In a small village, a three-day walk from the Shabri Mountains, an inn in the mountainous region welcomed guests. The owner, who was dozing off behind the counter, felt his sleep dissipate as he noticed the new arrival.
It was a dazzling beauty, enough to make one’s eyes widen. Whether it was the self-assertive mane of hair, deep blue eyes, or the smooth, white face, the owner couldn’t help but be captivated despite knowing it was impolite. The ruby-red lips parted gently, like ripe fruit.
“Do you have a room?”
The owner doubted his ears. The beauty’s voice was so low that one could hardly believe it belonged to a woman. Only then did the guest’s refined height and broad shoulders become apparent. It wasn’t a beauty but a handsome man.
As the owner was momentarily speechless, the silver-haired guest turned his head to look behind. Unlike the cold demeanor a moment ago, a warm tone now clung pleasantly to the ears.
“I’ll take one room… Just kidding. I’ll take two.”
The incoming guest wasn’t just one person, the owner realized belatedly.
Wrapped tightly in a dusty cloak, with even his head covered by a hood, the man seemed to be on a pilgrimage, a common attire for those seeking purification. However, this guest took it to the extreme. The only discernible feature was his black hair.
‘Black and silver, standing side by side, it’ll surely catch the eye.’
That was the owner’s only impression as he thought about the other guest. He immediately shifted his attention to the silver-haired guest. The presence exuded by the charming young man was overwhelming.
“Two single rooms. Just for one night,” said the owner. He guided the guests to the second floor. When he pointed towards the rooms, the cloaked man unexpectedly extended his hand. The bewildered owner handed him the keys, wondering if the man in the cloak was perhaps unable to speak. After all, he hadn’t uttered a single word since entering the inn.
Taking the keys, the man in the cloak entered his room. The owner felt a slight sense of accomplishment. With a desire to engage in conversation with the handsome stranger, he opened up with a subtle tone.
“Your rooms are here. But about dinner…”
At that moment, slender white fingers snatched the keys from the owner’s hand. While the owner was left astonished, the door to the room opened and closed. Alone in the corridor, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness.
Entering the single room, Lee Hwan lowered his hood. Somehow, It felt oppressive because he had become accustomed to being exposed rather than hiding.
He extended the cloak through the window, giving it a vigorous shake. The dust scattered faintly, and the thought of such particles accumulating on his body made him feel itchy and uncomfortable. However, as a fugitive, he couldn’t afford to draw attention with conspicuous actions like taking a bath.
Hanging the cloak on the chair, Lee Hwan removed his shirt, revealing almost fully healed wounds. Though he had sensed it since yesterday, the astonishing speed of his recovery was remarkable. Whether it was due to Absalom’s potion or some magical influence, in the current situation, it was a fortunate occurrence.
Exhausted from choosing challenging paths to shorten the journey, Lee Hwan felt fatigued. As soon as he leaned back on the bed, sleep enveloped him. He didn’t resist and closed his eyes.
It was a deep slumber. A knocking sound echoed. Lee Hwan, who jolted awake, immediately searched for his cloak. However, the sound that followed the knock was familiar to his ears.
“It’s me, Lee Hwan.”
Lee Hwan set aside the cloak he had been holding when he abruptly opened the door to find Absalom standing there with a smiling face.
“What?”
“I brought this.”
What Absalom held out was a water pitcher and a towel Lee Hwan looked at Absalom blankly.
“The inn is small, so this is the best I could get. If it were a proper place, you could have had a bath…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Even if it weren’t for the current situation, bathing would have been challenging in such a small inn. The room was cramped, and there wasn’t even an attached bathroom, making it impractical to bring in a bathtub. In other words, what Absalom offered Lee Hwan was the maximum luxury permissible in their current circumstances.
“Rb cffv.”
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“Ktjcxr.”
Cyrjibw rwlifv jujlc, tlr fzqgfrrlbc jr ygluta jr j yibrrbwlcu oibkfg.
***
Ktf cfza wbgclcu, Cyrjibw rabbv lc ogbca bo Off Lkjc’r gbbw. Off Lkjc tjv cba jqqfjgfv fnfc atbeut atf jugffv vfqjgaegf alwf ogbw atf lcc tjv qjrrfv. Bcbmxlcu bc atf vbbg, Cyrjibw lcdelgfv,
“Are you still sleeping?”
There was no response. Absalom knocked once more, but the room beyond remained quiet. Could Lee Hwan have left on his own? Suspicion crossed Absalom’s mind briefly as he checked for any sounds inside. Familiar sounds reassured him. Still, unable to entirely trust, Absalom reached for the door latch.
As the door creaked open with the grating sound of the worn latch, the slowly revealed interior was surprisingly bright due to the light streaming in through the window. Within, Lee Hwan lay sprawled on the bed, asleep. His breathing sounded louder and more labored than usual.
“Lee Hwan?”
