I Became a Sick Nobleman

Ruel almost ended up heading home, fully exposed to the chilly wind. 

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad I could be of help,” Banios reassured, glancing at Ruel leaning against the carriage wall.

“I really am fine,” Ruel insisted, meeting Banios’ gaze.

Despite feeling a slight fever and dizziness, it was within an acceptable range.

“I apologize,” Banios suddenly said. 

“What are you apologizing for?” Ruel asked, taken aback.

“What for?” Ruel asked, surprised.

“I mean, for sending you to Cyronian. Looking back, it was like throwing you into the lion’s den.”

“If you’re sorry, then give me a bunch of shiny things to hold in my hand.”

“Your Highness,” Ruel called out, and Banios turned to him with a smile.

“I actually encountered His Highness Kran, the second prince of Kran, in the neutral zone.” Ruel let out another surprised remark that Banios thought wasn’t possible at this point.

Banios widened his eyes and asked, “Does that mean the envoy has already arrived? I haven’t heard that news.”

“No, they haven’t. According to Prince Treitol, it seems he visited the neutral zone first.”

“He went to the neutral zone first? So he doesn’t intend to take part in the envoy? That sounds peculiar to me. Did he miss out on an opportunity for significant gain by staying idle?”

Puzzled by the situation, Banios furrowed his brow.

“What kind of person is Prince Treitol, as far as you know?”

“Well…” Banios rubbed his chin, trying to recollect who Treitol was. “I only met him when I was young, and even in my memories, he was a prince with a barely noticeable presence. But I heard that he underwent a complete change after suffering a head injury.”

“In that case, what kind of influence does he hold in Kran now?” Ruel asked, curious about Treitol’s current position.

Banios pondered for a moment before answering, “Unlike Leponia, Kran is a country where the firstborn inherits the throne. However, the King of Kran holds the second prince in high regard, and he faces challenges from various directions.”

‘So, is this what he meant by ‘internal affairs’?’

Ruel inhaled Breath, feeling a slight headache coming on. 

He closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them, continuing the conversation. 

“Today, I found out that I’m more famous than I thought. Your Highness, how famous do you think I am?”

Ruel had requested King Huswen of Cyronian to delay the official announcement of his achievements until his upcoming coming-of-age ceremony. 

However, rumors have a way of spreading regardless. 

Despite his efforts to keep a low profile, Ruel couldn’t help but wonder about the extent of his newfound fame.

Banios contemplated for a moment, a subtle twitch playing on his lips as he considered how to respond to Ruel’s seemingly boastful yet humble inquiry.

“Hmm…”

“I’m not trying to boast here. His Highness Treitol approached me after hearing these rumors. Please just tell me the facts you know.”

“To be honest, you are quite famous. Even if people don’t know your name, they are aware of the title ‘Noble of Darkness.'”

As soon as the title ‘Noble of Darkness’ was mentioned, Ruel frowned deeply, his frustration evident.

‘Damn you, Ganien!’ Ruel’s mind wandered back to Ganien, and he vowed that if he ever saw him again, he would definitely punch him in the face. 

Taking a moment to regain control of his emotions, Ruel asked again, “Why am I so famous? Why did a prince from another country investigate me to that extent?”

“If I tell you the truth, there were acts of goodwill that you performed that hadn’t been seen before, or rather hadn’t been seen for decades. After the fall of the Tonisk Empire, there hasn’t been such a thing. All three countries have been watching for an opportunity to fill that reputational void.”

Banios took a short breath and continued speaking. “Did you ask if a prince from another country would investigate you to that extent? Honestly, yes. Um, thanks to you, black outfits are selling like crazy… ahem.”

Banios coughed awkwardly as Ruel’s gaze became increasingly sharp.

“Anyway, I’ve heard that your actions have increased the number of foreigners who view Leponia favorably. In a way, you have become a famous figure, and perhaps even a potentially dangerous one. It’s only natural that investigations would be carried out.”

As Banios conversed with Ruel, he found himself overwhelmed by curiosity and hesitated for a moment. “Ruel, there’s something I’m really curious about, so please don’t misunderstand me.”

“Please, go ahead and ask.”

“Do you know how to take a break?”

—That’s right. Ruel doesn’t know how to take a break.

Although Leo knew he wasn’t being heard, he joyfully replied. Cassion, sitting beside Ruel, couldn’t contain his suppressed laughter.

