I Became a Sick Nobleman
Chapter 197: Meet the King (3)

“It meant passing important information to him, but no matter how I think about it, there was no other way for Ruel Setiria to escape that mark. Even those who knew the future through the web novel couldn’t break free from that constraint.”

The king, too, grew tired of the unending repetition. His spirit had shattered due to the senseless cycle. Ruel paused, reflecting on how the ‘king’ hadn’t made the wisest decision, but ultimately, that risk had paid off. The Great Man had spared his life. Thanks to that, he had survived and come this far under his own strength.

“Blame me. Despise me. It’s all my fault.” The ‘king,’ with his imposing figure, gazed at Ruel with a regretful look. A pang of compassion struck Ruel. “Although my small risk might have granted you life, I regret putting you in another danger. I am truly sorry.” The ‘king’ confessed all his wrongdoings but couldn’t bring himself to ask for Ruel’s forgiveness. He simply bowed his head before Ruel.

“And I am deeply grateful. For not giving up on yourself and coming this far with your strength. Your existence has changed everything. No, to be more precise, it has brought forth hope.”

“Hope?” Ruel inquired, prompting the king to beam brightly for the first time.

“Your mere existence is hope.” The king extended his arm.

“Oh bearer of the hero’s power, accept this final one.”

“There are five hero powers? Not four?” Ruel was surprised.

The powers Ganien had obtained were the power of recovery, the power of resistance, and the power of reflection. And the last was the power of radiance, which only emitted light. That last power was one Ganien had not used, either. What would he do with just emitting light?

“I possessed the last one. Do not let him take it from you. Do not allow history to repeat itself.” From the king’s hand emerged a fragment enveloped in light.

“The power of radiance is unstable on its own. It requires two fragments to achieve perfection.”

The fragment entered Ruel’s body. Unlike before, there were no tests or words to pass.

“The power of radiance is the true hero power. It is the light that purges evil.”

Thump. Thump.

It felt as if the remaining powers welcomed the final force, causing Ruel’s heart to race. As his heart calmed, Ruel couldn’t help but release a hollow chuckle.

“Is this power hope?”

No matter how beneficial it might be, the uncertainty of whether his body could wield that power

lingered.

“That is not accurate. As I mentioned earlier, your existence itself is hope.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ruel furrowed his brow, detesting ambiguity.

“The power of a hero is a trial bestowed by God to prove the hero’s qualities, a symbol in itself. Thus, you have become the third hero of this world.”

The first was the Great Man. The second was Ganien. The third was himself?

“Are you serious? Me, a hero? with this physique?”

Ruel’s expression twisted in disbelief. It seemed absurd. How could he be labeled a hero when he couldn’t even handle a sword properly? It was ludicrous to think that one could be defined solely by power fragments. Was he merely a puppet of fate?

“Is he truly no longer a hero?”

Whether the Guardian erased his legacy or time passed, there had to be someone who remembered him.

“That is correct. There can only be one hero of the era.”

“Only one? As if he’s a mere tool.” Ruel scoffed in discontent. Now he understood a bit more why he fixated on those forgotten heroes. He felt as though he was exploited and then discarded, like a tool.

“So what? What is that hope?” Ruel asked bluntly.

“The prerequisite for the unique power is ‘the hero’s power.’ It is an ability that only the chosen hero can wield. Therefore, those not designated as heroes could never possess it.”

“…!”

It was at that moment that Ruel comprehended what the ‘King’ was implying. Now completely sealed, his body no longer contained the remnants of hero powers, or rather, ‘the hero’s power.’ In essence, the unique power was now masterless.

Ruel’s lips curled into a smile. He, who once wielded such power, was well aware of this fact. Now, he possessed the “power of a hero” as well. His very existence posed both a significant opportunity and a crisis for that Great Man.

“Wow…” After enduring a tightness in his chest for so long, a sense of liberation washed over him, almost refreshing. “So, am I the solution? You want me to extract the unique power from his body?”

The king grinned. “Exactly. By doing so, he will lose the physical body that enables his existence in this world and will never be able to return.”

“Now, life feels worthwhile.” Ruel exhaled deeply, realizing the answer was closer than he had thought. “So, all I need to do is go to the Leponia royal family and retrieve the unique power embedded in his body.”

“The Royal Family?”

“That’s where his body is. Or are you suggesting it’s a decoy, and the real one is elsewhere?” Ruel’s brow furrowed instantly.

“No. There’s only one there, right?” The king tilted his head.

“What?” Ruel’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

Just one.

One?

