nstead of answering, Cassion indicated the baskets in his hand.
“Ganien-nim, Carry this for me.”
And in the eyes of Ganien, Cassion seemed to say, ‘You can’t leave it all to Ruel,‘ as he passed all the baskets over casually.
“Can you still find me after?”
Ruel asked before turning around.
“Don’t worry, I can find you even if you were to fall in the desert.”
With those words, Cassion quietly disappeared.
Ruel saw him leave and then followed after the children.
How long had he walked?
The children suddenly stopped and pointed to a place full of soldiers and adventurers.
In front of them was a large building. It was as if three to four other buildings were combined.
“What a big warehouse!”
‘Ugh… I’m feeling a bit nauseous.’
“Ruel-nim” Ganien said quietly.
Ruel looked at him instead of answering.
There was a brief glow in Ganien’s blue eyes as he caressed the handle of the sword at his waist.
“I don’t think he’s an ordinary thief.”
“What is he then?”
“He’s not as good as I am, but he is definitely a man of ability. If our strength were ranked, with the strongest at 10, he would be a four.”
“And you?”
“I’m a six.” He said humbly.
Ganien was already on the level of a monster. Ruel couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to go beyond that.
“For your information, Cassion is between five and six. Maybe we can make it to 7. I haven’t really shown my skills yet either.”
Ganien went on as if he was giving me the benefit of the doubt.
Ruel was stunned for a moment.
‘Was Cassion that strong?’
I only wanted his service because he seemed quite useful, but he turned out to be quite the catch.
‘What an unexpected windfall!’
Ruel raised the corners of his mouth.
“Sick looking brother, come quickly!”
“Hurry! I’m hungry.”
Ruel and Ganien speeded up a little at the sound of the children’s voices.
As they moved away Ruel looked at the oversized warehouse once again.
‘The fact that someone powerful intervened means this can’t be brushed up as ordinary.’
It was a clear crime to rob the large warehouse, no matter how much it was entangled with the former aristocrats.
Those who challenged the powerful, regardless of their intentions, usually started with the support of ordinary people.
It was a good time for them to be active when the resentment of the common people exploded due to the harsh taxes raised by the Barons.
‘This is not good. I have a bad feeling about this.’
Once the flame of the rebellion is ignited, it could not be quenched easily. This has to be dealt with before it explodes.
He found it hilarious that as soon as he left for inspection, he was faced with a serious incident, and Ruel could already feel the great power of the protagonist’s halo.
“Ganien, I don’t know much about swords, but I heard that each person has a different color for their Aura. Is that correct?”
“That’s right, what it’ll be based on the person themselves.”
Ganien laughed briefly and showed what he meant.
“You can tell by looking. I’m still trying to find mine.”
“Thank you.”
“Then let’s go take a look later. I want to see what the sword that slashed a fallen hero looks like.”
“All right.”
This is ok, as It was still before he fully handed over his heirloom to Cassion.
“Is the Setiria heirloom very famous?”
“Of course, that was one of the reasons I wanted to come here.” Ganien’s eyes twinkled like a child who spotted a toy.
‘Hmm… If it’s that famous, I’ll have to make a replica before giving it to Cassion.’
Ruel thought seriously.
***
“Grandpa!”
The children ran toward a man who was walking feebly.
While the man’s hair was turning white, he was still too young to be called grandpa.
Ruel stopped looking at the man and checked the village that was creeping through the trees.
The person the children wanted to introduce was in fact living in the forest outside the village of Sisel.
‘Thanks to you lot I don’t know how many times I inhaled Breath on the way.’
‘It was a good thing I came to just to inspect things.’
The furthest place from the mansion was the best place to understand the current situation of Setiria.
However, why would someone build a residence here that can’t even be considered a village?
“Welcome back, but who are those people?”
The man welcoming the children stared at them sharply, clearly weary of the strangers.
Ruel stumbled just as he was about to introduce themselves.
Ganien quickly grabbed Ruel and had him lean on his back.
“…pfff.”
It was not until he confirmed that he heard a small moan and that he just was too tired to continue that Ganien felt calm.
