I Became a Sick Nobleman

Ruel pressed his thumb firmly against his index finger.

“Decades have already passed. And now… to hear that it’s gone! That the empire has fallen! Such a damn… thing…”

“Lord Tehel, please control yourself. His Highness is watching.”

Adea, who had lost his father, was also struggling to hold back.

“I’m sorry… Your Highness.”

Ruel’s scolding brought Medeas back to his senses.

“No, it’s fine. Both you and I are a mess. Like crumpled paper.” 

Adea gave a bitter smile.

Now was not the time for sentiment. Ruel looked out the window, then back at the two of them.

“Your Highness, you might still have some of that powder left.”

“Indeed.”

“Please keep it with you, just in case.”

“It sounds unsettling, but I’ll do it for now.”

“Lord Tehel.” Ruel called Medeas to confirm the facts about the barrier. “Is it true that the barrier prevents anyone from entering the empire?”

“Yes. The citizens who were outside the empire before the war were never able to return to their homeland.”

It was the truth. Ruel clenched his fist tightly.

“By now, you should have a general idea of the situation.” 

The Tonisk Empire had fallen, and King Kran was also dead. 

It was a truly desperate situation for both Medeas and Adea.

“There are many things we must do, Your Highness, Lord Tehel, and myself. But the most important task is to accurately identify who the Great Man is.”

“That’s right, that’s the most crucial task.”

“Therefore, I must ask: who do you suspect, Your Highness?”

“Treitol.” Adea answered without hesitation.

“And Jayel.” In the end, it narrowed down to two people. Since King Kran was dead, he couldn’t be a candidate.

“Treitol has changed since his head injury. That’s what they say. But even before that, I sometimes felt like he was a different person. He’s my brother, how could I not know?” Adea frowned.

“Of course, I’m not suspecting him solely based on that.” Adea clenched his hands tightly and hesitantly continued, “It was Treitol who instilled ambition in Jayel.

Ruel inhaled Breath as he waited for Adea to elaborate.

“But it seems Treitol doesn’t remember it. It’s as if his body changed at that time.” Adea laughed, seemingly incredulous about what he had just said.

‘His body… changed?’ 

Ruel didn’t dismiss it lightly. Hadn’t he heard about a similar incident from Medeas just the day before?

“This necklace is one of the treasures that belonged to the Empire. I only know that it was entrusted to my father by the Empire’s second prince.”

He recalled the words Medeas had said while handing over the only necklace that could conceal his mark. The second prince of the Empire must have been in a state of having his body taken over by the Great Man, yet he entrusted the necklace to Medeas’s father. It seemed odd. But now that he heard Adea’s story, it felt like the incidents were connected.

‘Even if the Great Man took over his body, couldn’t he still have some control?’

“Of course, it’s just a hypothesis, so don’t take it too seriously.” Adea, noticing Ruel’s very serious expression, spoke as if troubled. “I said it was Treitol who instilled ambition in Jayel, but in reality, Jayel has been eyeing the throne for some time. And…”

Adea hesitated before continuing.

“Please, go ahead.” Ruel already knew about Jayel’s treason but pretended to be unaware.

“She’s preparing for rebellion.” Adea awkwardly smiled. Even though she was only his half-sister, they were still related.

“Why do you suspect her of being connected to the Great Man?” Ruel was puzzled. His suspicion that Jayel might be the Great Man was more related to the feeling of being caught in a spider’s web. There wasn’t any solid evidence to definitively point to Jayel as the Great Man.

“Have you ever heard that the Great Man would lead this world to destruction for a past that was taken from him?”

Ruel knew this fact as well but shook his head, pretending not to.

“The purpose of the Great Man is revenge. To accomplish this, they are creating something called black water. You must already know what is needed to create it.”

Ruel couldn’t understand what Adea was trying to say.

“Right now, Jayel’s rebellion is not simply about seizing the throne.” Ruel thought so too.

If Jayel was the Great Man, he believed that the rebellion itself might be the catalyst for war. However, Adea’s words seemed to carry a slightly different meaning.

“She possesses an enormous quantity of magical bombs capable of bringing down the entire Kingdom of Kran.”

“Magical bombs?” Ruel was slightly taken aback, as this was information Cassion had not uncovered.

“The one supporting her is none other than the Red Ash.” Adea glanced at Medeas as he spoke, indicating that it was Medeas who provided him with this information.

“Is that true?” Ruel looked at Medeas, asking for confirmation once more.

“It is true. We are currently keeping track of the location of the magical bombs.”

‘That can’t be.’ There was no way Cassion could miss such significant information. Even if it were true, Aris had not noticed it at all.

‘Aris, who can even see natural mana, missed this?’ Ruel couldn’t help but chuckle.

