I Became a Sick Nobleman

***

Ruel’s body staggered from the effects of the warp.

Despite the overwhelming aftereffects, he soon opened his eyes wide.

‘Ten, no, twenty, maybe more?’

There were more of them than the black-blooded man he’d fought in Cyronian.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded loudly.

His own shadow moved arbitrarily.

‘Calm down.’

Ruel soothed the shadow and surveyed the situation.

Gors must have evacuated the people, so all that was left in Sylvia was the corpse. 

With all traces of the village that had been built so far gone, Ruel bit his lips hard.

—Ruel, Ruel! This body can do it now! This body will purify those who are out of natural order.

Leo said, his tail raised.

“Are you alright?” Aris asked, concerned. 

Ruel nodded in response.

“I can fight. Please don’t ask me to run away this time,” Ruel said.

Aris discarded his sword and took out his own sword from his magic pocket.

“Ruel, you don’t have to face this alone,” despite Tyson’s gentle words, an icy sphere already hovered in his hand.

“Ruel-nim, I apologize for bringing you to such a messy place.”

Cassion spoke, pulling a syringe from his magic pocket and casually injecting it into Ruel’s arm.

“The black water in their bodies feels stronger than before.”

Cassion noted, swiftly cutting down a tree and arranging a makeshift seat for Ruel on the stump.

“You can sit here quietly.”

Observing Aris and Tyson rush towards the black-blooded man without hesitation, Ruel turned to Cassion and asked.

“What about the spies?”

“Rest assured, there are none in this vicinity,” Cassion assured him, bowing low. As he straightened up, a dagger appeared in each of his hands.

The assassin unbuttoned his shirt as he smiled.

The slightly eerie smile made Ruel flinch, almost inhaling Breath.

“Well then, please stay here quietly,” Cassion said before disappearing from sight.

Ruel gulped while inhaling Breath.

‘What a burden.’

However, the best outcome would be for all the black-blooded men to collapse and be defeated by their hands.

Chuckling softly, Ruel observed the approaching black-blooded men. 

They paid no attention to the others rushing to attack, their focus solely fixed on Ruel.

‘Do I look that appetizing?’ 

The shadows whispered, urging him to devour them immediately, but Ruel calmed himself.

‘Wait.’

He had to hold back from purification, as it took a toll on his body.

‘I trust and wait for my uncle, Aris, Cassion, and Leo…’

—Ruel, Ruel! Strange!

Leo came running, panting.

How long had it been since he had run off?

Ruel looked at Leo, his gaze drifting away from the scene of lightning, ice, and fire.

“What is it, Leo?” Ruel asked.

—It cannot be purified.

Leo immediately tilted his head.

“Can’t be purified?”

—Purification isn’t working as strongly as this body did at the lake. Did this body revert back to being stupid?

Ruel patted Leo’s head and looked ahead, seeing the worry in his eyes.

When Leo used purification, his shadow first surrounded the black-blooded man.

‘And Leo used purification.’

Was that the difference?

Ruel did not show impatience.

Right now, they were calmly eliminating the black-blooded man, one by one.

By following the method discovered by Cassion—getting rid of the black water in their bodies.

‘Okay, there’s no need to be anxious,’ Ruel reassured himself, attempting to calm his racing heart.

Thump!

However, his heart suddenly started beating violently once more, sensing something ominous about the death of the black-blooded man.

Thump! Thump!

Unable to ignore the unsettling feeling, Ruel got up from his spot. 

‘Are they clustering together?’

The black-blooded men had changed their behavior and started clustering together.

‘No, rather than uniting, they’re devouring each other.’

Instead of attacking their intended targets, the black-blooded men turned on each other, tearing into one another’s flesh and consuming their own kind. 

As they did, the body of the black-blooded man grew larger.

“We have to stop them! Aris!” Tyson shouted, reaching his hand towards the sky and signaling Aris.

“I’m ready, Mr. Tyson!” Aris responded, preparing himself.

“Now!” Tyson commanded, and together they unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning.

Rumble!

Electric blue streaks extended from the sky, descending upon the enemies like divine punishment. 

The forked beams of light judged the black-blooded men, piercing through their bodies and even reaching the ground. 

Flames erupted, engulfing the area, and clouds of dust and dirt billowed around.

—This body will put a stop to it!

Leo stood up in front of Ruel and halted the gust of wind that threatened to blow towards them.

Ruel closed his eyes tightly and slowly opened them again. 

Through the haze of dust, his vision was obscured.

—Ruel!

Leo tapped the ground with his front paw.

A stone wall appeared in front of Ruel.

Bang!

But before that, there was the sound of the sword colliding with something.

Cassion was standing in front, blocking the black stem.

“Hina!”

Cassion called out to Hina and quickly cut down the black stem.

