Tap. Tap.
As Ruel tapped his thigh, the spirits gathered around him.
Kuroo kuru.
When one of them cried out, all the spirits in the room joyfully joined in with their kuroo kuru cries.
Pausing for a mont, Ruel reached out and grabbed one of the spirits.
Kuroo kuru.
It seed that the ti for the spirits to depart was approaching, as they had grown significantly.
Even after absorbing the sounding spirit stone into his body, many spirits remained gathered, indicating that they wouldn’t disappear anyti soon.
The presence of the spirits had increased his mana and slowed down the growth of the marks, and Ruel had grown accustod to their presence.
‘Now that the spirits have grown, maybe it’s ti to follow them and see where they go.’
A smile ford on his lips.
Cassion, Billo, Fran, Cheynol, Tyson, and the others—since they all seed to be urging him to rest, perhaps he should take a break.
‘I’ll use recuperation as an excuse,’ Ruel chuckled, inhaling Breath.
Regardless of the excuse he made, he was the head of the family.
As Ruel prepared to rise from his seat, the spirits moved in unison, as if competing to see who could reach his body first.
“I’m not going anywhere, just stretching,” Ruel reassured them.
Kuroo kuru.
As if understanding his words, the spirits dispersed and began playing among themselves.
‘…what the.’
What was the reason for constantly sticking to him, besides the pleasant scent emanating from his body?
Ruel sits up and cranes his neck, and soon there’s a ‘crack’ sound.
—…!
Leo’s eyes snapped open as he quickly sat up.
—Hah! Ruel’s bone is broken! It wasn’t ! This body’s only broken it once!
“It’s not broken,” Ruel assured him, causing Leo to laugh and lie back down on the bed.
—Ruel, did you sleep well?
“Yes, good morning.”
Leo rolled around on the bed and then widened his eyes.
—Are you feeling better today?
“Yeah, my body feels better than yesterday.”
Leo quickly got up and wagged his tail.
—Can you go out? Can you run? This body is ready at any ti!
“How about doing sothing more fun?”
At the ntion of sothing fun, Leo’s eyes sparkled.
—This body! Leo exclaid, hopping onto Ruel’s lap and looking up at him.
—This body is already excited! Playing with Ruel is the best thing ever!
Leo spread his short legs as wide as possible and hugged Ruel tightly.
—What are we going to play? This body is curious!
“I’ll tell you later.”
Since Leo was a chatterbox, he might have gone to Cassion to tell him about it.
Leo’s tail and ears drooped.
—…Alright. This body’ll be a good Leo and listen when Ruel tells .
It was a bit pitiful to see Leo holding back his excitent, even though it wasn’t really a secret.
Leo sat down and hunched over, gazing at Ruel for a mont.
Ruel chuckled and called out to him, and instantly, one of Leo’s ears perked up.
“Leo.”
Leo looked at Ruel with eager eyes.
“You must be wondering as to where the spirits are heading, right?”
—This body’s curious! This body has been curious from the beginning! We’re both spirits, so this body really wanted to know where they were going, but this body held back!
Leo’s tail wagged so fast that it was almost invisible.
—Are we going to see where the spirits are going? Is that it?
“Yes.”
As soon as Ruel’s words were spoken, Leo jumped up from the bed with joy.
—This body’s excited! This body is happy!
“Leo, where were you born?”
Ruel stood up and stretched, asking Leo. With every movent, the sound of bones creaking could be heard.
—This body doesn’t know.
Leo replied, montarily stopping his movents and tilting his head.
—All this body knows is that this body has a mission to purify what goes against the natural order.
“Well, you might not rember. I don’t rember my childhood mories either.”
Leo’s ears drooped.
—That’s why another purifier called this body a lost cause. This body is unable to purify and does not know the purpose of his birth.
Ruel stopped moving and observed Leo.
Contrary to his somber tone, Leo bounced around the bed again.
—But it’s okay! I am now a great purifier who can purify! If this body ets another purifier later, this body will ask them what this body should do!
Surprisingly, Leo’s recovery was quick, which reassured Ruel.
Leo, who was the most precious being to him, seed to shine even brighter now.
—Thanks to having Ruel by my side, this body was able to overco everything. Hehe.
Ruel turned his waist one last ti before sitting back on the bed, and Leo hopped over to him, wagging his tail.
