Chapter 16: A Nightmare in Disguise

Didn’t they say gods shouldn’t reveal themselves to dimension residents?
Is that why it came as a cat?

The kitten slipped through the open window, perched on the sill, and began grooming itself before speaking.

“Living the high life, huh? Sent to gather ingredients, yet you’re lounging like this is your own dimension.”
Then it launched into a scathing critique.

“You were all ‘meow’ at the café, but you can talk properly here.”
The kitten hissed, clearly offended, and leapt onto my bed.

“What, you thought I’d mimic that nauseating tone?”
It grew, transforming into the human form of the only male Nekomata among the three kids.

“Hmm, your speech is a bit… unique.”

“Be honest—it’s utterly abnormal and annoying! Every sentence ends like a question! ‘Do this, meow? Do that, meow? Meow, meow, meow!’”
The kid’s voice dripped with irritation.

“Yeah, you’re different.”

“They’re just mindlessly copying Catsy’s speech. They think everything she does is cool.”
Guess it didn’t want to play along with the meowing.

In human form, the Nekomata looked like a refined young noble—crisp shirt, tailored pants, neatly styled hair, straight posture, and a haughty chin.
It suited the role of a noble’s youngest better than I did.

“I’m not here by choice. I got caught up in this. My appearance changed when I entered this dimension… and everyone thinks I’m their family.”

“That’s because you’re in Catsy’s dream dimension.”
The Nekomata snorted.

“She’s a sorceress who crafts and manages dimensions from dreams flowing across countless realms. This place is made from someone’s dream, so you have to blend in as a character. Be grateful you’re not a bug or a rat.”
Thankful I’m human, even if it’s someone else’s body? The thought of wriggling as a bug gave me chills.

“If it’s made from someone’s dream, can we find out who the dreamer is?”

“Maybe one of the people you’ve met. Anyway, no time to dawdle.”
The Nekomata stood, circling the room with a serious expression, inspecting every corner.

“While Catsy’s briefly absent, a nightmare infiltrated. Normally, other dream cats would handle it…”

“Something wrong?”

“Nightmares slipping in isn’t rare, but this one’s different—an evil god crafted it, making it unusually potent. We weakened it, but many dream cats perished fighting it.”

“Evil god…”
Evil gods, unable to gather Causality normally, invade and plunder other dimensions, right?

“One of those nightmares was last traced to this area. It’s likely hiding, pretending to be a real dream while regaining strength. Catsy sent me to track it and, by the way, protect you. She’s busy crushing the evil god.”
Protecting me is just a side task? I’d prefer a bit more dedication.

“Pretending to be a real dream… so it’s disguised as someone or something around me?”

“You catch on quick. Could be one of the people you’ve met or even an object.”
The Nekomata stretched, pulling a small object from its pocket and tossing it to me—a hoop with a woven net, adorned with feathers and beads.

“Oh, I’ve seen this. A dreamcatcher, right?”
I’d watched my sibling make one for a school project, though this one was far superior.

“Yep, a ward. Catsy makes exactly one for each dream cat.”
So this was the fabled ward. Despite its simple look, it radiated a mystical aura.

“Keep it. I’ll need your help to find the nightmare.”

“You mocked me for lazing around, so I thought you’d drag me out of here, but you want me to hunt nightmares?”
The Nekomata nodded shamelessly.

“This area has the strongest presence around.”
It approached the wardrobe, yanked off the handle, and held up the broken piece.

“Look. Normal dreams are illusions—they’d shatter like mist and reform. But this…”
It placed the fragment back, and, astonishingly, it restored itself.

“This means this area’s dream is built on intense longing, forming Causality. That longing is akin to faith in Catsy, the dimension’s master.”
A dream space born from strong desire…

“So, with Causality here, the nightmare might target it?”

“Exactly. Catsy sent you here because you can find your ingredients in this place. But if the nightmare gets to the Causality first, it’ll reshape and destroy this dimension, and your ingredients will vanish.”
I’d been stuck playing family for over a week, and now I might leave empty-handed? No way.

“How do I help?”

“As a dream character, you can approach the dream’s residents more easily than I can. First, find the dreamer. The nightmare’s an intruder, so only the dreamer can spot something off.”

“Find who’s dreaming this? That’s tough.”
I’d met dozens of people in this mansion—servants galore, given its wealth.

“Don’t go stirring things up recklessly. If the nightmare realizes it’s been spotted, it might flee or harm you. You’re no god, so that’d be bad news.”

“I’ll try.”
I had to, for the ingredients.

The Nekomata transformed back into a cat and slipped out to scout further.
I racked my brain to find the dreamer.

What kind of dream lasts days with such mundane daily life?
They must know the mansion well, so likely someone here.

Thud.
Lost in thought, I swung the wooden sword off-target, making it slip.

“Aileen, something troubling you? You’re not focusing.”

“Oh… sorry, big brother.”
That term still didn’t roll off my tongue.

I’d been dragged into sword training by Bernell for days now.
Swinging a toy sword was dull, but I endured.

The Nekomata, visiting my room to update me, said fully embodying Aileen’s role would help me sense the dreamer naturally.
But I was clueless.
I played the dutiful family member, yet I couldn’t pinpoint anything.

“If it’s tough, let’s stop here.”
Inwardly cheering, I feigned reluctance and set the sword down.

Bernell stood out as the least predictable person here.
Most followed routine cycles, but he spent over half his day fixated on Aileen.
Everyone doted on the newly awakened Aileen, but Bernell’s intensity felt excessive.
At first, I thought it was because he’d just returned from war.
But ignoring the rest of the family to focus solely on Aileen seemed beyond familial devotion.

“Is your dream to be a knight like me still alive?”
I must’ve looked too thrilled to stop training.
That question popped up whenever I couldn’t keep up with his energy, almost obsessively.

“Maybe… I don’t remember much of my childhood, but I probably wanted to emulate the empire’s greatest knight, my big brother.”
I’d brushed it off before, but this time I answered earnestly, suspecting my vague responses triggered his persistence like a glitch.

“Really? Good.”
He looked thrilled. Was it that great?

It reminded me of my sibling saying they wanted to be like me. Yeah, it’d feel good.

“What’s your dream, big brother?”

“My dream?”

“Yeah, we always talk about mine. Don’t you have one?”

Ripple.
Everything shimmered like paint in water, then snapped back.

“A dream… Yes, I have one.”
Bernell looked like a broken doll—vacant eyes, unnatural movements.
He clutched his chest, breathing heavily.

‘Could it be?’

“Big brother… are you okay?”

“Sorry for worrying you. Must be lingering effects from battle injuries. This fight was rough.”

“You should rest.”

“I didn’t want you to see me like this. Let’s meet later.”
I watched his retreating figure, then hurried to my room to wait for the Nekomata.

Bernell might be the nightmare.
He was the only anomaly in the mansion’s routine, and his pained reaction seemed off.
The weakened nightmare, hiding to recover, must’ve been injured by the dream cats—his chest-clutching fit the bill.

“But didn’t you say to find the dreamer first, then the nightmare? This feels too easy.”

“Mew.”
After a long wait, the scouting Nekomata returned.

“I think I found the nightmare.”

“The nightmare before the dreamer?”
Hearing my clues, the Nekomata looked uneasy.

“It gave the dream cats trouble. Would it reveal itself so easily?”

“Suspicious, right?”

“Hmm… I’ll report to Catsy first. We’ll act after.”
The Nekomata turned back into a cat and leapt out the window.