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Chapter 60 - Who cut the waves
There were no suspicious signs around.
Cassion thought it was simply a puddle.
“Aris, come here.”
To give Ruel peace of mind, Cassion got down and investigated the puddle with Aris.
For more certainty, he took off his white gloves and touched the soil.
‘You have a pretty sharp intuition.’
The puddle was artificially created by someone a few hours ago.
Cassion wiped his hands and put on his gloves again.
Aris asked, “How is it? There is no mana reaction.”
“It’s an artificially created puddle.”
Aris bit his lip.
“Did they already move?”
“It’s not early, Ruel-nim received the letter from the royal family two weeks ago. So don’t hesitate to drive the carriage and just avoid it as much as you can because you will see a lot of puddles like this in the future.”
If there were puddles on every road, you couldn’t help but pay attention.
Ruel was more sensitive than he thought.
With such psychological warfare, you have to be careful because your subconscious thoughts might cause foolish actions. Weak mind, weak body.
“Okay, I’ll be careful.”
Aris climbed back into the driver’s seat.
“What’s the matter?”
The commander of the Third Royal Knights escorting the carriage from the back got off his horse and walked towards Cassion.
“The carriage fell into a puddle, so I was checking.”
“We’ll push the carriage from the back. Is the Lord okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine.”
Cassion nodded and climbed back into the carriage.
“It’s a puddle that was artificially dug a few hours ago. No gadgets or magic. Of course, there are no enemies,” Cassion reported to Ruel.
“What else is there?”
“I think it might be psychological warfare. A warning that they could kill you at any time.”
Ruel smirked as he stroked Leo’s head.
“Who do you think is a sunfish?”
“Sun
fish?”
Leo also stared at Ruel at Cassion’s question as if he was curious.
“There’s something like that, anyway, don’t worry about puddles or weird things in the future. Just be prepared for a raid.”
“I see.”
‘You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?’
To the point of committing unnecessary acts.
There were several minor raids, as well as puddles until the carriage reached the gate.
It was insignificant enough that you couldn’t even call it an attack.
The attacker just showed up wearing a mask and shot several arrows.
“I’ll chase them down and kill them.”
“No, let’s wait and see what they do.”
Ruel wondered what he was aiming for through a clumsy play that was neither a raid nor a trap.
The carriage stopped for a moment to pass through the gate.
Ruel used this pause to briefly step out of the carriage and examine the Knights in the name of getting some air.
Unlike his tranquil self, the face of the Knights was emaciated.
‘Ah
 You are aiming for this.’
The ground was muddy, the armor heavy, and the horses were startled by the puddles and it was a struggle to calm them down.
In addition, how many close battles had occurred that were embarrassing to call an attack?
When troublesome things were repetitive it created irritation, people were bound to be sensitive. Especially since annoying things are repeated over and over and over.
‘The more sensitive you become, the greater the agitation. The Masu Forest is perfect for causing that commotion.’
The Masu Forest was originally a place where monsters often appeared.
Suddenly.
Surprisingly.
It was also not a strange place to put such a word.
Ruel climbed back into the carriage and bit the Breath in his mouth.
‘Is the purpose to make the Knights tired?’
For that, Masu’s forest was the perfect place.
A monster that suddenly pops out.
Surprisingly, the number of monsters was large.
A script was drawn in my head.
“What’s wrong with you?”
When Ruel showed a suspicious smile, Cassion was nervous.
“No, I just remembered a part of a story. A very insignificant thing makes the knights tired. They get even more exhausted from the onslaught of monsters that randomly popped out of the Masu Forest. Suddenly,the knights who suddenly disappeared from the front yard of the Cyronian Kingdom before the neutral zone
 Hey, it’s perfect for a war, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t just a story.
Cassion read the atmosphere of the Knights, so he asked carefully.
“
 Are you going to use that power?”
“Yes.”
