RHH | Epilogue

Leehwan and Absalom finally arrived at a large forest after a long journey that lasted over a month. Led by Absalom, Leehwan walked into the forest. After a while, they came across a wide clearing covered with withered grass.

“This is the place.”

What Absalom pointed to was a small, modest house that was hard to imagine as the dwelling of the so-called “Monster King”—a fabricated title, though one that was hard to forget. When Leehwan didn’t say anything, Absalom smiled awkwardly.

“Is it too small?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that small. It’s just… I thought when you transformed into a dragon, you’d be huge. Then you wouldn’t be able to fit in this house.”

Leehwan shared the common knowledge people had about dragons. Then, trying to act unfazed, he added, “It looks big enough for the two of us, so it’s fine, right?”

“Ah, yes. Big enough for the two of us…”

Absalom mumbled, his face turning red. Leehwan also felt a bit shy.

Absalom, the owner of the house, went inside first. Leehwan followed and looked around. The interior was neatly decorated with furnishings that suited the modest home.

“Not a speck of dust.”

“I cast a spell on the house itself. Not me, but the previous generation did it.”

While Absalom busied himself preparing things in the kitchen, Leehwan explored the house. It was just like any ordinary home. The smell of food wafting from the kitchen even evoked a sense of nostalgia.

After finishing his tour, Leehwan headed to the kitchen. Absalom was standing in front of a hearth, something commonly seen in this world. Leehwan approached him.

“Let me help.”

“Leave the cooking to the host and just wait patiently, guest.”

“I’m not a guest. I’m…”

Leehwan trailed off. Calling himself the host seemed presumptuous, and calling himself a lodger still made him sound like a guest. After a few seconds of thought, he found a simple answer.

“I’m the host’s lover.”

In the end, Absalom had no choice but to accept Leehwan’s help.

Leehwan, who had almost no cooking experience, took on the menial tasks. He peeled potatoes, cut them to the size Absalom instructed, and placed them in a bowl. He tore the mushrooms into small pieces and washed and sliced the carrots into uniform sizes.

Glancing sideways, Leehwan saw Absalom skillfully handling the frying pan and spatula. He had seen Absalom cook before, but this was the first time he saw him cooking so seriously. Without realizing it, Leehwan stared intently at Absalom.

“What’s wrong?”

“You look so skilled.”

“The previous generation taught me. They said relying only on magic would make me helpless. Though they used magic everywhere despite saying that.”

Absalom opened the cupboard as if to prove a point. Inside were vegetables and fresh meat that were out of season. It seemed they had created something similar to a refrigerator using magic.

The previous generation referred to the dragon that had caused Iella to hold a grudge. Though they had gone through many hardships, if it weren’t for that incident, Leehwan and Absalom would never have met.

“Thanks to that, I can make delicious food for you, Leehwan. Thinking about it now, it’s something to be grateful for.”

After closing the cupboard, Absalom continued cooking. With his short hair tied back and wielding the spatula, he looked genuinely happy. Leehwan reached out and gently touched Absalom’s cheek. The scar on his cheek felt rough under his fingertips.

“I’m grateful too.”

Leehwan lightly kissed Absalom’s lips and then picked up the knife again. As he started slicing the carrots, a groan came from Absalom’s direction.

“Just you wait, seriously.”

Leehwan stifled a laugh.

After dinner, Leehwan and Absalom went to bed early. The cozy, homely scent naturally induced sleep, but Leehwan couldn’t fall asleep. He quietly got up and went to the living room.

Sitting on the sofa, he shivered from the cool touch. In the past, he wouldn’t have even noticed this level of cold. It made him realize how much his body had weakened.

Still, compared to when he had escaped the Imperial Palace, he was in much better shape. It was all thanks to Absalom’s meticulous care.

Huddled to preserve his body heat, Leehwan lost himself in thought.

During their journey from the Imperial Palace to this place, Leehwan and Absalom had shared many stories. Most were light, everyday conversations, avoiding the heavier topics. Leehwan wanted to have those discussions in a stable environment.

And now was that stable moment. Though he didn’t particularly want to know, and knowing wouldn’t change anything, he didn’t want to remain ignorant forever.

As he was pondering the right time, the sound of light footsteps approached. Since there were only two of them in the house, there was only one person it could be.

Leehwan turned to see Absalom. Just then, Absalom lit a candle, brightening the room.

“Can’t sleep?”

Absalom sat beside Leehwan and asked. His warm arm wrapped around Leehwan’s back. After enjoying the warmth for a moment, Leehwan asked in a calm voice, “You know what Iella did to my body, don’t you?”

“I do. Hmm, it’s going to be a long story. Should we have some tea while we talk?”

