"This place is just right. Let's wait here for the Dreammaster to arrive."
After passing through Glaux Avenue, Sunday and Robin arrived at a platform. This was the same place where Stelle had fallen to the ground when she first arrived.
"Mm." Robin nodded. "Speaking of which, brother, I heard you don't eat sweets anymore. You used to fight me for dessert all the time when we were little...
"I feel like so many things have changed while I was away. What exactly happened?"
The ethereal sound of bells rang out from the dome of the dream, as if announcing that the midnight revelry was about to begin. Sunday raised his head toward the sky and said softly,
"Even in a sweet dream, someone must always remain awake."
"But that person shouldn't be you, nor should it be anyone in particular." Robin said with concern, "Brother, you've put too much of a burden on yourself. The paradise we promised each other shouldn't be like this.
"Penacony is only a dream. It cannot eliminate the troubles and suffering of reality or bring people true happiness... All it can do is provide people with a place to escape reality, but that's all."
"Do you remember that old man just now?" Sunday said.
"He survived the interstellar war. His friends and homeland all melted under the energy released by the radiation bombs, and even he himself was turned into something neither human nor ghost because of their effects."
"If this dream didn't exist, he might have already fallen into a hopeless situation."
"That is true... But even without Penacony, he might have been able to take another path in life," Robin said.
"As far as I know, the Intelligentsia Guild started promoting the corresponding treatment and rehabilitation technology long ago."
"Although that kind of life would be much more ordinary and difficult, right now he is receiving 'end-of-life care' called sweet dreams while unconscious. His ending... has already been decided."
"Has Penacony given these people a future, or taken their future away?"
"Before that, you need to understand..." Looking at his sister's dim expression and the thoughts of reflection on her face, Sunday continued, "Not everyone can walk toward the future.
"The future is to people what the sky is to birds. The reason people mistakenly believe that flying is a bird's nature is because they have never seen the birds that fell to their deaths on the ground."
"Do you remember that Charmony Dove we adopted when we were little? How did we treat it?"
"We carefully raised it in a birdcage, feeding it and changing its water every day, grooming its feathers. Later..." Robin recalled it clearly as she spoke, "When I decided to leave Penacony, I opened the cage and let it return to the sky."
Sunday looked at Robin and slowly said, "Worried that it would make you sad, I didn't mention this in my letters. Not long after you left, it fell in front of the window of your room."
"...I guessed as much." Robin said, "Otherwise, brother, you would never have said a word about what happened to it."
"Although the ending is regrettable, I still firmly believe that choice was not wrong. Birds do not break out of their shells to spend their whole lives in a cage... Even if they cannot fly, the sky is still their home."
"But that is precisely the problem," Sunday said. "If there are some fledglings in this world that will never be able to fly in their entire lives, how can we declare that the sky is their home?"
"You mean... humans are the same?" Robin looked at her brother.
Sunday was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Think about the Astral Express. It is a good example."
"The Nameless have made tremendous efforts to connect the various worlds, earning fame throughout the cosmos... Yet only a handful of people can persist in traveling such a difficult journey, and they are anything but ordinary."
"Because the undertaking of Trailblaze is something ordinary people simply cannot bear. Otherwise, how could this Path ever have fallen into the state of having its Star Rail severed, its train abandoned, and its Aeon fallen?"
"Fallacious reasoning!" Robin frowned as she looked at her brother. "If you follow that logic, wouldn't the future become a privilege belonging to heroes?"
"Unfortunately, that is precisely what reality is like," Sunday said. "Another name for the future... is self-worth."
"There are certainly heroes in this world. People admire and praise them, but the vast majority of ordinary people cannot become heroes no matter how they spend their entire lives."
"Some are born weak and helpless. Some are trapped by misfortune that comes later in life. Some surrender to despicability and cowardice. In the face of survival, they are equally powerless, only able to watch their own value, their 'future,' constantly being seized by external forces."
Robin said, "That is why we should show care and look after the weak, giving them sufficient assistance, as though they were ourselves... The Charmony Hymn has always taught us this as well."
"Harmony's aspirations are certainly lofty, but even in this carefree sweet dream, the strong remain strong while the weak grow weaker... That is human nature. Although there is a great side to it, there is also a weakness that cannot be eliminated no matter what."
"At its root, if people cannot even guarantee their survival, how can they possibly speak of that vague and distant equal future? As long as the law of natural selection still exists in this world... there are destined to be fledglings that fall to the bottom."
Sunday turned his back to Robin and slowly spoke of his beliefs, his face filled with pain and compassion.
"If people do not live for the future, then are they simply living for the sake of living?" Robin said. "If brother believes even Harmony cannot save the weak from their plight, then which Aeon can realize our ideal?"
Sunday sighed. "...People always forget that once, when the first bird flew into the sky, the hope the entire world placed upon it... was that from then on, no fledgling would ever fall to the ground again."
