Chapter 96: If It Can’t Be Stopped
Sir Ben Diark, the Commander of the Imperial Knights, was no stranger to Damian. Like Damian, he was one of the empire’s few swordmasters, and he often acted as a liaison, passing requests from the imperial family to the Red Hawk Knights.
While his visits weren’t unusual, showing up unannounced as he did today was a first.
“My apologies, Sir Vandemir,” Ben said. “The matter was so urgent I had no choice but to come without notice.”
“No trouble at all,” Damian replied. “What’s the issue?”
“Recently, there’ve been reports of high-level magical beasts appearing in the western Tritos Mountains. Left unchecked, it could spiral into a major incident.”
Ben explained that the imperial family wanted the Red Hawk Knights to handle the beast subjugation in the west. Since such missions were routine, Damian didn’t find the request odd.
“It seems the Imperial Knights have been busy lately, handing us so many tasks,” he remarked.
“It’s not that,” Ben clarified. “A high-ranking imperial official strongly recommended your knights, praising your reliability.”
That was news to Damian, and his curiosity piqued. “Who was it?”
“I can’t say,” Ben replied with a genial smile. “But it’s someone worth impressing.”
Though the mention of an anonymous official nagged at him, Damian accepted the request. Having the imperial family’s favor could only benefit the Red Hawk Knights, not harm them.
“Head to Poshan Village at the base of the Tritos Mountains in three days,” Ben instructed. “There’s an advance survey team already there, so coordinate with them.”
“Understood,” Damian said.
After Ben left, Damian summoned Isaac, informed him of the western beast subjugation mission, and instructed him to prepare.
That evening, Damian stopped by a renowned dessert shop to pick up éclairs for Aracila before heading home.
No sooner had he stepped through the front door than Aracila, who had been pacing anxiously in the central hall, rushed toward him.
“Damian!”
“Aracila,” he greeted, his face brightening. But her eyes held a frantic edge as she gripped his arm.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said, her voice urgent.
“Really? I brought something delicious again,” Damian replied, holding out the box of éclairs with a proud smile, mistakenly thinking she’d been eagerly awaiting his dessert offerings. “You won’t be disappointed—take a look.”
“That’s not important right now,” she said, glancing briefly at the box before dismissing it.
Damian’s enthusiasm dimmed, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. He’d hoped for a warmer reaction.
“Damian, nothing happened today, right?” she asked, her tone pressing.
“What do you mean?”
“Anything at all. Like, say… being assigned to a beast subjugation mission?”
Damian’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know that?”
He’d planned to mention over dinner that he’d be heading west briefly for the mission. Her guessing it before he could say a word caught him off guard.
My prophetic dream… it’s coming true so soon…
Aracila’s face drained of color. In her dream, Damian had died during a western beast subjugation mission.
Trying to keep her voice steady, she asked, “Where are you going for this mission?”
“The Tritos Mountains in the west,” he answered. “We leave in three days. I was about to tell you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she snapped, her voice rising. The dream’s details matched perfectly, and the tight timeline only heightened her panic.
Damian, bewildered by her outburst, tried to calm her. “Please, Aracila, relax. I didn’t hide it—it was only decided today.”
“Today?” she echoed.
“Yes.”
“Then perfect. Cancel it.”
“…What?”
Damian thought she might be joking, but her face was deadly serious, not a trace of humor in her expression. His own demeanor grew grave as he realized she meant it.
“Don’t go, Damian. Pass this mission to someone else.”
“Why are you saying this all of a sudden? It’s an imperial request—I can’t just cancel it.”
“Say you’re sick. Or that there’s a family emergency. Make any excuse, but don’t take this mission.”
“Tell me why,” he urged, his voice firm but searching.
Aracila bit her lower lip. Would Damian believe her if she said she’d had a prophetic dream? Even as a mage, she couldn’t fully explain how her visions worked. Could she expect him to take her word for it?
When she fell silent, Damian sighed softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Aracila, without a clear reason, I can’t back out. This is about the Red Hawk Knights’ reputation.”
“…”
“Are you really asking this for no reason at all?”
She shook her head slowly. After a long pause, her lips trembling with hesitation, she spoke cautiously. “Damian, what I’m about to say might sound crazy, but it’s true. You have to believe me. Can you promise that?”
“Yes, I promise,” he said without hesitation. “Tell me.”
Damian’s resolute voice gave Aracila the courage to speak.
“I have these… special dreams,” she began. “Dreams where everything that happens becomes reality. And… while I was napping today, I saw you go on a beast subjugation mission in the west… and die.”
Damian’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression one of confusion. “I died? How?”
“I… don’t know,” she admitted.
