I Became a Sick Nobleman

Chapter 193 - The Tonisk Empire (2)

“I’ve solved that part that was blocked. I was close to making a mess thinking it was only a partial solution.”

-You… solved it?

Tyson was taken aback.

“Yes. If Lady Mayre hadn’t been present, the situation would have been truly disastrous.”

Aris, overwhelmed with emotion, felt his hand tremble as he held the document. After gazing at it for a moment, Tyson’s face lit up with the urge to embrace Aris immediately.

-Aris! Aris! You are truly a genius!

Aris quickly waved his hands in denial.

“Oh, no. How could I be a genius? It was a collective effort—Tyson-nim, Sister Drianna, Lady Mayre, and everyone else.”

-Aris, you should take pride in yourself. While Mayre-nim’s information was helpful, the magic of that time was so distinct from today’s that it wasn’t the deciding factor.

Tyson’s acknowledgment suggested that Mayre-nim’s input wasn’t sufficient to turn the tide completely. Despite that, Aris managed to figure it out. He truly was a genius magician.

Ruel beamed and exclaimed, “Fantastic job, Aris! Exceptionally well done!”

Aris shook his hands back and forth.

“Ruel-nim, really, I didn’t do it alone. Tyson-nim is just kind-hearted, that’s why he speaks that way… We achieved this together.” Aris’s voice cracked as he spoke, holding back tears.

Although he was Ruel’s only knight, he always felt weighed down, believing he couldn’t truly assist Ruel. He desired to be someone who could share Ruel’s burdens. Since the moment Ruel saved him, since the time when Ruel extended his hand, he had always thought this way.

“Ruel-nim.”

“Yes, Aris.”

“I want to be more helpful to you, Ruel-nim.”

He had gotten so much from Ruel. The ability to protect others, a place to live, and family. He had received everything. But he hadn’t been able to return anything.

“I hope that my little assistance will help to lessen Ruel-nim’s burden.”

Ruel chuckled softly and stood up.

“Aris.”

“Yes, Ruel-nim.”

“You are my knight. It has been that way since our first meeting.”

Tears finally rolled down Aris’s cheeks. Ruel understood how desperate Aris had been while unraveling the magic circle, how much he had suffered because of a master who caused only worry.

“Thank you.”

Aris was no longer the child who used to cry out for help. He had grown into a proper knight. Ruel gazed earnestly into Aris’s eyes. He had been a source of aid. Thanks to that, Ruel felt lighter. With these sentiments, he reached out his hand to Aris.

“Yes!” Aris wiped away his tears and energetically grasped Ruel’s hand. “I will be a knight who can always uphold you, Ruel-nim!” Aris spoke without hesitation, his smile radiant.

***

The following day.

Kuroo kuru.

The spirits sang joyfully, and Leo chattered incessantly.

—This body vision is excellent. The cold sensation feels so nice!

Leo’s tail wagged as he hugged one of the spirits.

“Are you feeling alright?” Aris asked, looking at Ruel seated across from him. He had refrained from asking too frequently, fearing it might burden Ruel, but he could no longer overlook Ruel’s pale complexion. Knowing that Ruel’s health hadn’t fully recovered since he fell into the winter sea, Aris could see that Ruel appeared truly unwell. They were traveling in a carriage newly provided by Huswen, headed towards the Tonisk Empire.

“I’m fine,” Ruel reassured Aris with a smile, gazing out of the carriage window.

Beside him, Cassion had been contemplating administering painkillers. “Let me give you some pain relief.”

“But I’ve already taken some.”

“You still look like you’re in a lot of pain.”

“No. This feels different from pain. It’s something uncomfortable, heavy, and my head is throbbing.”

Ruel was puzzled by the unusual sensations he was experiencing. It wasn’t quite painful, yet it felt painful. His stomach wasn’t queasy, but it felt like it was. He kept having this illusory feeling, as if he was under some kind of magical spell. Was all this because he was getting closer to the Tonisk Empire?

“Ruel-nim, may I speak?” Noah finally spoke up.

“Go ahead.”

“Besides accompanying you on this journey, can I step outside for a moment?” Noah requested urgently.

“Stop the carriage,” Ruel instructed Cassion promptly.

As soon as the carriage halted, Noah hurried outside to vomit.

Cassion regarded Noah with a disapproving look and asked, “Ruel-nim, is this alright?”

“I’ve already informed him,” Ruel replied.

During their journey to the Tonisk Empire, Ruel explained the situation to Noah. He only shared as much as Noah could understand, nothing more.

“You’re aware of the weaknesses in the Mana Oath, right? Do you trust Noah?” Cassion inquired, prompting a soft chuckle from Ruel. He found the situation quite amusing. After all, Noah was indeed a somewhat enigmatic character.

