“We’re here.”
At the words of Cassion, Ruel opened his eyes.
He didn’t know why, but Cassion’s face looked exceptionally refreshing.
His well-groomed hair was a little messy, and dirt was visible on the floor of the wagon.
Ruel was unsure and asked.
“What happened while I was sleeping?”
“Yes, the rat stepped in the trap without knowing the subject.”
“Really?”
Apparently, a common cliché popped out while sleeping.
Ruel got off the carriage.
An open lake was the first thing that caught his eye.
He could see people coming for a walk or fishing.
The carriage was unintentionally attracting attention because it was the only one of its kind there.
“It’s not a walk that Ruel-nim could handle so I had no choice but to drive the carriage all the way here. I apologize for bringing unnecessary attention to you.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ttak.
Ruel walked to the lake while listening to the people’s humming.
The sparkling appearance of the lake under the sun was beautiful. It was as if it was sprinkled with jewels.
The water was so clear that the fish at the bottom were clearly visible.
‘It’s a good place.’
It was the perfect place to camp. It would be nice to come to play later.
“I think it’s over there.”
Cassion looked around and pointed to the right.
Seven middle-aged men huddled together and were waiting for the fish to bite on their fishing rods.
In a place with very shallow water where no fish could be caught, in a corner where there were not many people.
Ruel walked leisurely and approached them.
Tak tak.
He hit his cane to the ground to announce his presence and to attract their attention.
But they didn’t even give him a single glance.
Ruel sat on a flat-looking rock and asked.
“Did you catch a lot?”
“I couldn’t catch any.”
The answer was fast.
“There are 7 of you, but you couldn’t catch a single fish?”
Then one of them saw Ruel.
He asked him a question with a firm face.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to meet someone.”
“The people are scattered about like fish here.”
“I hate talking too much, so I’ll keep it simple. Please come back.”
“What are you talking about? There are so many places to go back to. Where are you telling me to come back to?”
Ruel inhaled the Breath.
‘Oh man, he likes to talk back.’
It wasn’t what he liked to hear.
Ruel gave strength to his voice so that they could hear it well. They seemed to be sulky.
“The seat is reserved, so please return to your original seat.”
The man let go of the fishing rod. And he said with a slightly gloomy face.
“It seems like I caught a fish for the first time in five years.”
“You were caught, and I came directly to you because you seemed to be upset.”
“I had a lot… of resentment.”
“I know, but you didn’t leave this place.”
“We blame ourselves, not you. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come.”
“Cough.”
Ruel coughed out and laughed.
“How could I not know when I was teased like that?”
“I’m sorry.”
The men put their fishing rods down one by one.
The fishing rods were slowly submerged into the lake.
“Nothing, nothing. You must have been only twelve. You were so young…”
Some had tears in their eyes. It seemed to be true that tears get weaker with age.
Ruel saw them who were kind and tender.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m back now.”
“Sorry, my lord, we have done nothing. He… He entrusted you, and we…”
Ruel held out his palm.
I didn’t want to hear anything else at the moment.
‘What I had to do now was fill the vacancy.’
Ruel looked at each of them and spoke out.
“I was incompetent, so Setiria became like this. I want to fix it now. Will you help me?”
“If you give us a chance, we will work for Setiria even if this body breaks.”
They bowed their heads almost at the same time.
They didn’t gather here to test themselves.
Even when he returned, he simply did not find them and was holding a small protest.
‘If I had found myself on those feet, the story would have been faster.
Why is everyone so timid?
Didn’t he announce that he had returned with the knights?
If his situation had been promoted like this, shouldn’t they have returned on their own?
“Why didn’t you come to see me?”
The man hesitated at Ruel’s question.
The man expressed guilt and replied after a long time.
“I couldn’t come because I was filled with shame.”
Soon after, he looked around and approached Ruel and spoke quietly so that he could hear him.
“Because on the day the Lord died, I lost you to them. … We are all sinners. So even if you get kicked out, even if you come back, I wouldn’t have been able to face you.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Ruel laughed out loud.
Carbena was gone, but she was still gnawing on Setiria.
