Chapter 97.2 - Black water

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“I apologize I couldn’t see your arrival.”

Billo bowed as soon as he saw Ruel.

“I told you not to come, so no need to apologize.”

Ruel rubbed Leo’s stomach with a comfortable face.

After Fran sutured the wound again, the pain in his stomach was less.

—…It’s a shock. There’s something in the stomach.

He covered his eyes to prevent him from seeing it, but Leo seemed to have seen the wound.

He muttered the same thing a moment ago, in shock.

Sniff. Sniff.

Suddenly his nose flared, then he got up and ran to Billo.

—It smells sweet! Billo brought something delicious.

‘… That’s great.’

Leo circled around Billo.

“Give me one if you brought it.”

“As expected, the nose doesn’t seem to deceive. I’m sorry.”

Unlike his words, Billo smiled and put down the cookies he had kept hidden in his arms.

—Oh! Oh! Oh!

“I don’t know if it’s okay for a fox to eat this, but it’s adorable to see it want it.”

—Yes, please love this body a lot.

Billo bent his knee and stroked Leo’s head.

“That’s very kind.”

“Stop talking about it now. Since Cassion said that the room was full of the smell of blood, you must have already noticed it, right?”

“This old man is getting angry after a long time. Who is it? I will cut his throat even if it costs me my life.”

“Billo.”

Ruel’s voice was heavy.

Billo bowed his head slightly as if he had guessed that it had come.

“Yes.”

“Why did my father take me back then and for what reason did he leave?”

Previously, the accident didn’t matter and he didn’t ask.

He didn’t ask before because he thought he had to cover the fact he had no memory of ‘his’ father’s death and accident.

But now he had to know.

Billo, the butler, would know.

He calmly closed his eyes and opened them.

“The former head of the family chased after the Red Ash. It was for Ruel-nim.”

As expected, Billo knew.

Ruel looked at him with sunken eyes.

“Why?”

“I can’t tell you. This old man swore an oath to keep his mouth shut for the sake of the former lord, and for Ruel-nim.”

“Why?”

“This is the oath the former head of household wanted. It is a secret of Setiria’s that must never leak out.”

“Didn’t even you believe me?”

“Because you trusted me, you were considerate of me not to be targeted by Red Ash and others. As if I didn’t see what I saw, as if I didn’t hear what I heard. That’s how I was left.”

Billo smiled calmly.

It was all inefficient to touch and kill someone who couldn’t say anything.

Knowing that, it seemed that the former head had made Billo swear a mana oath.

“Can’t you tell me why we went out that day?”

“The former head of the family knew that the ears of Setiria, no, the birds betrayed them. And yet he went out.”

Ruel inhaled Breath, waiting for the next word Billo would bring up without urging.

“Before he left, he was delighted to say that he could cut off this relentless evil. After that…”

Billo didn’t finish his sentence and shut up.

He became a sinner again and stood before Ruel.

‘Tough bad luck…?’

This was not the first time a Great Man had targeted Setiria.

Since when?

Tch.

‘…In any case, the former head found out the weakness of the Great Man. Knowing the birds’ betrayal, he went out on purpose pretending to be trapped. But one thing, only one thing is wrong.’

One thing may have to do with Ruel falling from the scene of the accident.

“Since the past is so hidden, there’s no need to hold onto those emotions now.”

“Was it helpful enough…”

“It’s been helpful enough, so don’t blame yourself. You said it was for me that you were left behind.”

“…Yes, it is.”

He could hear his whisper in the quiet silence.

“And so,” As if to express his uneasiness, Ruel smiled mischievously while speaking.

“Act like you haven’t placed me in your eyes even if you work for my sake.”

“…”

“As you know, there are still many times when Setiria needs to be repaired. It was also time to check the village once.”

“Ruel-nim.”

“If you’re going to nag, that’s enough.”

Ruel waved his hand.

“This old man’s eyes are dim these days, and now my heart is fluttering.”

“I told you already, so please be calm.”

“I don’t know where you came from with a hole in your stomach, but please remember, Ruel-nim’s life is not just Ruel-nim’s.”

He had already heard it from Cassion before.

Ruel listened with a face full of discontent.

“But our lives belong to Ruel-nim. You can use it anytime and throw it away. Don’t hesitate, and don’t regret it.”

“I don’t like that.”

Ruel said flatly.

“I have no intention of throwing myself or others away. I picked you up too, so don’t think nonsense and go to work.”

“That’s very sweet of you but regardless this old man is very worried.”

“Billo.”

