I Became a Sick Nobleman-Chapter 204: The Sickly Nobleman

‘Why was it in my vault…?’ Ruel gazed vacantly at the ceiling. ‘No, could it just look the same?’

Regardless, aside from the body the man possessed, there were now six bodies present in Leponia. Despite the King’s assurance that he could absorb the unique power, the idea of repeating the process made him queasy.

‘This is crazy.’

He should have kicked the King harder. He should have hurled more insults at him. Regret washed over him like a wave.

“Ruel-nim…?” Fran’s cautious voice calling his name snapped Ruel back to reality. “Are you feeling dizzy or having trouble hearing?”

“No, I’m fine now.” Each word he spoke brought a metallic taste of blood to his mouth, causing Ruel to instinctively grimace.

Fran’s expression turned sympathetic. “Is it still hurting a lot?”

“No, it’s okay. How about Cassion?”

“The fox, no, Leo tried to enter, so Cassion went out to stop him momentarily.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

‘That explains why the spirits are here, but Leo isn’t.’

Kuroo kuru.

Ruel tenderly stroked the spirits, who were shedding tiny tears. ‘They’re concerned too. Such thoughtful little beings.’

Knock. Knock.

At the sound of a knock, the door creaked open. Leo squeezed through the gap and hurried towards Ruel.

—Ruel! Ruel!

“Haah.” Cassion sighed as he wiped his face. He thought he would wear himself out keeping Leo at bay.

—Are you alright? Are you still in pain? This body was waiting patiently since Cassion wouldn’t allow this body in, but when this body heard your cries of pain, this body couldn’t hold back!

Leo, tears in his eyes, looked at Ruel and clung to the bed. Something trailed from Ruel’s body, and Leo hesitated to get too close due to the blood Ruel had spilled. When Ruel moved his fingers, Leo sensed it and climbed onto the bed.

“He’s so smart.” Fran and Tierra admired the sight.

“Ruel-nim.” When Fran cautiously reached out to touch Leo, Cassion intervened. Sensing the gravity of Cassion’s demeanor, Fran withdrew her hand. It seemed Cassion had crucial information to share with Ruel privately.

“We’ll step out for a moment.” Fran stood up, hesitated, then left with Tierra. “If you feel dizzy or the pain returns, don’t try to tough it out. You’ve lost a lot of blood. It’s too risky.”

“Don’t worry,” Ruel weakly reassured.

Fran hesitated, looking back several times before finally leaving. Once the door closed, Ruel comforted Leo first. Feeling the soft fur under his fingers, Ruel finally found some stability.

“Leo, I’m not in pain anymore.”

—Really…?

Leo cautiously pressed his face against Ruel’s body, then looked up, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Truly.” Ruel raised his hand with effort and petted Leo. When he saw Leo calming down, Ruel turned to Cassion.

“Jan-nim contacted us.”

“Jan?”

Was he that concerned about him? Or was it due to the current situation outside? Ruel was still unaware of the events unfolding beyond.

“Contact him back.”

-Child.

Contrary to Ruel’s expectations, Jan’s voice remained composed. He was relieved it wasn’t a video call.

“Yes, please proceed.”

Ruel forced some strength into his voice, worried that Jan might be concerned.

-I reached out because I felt it necessary to communicate this promptly.

After completely disrupting the Great Man’s schemes and absorbing at least one of his bodies within the royal palace, it appeared to have taken at least an hour. With only more busy work ahead, Ruel also agreed that he had no time to chat leisurely at the moment. ȒＡ𝐍𝔬฿Ě𝘴

-Mayre had a message for you before she vanished.

“Mayre?”

-That’s correct.

Jan responded with a hint of bitterness.

-Don’t worry too much, my dear. Mayre had already accepted her fate. This is not something that happened because of your choice.

“I understand.” Ruel spoke calmly.

He had manipulated that bastard just as he had manipulated him. However, just because they had both used each other didn’t mean the outcomes were the same. He had suffered losses, but that bastard had suffered far more.