She’d woken from the dream just as Isaac was about to explain the details, leaving her with nothing concrete. Clutching the hem of Damian’s clothes tightly, she pressed on. “But I’m certain you died in that dream. So please, don’t go on this mission.”
“…”
Damian said nothing, only gazing down at her with an unreadable look.
As the silence stretched, Aracila’s anxiety grew. Was her story too far-fetched for him to believe?
She understood why it might be hard to accept, but the realization that he might not trust her words brought an unexpectedly sharp pang of disappointment. It felt akin to the betrayal she’d experienced from close confidants like Iris or Paula.
He promised he’d believe me just moments ago…
Her eyes drooped, and she bit her lip, holding back her hurt. Regardless of her feelings, she was determined to keep Damian from going on that mission—to save his life.
If he insisted on going despite her warning, she was ready to knock him out if necessary.
“I’ll do it,” Damian said at last, breaking the silence.
Aracila’s head snapped up to meet his gaze. “What?”
“I’ll go tomorrow and ask to cancel the request,” he clarified.
“…Really?”
He nodded calmly, and her stunned expression melted into a radiant smile of relief. She’d stopped his death.
“You made the right choice, Damian. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true,” she said earnestly.
“I don’t think it’s unbelievable,” he replied. “I trust you. I promised I would, didn’t I?”
His unexpected faith caught her off guard, and she blinked in surprise before narrowing her eyes. “Then why did it take you so long to answer?”
“My apologies,” he said, a touch sheepishly. “I was thinking about what excuse to give when I cancel tomorrow.”
It hadn’t been about doubting her—it was about how to handle the logistics. Relieved that he’d agreed to stay, Aracila let out a shaky breath, her hand brushing over her chest.
Now, Isaac wouldn’t come bearing news of Damian’s death, as he had in her dream.
…Or so she thought.
Reality, however, was not so accommodating.
When Damian went to Ben Diark to withdraw from the mission, he was met with a troubled response. “We’ve already sent half the Imperial Knights to other tasks, expecting the Red Hawk Knights to handle the west. If you back out now, there’s no one else to take your place.”
Though Damian had reversed his decision in less than a day, circumstances had already shifted, making it impossible to back out. The excuses he’d prepared weren’t compelling enough to overturn the situation.
If the Red Hawk Knights withdrew and the west suffered catastrophic damage from the beasts, the blame would fall squarely on them. The entire knight order would face disgrace and severe repercussions.
As the leader of his knights, Damian had no choice but to reverse his decision again and accept the mission, prioritizing the greater good.
“I’m sorry, Aracila,” he said, explaining why he had to take the request. Then, in a soothing tone, he added, “But don’t worry. I’ve survived countless dangers before. No man or beast can harm me. Your dream won’t come true—I won’t die.”
Aracila understood his reasoning. She knew why he couldn’t abandon the mission and that he was exceptionally skilled. But having seen his death in her prophetic dream, she couldn’t just stand by.
If I can’t stop him from going, there’s only one option left.
She would go with him and protect him.
Since she hadn’t heard the details of his death in the dream, she couldn’t warn him about specific dangers. Accompanying him and ensuring his safety was better than begging him to refuse a mission he couldn’t decline.
The mission’s from the imperial family, so who could help…
Her thoughts turned to Frederick, her old friend. Though their relationship had grown strained recently, she still considered him a friend.
First, she sought permission from Philip for a new assignment. Then, determined to turn the Red Hawk Knights’ solo mission into a joint operation with the Magic Tower, she went to see Frederick.
The Magic Tower had handled beast subjugations before and done so effectively, so there was no reason for him to refuse her request for collaboration.
Despite her unannounced visit, Frederick greeted her with a wide, welcoming smile. “What brings you all the way to the palace?”
“I need a favor, Frederick,” she said.
“What kind?”
He crossed his legs, leaning back with a relaxed air, his mood oddly buoyant, as if something pleasant had lifted his spirits.
Aracila, weighed down by the gravity of her situation, spoke with a determined expression. “Can the Magic Tower join the Red Hawk Knights on the western beast subjugation mission?”
Frederick’s hand, gracefully lifting a teacup, froze midair.
“…Why?”
His tone was measured, his expression shifting subtly.
Aracila, too preoccupied to notice, answered, “As a mage of the Magic Tower, I want to earn merits. Is there any way you can make it happen?”
She deliberately avoided mentioning Damian, an instinctive choice. She’d long noticed Frederick’s strange hostility toward him and worried that bringing him up might jeopardize her request. So, she’d offered a plausible alternative reason instead.
“You’ve always been ambitious like that,” Frederick said, nodding.
Her excuse seemed to land well, likely because she’d often expressed her desire to achieve merits for promotion in his presence.
But then, as if troubled, he let out a soft groan.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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