“I brought a sick older brother with us!”
“He bought all of our Akals. He’s so nice!”
“He coughed a lot on the way. I was scared.”
The children explained how sick Ruel was on the way without knowing what had happened.
It was embarrassing to listen to.
‘I didn’t cough that much.’ Ruel thought wearily
“Excuse me.”
The man approached them and bowed his head.
It seemed to be an apology and appreciation for their help and also for the fact that the children had brought them here.
Then he looked up and scrutinized Ruel and seemed to notice that his condition was indeed not great.
“I’m sorry since you’ve made it this far, please allow me to treat you as a guest.”
The man turned around and walked with the children.
Ganien, who stared at him, said in a low voice.
“I found him.”
Ruel, who was wiping off cold sweat, silently laughed.
‘You’re lucky.’
***
Ruel blinked as he woke up to see an unfamiliar ceiling.
“Are you finally awake?”
He turned his head to Cassion’s voice and saw that he was inside a house made of wood and mud.
“I knew it. You collapsed on the way.”
The corners of his mouth curled up seemingly suppressing a laugh.
Ruel at the side clutched his head and retraced his last memory. He even remembered seeing a log wall.
“When did you get back?” Ruel asked with a frown.
“About two hours ago. The children were very worried. As soon as I got here, I thought someone had died.”
“What did you find out?”
“Shh, there are a lot of people here who have good ears.”
As I was about to ask what he was talking about, I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
When the door opened, the man who had supposedly robbed the large warehouse, who the children called grandfather, walked in.
“How are you feeling?”
“It’s okay. I’d always end up like this because of my health.”
Ruel tried raising his upper body and to get up but was stopped.
“Don’t, stay in bed.”
The man glanced at Cassion and then to Ruel.
He stood there, scratching his head in hesitance.
“Speak comfortably.”
“I’ve been stuck here for a little over four years. I had to make ends meet, so I learned a bit of herbalism and studied medicine.”
Looking at the hesitation of the man again, Ruel already knew what would follow.
“I can’t cure your illness because of the short amount of time I’ve studied for. I can’t keep the promise I made with the children.”
“That’s all right, I already knew that.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help anyway.”
The man sighed deeply. Ruel reached out his hand.
“Ruel.”
“I’m Cheynol.”
After shaking hands, Cheynol’s face lightened up a little.
Ruel was trying to exploit the Cheynol remorse.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a question.”
“I couldn’t help you, so please feel free to speak.”
“Why is there a village in the forest, especially so when Sisel is nearby?”
At that time, Cassion reached out to Cheynol.
“My name is Cassion. My younger brother is weak, so I hope you can understand that this is his first outing in almost five years.”
Ruel clenched his fists.
‘What brother?’
At face value they don’t look alike, stating this… still he endured it.
“…Ah.”
For a moment, pity flashes across Cheynol’s face. Soon he started talking quietly.
“…that’s no good reason.”
“That’s all right, if your brother’s curiosity can be solved.”
Cassion grinned at Ruel. I’m sure he was enjoying it.
“So four years ago, the Barons kicked out those who couldn’t pay taxes, citing the reason for cleaning up trash. When I accepted those who had nowhere to go, it became like a village. That’s all.”
In Cheynol’s voice, his hatred towards the Barons was seen.
Ruel hit back by trying to read Cheynol’s mind.
“What a load of rubbish. If the Barons were doing something wrong, the head of Setiria had to step in. It’s really trash that he didn’t do anything… .”
“No!”
“……?”
“Just as a King becomes a scarecrow if he has no strength, so does the King.”
Cheynol just stood up.
“I’ll call you at dinner. Please stay comfortable until then.”
“What is it?” Ruel wondered.
Who was the last expression of his bitter feelings toward?
‘Isn’t that what the powerful hated? So what feelings do you have for the nobles?’
It was the role of the head of state to stop the Barons when they made a mistake.
While Ruel was puzzled, Cassion began to speak silently.
“This has nothing to do with the former Barons.”
“Isn’t it related?”
