“...Ah. Wait a moment.”
Treitol stopped Torto, who was about to approach the carriage.
“I will speak directly. After all, it’s my fault.”
Torto glanced briefly at Aris, who shook his head.
Ruel still hadn’t arrived.
At the command to delay as much time as possible, Aris clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly before finally stepping forward.
“I greet the Great Small Sun of the Kran Kingdom.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Treitol smiled.
“I am Aris, the escort knight of Lord Ruel Setiria.”
“Are you the magic swordsman Aris?”
“It’s embarrassing, but yes.”
“I’ve heard much about you. You imbue magic into your sword, correct? If you have the time, I’d love to see it.”
“It’s a great honor that you remember such a humble person.”
Bowing his head, Aris cautiously addressed Treitol again.
“Your Highness. May this humble one speak?”
“Speak.”
“I regret to inform you that Ruel-nim is not in a condition to receive you at this time. Please allow me to convey this quietly.”
“...I see.”
Seeing Treitol genuinely worried for Ruel, Torto felt a sense of relief inside.
Surely, with this much concern, he wouldn’t press further.
“I’ve made a tremendous mistake. Not only did I come unannounced, but I also approached the carriage of Setiria when he was unwell.”
Treitol looked at Aris.
“Then... can you let him know I would like to visit later to apologize?”
“Yes. Of course. I will ensure it is conveyed.”
Only after hearing Aris’s response did Treitol turn away.
As Aris felt a wave of relief seeing Treitol take a step or two away from the carriage, his eyes widened suddenly.
“Aris, what kind of rudeness is that to His Highness?”
The carriage door opened, and Ruel’s voice came through.
“R-Ruel-nim! I apologize.” Aris stammered, shock evident in his expression, but he quickly concealed it, bowing his head towards the carriage.
Ttak. Ttak.
The sound of a cane striking the ground echoed.
“Cough.” Ruel’s cough accompanied his appearance.
Treitol stopped in his tracks and turned back.
For a moment, his eyes flickered.
“I am honored to meet the Great Little Sun. Please forgive my knight and my rudeness, Your Highness.”
Supporting himself with the help of Cassion, Ruel stepped down and bowed his head to Treitol.
“No, I heard that you were... not feeling well?”
“Even if I’m unwell, how could I stay inside the carriage when you’ve come to visit, Your Highness?”
With a simple smile, Ruel raised his head once more.
Treitol looked taken aback.
Why was he so surprised? Ruel didn’t know the reason, but he was determined to strip away any mask Treitol Kran might be wearing.
“How could you arrive without any notice, Your Highness? If I had known in advance, I would have come out to greet you.”
Having regained his composure, Treitol slowly smiled.
“Lord Setiria, I was eager to meet you.”
Ruel returned the smile.
If the other party was brazen, then he had to be even more so.
“I also wanted to meet you, Your Highness.”
Soon, Ruel’s expression turned apologetic as he fiddled with his cane.
“...I truly apologize for our previous meeting being cut short due to my health. I hope you have been well, Your Highness?”
“Not at all. Don’t worry about it. How have you been, Lord Setiria? I was worried since you weren’t well at that time.”
“I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern.”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear that.” Treitol Kran smiled as if he were truly relieved.
“I have been waiting eagerly for you to arrive as an envoy to the Kran Kingdom. By the way, are you feeling alright now? You don’t look your best.”
“I caught a bit of a cold due to the cold weather. But it’s not serious enough to worry about.”
“Would it be alright if I joined you in the carriage?”
Treitol whispered, glancing around.
“I have something I need to tell you.”
‘Something to tell me?’
Ruel had two assumptions about why Treitol had come to see him.
One was that if Treitol wasn’t the Great Man, he might have something urgent to communicate.
This was something he needed to hear.
Ruel slightly bowed his head and gestured towards the carriage.
“Of course, Your Highness. Please, get in quickly.”
“Thank you, Lord Setiria.”
Before stepping away, Treitol lightly waved at those he had brought with him.
Watching them step back, Treitol climbed into the carriage.
Since royalty was present, Cassion could not join them, so only Ruel climbed into the carriage.
The carriage started moving, and only then did Treitol, who seemed burdened, speak up.
“Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Setiria.”
“It’s alright. What is the urgent matter you wish to discuss with me?”
Treitol glanced toward the window before carefully meeting Ruel’s gaze again.
“Help me.”
A simple request, but it left Ruel puzzled.
With a smile still on his face, he replied,
“...I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“I’ve heard that you’ve assisted the Cyronian Kingdom.”
“Rumors often tend to exaggerate.”
“Whether it’s a rumor or not, this matter concerns you. Help me, Lord Setiria.”
Ruel maintained his smiling expression, intertwining his fingers and placing them over his stomach.
The smile that had briefly appeared on his face slowly faded away.