“Excuse me,” Hina said as she carried Ruel and quickly left the area.

—Huh? Oh no!

Leo’s mouth opened wide as he clung to Ruel’s leg.

‘…!’

Ruel finally grasped the situation. Among the numerous black-blooded men, only one remained visible. 

It had merged with the others, and its size is now three times larger than before.

‘Crazy bastards…’

Unlike before, the black water has changed.

Ruel immediately inhaled Breath and spoke.

“Cassion, do you think you can get rid of it?”

It was safe to say that this was a new opponent.

Kkaaang!

Cassion deflected the black stem aimed at Ruel and answered.

“Even the black water inside them regenerates. It seems impossible to eliminate it all at once.”

“Uncle, Aris.”

Ruel turned to his uncle and Aris who had taken a moment to catch their breath and check on him. 

Relief washed over their faces when they saw that he was unharmed.

“Can both of you still locate the black water?” Ruel asked.

“I can still see it!” Aris responded confidently, flames flickering in his hand.

“I can see it too,” Tyson confirmed.

‘Good.’

Ruel nodded, his gaze shifting to Hina. 

“Put me down.”

“But still…”

“Hina.”

“Understood,” Hina reluctantly complied, realizing she had no choice but to put Ruel down. 

She couldn’t refuse his resolute words.

“Leo.”

—Say it.

“When I envelope that guy in the shadows, then purify him.”

—This body understands! This body can do it!

Ruel knew that the others would instinctively know what to do. 

He focused his attention on the approaching black-blooded man.

“I am here.”

And then he put Breath in his mouth.

The black-blooded man advanced swiftly, dragging its massive body. 

But Ruel held no fear. 

With two shields and a fierce dagger by his side, he felt protected. 

Ruel cast a shadow on the ground, channeling his mana into it.

Merely capturing the black-blooded man within the shadows wouldn’t be enough, considering its size. 

Ruel needed to restrain it and prevent its movements. 

A glimmer appeared in Ruel’s eyes as he raised the corners of his mouth.

The divided shadows transformed into hands, closing in on the black-blooded man from both sides. 

Just the mere touch of the shadow on the black-blooded man transmitted a tingling sensation to him. 

‘It’s just this much. It’s easy.’ 

Then, Ruel twisted and bound the black-blooded man from both sides with ropes made from his mana.

At the same time, his mana penetrated into the black-blooded man.

“Ugh.”

—Ru, Ruel! Blood is coming out! 

He had a taste of blood in his mouth, but he was still fine. 

The resistance of the black-blooded man proved to be stronger than expected. 

If the black-blooded man continued to resist, Ruel knew he would have to resort to more forceful measures.

Ruel took out a third shadow, transformed it into a club, and struck the head of the black-blooded man. 

Puck! 

He could feel the sensation of his hand hitting something.

Then, Cassion, Tyson, and Aris’ attack began again.

The attacks from Cassion, Tyson, and Aris were magnificent and powerful, incomparable to Ruel’s.

As blood flowed down his lips, Ruel wiped it away and once again infused his mana.

With the black-blooded man’s resistance weakened compared to before, Ruel pushed his mana deeper, a confident smile forming on his face.

‘Found it!’

He caught the feeling of holding the reins in an instant. 

But soon, Ruel vomited in agony. 

Countless voices echoed in his ears, cries of suffering and pleas for mercy. 

Ruel bit his lip.

‘This way.’ 

Although they indicated the direction he should go, those voices pushed him away. 

“…cough!”

The backlash made Ruel cough up blood, feeling something ominous surge up his mana path.

‘Damn…’

It wasn’t as painful as purification. 

‘Taking control was impossible.’

The resistance from the black-blooded man was too strong.

Ruel nodded towards them, who asked if he was okay while inhaling Breath.

All that remained were their attacks and purification.

Ruel held onto the reins and poured all his strength into capturing the black-blooded man, extending his fourth, fifth… shadows.

Cassion looked at Aris and Tyson.

Ruel tightly held the black-blooded man with his shadow.

What did he want from them?

He was signaling for them to eliminate the black water concealed within the black-blooded man.

‘Twelve.’

It was the amount of black water hidden within the black-blooded man.

Even with his skills, it was impossible to penetrate its hard shell and eliminate more than six black waters simultaneously. 

That’s why Cassion needed the help of Aris and Tyson. 

“I’ll cut off the six on the left,” Cassion declared, his grip firm on his dagger. 

The only one who can hold down the black-blooded man now is Ruel, who has the same dark attribute.

If it wasn’t for Ruel, they would be easily defeated.

Cassion glanced at Ruel.

Even now, it looks like he’s overdoing things quite a bit.

They had to concentrate.

“I’ll get rid of the four on the right.”

