IBRIP l CH 138

Chapter 138

I thought about how to start speaking and looked up at the man with dark circles under his eyes.

In the original story, he didn’t get along well with his son. As you can see, Hojen was rough and blunt, while Noe Rustin was more sensitive.

When Noe lost his mother in a dream, Hojen didn’t scold him much—he barely mentioned it at all. For Noe, it happened overnight, but for Hojen, his wife had already been gone for a year.

That made Noe even more anxious. He thought his father blamed him, hated his powers, and had given up on everything. While his son was eaten up by guilt, Hojen continued hunting, cooking, and leaving Noe to sleep alone—just like before.

That “normal routine” only pushed Noe closer to the edge. And before they could have a proper heart-to-heart, Hojen died.

Later, this forest full of beasts would be caught in Huehrion’s malice. A monster wave would come, the beasts would turn hostile, and Hojen would die not long after. Even when Winter, who knew the future, tried to convince him to leave, Hojen refused. No force could stop him from returning to the forest.

“We came here to find Ampelos’s relic,” Winter said before I could.

“We know Noe Rustin can’t control his power and that it led to your wife’s disappearance,” he continued.

Hojen chuckled darkly, fiddling with his spoon. “Disappearance? Don’t tell me you’re saying that just to be polite. People usually say ‘dead.’ And if she was taken into a dream years ago, pretending she might still be alive isn’t comforting me.”

He laughed, but his eyes were cold. He stared into his soup like a drunk, gaze unfocused.

I said softly, “The relic could help Noe. It was made to help saviors.”

“You think I never considered that?”

“Did you look for it?”

“I searched. Here, in my hometown where Noe was born—nothing. No relics.”

Then he pointed at Winter. “Noe isn’t like you, handsome boy. He’s as strong, but more dangerous—like a right hand that won’t obey and might strangle you if you’re distracted. His power is… just a curse.”

His eyes twisted. “So the relic doesn’t exist. Maybe it once did, but…” He trailed off, then smirked at Winter. Up close, I noticed his hands trembling—one sign of alcohol addiction.

“Dragon boy, you seem to know a lot. Then you might know this—Noe was originally a twin. Even Noe didn’t know. Only Millia and I knew, and Millia’s dead. Now it’s just me.”

“…I didn’t know,” Winter admitted.

“Really? We’ve met before? I don’t remember ever meeting a dragon.”

When Winter began to explain, Hojen waved him off. “Forget it. I’ll just assume it’s because of Igrio. I don’t want to know things I can’t handle. I’m only human—I can’t control everything.”

He was right in a way. Hojen had no power to stop the accidents Noe caused.

“I won’t ask anything about you. Just don’t cause too much trouble and go home when you’ve satisfied your curiosity.”

Hunters were supposed to be family-oriented and responsible, but as head of the family, Hojen had been powerless to stop his own son from destroying it. That must have been unbearable.

“Noe had a sister. Blonde, like Millia. She was born when the Ampelos star shone brightest—that was Rose. Noe was born right after, when the star sank below the horizon.”

He rubbed his face. “Maybe Rose was the real Ampelos. Maybe when she died, Noe became an unstable one.”

I blinked. The dead twin might have been the real Ampelos?

I thought the three saviors were decided before birth. And even if Rose had been the true one, it made no sense for her role to pass to Noe just because she died—unless they were both Ampelos, two halves of a whole.

Still, why would an Ampelos die suddenly?

“How did Rose die?” I asked, even if it might hurt him. I needed answers.

“She died a few days after birth. She was sleeping next to Noe and just stopped breathing. We never knew why—sometimes babies just die for no reason.”

Sudden infant death. I knew it could happen, but for it to happen to a possible savior at that moment…

“You said you’re looking for the relic? My conclusion is this: when Rose died, the relic disappeared. She was the real Ampelos, and it vanished with her. I promise you, it’s not here—so if you plan to search my home, don’t bother.”

He stood. “Eat up—don’t waste food—and then go.”

He pulled on his coat, took something like a rolled leaf cigar from the cupboard, and headed out. “By the way, neither of you even said the food was good…”

The mood wasn’t exactly right for that…

After he left, I rubbed my forehead. Winter and I sat in silence, lost in thought. Then Winter said, “…Hojen might be right.”

“You mean about Rose being the Ampelos?”

“There’s a saying that twins share one soul split in two. If saviors are counted by souls, then twins could be one.”

I shook my head. Saying it out loud only made me more sure it wasn’t true. “Even if the other twin was the Ampelos, a savior dying of sudden infant death doesn’t make sense.”