“Before you leave, I just want to say this. It’s good to care for people, but you have to keep the boundaries. Just as you can’t catch water flowing from your hands, the same is said for a person’s life. No regrets, no reason to regret.”

Billo showed a friendly smile.

“Don’t worry about anything, Ruel-nim, and just think about your body for now, then, I’ll step down.”

“Call my uncle while you’re on your way.”

The slightly warm atmosphere collapsed, and Billo’s smile was completely erased.

“I know that Tyson-nim met you at the front door.”

Calling Tyson again, who we met once, was like saying that he would do something.

“We met, but it’s been a while, so I forgot what I had to say.”

He should have asked how the research into the black water progressed earlier.

He said he needed to know the identity of the black water, so he didn’t want to delay any longer.

“It seems that Ruel-nim needs a rest now.”

“I slept a lot in the carriage, and I took a rest.”

“I heard the results of the examination from Cassion. You must remain patient.”

“I’m being patient right now.”

Fran said that he was stable, and Ruel had been lying quietly in bed until now.

“The wound…”

“Billo, you go out and get my uncle. Will I have to tell you again to understand?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

‘What should I do with a grandson-like child who doesn’t listen.’

Billo rubbed his slightly bitter heart as he saw Ruel, who had a lot on his back and tried to keep carrying it even if it was too much to bear.

“I’ll call in Mr. Tyson. Rest well, then.”

—He is saying this out of concern for Ruel, so Ruel shouldn’t be angry.

Leo banged Ruel on the forehead.

“I know, just a little.”

Ruel fiddled with Leo’s ears.

“I’m a little impatient.”

He was in the Cyronian longer than he planned.

The thought of doing something to get out of bed kept running around in his head.

“…Ha.”

Ruel let out a sigh and looked at the spirits playing on his shoulders, treating him like a slide.

He thought the castle grounds were good, but compared to Setiria, he was a nobleman.

This was just a world of spirits.

While coming to his room he saw countless spirits.

The size was also bigger than the spirits clinging to the body.

Fortunately, the number of clinging spirits was limited.

Kuro Kuruu.

There was a sound of excitement.

‘It’s lively.’

—Everyone came to smell Ruel.

“Are they going to stay like this?”

—No. There are also spirits that have left.

“…What?”

Leo grabbed the one in front of him with his short front paws.

If the existing spirit is the size of a thumb, the spirit that Leo caught is the size of the palm.

As expected, it wasn’t just his imagination that the spirits got bigger.

—When it grows this big, it will leave for other spirits.

“What does that mean?”

—It is said that if the spirits smell Ruel’s scent, they will grow. The reason why this body has grown may be because this body is next to Ruel! This body wants to grow big enough to carry Ruel!

Leo smiled and wagged his tail.

Ruel was so confused that he couldn’t even speak.

It said that the bell-sounding ore did not simply give off a smell that the spirits liked.

‘… Then, did I become a hot place for spirits?’

“Still, you don’t have to worry because they’ll make sure to erase the things that aren’t from this world from the wound and leave.”

No matter how harmless, there were too many spirits.

Ruel bites his lip.

Knock. Knock.

“May I enter, my lord?”

“Come in.”

As soon as Tyson opened the door, he looked around with a curious face.

“As expected, this natural mana was coming from you, Ruel.”

“Can you feel it?”

“Every time I feel it, it’s a blessing. Thanks to you, the knights feel comfortable.”

“What?”

“The fact that there is a lot of natural mana floating around means that the knights can increase their mana and aura more, so who wouldn’t be happy?”

Ruel asked, relaxed his stern expression, “Then does that apply to me?”

“You’re a wizard, so of course.”

‘Pretty things.’

The sound, which had been a little annoying, suddenly sounded beautiful like the singing of birds in the mountains.

“Can I hear what happened?”

“At the Cyronian Royal Warehouse…”

—This body discovered it. The spirit was on a stone, so this body rescued it!

Leo hovered around Tyson with a face of pride.

“Does it mean that the Spirit-nim discovered the Spirit Stone?”

—This body didn’t know that. This body only loved the ringing sound.

“A stone that makes a sound?”

“Do you know something?”

Seeing Tyson’s thoughtful look, Ruel asked urgently.

He wanted to hear exactly what the stone was.

Tyson shook his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s mentioned in any book I’ve seen.”

“No, it’s okay.”

The Spirits were like an unknown world.

In the first place, being able to see the spirit was special.

‘If you follow the spirit that’s leaving once grown up, won’t you know where it goes?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read