———
"Sister, are you reading? What are you reading?"
"Mr. Gopher Wood gave me a picture book! It's about the story of the 'Charmony Festival.' If I can become a Harmonist, I want to summon... the Chorus of Charmony, Dominicus! I want to sing with everyone and spread our wishes, so that everyone can feel happiness and joy."
"I see. Then... I'll choose the Chorus of Charmony too."
"Brother... don't you have a wish of your own?"
"Of course I do. It's just... my wish also contains your wish, everyone's wish. It will be a true paradise where everyone can find peace."
"Then we'll build a stage there and invite everyone to watch our performance. That way, both brother's and my wishes can come true, using the power of the Chorus of Charmony."
"Okay, then it's a promise."
"Mm, pinky promise! But how do we become Harmonists..."
"...Maybe we have to become stars first."
———
"Compared with geniuses, ordinary people grow freely throughout this galaxy like wild grass. But regardless of their talent, there will always be some who make themselves look down upon the world from a higher perspective."
Just as Noe quietly listened while eating sweets to the ideological conflict between Penacony's twins of Harmony, a man's voice sounded from behind her.
The voice was stern and serious, yet also carried kindness and a hint of curiosity.
"Fanatical follower of Beauty, knight, who do you think can fulfill the utopia those siblings wish for?"
Noe turned her head and saw a man with slightly curly hair, dressed in clothing full of Greek style.
The next second, the knight suddenly moved. Her hands moved so quickly that they seemed to turn into afterimages, stuffing all the snacks and sweets beside her into her mouth at lightning speed, as if she would be robbed of them by this suddenly appearing man if she were even a little slower.
Professor Ratio watched this scene, and a bead of sweat slid down his temple.
This kind of situation was not beyond his expectations. After all, most knights tended to behave in ways that departed from ordinary people. Even so, seeing it with his own eyes still left him sweating.
It was not common for Ratio to take the initiative to approach someone and strike up a conversation, but this proud scholar did not actually dislike talking with knights, even if these people's fanaticism toward Beauty had reached a frightening level.
Because every time they talked, the professor would discover that, just like the elusive faith known as Beauty, the knights' fanaticism toward Beauty was also different.
It was a very contradictory emotion, an extreme obsession filled with reason, and a kind of incomprehensible self-satisfaction.
"Ah, Professor Ratio!" Only after quickly eating everything did Noe let out an exclamation.
Veritas Ratio, a well-known scholar in the Intelligentsia Guild. Noe had long since heard stories about this professor making students cry with his insults.
This was the first time Noe had spoken with this scholar, but she had heard that some brothers and sisters had once talked with this professor. They believed that this professor was a very Beautiful fellow.
After her exclamation, Noe scratched her cheek, then answered the professor's question. "I think no Aeon can satisfy their wishes."
"Not even Beauty?"
"Of course not. What are you talking about? If Beauty could do something like that, Lady Idrila would have done it long ago." Noe said with a smile.
She had not expected that someone else was doing the same kind of work as her. And judging from this professor's appearance, he did not seem prepared to interfere with Penacony's affairs...
At least, he did not intend to forcefully intervene at this moment. But it didn't matter. Watching secretly by herself was rather boring, so Noe was quite happy to have someone accompany her and chat.
Hearing Noe' answer, the professor smiled.
This was why he did not mind talking with strange people like the Knights of Beauty. Even though these people had become fanatical beyond measure, they could always give answers that were free of absurdity.
Even though they believed in Beauty, even the deity they followed was not perfect in their eyes, much less omnipotent.
A knight he had spoken with in the past once told Ratio this, "Even Idrila, the Beauty, is imperfect. Absolute perfection is absolute imperfection. It represents the impossibility of becoming better, and the endpoint known as Nihility."
"According to a knight's principles, tempering oneself is something that must never be forgotten. Beauty is actually not as mysterious, complicated, and absolute as the world imagines. Beauty is not unified, Beauty is everywhere. Beauty is simply, working hard to become better."
"Then who do you think can help them fulfill that wish?" Ratio asked.
"Themselves, of course." Noe answered without hesitation. "If it's your own wish, and you don't work hard yourself, how are you supposed to make it happen?"
———
[Eight System Hours Before the Opening of the Charmony Festival, Dreamflux Reef]
"What is this thing!"
Nero widened her eyes as she looked at the lump of something in Argenti's palm.
It was a pitch-black, viscous mass, forming a sharp contrast with Argenti's silver gauntlet.
"Speaking of which, this thing looks so ugly. It's wriggling around, and it looks disgusting."
Beauty was always so straightforward. Just as Argenti never held back when giving praise, Nero also expressed her disgust and distaste for this black mass without holding anything back.
