Chapter 36

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 36

Chapter Title: Precognitive Dream of Warning

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Milo of Crimson Delroz didn't just handle business for the Esid Merchant Group during daylight hours.

To be precise, he oversaw all of Biplten's external affairs.

The merchant group was simply the most comfortable way for them to operate under the sun, and if you had to pick the second-busiest person in Crimson Delroz after Aden, it would undoubtedly be Milo. His responsibilities were incredibly varied.

"An ambush... The most likely culprit would be Azure Noz."

Milo and Aden were seated in the private office of the Esid Merchant Group's leader.

In the pre-dawn hours, that room was the only one lit up brightly in the entire compound.

Ijis, who was normally supposed to shadow Aden like a ghost, was waiting outside the room on his orders.

This was an extension of Aden's plan to "deceive the dream," ever since they'd learned of Ilrin's precognitive dream foretelling the ambush.

"I'm thinking the same, but with only suspicions and no hard evidence, caution is key."

"We'll investigate keeping all possibilities open, of course..."

Milo bowed his head respectfully.

But his expression betrayed some lingering concern.

"...Your Grace."

Aden silently regarded his loyal subordinate.

Milo hesitated to speak his mind.

"A-are you sure this is wise?"

Aden didn't press him for words.

His silence weighed heavier than any urging.

Finally, Milo broached the subject carefully.

"Precognitive dreams are still an ability whose origins and limits remain unclear. Of course, as Your Grace mentioned, Madam's previous visions came true exactly as foreseen, but any variables that might arise..."

A faint flicker of displeasure crossed Aden's face.

Milo read it clearly.

Yet he didn't retract his words, instead awaiting his lord's judgment.

It was something only Milo could say.

Precisely because he was so trusted by Aden, he could dare to question his decisions.

"...I fully understand your concerns."

Aden spoke after a moment of silence.

He didn't blame his cautious subordinate.

Naturally, any hint of doubting Ilrin displeased him.

But Milo's point wasn't unfounded.

Blindly trusting an ability they didn't fully comprehend carried real risks.

Still, Aden had no intention of altering the plan.

"In any case,"

Aden continued,

"if they truly are from Azure Noz, it's high time they learned their place."

The notion that the Winter Duke became nothing more than an "ordinary man" during daylight hours was deeply ingrained in the Biplten people's minds, largely thanks to his father.

The previous duke had been content with superficial peace, oblivious to the monsters growing within Biplten.

He was the weakest in authority among the winter dukes, and he showed equal disinterest in martial prowess.

Crimson Delroz's knights were always exceptional, but without proper leadership, their talents couldn't be fully realized.

"Ridan..."

Ridan of Azure Noz.

If Ilrin's precognitive dream proved true and they were ambushed—with Ridan behind it—that would mean his thinking was still stuck in the previous duke's era.

Aden's lips curved into a sly smile.

"If I'd relied solely on authority, I wouldn't have survived this long. No need for excessive worry."

Variables abounded, as Milo feared. The ambush might not happen contrary to Ilrin's dream, or it could come in a different scale or form.

But having already accounted for the possibility, they wouldn't be caught off guard.

With adequate preparations, even an attack held no terror.

"Understood."

The idea that the Winter Duke would crumble in the daylight was nothing but Ridan's happy delusion.

Milo bowed without further argument.

"In exchange, please allow me to station troops around the carriage."

But on this point, Milo wouldn't yield.

Before his lord could respond, he added quickly,

"I'll have them guard from outside Madam's line of sight."

Aden didn't refuse that much.

He gave a short nod of approval.

Then his gaze shifted toward the door.

"—Ilrin?"

"Yes?"

Milo, not as attuned to presences as Aden, apparently hadn't noticed anything.

But Aden sensed it clearly.

The building was silent, save for the patrolling guards who were still awake.

Amid it all, Ilrin's unique presence registered fully in his senses.

Faint, as if it might vanish any moment, yet endearingly alive.

"Madam?"

As expected, Ijis's voice came from the end of the corridor, where he'd been waiting.

He must have encountered her.

"What brings you here..."

"Sorry to bother you at this hour. Is Den asleep?"

Ilrin's voice sounded urgent.

And above all, it trembled.

Aden rose to his feet.

"No, he's inside, but—"

Aden didn't wait for Ijis to escort her.

He opened the door and spotted Ilrin hurrying down the corridor.

"Ilrin, what is it?"

Her breathing came in shaky gasps.

She looked unmistakably anxious as she rushed to him and threw herself into his arms.

Even her body trembled against him.

Aden pulled her small frame close.

"What happened."

He stroked her back until her breathing steadied.

"What has you so shaken."

He racked his brain for daylight threats to Ilrin.