—But should Ruel really go after the spirits? Isn’t Ruel busy enough? Constantly dealing with the white thing, giving orders to Cassion, calling for Uncle, and going to find the Magic Knights’ whereabouts!
‘I thought I was taking it easy, but hearing it like that, I seem to have been quite busy.’
Ruel inhaled Breath and looked at the IV line.
“It’s okay. I’ll take a break for now.”
Suddenly, Leo sat up straight, looking worriedly at him.
—Are you in pain?
“No. Why do I look like I’m in pain?”
—Ruel doesn’t know how to take a break. Leo knows how to take a break. Are you in pain?
Ruel felt a bit embarrassed, and he nervously played with his ssy hair.
“Well, taking a break doesn’t necessarily an staying in bed all the ti.”
—That’s right! Cassion said that polishing his sword is taking a break!
Finally relieved of his curiosity, Leo flopped back down and playfully nudged Ruel’s hand with his tail.
—Pet .
Ruel was a bit taken aback, but seeing Leo’s bright and sparkling eyes, he couldn’t help but pet him without saying a word.
***
“I… want to take a break,” Ruel quietly uttered those words, and a silence filled the dining room.
Chomp. Chomp.
Leo looked up from his chocolate cake, while Cassion, who was setting down his plate, gave Ruel a puzzled look.
Aris glanced around nervously, and Tyson looked at Ruel with concern.
“Why is it suddenly so quiet? Isn’t it a good thing if Lord Ruel takes a break? You’re always telling Lord Ruel to take a break, so why are you acting like this?” Noah, confused, whispered to Cassion.
Cassion set down his plate and moved his hand, breaking the stillness.
“Because the rest we know and Ruel-nim’s rest are different.”
“You an completely taking a break from work?”
Cassion looked at Ruel with surprise.
Ruel’s condition had been rapidly improving ever since his heart stopped a few days ago.
Today, his breathing was fine, his complexion, though never great, seed to be getting better, and the tremors in his body had lessened.
Didn’t he also take the IV drip before eating?
“About… 5 days?” When Ruel ntioned a long period of five days, Cassion’s eyes filled with a hint of gratitude. Finally, the day had co when Ruel, who always prioritized others, would take care of his own well-being.
“I want to go outside for so fresh air and take care of myself,” Ruel expressed, causing Cassion’s expression to grow colder.
“Ruel-nim,” Cassion spoke up, the air around them feeling as icy as his tone.
Aris, feeling anxious, quickly stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.
“Go ahead,” Ruel replied nonchalantly, continuing to cut his at.
Cassion’s voice remained sharp. “Taking care of yourself doesn’t an wandering around.”
Ruel set down his fork and gave Cassion a stern look. “Are you suggesting I go back to the villa? I’m tired of being confined there or anywhere else.”
“I didn’t an that. I apologize,” Cassion hurriedly apologized, unintentionally triggering mories of the five years Ruel had spent trapped in the villa.
Ruel then instructed Cassion, “Prepare to leave in advance. I’ll talk to Billo.”
“Understood,” Cassion responded.
Ruel turned his attention to Aris. “Aris.”
“Yes?”
“Get ready to go as well.”
“Understood. I’ll get ready,” Aris replied with a smile.
Noah, hopeful and eager, asked, “Am I coming too?” as he pointed to himself.
Considering their destination and the spirits they were following, Ruel shook his head.
“Noah, help Billo instead. You’ve been learning to read, right? You can assist with simple tasks.”
Noah hesitated, his expression uncertain. “You an the Butler, sir?”
“Yes. Assist him as needed.”
But he soon reluctantly agreed.
“Understood. I’ll do as Lord Ruel says.”
“Alright, Uncle. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry,” Ruel said with a big smile, looking at Tyson.
***
Cassion wasted no ti and imdiately spoke up as soon as he entered Ruel’s room.
“During the al, I found out the identity of the envoy from the Kran Kingdom, but there were many eavesdroppers, so I couldn’t inform you right away.”
Crunch.
Although they had just finished their al, Ruel already had a at pie in his hand.
Crunch.
Watching Leo munching on the pie like a cookie near Ruel’s legs, Cassion clenched his teeth at the crumbs they were dropping.
‘It seems I’ll have to clean up again.’
Curious, Ruel sat on the bed and asked, “Who are they?”