Reaching towards the bed, Absalom’s hand stopped just short of it. Lee Hwan, who had awakened right before his touch, opened his eyes. The room’s darkness intensified his eyes, making his usually deep gaze fierce.
“What…?”
Lee Hwan started to speak but then fell silent. His voice was low and scratchy, and his face showed confusion. Only then did Absalom realize the abnormal warmth and humidity filling the air in the room.
From then on, Lee Hwan began to suffer. Despite mentioning the need to leave immediately, he soon became silent. He knew better than anyone that it was impossible.
And now, on the third day. Lee Hwan remained confined to the bed.
His black hair dampened with sweat, scattered on the pillow. His pale face, marked with agony, betrayed whether he was having nightmares or not.
Between Lee Hwan’s dry lips, the damp cloth was soaked. Lee Hwan instinctively sucked on it. Even while asleep, his strength was formidable. With every movement of Lee Hwan’s throat, Absalom’s hand, holding the cloth, moved rhythmically.
Absalom observed Lee Hwan’s neck. It was a rare wheat-colored skin, with the skin gradually lightening from the middle of the neck. It was a habit to always button up to the first button.
Sometimes, the buttons that had been annoyingly filled now remained unfastened. Absalom licked Lee Hwan’s neck with an eager gaze, tracing the slender valley that led to the prominent collarbone.
Delicate fingers touched Lee Hwan’s neck. Soon, they crawled down below the neck. The thumb gently caressed the Adam’s apple. If a little more pressure were applied… His deep blue eyes flickered.
What restrained the impulse was nothing other than Absalom’s hair. Strands of silver hair flowing down his shoulders brushed against Lee Hwan’s nose. It tickled, and Lee Hwan snorted. Though it was a minor movement, it was enough to wake Absalom.
Absalom jerked his body abruptly. He shook his head like someone singed by fire, clutching his hands as if burnt.
“Throat… dry…”
Coincidentally, Lee Hwan found water. Absalom brought the soaked cloth back to his lips. However, due to the lingering impulse, his hands trembled, causing a droplet to fall from the cloth and trickle down Lee Hwan’s cheek.
This couldn’t go on. Taking care of Lee Hwan was Absalom’s only purpose. It was time to make use of that. Once again, he moistened the cloth and pressed it against Lee Hwan’s lips. His hands still shook, but somehow, he managed to do it.
Fever and body aches – those were Lee Hwan’s symptoms. Absalom predicted that it was the accumulated fatigue erupting at once. Lee Hwan, who had stood before the public as a messenger of God since the age of nineteen, hadn’t properly rested or stopped fighting. It was only natural that exhaustion caught up with him.
A messenger sent by the goddess and the first sword of the god. The Knight of Salvation. Moreover, the name he received as a reward, Alexander, contained the meaning ‘Protector of Humanity.’ These illustrious titles were both autocratic and revealing of what the Empire expected from Lee Hwan.
Despite such grand titles, the current location where Lee Hwan lay was a shabby inn room. The small room, cramped with just a bed and a chair, had walls that were rotten in places, emitting a musty smell. It was a miserable contrast.
“Lee Hwan…”
A sigh flowed through Absalom’s ruby-red lips.
He couldn’t help but wish Lee Hwan could receive proper treatment. However, in a small mountain village like this, there was no chance of finding a doctor. Even if there were one, it would be challenging to call them without revealing Lee Hwan’s identity. Absalom felt powerless for the first time in his life.
Absalom touched Lee Hwan’s forehead. Through the palm of his hand, he could feel a considerable warmth. Still, compared to the first day, the fever seemed to have subsided.
At that moment, Lee Hwan opened his eyes. His fairly bright brown eyes turned towards Absalom.
“What time is it now…?”
A low scratching sound irritated Absalom’s ears. Unconsciously, he swallowed saliva at the sound. Lee Hwan, noticing the noise, grimaced. Absalom quickly spoke up.
“You asked about the time? It’s been about two hours since lunch.”
In a few more hours, it would mark three full days since Lee Hwan had pretended to go missing. As Lee Hwan, who orchestrated his own disappearance, it was an uncomfortable situation. He sat up.
“No, you can’t.”
Absalom firmly grasped Lee Hwan’s trembling wrist. Lee Hwan tried to pull his arm away. He likely wanted to resist, but unfortunately, in his current state, it was impossible. Determinedly, Absalom used his other hand to push Lee Hwan’s shoulder.
“You know it. You need rest.”
“No time for that.”
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard all this time. If you move now, you’ll be sick again in a matter of days. It’s more efficient to rest properly here.”
Lee Hwan remained silent with displeasure evident in his eyes. Although he understood in his mind that Absalom was right, he didn’t seem willing to accept it readily. Thus, Absalom decided to assist Lee Hwan’s choice.
“If you don’t lie down willingly, I’ll make you lie down.”
