***

Ruel felt his eyelids flutter at Leo’s gentle, cautious touch.

“Stop it, Leo. Ruel still needs more sleep.” Ganien held onto Leo.

—When will Ruel wake up? This body has something to say to Ruel…

Leo pouted and perked up his ears, slipping out of Ganien’s grasp and moving towards Ruel’s face.

—He’s awake! Ruel is awake!

Leo rubbed his face against Ruel’s.

“See, Ruel needs more sleep. Just thinking about all that blood he lost… Ugh, I can’t even imagine,” Ganien shuddered. What kind of power was that? It was so cruel that it couldn’t even be compared to the time in Cyronian. It was as if he were using his life force for power.

“Leo.” Ruel’s lips moved.

—See? He’s awake!

Ganien grabbed Leo again, who was kicking and wriggling.

—This body has something to say to Ruel.

“Yeah, yeah. You can talk later.”

Suddenly, the door burst open. “Are you awake?” Aris peeked in. Although he knew Ruel had woken up a little while ago, he couldn’t come in because of Jayel’s presence.

“Why are you like this too, Aris? Ruel needs to… Ugh. Where did Cassion go?”

“Cassion-nim went somewhere with Mr. Hikars for a moment.” Aris cautiously glanced around before stepping inside.

“Did he only tell you? Ha. I knew something was up.” 

Ruel chuckled at the commotion. He finally felt like he was back home.

“I… I really want a meat pie.” He realized he was hungry.

—This body wants a meat pie too!

Leo licked his lips.

“Seeing you hungry means you’re feeling a bit better,” Ganien said and handed Ruel a glass of water.

Ruel was about to take a sip but paused to look at Leo. The moment he saw Leo, his mouth went dry. He had no idea where to start. He thought about his own past, about how hard it was to lose his father. The dark, heavy emotions from that time seemed to be coming back.

—Ruel, Ruel.

But contrary to Ruel’s nervousness, Leo called out to him in the same cheerful tone as always.

—This body is no longer sad!

“…” Ruel looked at Leo with puzzled eyes.

—This body has Ruel. That’s why it’s okay.

Leo smiled brightly. Ruel couldn’t bring himself to ask if he was truly not sad at all. He merely looked at Leo with trembling eyes.

—This body has cried enough. This body doesn’t know why Ruel is sorry for this body.

“I… I couldn’t say it.” Ruel muttered, fiddling with the cup.

—This body also kept a secret from Ruel. This body knows it was a secret made because Ruel thought of this body. That’s why it’s okay.

Leo’s eyes sparkled, showing no trace of sadness.

—This body was not abandoned. This body is so, so happy about this fact that tears no longer shed!

“…I see.” Ruel finally smiled. He had only seen Leo as something he needed to protect. Little did he know how strong Leo actually was. He was far stronger than the Ruel who had lost his father.

“I’m… really glad.” Ruel managed a beaming smile.

“Ruel, don’t you think you should drink a little while you talk? Look at your trembling hand. I’m afraid you’ll drop the cup.” As Ganien had said, the cup was only half full, but Ruel’s hands were trembling as he held it. Ganien was equally anxious watching the scene unfold.

“Ah.” Only then did Ruel take a sip of water. As the cold liquid flowed down his throat, he began to regain his senses.

“How are you feeling? Should I call Fran?” Aris asked as soon as Ruel’s condition stabilized a bit.

“Just let me rest since I’m feeling better than before.”

Aris’s gaze shifted to the IV dripping from Ruel’s arm. It was a sight that hardly matched the idea of him being fine.

Ruel, noticing his worried expression, tried to inhale Breath but ended up chuckling. “Aris, I’m really okay. You don’t need to look at me like that.”

It wasn’t a joke; after taking a nap, the pain had eased. His body felt a bit lighter too.

“I understand. I apologize for intruding.” Despite his words, Aris’s eyes remained fixed on the IV.

“Did Cassion leave any message?”

“He said he would be back soon.”

“Alright.” Ruel inhaled Breath, then gently patted Leo, who was lying down with his stomach exposed. Leo’s wagging tail was a welcome sight today.

“What happened after I fainted, Ganien?”

“Do you remember the whole forest being purified?”

“I do.” Ruel nodded. Even as his consciousness faded, he vividly recalled the unbelievable sight. The forest, once filled with a purple glow like the silver dust that had spread after Rupina’s death, was now lush and green. Perhaps that was its original state.

‘The Beast Forest in Leponia must be the same, right?’

The rampage of monsters had been artificially provoked by the Great Man controlling the dead Setiria. Using the power that the king had given to Setiria, the power to control the monsters.

“After that, Aris quickly restored the barrier and went to the spirit’s home…” Ganien paused mid-sentence.

—Jan was furious that someone had done this to Ruel, and this body resolved it!

Leo opened his eyes dramatically, speaking proudly.

“The Spirit’s Progenitor said it was a secret…” Aris was taken aback by Leo’s sudden comment.

Regardless, with a look that urged for praise, Ruel couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Keeping a secret in front of Leo? That’s hardly possible.’

