CHAPTER 9 - Stellato of Overflowing Dreams

[yumemory]

Akira: ...!

White: ...Oh?

Shylock: This is...

Rustica: How wonderful...

It was like all the stars in the world gathered in this confined space. For a moment, that's what I seriously thought, as I stared at the overwhelming brilliance spread out in front of me.

Wherever I looked, I was met with so much glimmer. It definitely reminded me of a clear, starry night sky, with not an inch left in the darkness.

And then I realized it was the same dazzling scenery I saw in Faust's room that night.

Shino and Mitile: ...Wow...

Nero: ...Are all these stones really glowin’?

Owen: ............

Bright, twinkling light poured down from the cave's ceiling like gentle raindrops, neither noisy nor cold.

We got lost in the moment as we soaked in the view, momentarily forgetting the time and place, and even our purpose for coming here.

Faust: ............

Faust reached out his hand into all that glitter and picked up a glowing stone.

After a careful inspection, he nodded as if he confirmed something.

Faust: I knew it...

Faust: Having one of these stones will increase your good luck.

Faust: But that's all it can do. It doesn't have the power to grant wishes.

Owen: Huh?

Faust: As I’ve said before, this stone doesn’t have miraculous powers.

Mitile, who was intently staring at the stones, chuckled beside Owen.

Mitile: It’s a pity that it’s not capable of granting wishes.

Mitile: But then, what was it that granted Shino’s wish?

Owen: That’s right. How would you explain the lemon pie?

Faust: Purely coincidental.

Owen and Shino: Huh.

White: Nero just so happened to have bad timing at that time. Or should I say, in this case, it was good timing?

Nero: Seriously…?

Rustica: Perhaps this stone did give us a bit of good luck. Maybe, or maybe not.

Rustica: But whether that good luck was brought to us by Nero, or by this stone, or if everything simply turned out to be mere coincidence, we can agree that this is a lovely experience for all of us.

Shino: And the lemon pie tasted great.

Shino’s words made me smile, and I looked around the cavern once again. 

Akira: Then, I wonder where the legend about its wish-granting powers came from.

Faust: All it can give is a bit of good luck, and maybe it started from there.

Faust: As the story was passed from person to person, its ability to increase good luck got exaggerated into being able to grant wishes.

White: That's how it is for most legends. The older they are, the more exciting their stories become.

White's playful laughter echoed through the cave.

Our short moment of silence was cut off with a loud sigh from Owen.

Owen: How disappointing.

Shylock: Fufu. You look like you’ve been betrayed.

Shylock: I had presumed that it was too good to be true, to have your wishes granted without having to sacrifice anything.

Akira: Huh. Is that so? And yet, you still decided to come along.

Shylock: Of course. We have the wealth of the unknown, and that gives us the privilege to dream and hope.

White: Wizards and humans are alike in the way that we all gamble on the slightest of possibilities. We all cling to hope, however small it may be. 

White: Until we've seen it with our own eyes, none of us could say for sure that there really was no such thing as a wish-granting stone.

White then handed me one of the cave's stones.

White: But if only it was able to grant your wish to return to your world... I am sorry that there was not much we could do to help.

Akira: (Ah…)

Faust must have told him about my wish. I couldn't help but speak after seeing White’s wistful expression.

Akira: Ah, no. Please don't apologize! You see, I'm...

White: Hm?

Akira: ...Mitile once told us that he wants to see things together with his loved ones and share the feelings of that moment together.

Akira: I feel the same.

Akira: Simply being able to view this scenery with you is more than enough for me. It’s a memory I’ll never, ever forget.

White smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

White: I see. Then it seems one of us here has had their wish fulfilled.

Rustica: It may not have the power to make wishes come true, but at least it gave us the chance to share this dream-like and beautiful view together.

Rustica: It's truly a wonderful moment granted to us by the stardew gem.

Owen: I don't know what's so great about this. We couldn't get rid of our afflictions in the end.

Owen: Nero, this is all your fault. Take responsibility and make me a huge bowl of something sweet when we return to the manor. Make it so huge that it will turn my internal organs into goo. 

Nero: Huh? It’s my fault now…?

Owen said he was blaming Nero, but he didn't appear as grumpy as he tried to make himself look.

Him and the other wizards were disappointed for sure, but none of them seemed actually upset about it.

All of them must have been moved by this magnificent scenery. After all, wizards love beautiful things.

Akira: (Ah, then surely…)

Akira: (Both Faust and White wanted to show this to us, to watch this beautiful view together...)

They wanted to show these beautiful stones to their loved ones, just like Mitile.

Mitile: ...Um, the stardew gem brings good luck, right?

Mitile: If so, then how about we bring back some of these and make good luck charms? I’m sure everyone will like it.

Faust: A good luck charm, huh.

Akira: Great idea!

White: I agree. These will most certainly work nicely as charms.

Shino: Alright. Let’s bring back lots of stones. Let’s make lots of charms!

Mitile: Yes! Let's make one for everyone in the manor!

Nero: Then, let's have our Master Faust over here teach us how to properly make a charm, yeah?

Nero: It'll be good to learn the basics from a professional. It's a training opportunity for you kids, too.

Faust: I’m a curse worker. Making a good luck charm is the total opposite of what I do...

Nero: Haha, don’t sweat the small stuff.

Rustica: Will we be making charms together? Now that will be most pleasant.

Shylock: It appears that the topic for the next lesson has been decided.

White: Owen, dear. You'll be joining the class, aren't you?

Owen: Why would I do that?

Shino: Because if you do, maybe you'll get to eat some lemon pie during the break.

Owen: ...I’ll think about it.

 

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