vanished. I just want to get a message to them...”

“I will take steps to ensure you’re not inconvenienced.”

“Okay... Thank you...”

Aram, who had lived her whole life as a model student, had now become a runaway youth.

***

The problem was, the Moon Sect didn’t feel the same way.

“Bishop, the Saintess is nowhere to be found within the sect.”

“...I see.”

“Please give us orders.”

“Find her. Though I doubt you will.”

“May we ask why you say that?”

“It seems the evil god of dreams has taken a liking to the Saintess.”

Spoken in a calm tone, with an unchanged expression, the bishop answered.

“We will request help from the Association, Justitia, and the Collector’s Guild.”

She opened the gates of the Moon Sect she had once locked tight.

Whether this would become a path of learning, or a path to ruin—no one could say.