Viscount Arlen, perhaps seeing his face had kept her up all night.

Those narrowed eyes glinting beyond her sight.

"A nightmare?"

"No, not a nightmare..."

It wasn't some trivial dream.

Ilrin's trembling words diverged from his guess.

"It was a precognitive dream."

Could they head to Viscount Arlen's estate right now?

Her small hand gripped his arm tightly as she spoke in a quivering voice.

All plans to head to Biplten were halted.

That the Esid Merchant Group was fully under Crimson Delroz's control was a tremendous relief for Ilrin.

The moment Aden heard her precognitive dream, he ordered Ijis to suspend everything.

'If she comes, don't stop her.'

Viscountess Arlen had said exactly that.

She seemed to know Ilrin would come—more precisely, that Ilrin would foresee her death someday.

Just not that it would be tonight.

Ilrin's face was deathly pale.

"Did the viscountess... summon you?"

Aden asked gently.

"Mother..."

Ilrin recalled the precognitive dream.

Her mother, with the mobile beside her, had clearly stated it was a dream.

Unlike typical precognitive dreams where she observed someone in the dream, this time the figure in the dream had clearly recognized her as the dreamer and spoken directly.

She'd had such dreams many times before, but never had the dream character acknowledged the dreamer and conveyed a message.

That's why she wanted to believe it was just a regular dream, not a precognition.

She'd jolted awake as if fleeing sleep, her mind still reeling.

But the mobile had definitely been there in the dream...

Ilrin paused mid-thought.

"How did you—"

How did Aden know? She hadn't detailed the dream yet.

She couldn't bring herself to say definitively that her mother was dying.

'You should never speak of that ill omen again.'

Her mother's bloodcurdling words from when Syd died still echoed in her ears.

Speaking it aloud felt like sealing her mother's fate, so she couldn't utter it.

She'd only insisted they hurry to Viscount Arlen's estate.

Praying it was merely a bad dream.

"..."

Ilrin started to speak, then bowed her head as her thoughts tangled again.

Because of her declaration to head to the viscount's estate, this pre-dawn hour saw the winter folk roused from sleep, preparing without prior plans.

"Don't make such a racket."

Sensing her unease, Aden gestured to Ijis to quiet the bustle.

"...I'm sorry."

Ilrin murmured softly.

"No need."

If Ilrin needed it, of course he'd prioritize her.

Aden wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

The moment she'd mentioned the viscount's estate while in his arms, instinct told him something had happened to the viscountess.

Major events stemmed from accumulated minor causes.

Viscount Arlen's estate, which Aden had visited just hours ago, had no such trivial incidents.

It might not measure up to a ducal seat in his eyes, but it was adequately fortified for its size.

No monster packs lurked nearby for a sudden raid.

Only one thing could happen there.

The viscountess's death.

"...Mother,"

Ilrin couldn't continue.

Having caused this dawn commotion, she owed them an explanation.

Why all this?

Aden had silently ordered preparations to depart for the estate immediately.

Ilrin was grateful yet apologetic.

Aden was a lord worthy of trust.

Crimson Delroz followed his word without question.

But sudden pre-dawn orders without reason would breed doubts.

Even if obeyed, frequent occurrences would cause issues.

'Never speak of that omen aloud again.'

Viscount Arlen's gruff voice rang in her ears.

It was the day of Syd's funeral.

Her drunken father had forbidden her precognitive dreams from ever being voiced, yet hounded her endlessly about whether she'd had one or not.

And it continued afterward, many times over.

He feared her voicing them, yet fretted over whether she'd dreamed his.

"..."

Ilrin bowed her head.

Her mother's pallid face from the dream lingered vividly before her eyes.

The unmistakable scent of death clung to her.

Ilrin's gaze lifted to the sky.

The full moon matched exactly what she'd seen in the dream.

Her heart pounded fiercely again.

After Syd's death, her mother had begun showing signs of madness from the shock.

Afterward, Viscount Arlen never allowed the two to be together.

Yet memories before age seven remained crystal clear.

Her mother had strived to show only the best to her children.

Unlike her father, obsessed with authority, she ensured Ilrin and Syd enjoyed every childhood delight.

Unlike other noblewomen, she treated daughter and son equally without favoritism.

She stood firm against the viscount's protests that such familiarity belonged to commoners.

Thanks to her, Ilrin and Syd—rare for nobles—played with toys handmade by their mother.

And spent much time with her instead of private tutors.

'Syd!'

Right up until her brother's death.

Twenty years had passed since.

The cramped estate had felt endlessly vast as they were thoroughly isolated.

The viscountess's madness worsened to the point she no longer recognized Ilrin.

She hurled vicious blame at her during every encounter.

Like a completely different person from the mother of her childhood.