“For now, why don’t we just watch the situation, as it’s not happening right away?”
Cassion prefered waiting rather than opposing.
“Then we are acting like a breakwater.” Ruel waited with a smile.
The carriage crossed the gate and reached the Masu Forest.
As soon as he saw the monsters preparing to come out, Ruel gave an order.
“Everybody-“
Whiiing.
His head got hot.
“Until I pass,”
There was a light in Ruel’s green eyes.
“Don’t come out.”
As the nosebleed dripped, Cassion hurriedly staunched it with a handkerchief.
“That’s an order.”
For a moment, Cassion flinched. There was a sound as if the forest was ringing.
“Ruel-nim
”
Ruel trembled suddenly.
It was because hundreds of voices telling him they would obey the order were transmitted in his head at once.
I didn’t mean to call this much.
Like being swept away by the waves, Ruel couldn’t hold onto his consciousness any longer.
***
“
 What?”
“Well, that’s
 It is said they have entered the neutral zone.”
The man grinned and grabbed the neck of the subordinate who came back to report.
“Say it again.”
“N-Neutral
”
His neck was broken.
He threw his bent-necked subordinate onto the floor like dirty trash and looked towards another subordinate.
“Report.”
“That’s enough.”
A woman beckoned her subordinates out of the room.
Quang!
A desk was smashed by the man’s angry fist.
“I heard they passed the neutral zone. What happened? Didn’t you say it with confidence, that you could grab his ankle?”
“Didn’t you hear that the monsters didn’t even come close to the roadside?”
“So what are you going to do about it!”
The man shouted. “Damn Setiria! Oh why do you live so long with an existence like a fly?”
“That’s why they sent us up here. Without disturbance, we’ll take care of it neatly.”
The woman approached the man and whispered in his ear. “I’ll take care of it tonight. If I fail
”
She looked up at the man and raised the corners of her mouth.
“Dispose of Setiria immediately.”
The woman stepped back.
“Everything for him.”
She slowly vanished into the floor.
“Ha.”
The man sat down.
The plan went awry.
Ruel Setiria should have died this year.
Because the person who should have died is alive, everything went awry.
As of yet, they still had not been able to make their presence known.
‘Everything is for him.’
The man looked at the sky over the window with his eyes full of melancholy.
***
“
 Ruel-nim.”
At Cassion’s voice, Ruel got up, rubbing his puffy eyes.
It was night.
He didn’t have a clue how long he had fainted.
“What’s going on?”
Ruel couldn’t speak well because his voice was hoarse.
Flop.
Cassion threw someone.
The sound of someone rolling across the floor made Ruel instantly sober.
“Wait a minute.”
When the candle lit, Ruel saw a woman staring at him with her hands tied behind her.
“Who is it?”
“It’s the Red Ash. Hina caught her because she was aiming at Ruel-nim’s neck without fear.”
Ruel sighed deeply.
Less than a day after he left, they popped out one after another.
“Did you get it, Cassion?”
It was Ganien who opened the door without knocking.
Click.
He locked the door and sent a murderous look towards her.
“I watched because a night customer came, but it wasn’t a guest.”
Swing.
Ganien drew the sword without hesitation.
“Ru, Ruel-nim!”
At the urgent voice of Aris, Ganien opened the door.
“Are you okay? I was the last
 to notice a suspicious sign.”
‘Is this a meal? More like a feast.’
Ruel inhaled the Breath.
“As you know, this kind of guy usually doesn’t open their mouth.”
What Cassion brought out was a confession pill.
“I caught her, so I’ll do it.”
Hina walked out of the dark.
She ungagged the enemy and slid the confession pill very naturally into her mouth.
Once she saw the enemy’s eyes open, did she speak.
“Is it Red Ash?”
The enemy nodded.
“Who else is there?”
“Nin
tra.”
“Is it a colleague’s name?”
“Yes
”
“What are your colleagues preparing?”