-Yes, let me know anytime if you’re struggling.

The matter of Mayre was his mistake. His eyes flickered momentarily.

“Alright, I will. Thank you, Jan.” Ruel soon offered a soft smile, hearing Jan’s laughter in response.

-Mayre mentioned several names.

“Names?” Ruel’s hand, which had been caressing Leo, paused briefly.

-Mayre Prios.

‘Prios?’ Ruel’s eyes widened in astonishment.

-And Irian Liobenez, Hian Kuhn, Citram Lumina…

Jan listed several more names, all surnames that felt familiar to Ruel.

-They were all guardians.

With Jan’s confirming words, Ruel recalled the names.

‘Irian, Hian…’

Irian was the guardian who had died five years ago protecting Ruel Setiria. Hian was the guardian who had told him about the ‘King’ when he first met the Great Man. What significance did their surnames hold? Guardians. These guardians hailed from five families.

‘There was something resembling his body in my vault…’

-In the distant past, the king and the heads of the families exchanged oaths, and it is said that the bloodlines from those who swore the oaths continue in their direct descendants.

Ruel recalled something Banios had once mentioned. They hadn’t sworn an oath of allegiance but rather an ‘oath of friendship.’

-I couldn’t stand to see Setiria bear the burden alone. Since Setiria assumed the weightiest and most demanding role, the rest of us had to share the rest. Thus, the guardians were born.

The birth of the guardians, as Mayre had said.

Knock. Knock.

With a knock, Banios rushed in.

“I’m late because I was checking the current situation. How are you feeling?”

‘The royal family’s emblem…!’

At the sight of Banios, thoughts of the royal family’s emblem flooded Ruel’s mind—a symbol with seven swords pointed towards the heart.

‘Excluding the Beast Forest, there are seven of his bodies in Leponia.’

Previously, he couldn’t comprehend why the royal family and the heads of the families had exchanged oaths of friendship. But now, the pieces were falling into place. Leponia had been established to counter the Great Man. The royal family and the six noble families were originally formed to safeguard the bodies.

‘I found it!’

Ruel suddenly realized the whereabouts of the remaining parts of his body.

“Thank you, Jan.”

Banios fell silent at Ruel’s communication.

-I’m glad I could assist.

Jan responded, his laughter ringing gently in the background.

-Ruel.

“Yes?”

-You must call me, no, call us. We can fight now. Please let me protect you, the only one in this world who can see us.

“Thank you. Thank you, Jan.”

Ruel briefly shut his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself amidst the surge of emotions. Today, Jan’s voice felt unusually comforting. Opening his eyes, he turned to Banios.

“Your Highness.” A smile played on Ruel’s lips.

Banios swiftly responded to that inviting smile. “Yes, go on.”

“Please instruct the heads of the five families, whether from the vault or elsewhere, to retrieve the object covered in the papers we saw.”

The key to breaking the seal lay with the royal family and Setiria. Merely tearing down the papers wouldn’t suffice.

“You mean that his bodies are in the five families?” Banios asked, finding it difficult to comprehend. Despite the curiosity on his face, he waited for Ruel to respond.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Understood. I will issue the order promptly… Do you happen to have one of his bodies?”

“I wasn’t aware it was a body.”

Banios halted, turning back. “Can you even go to Setiria in your current state?”

Having only just disposed of one body with seven more to go, Banios was concerned about Ruel’s endurance. “I will accompany you to Setiria, Your Highness. Please release the final seal then.”

“You mean you’re going to Setiria in your current state?” Banios wondered if he had misheard and asked again.

“I’m fine. I’m no longer in pain.”

Banios chuckled, finding it almost incredulous. Bloodstains still lingered on the bed and floor, yet Ruel claimed to be fine.

Banios hardened his voice and said, “I must go, as I am in a position to protect the country.”

“Your Highness, I am the head of the Setiria family.”

“You are his target, and it is our responsibility to safeguard you.”

