Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Mind Palace

Iris descended through the endless sea of fogs, which periodically surged and depressed like the ocean. Her body took the form of her human appearance and not her Slime Girl appearance, as she was now only a mind inside the vast sea of consciousness.

Because the power related to dreams was too mystical and rare, most people lacked effective and practical defence against it. Two-Fold Wind Order might have binding spells which forbid its members from leaking secrets, but it could not do anything to dreams and subliminal thoughts.

Nevertheless, Iris remained cautious. Before entering, she used a few spells to check for anomalies. The Court of Indulgence had already done it, but she wanted to be extra careful. She even used a Card of Destiny to divine her safety.

Though I am taking a bit of risk, I need to know what Two-Fold Wind Order is plotting. They invested too much in that assassination attempt, too much for an ordinary conflict between Secret Organisations. Two artefacts, as well as the arrival of an Archbishop, I hope those are but coincidences.

Iris looked at her palms. They turned ethereal as multiple images overlapped on them. She could not control her mental appearance, but she could distinctly observe them. Her silhouette morphed from one of her identities to the next, shifting between her artificial personalities and emotions.

My ability to turn into anyone I desire is excellent, but it also blurs my self-perception. This subliminal projection is my trying to sort out my bewilderment.

Iris sighed. Her breaths glimmered like rainbows as they expanded into blue clouds, which rained translucent milk. The cooling vapours coated her skin, tingling her senses, calming her nerves.

Her shifting appearances gradually stabilised. Each image merged into the unwavering maiden whose appearance reverted to the humble, charming, blue-haired lady. It was Iris's human appearance after she attained the Transformation Phase, a combination of her humanity and Monster Girl's self.

After clearing her confusion, her descension slowed. The mist below her parted, revealing a traditional room decorated in wooden ornaments and furniture. She lightly landed on the smooth wooden floor. Though her incorporeal body produced no force, the floor still creaked. The noise echoed inside the room, but no one from the outside reacted.

Surveying the room, Iris walked to a large window and placed her hands on its surface. Coldness seeped inside her. She endured it and pushed forwards, but the ordinary window remained firmly shut. The thick mist outside the mansion blocked everything from entering and leaving.

"This place must be her mind palace, and this room should be her bedroom, one she lived in before she became an assassin." Iris drew back her hands and went to the makeup table on the side.

Though the thick mist blocked the sunlight, and the candle lanterns inside the room could not hope to provide full illumination, the room was magically bright. Iris could easily see her reflection in the mirror. She was a lady dressed in elegant dresses with an air of mysteries.

"Thankfully, Artium's spell works. If not, I might have to take the identity of the Master Assassin or her friends. It would be much harder to remain detached from the muddled memories." Iris tapped her cheeks and smiled. "To this mind palace, I am a mysterious visitor. Thus, I gain this mysterious charm."

"But it is not enough, isn’t it?" Iris’s reflection said. "You may appear modest to others, but I know you more than anyone else."

Iris blinked, then chuckled. "Indeed. The mind palace cannot hope to replicate my fallen glamour. After all, its owner is a human, not a Monster Girl."

"You are evil." Iris's reflection pressed herself against the mirror. "But I like you like this. We know, in our heart, we accept this curse wholeheartedly; they might think we are innocent and humble, even we think so, but our deepest desire, it will one day surface."

"We'll see whether I'll grind it out or it'll grind me out."

Iris's reflection laughed. As her voice grew hoarse, the mirror cracked. Its exquisite wooden frame shook, creaking. Iris’s reflection slammed the mirror with her hands. It shattered into countless shards, which spewed out blinding light, filling the room with intense glares.

When Iris regained her vision, silence returned. The mirror was unbroken, but her reflection no longer spoke nor moved.

"It is quite dangerous," Iris mumbled. "The mind palace is indeed a place of opportunities as well as dangers. Thankfully, this is not my mind palace, or the manifestation of my worries would have been even more intense."

As Iris dismantled her doubts and overcame the mind palace's defence, her heart grew clearer. A sense of familiarity existed between her mind and her subconsciousness. She could control her emotions better; her influence over the mind palace also strengthened.

Iris closed her eyes and concentrated. Her hands reached forward, grasped at the air, and pulled back softly. The dream mansion quivered. In front of Iris, space twisted, forming a hazy rift. A delicate diary tumbled out of the void and landed on her palms.

Feeling the leather cover, Iris opened her eyes and flipped through the diary. It detailed the life of a little girl named Barineer. She was the third daughter of the Junarc Family, a nobility in the countryside of the Garcient Kingdom. Though her family provided much for her, she felt unhappy, not because she was greedy, but because she felt like she didn't deserve it.

"Lovely name," Iris said. "I can't wait to see how you look like."

She kept the diary and exited the bedroom. The hallway extended beyond her vision, impossibly long and intertwining. Countless doors and intersections weaved into a maze, which Iris had no way of leaving. The real mansion was not this vast, but its impression on Barineer was as such.

While walking down the corridor, Iris admired the hazy paintings on the walls, feeling the carpet beneath her bare feet. Though the fabric looked soft and cosy, its stiff, thorny texture pricked her every time she stepped on it. Itchiness spread from her feet, but she endured it with a light smile.

"Miss, who are you looking for?" a voice echoed.

