Ichiya came down the stairs, holding the Flower of the Underworld aloft as if performing some kind of sacred ritual.
"What's going on?" Noel called from behind.
But Ichiya didn't respond at all—it was as if he hadn't heard him.
A sudden thought struck Noel: Could he be sleepwalking?
He remembered: waking a sleepwalker was dangerous—they could become agitated, even violent, and suffer disorientation or injury.
Then Ichiya opened the door and walked outside. Noel followed quickly behind.
The atmosphere outside was suddenly eerie. Wave after wave of townspeople were moving toward a single location, as if guided by some unseen force.
The creepiest part? Every single one of them held a red Flower of the Underworld in their hands.
"Ichiya! Ichiya, wake up!" Noel called out, jogging forward to shake him awake.
"Man~!"
Suddenly, Ichiya pulled out a vial of Power Essence, causing his body to rapidly bulk up. With one swing, Noelle was hurled into the air like a ragdoll.
"Gale Art: Buffer Wind!"
Noel used wind magic mid-air to stop his momentum—just in time to avoid crashing into his shop.
This is too weird. I can't handle this alone... I need backup.
Noel rushed back upstairs to wake the others, but something on the floor stopped him. His foot nudged something… soft?
"Mm… mmph…" Jura let out a muffled cough from the floor.
Noel blinked. Wait, was that… Jura-san?
Why was Jura sleeping in the hallway? That was dangerous, especially for someone like him.
"Jura-sa , why are you sleeping here?" Noel asked, shaking him.
It took considerable effort before Jura slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh… What's going on? Why'd you wake me?" he muttered groggily.
"Why was I sleeping so deeply...?" he mumbled, frowning.
Indeed—any mage with outdoor experience wouldn't sleep this heavily. Let alone someone like Jura, who constantly took high-level assignments.
"Never mind that for now—something big is happening outside!" Noel urged.
He stepped over Jura and ran to the next room—where Eve and Ren were fast asleep, one snoring loudly and the other drooling.
So much for their playboy image, Noel thought. If I had time, I'd snap a picture with my magic cam and sell it—'Sleeping Faces of Blue Pegasus!' Bet it'd make a fortune.
"Ren! Eve! Wake up!" Noelle shouted.
No response.
Left with no choice, he began shaking their heads furiously until the two finally began to stir.
"Snow Pillar!" Eve reflexively summoned a magic circle and launched an icy spike—right into Noel.
He was instantly turned into a snowman.
Noel clawed his way out of the snow, drenched and freezing. He'd definitely need to change into a dry outfit before doing anything else.
"…Oops. Wrong target," Ivan said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"No magic in my shop!" Noel snapped. "You could've seriously hurt someone!"
"Can't help it—occupational habit," Eve shrugged.
"Where's Hibiki?" Noel asked. "Wasn't he in this room too?"
"He's sleeping in the study," Ren answered. "He likes to read before bed."
Noel headed toward the study and found Hibiki asleep at his desk, head resting on an open book, muttering dream-speak under his breath.
"When the red flowers bloom across the mountains, the followers of the underworld will gather…"
That phrase caught Noel's attention. Could that be what's happening now?
He didn't wake Hibiki—he wanted to hear more, in case the dream revealed more information.
Just as he was holding his breath in anticipation, Hibiki suddenly shot upright, startled.
"Wha—? Did something happen? Is it morning already?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"No," Noel replied calmly. "But it's time to act."
"…Night action? Isn't that a bit early?" Hibiki asked, confused.
"There's a situation outside. You'll understand when you see it," Noel said, offering no further explanation.
He quickly changed into a black outfit in the dressing room, tidied up, and made his way to the door.
The rest were already gathered there, staring in disbelief at the scene outside.
"What the hell is going on? Everyone seems to be heading in the same direction…" Eve said, eyes wide.
"I don't know. I only noticed after finishing my research," Noelle answered.
"Wait—where's Master Ichiya?" Hibiki asked, scanning the area.
"I think he was sleeping in the east room. I'll go get him," Ren offered, turning to head back inside.
"No need," Noel stopped him. "Ichiya's already out there. He's one of them."
"What…?!" Hibiki exclaimed.
"Let's follow them first," Jura suggested.
Everyone nodded, falling in behind the strange procession.
"Oh—Hibiki," Noel suddenly asked. "Do you remember what you were mumbling in your sleep earlier?"
"Huh?" Hibiki looked baffled. "Did I say something?"
"I heard it clearly," Noel said firmly.
"Sorry… I don't remember," Hibiki shook his head.
"What did I say? Does it have anything to do with this?"
"You said, 'When the red flowers bloom across the mountains, the followers of the underworld will gather.' Sound familiar?" Noelle asked.
"…Now that you mention it, yeah," Jura chimed in. "That might be connected."
"I think so too," Ivan agreed.
"At the very least, it matches what's happening right now," Ren added.
"This could've been a prophetic dream. So—can you remember how it ended?" Noelle pressed.
"I'm not too sure… Something about a white flower," Hibiki muttered, scratching his head. "Then I woke up."
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