I was glad I didn’t kill her. It was a relief that I sent her to the dirtiest, most disgusting place here.
She had to live a long life and suffer.
Ruel stopped thinking about her and sighed.
“In the end, those who were loyal to Setiria left because of me?”
“It’s not like that. Hasn’t the lord been in pain for so long because of these lowly ones?”
I couldn’t hear a string of excuses.
Even the sky seemed far away from the fact that in order to bring back those who were loyal to Setiria, they had to grab their neck by themselves as they are now.
‘… I was going to rest.’
“Cough, cough.”
Today, the sound of his coughing sounded pitiful.
“There’s only one thing I want from you, creating a place where people can happily enjoy their normal lives.”
Ruel got up from his seat with help from his cane.
He smiled as he watched the gazes follow him up.
“Before that, I will have to clean up the huge filth that the former barons bought. I have a lot to do, so let’s hang out and go home.”
“Ho-How can you say that so fast?”
“Since my mind is empty, shouldn’t I fill it up? The letter of appointment will be delivered tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so go back to your seat and do your job.”
Ignoring the questions that followed, Ruel turned around.
The cane was exceptionally heavy.
‘First of all, I thought that if I filled up the seats of the Barons, the rest would naturally follow, but it didn’t.’
It was too badly burnt by Carbena.
“It’s not Ruel-nim’s fault.”
“Who said that?”
“If you have such absurd feelings, I want you to shake them off quickly. It’s not good for your health.”
Ruel replaced the answer with a snort.
It was not him who was kidnapped by Carbena or whatever he did.
He was a poor Lord who cleaned up the consequences of Carbena’s cheap dirt and old Ruel’s stupidity.
“Cassion.”
“Yes.”
“Among those who have been driven out, who are the closest living here?”
“Maybe… Are… Are you planning to visit?”
“You heard it too, everyone is shy. For Setiria to normalize, we need to put those shy people back to their original positions. You know?”
Ruel inhaled the Breath in a tight breath.
Then came a sigh from Cassion.
“Can’t it be written?”
“Let’s go.”
In response to the firm answer, Cassion swept my face.
***
Boom Boom!
Aris didn’t stop swinging his sword even though the sun went down.
He felt like a fool.
Didn’t he waste his time not knowing that Ruel was so sick?
From the moment Ruel chose him, He decided to make him his lord.
‘I had to be stronger and stand next to Ruel as soon as possible.’
That was the reward for Ruel, who saved him and chose him.
“Stop it. You’ll get hurt.”
I could see Tyson’s face with the flame behind his back.
“Mr. Tyson.”
“If you’re impatient, you’ll ruin everything.”
“But Ruel-nim is very sick, and I haven’t taken a step on the path to protecting him yet.”
“Are you angry?”
“Yes, I’m upset.”
“I’m angry, too.”
The flames blazed sharply as if representing Tyson’s emotions.
“I didn’t know anything, really nothing. The only Ruel I can remember when he was younger.”
Tyson waved his hand over his thigh. He drenched himself in the past for a moment, and then looked at Aris, his face mixed with misery.
“I’ve been thinking about it all day. What Ruel wants.”
“…”
“Ruel kept talking to me. He kept asking me to help Setiria become stronger. So I thought about what I could do.”
The misery engraved on Tyson’s eyes disappeared and they shone like bright stars.
“First of all, I will turn you into a wizard, that’s what Ruel wanted me to do.”
“Ruel-nim said to me. I should be a wizard rather than a swordsman.”
“You were wise. Right. You have very beautiful mana.”
Tyson held out his hand.
The murmur grew deeper and deeper, turning it into a purple color.
“This is my mana.”
His mana aggressively rushed to Aris.
Paang!
Something bloomed on Aris’ body and erased Tyson’s mana.
“Did you see, that’s your mana.”
Aris saw the golden light blooming from within his body. It was light enough to erase even the night.
“A very dazzling golden color.”
“This is…”
“Let’s get stronger together.”
Tyson smiled kindly and extended his hand to Aris.
“Let’s get stronger and protect Ruel and Setiria.”
“Yes, I will be strong.”
Aris squeezed his hand tightly.
