Chapter 141: It's my heart that goes

-You... damn it. Haa. Bast, no, you... you really...

Without waiting to hear what Ruel was going to say, Ganien interrupted him.

“It’s nothing important to you, right?”

At Ruel’s amused laughter, Ganien couldn’t hold back the curse he had been holding in.

Ruel petted Leo while waiting for Ganien to finish his swearing.

-Are you crazy? The balance of the world? The last wall? Seriously?

“Um.”

-What is the name of the first patriarch?

“I don’t know. Maybe something like Setiria.”

-Dig up that bastard’s grave.

“Well, that’s actually what I was planning to do.”

What’s so great about the legacy that forced Setiria into sacrifice?

It was a waste of land to give.

-He’ll sacrifice alone, so why force everyone to sacrifice one after another? What a fucking bastard.

Ruel nodded instinctively at Ganien’s impassioned words, even though he knew Ganien couldn’t see him.

“Anyway, Ganien. There’s still more to uncover about Cyronian.”

-And what happened to you again?

Ganien sounded horrified.

“Prazio has entered Setiria once more.”

-What? Did the Red Ash return?

Ganien let out a laugh as if he was shocked.

“That’s still being investigated. It’s suspicious that Prazio appeared as soon as we started trading with Cyronian. There’s no solid evidence yet, but suspicions are growing.”

-As you mentioned, there’s still more to uncover. I’ll personally inform His Majesty. No, I’ll discuss it with him tomorrow when I go to work. It would be better for you to contact him directly, right?

“Yeah.”

After inhaling Breath, Ruel continued speaking, “And have you heard the news about the Kingdom of Kran sending an envoy to Leponia?”

-I have. I can’t comprehend what those guys are thinking. The ones who used to look down on us are now trying to make amends or something.

It appeared that the reports of Kran sending an envoy to Cyronian were indeed true.

“Ganien.”

-Say.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been through a lot, but why does the current situation seem so suspicious? It seems like everything is going too smoothly, doesn’t it?”

-Yes, I feel uneasy too. Kran has always been good at betraying us.

“Betraying us?”

When Ruel momentarily stopped his hand, Leo opened his eyes and stared at Ruel intently.

-When the Tonisk Empire was about to collapse, they reached out to us first to form an alliance and then stabbed us in the back. In short, they’re a treacherous bunch. That’s why we dislike them.

Geographically, Cyronian and Kran were positioned on either side of the Tonisk Empire.

It seemed that they considered themselves the biggest competitors now that the empire had collapsed.

-Anyway, we still don’t know how things will turn out. His Majesty is considering it, but it might take some time for the decision.

“Yeah, please inform me when the decision is made. And make sure to handle the Red Ash situation properly.”

-I’d love to, but conflicts of interest are difficult. Unlike Leponia, we have many nobles here.

As Ganien said, there are more than thirty times as many nobles in Cyronian as in Leponia, which must have been troublesome.

-But Bianne Chen, whom you handed over, still has a scent, so I’ll need to investigate further. Anyway, thanks.

“Yeah.”

Just as Ruel was about to end the communication, Ganien urgently called out to him.

-Just a moment.

“What now?”

Ruel responded curtly.

There didn’t seem to be much left to discuss with Ganien.

-... I was wondering if it was worth living.

“It’s still worth living. Then.”

-Wait a sec. I haven’t arrived home yet.

“I’m done with my business. That’s it.”

-Hey, hey! Just a moment...

Before Ganien could finish his sentence, Ruel ended the communication and lay down on the bed.

—It sparkles.

Leo opened his eyes and looked at Ruel’s ring.

The sparkling sight made his pupils shimmer even more.

‘He’s persistent today.’

It seemed that Ganien was going home with his mouth, not his feet.

“Why?” Ruel asked in a disgruntled voice.

-Last time when the gates of the Tonisk Empire opened, there were those guys we missed.

Afraid that Ruel might end the call, Ganien quickly spoke up at the mention of the Tonisk Empire.

Ruel tried to hang up but stopped at the mention of the Tonisk Empire.

When he first heard this story, he thought it was strange.

Those presumed to be soldiers suddenly disappeared?

Was that really possible?

“Did you find any traces?”

-I didn’t find any traces, but I figured out what was left behind at that time. It’s definitely not teleportation magic.

As expected, Ruel didn’t jump to conclusions and sought the expertise of Tyson regarding teleportation magic.

