Chapter 140
“Did you finish eating? You didn’t leave food an adult gave you, did you?”
At Hojen’s question, I thought of Winter’s untouched plate. Winter nodded calmly.
“Of course.”
“Really? I’m surprised you didn’t mind there was no meat. Anyway, go back now. From early evening, dangerous beasts start roaming here. They get stronger at night for some reason.”
He pointed to the fluffy creature on his shoulder.
“This one hates it when its followers get hurt, so don’t think about fighting your way out.”
“Mon–jo!”
The fluffball reached toward me. For a second, I thought I saw sharp teeth between its lips, so I stepped back.
“I don’t think we can leave yet. I still have something to ask you.”
“…Fine. Ask quickly. It’s my nap time.”
“You believe Ampelos’s relic is gone, but I don’t.”
Hojen sighed.
“So you do plan to search my falling-apart cabin.”
“No need. He would’ve already checked every speck of dust here.” I took the mirror from Winter.
“I think Noe Rustin left the relic inside a dream without realizing it.”
“In a dream…?”
“Yes. Do you remember anything? An item that vanished overnight, or any small change after he woke up?”
Hojen thought, then slowly shook his head.
“If it’s in a dream, it’s impossible to find. Noe walks through everyone’s dreams every night—he even knows what a dog dreams about. If he left something in one of countless dreams, even if he remembered it, he couldn’t find it again.”
His skepticism was still there, but he looked a little less certain. His violet eyes trembled slightly.
“…Noe can’t remember.”
I raised the mirror to his face. He glanced at it, frowning in confusion.
“You said we could ask you anything, right? So tell me—what do you see in the mirror right now?”
He stared into it as if entranced. I waited for that moment when his gaze would sharpen with certainty.
Then—
An intense feeling hit me. It could have been killing intent, or deep rage, or pure despair—but it was so strong I instinctively stepped back, clutching the mirror.
Winter’s wings folded around me protectively. The fluffball by Hojen had started to grow larger.
“Stop.”
Hojen calmed his energy and pushed the fluffball down with his palm.
“Monjo. Even for you, a dragon’s too big to swallow.”
He looked at me.
“Now I’m going to nap. Don’t cause trouble.”
He stood.
“You hear me? Naps aren’t to be disturbed. At my age, you only sleep when you’re dead tired. Escaping into dreams is for the young.”
“Sleep? Now?”
I called after him as he walked away.
“In the Eastern and Southern Empires, they’re rounding up kids Noe’s age to find Ampelos! If he hears, he’ll go there and use his powers!”
He kept walking.
“Do you hate him so much you won’t even help stop him? Do you just want to resent him forever?”
That made him stop. He glanced at me sharply. I held out the mirror again.
“I could force you to look, but I don’t want to.”
“…”
“Please. Just tell me what you see.”
Instead, he took out a leaf cigarette. The fluffball blew on the tip until it lit.
“I don’t want to use force either,” I warned, “but I might. No one’s perfect.”
He chuckled and blew a puff of smoke.
“That’s why I’m going to nap.”
He finished the cigarette down to ash and went inside. Through the open window, I saw him lay out bedding and lie down.
I wiped the mirror clean, thinking I’d use it once he was asleep.
Meanwhile, Winter knelt where Hojen had smoked, inspecting the ashes.
“There’s seraphin resin in here.”
So it wasn’t just tobacco—it was mixed with seraphin.
“Let’s wait until he wakes,” Winter suggested.
We went back inside. Hojen was already asleep. The fluffball sat on his stomach, playing with a leaf, blinking at us silently.
“You’re still recovering,” Winter said. “Rest until he wakes.”
I sat on the dusty red sofa and closed my eyes. The sweet scent of seraphin was already filling the room.
***
In Hojen’s dream:
He opened his eyes in his forest cabin. But he wasn’t alone.
His beloved wife, Millia, was there, standing in a corner, looking down at something.
He rushed over and hugged her from behind, finally feeling like he could breathe.
“Shh.”
She tapped his hand and gestured to a small bed where a baby in a tiny hat was sleeping.
“You’ll wake them.”
He nodded, and they carefully walked to the door.
“Why are you here again? You came yesterday too,” she teased, lightly hitting his shoulder.
He cupped her face. “I can’t remember if it was yesterday, today, or tomorrow. I just know it’s around this time…”
“What time?”
He opened the door a crack and smiled faintly. “Your death anniversary.”
The moment he stepped out, she vanished like smoke. He clutched at the fading warmth in his hand.
“I promised to come only on this one day each year. I can’t risk missing it.”
Swallowing his tears, he closed the door and turned toward the quiet night. No beasts waited for him this time—only a lonely grave.