They moved to the kitchen. Absalom revived the embers and boiled water. Soon, the small kitchen was filled with warm steam. Absalom handed Leehwan a teacup and said, “You already know about the physical blessings like strength and agility, right? Besides that, Iella made sure you wouldn’t die before achieving your goal. He halted aging and maximized your recovery. Haven’t you survived injuries that should have been fatal?”

Honestly, it had happened more than once or twice. But saying, “It happened so often I lost count,” would only make Absalom sad, so Leehwan chose to stay silent.

“Iella doubted you. He wondered if you might misuse the blessings, things like that.”

Though Iella considered human lives no better than insects, his affection for humanity as a species was firm. After all, humanity was his creation, his property.

“You had to kill monsters anyway, so Iella used that to place a curse. Every time you killed a monster and inhaled the black smoke, your body would weaken bit by bit. In other words…”

Absalom trailed off and glanced at Leehwan. Leehwan slowly processed what Absalom had just said. Then, a possibility dawned on him.

“So…”

His own voice sounded distant. Leehwan cleared his throat and continued, “Does that mean if I stop killing monsters, I could live forever?”

A strange expression crossed Absalom’s face. It was a mix of fear and joy, two emotions that rarely coexisted. That expression confirmed Leehwan’s thoughts.

“That’s a relief.”

“What… do you mean?”

Absalom asked in a trembling voice. His deep blue eyes stared at Leehwan with an almost greedy intensity. Leehwan had a feeling he knew what Absalom wanted to hear.

“It means I won’t die before you.”

It seemed to be the perfect answer. Leehwan smiled softly at Absalom, who looked like he was about to cry.

“You’re pessimistic in the strangest ways.”

Having seen Leehwan die before his eyes, it was understandable. Instead of bringing that up, Leehwan muttered a thought that naturally came to mind.

“Then, before the regression, I died because I fell on a monster…”

It seemed he had fallen off a cliff and crushed a monster. As if recalling that moment, Absalom shuddered and clung to Leehwan. Leehwan patted Absalom’s head.

“Iella said he doesn’t intend to kill you.”

“Even if I die, a new dragon will just be born. Iella just wanted to see a dragon suffer the same pain as him. Even though I didn’t do anything to him.”

Absalom grumbled unusually. After that, silence fell. As Leehwan enjoyed the feel of Absalom’s short hair, he noticed it wasn’t very even.

Come to think of it, Absalom’s hair was still in the state he had cut it himself in the Imperial Palace’s underground. Leehwan patted Absalom’s back and asked, “Rlom. Where are the scissors?”

“Scissors?”

“Let me trim your hair.”

No matter how good Absalom looked with anything, wanting to find something that suited him even better was just the heart of a lover, wasn’t it? Feeling unnecessarily shy, Leehwan stopped Absalom from getting up.

“Just tell me where the scissors are. I’ll go find them.”

“They’re in the top drawer of that cabinet over there…”

Without responding, Leehwan walked over to the cabinet. Opening the top drawer, he saw various small items. As he searched for the scissors, he replied, “From now on, don’t do things alone. Tell me. This is our home now.”

“…Yes.”

Absalom stared intently at Leehwan’s back as he searched for the scissors. Honestly, he had expected Leehwan to ask more about what Iella had done. The fact that he didn’t seemed to show his trust in Absalom. Absalom pretended not to notice and lowered his eyes.

Love blinds people. But Leehwan had no ties to this place. That’s why Iella had tied him to Lucien. So that even if he wanted to abandon his mission, he could draw strength from him.

What would happen if Leehwan found out about this? He might feel self-loathing for having cried and laughed on Iella’s palm. He might realize that the origin of his affection for Lucien was the same as his affection for Absalom. Absalom didn’t want that.

“Why are you smiling to yourself?”

“Huh?”

Absalom snapped out of his thoughts at the sudden voice. Leehwan, holding the scissors, reached out with a blank expression. His rough, calloused fingers gently touched Absalom’s lips. Only then did Absalom realize he was smiling.

“Is something funny?”

“Well… I just feel happy thinking about being with you forever.”

Leehwan, who had broken free of the ties Iella had bound him with and had come to love Absalom. To Absalom, this reality was sweeter than honey and more dazzling than jewels.

“We’ll stay here for a while until you’re fully recovered, then we’ll travel. We both have plenty of time. And also…”

Absalom listed things he had never dared to dream of. Then, he met Leehwan’s gaze. Embarrassed at having acted like an excited child, Absalom closed his mouth. Leehwan smiled warmly and nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s do it all. We have plenty of time, just like you said.”

The time they had left, almost an eternity. As long as they were together, no matter what happened, they would be happy.

Absalom trembled with the ecstasy of a reality more beautiful than any dream and hugged Leehwan. Soon, slightly cool arms wrapped around Absalom’s back. It felt like their future, and Absalom barely swallowed the overwhelming emotions.

May we be together until the moment death comes.

Absalom kissed Leehwan, pouring his wishes into it.