IBRIP l CH 142

Chapter 142 

Millia’s eyes were still closed.

“Dear! Come quickly, dear!”

But Hojen could still hear Millia’s voice calling him from somewhere. He quickly sat up and looked toward the cabin.

Through the open window of the cabin, Millia was stamping her feet anxiously.

When he rushed inside, the candles lit up brightly the moment he entered.

“Dear!”

Millia ran to him the second she saw him. A little confused, Hojen put his arm around her shoulders and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

Crying, Millia pointed toward the baby’s crib. When Hojen went to look, the baby who had been lying there was gone.

“She’s gone, Hojen!”

Hojen gripped the crib so hard his hands shook.

“Dear, Rose is…”

“Our Noe is gone!”

…Not Rose, but Noe?

While Hojen blinked in confusion, Millia frantically searched the house.

“Where is Noe? Dear, please help me find her! Noe! Noe!”

Hojen could only watch her in shock. Millia turned to him angrily and even hit him with her fists.

“Why aren’t you looking for Noe? Where’s our baby? Hurry up and find her! Why are you just standing there?!”

This was a dream.

It must have appeared because of that dragon boy and the green-haired girl messing with his thoughts.

Since it was just a dream, there was no real need to care. If Hojen wanted, Millia would go quiet in an instant, and with a snap of his fingers, Noe could reappear and stop her crying.

But… for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“You promised to take good care of Noe…”

He finally came to his senses and shivered. Millia was still crying, and Hojen gently patted her shoulder while glancing outside at the freshly dug-up grave.

He began to speak, almost as if making excuses:

“Noe will be fine on her own. In the hunter tribes, even at eight years old, children can find their own food and shelter. You were on your own from the age of six. The rest of what Noe needs… we can’t give her. God will take care of her…”

“What if Noe wants to see you?”

Hojen gritted his teeth.

“…Then she’ll come back on her own.”

“And you?”

“Me…?”

“Don’t you want to see Noe?”

Hojen lowered his gaze without answering. Then, irritated, he snapped,

“I want to see you.”

Millia’s sobbing stopped.

Then she said—

“I want to see Noe more than you. Forget the flowers, just bring me Noe. How can you be so clueless? Do you still think you’re a fifteen-year-old boy?”

“What?”

Startled, Hojen looked up—but Millia had already vanished.

What was that just now…?

He sighed deeply, clutching his head. Then his eyes landed on the empty crib.

It really was the crib where baby Noe used to sleep, the one he had built himself.

He gave a bitter laugh and wiped his eyes.

“Instead of flowers, she wants Noe…?”

Wasn’t I always her favorite?

Even so, he couldn’t look away from the empty crib.

***

Perfect timing.

“Hi.”

While I (the narrator) had been dozing for a short while, Noe Rustin appeared in my dream for the first time in days. But something was different—her face had marks and scratches I’d never seen before.

Was this her real face? She looked a lot like Hojen Rustin, but with sharper, more delicate eyes.

I pointed at her face.

“What happened to you?”

Noe touched her own cheek, then clicked her tongue. The scratches disappeared instantly.

“Were you hurt?”

“…I think some guys kidnapped all of us.”

All of you?

“I’d heard rumors about a human trafficking group, but I didn’t think they’d actually attack the orphanage… damn it!”

Human traffickers? Orphanage?

I thought over her words slowly.

“So you’re at the orphanage, and suddenly traffickers attacked and you were captured?”

“I think we’re in the middle of being taken somewhere. Probably a sleeping drug. If it wasn’t, there’s no way I’d be asleep right now.”

Why would traffickers want Noe? How?

***

“After the prophecy from [Materia], they started moving a lot of the villagers from the seaside towns. Since it’s such a huge relocation, it caused a lot of chaos—perfect for filthy rats like that to slip in.”

Come to think of it, the emperor had mentioned increased criminal activity. Could that be why Noe was captured?

Realizing this, I pointed at her.

“Don’t you dare do anything!”

“What?”

“Just stay still! If you try to escape by entering their dreams, it’ll be bad! You still can’t control it properly!”

She didn’t answer—just glanced around. I clutched my chest in alarm and let my arms drop onto the armrest.

The dream’s background was an airplane. We were sitting side-by-side on a flight.

“So… why show up today, after not appearing for days?”

“Sorry, but I came to your dream every day. I just didn’t talk because you always had a Seraphin candle burning.”

That made me bristle.

“I called you at the top of my lungs! How could you never answer?!”

“I wanted to know who you were and what you were up to. I figured you wouldn’t tell me, so I watched quietly.”

She smirked.

“But yesterday was different. No candle smell, so I started chatting and filling your noisy dream with things I know. And you said something interesting.”

What did I say?

“You said, ‘This looks just like the White Dragon’s Wing! What is this? Could this be possession?’”

Oh no.

“So I asked what the White Dragon’s Wing was, and you said it was a book. I wanted to ask more, but then the candle smell returned, so I left. I came today just to see you again. When I’m in your dream, I don’t forget who I am—because everything here is new to me.”

Oh no…

“Your face is so pale, like you might throw up.”

She narrowed her eyes, studying me.

I was caught off guard and took a long time to respond.

“…I see.”

I turned toward the window to hide my expression. It’s fine… I just have to handle things better from now on…

Once I steadied my breathing, I smiled gently and faced her again.

“Yes, the White Dragon’s Wing is a book—one I liked to read. As for possession, I don’t know what you mean. People say strange things in dreams, right? That must be it.”

“Still suspicious… but not wrong. People do say nonsense in dreams.”

“Anyway,” I stood up. “So you’re captured now? Got it. Just don’t use your ability, no matter what. It could be dangerous. I really need you.”

“So I should just get taken? I’m not the only one—they grabbed the other kids too! And who even are you, to know so much about me?”

I snapped my fingers, and the dream’s setting changed.

“If you want to know who I am, come find me again tonight. Make sure you do.”

Now her face turned pale. I’d changed the dream into Hojen Rustin’s small cabin—the place I’d been right before falling asleep.

“How do you…?” she muttered.

I snapped my fingers again, and a dagger appeared in my hand.

“You look a lot like your father.”

“How would you… don’t tell me—”

“If you’re curious, come tonight. You want to find the holy relic, right?” I ran the dagger across my neck.

The dream went dark.

***

When I opened my eyes, Hojen was sitting on the bed in front of me.

“Good, you’re awake. You really like sleeping, don’t you?” he said irritably.

“It was so awkward, just me and that dragon boy sitting in silence… Don’t keep an adult waiting this long.”

I scratched my head, glancing at Winter, who was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed.

“Uh… yes, sir.”

Hojen cracked his neck and looked thoughtful.

“Actually, I’m not sure if it’s a holy relic, but there’s something in my dream that could be—or maybe not. A bell Millia wore. But…”

He rubbed his face and continued, uncertain.

“It was her parents’ keepsake from long ago. Honestly, it has nothing to do with holy relics. Never felt special at all. I just remembered it was in my dream and checked on it.”

Winter spoke up.

“My relic was the key to the collar of a dog raised in the imperial palace.”

“What?” Hojen blinked in disbelief.

“But here’s the problem—it’s in the dream, so I can’t bring it out. Noe only knows how to take things into dreams, never bring them out. And I can’t contact her…”

I raised my hand.

“I just talked to Noe. She came to my dream and told me to see her again tonight.”

“What?” Hojen jumped to his feet.

I added awkwardly,

“Oh, and she said she’s currently been captured by traffickers.”