RHH | Chapter 1.10

Absalom reached into his robes and pulled out bandages and some medicine. Leehwan hesitated for a moment before removing his upper garment to reveal his back. A vivid scar stretched from his right shoulder across his back to his left side.

“It must have hurt. May I ask how it happened?”

“I got it from a harpy. That’s what caused me to fall all the way here.”

“Are you planning to return to your unit?”

Asking about the location of the relics implied other motives. It was so evident that there was no reason to lie, so Leehwan nodded.

Neither found any more topics to discuss, and they fell silent. The only sound was that of clothing rustling as Absalom worked. Being fully exposed made Leehwan tense. He told Absalom, who was painstakingly slow and careful,

“You can just slap it on.”

“No. If a scar were to form, I’d blame myself.”

“At this point, one more scar hardly makes a difference.”

Absalom inhaled sharply at the casual remark. His hands, which had been applying medicine, had stopped. Time passed for a few seconds, and just when Leehwan could no longer bear the odd silence, he spoke.

Thump.

A light warmth settled gently upon Leehwan’s shoulders. A few strands of silver hair that had slipped down hinted at the source of the warmth. Absalom, taking a trembling breath, muttered something under his breath.

The sound, more a breath than a whisper, was so faint that even Leehwan barely caught it. From the few syllables that reached him intermittently, Leehwan guessed the words and felt his already high disgust mixed with anger.

‘I’m sorry.’

His jaw, stiff on its own, trembled. Leehwan managed to move his unyielding mouth and spoke.

“Stay away.”

He clamped his mouth shut quickly, to swallow any curse that might slip out unintentionally.

Leehwan recalled Absalom from before his regression. They hadn’t met often. However, from a certain point, every time they met, Absalom had confessed his love. Although Leehwan never showed it, he had been internally flustered and unsure of how to react.

Now he knew all of it was a lie. A beauty trap set by the king of monsters himself, how disgraceful. Leehwan couldn’t help but sneer.

Obediently, Absalom lifted his head at Leehwan’s words. The silver hair that had cascaded over his shoulder brushed against Leehwan’s chest as it slowly rose.

Suddenly, Leehwan thought it was like a spider’s web. A beautiful device meant to bind its prey tightly, immobilizing it completely. It was a horrifying thought.

While lost in thought, Absalom had finished applying the medicine. Leehwan snatched the bandage from his hand. The last thing he wanted was to end up embracing him while wrapping the bandage.

Leehwan wrapped the bandage, and Absalom helped from behind. Leehwan tied off the end of the bandage firmly in front of his chest and handed the remainder to Absalom.

“Well used.”

“Such formal words between us.”

“…Indeed.”

Leehwan suppressed the surge of disgust and barely responded. Even he thought his voice sounded particularly cold. However, upon hearing those words, Absalom smiled like a flower.

Ignoring Absalom, Leehwan got up. He dusted off dirt and bits of leaves from his trousers. They weren’t completely dry, but it was bearable.

Then, Leehwan surveyed the surroundings. However, aside from Absalom, nothing caught his eye. He had hoped maybe something from the luggage tied to the horse had survived, but it seemed all was lost to the water.

He mentally inventoried what he currently carried. The wallet and ID card, tightly secured inside his clothing, were safe. The flamboyant Shinweoldo, like a billboard, he had intended to discard from the start. That’s why he had brought an ordinary sword.

The problem was his clothing. The upper garment, torn by the claws of a harpy, was frayed at the back. A cloak would have been nice but had been discarded for survival. It was a troublesome moment as Leehwan examined his jacket and shirt.

“Do you need clothes?”

Absalom, grinning, held up something. A shirt and a cloak.

“They’re mine, but since we are of a similar build, they should fit you well.”

“Thank…”

Leehwan was about to accept them when Absalom subtly moved his arm. Leehwan’s hand waved through the air.

“I appreciate the clothes, but I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“No, it’s just…”

Leehwan, looking somewhat anxious, watched as Absalom fumbled with his words.

“Please, take me with you.”

“Sorry, but that seems difficult. Besides, how do you know where I’m going and ask to come along?”

Leehwan bit his lip, holding back a curse. It was a close call, but he managed to divert the conversation. Crazy. Why would I take you? Then, Absalom charged forward abruptly, his earlier hesitation nowhere in sight.

“You’re going after the relic, aren’t you? Don’t even try to deny it, I know. Then, it would be beneficial in many ways for me, who provided that information, to come along as a guide.”

“We’ll figure something out along the way. We don’t necessarily need a guide…”

“How can you think of going alone in such a dangerous world today?”

Leehwan was dumbfounded by Absalom. His body, seasoned through years of battling monsters, and enhanced strength, agility, and peripheral vision he considered a dimensional traveler’s privilege, made him a walking weapon.

In such circumstances, it was almost laughable that the world was deemed dangerous to him. If anything, this world should be worried about what he could do to it.

As Leehwan remained silent, Absalom, gaining confidence, continued earnestly.

“I’m a merchant and have traveled to many countries. I know many shortcuts that can save time.”

“Listen.”