Tyson confirmed that it was impossible and mentioned that teleportation magic takes at least 30 seconds to perform.

“What kind of trace was it?”

-They mentioned that they saw traces of a warlock. Whether it’s a warlock or a magic user who manipulates darkness, they’re not common, so it’s hard to say for sure.

‘A warlock?’

The Shadows were searching for them, yet there were no signs of their presence.

“But... I can’t find it anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, well, I’ve never seen anything like it before, so I don’t know what to say, but that strange structure exploded like a bomb and disappeared, leaving behind the previous illness.” Fran looked perplexed throughout her explanation.

The illness grew back.

She couldn’t tell if it was a temporary phenomenon or not, so it felt like a dream.

Deep wrinkles formed on Cassion’s forehead.

‘Did the Great Man interfere again?’

Ruel had mentioned encountering the Great Man in a certain space before.

At that time, the Great Man had touched Ruel’s mark, causing the structure of the illness to change.

He had been foolish to believe that was all.

He should have been more suspicious.

‘Damn it...’

What the hell does this mean?

“I will continue to watch over him.” Fran gathered her resolve, swallowing back tears that seemed on the verge of spilling.

Scratch. Scratch.

The sound of a small fox scratching at the door made Cassion feel uneasy and frustrated.

This was a very unfamiliar feeling to him, but one he had experienced before.

It was a sense of helplessness.

***

Three days later.

Banios received a message from the royal palace and headed straight to Ruel’s room.

The atmosphere in the mansion was heavy and dark, making him question if it was the same place he had been staying in.

Despite knocking on the door and entering, Cassion, who sat in front of the bed, remained motionless.

Banios didn’t find it rude; he found it pitiful.

Even though he had been informed that Ruel would wake up today or tomorrow, Banios didn’t believe it.

He thought it was merely a figure of speech implying that Ruel’s condition was critical.

But he was mistaken.

“The envoy from the Kingdom of Kran has arrived,” Banios said, regardless of whether Cassion heard him or not. Only then did Cassion push back his disheveled hair and rise from his seat.

“Yes, I will convey the message to Ruel-nim once he wakes up,” Cassion’s voice was cold.

“I have taken care of the eavesdropping, so you can rest assured.”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t have stayed silent if this news had leaked outside.”

It wasn’t something a mere butler would say to a crown prince.

However, Banios forcibly suppressed the instinctive warning and his discomfort.

Without drawing back the curtain that concealed Ruel’s appearance, he sat down beside Cassion.

“He will wake up.”

“He will.”

“But, why don’t you eat something?”

Every time Banios visited Ruel’s room, Cassion never left his chair.

He seemed like a wounded beast that had lost its appetite.

“It’s okay.”

Cassion was not alone.

Every knight in the manor had become a beast.

Banios felt a deep sense of envy towards their loyalty.

***

Four days later.

As Ruel’s fingers twitched, Leo hurriedly approached his face.

Tears welled up in Leo’s eyes upon seeing Ruel’s trembling eyelids.

—Ruel! Ruel!

Leo called out to him desperately.

When Ruel’s hand touched his body, Leo held back his emotions, but tears inevitably streamed down his cheeks.

—What Fran and Cassion say, this body doesn’t know but this body knows that Ruel was in a lot of pain.

Ruel, who was already pale, became even paler, as if buried in snow.

—Even if this body was hungry, this body endured this time.

Black things accumulated inside Ruel’s body, but Leo judged that he shouldn’t eat because there was too much blood on the bed that day.

—This body didn’t go to Aris either. Sob, leaning against the door, this body listened to Ruel’s heartbeat quietly.

Leo was terrified that the faint sound of the heartbeat might disappear at any moment.

Ruel opened heavy eyelids, hearing Leo’s whimper.

He hadn’t dreamt of anything.

It felt like he had just slept for a long time.

‘...I really thought I was going to die this time.’

Something was off.

The symptoms seemed familiar, but they were different.

It felt as though death was spreading through his veins like poison.

‘Did the Great Man plant something?’

“Are you... awake?” Cassion’s voice strained as he struggled to open his mouth.

Ruel was taken aback by the sight of Cassion’s unfamiliar face.

The gravity of the situation must have been immense.

Ruel smiled, not asking any questions.

“... see?” Ruel managed to speak after taking a deep breath. “...That I won’t die.”

“Yes, I knew.”

Cassion answered with a faint smile.

Author's Thoughts

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