RHH | Chapter 4.1

The Hound Crossed Its Master’s Dawn

About 500 years ago, Iella descended upon the country of Stans and left behind a sacred relic. After Stans fell, Röntner was established and claimed the relic, storing it beneath the royal palace. That was 391 years ago.

Leehwan infiltrated the royal palace of Röntner under the cover of the new moon. The security around the detached palace where the relic was kept was utterly lacking. If it had been any other relic, he would have been more cautious, but Leehwan didn’t bother. He knew the story behind this relic.

It was said that Iella had descended as a blind man at the time. Leaning on a cane, he walked until his hair got caught on the branch of a roadside tree. Since he couldn’t see, it wasn’t easy to free his hair. While struggling, the tree cut off its own branch to ensure Iella’s hair wouldn’t be damaged.

The relic of Röntner was that very severed branch. Unlike the relic of Sancoña, which was made of gold and jewels, this one didn’t have any particularly miraculous effects. In other words, aside from being a relic, it held no value. By now, it was nothing more than a meaningless symbol.

Moreover, after nearly 400 years of guarding it, complacency had set in. For Leehwan, this was a good thing.

As he entered the room where the relic was kept, he felt the divine power. It wasn’t much, but even this little was precious to Leehwan. He picked up the branch, which, despite the passage of time, looked as fresh as if it had just been cut. A sensation similar to when he first touched the relic washed over him.

Leehwan left the palace as quietly as he had entered. As soon as he climbed down the wall, Absalom approached.

“Did you succeed?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.”

On a moonless night, in the pitch-black darkness, Absalom looked unusually pale. His red lips curled into a smile as if nothing had happened. Leehwan, finding it hard to face that smile, averted his gaze.

Truthfully, Leehwan found it difficult to keep telling Absalom that he would continue searching for relics. He liked Absalom. He didn’t want to be apart. But if asked whether he liked him enough to stay in this world, well…

Perhaps it was because the crossroads of choice hadn’t yet arrived. Even as he thought this, Leehwan couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being selfish.

‘I plan to keep searching for relics.’

It was a statement he had hesitated to make. Absalom’s response was disappointingly simple.

‘You should.’

It wasn’t the kind of thing you say to a lover who’s trying to find a way back to another dimension.

Maybe Absalom didn’t know that Leehwan was from another world. Leehwan wished that were the case. If not, he’d have to find another reason. For example, the reason that Absalom didn’t actually like Leehwan that much.

He didn’t want to think about it, but lately, his thoughts kept drifting in that direction. Leehwan knew the cause.

After the regression, the words “I like you” or “I love you” had never been exchanged between them.

He was aware of how petty it was. But the thoughts that kept surfacing were beyond his control. Leehwan let out a faint sigh. His white breath lingered in the night air.

The next morning, Leehwan and Absalom left the capital early. They didn’t seem to have been discovered, but they wanted to be prepared for any unforeseen situations.

The third relic Leehwan was targeting was located in the forest of Weisswald in the northern part of Röntner. After making all the necessary preparations, they headed there.

Leehwan glanced at the ash-gray coat he had bought after much arguing with Absalom. The white, fluffy fur lining made Absalom look like the embodiment of winter. No matter how he thought about it, it was a satisfying impulse purchase.

“What is it?”

Absalom, noticing Leehwan’s gaze, looked back at him. Leehwan shook his head. A faint smile naturally formed on his lips, and Absalom smiled back.

That night, having to camp in the mountains, they found a spot by the water to set up camp. According to the villagers they had met the day before, this was a mountain that people rarely visited. Indeed, the fatigue level was higher than usual.

A delicious dinner made from abundant ingredients was prepared. However, Leehwan couldn’t focus on the meal.

“Is something wrong?”

“I feel something strange…”

A peculiar sensation, as if something was tugging at the ends of his hair, had been persisting for a while now. Just as Leehwan was looking around with a suspicious expression—

Thud! Thud-thud!

A heavy sound echoed. The noise, not too loud, continued for a while before stopping. Immediately after, the presence of monsters approached from that direction. It was the first time Leehwan had encountered monsters since traveling with Absalom.

Leehwan stood up and reached for his sword. But Absalom stopped him.

“I’ll handle it.”

Leehwan reached out to grab Absalom, but all he caught was the hem of his clothes. Even that slipped away.

“Absalom!”

“I’ll finish it quickly, so step back a bit.”

Soon, three monsters emerged from the forest. Manticores—monsters with human-like faces but the bodies of lions.

Absalom drew his sword from his waist. It was an ordinary, unremarkable sword. Yet it moved fluidly, cutting through the manticores and shattering their cores in a single stroke.

The tail of the second manticore lashed out toward Absalom. The scorpion-like tail glowed black with venom at its tip. Just as Leehwan was about to step forward, the crimson tip of Absalom’s sword severed the tail.

