RHH | Chapter 2.7

Absalom said as he scooped some lotion onto his hand. Leehwan obediently closed his eyes. Soon, a refreshing scent approached. The lotion, which he had expected to feel cold, was warm, likely due to Absalom’s body heat.

Tap, tap.

Small sounds echoed in the quiet room. The warm, dimly lit room, the rhythmic sounds, and the warmth on his cheeks—it was the perfect condition for falling asleep. Leehwan felt his eyelids grow heavy. Absalom chuckled softly.

“I didn’t realize you were such a handful.”

“Shut up.”

“And so fussy.”

You’re adorable. A soft whisper brushed past Leehwan’s ear like a spring breeze.

The hand that had been on Leehwan’s face moved to his shoulder. Leehwan lay down as the hand guided him.

“Sleep a little more.”

Leehwan was already mentally and physically exhausted, and he hadn’t been able to sleep well. To him, Absalom’s words sounded sweet. He let go of the last bit of tension and fell asleep.

When Leehwan opened his eyes again, the room was flooded with intense light. It was midday. Absalom was nowhere to be seen. Leehwan got up from the bed and headed to his room.

There, he found Absalom. He was sitting on a chair, staring at something with a bitter expression. Leehwan followed his gaze.

A bundle of black cloth lay on the floor. Through the folds of the fabric, a faded gold reflected the midday sunlight. The first holy relic he had obtained, aside from being made of gold and jewels, was rather unremarkable.

Leehwan approached it. As he bent down to pick it up, a strange sensation ran through his fingers. It was similar to the feeling he had when he first touched the relic and immediately knew it was genuine.

“Congratulations.”

Absalom said. Despite his words, his face was gloomy. Leehwan carefully stored the relic deep in his belongings. Absalom, who had been watching him, asked.

“Where’s the next destination?”

“…Röntner.”

“Röntner? The holy relic there is in the royal palace. If you plan to infiltrate the palace like this time, I’ll arrange for you to be hired as a servant. It’ll make it easier to move around…”

“No.”

This time, Leehwan couldn’t fully trust the information Absalom provided, so he had stayed at the cathedral’s guesthouse. But from now on, he planned to act differently.

“You can bring me more detailed information than what you’ve given me before, right? I’ll use that to infiltrate.”

It would be faster and cleaner this way. Leehwan deliberately added one more sentence.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

Absalom’s face visibly brightened. Leehwan swallowed a smirk.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Lucien left the Imperial Palace immediately after receiving knights and funds from Charles. His destination was Mount Chavriere, where Leehwan had gone missing.

The group rode their horses without rest. They even pushed past monsters they encountered along the way. Fortunately, no major battles broke out.

It wasn’t until the evening of the tenth day that they finally reached the foothills of Mount Chavriere. Lucien, who had halted everyone, studied a map. One of the knights asked him.

“You’re not planning to go into the mountains, are you?”

His tone was clearly displeased. Lucien responded by sweeping a cold gaze over the knights.

There were seven knights in total. Three, including Wibaeng, were originally assigned to protect Lucien, while the other four were provided by Charles. The knight who had just spoken was one of the latter.

Lucien turned his head sharply, ignoring them. The ignored knight’s face turned red. But Lucien paid him no mind. To be precise, nothing entered his thoughts except for one person.

He turned his attention back to the map. His eyes scanned not the mountain but its surroundings.

Lucien didn’t know the limits of a knight’s power or the extent of their strength. In fact, it was because of this that his thoughts weren’t constrained. Even though everyone said, “Anyone would die in such a situation,” Lucien was certain Leehwan had escaped the mountain.

There were several villages around the mountain. His slender, pale fingers pointed to a few of them. Each was accessible only through narrow, treacherous paths.

“Do you think Sir Alexander went there?”

Wibaeng asked. Again, Lucien didn’t answer.

The Knight of Salvation, a man whose real name no one remembered anymore. All the world’s glory was in his hands. If he wished, he could amass mountains of gold and jewels or even become a king.

Such a man had survived against all odds. What would his next move be?

“Your Highness, do you think Sir Alexander survived but chose not to contact the Imperial Palace?”

This time, another knight provided by Charles asked. His tone implied that Leehwan might have betrayed the royal family. Even Lucien couldn’t ignore this question.

“Would someone injured have the presence of mind to think about the local geography? He might have gone anywhere. I’m just considering the possibility and pointing out villages the search party hasn’t checked. If he lost consciousness on the mountain path or in a village he barely reached… Could you have contacted the palace in such a state?”

Despite his words, Lucien didn’t believe Leehwan had lost consciousness. He pointed to one of the villages he had marked.

“We’ll stay in a nearby village tonight and head there tomorrow.”

Despite Lucien’s confidence, the group found no success. After failing to find any trace of Leehwan in the second village, they headed to the third.

“Some of the knights are growing quite discontent.”

Wibaeng whispered. Lucien was well aware.

The knights Charles had provided were clearly not the best. They were likely the ones deemed expendable, lacking even basic knightly qualities. Moreover, they were taking orders from Lucien. It was only natural for them to be dissatisfied.