“Ru…” Aris’s voice interrupted, causing Ruel to turn around. Time, which had seemed to slow down, suddenly accelerated as Aris took a step closer.

“What’s happening?” Ruel inquired, causing the King to shift uneasily under his gaze.

The King appeared very uneasy. Shortly after, his eyes filled with deep guilt as he looked at Ruel.

“I apologize. By reversing time, I had to sacrifice the time I could remain conscious. This is my limit.” The King slowly reclined.

“Limit? Here?”

“Remember this. His fragmented bodies total 8. One is located in the Beast Forest, not in Leponia.”

“The Beast Forest?”

Ruel’s mind immediately flashed to Treitol, who was heading towards the neutral zone.

‘Is that why he went to the neutral zone? No way…’

It couldn’t be.

“The seal’s medium is not you…” The King’s sentence remained unfinished as he closed his eyes.

“…el-nim! No. You can’t do such a blasphemous thing… Huh?” Aris was bewildered as he tried to stop Ruel but suddenly found that the King had fallen back into a deep sleep. He hesitated, looking at Ruel, who appeared bewildered as if he had just heard something profound, making it difficult for anyone to approach him.

‘His body is in the Beast Forest…’

Ruel quickly glimpsed at the fading landscape of the field, closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and then reopened them. The snowfall resumed.

Amidst his complex emotions, the scene from the ice castle’s peak, with the snow-covered mountains, was breathtakingly beautiful. Ruel grimaced as he gazed at the landscape.

The King had fallen asleep. As a consequence of reversing time, he had indeed lost the ability to stay awake. When would he awaken? Or would he wake up at all?

He couldn’t even vent his frustration on the King. This world was real, and there was no way back to his original world. The realization that he couldn’t return was increasingly pressing on him.

“Ha…” Ruel took a deep breath and stood motionless, facing the falling snow. The snowflakes ceased for a moment on his face.

Leo looked at him with concern.

—Ruel. You’ll catch a cold if you let the snow touch you. Are you cold?

“I’m… fine.” Ruel barely managed to contain the emotions welling up inside him. It wasn’t that he was attached to his original world. There was no father waiting for him there. But the certainty that he couldn’t return saddened him. The thought of living as Ruel Setiria for real now weighed heavily on his heart.

“What stories have you heard?”

Aris raised his gaze in response to Cassion’s inquiry, realizing that it might not be the appropriate moment to delve into that discussion.

‘No, this takes precedence.’

Cassion’s words brought Ruel back to the present. The fact that he couldn’t go back would never change, but the current situation could still change.

“A lot,” Ruel paused, briefly shielding his eyes with his hand. Despite his efforts to contain it, tears trickled down his cheeks. Struggling to maintain composure, a wave of reality he had been avoiding crashed over him all at once, leaving him choked with emotion.

He felt miserable, feeling like a mere puppet. Yet, there was also a sense of relief that he had managed to survive even this way, which left his heart feeling conflicted. Suppressing any sounds, he bit his lip as the biting cold numbed his ears, keeping him rooted in place.

‘I am…’

Gradually lowering his hand from his eyes, tears still clinging to his reddened eyes made their way down his face.

‘I am Ruel Setiria.’

He cast away the remnants of ‘Kim Han,’ flinging it beyond the stark white landscape with finality. In that moment, he truly shed his former self.

‘Goodbye.’

Closing his eyes, Ruel’s eyelids trembled along with the tears.

***

Crackle.

Fixing his gaze on the flickering flames in the fireplace, Ruel savored a sip of cocoa. The sweetness enveloped his taste buds, prompting a soft exhale.

“Cough.” A cough escaped him, swiftly followed by a sniffle.

His head spun with fever, a result of being exposed to the biting winds atop the ice castle. He didn’t know if it was because of the fever or the sadness, but his head wasn’t working well. He needed to think. He had to get ahead of the Great Man.

“Why are you here? Is the seat uncomfortable?” Cassion’s voice probed, causing Ruel to shake his head. Having stepped out after seeing Leo asleep, Ruel couldn’t deceive Cassion’s keen ears.

“Cassion.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Have you ever felt lost within yourself?”

“Are you referring to losing my sense of self?”

“Every part of it.”

“Yes.” Seated beside Ruel, Cassion took out a bottle.

“It looks like a wine bottle.” Ruel glanced at the bottle, licking his lips. Wasn’t this precisely what he needed now?

“That’s right. It’s real alcohol.”

“What?”

“Occasionally, such days are necessary, don’t you think?” Cassion chuckled, placing two glasses on the table.

“The name Cassion is one I gave to myself.” As he poured the drink, Cassion began to share his story. Ruel listened with surprise, as this was a story he hadn’t seen in the novel.

