“Aris…?”

Ganien’s expression displayed a mix of joy and triumph.

“That’s right. Surpassing your master is the real beginning, isn’t it? How does that sound?”

At the mention of ‘master,’ Ganien’s lips curled into a broad grin.

“I want to meet Aris soon. But…”

Recognizing it wasn’t the right moment to push forward, Ganien released his grip from the sword.

“I have no intention of dragging you along against your will. It’s just a hypothesis, and it means your value has risen that much.”

“Then, do you owe me an equal amount or more than what I’m worth?”

Instead of Ruel, who finished speaking, Cassion chuckled.

“What?”

“Similar to how there’s interest on loans, there’s interest on debts too. But, don’t fret. What harm could I possibly cause to a friend?”

Ruel lightly tapped Ganien’s shoulder, who appeared surprised.

Having spent a short time with Ruel, he expected, based on his experience, that Ruel would ask him to do something. However, not having a clue about what that was, Ganien swallowed dryly.

After confirming that they were getting closer to the front line amidst the blizzard, Ruel infused mana into his ring.

“Uncle.”

-Ruel…?

Tyson’s face lit up upon seeing Ruel but hesitated as he glanced around him.

A fierce blizzard was blowing, not from mountainous ground.

-I thought it was about time for presbyopia to develop in my old age, but I didn’t know it would be today.

“It’s indeed a mountain.”

-So, I’m surprised you’re already getting into mountains. I, um, usually agree with whatever you do, but it’s a bit early…

“I have urgent news to share.”

Ruel adjusted the angle so that Hikars could be seen on the screen.

“I’ve found the warlocks.”

Tyson jumped up from his seat.

-Y-you found a warlock?

“I instructed them to head to Setiria. If they arrive dressed like this and mention my name, please welcome them.”

-Ah, I see. How did you come to meet the warlock?

“I’ll tell you later. Be well.”

At Tyson’s rising excitement, Ruel immediately ended the call.

Remembering Tyson’s belated reaction, Ruel burst into laughter, pretending to scratch his nose to hide his smile.

“How much longer until we reach our destination, Cassion?”

“I estimate about 3 hours.”

“Alright. Just bring me another blanket.”

Cassion frowned, but there was little to be done about the cold.

***

Thump.

Ruel suddenly opened his eyes at the unexpected sound of his heartbeat.

‘What’s happening?’

It wasn’t pain, but rather a resonance emanating from somewhere.

However, it quickly quieted down as if nothing had happened, leaving him puzzled.

‘I’m experiencing all sorts of sensations.’

Ruel looked around and met Leo’s eyes.

—Ruel, Ruel. Are you awake?

Leo smiled brightly.

He couldn’t remember where his consciousness had cut off.

Ruel looked at the blanket wrapped around him and sat up.

In that moment, his body swayed, and he hurriedly placed his hand on the floor for support.

His body felt incredibly heavy.

‘Has my condition worsened again?’

He thought it was due to the cold wind he had been exposed to.

Leo urgently clung to Ruel’s arm.

—You have a fever. Lie down quickly.

“I’m not in a condition where I can’t get up.”

Ruel brushed Leo off his arm and patted him.

A smile quickly appeared on Leo’s serious face.

“Are you awake now? How do you feel?”

Cassion entered the tent.

“Have we reached the second defense line?”

“Yes. We are currently at the second defense line. It’s been about an hour since we arrived here, so you can rest easy.”

“And Ganien?”

“He went to capture Hikars.”

Ruel received the medicine Cassion offered but looked at him with a bewildered expression.

“Capture?”

“Yes. He said that death was lingering and jumped straight down below the defense line. So Ganien followed him.”

“Did he mention anything about corrupted death?”

“No, he didn’t.”

‘So the monsters aren’t corrupted?’

It was still uncertain.

Ruel moved his hand again, which had stopped at Leo’s tail, which was hitting his hand.

“Ruel-nim.”

As Cassion opened his mouth heavily, Ruel’s eyebrows twitched.

He wondered if there was something he might get criticized for and then replied.

“What is it?”

“Well, since this mission isn’t mandatory, how about you stay here until your fever goes down?”

The verification of the adventurer’s badge had already been completed on the carriage while heading to the third and fourth defense lines.

Due to the nature of the mission, there were no time restrictions or mandatory requirements.

It didn’t matter whether they spent the entire night fighting monsters or carefully taking them down one by one; they would still get paid.

After taking the medicine, Ruel asked, “Why are you trying to dissuade me?”

“It seems a small war has broken out.”