“Do you think I’m wasting my time, Wibaeng?”

“If it’s something you’ve thought of, Your Highness, there must be a reason.”

“Thank you.”

Lucien’s dry lips curved softly. He, who had never neglected his appearance, only now realized that his lips could crack and bleed if they dried out.

Why was he going to such lengths? Lucien questioned himself. A faint realization stirred in a corner of his heart. But he didn’t yet have the courage to examine it closely.

Soon, they arrived at the third village. Lucien felt his heart pounding unusually hard. While the knights dispersed to ask around, he and Wibaeng headed to an inn. Both of them had their cloaks pulled low, so the innkeeper answered in a relaxed tone.

“A man in his 20s with black hair and brown eyes? Hmm, that’s a common description… And not all outsiders come to the inn, so…”

“He would have been badly injured.”

“Even so…”

The innkeeper’s face, initially troubled, began to show signs of irritation. It seemed he genuinely didn’t know anything. While Wibaeng and the innkeeper spoke, Lucien, who had been standing back, bit his lip.

“If you’re not staying, then get out. Don’t disturb my business.”

The innkeeper’s tone turned harsh. Desperate, Lucien blurted out the impression he had when he first met Leehwan.

“Then, have you had any unusual guests? Someone who stood out or looked strange.”

“You brat, who do you think you’re talking to…?”

The innkeeper, who had been about to lose his temper, suddenly looked as if he were dreaming. Lucien signaled to Wibaeng.

“Who is it? The person you’re thinking of.”

“It’s not the person you’re looking for, but… I’ve never seen such a beauty in my life. A face whiter than snow, hair that shone like real silver. And those eyes… Deep blue like the bottom of a river. Every time they looked at me, my heart…”

The innkeeper rambled on with a mesmerized expression about the beauty’s appearance. It didn’t sound like Leehwan at all, so Wibaeng signaled to Lucien. But Lucien was too distracted to notice.

“Silver hair and blue eyes…?”

A fragment of memory surfaced from the depths of his mind.

It was not long after Lucien had met Leehwan. At the time, Charles had assigned someone to monitor Leehwan’s every move. That person had reported:

Sir Alexander went out incognito. He entered a tavern near the Imperial Palace, drank until late at night, and then returned to the palace.

At first, both Charles and Lucien were concerned that Leehwan might have ulterior motives. But as the reports became routine, they relaxed.

It was around that time that a different report came in.

He made contact with a beautiful man with silver hair and deep blue eyes.

The report, unusually personal for someone in this line of work, made Lucien nervous. The appearance of another beauty when Leehwan was already being targeted by a honey trap was something to be wary of. Charles seemed to think the same and ordered an investigation into the man.

But Lucien had no memory of hearing the results of that investigation.

Had it been something insignificant that he forgot? If so, why was it coming back to him now? Lucien tugged at Wibaeng’s sleeve. Understanding the gesture, Wibaeng leaned in close.

“Silver hair and blue eyes. Do you remember? Back then, Sir Alexander met him at a tavern… You were there too.”

“Huh?”

Wibaeng looked puzzled. Lucien grew anxious.

“You don’t remember?”

Silver hair itself was extremely rare, so it was unlikely he wouldn’t remember. But Wibaeng looked as if he were hearing this for the first time.

“When exactly was this?”

“Well…”

Lucien trailed off. It wasn’t a memory.

“A dream…”

“Your Highness?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lucien quickly changed the subject. He turned back to the innkeeper and asked.

“Was he alone? Or did he have companions?”

The innkeeper, lost in his reverie, snapped back to attention. Despite Lucien’s earlier rudeness, he didn’t seem to mind.

“Ah, now that you mention it, he did have a companion. Yes. A man with black hair. He was quite different from the silver-haired beauty, so I remember.”

Found him. Lucien smiled with elation.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

To get from Flzensia to Röntner, they had to travel quite a distance east. Leehwan and Absalom left the inn. They were a bit nervous passing through the city gates, but the guards simply checked the date they had left Sancoña and let them through.

The journey was smooth. One of their worries before fleeing—monsters—didn’t even show their faces. Leehwan thought the reason for that was Absalom. It was a newfound usefulness. At some point, Leehwan let his guard down.

On the fourth day, bandits ambushed them. They were like moths to a flame.

Leehwan easily subdued the bandits with a few strikes. Still, he didn’t feel good about it. The bandits looked haggard and desperate.

After rummaging through their belongings, he found a loaf of bread. Leehwan handed it to the bandit. The bandit stared at the bread held right in front of him with disbelief.

“Take it.”

The bandit bowed his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

Leehwan watched the bandit run off with the bread until he was out of sight. The bandit kept swallowing his saliva but didn’t eat the bread. Leehwan guessed he had a family to feed.

As the bandit’s figure became a dot in the distance, Leehwan turned around. At the same time, his eyes met Absalom’s. Absalom had been watching Leehwan the whole time, his gaze unwavering. After a brief moment of eye contact, Leehwan walked toward the horse. They soon left the spot.

Leehwan realized the meaning behind Absalom’s gaze that night.