-You… damn it. Haa. Bast, no, you… you really…

Without waiting to hear what Ruel was going to say, Ganien interrupted him.

“It’s nothing important to you, right?”

At Ruel’s amused laughter, Ganien couldn’t hold back the curse he had been holding in.

Ruel petted Leo while waiting for Ganien to finish his swearing.

-Are you crazy? The balance of the world? The last wall? Seriously?

“Um.”

-What is the name of the first patriarch?

“I don’t know. Maybe something like Setiria.”

-Dig up that bastard’s grave.

“Well, that’s actually what I was planning to do.” 

What’s so great about the legacy that forced Setiria into sacrifice? 

It was a waste of land to give.

-He’ll sacrifice alone, so why force everyone to sacrifice one after another? What a fucking bastard.

Ruel nodded instinctively at Ganien’s impassioned words, even though he knew Ganien couldn’t see him.

“Anyway, Ganien. There’s still more to uncover about Cyronian.”

-And what happened to you again?

Ganien sounded horrified.

“Prazio has entered Setiria once more.”

-What? Did the Red Ash return? 

Ganien let out a laugh as if he was shocked.

“That’s still being investigated. It’s suspicious that Prazio appeared as soon as we started trading with Cyronian. There’s no solid evidence yet, but suspicions are growing.”

-As you mentioned, there’s still more to uncover. I’ll personally inform His Majesty. No, I’ll discuss it with him tomorrow when I go to work. It would be better for you to contact him directly, right?

“Yeah.”

After inhaling Breath, Ruel continued speaking, “And have you heard the news about the Kingdom of Kran sending an envoy to Leponia?”

-I have. I can’t comprehend what those guys are thinking. The ones who used to look down on us are now trying to make amends or something.

It appeared that the reports of Kran sending an envoy to Cyronian were indeed true.

“Ganien.”

-Say.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been through a lot, but why does the current situation seem so suspicious? It seems like everything is going too smoothly, doesn’t it?”

-Yes, I feel uneasy too. Kran has always been good at betraying us.

“Betraying us?”

When Ruel momentarily stopped his hand, Leo opened his eyes and stared at Ruel intently.

-When the Tonisk Empire was about to collapse, they reached out to us first to form an alliance and then stabbed us in the back. In short, they’re a treacherous bunch. That’s why we dislike them.

Geographically, Cyronian and Kran were positioned on either side of the Tonisk Empire. 

It seemed that they considered themselves the biggest competitors now that the empire had collapsed.

-Anyway, we still don’t know how things will turn out. His Majesty is considering it, but it might take some time for the decision.

“Yeah, please inform me when the decision is made. And make sure to handle the Red Ash situation properly.”

-I’d love to, but conflicts of interest are difficult. Unlike Leponia, we have many nobles here.

As Ganien said, there are more than thirty times as many nobles in Cyronian as in Leponia, which must have been troublesome.

-But Bianne Chen, whom you handed over, still has a scent, so I’ll need to investigate further. Anyway, thanks.

“Yeah.”

Just as Ruel was about to end the communication, Ganien urgently called out to him.

-Just a moment.

“What now?”

Ruel responded curtly.

There didn’t seem to be much left to discuss with Ganien.

-… I was wondering if it was worth living.

“It’s still worth living. Then.”

-Wait a sec. I haven’t arrived home yet.

“I’m done with my business. That’s it.”

-Hey, hey! Just a moment…

Before Ganien could finish his sentence, Ruel ended the communication and lay down on the bed.

—It sparkles.

Leo opened his eyes and looked at Ruel’s ring.

The sparkling sight made his pupils shimmer even more.

‘He’s persistent today.’

It seemed that Ganien was going home with his mouth, not his feet.

“Why?” Ruel asked in a disgruntled voice.

-Last time when the gates of the Tonisk Empire opened, there were those guys we missed.

Afraid that Ruel might end the call, Ganien quickly spoke up at the mention of the Tonisk Empire.

Ruel tried to hang up but stopped at the mention of the Tonisk Empire.

When he first heard this story, he thought it was strange.

Those presumed to be soldiers suddenly disappeared?

Was that really possible?

“Did you find any traces?”

-I didn’t find any traces, but I figured out what was left behind at that time. It’s definitely not teleportation magic.

As expected, Ruel didn’t jump to conclusions and sought the expertise of Tyson regarding teleportation magic. 