“The ways to evaluate goods, gather information, and other skills useful to what you are doing, traveler’s secrets unknown to a soldier like you. And, I can also serve you…”

If left unchecked, Absalom would endlessly list his merits. Leehwan put up a hand to stop him, covering his mouth. Absalom instantly fell silent as if he’d never been speaking.

“Why? What do you stand to gain from this?”

No matter what skills Absalom possessed, Leehwan had absolutely no intention of traveling with him. Logically, Leehwan’s return was something Absalom should welcome. But are emotions driven solely by reason? There was always the chance that Absalom could change his mind, seize the relic, or even destroy it.

So Leehwan asked, a necessary scrutiny if Absalom claimed to be a merchant. Yet, it was also a way to draw a line in their relationship. Just because we know each other doesn’t mean we can move together.

Despite Leehwan removing his hand, Absalom stood still for a long while. Leehwan thought he had understood his words. However, the following statement was beyond Leehwan’s expectations.

“I just… want to be with you. Is that not enough?”

“Why?”

It was a frustrated question. At that, Absalom closed his mouth. Suddenly, Leehwan felt this situation was all too familiar.

This was how Absalom had acted when they had first met. He behaved illogically and, instead of properly explaining his reasons, he chose silence. Eventually, that silence turned into pleas of love.

As Leehwan was lost in thought, Absalom gave an awkward smile. A poor excuse spilled from his lips.

“We are friends, aren’t we?”

Leehwan’s expression hardened instantly. Despite seeing this, Absalom said nothing more. Friends. Leehwan muttered to himself quietly and clenched his teeth. He wanted to crush that shallow word and had to swallow the curses sticking to the tip of his tongue.

He resented him. If possible, Leehwan wanted Absalom to feel the same bitterness he had experienced. Every time, Leehwan had to suppress that natural yet base desire.

Leehwan was now twenty-four years old, and no one had yet betrayed him. For that sole reason, Leehwan tried to forget not only his desire for revenge against Absalom but also against Lucien and the Imperial family. Perhaps, at the very least, he could hope never to meet them again.

Leehwan’s eyes grew colder. Absalom stared back directly and said,

“If you still say no… as I mentioned, I know shortcuts. No matter who you are, I can’t stop the chance encounters.”

Meaning, wherever Leehwan went, Absalom would follow. It might be even more annoying than traveling together. Yet, Leehwan shook his head. If the journey was going to be physically exhausting anyway, he at least wanted his mind to be at ease.

Finally, Absalom played his last card.

“Leehwan has yet to pay me for the information. I’ll settle for that.”

Leehwan paused momentarily. The price Absalom might claim had been a nagging worry in his mind. Annoying company and uncertain demands. It was a sigh-worthy situation, but he wanted to minimize any uneasy factors.

“If you’re going to follow me no matter what, I might as well remove one burden.”

“…Then swear on your name, promise me one thing. That you will never interfere with what I’m doing.”

“Of course.”

A promise made on one’s name was so binding that even the god Iella could not break it. It was one of the absolute tenets of this world. Absalom accepted it lightly. Displeased even with that, Leehwan gritted his teeth and glared at Absalom.

“I’ll make full use of you then.”

“Yes. Please do use me as you wish.”

Absalom responded calmly, with an attitude so natural it could be considered shameless.

Finally, having achieved what he wanted, Absalom held out the shirt and cloak. Leehwan snatched them and walked towards the river.

After roughly cleaning the mud off in the water, he dressed. A white shirt enveloped his upper body, tightly wrapped in bandages, and he donned a dark gray cloak. Without looking back at Absalom, Leehwan began to walk.

“Let’s go together, Leehwan.”

Absalom, with a full smile, began to walk as well. Their shadows soon merged into the darkness of the mountains.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

“Ugh!”

Lucien’s eyes snapped open. The room was dark, but not so much that he couldn’t make out the objects around him. After a moment, he realized he was in his bedroom and let out a sigh of relief.

“Again, that dream…”

A hint of irritation leaked through his voice, as if it were a sigh itself. No wonder, since he had been experiencing the same dream for nearly a month now.

He couldn’t remember the details well. He knew it was the same dream because he remembered thinking so within the dream. The only vivid part was the scene just before he woke up.

In the dream, Lucien was kneeling, looking up at something. Where his gaze fell, there was a huge, silver-white creature.

‘Dragon.’

It was a being he had never seen before, not even in pictures, but he knew what it was.

The dragon looked down at Lucien with eyes full of hatred and resentment. As Lucien trembled in fear of those eyes, a swarm of meteors fell from the sky. Just before being crushed to death by them, Lucien intensely regretted something.

If we meet again, then—

“I feel awful.”

He buried his head back into the pillow. The clingy, foolish emotions persisted even after he awoke from the dream. He closed his eyes tightly, like a child scared by a nightmare. The strongest man Lucien knew came to mind.

When Sir Alexander returns, I’ll talk to him about the dream. He will surely hold me and comfort me.

The gentle touch of sleep swept kindly over Lucien’s soft eyelids once more.

The next morning, a urgent report arrived at the Imperial Palace: Leehwan had disappeared.