Chapter 401: Sweet Dreams and Nightmares

Chapter 401: Chapter 401: Sweet Dreams and Nightmares

The Sweet Fragrance Skill activated.

"I see. It’s such a vast world.

Beau, you know so much.

So, about the banquet tonight... I heard there might be uninvited guests? I mean... minions of the Nightmare God?

Do you know what they’re usually like? How should we deal with them?"

Under the subtle influence of [Sweet Fragrance], Beau, who already had a good impression of Seraphina Sullivan and was simple-minded, lowered his guard completely.

He answered almost without thinking:

"Minions of the Nightmare God... Ugh, they’re the worst!"

Beau wrinkled his little nose, his expression one of disgust.

"The Nightmare God and the God of Sweet Dreams were supposedly both originally incarnations of the [Dream God]!

I don’t know why they later split into the two Gods of Nightmare and Sweet Dreams.

Because their philosophies differed, the conflict between them grew deeper and deeper.

The Nightmare God believes that dreams should reflect the fears, pain, and struggles of reality so that living beings can grow.

But the God of Sweet Dreams believes that dreams should be a sanctuary, a comfort of beauty and hope."

"So, the Nightmare Legion attacks kingdoms like ours, which are protected by the God of Sweet Dreams, from time to time.

They want to turn our sweet dreams into nightmares!"

Beau’s voice held a trace of lingering fear.

"They come in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes, mostly monsters that are physical manifestations of negative emotions and fears.

For example, there are aggregates formed from countless weeping human faces.

Or Dread Phantoms that can create terrifying illusions.

There are also Despair Gargoyles wreathed in black smoke with terrifying strength.

They’re so scary!"

Beau paused, then his expression turned to one of relief.

"But you don’t have to be too scared, Pastry Chef Sullivan!

Every time they come to cause trouble, His Majesty King Peach leads the kingdom’s Royal Guard.

And powerful individuals like Madame Spider and Lord Eureka drive them away!

The castle’s defenses are very strong, too!

We just need to do our jobs and trust His Majesty the King and the others!"

Seraphina Sullivan nodded silently and retracted the influence of [Sweet Fragrance].

She had obtained more information than she expected.

Nightmares and sweet dreams shared a common origin but were now in opposition.

The Nightmare Legion came in various forms related to negative emotions, and the Peach Kingdom had considerable defensive power.

This intel was crucial for the upcoming Main Quest Two.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Beau."

Seraphina thanked him.

"I’ll do my best with the pastries, and I hope the banquet goes peacefully so everyone can enjoy a wonderful evening."

"Mhm! It definitely will!"

Beau nodded emphatically.

Then he hopped and skipped back to continue practicing with his cakes, his tail still wagging happily.

Seraphina, meanwhile, collected her thoughts.

She dove back into her pastry-making.

But in her heart, she now had a clearer plan and a heightened sense of caution for the evening’s banquet.

’The Nightmare Legion... they don’t sound easy to deal with.’

’Just the names "aggregates" and "Dread Phantoms" sound ominous.’

Amidst the tense yet orderly preparations, the time for the banquet quietly drew near.

After finishing all the pastries for her assigned area, Seraphina finally had a moment to catch her breath and observe the situation outside.

She changed out of her work clothes, left the bustling kitchen area, and made her way to the edge of the banquet hall.

The hall was already decorated like a true, utterly extravagant fairytale dreamscape.

The guests had not yet arrived, but the waiters were already beginning their final checks and preparations.

Seraphina’s gaze swept across the crowd, and she soon spotted two familiar figures.

Ironhide and Clayton Quinn.

Ironhide had changed into a classical-style waiter’s uniform that barely fit him.

He was clumsily but diligently trying to move a "Jelly Fountain" made from a giant "bubble fruit juice" into its designated spot.

He was drenched in sweat from the effort.

Clayton Quinn, on the other hand, wore a relatively well-fitting black waiter’s uniform.

He moved swiftly and silently between the long tables, checking the angle of each set of tableware and wiping away non-existent dust with a cloth, his gaze sharp as if he were scouting for enemies.

"Hey! You’re out!"

Ironhide, with his sharp eyes, spotted Seraphina standing in the corner and immediately broke into a wide, good-natured grin.

He casually grabbed a glass of clear, cool spring water from a passing waiter’s tray and handed it to Seraphina.

"Exhausted, huh? Have some water, this stuff is refreshing!"

Seraphina took the glass but didn’t drink from it immediately.

Instead, she played along, putting on an exhausted look and rubbing her temples.

"Yeah, that kitchen... it’s no place for a person to be.

Just making the pastries nearly drained all my stamina.

And those bizarre-looking colleagues are no pushovers either..."

Ironhide nodded in deep sympathy and lowered his voice.

"Tell me about it! I’m over here moving things, and those frog guards keep staring at me, like they’re afraid I’ll sneak a bite! But..."

He glanced around furtively, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I secretly tried some. The food here is really good."

Seraphina: "..."

Just then, Clayton Quinn also approached soundlessly.

He remained silent, but his gaze swept over Seraphina and Ironhide, and then... he did something that left them both dumbfounded.

He swiftly pulled a large, glistening, steaming chicken drumstick that smelled of tempting roasted meat from the pocket of his waiter’s uniform!

Then, with lightning speed, so fast he almost left an afterimage, he devoured the drumstick down to the bone before Seraphina and Ironhide could even fully react.

The whole process took less than three seconds!

Clayton Quinn elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

After all that, he finally raised his eyes to look at the stunned faces of Seraphina and Ironhide.

He spoke in his usual, flat tone:

"What’s wrong? You didn’t know?"

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, and for once, spoke a relatively long sentence:

"Although, I only just discovered this myself. As banquet staff, as long as you’re careful not to get caught by the managers, you can reasonably enjoy some of the food prepared for the banquet.

Of course, you can’t take anything too conspicuous or important."

His gaze swept over the dazzling array of food on the long tables, a rare hint of satisfaction in his eyes:

"The apocalypse outside... it’s been going on for a long time.

It’s been so long... since I’ve eaten food this normal, and this delicious."

This was the longest and most "emotional" speech Seraphina and Ironhide had ever heard Clayton Quinn give since they’d met him.

Apparently, this quiet, stealthy man harbored a deep nostalgia for the food of peaceful times.

And at this banquet, he had found both a certain kind of comfort and an opportunity to fleece the system.

After hearing this, Ironhide’s eyes went wide. He subconsciously gulped, his face a perfect picture of "How did I not think of that!" and "I’ve really missed out!"