“Cassion-nim, forgive me for interrupting, but Noah is a decent person, despite his flaws. He can be a bit too talkative,” Aris attempted to defend Noah as a friend, albeit hesitantly. “So, um, he’s not a bad person.”

“You needn’t struggle to defend him like that, Aris. I know Noah tends to talk too much,” Ruel remarked, inhaled breath.

What Ruel relied on was the mana oath binding Noah. While he didn’t trust Noah due to his loose lips, he still found him necessary.

“Cassion, I understand your discontent, but you know why I am taking Noah with us.”

Noah was their last resort. With his hunting skills and speed, his chances of survival surpassed the others’. Ruel believed that even if everyone else died, Noah might survive.

“I understand your concerns. However, if Noah starts blabbering needlessly…” Cassion glanced at Noah re-entering the carriage. “I’ll handle it.”

Noah’s face, previously flushed with color, paled instantly.

“No, no. Even if you think I’m worthless, Cassion-nim, I know when to keep quiet!” Noah retorted as he settled back into his seat.

“Who would believe such nonsense if I spouted it? I’m not a hero from a fairy tale, and in this world of uncertainties… Hah.” Noah’s voice rose briefly before he sighed wearily and wiped his face, looking at Ruel. There was no hint of resentment in his eyes, only empathy. “You must have been through a lot.”

Ruel was taken aback by Noah’s unexpected words. Not from anyone else, but from Noah?

“I thought you might resent me.”

“Even a dog knows how to be grateful. How could I, as a human, not appreciate it? I like Setiria, and I like the people at the mansion too.”

—This body too! This body likes Ruel, Aris, Cassion, everyone at the manor!

Noah was surprised by Leo’s joyful laughter. He was still adjusting to the fact that a fox could speak.

“So, you mentioned you’re a spirit, not a fox?”

—Ahem, this body is a great purifier! 

After tending to the spirits, Leo stretched and raised his nose in the air.

“Your legs are short. Honestly, I was confused about whether you were a fox or a short-legged cat.”

—I am neither a fox nor a short-legged cat! This body is a great purifier!

At Noah’s words, Leo instantly growled in response.

“Right, right. I get it. How much could it possibly hurt if you bit me?”

Provoked by Noah’s words, Leo instantly leaped and bit Noah’s finger, pointing at himself.

“Ouch!” The carriage was filled with Noah’s screams from the unexpected pain. 

“Oops, you need to be careful. Leo can’t be harmed even by Cassion’s skills.” Ruel chuckled at the satisfying sight and patted Leo, who had returned.

“Is that true, Cassion-nim?” Noah’s face turned pale as he held his finger. 

“Yes.” Cassion frowned as he said this. While it was true, he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Didn’t it sound like he was ranked below a gluttonous fox?

—Ahem, be careful.

With that, Leo wore a triumphant smile.

Aris wanted to mention that spirits cannot be killed unless by a being of the same nature, but he quietly nodded at Ruel’s gaze, telling him to keep his mouth shut. Although he felt sorry for Noah, seeing Ruel happy was enough. Aris joined in the laughter.

***

Whoosh.

A cold wind blew, and Ruel shivered. The Tonisk Empire was colder than Cyronian because it was further north. Facing the immense wall that seemed more like a small mountain, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of suffocation.

He realized that the empire’s stature was not just a title. If the empire had not fallen, he would have had a headache just thinking about how to breach such a towering and formidable wall from the very beginning. However, what stood out more than the wall was a barrier that was over ten times larger than the magic circle he had seen in the Kingdom of Kran.

‘Huswen must be cursing me.’

As he reflected on his request to Huswen to breach this barrier, Ruel couldn’t help but think he deserved any scolding coming his way. Inhaling Breath, he turned to Cassion for an update. Based on Huswen’s information and the shadow’s reconnaissance, Ruel deduced that the Red Ash patrolled the area around the Tonisk Empire every three days.

With the Red Ash having been sighted yesterday, Ruel knew they wouldn’t be around today. Despite this assurance, he decided to proceed cautiously, leaving the carriage at a safe distance and continuing on foot into the empire.

“How’s the area around the empire?”

“There seems to be no one in sight,” Cassion replied.

“Keep a vigilant watch,” Ruel instructed before turning to Noah.

“Noah,” he addressed him, “after concealing the carriage, join me. Can you manage that?”

“Absolutely! I’m adept at hiding and slipping away,” Noah giggled as he answered.

“Aris,” Ruel called out to him.

“I’m prepared,” Aris responded with a focused expression.

