Reincarnated as a random race, of course I got goblin.

Chapter 79 - Eros Delusion

As the Dream fades, and I wake, I become acutely aware that something, or someone, is stroking my head gently. Whoever it is then runs their hands through my mane, causing my scales to bristle as the same muscles that would cause goosebumps in a human are used to raise them into their defensive position.

"Ah, Priestess, be careful, those are razor sharp" Yggdrasil warns, as the hands abruptly stop petting me. I carefully get up, only to see the Grand Priestess kneeling beside me, blushing deeply. 

"W-what the- ahem, what in the World is going on?" I ask worriedly, as the Priestess stares at me with... lovesick eyes? I swear, if it was possible, they'd be heart-shaped. 

[Please, don't be upset, but I think the Grand Priestess might be suffering from a peculiar side-effect of surviving a Nightmare attack... She... She is madly in love with you.]

I give Yggdrasil an incredulous look. "She's what?!" I exclaim telepathically, electing to keep the conversation between the two of us.

*Eros Delusion: A mental condition where the sufferer is utterly convinced that the one that saved them is their one true love, regardless of species and gender, and even the preference of the sufferer. Sometimes caused by acute trauma, making the sufferer bond to whoever is perceived as their 'savior', such as in the case of hostages being rescued from bandits and bonding with the rescuer.*

Oh no. Please tell me there's a way to fix this.

*No known cure exists other than time and perhaps therapy, though psychology is very limited in this World compared to yours. Some sufferers recover over time, losing the intense love for the target entirely, others have reported that the feelings lessen, but some again never lose the intensity and stay bonded until the death of either the sufferer or the target.*

I facepalm. Of course this is a thing. "Did you know this could happen, Yggdrasil?" I ask her, again telepathically as I try to not be too weirded out by how clingy the Priestess is being. 

[Well... I knew there was a chance of it happening, but-]

I sigh heavily. "But it wouldn't have mattered if you told me about it or not, since it might have happened regardless." I guess what she's going to say. 

[Yes, but also that it might have made you apprehensive about saving her at all, and that was a chance I was unwilling to take.]

I am about to retort when I notice something dripping out of the Priestess' ear. "Oop, I guess the Nightmare's on its way out." I murmur as I try to reassure the slightly panicking Priestess. 

"Actually, what happened in the Dream? I'm unable to enter it myself, but I did feel the presence of something." Yggdrasil asks as she gets closer to look at the slug-like monster now halfway out of the Priestess' ear. It balloons oddly as it gets out, so it seems to be able to compress itself  when it's entering a head.

'plop'

The Nightmare drops to the floor with a wet sound. It squirms and undulates for a bit, before shriveling up and becoming still. "That's not supposed to happen. Cutting the connection only forces it to leave its host, it doesn't kill it." Yggdrasil mumbles as a root emerges from the ceiling to carefully prod the now dried out Nightmare. 

As the root gently pokes it, it crumbles to dust. "About that. Just as the Nightmare was about to drag us both with him into the Dream, something... ripped a hole in the Dream. It took the form of a large hand that grabbed him and then once I cut the connection, pulled him out of that hole just before the Dream ended." I explain.

"I... see... Have you ever felt that presence before?" Yggdrasil asks, her face grim. "Twice. Once when I tried learning the Meditate Skill on my own, and all the while I was asleep combating the Malice."