“It is said that the client has changed from a Barons to an adventurer. The apparent reason was to restore trust for not completing the quest on time.”
“Well…”
While making a sound, Ruel suddenly remembered the crude role that Cassion had made at will.
“Did you enjoy your play?”
“Then should I have called you Lord? You have a more naive side than you think.”
Ruel turned the subject around, as he got really mean when he got angry.
“What’s the real reason?”
“It is said that the thief belittled the adventurers continuously. Eventually, the client changed and the request was re-implemented.”
Ruel shot at Cassion.
“Cassion, can’t you get things done right?”
“…Yes?”
“The thief is Cheynol. Why would he turn adventurers into enemies when he hates the Barons? It just so happens that the client has disappeared, so if things stay quiet, the interest will cool down.”
‘How the hell did you find out the culprit?’ Cassion was surprised at the news.
“I’m going to deal with them both today. Get Ganien.”
“He is in the middle of a fight. He won’t like it if I disturb him.”
‘Are there any ghosts that died because they couldn’t fight? No, it means there are quite a few talented enough for him to ask for a match.’
Ruel asked, recalling what Cassion had said.
“You said there were a lot of informers, didn’t you?
“That’s right. Half of the people in this town are sword-wielders.”
“In terms of power?”
“So, you can think of it as a Knights Templar.”
“The Knights…?”
In an instant, one of the novel’s plot flashed through Ruel’s head.
‘It turns out, Ganien received his knighthood when he left from the Kingdom of Leponia to the Kingdom of Cyronian.’
After resolving the Setirian crisis at the request of Ruel, just before Ruel’s death, people that called themselves the Knights of Setiria appeared.
Thanks to Ganien for sorting out the situation in Setiria. When they heard that it was Ruel’s last request, they decided to follow Ganien.
‘Wait, wait.’
Ruel grinned as he looked at the door.
“Ruel-nim…?”
Cheynol, who hates Barons, but defends the region.
– Just as a King becomes a scarecrow if he doesn’t have power, neither does the lord.
Those who are aware of the situation in the family state that no one cares about it.
Knights who decided to follow Ganien at the word of Ruel’s last request.
Everything was just right.
‘…What a jackpot. Don’t tell me they were here?’
“Are you all right?”
“Call Ganien.”
Ruel laughed happily like the man who found a hidden treasure.
“All right.”
Thinking Ruel must have found a clue to the case. Cassion went outside to call Ganien.
As soon as Ganien came in, the smell of sweat spread through the room. Not sure how many times he fought, but Ganien had a refreshingly happy face.
“Ruel-nim, do you know how much I love sparring?”
“Of course.”
“So, what’s the point of stopping me from fighting?”
“Make a mess you are with the name of the Blue Knights.”
“A mess…?”
It was a word that didn’t match the knight.
Nevertheless, Ruel did not change his words. Rather, he inhaled the Breath and threw out his bait.
“Maybe we should fight the adventurers. You like to fight, don’t you?”
“I like it, the more reason to fight, the better.”
“One, there are no adventurers at the target that the thief is aiming at. Two, who will benefit if the request continues?”
“How can you be sure that there are no adventurers?”
“Adventurers are money-driven. You can be allies as much as you want, but there’s no reason to be poor. For example, if a thief hired shopkeepers, wouldn’t there be adventurers in it?”
“Certainly adventurers are quite variable.” Ganien nodded if he was convinced.
“So who do you think the culprit is?”
“That’s the commission. Those who manage requests in the middle will benefit from having a high-priced request. Cassion, how much is the commission for the Barons to make a request?”
“25 percent. Even when the client changes, 25 percent.”
“See? 25 percent is huge. I bet there is quite a lot of money involved, so how frustrating it must have been when the request of the Barons was canceled.”
The commission served as a bridge between clients and adventurers. In other words, accepting a request from a client is purely up to those fortune seeking adventurers.
Ganien grinned.
His face changed color when he found out that it was made up by a commissioned cow for profit.
“In a word, you grew up off the right path, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I’ll take this opportunity to clean up the bad habits of those incompentent people.”
nstead of answering, Cassion indicated the baskets in his hand.