“Your Highness, I’m terribly sorry, but this is not a situation where we can exchange jokes.”
“It’s no joke; he really has his sights set on your body.”
“My body?” Ruel scoffed. “No, if he wanted to kill me, he would have done it already. Why would he want this worthless body?”
Ruel struggled to continue his words, trying to soothe his emotions.
“Your Highness wouldn’t be making such statements on purpose... I’d like to ask what information you possess.”
“I... don’t know. Because of the mana oath that they have for the Great Man, I couldn’t find out more details. I feel sorry for causing unnecessary confusion.”
It was unclear whether he genuinely didn’t know and was backing away, or if he was just pretending to retreat, but Treitol quickly switched topics.
“In any case, the threat isn’t just directed at you; they’re also after my brother.”
“You mean Prince Adea Kran?”
“Indeed. Their target is the Kran Kingdom itself. My brother is the one who will succeed the throne and become the next king.”
Treitol’s face twisted in desperation as he looked earnestly at Ruel.
“Please help me... help me, Lord Setiria.”
“Your Highness, with all due respect, I am not strong enough to help anyone.”
“I’m not asking for help with mere words. If you come to the castle, I will share all the information I have concerning the Red Ash with you.”
“Your Highness.”
“The enemy is targeting you. Please find out who the Great Man has possessed.”
Ruel’s expression hardened slightly at the notion of being used as bait.
But Treitol, in his princely status, bowed his head to Ruel.
“...Please, just tell me that. I don’t want to lose my brother. I don’t want the Kran Kingdom to fall into their hands.”
The desperate voice for Adea Kran and the kingdom mixed with emotion, leaving Ruel increasingly confused.
He felt shaken about what the truth really was.
***
“This way.”
The attendant guided Ruel to his assigned room.
Behind Ruel followed Aris, Cassion, Noah, and Ganien, disguised as a servant.
“Then please rest comfortably.”
The attendant bowed to Ruel at the door.
“Thank you.”
Ruel exchanged a brief word with the attendant before stepping inside.
Aris and Noah stood guard at the door, while Cassion and Ganien followed him in.
Leo rushed over and immediately clung to the window.
He could see the path they had just taken.
The traces of their earlier passage were still visible, making his tail wag with excitement.
—Everyone called Ruel the Noble of Darkness!
It seemed Leo could not forget the petals and sparkling powder scattered as they passed by in the carriage.
Seeing Ganien’s proud expression made Ruel angry, but Leo’s joy made him hold back his frustration.
“Yeah.”
—This body is so happy! I am so proud!
Leo felt proud and let out an ‘ahem’ so Ruel could hear.
Despite having chosen a carriage designed to be soundproof, the noise from outside was overwhelming.
On the left, there were the calls of ‘Noble of Darkness.’
On the right, there were the calls of ‘Noble of Darkness.’
And from all around—behind and in front—that sound resonated.
It was particularly frustrating that he had to share the carriage with Treitol and couldn’t even curse.
He had suffered so much during that time.
“Ruel-nim, did you gain anything?”
Cassion asked, holding out the meat pie.
Crunch.
Ruel sat on the bed and took a bite of the meat pie instead of responding.
The bubbling rage inside him slowly settled.
Brushing crumbs from his lips, he said, “Ambiguous.”
It truly was ambiguous.
Treitol had even sworn a mana oath.
Yet, he still couldn’t feel at ease.
Was it because he had been hit hard in the back by the Great Man?
Or was it an instinctual feeling of discomfort?
“Even if there are loopholes in the mana oath, the compulsive conditions don’t change.”
“I know.”
Ruel replied, taking another bite of the meat pie.
Crunch.
“I think it would be wise to trust your instincts,” Ganien said as he sat in a chair, “You bear the mark of the Great Man. It’s natural to feel something instinctively.”
“But that instinct isn’t necessarily right. I believe you should make a careful judgment, Ruel-nim.”
Both Ganien and Cassion were correct.
Ruel chuckled.
Currently, he suspected there were four candidates for the Great Man.
First, Adea Kran; second, Treitol Kran; fourth, Jayel Kran; and the King of Kran as well.
It would be wise to meet all of them personally and make a judgment afterward.
“There’s a welcoming party tomorrow?”
“That’s correct.”
The opportunity would be tomorrow.
“Hikars.”
“Yes, did you call for me?”
Hikars appeared near Ruel.
—Hikars!
Leo immediately dashed over to Hikars, blinking his eyes excitedly.
The Great Man had stolen someone else’s body.
Although it was a body changed at the cost of countless lives, Ruel believed it wouldn’t be perfect.
If Treitol was truly the Great Man, wouldn’t Hikars be able to sense the death leaking out from somewhere.
“Did you sense anything strange from the person who rode the carriage with me?”