Chapter 19: The Wizard Came (4)

Chapter 19: The Wizard Came (4)

“Cough, cough.”

Ruel coughed furiously when the carriage was just around the corner.

My back bent down due to the pain, the cane was the only thing holding me up.

‘...Damn it.’

I can’t believe I’m like this when I have to show off my confidence.

Ruel coughed and stopped as Cassion prepared to receive vomit at any time.

“I’m not throwing up.”

“Is that so? Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

As I straightened my bowed waist, I could see everyone’s worried gaze on me.

“The carriage is here.”

Feeling burdened by the gaze, Ruel decided to board the wagon quickly.

The new foothold was firm enough for me to climb on my own.

Cassion, Ganien, and Ruel were seated in Setiria’s undecorated, small carriage. Their carriage followed Drianna’s wagon.

“Aren’t you going to overdo it?”

Ganien asked bluntly. Ruel asked on the contrary.

“Why?”

There are a lot of people who can do it.

Ganien loosened his stiff face at the words.

Ruel reached out to Cassion. The amount of snacks Astell made was so large that I left it to him.

Cassion said, taking out a basket.

“They also put in the akals they got from the kids.”

‘Allergies and other things are said and it seems to work.’

Crunch.

The sound of cookies breaking filled the carriage.

‘It’s delicious.’

***

Drianna’s carriage stopped at the village on the border between Setiria and Lumina.

Cassion woke up Ruel.

“Ruel, you need to get up.”

It had been a long time since Ruel was physically exhausted and fainted.

As I struggled to open my eyes, the sky outside the window became dark.

“Have we arrived?”

Ruel’s voice was locked.

“I think you have a fever.”

Ganien sensed the heat from Ruel’s body.

“I have a fever if I overdo it, but it’s still okay. If I get some rest, I’ll fall off.”

Knock. Knock.

Ganien opened the carriage door.

Right in front of the carriage door opened, Drianna smiled broadly and said, “We’ve arrived.”

“Wait a minute, please. Ruel hasn’t come to his senses yet.”

At Ganien’s words, Drianna clasped her hands tightly with a worried expression.

“I, I’ll carry you.”

“You don’t have to.”

Ruel breathed heavily when he saw the turn.

It’s just that there was always a slight fever. But he was also busy.

I got a little dizzy, so I got off the wagon with Cassion’s support.

“Then I’ll bring you there by magic.” Drianna said in a fidgety way.

Normally, it would be ignored by Ruel, but this time, there was a special word in there.

“Magic?”

His interest was piqued. He had never seen magic.

Ruel said, “Try it.”

“Leave it to me!”

“No, you can’t.”

“No, you can’t.”

Then, Ganien and Cassion changed at the same time.

Ruel’s face frowned.

“Why?”

“Didn’t you intend to use [Hold]?”

Ganien stared at Drianna. She was intimidated and cringed.

“That’s right. It is the most suitable magic for lifting objects or people.”

“Ruel’s body won’t be able to withstand the magic and will break.”

“It’s hold.”

It seemed that the word ‘only’ was omitted before Drianna’s words.

“He’s a sick Lord. Unlike [Hold] or anything, mana flows directly to Ruel, doesn’t it? He will not be able to stand it.”

Cassion explained politely.

Drianna’s eyes glistened.

“You mean he can’t even hold on?”

“That’s right.”

At those words, she looked at Ruel as if she had decided something.

“I’ll make a new one for him. Please look forward to it.”

‘...What?’

Ruel wondered what was left out sharply.

“This way, my Lord.”

When he saw the glaring eyes of Drianna, Ruel decided to relax and wait.

‘I’m giving you a present, so you have to wait.’

***

Drianna led us to an ordinary house in town.

As soon as he entered, Ruel was stunned.

Unlike the narrow buildings seen from the outside, the interior was spacious enough to be called a mansion.

“This is the magic my master has installed.”

Drianna spoke with pride.

‘It’s amazing.’