Cassion referred to it as a war instead of a battle.

Just how serious must it be for him to say that?

Cassion continued, “Your task is to confirm the corruption of the monsters, correct? With a warlock present who can fulfill your role, it might be best for you not to be directly involved.”

It seemed like Cassion was carefully choosing his words to avoid offending Ruel. However, being sidelined after coming this far didn’t sit well with Ruel.

“I’ll regret it if I don’t go.”

Cassion sighed at the worst possible answer he expected.

“To be honest, I don’t know what impact the current situation might have on your body, so I’m trying to dissuade you. Please reconsider.”

Ruel controlled the monsters.

Until now, he had only seen the corpses of one or two monsters.

But he wasn’t sure if he would be unaffected after seeing the countless monster corpses spread out below the second defense line.

It was uncertain.

“Alright then.”

Ruel lifted the corners of his mouth.

At his unexpected response, Cassion bit his lip.

“Ruel-nim.”

“It’s a chance to gauge my condition while there are no enemies around.”

Ruel noticed that Cassion, who used the term ‘war,’ was worried about something.

Corrupted monsters were one of the enemy’s means of attack.

It was better to strike first.

There was no guarantee that this situation wouldn’t happen in Leponia.

Naturally, there would be just as many monster corpses as there were now, and it was better to find out what effect it might have on him in advance.

If he waited until his condition worsened, it would already be far too late.

Cough.

Leo’s eyes widened at Ruel’s cough.

“You needn’t worry; I’m fine.”

Ruel chuckled softly and patted Leo’s face.

“Get ready.”

What on earth should he do about that stubbornness?

Cassion sighed deeply, unable to give a hasty reply.

***

It was a sea of red.

No matter where he looked, only a bright red scene unfolded beneath the wooden walls.

Suddenly, nausea rose, and Ruel covered his mouth.

The area was filled with blackened corpses, indistinguishable as either monsters or humans, with blood congealing into rivers.

Seeing such a horrific sight and the adventurers rushing in made him feel just how desperately they wanted money.

There could be various reasons.

He himself had lived mad for money due to guarantees.

But aside from that, this situation was disgusting.

In the end, wasn’t it all caused by that one so-called Great Man?

There was no need to fight, and there was no reason for either monsters or humans to die.

‘This is awful…’

“Are you alright?”

“For now.”

Ruel answered Cassion’s question calmly.

His stomach was churning, but it wasn’t unbearable enough to leave just yet.

Fortunately, contrary to his worries, he hadn’t experienced any symptoms so far.

—This body is not looking. Truly.

Ruel gently pressed down whenever Leo attempted to rise from his lap. He was struggling enough himself, and this was not a scene for Leo to witness.

Looking at Leo’s perked-up ears, he could feel Leo’s earnestness, as if he was trying hard to hear any sounds. Ruel felt dizzy from the various noises surrounding him, but he was still okay.

“How about returning to the tent now?”

His steps seemed quite unsteady.

Every few steps, he could hear Cassion’s voice like a parrot.

Even with the surrounding noise, why did Cassion’s voice come through so clearly?

Perhaps becoming a master also meant having a louder voice.

“I can still manage.”

Ruel inhaled Breath and turned his gaze away from the pit of corpses to look in the direction the monsters were coming from.

They stood beyond the mountains, waiting like soldiers, poised to seize an opportunity.

The adventurers, perhaps seeing the moment when the monsters weren’t coming as an opportunity, grouped together with their teams and began to push through the pit.

‘…?’

There was something strange about those two appearances.

There was even a sense of discomfort.

But before he could examine it more closely, dizziness forced him to stop.

“What about the delegation?” Ruel asked as he descended from the wooden wall towards the tent.

“Your complexion…”

“What about the delegation?” Ruel interrupted Cassion, signaling him to stop.

“It will take at least two more days to reach the bridge of the Kran Kingdom.”

“Alright.”

Ruel walked along the defensive line, pushing through the snow that sank deeper with every step.

“Haah…”

After walking for what felt like hours, Ruel stopped to catch his breath.

It was incredibly difficult to push through the snow that was piled up to his knees.

When he looked back, he saw his own trail stretching out behind him like a snake’s tail, contrasting with Cassion’s effortless progress.

Even though he knew the difference in their abilities was like night and day, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

Cassion raised one corner of his lip and pulled a pair of boots from his pocket. They were black shoes that made him feel disgusted just by looking at them.

“How about it? Are you still unwilling to wear them?”

—This body can’t see, but this body can hear Ruel moving as slowly as a snail.

