I Became a Sick Nobleman-Chapter 187: Let’s start (2)

Ruel followed Ganien’s gaze to a distant table where Aris was gesturing and speaking animatedly.

Ganien revealed, “Aris has been awake for three consecutive nights. Given his skills, it’s not surprising…”

“Three nights?” Ruel was taken aback.

Although Aris’s face was getting worse, he was originally good at handling things on his own, so he left it alone as Tyson and the magic knights were digging into the magic circle together.

“Tonight will mark the fourth night,” Cassion remarked, placing snacks on the table.

‘Four nights…’ Ruel’s expression darkened. He blamed himself for forgetting how wizards often became consumed by their research.

“Aris.” Ruel stood up and approached him.

“Ruel-nim!” Aris greeted him eagerly, showing a piece of paper. “Ruel-nim, I might have…”

“Aris.” Regardless of Aris’s progress with the magic circle, Ruel was concerned about his well-being.

“Take a break. We can talk once you’ve rested.” Ruel pointed firmly at the bed.

Aris looked disappointed. “N-Now?”

“Ganien, we’ll depart once Aris has rested. Please make the necessary arrangements,” Ruel instructed and continued to point at the bed.

“Understood. I’ll inform His Majesty at the appropriate time,” Ganien acknowledged as Aris reluctantly settled into bed and nibbled on a meat pie.

Crunch.

Ganien’s eyes widened. The moment he took a bite, the juices exploded along with the crispiness, setting it apart from any other pie. With Cassion’s cooking skills improved from before, Ganien glanced at Cassion and chuckled.

“Cassion. You could be a chef. No, you were already a chef, weren’t you?”

***

Ruel reclined on the sofa, reviewing documents.

Crunch.

As he took a bite of the meat pie, he pondered the location of those lunatics and how to piece this information together.

Zzzz.

Hearing soft breathing, Ruel briefly set down the documents and looked over at Leo. Leo seemed to have eaten enough snacks and the powder from the Black Wayfinder, now lying sprawled on his back, sounded asleep.

He playfully popped a bubble on Leo’s nose and teasingly brought the pie closer to him, causing Leo to stir in his sleep. Leo quickly began to lick his lips and moved his front paws.

“I’ll take Aris to his room,” Cassion offered, seeing Aris occupying Ruel’s intended resting place.

Since Ruel had to leave for Cyronian again, he needed to conserve his energy as much as possible. Thanks to the necklace Medeas gave them, the mark had stopped, and Leo had been slowly eating away at the black stuff remaining in Ruel’s body, but it couldn’t be said that Ruel’s body was back to normal. Moreover, he had lost weight.

Ruel glanced at Aris, asleep on the bed, and decided, “Let him rest.”

“Ruel-nim, until we depart for Cyronian…”

“I understand. Just for today. He deserves the rest after his hard work,” Ruel reassured Cassion, who seemed surprised by his leniency. It didn’t seem like something Ruel, who was the same age as Aris, should be saying.

“Cassion.”

“Yes?”

“Have the shadows had enough rest by now?”

In the past few days, while Ruel focused on recuperating, it was also an opportunity for the shadows, who had been tirelessly active since arriving in the Kran Kingdom, to take a well-deserved break.

“Ruel-nim, when will I…”

“By tomorrow, you will have plenty of swords at your disposal.” Ruel interjected, a smile playing on his lips.

A slight twitch appeared on Cassion’s lips.

The King of Kran had decided to offer several treasures from the royal treasury as a gesture of apology for recent events. Ruel almost declined, but he reconsidered. While it didn’t equate to his suffering, it was better than leaving the Kran Kingdom empty-handed.

“The shadows are always prepared,” Cassion affirmed, bowing.

“I’m uncertain about how things will unfold, but I hope the shadows can assist during this staged raid as well.”

“Certainly. Inform me when the time comes.”

The Shadows were residents of the Ice Castle, able to face the Blue Knights in secret, without loyalty, and untraceable.

‘Ah. I forgot to inform Cassion about the king’s whereabouts.’

Ruel recalled the fact he had forgotten. But for now, he wanted a cup of apple tea. It wouldn’t be too late to mention it afterward.

“Just bring me a cup of apple tea.”

“Understood. I’ll return shortly.” Cassion displayed heightened respect, though Ruel knew it wouldn’t last.

As Cassion left, Ruel perused some documents until he was interrupted by Hikars’s voice.

“Ruel-nim.”

“Go on.”

Ruel could sense what Hikars was about to say from his stern expression.

“I have bad news.”

“So, both Leponia and Cyronian are suspected to have magic circles.”

