Faust and Mephistopheles were not the type to fear risk, so the primordial fairy simply went through the motions of reminding him of the potential dangers.
As long as it was not a guaranteed death sentence, Mephistopheles would never stand in the way of Faust's actions.
Faust had already given the story written by Yusewood a cursory glance; it didn't seem dangerous at all, appearing to be nothing more than a suggestive, borderline smutty novel.
Deciding to get straight to work, Faust followed Mephistopheles's instructions and tore a page from the notebook to take with him.
【Though these words have no power on their own—as it is the compiler's talent and mystery that truly act—they can at least serve as a medium.】
【To enter, you must use a corresponding medium. I will guide your spirit into the dream she has woven.】
【Furthermore, once inside the script, you must adhere to the role assigned by the dream. You cannot engage in total destruction; even if you wish to rewrite things, you must start with the minor details.】
Faust listened to Mephistopheles's nagging instructions as he walked straight back to his own palace.
The witches' quarters were right next to Faust's palace. Selena and Alkin had gone into the Qingxi royal capital to explore and experience the prince's hometown—the city where they would be living for a long time—while Viviana stayed behind in the palace to wait.
Seeing Faust return with such haste, the blonde girl immediately went to greet him.
"Your Highness, did you see Princess Yusewood?"
"No, so I'm planning to see her in a dream instead."
"Huh?"
The knight tilted her head, confused. Even with her deep understanding of her childhood friend, she couldn't grasp what Faust meant.
"I'm going to take a nap. Try not to disturb me during this time."
While the medium's effectiveness lasted, Faust lay down on the large bed in his bedroom and tucked the torn page under his pillow.
"I see. Then please get some good rest."
Although Viviana didn't see any fatigue on Faust's face, she obediently closed the door and stepped out.
After the blonde girl left, Faust closed his eyes, allowing Mephistopheles to connect him to the medium and dive into the dream.
It felt like his consciousness was being stripped from his body. In the past, this would have been incredibly uncomfortable, but after his travels in the Celestial Realm, this level of spirit separation was no burden at all.
The prince of Qingxi accepted it calmly until he could no longer feel his original body, his consciousness settling into a dark abyss.
He remained in that state for a long while until he felt a physical form again and opened his eyes.
Warm sunlight filtered through the window onto his eyelids, and the chirping of birds drifted from the trees. Faust found himself lying on a small single bed.
The room was a cozy bedroom, with a layout very similar to his own chamber. If the luxurious royal furniture hadn't been downgraded to common oak, he might have thought his attempt to enter had failed.
【Hoh, that went incredibly smoothly. Normally, trespassing into someone else's dream world would cause significant rejection, but you felt none at all. It seems there is a character in this story modeled after you, and you've slipped right into the role.】
Before Faust could examine his surroundings, Mephistopheles's voice rang out.
"Is that so? I'm not exactly surprised."
After all, this world was titled 《I, the Reincarnation of the Strongest Ancient Mage, Retired to the Countryside for a Slow Life and Found a Younger Brother to Live Shamelessly With》!
Faust already had a bad feeling when he saw that title. He sat up and suddenly felt something was wrong with his body.
"Wait..."
Why did his hands and feet feel like they had shrunk by a size?
The prince frowned, jumped out of bed, and stood before a full-length mirror in the room.
The reflection showed an incredibly young boy. His neat black hair was tied in a short ponytail, and his reddish-brown eyes lacked their usual aggression, appearing innocent and naive like a small animal, clear enough to wash one's soul.
That incredibly handsome face was better described as "cute" or "pretty" rather than "handsome."
【Oh ho! Faust, is this what you looked like as a child? Ahhh, what a fragrant, soft, sweet, and refreshing little cake!】
"Don't be disgusting!"
Faust began inspecting his new body.
"Mephisto, are you asking just to annoy me? It's not like you haven't watched me grow up. This does look like me when I was a kid, but I wasn't this cute. There's definitely a filter on this!"
The prince was quite displeased with his body in this story.
Who turned me into a shota? Where are the abs I worked so hard for every single day? Where is my handsome face that looked like an ancient sculpture?
And most importantly, where is my 【】? Damn you, I'm not letting this go!
Wait.
"Oh, it's still there. Never mind then."
Faust breathed a sigh of relief as he put on his clothes, his dissatisfaction mostly vanishing.
He could accept anything else as long as his 【】 was still there.
Faust almost found it funny. He didn't know if this was because he had projected himself into the role or if the story was simply set up this way.
【Speaking of settings, now that we've entered the story, the actual background lore has become clear. Be careful not to break the world-building, or you will be expelled instantly.】
Mephistopheles then began to recite the detailed background setting of the story for Faust:
【There was once a beautiful, powerful, and mysterious witch whose actions led to victory in the war against the demon king.】
【After the war, this strongest mage of the era vanished without a trace, disappearing from the public eye.】
【No one knew that this witch was actually the reincarnation of an ancient hero, possessing the experience and power of her past life. Now invincible, she only desired a peaceful slow life after quelling the disaster.】
【So, she lived in seclusion in a remote borderland. One day, during a rainy night in the forest, the witch found an unconscious boy with amnesia and took him in. From then on, they lived together as siblings in their isolated paradise.】
【The boy's name was Faust. With no one else in the world to rely on, he viewed the witch as the most important person in his life, secretly vowing to make her happy and be someone she could be proud of.】
【However, the young boy has recently faced a significant problem... for some reason, his elder sister has become more and more alluring, leading to a series of ridiculous and hilarious comedic situations...】
"............"
Ugh. So this is the setting my royal sister wrote? It really is just trashy pulp fiction. Even as a bystander, Faust was cringing so hard his toes were curling.
Rate on N.U.