Tyson confirmed that it was impossible and mentioned that teleportation magic takes at least 30 seconds to perform.

“What kind of trace was it?”

-They mentioned that they saw traces of a warlock. Whether it’s a warlock or a magic user who manipulates darkness, they’re not common, so it’s hard to say for sure.

‘A warlock?’

The Shadows were searching for them, yet there were no signs of their presence.

Thump.

Ruel suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. 

He paused momentarily, holding his breath. 

It was the first time his chest hurt without coughing.

‘What’s going on…?’

The pain disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving Ruel confused. Was it a new symptom?

-Are you listening? You’re not falling asleep, are you?

“I’m listening. A warlock, cough, cough, cough!”

Leo opened his eyes, startled by Ruel’s sudden cough.

—What’s wrong?

-What’s happening to you all of a sudden?

Leo and Ganien asked worriedly, but Ruel couldn’t even answer.

“Cough! Cough!”

The coughing wouldn’t stop. Ruel clutched his chest, feeling the pain accompanying each cough.

Wiing.

The power of recovery cried out.

Something was wrong.

He felt that something inside his body was targeting his life.

-Is Cassion not there next to you? Hey! Ruel!

“I’ll call the chief!”

Hina quickly emerged from Ruel’s shadow and rushed outside.

“Cough!”

Blood flowed from Ruel’s mouth, staining the sheets red.

—Ru, Ruel?

Leo’s eyes widened.

—Suddenly, there’s so many black things. Why, why is this happening?

-Damn it! Ruel! Don’t lose consciousness! Hang in there!

Huff. Huff.

Breathing became difficult.

“Cough! Cough!”

Ruel tried to inhale Breath, but the persistent coughing made it difficult to inhale.

His face turned increasingly red, and the suffocating feeling of being unable to breathe caused him to scratch his throat desperately.

“Kuhuk!”

Meanwhile, Ruel had to let the surging blood flow out again.

Bang!

The door slammed open.

Cassion, Fran, and Tierra rushed over.

Fran had no time to panic and immediately gave instructions as soon as she saw Ruel.

“Tierra! Secure the airway first!”

***

“Why is this happening all of a sudden? Just a moment ago, he greeted me with a bright smile,” Tyson asked Fran with a trembling voice. 

Not long ago, when Ruel’s heart stopped, it felt like Tyson’s world was crumbling. 

His already broken heart ached as if he was on the verge of dying. 

Knowing that mana was toxic to Ruel, Tyson had used his magic to help him breathe. 

Another blow struck his shattered heart.

He should have calculated how much mana Ruel’s immunity could handle, but he couldn’t think straight. 

Knowing that Fran suffered the most here, Tyson continued to urge her while enduring the stabbing pain in his chest. 

“Please… tell me. Please.” 

“I…” Fran bit her lip. 

The bed was drenched in a sea of blood. 

They had used up all the collected blood, and it had become so critical that they even had to resort to using Cassion’s blood.

“I… was negligent. During today’s examination, I noticed something unusual, but I should have been more vigilant,” Fran confessed, and immediately, frustration filled Tyson. 

Even though she knew, even though she understood everything, her actions were inadequate.

“Are you saying you knew and still let Ruel suffer? You, who know how weak Ruel’s body is!”

“Tyson-nim, please calm down,” Cassion intervened, trying to pacify Tyson.

Blaming Fran wouldn’t solve anything. 

Negligence applied to him as well. 

When he noticed Ruel’s frequent coughing and shared it with Fran, he should have taken action. Tyson clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his anger.

“I’m sorry. I know how much Ruel has suffered until now, that’s why…” 

“No, it’s my fault,” Fran couldn’t even lift her head. 

“How is Ruel-nim’s current condition?”

Cassion looked at the blood flowing from his arm to Ruel’s arm and asked, “Is the amount of blood okay for now?” 

Fran examined Ruel again and nodded. “The blood volume is fine for now. What concerns me is his breathing.”

Cassion’s expression darkened. 

Ruel’s lungs were already weak. 

“Will he recover?”

“Yes, Lord Ruel has a relatively fast recovery rate, so he should be able to fully recover to his previous state. The problem is… I’m not sure if he can withstand magic. I know he’s vulnerable to mana.” 

“I will do my best to control it.”

Fran breathed a sigh of relief at Tyson’s response but soon was taken aback.