“There will be an attack on the way to Cyronian
 It’s scheduled.”
“What is Ruel Setiria’s disease?”
The enemy’s eyes shook for a moment.
Hina fed her another confession pill.
The enemy trembled and soon fell down.
“What is Ruel Setiria’s disease?”
“
punishment.”
“What?”
“That’s
the punishment he gave.”
There was a sudden loss of vitality in the opened eyes.
She smiled horrifically at Ruel, bleeding from her eyes, nose, and mouth.
‘Is there a Mana Oath at stake?’
Ruel looked at the enemy dryly.
“Your disease is his punishment! Hateful Setiria! Your existence is blocking a great step towards Him! Your disease will not heal even if you die! You will suffer until you die
”
“End it.”
At Ruel’s words, Hina put a sword through her heart.
Hina looked at the fallen enemy and bowed to Ruel immediately before entering the darkness again.
“Are you sure that’s enough? Don’t you want to hear more?”
Ganien said, frowning.
“You’re crazy, what more do you want to hear?”
I wasn’t going to get the information I needed in the first place.
‘What do you mean by punishment?’
Ruel turned away from the cold body of the enemy.
“Are you all right?”
Aris asked cautiously.
“It’s okay because this isn’t the first time I’ve heard something like that.”
How much had they resented him every time they died.
He didn’t care because he had more resentment to hear in the future.
“Cassion, how was your opponent’s strength?”
“It doesn’t seem like they were the weakest of them yet.”
Ruel tapped him on the arm with his finger.
In the middle of the night, she came alone to kill him.
“It’s a dummy, a dummy trying to check the power difference.”
“Sorry, I was hasty.”
Cassion looked at the dead enemy.
He thought digging up information was a priority.
“No, quietly bring the knight with you from now on. One of the more reliable royal knights you’ve investigated.”
If the enemy sent a dummy, you should cover your eyes, and play dumb.
“Alright.”
When Cassion disappeared, Ruel looked at Ganien and Aris.
“Raise your hand if you showed yourself to someone on your way here.”
Neither Ganien nor Aris raised their hands.
“Okay then, go back to your room quietly like this. When you come back here, make as much noise as possible.”
Aris nodded, “All right, I’ll make a fuss.”
“I’m not good at acting.” Ganien scratched his neck awkwardly.
There was one more enemy left to kill.
Ruel opened his mouth calmly. “Since one enemy is dead, the movement of the rest will change. Don’t let your guard down.”
“By the way, why didn’t the Knights move?” Ganien asked with doubts.
“His Highness told me not to trust the Knights.”
“But some of them should have moved.”
“We checked if the Red Ash was hidden in the Knights.”
They still must have known the patrol route as she easily attacked him without being caught by the Knights.
“I’m very scared that my country will be like this, too.”
Ruel said calmly, “It’s highly likely none of us know enough about the Red Ash.”
“
 Right.”
Looking at the dead enemy, Ganien’s expression stiffened.
The situation was completely changing with the appearance of the Red Ash.
“Cough, cough. Now go.”
Ruel said after coughing. There wasn’t much time to talk leisurely.
Aris used magic to hide himself and Ganien.
The door opened and closed quietly.
Ruel turned over and saw Leo in dreamland.
‘You sleep really well.’
Usually, he was more sensitive to sound than Ruel, but he closed his ears when sleeping.
Knock. Knock.
A light knock signaled Cassion coming.
The door opened quietly and the knight walked in with Cassion.
“I see the Lord
”
The knight could not finish his sentence.
“Oh, I’m ashamed! I didn’t know there was an intruder
!”
“No, I didn’t call you to scold you for your mistake, so don’t make a fuss.”
“Why did you call me?”
“Say you got him.”
“What?”
“It may be sudden, but there is someone inside the Knights who communicated with the intruder.”
The knight’s face hardened immediately.
“Ginger, you’re the only one I can trust here.”