He could ignore Cassion and Leo’s words, but with his feet sinking so deep into the snow, he could no longer.

“Hand them over,” Ruel conceded, extending his hand to Cassion. Observing Ruel sunk up to his knees, Cassion smirked knowingly.

In his current state, Ruel couldn’t get out on his own.

“Excuse me,” Cassion easily lifted Ruel, settling him on a nearby rock.

“Hmph.”

Feeling like a paper doll, Ruel wasn’t particularly pleased.

But what could he do?

He couldn’t get out of the snow on his own.

“Damn bastards. They just keep swarming in.”

One of the adventurers gathered at the defense line muttered angrily.

The noise was loud enough for Ruel, who was changing his shoes, to hear.

“The idea of easy money, right? Enduring this bitter cold while those bastards keep coming.”

“Tsk. If not for the damn money, I wouldn’t be here freezing. Where are the soldiers at?”

“Are they making us do all the dirty work? Didn’t you notice soldiers at the third and fourth defense lines?”

“I did see them. Just didn’t realize they were absent here.”

“Oh, they are here.”

The adventurer pointed to a tent that was shaped like a hut, standing alone among the many tents.

“Oh, they’re probably around that big shot, guarding his own hide.”

“Go see him if you think you can protect our meal ticket.”

“Should I?”

Their laughter spread cheerfully.

‘So, soldiers are only stationed around Glen?’

As Ruel put on the last of his shoes, he realized the discomfort he had been feeling.

Amidst the natural situation of monsters and adventurers, the soldiers were nowhere to be seen.

“If the second defensive line is breached, monsters will flood over the walls of the Kran Kingdom and pour into the capital.”

Glen’s words were not just tricks to lure adventurers; they were the truth.

In fact, the third and fourth defensive lines were expansive plains without a single tree, making the area too wide to defend.

If agile monsters began to surge in, it honestly seemed difficult to prevent them.

‘In a situation like this, there are no soldiers…?’

Ruel was surprised and saw a small opening.

A smile crept across his lips.

“Cassion.”

“Yes.” Cassion followed Ruel as he moved again.

“Tell me what you find strange about this place.”

“The stench of death lingers, yet the number of corpses is surprisingly low. Also, there are suspiciously few soldiers.”

“Few corpses?”

“It seems that way to me.”

‘Few corpses, and few soldiers?’

Ruel stopped for a moment and inhaled Breath.

“Hah.”

His body felt heavy, and his headache from the fever weighed his thoughts down as well.

‘What kind of a difficult situation would require adventurers but not soldiers?’

Ruel started moving again. With the new shoes, he could move much more easily without sinking into the snow.

Originally, he had just planned to explore the second defense line, but now his plans had changed.

The defense line remained as he had first seen it: a crude wooden wall lined with drab tents and a strong smell of blood.

“Perhaps you should stop wandering around now?” Cassion called out to Ruel, who was wandering aimlessly.

“I want to meet Glen briefly at night.”

“Hah.” Cassion chuckled at Ruel’s absurd statement.

Glen Syria was in charge of this area. Even if there were fewer soldiers, there would still be dozens of them.

Only his master could casually say something like wanting to meet someone as if they were going to a neighbor’s house, knowing the situation.

But what could he do?

If he wanted to meet him, he had to let him.

“As you wish,” Cassion replied as usual.

“Where are Ganien and Hikars?”

“They’re quite a distance away.”

Ruel clicked his tongue as Cassion pointed beyond the wall.

‘They went pretty far.’

He was in no condition to go down there.

“Let’s go back.”

It seemed he would have to return to the tent after all.

“Good choice,” Cassion smiled brightly.

Ruel’s fever had risen slightly. If Ruel had gone any further, Cassion would have forcibly brought him back to the tent.

Ruel, who had been walking unsteadily ahead, suddenly turned to look at the wooden wall.

For a brief moment, a light flickered in his eyes before disappearing.

Had something he was worried about happened? Cassion moved closer to Ruel, conscious of the surrounding gazes.

“Did you hear something?”

Ruel nodded.

He had heard a voice.

He wasn’t sure if it was a monster or not, but it had definitely said to him:

-Setiria.

Setiria.

It was clearly referring to Ruel himself.

But the voice was too small, and he couldn’t hear the rest.

Where did that voice come from? Ruel stared at the wooden wall.

Why were so many people looking for him?

‘This kind of attention is unwelcome….’

—Ruel, can this body come out now?

Seeing Leo’s head raising, Ruel pressed down slightly again.

Author's Thoughts

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read