The uncomfortable sensations vanished. The carpet grew soft, and the lanterns hanging on the walls flickered with bright, warm light. At the intersection in front of Iris, a little girl peeked out her head. Her right hand grabbed the wooden corner as if she were resisting something from dragging her away.

"Are you Barineer?" Iris walked to the girl and knelt. "Can you show me the way? I’m unfortunately lost."

Barineer lowered her head. Her pretty but faded clothes concealed her worried expression. She breathed in and out a few times, but her heart refused to calm down. No matter what she did, she could not suppress her shyness when encountering a stranger.

"Don't be afraid." Iris patted Barineer. "Your eyes are beautiful."

Trembling, Barineer slowly raised her head. Her left hand, which covered her left eye, parted. Unlike her black right eye, her left eye was dull green. It dimly shimmered before Barineer quickly averted her gaze.

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"Don't you hate my green eye?" she said. "Everyone says it's cursed."

"Are you sure everyone said that?" Iris covered her right eye with her palm. When she withdrew her hand, her right eye turned dull green. "Do you think I'm cursed too?"

"Pretty Lady, you're not cursed!" Barineer gasped. "I remember now. There are a few people who like my green eye. Not everyone hates me."

"Then, can you lead—"

"Barin!" a lovely voice resounded from far away.

Barineer perked up and turned around. Iris also lifted her gaze, her eyes narrowing. Another girl, dressed in a green scholar uniform, ran to Barineer. In her left hand held a thick tome, whose surface bore signs of tears and wrinkles, filled with marks scribbles. She pressed her right hand on her headdress, preventing it from sliding away.

"Barin, why did you run off on your own?" The girl turned to Iris. "And who are you, Madam?"

Iris glanced at Barineer, whose expression remained oblivious, then furrowed her brows. The girl in front of Iris, though well-mannered and lively, lacked an appearance. Silvery vapours cloaked her silhouette, revealing only her clothes. Despite that, her emotions and gaze remained unaffected, perfectly readable.

"My name is Iris, Iris Goodwill." Iris's eyes flashed. A faint magic circle manifested in her irises, but it could not penetrate the concealment. "What is your name, Dear?"

"Madam Iris, it is my pleasure to meet you." The girl curtseyed. "My name is ———. I am Barin's best friend!"

"Why did you say that?" Barineer pouted. "Who's your best friend? You're the most annoying girl in the world!"

"Then you're the most annoyable girl in the world."

While listening, Iris contemplated the anomaly. As expected, it is not the mind palace which concealed this girl's identity. Barineer herself has forgotten about her precious friend's appearance and name. But if she is such an important person, why is she forgotten?

Iris faked coughing. "Since both of you are here, can you please give me a tour of your mansion?"

The two girls stopped arguing. The Scholar Girl tilted her head. "May I know why? Though I didn't live here, I know this place even better than Barin. You can trust me."

"That's because . . ." Barineer's voice died down. "I don't like when they stare at my green eye . . . ."

"Barineer, don't you want to go with me?" Iris pointed at her right green eye and winked.

"I . . . I want to go. I'll guide you!" Barineer faintly grinned. Her dull green eye sparkled. Her shy demeanour sank beneath her clothes, replaced by a childish liveliness. "I won't take their words to heart anymore. Unlike ——— and Miss Iris, those bad people mean nothing to me."

Along with her confidence, her talkativeness increased. She quickly led Iris deeper into the mansion, almost breaking into a sprint. Her petite figure passed through multiple intersections, taking countless turns, some of which defied logic.

Thankfully, I have the owner of the mind palace guiding me. Otherwise, it would take a long time before I grasped the principles of the mental world. I would never have guessed that this mansion would be non-Euclidean.

"Madam Iris, may I ask where you came from?" The Scholar Girl slowed her pace and walked beside Iris. "My apology for asking such a sensitive topic, but please understand; Barin is a little slow and too trusting. No matter how much others hurt her, she never learns."

"There is no need to be too polite. You're still young, and a young girl should be carefree and lovely." Iris beamed as she covered her mouth with her right hand. A small magic formation appeared in her concealed palm, then glowed. "I didn't live around here. The place I came from is a faraway place. Today is my first time visiting this place."

The Scholar Girl nodded as her smile widened. She loosened her grip on her tome, turned around, and tried to catch up with Barineer. Her unsteady footsteps echoed, then halted as she tripped over the red carpet. Her precious tome crashed on the ground, spinning towards Iris, wide open.

Soft wind flowed, flipping through the old, yellow pages. On them, ink letters distorted, morphing into randomness whose meaning was up to interpretation. For a split second, Iris's eyes contracted. A series of words, written in blood-red substance, emerged from the chaos.

Before Iris could process the information, the mind palace trembled. The infinite mist outside the mansion howled, moving along the walls and windows. It slammed its intangible body against the glass surface, but it could not break through the thin protection. It crashed against the windows a few times, then returned to stillness.

The Scholar Girl picked up her tome and closed it firmly. She bowed at Iris, vaguely smiling, and held the tome close to her heart.

"That was foolish of me," she said. "Please don't tell anyone about my embarrassment, especially Barin."

Iris nodded. Her mind did not linger at the accident. Her eyes kept alternating between the infinite mist, which seemingly only she could see, and the Scholar Girl, whose appearance she could not see.

What are you, really?

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