If there were truly that many bombs, their movements would have been visible in order to transport them. But Cassion had failed to catch anything. No, he couldn’t catch anything. It was expected that he couldn’t since there was nothing to begin with. This was a trap. The Red Ash had set a trap to find the spy hidden among them.

“Why are you suddenly laughing?” Adea felt a sense of unease at Ruel’s meaningful laughter.

“Lord Tehel.”

“Please speak.”

“Please stay away from the matter of the magical bombs.”

“Have you already forgotten what I just said?” It was Adea, not Medeas, who rebutted him.

“How could I forget? I understand that Your Highness is reacting this way because the bombs are indeed real.”

“Then why are you telling him to stop?”

“Because it’s a trap.”

“A trap, you say?”

“Yes. You are currently touching the breadcrumbs set before a trap. It’s a trap laid by the Red Ash to capture Lord Tehel.”

Medeas flinched at Ruel’s pointed finger. Ruel couldn’t present any evidence, as there was no tangible proof. But Adea had to follow his words. Wasn’t that their deal?

“Stop, Your Highness. Have you forgotten our deal?”

“… I haven’t forgotten,” Adea replied with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

“Your Highness should now focus solely on monitoring Prince Treitol and Princess Jayel. Also, do not forget to manage your expressions in front of His Majesty.” Ruel then turned to Medeas.

“Lord Tehel, you should also remain still for the time being. Once you receive instructions from the Red Ash, you must report to me before carrying out any tasks.”

The fact that the enemy had set a trap meant that they had a strong suspicion of these two. They needed to halt their movements for the sake of clearing any suspicion. Reluctantly, both of them nodded in agreement, and only then did Ruel let out a long breath. His head throbbed again.

“It seems like our conversation has come to an end, so I will take my leave.” Adea, seeing Ruel’s condition, stood up. His complexion had turned pale, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Adea had come to see Ruel in the first place under the guise of a visit, so he could stay no longer. Above all, he had obtained the most necessary information. The Tonisk Empire had fallen. Now was a time for reflection. “Take care of yourself, Lord Setiria.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Adea received Ruel’s greeting and went outside.

“Then I will also take my leave…”

“Lord Tehel.”

Ruel cut off Medeas’s greeting and called to him.

“Yes?”

“Prince Hilim Tonisk is still alive.”

Medeas bit his lip immediately. Tears began to well up in his previously cleared eyes once more. “Thank you… Thank you so much.”

Medeas didn’t ask Ruel where Hilim was or how he was living. He simply kept expressing his gratitude until he left. Once the two had exited, Ruel dragged his exhausted body toward the bed.

—Are you okay?

“Yeah.”

Leo quickly climbed up to Ruel’s head and touched his forehead.

Soon, Leo pouted.

—Aris said not to lie. Feel it, your forehead is still warm!

“I’ll be fine once I take my medicine.”

Ruel pet Leo gently.

“Cassion.”

“Did you call?” Cassion pulled his watch from his pocket as soon as he appeared and checked the time. “I’ll wake you up at the right hour. You should probably sleep a bit more.”

“Cassion.”

“Yes?”

“You heard everything, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

Ruel smirked.

“I’m starting to see some things clearly. How about you?”

“At least the one who did the stupid thing wasn’t the Great Man.” Cassion seemed to have caught on as he smiled in response.

The foolish act he mentioned surely referred to the magical bombs. If someone had bombs powerful enough to destroy a country, wouldn’t they be practically announcing themselves as the culprit? As Cassion said, the Great Man wouldn’t be that stupid.

So, it wasn’t King Kran either. No disrespect to Jayel’s power, but she’s made herself too obvious. Who’s left, then?

“The Great Man is probably Treitol.” Just as he had initially suspected. The Great Man had been narrowed down to Treitol.

“Instruct the Shadows to protect Prince Adea.”

Treitol’s claim that the Great Man was targeting Adea was, indeed, true. And Jayel’s betrayal was merely a means to create a sacrifice. To create the black water, a single life—among countless others—was necessary. The devotee of darkness. Adea might be that sacrificial offering.

“Just in case, investigate the magical bomb situation. Ah, have there been any contacts from Dion?”

“No. There hasn’t been anything from the birds or the back alleys or the family heads.”

“Alright.”

He couldn’t neglect to keep an eye on Leponia. Ultimately, the target they were after was Leponia. 

“Ruel-nim, I still think it’s too early to be certain that Treitol is the Great Man.” At Cassion’s words, Ruel looked at him intently. He himself wasn’t completely convinced yet. 

“The information Prince Treitol provided matches perfectly with what we’re currently investigating, Cassion.”

“I’m also a bit bothered by Prince Treitol’s ambiguous actions.”

Treitol’s actions towards him seemed more sincere than acting. That was truly ambiguous.

“Are you not going to tell Prince Adea yet that being a devotee of darkness is the condition for becoming the Great Man’s vessel?”