“Yes. There were places within each royal palace where death was gathered.” Hikars slightly bowed his head.

“You don’t need to apologize to me.”

“We didn’t do our job properly.”

“It’s fine. You couldn’t have confirmed it properly since there must have been barriers.”

“That’s true, but…” Hikars seemed hesitant to continue, appearing uneasy.

Ruel inhaled Breath. It was now evident that Jayel’s rebellion had been a diversion. The Great Man’s strategy against Leponia was becoming clearer.

‘Once all nations ally with Leponia, he might utilize that magic circle.’

When a nation’s capital is paralyzed, and ominous black water spreads, hope lies in an ally. However, that hope could swiftly turn to despair.

The same thing would happen across all nations. What will the Great Man do with people’s despair? He would give them false hope, surely driving them out from the barriers while hiding in Leponia.

To make them despair by betraying those they trusted. To make them tremble as they were forsaken by everyone. Perhaps that would be his revenge.

‘But that won’t come to pass.’

Ruel smirked. The Great Man’s scheme would crumble in his hands. To thwart him, Ruel needed to devise a plan.

“Hikars.”

“Yes, Ruel-nim. Please proceed.”

“I apologize.”

“…!”

Taken aback by Ruel’s unexpected apology, Hikars swiftly knelt down.

“If I have done anything wrong, please scold me.”

Ruel was equally surprised. He hadn’t anticipated Hikars to kneel like that.

“Rise quickly.”

“I don’t understand why you are apologizing to us.”

“You were given a difficult role.”

“Not at all!” Hikars shouted in a panic, devoid of any resentment towards Ruel. “We follow Ruel-nim, and you treat us more kindly than any devotee of darkness. So please, I hope you won’t apologize to us.”

Hikars appeared genuinely distressed, as if he had been scolded. In any case, it was a relief that he was okay.

“Alright. I understand. You can go now,” Ruel said with a slight smile.

Busy with his responsibilities as a warlock, which extended beyond the tasks assigned by Ruel, guiding people to a proper death, Hikars bid farewell.

“Then, Ruel-nim, please don’t hesitate to call me whenever you need,” Hikars said with a bright smile before stepping into his shadow.

Crunch.

Ruel finished the last of his meat pie, licking his lips, as a knock sounded at the door.

Cassion entered the room, filling the air with the fragrance of apple tea. Leo, perked up at the scent and eagerly approached Cassion, circling around him.

—Apple tea!

Leo’s tail wagged excitedly as Cassion poured apple tea into his bowl before offering a cup to Ruel.

Ruel called for Leo, “Leo.”

Leo smiled at the cup Ruel was shaking.

—I got it! This body will cool it down for you.

Ruel lowered the cup as much as possible so that Leo could touch it, and Leo, who had run over in a hurry, touched the cup. When the steam began to subside, Ruel finally brought the apple tea to his lips. It had cooled just enough to drink.

“Thank you.” Ruel said, seeing Leo’s gaze seeking praise, set the apple tea down on the nearby table and patted Leo’s head.

—Hee hee hee.

Leo laughed contentedly and then dashed back to his bowl.

“Ruel-nim, are you comfortable?” Cassion asked as he sat on the opposite sofa, polishing his sword.

“It’s bearable.”

That was a roundabout way of saying it wasn’t comfortable.

Cassion glanced at Aris. Earlier, he had tried to let a bit of killing intent slip, but Aris hadn’t even reacted. How could Cassion handle the situation when Ruel insisted on ignoring it?

Ruel inhaled Breath, following Cassion’s gaze. The sight of Aris occupying the bed seemed to bother him, but thankfully, he was feeling relatively well today. Perhaps tomorrow will be even better.

“Cassion, if I’m not comfortable, I’ll let you know. Please don’t worry about it anymore.”

“Understood.” Cassion replied dispassionately before starting to clean his sword.

Scrape, scrape.

Ruel continued to review a few more documents and infused mana into his ring. He remembered that there was someone he needed to contact. It seemed like it had been a while since their last communication.

“Your Hi…”

-Oh, Lord Setiria. I was starting to think you had fallen victim to poison, given how long it’s been since we last spoke.

Before Ruel could greet Banios, he spoke first.

-And the news of you recruiting a warlock and a magic circle creating black water under the Kran Kingdom… It’s odd that I heard about it from Sir Tyson before you told me.

Banios’s tone conveyed his hurt feelings for not being informed first. Although it wasn’t something that could be resolved immediately, it needed to be addressed. Who delivered the message was less important than ensuring it was communicated.