As Ruel gently scratched Leo’s belly, Leo smiled widely.

—Hehe, this body likes it best when Ruel pets me like this.

“Anyway, Ms. Fran was startled when she saw you, chaos was everywhere.” Ganien waved his hands in the air, indicating the chaos.

“But that method of purification you used with your shadow – is that an appropriate power? It’s like it’s consuming your life.”

“Want me to tell you?” Ruel intentionally smiled suspiciously.

Ganien immediately felt an inexplicable sense of unease and shook his head. In fact, this was something he couldn’t tell Ganien. If he did, Ganien would definitely stop him.

“Aris, you restored the barrier?” At Ruel’s words, Aris quickly responded,

“Yes. I thought it couldn’t be left as it was. Oh, and I’ve removed all traces of my magic as well as the signs of the battle. The shadows helped me with that too.” (Cassion’s subordinates)

Anyway, since the First Setiria had disappeared, the connection with the Great Man must have been severed. That’s why Jayel seemed to have come to check personally, but who knew if they would panic when they checked the secondary defense line later. There would be no traces left and since he had been sick since yesterday, it would be confusing for them as well.

“Good job,” Ruel exclaimed, smiling broadly. Creating confusion in their plans was a significant achievement.

“No, I believe you would have ordered me to do so if you hadn’t fainted,” Aris humbly replied.

‘So humble. Too humble for your own good.’

Ruel opened his mouth to respond but hurriedly covered it instead. Black blood dripped between his fingers.

—Ruel, blood… is coming out!

Leo’s ears perked up. 

“Don’t worry, spit it out,” Cassion’s voice came with a handkerchief. Ruel spat out the blood.

Confirming that it was black blood, Cassion asked, “Ruel-nim, how is your body?”

“Don’t you have eyes? Ruel just vomited blood! How can you remain so calm?” Ganien shouted in panic. It was obvious that Ruel wasn’t okay but Cassion simply scoffed at Ganien.

“What were the findings?” Ruel asked, wiping the blood from his hands.

“I confirmed with Hikars where the death spreading in the castle was coming from.”

“Where?”

“There was a secret place in the underground of the palace. We confirmed that it was coming from there.”

An underground location was an obviously suspicious development.

“Issue is there was a barrier. The symbol on the barrier was that of the Kran Kingdom. It seemed that only the royal family of Kran could pass through. I think I’ll take Aris to check it out again.”

“What about Hikars?”

“He is waiting there.”

“And?”

“Nehils Praha.”

In that instant, Ruel’s eyebrows twitched.

“I’ve found out information about him.”

“Tell me.”

“It was confirmed that he matched the note Medeas showed.” Cassion deliberately opened and closed his hand, indicating he had obtained this information by force.

“What? What are you talking about?” Ganien looked between the two with a confused expression.

“And I also found out where he’s hiding.”

“I don’t like being busy, but it can’t be helped.” Ruel smiled at Cassion’s words. He was eager to see the person who had marked him.

“Tell me… or is it something I shouldn’t know?” Ganien was very curious but also felt a sense of unease about what was to come.

Ganien’s eyes fluttered, wondering if he was being forced to confront a truth as heavy as the Turbulent Day and Cassion’s secret.

“Are you ready to cause some chaos after a long time?” Ruel mentioned ‘chaos,’ making Ganien finally let out a sigh.

“Ha… Of course, I’m ready for that, but do you know how genuinely scary it is now that you bring up any topic?”

It wasn’t just fear. After hearing so many surprising and unbelievable stories, his hands would start sweating just by looking at Ruel. How many times had he experienced such shocking and unbelievable events in his life?

Ruel inhaled Breath and looked at Cassion intently.

“That’s all I have to report.”

“Okay.”

Ruel inhaled Breath and looked at them. Ganien and Aris tensed up.

Even Leo, who had been smiling at Ruel’s touch, sensed the strange atmosphere and opened his eyes, glancing around.

“The one Leo purified at the second defensive line was the First Setiria.” Ruel then looked at Cassion. “That’s why I told you to have Billo dig up the grave.”

Cassion snorted in disbelief. It seemed like it was time to seriously ask Ruel about the possibility of changing his name to something onion-related.

“Wait, wait. Don’t just drop that bomb on me like that. Give me a moment to process,” Ganien was greatly surprised by the sudden revelation. “No, more importantly, why is a Setiria here?”

“You know I can control monsters, right?”

“Of course I do. That means…” Ganien chuckled lightly at Cassion’s slightly sharpened gaze.

“Even though I am His Majesty’s knight, I am careful about what I say. I swear my oath as a knight and would never disclose this to His Majesty. This is not something I should discuss.” 

Only then did Cassion lower his gaze and look at Ruel.

“So why is Setiria involved?” When Ganien asked again, Ruel finally responded.

“It’s a trait that Setiria has.”

“…So, are you saying the Great Man knew about this and controlled Setiria’s corpse?”

“Exactly. I don’t know how he found out, though.” Ruel nodded.