“We’re here.”
At the words of Cassion, Ruel opened his eyes.
He didn’t know why, but Cassion’s face looked exceptionally refreshing.
His well-groomed hair was a little messy, and dirt was visible on the floor of the wagon.
Ruel was unsure and asked.
“What happened while I was sleeping?”
“Yes, the rat stepped in the trap without knowing the subject.”
“Really?”
Apparently, a common cliché popped out while sleeping.
Ruel got off the carriage.
An open lake was the first thing that caught his eye.
He could see people coming for a walk or fishing.
The carriage was unintentionally attracting attention because it was the only one of its kind there.
“It’s not a walk that Ruel-nim could handle so I had no choice but to drive the carriage all the way here. I apologize for bringing unnecessary attention to you.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ttak.
Ruel walked to the lake while listening to the people’s humming.
The sparkling appearance of the lake under the sun was beautiful. It was as if it was sprinkled with jewels.
The water was so clear that the fish at the bottom were clearly visible.
‘It’s a good place.’
It was the perfect place to camp. It would be nice to come to play later.
“I think it’s over there.”
Cassion looked around and pointed to the right.
Seven middle-aged men huddled together and were waiting for the fish to bite on their fishing rods.
In a place with very shallow water where no fish could be caught, in a corner where there were not many people.
Ruel walked leisurely and approached them.
Tak tak.
He hit his cane to the ground to announce his presence and to attract their attention.
But they didn’t even give him a single glance.
Ruel sat on a flat-looking rock and asked.
“Did you catch a lot?”
“I couldn’t catch any.”
The answer was fast.
“There are 7 of you, but you couldn’t catch a single fish?”
Then one of them saw Ruel.
He asked him a question with a firm face.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to meet someone.”
“The people are scattered about like fish here.”
“I hate talking too much, so I’ll keep it simple. Please come back.”
“What are you talking about? There are so many places to go back to. Where are you telling me to come back to?”
Ruel inhaled the Breath.
‘Oh man, he likes to talk back.’
It wasn’t what he liked to hear.
Ruel gave strength to his voice so that they could hear it well. They seemed to be sulky.
“The seat is reserved, so please return to your original seat.”
The man let go of the fishing rod. And he said with a slightly gloomy face.
“It seems like I caught a fish for the first time in five years.”
“You were caught, and I came directly to you because you seemed to be upset.”
“I had a lot… of resentment.”
“I know, but you didn’t leave this place.”
“We blame ourselves, not you. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come.”
“Cough.”
Ruel coughed out and laughed.
“How could I not know when I was teased like that?”
“I’m sorry.”
The men put their fishing rods down one by one.
The fishing rods were slowly submerged into the lake.
“Nothing, nothing. You must have been only twelve. You were so young…”
Some had tears in their eyes. It seemed to be true that tears get weaker with age.
Ruel saw them who were kind and tender.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m back now.”
“Sorry, my lord, we have done nothing. He… He entrusted you, and we…”
Ruel held out his palm.
I didn’t want to hear anything else at the moment.
‘What I had to do now was fill the vacancy.’
Ruel looked at each of them and spoke out.
“I was incompetent, so Setiria became like this. I want to fix it now. Will you help me?”
“If you give us a chance, we will work for Setiria even if this body breaks.”
They bowed their heads almost at the same time.
They didn’t gather here to test themselves.
Even when he returned, he simply did not find them and was holding a small protest.
‘If I had found myself on those feet, the story would have been faster.
Why is everyone so timid?
Didn’t he announce that he had returned with the knights?
If his situation had been promoted like this, shouldn’t they have returned on their own?
“Why didn’t you come to see me?”
The man hesitated at Ruel’s question.
The man expressed guilt and replied after a long time.
“I couldn’t come because I was filled with shame.”
Soon after, he looked around and approached Ruel and spoke quietly so that he could hear him.
“Because on the day the Lord died, I lost you to them. … We are all sinners. So even if you get kicked out, even if you come back, I wouldn’t have been able to face you.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Ruel laughed out loud.
Carbena was gone, but she was still gnawing on Setiria.
