Could it be because his voice had sunk lower than ever before?

Or maybe because of the contents embedded in his words.

It gave me a chill, like a splash of cold water.

“This is definitely interesting.”

He tapped the table with his fingers.

“Egrid.”

Suddenly, at the sound of the name coming from his mouth, I lifted my head in surprise.

A deep smile formed on his lips.

“Well, isn’t this a peculiar coincidence?”

“…What do you mean?”

“The request you made last time, Miss Livia.”

For a moment, I recalled the request I had made to him and nodded.

‘Surely it was about commissioning someone to erase the traces of those associated with the ancient temple.’

“Wait…”

In the moment of strange overlap, I blinked my eyes.

“One of them happened to obtain a letter left by a close friend, would you like to see it?”

I nodded quietly.

Shortly after, a very old letter was pushed in front of me.

It was a worn-out letter that seemed as though it would tear apart from a slight touch.

“We were lucky. The friend had left it forgotten between the pages of a book. If that letter had been exposed to the outside, just like the disappeared people, it would have vanished without a trace.”

While Lemon continued to chatter, I couldn’t find the words to reply.

There was only one line written on the old letter.

[Egrid has returned.]

But the impact of that single line was immense.

“What do you think? Truly intriguing, isn’t it?”

I nodded quietly in response.

“That’s right… It’s quite a coincidence.”

“And this time, the trace has completely disappeared.”

“………”

“That diary.”

Lemon pointed to the diary with his eyes and spoke.

“We need to decipher it quickly.”

“……Yes.”

I took a deep breath.

Was it because I had learned too much overwhelming information?

It felt like a stone was weighing down on my chest, suffocating me.

After finding composure through deep breaths, I spoke to him.

“I want to add a request.”

“Of course. Although I will definitely take a fee.”

He chuckled playfully.

Though his words were playful, they were sincere.

“I need you to investigate about Egrid.”

“Alright.”

“And one more thing.”

I clenched and unclenched my fists.

It felt like my mouth was dry.

“Investigate about those who appeared as Jeffrey’s family and the interim priest. They seem suspicious.”

“Of course. Actually, I’ve already instructed our guild members.”

“Good.”

As expected of the Rune Information Guild.

They act swiftly.

“Well then.”

His eyes, which had seemed gentle at first glance, suddenly turned sharp.

He leaned towards me, his upper body tilting in my direction.

“I will accept the payment.”

“…Your mother.”

I mentioned the second clue he had uncovered in the original work.

“She was uncovering some secret.”

“What secret?”

I shrugged.

His mother in the original work was a clergy.

She had come to know about ‘something’, dug deeper into it, and was killed.

But it wasn’t mentioned what it was.

‘Lemon from the original story seems to know, though.’

“A secret…… a secret…….”

He murmured, rubbing his chin.

Yet, his eyes were solely focused on me.

His lips slowly parted.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what the secret is?”

“I don’t know what the secret is either.”

“But the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. How does Miss Livia know about such a secretive matter?”

It sounded like an accusation, obvious to anyone listening.

Lemon seemed to think I was hiding something.

‘I’m not a bad person, but…’

The more he thinks I know, the harder it will be for him to betray me.

‘But I can’t afford to lose trust.’

The moment he starts doubting me, this cooperative relationship will be over.

I held my breath and stared at Lemon.

At this point, it seems like I have no choice but to reveal my secret to him.

“In fact… I have a special ability.”

“A special ability?”

He tilted his head as if to ask what kind of nonsense I was talking about.

‘Will it work?’

I wondered, but I was already moving.

“My ability is related to dreams.”

“Dreams?”

“Yes, like this.”

Actions speak louder than words. I know better than anyone that it’s hard to make Lemon understand with just words.

I reached out my hand to Lemon’s forehead unexpectedly.

Between my fingers, I met his surprised, large, amber-colored eyes.

Looking into those eyes, I parted my lips.

“Lemon.”

“…….”

“Have a happy dream.”

“……!”

In that moment, light burst from under my hand.

‘Gently. As gently as possible.’

Since Jeffrey, it was the first time I used it on someone conscious, so I couldn’t be sure what side effects might follow.

So, I exerted as little power as I could.

Fortunately, the intensity of the light was much weaker than usual.

When I removed my hand, Lemon’s eyes seemed hazy.

His eyes, which had been directed at me, were now staring into empty space.

His lips slowly parted.

“…Mother?”

“…….”

I bit my lower lip slightly at his words.

Lemon quickly regained focus in his eyes.

He looked at me with trembling eyes.

I murmured bitterly, “Lemon’s happy dream is about his mother.”

“What… What did you just do?”

His voice was filled with caution.

I shook my head reassuringly and replied, “I told you, it’s my ability. It’s related to dreams.”

“You… You told me to have a happy dream. Is that related to what you just did?”

“I can manipulate the dreams of others to some extent. Just now, Lemon briefly dreamed the happiest dream he could imagine.”

And that dream was related to his mother.

“………”

Lemon fell silent. His pupils were still shaking, but there was much less suspicion directed towards me.

So far, so true.

I parted my lips again.

My voice lowered even further.

“Actually… not only that, but I can also see others’ memories through dreams.”

“… You see others’ memories?”

He looked at me with amazement.

‘It’s a lie, though.’

From now on, I would be handing over clues to him, whose source and core I wouldn’t know.

And each time, Lemon will doubt that information.

Whether the information is true or false. Where it is from. Rather than revealing the truth, only revealing the surface.

To avoid that, I have to tell a lie no matter what.

‘Anyway, the information is real.’

“To see other people’s memories, what does that even mean?”

“I mean it literally. Every now and then, I see someone’s memories in my dreams. This person could be someone I know or a stranger I don’t really know. It shows from a third person’s perspective.”

“…So did your ability enable you to uncover Anna Lever’s Akaban? And how you know the top-level password of the guild?”

Uh…? I hadn’t thought that far.

Lemon tossed out an unexpected clue.

Quickly gathering that clue, I shamelessly nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I saw it all in dreams.”

“Ha, haha…”

Unable to contain his astonishment, he laughed out disconsolately.

But soon he shot a sharp look and asked a new question.

“If it’s true that you saw my mother’s memories through dreams, how did you know it was my mother?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I was momentarily flustered, but managed to hide it and quickly replied.

“It was in the newspapers.”

“Newspapers?”

“Yes, the newspapers from when your mother was found. I read it in an article. It said the first person to find her was her son. And… I saw it in a dream. Your face. So, I immediately recognized you as the son mentioned in that newspaper.”

“….Dreams are truly omnipotent.”

Feeling secretly embarrassed at his comment, I forced a smile.

Fortunately, it looked like Lemon bought it as he gently nodded.

“I can’t doubt Miss Livia as I have experienced it myself. I understand. I won’t suspect anymore.”

At his words, I shouted in joy internally.

Although I couldn’t shake off the guilt of deceiving him, this lie would only be used when passing on information.

Then, Lemon, who had been silent for a moment, slowly spoke up.

“Can you use that ability anytime?”

“I can’t control seeing other people’s memories because it’s irregular. But I can show dreams.”

“Then…”

His lemon-colored eyes towards me flickered unstably.

‘What’s he trying to say with that expression?’

It was so different from Lemon’s usual cheerful and playful demeanor.

His gaze wavered like a candle flame in the wind.

Finally, his lips parted.

“Just once more……”

“…….”

“Can I dream of my mother one more time?”