Chapter 143

Kinaine dreamed. More precisely, it was a memory from the distant past. When he had given a name to the man who was called a monster in the village. He had named the man Helio, after a gem that resembled the sun.

The man, whose half body was covered in black scales, didn't give his attention to anything else, looking only at Kinaine as if they were the only two in this space. With clear eyes that held not even a hint of distrust or hatred, even as Kinaine arbitrarily gave him a name.

It was a good dream. And that's why it was painful. A past that could never be returned to, an illusion that would scatter like foam when he woke up. Knowing that he would never see those eyes anywhere when he woke up to reality, such a good dream was worse than a nightmare.

At that moment, the surrounding scenery began to collapse in an unrealistic form.

'I must be waking up now.'

Kinaine felt his consciousness floating as if on water.

When he opened his eyes a moment later, pitch-black darkness greeted him. This darkness, where neither the beautiful castle scenery nor his beloved existed, was his reality.

One fortunate thing was that he was no longer in pain. But strangely, he couldn't muster any strength in his body.

'Why is this happening...'

Normally, as soon as he regained consciousness, he would have gotten up and first determined where he was. But for some reason, he now had neither the heart nor the motivation to do so.

Even though his right leg felt unusually heavy, he only thought, 'I guess my leg is ruined now too.'

It was strange that while he knew intellectually that something was wrong, he had no desire to move.

Blinking blankly, Kinaine realized he had forgotten something and slowly felt around his chest. Strangely, he felt bare skin instead of cloth, but he couldn't pay attention to that.

"...Chirpy?"

"What's Chirpy that you're looking for it as soon as you wake up?"

At the disgruntled voice that came from right beside him, tension finally settled into Kinaine's sprawled body. Though he knew he couldn't see, he unconsciously turned his head toward where the voice had come from.

"L-Lord Asad?"

Seeing the face that had been dazed as if intoxicated with sleep suddenly stiffen with tension upon hearing his voice, Asad's eyes wavered slightly.

Meanwhile, Kinaine, who had quickly composed his expression, belatedly realized that he was lying on a bed rather than a hard prison floor. Moreover, he seemed to be almost naked.

"How did this..."

"Don't get up."

A heavy arm pressed down on Kinaine's chest as he tried to rise. Though it was just an arm, it felt like being pinned under a rock, making it impossible to move.

"I asked what Chirpy is."

The tone was nonchalant, as if nothing had happened between them. It was impossible not to recall the days at the dragon palace.

'Back then, we used to lie in bed and chat like this too.'

Though it had been less than a month ago, it felt like a distant past.

But why was he, who should be in prison, in bed with Asad? And in such a state of undress.

'And somehow... my backside feels wet. Surely not.'

Kinaine deliberately denied his damp lower half. It couldn't be possible in this situation. It must be sweat.

"It's a spirit beast bird that was in the garden of the spirit realm. It followed me here, but I didn't know how to send it back, so I kept it. Have you seen it?"

"I haven't. But... you mean the first thing you looked for upon waking up was just that spirit beast?"

The last words were so quiet they were barely audible.

Kinaine sensed that Asad was displeased about something, but naturally, he didn't think it was because he had looked for Chirpy first instead of acknowledging the one who had cared for him all night.

"I know that bringing a spirit beast from the spirit realm to the human realm is wrong. ...I'm sorry."

That was the only reason he could guess.

'Of course, that's not the only problem...'

Bringing a spirit beast from the spirit realm to the human realm was like placing an egg on a boulder compared to his other crimes. To Asad, he was just a criminal who had insulted the dragon and fled to the human realm. Moreover, since Asad seemed to think he had killed the gatekeeper, how heavy would that crime be?

If Asad was angry enough to follow him to the human realm he so disliked, it was difficult to imagine how furious he must be. On top of that, Kinaine had collapsed before being punished, so how frustrated must Asad have been, unable to vent his accumulated anger?

How much more must Asad, who already disliked humans, hate him now? It was beyond imagination.