After Cassion’s investigation, the most reliable knight was the one named Ginger.
“Take a look inside the Knights with this incident. Doubt the commander and all your colleagues.”
“Even the commander?”
Ginger hesitated for a moment.
As a member of the Third Royal Knights, he has trusted the commander and relied on his colleagues more than anyone else.
However, the lord in front of him denied all of that.
“Are you worried?”
Ruel inhaled the Breath.
Ginger nodded reluctantly.
“If your colleagues are the most important thing to you, then you will have to throw away all the rumors you have heard. If you’re truly loyal to this country, believe in me.”
Ginger’s fist clenched hard.
It seemed to turn white* in his mind.
T/N: White here means poured one’s heart and soul into something or to have given something one’s best.
“Why would I go to Cyronian now? Why me?”
The representative of the delegation was a place for those of the upmost trust. A place of honor more than anyone of any standing could sit.
“I don’t have much time.”
His heart beat faster at the prompting.
Colleagues who have been with me had always stood in front of me. Things won’t change much with his choice, but at least his surroundings seemed to change significantly.
Ruel Setiria.
The sick noble and representative of the delegation.
The loyalty sent to the king while vomiting blood was already highly gossiped about.
Ginger closed his eyes tightly and soon decided.
“I will do it.”
It was his country that he valued.
Ruel’s lips drew an arc.
“Let’s start right now.”
“It’s an intruder!”
Leo opened his eyes wide at Ginger’s loud cry.
—An, an intruder has appeared!
“No, you can sleep more.”
Ruel closed Leo’s eyes and gently rubbed his stomach.
Leo’s dim eyes soon closed and fell asleep again.
Thump. Thump.
Two footsteps were heard from outside.
Quang!
Ganien and Aris shouted as the door opened wildly and everyone heard;
“Ruel, the intruder is here!”
“Hurry up and defend yourself!”
Unlike the urgent voice, the eyes of the two were smiling.
‘You said you couldn’t act
’
“Cough, cough.”
Ruel improved his impression with the intense cough.
Thump. Thump.
An urgent sound of footsteps came and the Knights entered Ruel’s room.
“Are you all right?”
The commander immediately noticed Ruel’s condition.
The commander stammered with a painful expression like he had been the one almost stabbed by a knife.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I was just so surprised at the sound of an intruder.”
Since there was Red Ash inside the Knights, Aris couldn’t see them favorably.
‘
 Huh?’
Ruel was amazing.
“We’ll protect this place, so commander, please check for intruders.”
“The Lord seems to be very surprised, so I’ll leave now. Don’t worry, my lord. We will surely kill the intruders.”
The commander hurried out of the room with the knights, strengthening his strong will.
‘What?’
Ruel looked at Aris with an absurd expression.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of rumor would spread.
What is the point of adding heart medicine to the infirmity?
Aris even moved away, avoiding his eyes.
“I confirmed that Ginger was pretending to kill him properly
 What’s wrong with you?”
Cassion, who appeared in the dark, stopped explaining the situation and followed Ruel’s gaze.
Ganien saw Aris rolling his eyes around as if he had done something wrong.
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway, it went well. You can go to bed now with peace of mind.”
Cassion himself carried the body and decorated it as if the enemy had come, and Ginger finished his role well like an actor.
Now that an attacker appeared, the Knights must be on high alert and it will be harder to make another attempt tonight.
Coughing, Ruel glanced at Ganien and Aris.
“Can you sleep on the floor since there’s no seat?”
It’s fake, but there was an attack, so the two had to stay in Ruel’s room.
“I’ve camped a lot, so don’t worry about it.”
“I’m used to sleeping on the floor.”
Ganien was fine, but at Aris’s remarks, Ruel paused.
“Cassion, get me a blanket.”
No matter how hard it was, you couldn’t sleep on the cold floor at a time when winter was approaching.
Ruel closed his eyes when he saw Cassion go outside.