‘Is he upset because I’ve spent too much money on research? No, he wouldn’t be that petty. He is a prince, after all.’

Ruel could only think of money as the reason for Banios’s displeasure.

-So, why did you suddenly reach out today? Are your research funds running low?

As Banios continued in an irritated tone, Ruel reluctantly asked, “Your Highness, are you upset?”

-Yes, I am annoyed. What do you take me for?

It seemed Banios was upset that Ruel hadn’t informed him first, displaying childish behavior. Despite feeling amused, Ruel maintained a gentle tone.

“Your Highness.”

Cassion, who had paused while polishing his sword, glanced at Ruel.

-Tell me.

“I needed to discuss something with Sir Tyson, which naturally brought it to my attention earlier. I didn’t mean to overlook you, Your Highness.”

-Haha! Your way with words is truly something.

“Your Highness, what I’m about to share is something even Sir Tyson is unaware of. I needed time to organize it before informing you. I hope you understand.”

-Enough. Carry on as usual. I can’t get used to this.

Banios seemed exasperated.

‘Who asked for this?’ Ruel managed to suppress a chuckle.

-Alright, what information do you have for me first?

“Your Highness, this information is not yet confirmed.”

-Uncertain information, you say… If you’re conveying it, it must be significant. I’ll listen attentively.

“Firstly, what I need to tell you is… the Great Man is targeting my body.”

–Your body?

Banios sounded surprised, his voice strained.

“Yes, Your Highness. As you already know, the Great Man can possess others…”

-Unbelievable!

A curse slipped out of Banios’ mouth before he composed himself.

-I-I’m sorry. So, the Great Man is after your body… Why would he target you? Not to offend, but why would he want such a frail body?

Actually, if given the body for free, Ruel would have refused it outright. But each word, no matter how true, felt harsh to him, and he shot a stern look at Cassion, who was chuckling.

“He seeks something in the Leponia Royal Treasury.”

-W-what?

Banios was so shocked that he struggled to speak.

“Moreover, what he’s searching for is…”

-Wait, Ruel. Just a moment. Please speak slowly. These are extraordinary stories… I hope you’re not saying this because of my earlier rudeness.

“How could I? Your Highness must hear this.”

The sound of Banios breathing heavily indicated he was taking a deep breath.

-Alright. Go on.

“He is searching for his own body.”

Banios fell silent for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

“Your Highness.”

-Is that really true?

Banios abruptly stopped laughing. His voice turned solemn.

“While I can’t say for certain, shouldn’t we prepare?” Ruel patiently waited for the room to fill with silence.

Banios must have been deep in thought, grasping the implications of Ruel’s words. Preparation. Preparing to defend against the enemy’s invasion.

-Ruel.

Banios called his name seriously.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

-Please don’t worry about Leponia. Just as you protect Setiria, it’s our duty, the King’s and mine, to safeguard the country. Focus on your own plans. The royal family will stand by you, regardless of the circumstances.

It was expected, considering there were princes who shamelessly sought aid from the kingdom, that Banios displayed a noble attitude.

“Of course, Your Highness. I will place my trust in you.”

Knowing that protecting the country was not his responsibility, Ruel felt somewhat relieved. He finally brought the apple tea to his lips. The refreshing taste spread throughout his mouth, causing him to smile involuntarily. After ending the conversation with Banios, Ruel fixed his gaze on Cassion.

“Do you have something to discuss with me?”

“I’ve discovered the whereabouts of the ‘King.'”

Cassion’s hands, previously occupied with polishing his sword, came to a halt. Ruel lightly tapped his forehead.

“The first Setiria touched my forehead before he vanished. Because of that, I witnessed various things in my dream, including a childhood memory.”

Cassion’s demeanor remained composed, indicating that such revelations no longer surprised him.

“Where is this ‘King’ located?”

“At the Ice Castle.”

Cassion was taken aback, almost dropping his sword before regaining his composure.

“What… what did you say?”

“I said the Ice Castle.”

“That can’t be. As the owner of the Ice Castle, I should be aware of such things.”

“You can’t see the spirits. You didn’t even see the fragments left by the ‘King’ at that time.”

“…”

Cassion was left speechless. The solution to everything lay in a place that was practically in his own backyard.

“Could you pour me another cup of tea?”

Despite being the most shocked and annoyed, the one calmly requesting tea was quite amusing. Cassion maintained his usual demeanor, much like Ruel.

“Understood.”

Cassion rose and filled the cup Ruel had offered with apple tea.

—Give this body some more as well!

Leo approached with a bowl in his mouth, placed it in front of Cassion, and wagged his tail with a smile.