Lee Hwan glanced at Absalom’s hand, where a sturdy iron kettle was firmly held by delicate and pale fingers. Sighing, Lee Hwan flipped the blanket over his head as if making a statement, turning his back to Absalom. Absalom chuckled, placing the kettle down.
“Just kidding. I couldn’t hit Lee Hwan.”
Absalom stared at the gently rising blanket tomb. Memories of when he was granted permission to accompany Lee Hwan crossed his mind. In hindsight, it was truly fortunate. If not for that, Lee Hwan would have suffered alone here, and Absalom wouldn’t have been able to intervene despite being aware of the fact.
A naive person. Ignoring a verbal agreement would have been reasonable, but Lee Hwan didn’t choose to do that. Perhaps he hadn’t even considered the option of ignoring it.
Absalom refocused his attention on Lee Hwan. Gradually, Lee Hwan’s breathing had slowed.
“Lee Hwan, are you asleep?”
No response. Absalom stood up. Leaning over the bed, he glimpsed Lee Hwan’s uncovered face. As he took a deep breath, Lee Hwan’s scent reached him. It was the peculiar blend of heat and moisture that accompanies the sick, yet to Absalom, it was more exquisite than the fragrance of a king’s garden.
“Lee Hwan, you’re sleeping, right??”
Again, there was no reply.
“I apologize for forcing this. But even so, I wanted to be with you.”
Absalom placed his forehead on the tomb, concealed by the blanket, as if touching it. It made his chest ache for no apparent reason.
The moment Absalom’s forehead touched Lee Hwan’s arm, Lee Hwan opened the eyes he had closed. His teeth chattered, but he managed to control himself. After all, for some time ahead, he would have to travel with Absalom. In that case, it was better to get accustomed to it as much as possible.
Thinking to divert his attention elsewhere, he pondered the current situation. The Funeer Knights limit the search for missing persons to three days according to their regulations. However, Lee Hwan’s position differed from that of an ordinary knight. Perhaps they might extend the search for a few more days.
So, wanting to distance himself as much as possible from the missing location, the Shabri Mountains, Lee Hwan found himself tied down like this. It angered him, especially because the delay was solely due to his own actions.
Looking back, he wondered how he had the audacity to decide to fall off the cliff. Thankfully, he was lucky; otherwise, his body could have been shattered into pieces.
But at that moment, he hadn’t even considered such a possibility. He was solely obsessed with leaving Lucian, leaving the royal palace. He believed he had made a sound decision, but in reality, he was only halfway in his right mind. Lee Hwan sighed lightly, thinking about the future.
To return to Earth, he needed to open a dimensional portal, for which he required the power of the gods. From what Lee Hwan learned before his regression, five relics served as vessels for the divine power.
There were currently six relics known to him with their locations. He decided to focus on obtaining the one that seemed most accessible.
‘First, I need to recover my strength…’
As he contemplated, his throat felt ticklish. It seemed like a cough was about to surface. Suppressing the sound, Lee Hwan subtly cleared his throat and touched his chest with a self-conscious sigh.
The doctor who examined him before the regression had suggested that if Lee Hwan had taken an early rest, he might have fully recovered. Even Lee Hwan’s memories indicated that during less stressful periods, the symptoms noticeably eased. If he continued to move cautiously, he could potentially recover before obtaining all the relics.
Concealing his true identity, he planned to proceed cautiously, obtain the relics, and then return. Each step was challenging.
Then, it happened. Absalom’s hand touched his back. Initially tense, Lee Hwan relaxed as Absalom’s touch turned out to be gentle and soothing, perhaps because of its mild and soft nature.
He wanted to believe that Absalom, who played the lyre like a tongue in his mouth, could be used as he pleased. However, being with the one harboring hidden intentions was more mentally taxing than he had imagined. Lee Hwan wished to detach from Absalom as soon as possible.
For that, he needed to make progress. Lee Hwan tried to force himself to sleep, but instincts honed over many years quickly responded to even the slightest stimulation.
Lee Hwan snapped awake, realizing he had been repeating the same routine several times. It was becoming irritating. Just as he contemplated getting up, the hand that had been caressing his back moved up to his head. Fingers brushing against his hair in a tantalizing manner induced a sense of drowsiness. Lee Hwan slowly blinked his eyelids, which felt increasingly heavy.
The blanket, which had been flipped over his head, began to slide down. As the stifling sensation in his breath eased, a subtle satisfaction spread through him. In response, a soft laughter resonated.
“Sleep well.”
With a voice sweeter than sugar cookies as the final touch, Lee Hwan succumbed completely to slumber.
***
TL/N: Let me know if there are any typos or misspellings ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
Now I’m having a lot of questions about Absalom’s purpose… Was it Lee Hwan’s misconception, or was there something else at play?
In the end, it’s too early to judge
Right?! So many questions
Thanks for the chapter! 💕
Thanks so much for the chapter