“That means the Beast Forest in Leponia is probably connected to this event, right?” Aris asked with a hardened expression.

“Probably.”

“That crazy guy…” Ganien clenched his teeth.

“Ganien.”

“I’m listening.” Ganien responded more seriously than ever. From the King of Kran to the First Setiria. The acts committed by the Great Man had long strayed from the right path.

“When I return from the banquet, I want Nehils Praha to spill everything. Can you do it?”

“Is that what you mean by causing chaos?”

“Since he’s an executive, he must have a decent amount of quality information.” Ruel glanced subtly at Cassion. The lack of a report from the corrupted warlock suggested that it was still ongoing.

“Or do you want to volunteer to go where the corrupted warlock is, your choice.”

“The way you’re talking about him, he must be no ordinary guy. What did Nehils Praha do?”

“He put this cursed mark on me…”

“Tell me the location. I’ll go there.” Ganien interrupted Ruel, speaking firmly.

Anger was evident in Ganien’s eyes. Ruel smiled faintly and said, “Tell him the location, Cassion.”

“As you wish.” Cassion rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Ganien.

“I may not be good at interrogating, but I’ll try to get him to talk until you arrive.”

“Alright. Do as you wish.”

“I’ll go first.” Ganien shook the note and stood up.

Knock, knock.

“It’s Noah,” Cassion announced.

“That’s fast,” Ruel said with a smirk. Just when he needed Noah.

“Let him in.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll open it as I go out.” As Ganien opened the door, Noah’s loud voice burst in.

“Ruel-nim, I’m here! I’ve returned…” Noah stopped mid-sentence, surprised by Ruel’s appearance. “Oh, are you sick again?”

“I’m fine, but let’s hear what you’ve brought first.”

Even with Ruel’s reassurance, Noah’s face turned pale. The fact that he had an IV drip attached meant he wasn’t in good shape. Before departing for the Kingdom of Kran, Noah had learned from Cassion about the meaning behind the mana oath he had pledged. It felt like the ground was crumbling beneath him.

Wasn’t it like trading his life for gold, as someone had said? Only after seeing the 1,133 gold coins he had set aside was he able to regain his composure with no regrets. Having money was better than being broke, and life in the mansion had been quite enjoyable. The issue was Ruel. Hadn’t his heart stopped beating just a short time ago? He was worried.

He cursed his own mouth for mentioning death to Ruel so many times. 

“Ruel-nim! Please, don’t die! I, I’ll do better! I’ll buy you medicinal herbs and prepare them with care! So please, you must stay healthy!” Noah approached Ruel as if he were about to burst into tears. Cassion sighed and rubbed his face. He had meant it to imply he would serve Ruel better.

—Yikes! 

Upon hearing Noah’s outburst, Leo sprang up, looking at Ruel anxiously. Soon, tears welled up in Leo’s eyes.

—Ruel, you mustn’t die! If, if Ruel dies, this body, this body might keep crying.

Ruel gently soothed Leo and said in an annoyed tone, “Stop saying useless things and tell me what you found.”

“I apologize.”

Anger was indeed the root of all ailments.

Noah quickly bowed his head, wiping away tears that were about to spill over at Ruel’s stern expression.

“From the investigation, it turns out there are three locations where bodies were taken.”

“Three locations?”

It was surprising that the list had been narrowed down to just three places.

“Yes. One is a shop that deals in monsters’ materials. The second is a temple where they say they took the bodies to honor the deceased. And well, the last one was taken by soldiers cracking down on those selling corpses without permission.”

Noah quickly reduced the three fingers he had been spreading. “There was one place that all three led to.” He pointed down to the floor with his finger. “Right here. The Kingdom of Kran.”

“Are you certain?” Ruel asked calmly, without showing surprise.

“Yes. Just in case, I sprinkled some of the scent I use when hunting animals on the bodies. Surprisingly, it leads to this place…”

“It comes from underground, doesn’t it?”

“How did you know?” Noah was about to boast proudly but looked shocked instead.

‘Ha….’

Ruel let out a long sigh in disbelief. It had to be connected to the findings of Cassion and Hikars.

‘Death, barriers, and corpses. And Adea.’ Ruel clenched his fist. ‘There’s no other explanation.’ Black water.

Everything was related to the method of making the black water. The materials were slowly coming together.

“Aris.”

“Yes.”

“Go with Cassion and check that barrier.”

“Understood.”

While Aris replied immediately, Cassion took out a watch from his pocket to check the time.

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you say you were attending the banquet? We don’t have much time…”

Cassion stopped speaking and looked at Noah. Ruel also turned his gaze toward Noah. As Aris and Leo turned to look at Noah as well, he broke out in a cold sweat, his expression filled with anxiety.

“Why do you all look at me like that?”

“I only trust you.” Ruel offered a slight smirk.

“Huh?” Flustered, Noah glanced at Cassion.

Ting.

Noah caught multiple coins that Cassion flicked, and without hesitation, he spoke up, “Leave it to me. I will fulfill my mission!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read