"Yes, as you say." Argenti wore a radiant smile like sunlight, but the words he spoke were not nearly as beautiful as that smile. "This mass of matter is dirty and ugly, its colors are filthy, and when it wriggles, it has a slimy texture like mucus."
Not far away, Gallagher stared blankly at the interaction between Nero and the Beauty knight who had remained here.
Could those words just now really have come from the mouth of a Beauty knight?
Weren't you the one who had to praise even manhole covers with a word or two?
Was it really appropriate to say something like that with such a radiant smile on your face?
In fact, Gallagher had already been watching this interaction for quite some time.
Himeko had taken the others to the Dreamscape Sales Store to inspect the Dream Bubble left behind by Mikhail, but Argenti said that he still had something to discuss with this girl named Nero, so the girl had stayed behind.
After watching until now, because of the reverent attitude the knights had toward this girl, Gallagher had become increasingly certain of the suspicion that had arisen in his heart earlier.
This little girl named Nero definitely had some connection with the missing Idrila, right?
Gallagher silently observed while Nero and the knights continued their conversation as if no one else were there.
"So why did you take this thing out to show me?" Nero expressed her confusion to Tiriandes and Argenti.
"I believe you should still remember that before arriving at Penacony, you sent me some requests," Argenti said.
Nero nodded. An odd thought immediately formed in her mind. Looking at the filthy object in Argenti's hand, her expression suddenly stiffened. "No way... This thing, could it be..."
"As you thought." Tiriandes said, "After receiving your orders, we happened to encounter the Ever-Flame Mansion of the Duke Inferno on our way to Penacony."
"Unfortunately, after we arrived inside, that Lady Acheron had already killed the flame demon there before us."
"Thinking about how we could not fulfill your request caused us tremendous pain, so we began trying to find traces that Ifrit was still present in this world. Under your protection, we successfully discovered a clue."
"I captured the remaining power of Nihility and tore open the crack that this power had left in the real world, pulling it out from the shadows of Nihility."
"Only, for some reason, Ifrit that was taken from the shadows rapidly became the form you see now in the real world."
Argenti said, "But this was ultimately your request, so we did not deal with it on our own. We have been waiting for your decision."
"This guy... really is the Duke Inferno." Nero's expression suddenly became serious. She looked at the two knights. "You two did a great job!"
Thus, the smile on Argenti's face became even more dazzling.
Tiriandes also became physically dazzling. The eyes of this mechanical knight shone brightly, and their color changed from blue to gold. In Dreamflux Reef, the light from his eyes was brighter than car headlights.
"Good. If we make a flame demon an employee, the smelting work at the factory will become easier, and we can also free up more Flaming Splendor creations and External Flame materials to make products, reducing material waste."
As Nero spoke, she directly twisted the Duke Inferno Blood Credit in Argenti's hand into shape and picked it up, then "smack" dropped it onto the ground.
The next moment, something miraculous happened.
The black mass underwent a change that completely violated the laws of physics.
It kept expanding and writhing, taking on a certain shape, and then at a certain moment, it was ignited. Within the span of several breaths, a blazing goat's head appeared before everyone.
The revived Duke Inferno looked somewhat dazed as he stared at the scene before him. He had absolutely no idea what was happening.
In his final memories, he should have been in the Ever-Flame Mansion, killed by a woman who wielded the power of Nihility.
How did things now...
Before Duke Inferno could think any further, a net suddenly covered him. Under Tiriandes' power, Duke Inferno's body gradually became flat.
Although the flames were still blazing, he had already changed from three dimensions into two dimensions, becoming a convenient-to-carry paper person.
Tiriandes picked up Duke Inferno and put him away.
Although Ifrit had already become two-dimensional and could no longer speak or make any movements, he could still hear the voices outside and hear Nero pronounce his fate.
"Once Penacony's affairs are settled, take him to the factory. You know it, right? The Nero Fragmentum Factory. I think Duke Inferno can start work directly and become a good employee who works hard."
This verdict left Duke Inferno completely dumbfounded.
'What work? What factory? What employee?'
'Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?'
'What's going on? What happened?'
'Ah! What kind of place is this!?'
No one answered Duke Inferno's questions, but there was no doubt that this leader of the flame demons would understand one thing because of what happened to him today.
This was Beauty.
This was the Nero Fragmentum Factory.
You have to work while alive, and you have to work even after you die.
Even if you are taken away by the power of Nihility, they still have a way to bring you back and make you continue working.
If one day he was lucky enough to become a Top Ten Employee and had the opportunity to be interviewed, he thought he would definitely sing a song, "I really want to escape~ But I can't escape~"
Gallagher watched the entire scene with his mouth hanging open.
The thirteen-year-old old Hound did not even realize that his whole body was trembling. Before he knew it, cold sweat had already soaked his back.
He only murmured, "Such... such terrifying Beauty."