Ruel decided that the first location to dispel the magic circle would be the Tonisk Empire, not one of the three countries. He had confirmed through Mayre that the barrier in the Tonisk Empire was structurally similar to a magic circle, even during the time of the Kran Kingdom. The purpose of the barrier was to contain the black water.

In reverse, this meant that if the purpose of the barrier was altered, it would transform into a magic circle that absorbed black water. At that time, he planned to dismantle that magic circle. From what Tyson and Aris had told him, changing the purpose was akin to changing a building’s sign, so there was no need for the original blueprints. In other words, while it was impossible to make the barrier and the magic circle exactly the same, it was feasible to modify or destroy them.

“Alright, let’s proceed,” Ruel said with a faint smile, as Aris nodded in readiness, and they quietly moved forward.

***

Bzzz.

Ruel looked back, feeling like a kindergarten teacher. Spirits resembling sheep were lined up following him. At first, he thought the piled snow was moving in the wind, but at Leo’s mention of ‘spirits,’ he finally noticed the round little eyes watching him. Ruel stopped walking near the entrance to the Tonisk Empire, right by the barrier. 

“Leo, can you stop the blizzard here and intensify it elsewhere?” Ruel requested.

Leo tilted his head to the side.

—How large should it be?

“Big enough to cover the entire area here.” Ruel pointed with his finger at the Tonisk Empire and the parts they had passed through. He needed to prepare in advance as they were about to undertake a significant task.

—H-huh! This, this body can’t do it alone!

“That’s true, Ruel-nim. Even for Leo, that might be a bit difficult,” Aris added, seeing Leo’s immediate fear.

“Can you all lend a hand?” 

Bzzz.

At Ruel’s words, the sheep-like spirits tilted their heads almost simultaneously.

‘I don’t know what kind of spirits they are, but since they were in the snow, they shouldn’t have a 

problem with it.’

Just like the spirits that had moved the sea last time, Ruel thought it would be similar this time too.

Kuroo kuru.

The spirits clinging to Ruel came down and approached the sheep-like spirits, starting to communicate something.

“But there’s nothing there?” Noah was surprised to see Ruel seemingly talking to empty air as he returned after hiding the carriage.

“Ruel-nim, i-is he okay? Cassion-nim, something seems off with Ruel-nim…”

At Noah’s fuss, Cassion shot him a glare. If one were to look without knowing anything, Ruel might appear crazy, but that was not something anyone should carelessly mention.

—The spirits communicate so well. Hehe. This body feels very reassured!

Leo wagged his tail at the sounds of the spirits speaking.

“Are they willing to help?” Ruel asked, and Leo nodded.

—Indeed! The spirits are talking about how amazing Ruel is! This body agrees wholeheartedly! There’s no one as kind and warm-hearted as Ruel!

Ruel quickly turned his head away from the sheep-like spirits who were looking at him as if he were a great person, as Leo spoke. He felt a little embarrassed. After confirming that Leo and the sheep-like spirits were working together, Ruel infused his ring with mana. Aris immediately erased the traces. 

“Uncle, are you ready?”

-Of course, I’ve just been waiting for your signal, Ruel.

Changing the purpose of the barrier and dismantling it couldn’t be done by Aris alone. Currently, Treitol was heading toward a neutral zone, and even if he was powerful, he wouldn’t be able to sense magic this far away. Even if the Great Man noticed, it was something that had to be done. The highlight of the stage would surely be the Tonisk Empire.

“Then you can come now.” Ruel said and looked at Aris.

In his hand was a portal device he had received that morning. The device resembled a square tray, covered in various shapes like triangles and diamonds, similar to those found on the barrier and magic circles.

“I’ll set it up,” Aris said with a determined look.

Even though it had been tested, this was the first portal device ever created, and there was no telling what dangers it might pose. How could he not be nervous knowing that the magic knights, who were like family to him, would be crossing over from Leponia to the Empire through this portal?

‘Calm down.’

Aris took a deep breath and placed the portal device on the ground. Using mana, he connected the various shapes drawn on the outside of the device in a specific order. As golden mana touched the shapes, they immediately turned the same color. Because he had deliberately made the activation conditions difficult to prevent the device from being used by others, sweat was already forming on Aris’s forehead. 

“Phew.” Aris took a moment to catch his breath. He felt his legs tremble as he realized all his mana was being drawn out. When Aris finally connected all the symbols in order, the device glowed with a golden light, which soon traced out a rectangular shape like a door. As the light outlined the four lines and four corners, the inside filled with a pitch-black darkness.

Hum Hum.

Hearing the sound of it operating correctly, Aris felt a sense of relief and slumped down to the ground. His legs had lost their strength.

“It’s done.” With Aris’s words, the dark portal shimmered with rainbow colors.