Swoosh!

With a single stroke, the sword cleaved the manticore in two. Amid the blood and flesh, Absalom’s figure emerged.

Stay there.

Even in the bloodstorm, his red lips stood out vividly. Leehwan unconsciously stopped in his tracks.

The third manticore also fell to Absalom’s sword. He shook off the bloodstains and approached Leehwan. Leehwan wiped the blood stains off Absalom’s pale cheek with his fingers and said,

“Good job.”

Absalom, standing amidst the carnage he had created, smiled softly. He was simply beautiful. Leehwan hid his complicated feelings while pretending to check if Absalom was hurt.

After confirming that Absalom was unharmed, Leehwan turned to the manticores. All three were thinner and smaller than the manticores he had fought in the past. There weren’t many reasons for them to charge at their own king to the death. As if to support Leehwan’s speculation, Absalom said,

“They seem to have been starving for a long time.”

Leehwan stared in the direction the sound had come from. Though fainter now, something was still pulling at him. Absalom, who had approached Leehwan, asked,

“Shall we go?”

They packed up and moved. After walking for a while, pushing through branches and leaving the mountain path, they found traces of people. A little further, a village formed in a basin came into view.

It was a small village with shoddily built houses clustered together. Nearby, there were well-tended fields. It was an unnatural place for a village to form, so Leehwan knew they were illegal slash-and-burn farmers.

The manticores had clearly come from this direction. Yet there were no signs of a monster attack on the village. And what was that sound?

Just then, the presence of monsters approached from afar. As Leehwan was about to step forward, Absalom pulled his arm and hid behind a large tree.

“Absalom?”

“Wait a moment. I think I saw something strange.”

“I don’t know what it is, but let go.”

“No. The moment I let go, you’ll charge at the monsters.”

Leehwan paused. He had thought the humans of this world were despicable, yet his body had already moved out of habit. He relaxed his tense body.

Meanwhile, four manticores arrived at the village. Leehwan, still in the midst of struggling, watched them while leaning against Absalom’s arm. Then something astonishing happened.

Thud!

A manticore charging toward the village fell with a loud noise. But Leehwan didn’t even glance that way. His eyes were fixed on the village, or more precisely, on the faint white barrier surrounding it.

“Absalom.”

Though it had been too distant and faint to notice before, Leehwan now recognized that power.

“It seems there’s a relic here.”

Absalom’s face stiffened slightly.

The faint barrier continued even as the monsters turned and charged toward them. Once again, Absalom took up his weapon instead of Leehwan.

While he dealt with the four manticores, people from the village came out, having noticed the commotion. Leehwan observed them. Their clothing looked poor, but their faces lacked the fear that most people in this world had.

The core of the last manticore turned black and emitted smoke. Absalom sheathed his sword and narrowed his eyes. The villagers, who had been somewhat wary, visibly relaxed.

“Excuse me. We’re travelers. Could we stay for the night?”

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Leehwan looked around the house they had been allowed to stay in, thanks to Absalom’s beauty. For a house that had been uninhabited for quite some time, it was surprisingly clean.

After a while, Absalom, who had gone inside to inspect the place, came out. He looked at Leehwan and smiled awkwardly.

“You don’t look too good.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

Leehwan glanced at his reflection in the polished metal mirror. His expression was blank. But Absalom shook his head.

“You’re worried, aren’t you?”

Leehwan didn’t answer. But his mind was in turmoil.

The peace of this small village was maintained solely by the relic. Taking it away would have obvious consequences.

But was there any reason to turn back now, so close to his goal, for the sake of the humans of this world? The divine power contained in a relic capable of such feats must be immense, right?

As he thought this far, Leehwan noticed a contradiction. Clearly, the relic here was powerful enough to protect the entire village. Yet, until its power was activated, Leehwan hadn’t been certain of its presence. Moreover, he had never heard of a relic that exerted its power in this way.

That wasn’t the only strange thing. Leehwan glanced at Absalom.

Absalom was a dragon, a monster. Yet the barrier protecting the village had no effect on him.

The difference between ordinary monsters and Absalom lay in their appearance. Absalom looked entirely human—though excessively beautiful—while monsters did not. If this difference affected whether one could enter the village, then perhaps the barrier’s formation required someone’s judgment.

“What is this village?”

“If you’re suspicious, shall we stay a few more days? The village chief hinted earlier. If we want to stay longer, we can.”

“Come to think of it, there weren’t many young men. They saw you take down the manticores, so they might be trying to keep us here.”

“Most likely. Because earlier, I was asked if there was anyone in the village I liked.”

“And?”

“I gave an ambiguous answer since I didn’t know how things would turn out. I said it’s hard to move around because of the monsters lately, and I’d like to settle down, but I can’t find a suitable place… Why do you look so displeased?”