“Yeah. I won’t inform him. It would cause unnecessary fear if he knew ahead of time.” Having observed Adea, it was clear he wasn’t a good actor. It would be problematic if his act was exposed, so it was better for Adea to remain as he was.

“Anyway, let’s get ready.”

Ruel grinned at Cassion’s stiff expression and inhaled Breath.

***

Ruel appeared at the second line of defense through the door opened by Jan. The shabby wooden walls were nearly broken, and only traces of the tents remained. In the place abandoned by the adventurers, white snow piled high. And the spirits, which had hidden themselves, were peeking out from between the stones and trees, half-concealed, watching him intently. As soon as their eyes met, the spirits greeted him with bright smiles.

‘The spirits are still absent.’ 

T/N: Referring to the spirits that have previously accompanied Ruel. 

Suddenly, Ruel found himself wishing to hear the sound of the spirits crying, “Kuroo kuru!”

Leo didn’t say anything, but he missed them too. Still, the appearance of the spirits might suggest that this place was now safe.

‘It’s no wonder Jan seems to be losing weight.’ 

Even in this desolate land, spirits are visible. How busy must Jan have been to summon all the spirits to the Spirit’s House?

“Is this the second line of defense?” Aris asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

“Yes, this was the second line of defense,” Ruel confirmed, glancing at Aris and naturally using his Hold ability. 

‘As expected, Aris’s Hold is the most comfortable,’ he thought, finding it as soothing as lounging on a sofa while watching television on the weekend.

“Aren’t you cold?”

At Cassion’s words, Ganien stared intently at Ruel. 

Not only was he floating in the air with a magic-infused cloak, but there was also a fire spinning around him, warming Ruel.

Most importantly, Leo in Ruel’s arms caused the snowflakes to drift slower.

“You’re asking that even after seeing all this?” Ganien questioned, studying Ruel intently. Previously, Ruel looked like he might collapse with just the wind blowing, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Cassion had brought it up; but not anymore.

Compared to before, he really had become healthier.

“I know Ruel’s body is weak, but at this point, isn’t it a bit overprotective? Anyone who saw you would think that Ruel is your lifeline.”

No matter how he thought about it, Cassion’s behavior was excessive for his character. However, since it was just a casual remark, Ganion soon chuckled at his own words. 

He stopped laughing when he saw Cassion’s face and asked, “What’s with the … reaction?”

Cassion did not smirk or laugh as usual. It was as if he were completely serious. Ruel inhaled Breath and patted Leo. It seemed that Cassion had decided to stop hiding that fact and acknowledged, “That’s right. Ruel-nim is my lifeline.”

“What?”

Ganien was taken aback but finally saw Cassion smile at his surprised reaction. 

“I made a mana oath. If Ruel-nim dies, I will die too.”

“R-Really?”

—…Huh!

Aris, who had been watching quietly, and Leo, who had been smiling while lying in Ruel’s arms, were also startled.

“You crazy bastard. Why admit such a thing? You should have denied it,” Ganien expressed disbelief at Cassion’s revelation. What kind of fool reveals his weakness like that?

Cassion, still smiling, retorted, “You see why I’m not hiding it?”

“…Damn.” Ganien grimaced. 

It was a way of saying that if he didn’t want to see them both die, he should properly protect Ruel. Because he was a knight.

“What bad luck. This damn mouth. Because of this damn curiosity…” 

Ruel interjected with a chuckle, “You even broke an heirloom of my family.”

“Uh, where do we go from here?”

Ganien showed a hint of discomfort at the mention of the heirloom.

“Thanks to that, you now owe me,” Ruel teased. 

“I asked where to go.”

Ganien raised his voice at Ruel, who kept teasing him.

Ruel, smiling, pointed in a direction and replied, “That way.”

As Ganien moved forward to shake off his embarrassment, Ruel turned to Cassion, asking, “This is unlike you, Cassion?”

“I may not be as good a judge of character as you, Ruel-nim, but I do have an eye for people.”

Ruel, feeling a chill, received a blanket from Cassion.

“Well then, I’ll go ahead.”

After bowing slightly, Cassion followed behind Ganien.

“Aris.”

“Yes, Ruel-nim?”

“Are you feeling pressured by Cassion’s expectations?”

What Cassion had said was directed at Ganien, but it was also a question for Aris.

Ruel inhaled Breath.

Aris met Ruel’s gaze with determination, replying, “No, I can handle it.”

“Good.”

Pleased by Aris’s resolve, Ruel smiled at the new expression on Aris’s face.

Did Ganien and Aris realize that Cassion had used himself as bait to provoke them? In any case, it seemed to have provided a good stimulus.

‘Whatever, Cassion. You have a twisted personality.’

Ruel turned his head to look toward the wall that had concealed death. That’s where it is. There, the answer to the monster’s rampage lay.