I was glad I didn’t kill her. It was a relief that I sent her to the dirtiest, most disgusting place here.
She had to live a long life and suffer.
Ruel stopped thinking about her and sighed.
“In the end, those who were loyal to Setiria left because of me?”
“It’s not like that. Hasn’t the lord been in pain for so long because of these lowly ones?”
I couldn’t hear a string of excuses.
Even the sky seemed far away from the fact that in order to bring back those who were loyal to Setiria, they had to grab their neck by themselves as they are now.
‘… I was going to rest.’
“Cough, cough.”
Today, the sound of his coughing sounded pitiful.
“There’s only one thing I want from you, creating a place where people can happily enjoy their normal lives.”
Ruel got up from his seat with help from his cane.
He smiled as he watched the gazes follow him up.
“Before that, I will have to clean up the huge filth that the former barons bought. I have a lot to do, so let’s hang out and go home.”
“Ho-How can you say that so fast?”
“Since my mind is empty, shouldn’t I fill it up? The letter of appointment will be delivered tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so go back to your seat and do your job.”
Ignoring the questions that followed, Ruel turned around.
The cane was exceptionally heavy.
‘First of all, I thought that if I filled up the seats of the Barons, the rest would naturally follow, but it didn’t.’
It was too badly burnt by Carbena.
“It’s not Ruel-nim’s fault.”
“Who said that?”
“If you have such absurd feelings, I want you to shake them off quickly. It’s not good for your health.”
Ruel replaced the answer with a snort.
It was not him who was kidnapped by Carbena or whatever he did.
He was a poor Lord who cleaned up the consequences of Carbena’s cheap dirt and old Ruel’s stupidity.
“Cassion.”
“Yes.”
“Among those who have been driven out, who are the closest living here?”
“Maybe… Are… Are you planning to visit?”
“You heard it too, everyone is shy. For Setiria to normalize, we need to put those shy people back to their original positions. You know?”
Ruel inhaled the Breath in a tight breath.
Then came a sigh from Cassion.
“Can’t it be written?”
“Let’s go.”
In response to the firm answer, Cassion swept my face.
***
Boom Boom!
Aris didn’t stop swinging his sword even though the sun went down.
He felt like a fool.
Didn’t he waste his time not knowing that Ruel was so sick?
From the moment Ruel chose him, He decided to make him his lord.
‘I had to be stronger and stand next to Ruel as soon as possible.’
That was the reward for Ruel, who saved him and chose him.
“Stop it. You’ll get hurt.”
I could see Tyson’s face with the flame behind his back.
“Mr. Tyson.”
“If you’re impatient, you’ll ruin everything.”
“But Ruel-nim is very sick, and I haven’t taken a step on the path to protecting him yet.”
“Are you angry?”
“Yes, I’m upset.”
“I’m angry, too.”
The flames blazed sharply as if representing Tyson’s emotions.
“I didn’t know anything, really nothing. The only Ruel I can remember when he was younger.”
Tyson waved his hand over his thigh. He drenched himself in the past for a moment, and then looked at Aris, his face mixed with misery.
“I’ve been thinking about it all day. What Ruel wants.”
“…”
“Ruel kept talking to me. He kept asking me to help Setiria become stronger. So I thought about what I could do.”
The misery engraved on Tyson’s eyes disappeared and they shone like bright stars.
“First of all, I will turn you into a wizard, that’s what Ruel wanted me to do.”
“Ruel-nim said to me. I should be a wizard rather than a swordsman.”
“You were wise. Right. You have very beautiful mana.”
Tyson held out his hand.
The murmur grew deeper and deeper, turning it into a purple color.
“This is my mana.”
His mana aggressively rushed to Aris.
Paang!
Something bloomed on Aris’ body and erased Tyson’s mana.
“Did you see, that’s your mana.”
Aris saw the golden light blooming from within his body. It was light enough to erase even the night.
“A very dazzling golden color.”
“This is…”
“Let’s get stronger together.”
Tyson smiled kindly and extended his hand to Aris.
“Let’s get stronger and protect Ruel and Setiria.”
“Yes, I will be strong.”
Aris squeezed his hand tightly.