But why?

'I'm still afraid of being hated, and yet...'

Strangely, his heart wasn't stirred at all.

Rather, the thought that it wouldn't be so bad if Asad never regained his memories dominated his mind.

"Lord Asad. Before you punish me, there's something I'd like to ask."

Kinaine directed his gaze, which had been lowered momentarily, toward where he thought Asad was. If this was the last time, there was something he absolutely had to say.

"Please find Chirpy and take it back to the spirit realm. It's not actually a bird spirit beast but the spirit beast that the horned tribe gifted you, so it belongs to you as well. It only came to the human realm because of me."

"What? Wait..."

"Also, please be careful of your surroundings. Though you are strong, Lord Asad, those with evil intentions commit unimaginable acts. When you return to the spirit realm, first check if there's anything strange around you."

Fearing that Asad might interrupt him, Kinaine continued quickly without taking time to organize his thoughts. He didn't even listen to Asad's attempts to interject.

"They seem to be moving cautiously but hastily. When in a hurry, people tend to make mistakes, so they must have left traces."

Kinaine seeing Biche on the bridge was probably one such mistake. Confident that she could kill Kinaine, Biche hadn't unnecessarily hidden her appearance. But Kinaine hadn't died, and that became Biche's mistake.

Although it had been buried because Kinaine had lost credibility... he had to tell him. Though he didn't know what they wanted, their target was ultimately Asad.

"I implore you not to dismiss my words lightly. Though it may be troublesome, just once, just once, if there are those you can trust, please order them to investigate."

Only after saying everything he wanted to say did Kinaine close his mouth. His heart felt lighter, as if he had shed his last lingering attachment.

After a silence that felt like an eternity, Asad finally opened his mouth.

"You..."

Would he get angry, saying Kinaine was trying to lie to him again? Or would he mock him, saying a mere human was trying to tell him what to do?

But surprisingly, neither of Kinaine's guesses was correct.

"You're still worried about me?"

"Pardon...?"

"Am I wrong?"

The voice that had been excited like a child receiving a gift suddenly turned cold.

"O-of course, I spoke out of concern. But it's certainly not because I'm disrespecting Lord Asad..."

"Right?"

"Ah!"

With the brightened voice again, the arm that had been on his chest wrapped around Kinaine's waist. The strong force made his breath catch.

Does he want to kill me by breaking my waist?

But Asad burst into laughter, and belatedly, Kinaine realized that what Asad had done was an embrace.

While Kinaine remained stiff, Asad's laughter continued for quite some time.

"You didn't run away because you disliked me. Right?"

"...Yes, that's not it."

Running away because he disliked him? It was exactly the opposite. He had fled because he liked Asad too much. For fear that he might covet what he shouldn't if he harbored vain hope.

"That's a relief. I don't have to tamper with your head."

"What?"

"Then why did you run away?"

It felt like he had just heard something strange. But the question that followed prevented him from speaking.

"Don't want to answer? Then shall I ask something else?"

A low voice flowed into his ear.

"When we first met, you called me Helio."

"What..."

Kinaine was startled by the name he hadn't expected to hear from Asad's lips. But even more surprising words followed.

"You recognized me then, didn't you?"

It felt like his heart had sunk. It was a question that couldn't be asked unless he had realized that he was Helio.

"How..."

"I had a dream."

"A dream?"

"It's a long story. I found the ring you lost, and when I put it on, I started dreaming. More precisely, about past events I had forgotten."

"..."

"Ah, come to think of it, your ring fits my hand perfectly."

As soon as he finished speaking, Asad fiddled with Kinaine's fingers.

"As expected, it doesn't fit your hand. That's why you wore it around your neck. But this ring, didn't you say it was given to you by your deceased lover? That was a lie too, wasn't it?"

"...How much do you remember?"

"Up to the moment when your brother gave me the name Helio."

Kinaine felt a sense of déjà vu.

Wasn't that also the content of the dream he had just had?