“Ganien-nim, Carry this for me.”
And in the eyes of Ganien, Cassion seemed to say, ‘You can’t leave it all to Ruel,‘ as he passed all the baskets over casually.
“Can you still find me after?”
Ruel asked before turning around.
“Don’t worry, I can find you even if you were to fall in the desert.”
With those words, Cassion quietly disappeared.
Ruel saw him leave and then followed after the children.
How long had he walked?
The children suddenly stopped and pointed to a place full of soldiers and adventurers.
In front of them was a large building. It was as if three to four other buildings were combined.
“What a big warehouse!”
‘Ugh… I’m feeling a bit nauseous.’
“Ruel-nim” Ganien said quietly.
Ruel looked at him instead of answering.
There was a brief glow in Ganien’s blue eyes as he caressed the handle of the sword at his waist.
“I don’t think he’s an ordinary thief.”
“What is he then?”
“He’s not as good as I am, but he is definitely a man of ability. If our strength were ranked, with the strongest at 10, he would be a four.”
“And you?”
“I’m a six.” He said humbly.
Ganien was already on the level of a monster. Ruel couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to go beyond that.
“For your information, Cassion is between five and six. Maybe we can make it to 7. I haven’t really shown my skills yet either.”
Ganien went on as if he was giving me the benefit of the doubt.
Ruel was stunned for a moment.
‘Was Cassion that strong?’
I only wanted his service because he seemed quite useful, but he turned out to be quite the catch.
‘What an unexpected windfall!’
Ruel raised the corners of his mouth.
“Sick looking brother, come quickly!”
“Hurry! I’m hungry.”
Ruel and Ganien speeded up a little at the sound of the children’s voices.
As they moved away Ruel looked at the oversized warehouse once again.
‘The fact that someone powerful intervened means this can’t be brushed up as ordinary.’
It was a clear crime to rob the large warehouse, no matter how much it was entangled with the former aristocrats.
Those who challenged the powerful, regardless of their intentions, usually started with the support of ordinary people.
It was a good time for them to be active when the resentment of the common people exploded due to the harsh taxes raised by the Barons.
‘This is not good. I have a bad feeling about this.’
Once the flame of the rebellion is ignited, it could not be quenched easily. This has to be dealt with before it explodes.
He found it hilarious that as soon as he left for inspection, he was faced with a serious incident, and Ruel could already feel the great power of the protagonist’s halo.
“Ganien, I don’t know much about swords, but I heard that each person has a different color for their Aura. Is that correct?”
“That’s right, what it’ll be based on the person themselves.”
Ganien laughed briefly and showed what he meant.
“You can tell by looking. I’m still trying to find mine.”
“Thank you.”
“Then let’s go take a look later. I want to see what the sword that slashed a fallen hero looks like.”
“All right.”
This is ok, as It was still before he fully handed over his heirloom to Cassion.
“Is the Setiria heirloom very famous?”
“Of course, that was one of the reasons I wanted to come here.” Ganien’s eyes twinkled like a child who spotted a toy.
‘Hmm… If it’s that famous, I’ll have to make a replica before giving it to Cassion.’
Ruel thought seriously.
***
“Grandpa!”
The children ran toward a man who was walking feebly.
While the man’s hair was turning white, he was still too young to be called grandpa.
Ruel stopped looking at the man and checked the village that was creeping through the trees.
The person the children wanted to introduce was in fact living in the forest outside the village of Sisel.
‘Thanks to you lot I don’t know how many times I inhaled Breath on the way.’
‘It was a good thing I came to just to inspect things.’
The furthest place from the mansion was the best place to understand the current situation of Setiria.
However, why would someone build a residence here that can’t even be considered a village?
“Welcome back, but who are those people?”
The man welcoming the children stared at them sharply, clearly weary of the strangers.
Ruel stumbled just as he was about to introduce themselves.
Ganien quickly grabbed Ruel and had him lean on his back.
“…pfff.”
It was not until he confirmed that he heard a small moan and that he just was too tired to continue that Ganien felt calm.