Realizing that he might have been too blunt in his question, Banios hesitated slightly and corrected himself. “So, I’ve been informed by your butler that you briefly left the mansion to rest. 

However, it seems that this wasn’t exactly a leisure trip. When one is resting, one should…”

Banios proceeded to explain how one should properly spend leisure time, as if he had paid particular attention to recent literature on the subject.

While Cassion and Leo were captivated by Banios’ words, Ruel listened with only partial attention, occasionally glancing out the window.

‘…!’

Suddenly, Ruel spotted something and urgently spoke up. “Your Highness.”

“Tell me.”

“Could we please stop here for a moment?”

“Understood.”

At Banios’ words, Cassion knocked on the carriage wall.

Ruel, who had been leaning against the carriage wall, straightened his body as the carriage came to a halt.

“Your Highness, may I step out briefly?” 

“Where are you going? Isn’t your body still not back to normal?”

Ruel’s face was slightly flushed with heat. He smiled faintly as he looked outside the window.

“Right now, I can see the new village I’m building outside the window.”

The village he had created for the first time. 

It had crumbled due to the black-blooded man, but now construction was underway once again. How relieved he was to hear that.

“It’s called Sylvia.”

Ruel smiled brightly and looked at Banios.

Only then did Banios understand why Ruel had stopped the carriage.

He heard that the village Ruel was talking about collapsed before it even started because of the black-blooded man.

“Very well. Take your time.”

With Banios’s permission, Ruel gestured to Cassion with a nod to open the door. Cassion cautiously held onto the door handle and asked just in case, “Ruel-nim, your condition is not good. How about visiting next time?”

“I’ll just take a quick look and come back.”

Cassion sighed but handed Ruel a cane from his magic pocket, just in case he needed support. Ruel took the cane and waited for Cassion to open the door.

—This body will go too!

As soon as the door opened, Leo couldn’t contain his excitement and leaped out of the carriage first. 

Ruel, supported by Cassion, followed suit. 

The cold wind greeted them, carrying various scents and a familiar scent near the construction site.

Tak. Tak. 

Ruel leaned on his cane and slowly walked forward. 

As they moved away from the carriage’s blind spot, Ruel came to a stop, taking in a deep breath. 

Ha.

His breath formed a white puff in the cold air.

Despite the winter weather, construction work was still ongoing at the village. 

Ruel had advised Gors, the person in charge of managing Sylvia Village, to take it easy during the winter. 

However, it seemed that his advice hadn’t been fully heeded.

—Ruel, why did you stop? Why aren’t we going there?

Although it hadn’t been fully captured yet, a village was being rebuilt in the place that had crumbled because of the black-blooded man. 

Ruel paused, watching the village being rebuilt from a distance. 

He knew that approaching the village would result in a delay as he would be greeted by the workers, and he didn’t want to waste time.

—This body wants to go there.

Ruel looked at Leo, who was urging him to go inside, and called Cassion. 

“Cassion.” 

“Yes.” 

“Quietly, bring Gors here.” 

“Understood.” Cassion glanced at Ruel once before disappearing to fulfill his request.

Ruel then turned his attention to Leo. “Leo.”

—Yes, Ruel?

“Go and take a quick look. I’ll stay here.”

Leo’s ears twitched back and forth. 

—Will Ruel stay here? 

“I’ll stay here.” 

—Won’t you move from here? 

“I won’t move.” Ruel affirmed, glancing around before settling on a large rock to catch his breath. He sat down heavily, feeling the weight of exhaustion on his body.

—This body will go and take a quick look. You can’t go anywhere. 

“Alright.” After asking a few more times and turning around to look at Ruel, Leo waved his hand. 

“Cough, cough.” Ruel furrowed his brows at the sudden bout of coughing. 

He hadn’t been coughing much lately. 

‘Seems like I caught a cold. Fran will probably say something when I get back.’

Ruel inhaled Breath and patiently waited for Cassion to bring Gors.

Rustle.

In the bushes, a squirrel-like spirit with wide eyes looked at him. 

Kuroo kuru. 

The spirit, still clinging to Ruel, responded and they carried on their conversation among themselves. 

If he looked closely, there were probably a few more spirits around, but Ruel simply gazed at the darkening sky. 

“My, my lord!” Gors rushed over and bowed in front of Ruel.

“My lord, why are you staying outside instead of going inside? I am here to serve you.”

“No. Wouldn’t it bother you if I went inside?”

“It bothers me more to see you outside like this. We are all here, ready to serve you at any time.”