After walking for a while, I saw a man among the flowers.

With his neatly cut hair and beard than he had expected, he didn’t look like someone who had been stuck in a room for years.

There were two graves in front of him, and he was just about to offer flowers on them.

Ruel made a sound and proceeded, but the man did not even respond.

Looking at one of the tombs, Ruel flinched.

His own name was written on it.

‘I feel bad.’

Ruel clicked his tongue.

“I’m not dead.”

The man reacted to the voice.

He turned his head away from placing the flower. Ruel said, looking at the blue flowers that were trodden under his feet.

“...that’s my brother’s favorite flower.”

The man soon laughed, as if he didn’t see Ruel.

“I was in phantasmagoria, and it looks like I had hallucinations.”

“Ruel Setiria is not dead.”

“......!”

“Come out, Uncle.”

The man got up from his seat with his mouth open and approached Ruel with difficulty as if he had just started walking.

He reached out and put his hand on Ruel’s shoulder. I felt a tremor.

The man’s eyes quickly turned red.

“Is it Rue-... l? It’s not a hallucination, is it?”

“It’s not a hallucination. It’s not an illusion.”

“Hah, can you confirm one thing for me?”

A throbbing appeared within his body.

As soon as it spread to himself, something poured down.

It was blood, too red.

Ruel collapsed helplessly, feeling the pain of his whole body.

“...Ah.”

The man did not receive the falling Ruel. The blood splattered on his hand was hot.

The illusion disappeared at that moment.

The only thing left in the room was himself and the fallen Ruel.

Only then did Ruel’s condition become visible.

The man was screaming and hugged Ruel.

“Ahhhh!”

He stormed out of the room that had been stuck for years.

***

Whizz.

A loud noise echoed in my ears as if someone was running a vacuum cleaner.

Ruel couldn’t resist the sound and opened his eyes.

‘I’ve never seen this ceiling before’

I blinked and my whole body throbbed and frowned.

Doesn’t it seem like I’ve got a flu?

When I opened my mouth to find Cassion, it was not the sound but the black blood.

“Whew.”

It was not until it poured out twice as much as usual that the buzzing sound stopped.

Ruel was exhausted and fell back on the pillow.

“...are you all right?”

Only then did I hear it clearly.

Cassion’s voice was full of worries as usual.

Ruel turned his eyes and looked at Cassion.

Behind him, even Ganien spoke with an anxious look on his face.

“How are you feeling?”

“Why...”

I couldn’t speak well because my voice was hoarse.

I wanted to ask you why you’re here.

“That idiot blew a lot of mana into you.”

Ganien looked at someone.

When Ruel turned his head around, there was a man with swollen eyes.

‘Is that Ruel’s uncle?’

“I’m glad Cassion was holding the finest potion just in time. Otherwise...”

While talking, Ganien looked at the man furiously.

How angry he must have forgotten to be polite.

‘A potion?’

Potion was the only wound recovery medicine in the ‘SSS-class Knight.’

It works well depending on the grade, but it was ineffective on diseases and only worked on external wounds.

When Ruel saw Cassion, he lifted his index finger and put it around his mouth.

I realized that he said so because he did not want to say anything about the power of recovery.

Instead of words, Ruel blinked his eyes and replied that he knew.

“It’s been about two days.”

‘The power of recovery, of course.’

“Maybe it’s better to say that your whole body, uh, collapsed because of Mana, or split up.

I don’t know. Anyway, it was the worst because you had blood all over your body.”

‘... Also the power of recovery.’

Gulp.

Ruel swallowed his saliva for no reason.

‘Wait a minute...’

Isn’t this what happened because of the swaying thing that the man sent to him?

In other words, the swaying thing was Mana and he could see Mana himself.

Ruel couldn’t stop his frown.

“Are you sick?”

“...uh.”

I closed my eyes answering Cassion’s question.

It hurts.

I was heartbroken because my chance to become an archmage just flew away.