“I brought a sick older brother with us!”
“He bought all of our Akals. He’s so nice!”
“He coughed a lot on the way. I was scared.”
The children explained how sick Ruel was on the way without knowing what had happened.
It was embarrassing to listen to.
‘I didn’t cough that much.’ Ruel thought wearily
“Excuse me.”
The man approached them and bowed his head.
It seemed to be an apology and appreciation for their help and also for the fact that the children had brought them here.
Then he looked up and scrutinized Ruel and seemed to notice that his condition was indeed not great.
“I’m sorry since you’ve made it this far, please allow me to treat you as a guest.”
The man turned around and walked with the children.
Ganien, who stared at him, said in a low voice.
“I found him.”
Ruel, who was wiping off cold sweat, silently laughed.
‘You’re lucky.’
***
Ruel blinked as he woke up to see an unfamiliar ceiling.
“Are you finally awake?”
He turned his head to Cassion’s voice and saw that he was inside a house made of wood and mud.
“I knew it. You collapsed on the way.”
The corners of his mouth curled up seemingly suppressing a laugh.
Ruel at the side clutched his head and retraced his last memory. He even remembered seeing a log wall.
“When did you get back?” Ruel asked with a frown.
“About two hours ago. The children were very worried. As soon as I got here, I thought someone had died.”
“What did you find out?”
“Shh, there are a lot of people here who have good ears.”
As I was about to ask what he was talking about, I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
When the door opened, the man who had supposedly robbed the large warehouse, who the children called grandfather, walked in.
“How are you feeling?”
“It’s okay. I’d always end up like this because of my health.”
Ruel tried raising his upper body and to get up but was stopped.
“Don’t, stay in bed.”
The man glanced at Cassion and then to Ruel.
He stood there, scratching his head in hesitance.
“Speak comfortably.”
“I’ve been stuck here for a little over four years. I had to make ends meet, so I learned a bit of herbalism and studied medicine.”
Looking at the hesitation of the man again, Ruel already knew what would follow.
“I can’t cure your illness because of the short amount of time I’ve studied for. I can’t keep the promise I made with the children.”
“That’s all right, I already knew that.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help anyway.”
The man sighed deeply. Ruel reached out his hand.
“Ruel.”
“I’m Cheynol.”
After shaking hands, Cheynol’s face lightened up a little.
Ruel was trying to exploit the Cheynol remorse.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a question.”
“I couldn’t help you, so please feel free to speak.”
“Why is there a village in the forest, especially so when Sisel is nearby?”
At that time, Cassion reached out to Cheynol.
“My name is Cassion. My younger brother is weak, so I hope you can understand that this is his first outing in almost five years.”
Ruel clenched his fists.
‘What brother?’
At face value they don’t look alike, stating this… still he endured it.
“…Ah.”
For a moment, pity flashes across Cheynol’s face. Soon he started talking quietly.
“…that’s no good reason.”
“That’s all right, if your brother’s curiosity can be solved.”
Cassion grinned at Ruel. I’m sure he was enjoying it.
“So four years ago, the Barons kicked out those who couldn’t pay taxes, citing the reason for cleaning up trash. When I accepted those who had nowhere to go, it became like a village. That’s all.”
In Cheynol’s voice, his hatred towards the Barons was seen.
Ruel hit back by trying to read Cheynol’s mind.
“What a load of rubbish. If the Barons were doing something wrong, the head of Setiria had to step in. It’s really trash that he didn’t do anything… .”
“No!”
“……?”
“Just as a King becomes a scarecrow if he has no strength, so does the King.”
Cheynol just stood up.
“I’ll call you at dinner. Please stay comfortable until then.”
“What is it?” Ruel wondered.
Who was the last expression of his bitter feelings toward?
‘Isn’t that what the powerful hated? So what feelings do you have for the nobles?’
It was the role of the head of state to stop the Barons when they made a mistake.
While Ruel was puzzled, Cassion began to speak silently.
“This has nothing to do with the former Barons.”
“Isn’t it related?”