“Your Highness, I’m not refusing not to fight. But can the head of the Setiria family simply abandon his post?”

Frustrated by Ruel’s stubbornness, Banios turned to Cassion. “Cassion, shouldn’t you stop your master?”

“I’ve long given up trying to reason with Ruel-nim,” Cassion replied impassively.

Banios rubbed his temples. “Very well… let’s prioritize gathering the bodies first.” Opting to shelve the dispute with Ruel for the moment, Banios focused on the immediate task at hand.

As he left the room, Cassion asked, “Will you be alright?”

“I’m managing well enough, so don’t worry.”

“He’s on the move, but he hasn’t done much yet. Please focus on recovering for now.”

Ruel couldn’t help but laugh at the thought that the bastard hadn’t run wild yet. He must have lost his mind with everything shattered. Even Ruel thought he might not be able to keep his sanity if he were in his position.

“Soon, he will gather Red Ash to drink the black water or prepare to control the dead. Don’t let your guard down and keep preparing.”

“Yes, I’m doing the best I can to prepare right now.”

The progress with the black powder was lagging behind. The Great Man was likely to resort to using the black water and raising the dead, his most dependable methods.

“Leo.”

—What is it?

Leo’s eyes were still wet.

With the black water prepared and the Devotees of Darkness gathered, Leo’s strength would be crucial. But this battle was far from ordinary.

Ruel hesitated to ask for help, thinking about the terrible scenes that little fox would witness. To be honest, he was scared himself. This was his first experience of war.

—This body is alright.

Leo raised a paw and touched Ruel’s hand.

—This body knows what death is. This body was born from darkness and feeds on darkness.

Leo sensed Ruel’s fear. He knew that fear came from concern for him. A gentle smile spread across his face.

—This body loves Ruel very much. So this body wants Ruel to be happy. No matter what, this body knows that Ruel can be happy after this is all over.

“Leo.” Ruel struggled to sit up. Why was he so bright? Just looking at Leo made all his worries disappear.

—So, this body will be Ruel’s strength. As a great purifier, this body will purify everything that is out of natural order!

Leo’s eyes sparkled.

—This body will always be on Ruel’s side!

“Yeah.” Seeing the gaze of Leo, who was looking for praise, Ruel slightly opened his arms. He embraced Leo as he jumped into his embrace. “Thank you. Thank you, Leo.”

***

Ruel took a deep breath and looked at the five bodies that the knights had brought.

Each body part was different, so they were all varying sizes, but they all had talisman-like papers attached.

Seeing them gathered like this felt horrifying on many levels. Ruel couldn’t even imagine what the younger brother must have felt cutting up his older brother’s body, causing his face to scrunch up.

“Are you okay?” Banios asked cautiously. Ruel’s complexion had improved compared to before, but it was still far from healthy.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Ruel believed in the power of recovery that had grown a bit more than before. Even though the unique power was scattered all over the body of that bastard, enduring that strength was difficult as it was a divine power. His consciousness blurred from the pain, but he saw light escaping from his body.

‘It seems like I can’t absorb the power completely?’

What did it matter?

‘The body of that bastard is definitely gone, so whether I absorb the power correctly or not doesn’t concern me.’

The ‘King’ hadn’t mentioned anything about that either, and anyway, the power that remained was unnecessary for him. He didn’t want to play the role of a hero. The unabsorbed powers might have returned to their original owner, the gods.

“Miss Fran is outside, ready to take action at any time.” Cassion said to reassure Ruel.

“Alright.” Ruel nodded. He just had to hold on for now.

Before Banios released the seal, he offered a hesitant apology. “I apologize, Ruel. I am indebted to you.”

“If Your Highness really thinks so, please repay me generously after everything is over. I’ll collect interest as well.” Ruel chuckled.

Who would work for free? He would be compensated. He could live comfortably in retirement if he received compensation from all three nations. After glancing at Banios, Ruel declared, “Your Highness, I’m ready.”

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