RHH | Chapter 5.2

Dragons were born to oppose gods. Just as gods were meant to cherish all things equally, so too were dragons. Hadn’t he already heard what happens when a god becomes obsessed with one creature?

Absalom denied his feelings with all his might. It was the foolish act of someone who didn’t understand the fate of unrequited love. But the love he denied merely hid in his heart, waiting for the moment to spread its wings.

‘Oh, this? Lucien gave it to me. How does it look? Does it suit me?’

And with that, it was acknowledged—along with a bitter jealousy. The world held emotions so painful that one might wish to go mad. Absalom realized this for the first time.

He lost count of how many times he wanted to speak up. To tell Leehwan that he was being deceived, that he might one day be killed by those very hands. But Absalom couldn’t say a word. If asked how he knew, he had no answer. The instability of a relationship built on lies kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he spoke words of courtship that wouldn’t jeopardize their bond. But that wasn’t the way.

His love only deepened, and jealousy surged endlessly. The only words he could say were “I love you.”

No matter how many times he repeated them, his words of courtship were more useless than an echo. His pride, once as vast as the sky, was chipped away, and he grew increasingly weary.

Then, at some point, he snapped. If he could have Leehwan, then even the purpose of his existence as a dragon no longer mattered. In the end, he did something no dragon had ever done before.

‘I’ll compromise. If you give up the Knight of Salvation, I’ll push the monsters back.’

He controlled the monsters, organizing them like an army to constantly harass humans. Then, while Leehwan was away from the Imperial Palace dealing with them, Absalom appeared in his true form. He didn’t care what effect it would have on Leehwan. All that mattered was making him his.

But the moment he saw Leehwan—battered and abandoned—Absalom realized what he had done.

He should have known the fate of a hero without backing. The Imperial family, having no further use for Leehwan after the truce, wouldn’t let him go peacefully. In the end, all Leehwan had left was a tarnished honor, arms severed to prevent even dreams of revenge, and lifeless eyes.

While muttering apologies in a daze, Leehwan threw himself off a cliff. By the time Absalom regained his senses, Leehwan had already fallen into a horde of monsters below.

Seeing Leehwan’s body, shattered beyond recognition, Absalom truly went mad.

The empire was engulfed in flames. As it turned to ash, Absalom headed for the Imperial Palace, thinking they had hidden Leehwan there and refused to release him.

But no matter where he searched in the palace, Leehwan was nowhere to be found. In his rage, he set part of the palace ablaze when someone shouted.

‘Where is Sir Alexander!’

Alexander. Another name for Leehwan.

It wasn’t just that person. From all around, both inside and outside the palace, cries for ‘Sir Alexander’ grew louder.

Absalom, too, followed the cries in search of Leehwan. During his search, he came across a blond youth—Lucien, the lover Leehwan had cherished so dearly. Overcome with jealousy and resentment, Absalom moved.

By the time he came to his senses, Lucien was dead, struck by a meteor.

Still, Leehwan did not appear. No matter how many called for him, no matter how desperately Absalom searched—even as his lover died.

Only then did his mind grow cold.

Yet even then, the cries for “Sir Alexander” did not cease.

Leehwan was dead, and now those who had killed him were searching for him.

What was unbearable was the realization that he, too, was among those calling for him.

Meteors rained down on the Imperial Palace, falling mercilessly, obliterating both the living and the lifeless.

Standing amidst the ruins, Absalom made a decision.

If Leehwan wasn’t here, then he would go to him.

And when that time came, he hoped everything would go according to Leehwan’s wishes—not his own desires.

After finishing his story, Absalom bowed his head.

Leehwan stared at the crown of his head before speaking.

“Look up.”

The hesitant head slowly rose. Leehwan looked at Absalom, who seemed on the verge of tears, then reached out. Absalom bit his lip, as if resigned.

“Oof!”

A rough hand pressed firmly against both of Absalom’s cheeks. His lips puckered out like an octopus, and Absalom stared at Leehwan in confusion.

“Did you think I’d hit you?”

“N-no…”

An indistinct sound escaped. Leehwan chuckled, then tilted his head.

Mwah.

The friction of their lips made a sweet sound. Absalom’s eyes widened. Leehwan let him go and spoke.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I didn’t…!”

“Fine. Strictly speaking, you didn’t lie. But you didn’t tell me everything either, did you? Huh? You clam up when things get tough.”

Absalom averted his eyes. Leehwan clicked his tongue and said something that struck Absalom like a thunderbolt.

“The weakening of your magic is the price for the regression, isn’t it?”

Hearing the unexpected question, Absalom’s head shot up. Leehwan sighed.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice something like that?”

“Ah, well… I wasn’t trying to hide it. I just didn’t think it was important enough to mention.”

“If that’s not important, then what is?”