“It is said that the client has changed from a Barons to an adventurer. The apparent reason was to restore trust for not completing the quest on time.”
“Well…”
While making a sound, Ruel suddenly remembered the crude role that Cassion had made at will.
“Did you enjoy your play?”
“Then should I have called you Lord? You have a more naive side than you think.”
Ruel turned the subject around, as he got really mean when he got angry.
“What’s the real reason?”
“It is said that the thief belittled the adventurers continuously. Eventually, the client changed and the request was re-implemented.”
Ruel shot at Cassion.
“Cassion, can’t you get things done right?”
“…Yes?”
“The thief is Cheynol. Why would he turn adventurers into enemies when he hates the Barons? It just so happens that the client has disappeared, so if things stay quiet, the interest will cool down.”
‘How the hell did you find out the culprit?’ Cassion was surprised at the news.
“I’m going to deal with them both today. Get Ganien.”
“He is in the middle of a fight. He won’t like it if I disturb him.”
‘Are there any ghosts that died because they couldn’t fight? No, it means there are quite a few talented enough for him to ask for a match.’
Ruel asked, recalling what Cassion had said.
“You said there were a lot of informers, didn’t you?
“That’s right. Half of the people in this town are sword-wielders.”
“In terms of power?”
“So, you can think of it as a Knights Templar.”
“The Knights…?”
In an instant, one of the novel’s plot flashed through Ruel’s head.
‘It turns out, Ganien received his knighthood when he left from the Kingdom of Leponia to the Kingdom of Cyronian.’
After resolving the Setirian crisis at the request of Ruel, just before Ruel’s death, people that called themselves the Knights of Setiria appeared.
Thanks to Ganien for sorting out the situation in Setiria. When they heard that it was Ruel’s last request, they decided to follow Ganien.
‘Wait, wait.’
Ruel grinned as he looked at the door.
“Ruel-nim…?”
Cheynol, who hates Barons, but defends the region.
– Just as a King becomes a scarecrow if he doesn’t have power, neither does the lord.
Those who are aware of the situation in the family state that no one cares about it.
Knights who decided to follow Ganien at the word of Ruel’s last request.
Everything was just right.
‘…What a jackpot. Don’t tell me they were here?’
“Are you all right?”
“Call Ganien.”
Ruel laughed happily like the man who found a hidden treasure.
“All right.”
Thinking Ruel must have found a clue to the case. Cassion went outside to call Ganien.
As soon as Ganien came in, the smell of sweat spread through the room. Not sure how many times he fought, but Ganien had a refreshingly happy face.
“Ruel-nim, do you know how much I love sparring?”
“Of course.”
“So, what’s the point of stopping me from fighting?”
“Make a mess you are with the name of the Blue Knights.”
“A mess…?”
It was a word that didn’t match the knight.
Nevertheless, Ruel did not change his words. Rather, he inhaled the Breath and threw out his bait.
“Maybe we should fight the adventurers. You like to fight, don’t you?”
“I like it, the more reason to fight, the better.”
“One, there are no adventurers at the target that the thief is aiming at. Two, who will benefit if the request continues?”
“How can you be sure that there are no adventurers?”
“Adventurers are money-driven. You can be allies as much as you want, but there’s no reason to be poor. For example, if a thief hired shopkeepers, wouldn’t there be adventurers in it?”
“Certainly adventurers are quite variable.” Ganien nodded if he was convinced.
“So who do you think the culprit is?”
“That’s the commission. Those who manage requests in the middle will benefit from having a high-priced request. Cassion, how much is the commission for the Barons to make a request?”
“25 percent. Even when the client changes, 25 percent.”
“See? 25 percent is huge. I bet there is quite a lot of money involved, so how frustrating it must have been when the request of the Barons was canceled.”
The commission served as a bridge between clients and adventurers. In other words, accepting a request from a client is purely up to those fortune seeking adventurers.
Ganien grinned.
His face changed color when he found out that it was made up by a commissioned cow for profit.
“In a word, you grew up off the right path, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I’ll take this opportunity to clean up the bad habits of those incompentent people.”
