* * *
The prayer meeting, which Seo Woohyun attended with a chaotic mind, finally ended.
Giselle, who had been hard to meet recently due to irregular audits, came to Seo Woohyun’s room with a book in hand.
“I happened to come across this while passing by and thought of you, Sir Ciel. It’s the book I mentioned before—have you read it already?”
What were the odds that this book had simply caught Giselle’s eye?
It was clearly chosen with Seo Woohyun in mind.
“Thank you. I’ll read it well, Giselle. I’d completely forgotten, but you were thoughtful enough to bring it to me. Thanks.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Although he accepted the book, Seo Woohyun set it on the table beside his bed and avoided looking at it.
It wasn’t just any book—it detailed the past of Erdian, who was now nothing more than a former flame, and reading it felt awkward.
Despite wanting to honor Giselle’s thoughtfulness, every attempt to read it ended in failure.
Even opening the cover felt daunting.
Seo Woohyun justified his reluctance to himself.
‘What’s the big deal? I don’t want to read it. Why do I need to know the details of someone I’ve already let go? Besides, I caught glimpses of it in my dreams anyway.’
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it was better left unread.
Especially after discovering that Erdian had cherished his past self for longer than he could remember.
What good could come from opening it? It would only lead to frustration.
Still, for days, Seo Woohyun’s eyes kept wandering to the book’s cover.
His disinterest in Erdian’s past hadn’t changed—he was just a little curious.
‘What kind of love was it, exactly?’
What kind of story could be so intense that it lasted over 1,200 years?
It was an unfathomable span of time.
‘I don’t even remember, but he claimed to love me. Isn’t that cheating? Not just deception but cheating? I didn’t think he was that kind of person…’
Seo Woohyun resolved to correct his tendency to be swayed by appearances.
As he glared at the book cover in irritation, Malrang, who was nestled against his side, whispered softly.
“Hyung, aren’t you going to read that book?”
“I’ll read it later.”
“When is later?”
While he couldn’t deny his curiosity, he had no intention of reading it now.
As Seo Woohyun lay back on the bed, Malrang squirmed and nestled into his arms.
“Maybe… just some other time. Malrang, how about we take a nap today?”
“Okay.”
Though they’d napped together occasionally in the carriage, ever since the ambush in the mountains, they’d always slept holding each other.
As Malrang stretched out his limbs and pressed close against Seo Woohyun’s chest, he patted the little one’s plump backside.
“You’ve been eating so well lately. Such a good kid.”
“I’ve always eaten well.”
“You’re still growing, so eat lots and grow strong. Didn’t you say you’d carry me on your back for your coming-of-age ceremony?”
“That’s right… Since hyung said flying is scary, I’ll just walk. I don’t want to do anything that scares you.”
“Aww, you’re so sweet. Sleep tight. Let’s have dinner when we wake up.”
“Okay. You too, hyung.”
The simple exchange warmed his heart.
He’d briefly thought about exploring the Holy Kingdom, but after hearing about how swarms of believers were crowding the temple to see Erdian’s relics, he decided against it.
He didn’t want to burden the temple staff further when they already had so much to handle.
‘Not that there’s anything particularly exciting to see anyway.’
The constant pressure to quickly adapt to his surroundings had left Seo Woohyun feeling restless.
Waking up in a completely foreign world and being treated as a saint had forced him to keep himself endlessly busy.
But now, all that seemed futile, leaving him with a sense of burnout.
He held the warmth of Malrang in his arms, feeling the little one’s tail wag gently.
Malrang, despite being a dragon, often seemed more like a puppy.
Would it breathe fire when it grew up?
Seo Woohyun, unable to sleep for quite some time, held Malrang close and thought about why the hatchling was so affectionate with him.
When they’d first met, after being caught stealing his coin purse, Malrang had been loud and aggressive.
Then, suddenly, the little one’s demeanor had changed, sharing a fake name, then their real one.
‘Hyung, you’re the saint, right?’
Looking back, Erdian must have had a hand in it.
There was no way Malrang could have known about his status otherwise.
‘If I weren’t a saint, would Malrang treat me like this? Would Giselle, Raullet, and the others?’
If he had met them as Seo Woohyun rather than Erdian’s saint, would their relationships be the same?
No, he probably wouldn’t have even had the chance to meet them.
How else could an ordinary person encounter a hatchling or high-ranking members of the temple?
The truth was, he owed his comfortable life to Erdian’s generosity.
Even if it stemmed from longing for his past self, it was something to be grateful for.
‘The next time I see him, I won’t let my emotions get the better of me. As long as he doesn’t dismiss me, I should fulfill my duties as a saint.’
Hiding his feelings was second nature to him after enduring years at a company rife with verbal abuse and personality clashes.
“Hey, Seo Woohyun, what’s with your face? Are you mad because I told you to redo the work? Are you annoyed?”
“No, sir.”
“Then why do you look like that? Are you rebelling? If you don’t like working here, leave! We have plenty of people who’d kill for your job. A high school graduate like you should be grateful for the paycheck. Stop glaring at me!”
