**VIP Chapter 466: What Does Black and White Mean?**
The demon’s tone was indeed like a seasoned doctor Treya had encountered before. He would diagnose the illness and then inform the patient of their current situation. Most importantly, like all seasoned doctors, he would speak with conviction and reassure them that “there’s no major issue.”
“However, thankfully, everything is fine. You’ve finally woken up. Don’t worry, even the Empress of Zero Demon City cannot escape nightmares. Nightmares are the most delicious memories in this world. This is a perfectly normal phenomenon.”
Treya found the current situation rather strange. From the demon’s words, she gathered that she had fallen into a nightmare after falling asleep and had been unable to wake up. In this nightmare, Will was absent, and only a black and white version of herself existed. She was trapped in her own nightmare and could only awaken through a backdoor left by a demon.
Something was off… many things were off, especially since this conclusion was being presented by a demon.
“So, you mean I entered the nightmare myself? Because… I’ve used up all my previous dreams?”
“Yes. What did you dream about?” The doctor demon stepped aside, revealing a researcher demon wearing a monocle behind him. “We have the best dream interpreter here, Demon Freud.”
“Dream interpretation! Oh! Dream interpretation!”
“Interpreting the Empress’s dreams~ That sounds so cool~”
“So the Empress of Demon City… also has nightmares… Huh… That sounds like a cold joke…”
“Come on—”
Under such an atmosphere, Treya felt compelled by the environment to recount her dream and let these damned demons interpret it. However, demons, being creatures exclusive to dungeons and the most powerful race in mental magic in this entire world, perhaps their dream interpretations held significant meaning?
Treya leaned back in her chair, propping her face with her hand, and sighed as she looked at the demons below, all eagerly awaiting entertainment, before beginning her story.
“I… I dreamt of… a black and white version of myself.”
It was strange. She had clearly dreamt, yet the dream was incredibly vivid.
“Outside the mirror, everything was in color, but… only I within the mirror were black and white.”
Sitting here, she could still recall every detail of that dream so clearly. Closing her eyes, the black and white self reflected in the mirror felt close enough to touch.
“Your Majesty, so… what do black and white, and color, mean to you?” the researcher demon asked, stepping forward. “As long as you answer this question, you’ll understand why you had this nightmare—”
“Mean…”
In her “world,” color represented desire, representing things she wanted to obtain. What did black and white represent? Naturally… it represented things that could be “discarded” and “destroyed” at will.
“Could it be…”
Her hand went to her violet eyes. Peeking through her fingers, her eyes stared at the floor before her, trembling uncontrollably.
“Could it be… that this dream means… I should…”
“Personally… destroy… myself?”
After she uttered these words, the demons fell into silence, and then erupted in cheers like an audience at a stage show.
“So tragic! So tragic!”
“Our Empress… why would she have such thoughts…”
“But you know~ a person’s dream is a symbol of their spirit~ It never~ never lies~”
“So—does Your Majesty truly think that—”
Treya looked at her fingertips. If the color Will had given her was also used up, then heading towards this outcome was inevitable. She had long lost the ability to color anything else.
—Indeed, she should have had this thought long ago.
—When that child appeared who assassinated her for her father, she should have understood.
—She had completely become the person Will hated.
—Perhaps even earlier…
—Such a person as herself should have destroyed herself long ago, right?
—Lately, I’ve often seen my entire room turn black and white when I walk into it…
—It’s probably a hint that I have no desires for this world.
—Since all the missions and futures Will gave me are over, it seems I have nothing left to pursue.
“You’re right. I just never realized it. I hated the Entak Royal Family’s past actions so much, but in the end, I got the same result…”
A look of melancholy crossed Treya’s face. She picked up the sword placed beside her. The black sword was drawn halfway, its exposed part absorbing the moonlight shining into the room.
“Empress! Don’t forget! You still have one mission left incomplete!”
The demons below, seeing Treya’s action, seemed to become flustered. They crowded around Treya, grabbing her sword hilt, determined to push it back in with all their might.
“Oh, of course. To call it self-destruction, I wouldn’t die here right now. Dying as a ruler wouldn’t be self-destruction, but rather preserving one’s most glorious moment.”
She glanced at the demons’ expressions and sheathed her sword.
“If I truly intended to destroy myself, I’d do it after I abdicate… I don’t think I’ll be in this position for much longer.”
She cast a sidelong glance at the demons below.
“So, what was this… last mission you mentioned? ”
Treya’s gaze was sharp, causing the demons below to freeze, trembling, their pointed tails twitching uncontrollably.
“We… we have no other intentions… If you wish to heal yourself from the illness of never being able to dream of Mr. Will again?” The lead doctor demon spoke, not forgetting to pick up its stethoscope and wave it in the air, as if to slightly assert its authority as a doctor.
“You could try to truly complete the last mission, perhaps resolving your own heart’s desire will prevent self-destruction?”
“I think the doctor is right, it’s definitely worth a try… It’s a good method for psychological treatment.”
“…The last mission? Defeating the Undead Swordsman? Wasn’t that already completed?”
Treya silently scanned the demons. Her deep violet right eye emitted a faint glow, repeatedly scrutinizing their “emotions.” Treya’s intuition told her something was off, and she was a person who rarely used her intuition outside of close-quarters combat. If even someone as obtuse as her could sense something amiss, then there must be a problem…
However, there was nothing unusual about the demons. They all appeared normal, not lying, nor did they seem to be engaging in any particular “entertaining psychology,” nor were they finding amusement in their Empress. They… were not deceiving her.
“Didn’t you say before that the Undead Swordsman you repeatedly defeated was completely unsatisfactory?”
“What if… we have already found the one you were looking for?”
“For the ‘mission’ he left you in the end, will you try a little harder?”