Tyson opened his mouth cautiously.

Because the target was too small, they couldn’t attack all at once. 

“Then I will get rid of the rest.”

Aris applied lightning to his sword.

Crackle.

Lightning flashed everywhere.

They knew the burden Ruel was under, so they had to succeed.

The three looked at each other and rushed at the same time.

It was their first time working together, but Cassion shot a dagger, and Tyson fired four ice skewers as thin as needles, matching Aris’ speed.

Crackle.

The lightning from Aris’ sword drowned out all sound.

The combined attacks from Cassion, Tyson, and Aris pierced through and eliminated all twelve hidden black waters within the black-blooded man.  

It seemed as if the black-blooded man was melting, and the thick black liquid spreading around him began to shrink, and the black water that had been cut began to clump together.

‘Is he sacrificing himself to regenerate the black water?’

Cassion urgently looked at Ruel.

“Ruel, the black water is starting to regenerate!”

‘Damn bastards.’

He released both the reins and the shadow restraining the black-blooded man, calling out to Leo. 

“Leo, go!”

—This body is always ready!

Leo ran towards the black-blooded man.

Dozens of shadows spread out like a canopy, covering the black-blooded man.

‘Don’t eat it.’

Ruel cried out in pain as the shadows tried to devour the black-blooded man without warning, as he squeezed the reins of the shadows hard.

‘Stay still. Hold on.’

Inside the shadows, the black-blooded man began to rampage.

Despite the shadow’s pleas to eat it, Ruel looked at Leo.

When the silver bead that emerged from Leo’s short front paw touched the shadow, a silver light ascended along the shadow. 

‘It’s the Milky Way I saw back then.’ 

Ruel lost strength and collapsed on the spot. 

Although it wasn’t nighttime, the silver powder that accompanied the silver light spread like beautiful snowflakes. 

Ruel reached out and caught some of the powder, experiencing a warm sensation as it touched his palm.

—This body has done it! This body is a great purifier! 

Leo jumped up and down in place, then leaped towards Ruel. 

Ruel dispelled the shadows. 

The silver powder, which had not disappeared and was left in that spot, fluttered once again. 

In an instant, Ruel’s upper body collapsed. 

“Cough…”

The corruption of the black-blooded man, which the shadows had consumed recklessly, had come crashing towards Ruel. 

The blood spreading across the ground looked eerie.

“… Cough!”

As another gush of blood poured out, Leo stood frozen in place.

—Are you okay? Th-this body definitely purified it!

Wiing.

The power of recovery cried out.

‘Perhaps it overlapped with the aftermath of grabbing the reins of the black-blooded man.’ 

Despite everything, he managed to stay conscious. 

Lifting his head quietly, he gazed at the desolate ground. 

The silver powder continued to flutter, and he released a long breath. 

He was grateful that the black-blooded man appeared here and that he was the only one shedding blood.

“Are you okay?” Cassion approached Ruel and offered him a handkerchief. 

Aris and Tyson extended their support, helping Ruel to his feet. 

The question that Cassion had asked earlier, whether he was okay, followed.

Ruel did not answer the question but asked Cassion.

“Are there no more enemies?”

“There are none.” Cassion confirmed. Upon hearing this, Ruel infused mana into his ring and contacted Banios, causing blood to flow from the corner of his mouth once again. 

It was a result of the heavy mana consumption.

“…Your Highness.” Ruel weakly spoke. 

“Are you okay? What about the black-blooded man? Are there no casualties?

“How is… that place?” 

-It’s being handled well here. The prisons are overflowing from all the arrests. 

“How are the conditions in each territory?”

-I haven’t heard any bad news. It seems like things are being handled well on your end as well.

“…thank you.”

Ruel expressed his sincere gratitude.

He understood how terrible it could have been if black-blooded men had appeared in other locations too.

“Your Highness, if I may, I will end the call first for today.”

-Okay. Rest up a bit, and contact me later. 

After concluding the call, Ruel closed his eyes momentarily and then opened them. 

He tried to inhale Breath but his hands were shaking, making it difficult to hold it.

Tyson handed him the breath. 

 “Are you okay?” 

It was a familiar question, but today it carried a different weight. It felt like a congratulatory message for this small victory, a word he could only hear because he had managed to stay alive.

Ruel weakly smiled.

“Yes, just a bit dizzy, but I’m okay.” 

They won. 

It was a day with a lot of bloodshed, but they still won. 

Although everything wasn’t perfect yet, they had erased the Red Ash from this territory. 

Ruel covered his eyes, which were growing warm. 

“Finally…” he murmured. 

He could finally breathe freely. 

Swallowing the tears of relief that fell to the ground, Ruel reaffirmed, “I’m okay.”

Author's Thoughts

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