Remembering the tirades he endured made him regret snapping at Erdian that night.
Maybe he’d just been overwhelmed by the absurdity of reincarnation and lashed out.
After confirming that Malrang was fast asleep, Seo Woohyun quietly got up and opened the book Giselle had brought him.
With his emotions settled and sleep elusive, he felt ready to face Erdian’s past.
After reading the final sentence, he calmly closed the book, his gaze steady.
‘It’s like I’ve been given confirmation…’
The contents matched the fragmented memories he’d seen before.
The book detailed how Erdian, once a prince of the Kingdom of Eustis, had led his nation to victory in a war with the help of Calliope, heir to a count, and Cecily, a dragon who controlled water.
Despite his triumphs, Erdian lost his closest friend to betrayal and ultimately ascended to godhood to fulfill humanity’s wishes.
His first act as a god was to destroy his kingdom.
He posthumously honored his fallen friend as the first saint and built a palace in his memory.
Calliope was then appointed as the high priest.
‘So the place I’ve been staying in was that palace?’
The Palace of Silence, where Seo Woohyun had lived before embarking on his journey, had been built by Erdian to honor the first saint.
The clues had been obvious, but he’d only realized the truth now.
Despite learning of Erdian’s past, the quest window remained unchanged.
There was still more to uncover.
‘Erdian was the one managing the quest window, wasn’t he…? Ugh, forget it.’
Meal time came, indifferent to the restless and scattered state of his mind.
Arriving at the dining hall with Malrang, Seo Woohyun noted, once again, that Erdian was nowhere to be seen.
He didn’t worry about Erdian going hungry, knowing the man only pretended to eat anyway.
It wasn’t hunger that troubled him—it was the unease of not seeing Erdian since their tense exchange.
“El says he’s not in the mood for a meal,” Raullet offered out of the blue, though Seo Woohyun hadn’t asked.
“…Is that so?”
By the time the first priest of Soznian handed him a drink, Malrang was seated beside him, quietly enjoying their meal.
“Every year around this time, the Grand Duchy offers a sacred brew made from grain to the temple. Here, have a glass,” the first priest said, his tone casual, clearly unaware of Seo Woohyun’s true identity.
Could an ordinary priest refuse a drink offered by the chief priest?
Seo Woohyun hesitated briefly.
Given how Giselle behaved toward Shiero and how Caro treated Giselle, it was clear the temple valued strict hierarchies.
Refusing didn’t seem wise.
‘It’s not like I want to drink.’
He rationalized to himself, sipping from the glass filled before Giselle could intervene.
This was all just part of managing social expectations.
Getting drunk over a breakup was beneath him.
No one would bat an eye at a “priest” accepting an offering from the first priest, and outwardly, that was all he was right now.
‘Wow, this is actually pretty good.’
The drink was pleasantly sweet with a hint of bitterness.
When Seo Woohyun complimented it honestly, the chief priest eagerly refilled his glass.
Filled with praise, Seo Woohyun drank one after another, and before long, he was hiccupping, noticeably tipsy.
“Ugh, why the hiccups now?”
Watching him cover his mouth, slurring, Giselle let out a soft sigh.
Though he didn’t know the details, it was clear something had soured between Erdian and the saint.
Seeing the saint visibly downcast, Giselle hadn’t stopped him from drinking, but the speed at which Seo Woohyun became intoxicated caught him off guard.
“Ciel seems quite drunk. He should return to his quarters,” Giselle suggested.
“I’ll escort him,” Justin offered promptly.
Seo Woohyun, realizing how unsteady he felt, rose without protest.
When he asked Malrang if they wanted to come along, the hatchling replied they wanted to finish eating.
Seeing Malrang’s hearty appetite put him at ease, allowing him to head back to his room without concern.
“Ahh,” Seo Woohyun groaned, collapsing onto his bed as soon as Justin left.
His hiccups had drained him during the walk back, and now, lying down, the room spun dizzily.
He closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep, when he felt a faint presence nearby.
The scent alone was enough to tell him who it was.
‘Erdian.’
The man he hadn’t seen in days had snuck into his room like a stray cat.
Seo Woohyun knew that if he opened his eyes, that annoyingly handsome face would be right there—but he didn’t want to see it.
‘If I’d known he only cared for me because he couldn’t forget his ex, I wouldn’t have fallen for him.’
The thought stirred another pang of melancholy.
He held his breath, hoping Erdian would leave if he pretended to be asleep.
But the silence broke with a loud hiccup that echoed through the room.
Startled, Seo Woohyun’s eyes flew open—and locked with Erdian’s.
The man wore a slightly dazed expression, clearly caught off guard by the sudden noise.
‘Ugh, seriously…’
He hadn’t wanted to drink in the first place.
Now he regretted it even more as he fumbled for something to say, but before he could speak, Erdian abruptly turned and left the room without a word.
Seo Woohyun stared blankly at the closed door, hiccuping softly as he muttered to himself.
“Did he… just run away?”
* * *
Drunk Saint is hilarious.🤣