“They are the first and second princes of the Kingdom of Kran. The first prince is nad Adea Kran, and the second is Treytol Kran. The first prince is leading the delegation.”
“They sent both princes?”
Crunch.
Ruel’s expression hardened as he took another bite of the at pie.
If they sent princes, it undoubtedly ant they were aiming for an alliance.
If they intended to declare war, they wouldn’t have sent the princes in the first place, as they would be the first targets.
“Why are there two of them?”
“The second prince is also part of the delegation, but it seems they plan to separate during the journey.”
“Separate? Is he going to Cyronian?”
“No, it appears he intends to visit a neutral village. He has expressed a desire to go there.”
Since only the representative of the delegation needed to announce their presence to King Brans, there was no need for them to travel together.
From a status perspective, it was a bold decision to forego the potential benefits of an alliance and visit a neutral village instead.
Although Ruel found it intriguing, it didn’t personally concern him, so he shifted the conversation to another topic.
“Is the alliance truly their goal?”
“Yes, it seems their objective is to form an alliance.”
Ruel absentmindedly petted Leo, who had climbed onto his lap.
‘Is it because of everything that’s happened to ? There’s nothing inherently suspicious, so why does it feel strange?’
With the opening of the Tonisk Empire’s gate and the positive response from the Kran Kingdom, it appeared to be a favorable outco, albeit unexpected.
‘Does it all fit together too perfectly?’
Ruel considered the possibility that individuals from the Tonisk Empire were involved within the Kran Kingdom.
“I will investigate further to determine if any Red Ash mbers are part of the delegation,” Cassion stated, eting Ruel’s gaze.
“Very well. Keep a close watch. With the heightened security in Leponia, they may be hiding even more discreetly.”
“I’ll call Fran.”
“Good.”
After receiving Ruel’s approval, Cassion respectfully bowed and left the room.
Despite almost eradicating the Red Ash infiltrators in Leponia, Ruel couldn’t shake off his unease.
After enduring so much, he knew that clarity wouldn’t co overnight.
However, Ruel’s suspicions didn’t entirely carry a negative connotation.
Considering the person who had requested the assassination from Ruel, there was a possibility they had a connection to the Kran Kingdom.
“I-I don’t know… Ah, Kr-Kran! Even for a mont, I slled that unique flower scent that only cos from the Kran Kingdom! The na… the na was, yes, it was Prazio! Prazio!”
Recalling the dying words of the assassin from the previous day, Cassion’s eyes grew sharp and cold.
‘Prazio.’
The na that had been buried deep within him resurfaced.
Prazio, the flower that blood in the deepest sea of the Kran Kingdom.
The sa na as the drug that had brought down Carbena.
‘So, they are connected.’
However, Cassion decided not to inform Ruel just yet.
He planned to wait until his master’s condition beca more stable.
‘Ruel-nim’s condition is still sowhat unstable.’
Rembering the ti when Ruel’s heart had stopped, Cassion clenched his fists.
As Cassion arrived in his room, Ruel’s heart stopped beating.
At that mont, sothing appeared.
It appeared as a mana cluster, faintly visible to Cassion’s eyes, resembling natural mana.
Just as he was about to attack the presence, a voice echoed in his mind.
– Don’t worry. Setiria is not dead. I exist in the present mont and have no intention of causing harm.
– One who serves Setiria. Please, do not say anything to Setiria. I don’t want to make the poor child sad.
The voice carried a sorrowfultone.
– I… I am the guardian of Setiria.
Then, Ruel’s heart started beating again.
The presence that had revealed itself kissed Ruel’s forehead and smiled as if satisfied.
Cassion had done nothing.
‘What should I call that being?’
Although Fran couldn’t see mana, the presence felt eerily similar to the woman who had appeared in the Ice Castle before.
Walking down the hallway, Cassion let out a sigh.
His master seed to have a grand protector.
Perhaps his master had been an onion in his past life, peeling layer by layer.
‘In any case, it’s a good thing I left the beast behind.’
Leo had tried to follow him, grabbing onto his leg, but Cassion decided to leave him behind, just in case.
If Leo had been there at that mont, he would have undoubtedly overheard the conversation. A secret had unintentionally slipped out.
It seed Cassion would have to be even more careful to ensure his observant master remained unaware.
Cassion quietly continued down the hallway, gently smoothing his slightly disheveled hair.
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