Esa Promesa

“Raspeim?”

“Teian.”

“Yes?”

“If I told you not to leave, what would you do?”

The unexpected question left me momentarily stunned, but I quickly regained my composure and answered.

“I would leave.”

“Even if I tried to stop you?”

“…Yes. But do you want to stop me?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t understand. Did he think I was going to disappear just like that?

“Raspeim, just to clarify, I want to continue meeting you even after this life ends. I haven’t paid the price yet, and above all, you’re the only one who knows about the curse that’s been placed on me.”

He wasn’t someone who would use me for biological experiments, and every time I struggled, he had pretended not to notice and helped me. Honestly, I had relied on Raspeim a lot, so cutting ties without paying the price wasn’t even something I had considered.

“So, you’re saying I can’t keep you?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Then, if Diver were to threaten you by holding the lives of humans in his hands, would you still leave?”

If I had heard this question yesterday, or the day before, I might have hesitated. But not now.

“You’re here, Raspeim.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”

“Raspeim, you don’t want His Majesty to become a tyrant. That’s why, when I fought the wedge, you were watching me and helped me.”

At that time, Raspeim was paying attention to time.

He had once told me, ‘Time doesn’t mean much to dragons who live nearly forever.’ But yesterday, he said, ‘Time is running out.’

That meant, upon waking, Diver had realized I wouldn’t return and was truly prepared to cut off his own subordinates and kill innocent people with his own hands. That’s why Raspeim had been so urgent.

“Ha…”

Raspeim let out a laugh that was more like a sigh. His expression reminded me so much of Diver. The word ‘contractor’ came to mind without me meaning to.

“What if Diver, wanting to see you, tried to kill himself?”

“I’ve been by His Majesty’s side for 15 years. Do you think I don’t understand His Majesty’s personality? He loves his people. He would never fall into a lovesick delirium and ignore his kingdom. And similarly, I know that you, Raspeim, would never stand by and watch His Majesty die in incompetence.”

“Then let me change the question.”

For a moment, I was puzzled by his changed tone, but before I could think further, Raspeim’s next action stunned me.

The protector of Emar, the king of dragons, knelt on the floor and sat right in front of me. The movement was so swift that my mouth fell open in shock.

I quickly regained my senses and tried to lower my body. As a human, I shouldn’t be at a higher eye level than Raspeim. However, Raspeim grabbed my shoulder, preventing me from bowing.

“Raspeim, please, get up—”

I stopped, startled, as Raspeim’s face was now almost directly in front of mine. If he leaned in just a little more, his breath would be on me! I was sincerely thankful for his height, even as he knelt.

“Teian.”

“Y-yes…?”

Seeing the sharp golden irises of the dragon up close made my mouth dry. His gaze was threatening, as if he would swallow me whole at any moment, yet at the same time, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the mysterious and vibrant beauty of his golden eyes.

“If I were to ask you to come to me, what would you do?”

“Excuse me?”

“I am a dragon. As I told you before, dragons live lives close to immortality.”

Raspeim gently pulled on my shoulder.

“What I mean is that my life is so long that you don’t need to live in fear, always thinking of leaving, suffering needlessly.”

“……”

I couldn’t speak for a while.

It would be nice if I could casually laugh it off and refuse, but I couldn’t.

My life, a life that repeats itself without knowing when it would end. Every time a new life began and ended, I couldn’t settle anywhere. I lived alone, like a traveler. The time that passed still felt lonely and painful, and Raspeim’s words clung to my heart like honey, smooth and sticky.

As Raspeim said, he might be the only one who could give me the stability I had longed for, a life that neared immortality.

Raspeim had helped me a lot over the years. Every time I struggled, he took me with him and helped me lighten my mood. He always listened to me and showed me kindness that no one else could see.

Because of that, I knew that what Raspeim was saying now was not just out of pity.

“Thank you.”

I was truly grateful.

“Thank you for caring about me. But, Raspeim, you know the reason I am leaving, don’t you?”

“Is it because of Diver?”

A small laugh escaped me as his tone lowered.

“If you put it that way, I’d like to say it’s a bit different. I don’t love His Majesty, but I do care for him. He’s like a child to me, or a student, or sometimes, like a brother I never had. And now, Diver, he told me that he loves me. I haven’t answered yet.”

“…I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Without needing to explain everything, Raspeim understood my intentions completely, just as I had expected. I gently pushed on Raspeim’s shoulder. The touch, which let go of me more willingly than before, filled me with gratitude once again.

Even if I died and was reborn, I was glad to think that in the next life, or the one after that, I could meet a kind dragon again, just like Raspeim.

Seeing that Raspeim no longer seemed intent on holding me back, I nodded slightly in thanks before focusing once more on the magic stone. I placed my hand on it and was about to recite the activation incantation when—

“Huh?”

The pure white magic stone disappeared in the blink of an eye. I blinked, confused. Where did it go? Did the magic activate? Did it vanish because of that? But as I looked around, I was still in the same place, my room. That meant…

“Raspeim?”

I glanced around and, by chance, noticed that Raspeim was holding the magic stone, the one that had been right in front of me moments ago.

I blinked again. Why was my magic stone in Raspeim’s hand? Stunned by the situation, I couldn’t waste any more time. I stood up and reached my hand toward him.

“Please give it back, Raspeim.”

Just before my hand could touch the stone, Raspeim moved it behind his back. I thought he might be playing a game, so I tried to reach for it again. But then, a faint golden hexagonal shield surrounded the white magic stone.

Though I couldn’t recall most of the magic, I distinctly remembered this. That shield was a protective magic used when teleporting space. But why was Raspeim using this on my magic stone?

As I thought that, the magic stone in Raspeim’s hand disappeared completely.

“What are you doing?”

“Do you know what condition Diver set when he made a contract with me?”

I had no way of knowing. Diver had unilaterally told me when he was 13 that he had brought Raspeim with him to make the contract. I struggled to find my voice.

“Please give it back.”

“He asked me to grant him three wishes. It was rude, but I accepted. I was curious.”

A chill ran down my spine at the viscous smile that appeared on Raspeim’s lips. I didn’t want to hear whatever he was about to say.

“That young heir of the royal family, living like a walking corpse, clinging to life and becoming more obsessed with it than with my own life… It seems that Diver’s first wish was related to that existence.”

“Raspeim!”

I didn’t want to hear this. I just wanted to get the magic stone back and leave for the cradle. I wanted to escape as quickly as possible. My mind was in a whirlwind, confused by the fact that the magic stone had disappeared and that Raspeim had taken it. I grabbed Raspeim’s hand, but there was no sign he was going to give it back, and the anxiety flooded over me.

It felt like a blow to the back of my head. Was my belief that Raspeim would turn a blind eye to my escape nothing but sheer arrogance?

“For Diver’s first wish, he asked that you could never leave his side.”

“……!”

‘I am always crazy about you, Teian.’

The words Diver had said to me came to my mind without warning. The words I had dismissed as a joke now pressed heavily on my chest, suffocating me.

My body began to tremble.

When did this start? When did Diver start loving me? The weight of the wish he made with Raspeim, tied to his very life, felt like a debt that could never be repaid. No matter how many chances he had, the first one was for his country.

I hadn’t realized just how much my existence meant to Diver. If I had known, I wouldn’t have made the foolish decision to stay in Emar until the end of my life. My eyes burned, and I felt like I was going to vomit. My stomach churned with heat, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

This shouldn’t be happening.

I had nothing I could give back.

I couldn’t bear this….