“Why?” Tyson asked, surprised by her reaction.

“When Lord Ruel came back, I told him that I saw a strange structure during the examination…”

Fran looked at Tyson with a surprised expression on her face.

“But… I can’t find it anymore.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, well, I’ve never seen anything like it before, so I don’t know what to say, but that strange structure exploded like a bomb and disappeared, leaving behind the previous illness.” Fran looked perplexed throughout her explanation. 

The illness grew back. 

She couldn’t tell if it was a temporary phenomenon or not, so it felt like a dream. 

Deep wrinkles formed on Cassion’s forehead. 

‘Did the Great Man interfere again?’

Ruel had mentioned encountering the Great Man in a certain space before.

At that time, the Great Man had touched Ruel’s mark, causing the structure of the illness to change. 

He had been foolish to believe that was all. 

He should have been more suspicious. 

‘Damn it…’ 

What the hell does this mean? 

“I will continue to watch over him.” Fran gathered her resolve, swallowing back tears that seemed on the verge of spilling. 

Scratch. Scratch. 

The sound of a small fox scratching at the door made Cassion feel uneasy and frustrated. 

This was a very unfamiliar feeling to him, but one he had experienced before. 

It was a sense of helplessness.

***

Three days later. 

Banios received a message from the royal palace and headed straight to Ruel’s room. 

The atmosphere in the mansion was heavy and dark, making him question if it was the same place he had been staying in. 

Despite knocking on the door and entering, Cassion, who sat in front of the bed, remained motionless. 

Banios didn’t find it rude; he found it pitiful.

Even though he had been informed that Ruel would wake up today or tomorrow, Banios didn’t believe it. 

He thought it was merely a figure of speech implying that Ruel’s condition was critical. 

But he was mistaken.

“The envoy from the Kingdom of Kran has arrived,” Banios said, regardless of whether Cassion heard him or not. Only then did Cassion push back his disheveled hair and rise from his seat.

“Yes, I will convey the message to Ruel-nim once he wakes up,” Cassion’s voice was cold.

“I have taken care of the eavesdropping, so you can rest assured.”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t have stayed silent if this news had leaked outside.”

It wasn’t something a mere butler would say to a crown prince. 

However, Banios forcibly suppressed the instinctive warning and his discomfort. 

Without drawing back the curtain that concealed Ruel’s appearance, he sat down beside Cassion.

“He will wake up.”

“He will.”

“But, why don’t you eat something?”

Every time Banios visited Ruel’s room, Cassion never left his chair. 

He seemed like a wounded beast that had lost its appetite.

“It’s okay.”

Cassion was not alone.

Every knight in the manor had become a beast.

Banios felt a deep sense of envy towards their loyalty.

***

Four days later.

As Ruel’s fingers twitched, Leo hurriedly approached his face. 

Tears welled up in Leo’s eyes upon seeing Ruel’s trembling eyelids.

—Ruel! Ruel!

Leo called out to him desperately.

When Ruel’s hand touched his body, Leo held back his emotions, but tears inevitably streamed down his cheeks.

—What Fran and Cassion say, this body doesn’t know but this body knows that Ruel was in a lot of pain.

Ruel, who was already pale, became even paler, as if buried in snow.

—Even if this body was hungry, this body endured this time.

Black things accumulated inside Ruel’s body, but Leo judged that he shouldn’t eat because there was too much blood on the bed that day.

—This body didn’t go to Aris either. Sob, leaning against the door, this body listened to Ruel’s heartbeat quietly.

Leo was terrified that the faint sound of the heartbeat might disappear at any moment.

Ruel opened heavy eyelids, hearing Leo’s whimper. 

He hadn’t dreamt of anything. 

It felt like he had just slept for a long time.

‘…I really thought I was going to die this time.’

Something was off. 

The symptoms seemed familiar, but they were different. 

It felt as though death was spreading through his veins like poison.

‘Did the Great Man plant something?’

“Are you… awake?” Cassion’s voice strained as he struggled to open his mouth. 

Ruel was taken aback by the sight of Cassion’s unfamiliar face.  

The gravity of the situation must have been immense.

Ruel smiled, not asking any questions.

“… see?” Ruel managed to speak after taking a deep breath. “…That I won’t die.”

“Yes, I knew.”

Cassion answered with a faint smile.

Author's Thoughts

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read