“Is the construction going well?” 

“Of course! We are working harder than anyone else because it’s our village!” Gors smiled proudly, appearing much brighter than before. 

Ruel formed a faint smile and said, “It’s good to have enthusiasm, but take it easy. Don’t forget it’s winter.” 

Cassion, wearing a displeased expression, glanced at Ruel, silently conveying his disapproval of Ruel’s words, as if saying, “So you are aware of the situation here?”

Gors answered with a hint of embarrassment, “I understand. We all know that. But we can’t just sit still, so we are working carefully to avoid any injuries.” 

“Is there anything else you need?” 

“No, Jirie has prepared everything, so it is sufficient. Maybe the village can be built faster than scheduled.”

“Has there been any trouble in the back alleys lately?” The expression on Gors’s face, which was just beaming moments ago, hardened. 

“Actually, I was going to report that to you, my lord.”

“Tell me.”

“Lately, smuggled goods have been coming in through the back alleys.” 

“Smuggled goods have always been coming in, haven’t they?”

“Well, the thing is, as you mentioned, Prazio has started coming in as smuggled goods.” 

“Prazio?” Ruel raised an eyebrow, having a specific reason for mentioning that item to Gors. It was because Prazio was an item that the Red Ash had come into contact with.

Gors nodded. “Yes, even if we try to apprehend them, the smuggling routes are so diverse that they slip through our fingers.”

“If you need support, let me know. I can provide as much backup as you need.” 

“Understood.” 

Just as Ruel finished his discussion with Gors, Leo returned, running towards him. 

Ruel rose from the rock, realizing that his business here was complete.

“Then, take care.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

Ruel looked at Gors as he spoke.

“Thank you once again for giving us this opportunity.”

Ruel smiled faintly, leaning on his cane for support. He took a few steps forward and quietly called out to Cassion.

“Cassion.”

“Yes?”

“Instruct them to reinforce the gate.”

“Understood.”

It seemed that since he started trading with Cyronian, the Red Ash had started to lay the groundwork once again.

He can’t bear to see the Red Ash return to Leponia.

Even if this incident wasn’t related to the Red Ash, it was clear that it needed to be stopped.

A haughty smile appeared on Ruel’s lips.

***

“Achoo!” Fran tried to hide her frustration as Ruel sneezed.

“Mr. Ruel,” Fran addressed him.

“Tell me.”

“You clearly said you were going to rest. I don’t understand why you keep finding excuses to be outside.”

“I rested. I just couldn’t help myself from getting soaked.”

“I see. Did you overexert yourself?”

“Did my condition worsen?”

“It’s hard to say for certain. The nature of your illness remains the same, but there are a few unusual aspects. We need to observe it further to understand what’s happening,” Fran explained, closely watching Ruel’s reaction. However, Ruel maintained a calm expression, making it difficult to gauge his true feelings. So, Fran smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Well then, until you recover from your cold, please refrain from wandering around.”

“Okay,” Ruel agreed, casting a quick glance at Leo, who was staring at the wall. 

After Fran, Tierra, and Cassion left, Ruel shifted his gaze to the ring on his finger. 

He needed to inform Ganien about what he had revealed to Banios, but he was still annoyed about the incident in the carriage. 

If only he had chosen a more ordinary title, he wouldn’t have felt so embarrassed.

—Ruel, Ruel.

Leo, who had been fixated on the wall, turned his head to look at Ruel.

“Why?”

—This body has already repented.

“Is that so?”

Upon returning to the room, Leo stood facing the wall, expressing his intention to reflect on his actions. 

Ruel hadn’t asked him to do so, and it wasn’t necessary, but since Leo insisted, Ruel allowed him to do as he pleased.

—This body will never throw snow or water at Ruel!

“Leo, what you did…”

—No. This body is at fault. Aris told this body that if this body makes a mistake, this body has to reflect on it.

‘He had a good teacher.’

Leo immediately smiled bashfully and ran up to Ruel.

He showed his belly, asking to be petted, and Ruel gently touched Leo’s soft belly.

Ruel infused mana into the ring and called Ganien.

“Ganien, is it a good time to talk?” 

-…Just a moment. What do you want to talk about now? Let’s take a deep breath first.

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just a little long.”

-Oh, really? I thought it was something really serious. I’m on my way home from work, so that’s good news. What do you want to talk about? 

Ganien’s cheerful voice lightened Ruel’s mood, causing him to chuckle softly.

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