Leehwan thought about a world where Absalom had lost all his power.

He didn’t need to look far. Just before the regression, that was exactly what had happened.

He never wanted to feel that way again—unable to achieve what he desired, unable to protect the one he wanted to save.

“I’d already guessed some of what you told me. It’s not like superhuman strength just appears out of nowhere because of dimensional travel.”

That wasn’t all. Returning to the original world required holy relics—the power of a god.

Realizing this, Leehwan wondered if the force that had brought him to this world was also divine.

There were three main beneficiaries of Leehwan’s dimensional travel. The first was the empire. The second was the papal court, which gained prestige as Iella’s name was exalted alongside Leehwan’s victories. And the third was Iella herself.

Leehwan thought it highly likely that one of these three had deliberately summoned him.

He could guess why the empire had lied. At the time, his only desire was to return to Earth. If they had told him, “You were brought here because we needed you,” it would have only fueled his resistance.

Instead, using his return as bait made it much easier to manipulate him.

“It’s frustrating to have been deceived by the empire… but even if I’d known the truth, not much would’ve changed.”

Leehwan finished with a bitter tone. Silence fell over the room. Absalom hesitated before asking.

“Is that it?”

Perhaps he expected Leehwan to speak of revenge against the empire. But seeing the hesitation and fear on Absalom’s face, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Are you thinking of taking revenge on the Empire or something?” Leehwan wondered as he observed Absalom. However, judging by the hesitation and fear on his face, that didn’t seem likely.

With no other thoughts, Leehwan simply nodded.

At that, Absalom bit his lip. After several failed attempts, a trembling voice finally escaped his lips.

“It’s all my fault that you ended up like this. If I hadn’t been so greedy, you could’ve…!”

Thwack!

“Ugh.”

Absalom instinctively grabbed his forehead. It was just a simple flick, but given Leehwan’s strength, it was quite effective. Leehwan spoke with a look of clear exasperation on his face.

“Let’s call it even.”

“Huh?”

“Just so you know, I don’t think my death is your responsibility. But if I don’t do something, it seems like you’ll keep wallowing in guilt.”

Absalom’s mouth hung open. Words spilled out incoherently.

“Wallowing… Ah, no, that’s not it. Why do you say it’s not my fault?!”

“Even if it weren’t for you, I would’ve died soon anyway.”

At the time, Leehwan’s health had already deteriorated. In fact, if Absalom hadn’t requested a ceasefire, he might have died even sooner, unable to endure the battle in such a state.

Despite Leehwan’s words, Absalom still looked like he had more to say.

Eventually, Leehwan voiced the thought that had been lingering in his mind.

“If only I hadn’t come here alone, you wouldn’t have had to suffer and get hurt like this. So if anyone should apologize, it’s me…”

“That’s not true! You’re the victim here, aren’t you? You didn’t come here by choice, so why are you saying such things?!”

Leehwan quietly listened to Absalom’s heated words. Then, he reached out toward Absalom, who was catching his breath.

“I feel the same way about you, Rlom.”

Leehwan gently cupped Absalom’s cheek. The slightly rough texture beneath his fingertips sent a pang of regret through him. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed him.

Absalom froze, stunned by the kisses raining down on his face. The outcome unfolding before him was nothing like the future he had imagined. Wondering if it was a dream, he shut his eyes tightly—only to feel Leehwan’s lips brush against his eyelids.

He opened his eyes.

Leehwan was gazing at him with a tenderness that made his breath catch.

To see that look again… Absalom felt like he was losing his mind.

“So, let’s call it even.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Absalom tilted his head and muttered. Embarrassingly, his voice was tinged with tears. But that sound quickly faded away.

As if inviting him, Leehwan’s lips parted slightly, and Absalom pressed his own against them. Their tongues intertwined. As Absalom’s tongue slid along Leehwan’s, a soft moan escaped from Leehwan’s lips. At that moment, a shiver ran down Absalom’s spine.

Deeper, even deeper.

The desire to become one with Leehwan consumed him. He pushed further, unable to resist. Even the saliva trailing down Leehwan’s jaw felt precious. He licked it away meticulously before moving back up.

Leehwan laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

Absalom asked, panting. Leehwan grabbed the back of his head and replied.

“I was thinking about the first time we kissed.”

“Are you talking about that night we spent outdoors?”

“That wasn’t a kiss. At best, it was just a peck…”

The way Leehwan pouted his lips as he said, “Peck,” was oddly cute.

Unable to resist, Absalom lunged at him again, clinging to him until Leehwan, laughing breathlessly, pushed him away.

“That time I went out and came back alone. You kissed me that day too.”

“Why are you laughing about that?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought it was funny how much you’ve improved since then, when you used to just shove your tongue in without a care.”

Absalom recalled that day. It was as vivid as if it had happened just yesterday.