“My parents were killed by wild beasts, and I was fortunate enough to be rescued by the residents of the ice castle. That was when I first lost myself. My parents meant everything to me.”

Offering a glass of alcohol to Ruel, Cassion poured himself a drink, observing Ruel’s puzzled expression.

“I fought according to the rules of the ice castle and lost—against a kid younger than me. That day was the second day I lost myself. From that moment on, I had to become a dog rather than a human.”

Raising his glass briefly to Ruel, Cassion turned away, taking a sip.

“The third time was during my first murder. In this place where only the strong can be considered human, I abandoned my humanity. I simply wanted to rise to the top, killing indiscriminately to get to this position.”

Ruel frowned as he swallowed the drink Cassion offered, the burning sensation trailing down his throat. Cassion chuckled at his reaction, tightening his grip on the bottle.

“The fourth time was after I became the king of the Ice Castle. For me, life was killing, and when there was nothing left to kill, I realized that I was empty inside. There was really nothing.”

When Ruel held out his empty glass, Cassion poured him another.

“Have you also experienced a loss of self, Ruel-nim?”

“Ah, I recently let go of it.”

‘Kim Han.’

Ruel’s grip on the glass tightened.

“Ruel-nim.”

“Yes?” Ruel scrunched his face at the returning bitterness of the alcohol. Perhaps his palate had grown accustomed to sweeter flavors; the liquor wasn’t as enjoyable as before.

“You needn’t discard the past. There’s no need to force yourself to let it go.”

“What if that past and I are entirely different people?” Ruel’s lips curved into a smile. “So, does that mean I shouldn’t cast it away?”

“Correct. That’s my belief. After all, don’t you know who you are? That’s not something you can simply discard.”

Ruel let out a half-hearted chuckle and drained his glass.

“Cassion.”

“Yes?”

“I am not Ruel Setiria.”

“…?”

Cassion studied Ruel’s face, wondering if he had already drunk too much. He couldn’t tell if his flushed face was due to the heat, the fire, or the alcohol.

“But now, I am Ruel Setiria,” Ruel stated, giggling at Cassion’s puzzled expression.

It didn’t matter whether he believed it or not. He just wanted to talk to someone. Because he felt so suffocated, as if his chest was filled with stones.

“Cassion.”

“Yes?”

“I apologize.”

“For what?”

“For binding you with an oath.”

He clung to Cassion for survival, but to Cassion, he was poison—bitter and toxic. Cassion’s eyes widened.

“Have you already had too much?”

“No, I can handle my liquor.”

Despite his assurance, Ruel erupted into laughter, leaving Cassion unsure whether to refill his glass.

“Really, when else could I say this if not now? You’ve suffered because of me.”

“That gives me chills. Can you see this?” Cassion immediately rolled up his sleeves. Goosebumps had risen all over his arms.

“Wow, that’s harsh. You can speak your mind freely, huh? Anyway, um.”

Ruel paused, shutting his eyes briefly. The world seemed to spin, and he needed to steady himself as the alcohol’s effects hit him all at once.

“Are you okay?”

Cassion felt the urge for more alcohol rising within him, eyeing the bottle longingly. However, he hesitated, considering closing the lid after all.

“Oh.” Ruel promptly extended his glass.

“Would you like another drink?”

“I must return to Leponia now.”

Glug glug.

As the alcohol filled his glass, Ruel began to speak, “The Great Man’ body is split apart… Pfft, isn’t that crazy? How poorly must he have behaved to get his body cut up by his brother?”

Ruel chuckled, briefly setting down his glass before raising eight fingers.

“There are eight pieces of his body. One remains in the Beast Forest, and the rest likely reside in Leponia.”

“Was this information shared by the ‘King’?” Cassion’s expression hardened at the words that stirred his craving for alcohol.

“Yeah. That damn bastard. Just a blabbermouth. I should have kicked him harder.” Ruel toyed with his glass.

“Inform, uh, King Huswen, and Prince Banios, and King Adea to deactivate the magic circle. Oh, and convey that I will be heading back to Leponia.”

Cassion thought Ruel was clearly drunk, but he didn’t believe he would spill nonsense for no reason.

“I must ask Aris to set up a magic circle. No, we should install portal devices for all three nations while we’re at it, correct? Yes, that sounds reasonable.”

Muttering to himself, Ruel hiccupped suddenly.

“Call my uncle for me.”

At those words, Cassion snapped to attention. He couldn’t imagine how Tyson would react upon seeing this.

Author's Thoughts

Hahaha, they're both cute.