I Became a Sick Nobleman Chapter 191 - Fraud (3)

 

 

 

***

 

“I apologize,” Sien bowed his head as Ganien continued to tremble, showing no signs of stopping, despite the layers of blankets and warming spells failing to raise his stubbornly low body temperature.

 

“Ha ha ha!” Huswen laughed heartily beside him.

 

“Your Majesty! Are you laughing now? I almost killed Ganien with my own hands!” Sien’s voice rose in embarrassment.

 

Each time Ganien attempted to crawl out of the sea, Sien had forcefully pushed him back in, ensuring he couldn’t escape. The failure as a teacher made Sien feel so ashamed that he contemplated throwing himself into the sea.

 

“Come now, Sir Sien, stop being so dramatic. I know Ganien’s resilience. Thanks to you, a rather interesting rumor has spread,” Huswen’s laughter persisted.

 

The fact that a teacher was angry enough to throw his student into the sea was shocking, especially considering that the student was the commander of the Blue Knights, tasked with protecting the ship this time. The rumors surrounding Ruel’s death had already spread widely, mixed with talk of warlock.

 

Sniff.

 

Ganien stared in disbelief at the two of them, discussing him as if he weren’t there. He had nearly died. The sight of a red river flashed before his eyes, reminiscent of the river of death.

 

“Your Majesty. Master.”

 

“Y-Yes, go on,” Sien responded urgently, while Huswen simply chuckled.

 

“Would both of you please quiet down?”

 

“A man shouldn’t be so easily offended.”

 

Huswen chuckled at Ganien’s serious remark. Ganien frowned in annoyance. If he weren’t the king, Ganien would have genuinely wanted to hit him. Huswen rose from his seat.

 

“Well, seeing you safe is sufficient for me. I have matters to attend to, so please convey my gratitude to Lord Setiria on my behalf later.”

 

Huswen waved a necklace that carried the scent of the sea, bearing the symbol of the royal family of Kran, signifying royalty.

 

“Did Ruel give this to Your Majesty?” Ganien asked in surprise as he recognized the emblem of the Kran Kingdom.

 

“Yes. Can you guess the intended recipient?” Huswen laughed.

 

“Princess Jayel Kran, isn’t it?”

 

Ganien held Ruel in high regard, considering him a close friend for his remarkable sight.

 

“The more I see, the more intrigued I become,” Huswen softly muttered, mentioning Ruel Setiria.

 

“In any case, treat Lord Setiria with care,” Huswen smiled at Ganien.

 

“Your Majesty, please refrain from overburdening Ruel. How much strain have you placed on him that he’s so preoccupied with Cyronian?”

 

“Me…?” Huswen gazed at himself in disbelief. Overworking someone? If anything, he felt he was the one under excessive pressure. With an unsatisfied expression, he handed the necklace to Ganien.

 

“Regardless, fulfill your duty.”

 

“Understood.”

After Ganien replied, Huswen left the room.

 

“I truly dislike this, Master,” Ganien frowned at the necklace Huswen had given him. Although he had foreseen the need to make a false declaration, when the moment arrived, he hesitated.

 

“I’ll handle it,” Sien offered his hand.

 

“Never mind. Master, perhaps it’s time for you to reflect on your actions?” Ganien scoffed, unwilling to let Sien’s act of throwing him into the sea go unaddressed.

 

***

 

Whispers filled the conference room, breaking the long silence. The sudden commotion was triggered by a letter from the Cyronian Kingdom, which had even used magic for urgent delivery, accusing a warlock as the mastermind behind a recent incident and implicating the Kran Kingdom. Given the longstanding rivalry between the two nations, any minor issue could quickly spiral into blame being cast in either direction.

 

Typically, conflicts were resolved without war, often with mutual insults and disdain. However, this time was different. A necklace proving the bearer’s royal lineage from Kran had been included as evidence.

 

“What?! What is going on here? How could the royal necklace be in the hands of the commander of the Blue Knights?!”

 

“This is clearly a scheme orchestrated by Cyronian!”

 

“Does that even make sense? How could the Blue Knights have gotten their hands on this necklace? Are you saying the royal guards are that careless?”

 

“We must locate the missing necklace immediately, Your Majesty.”

 

The nobles debated fervently, their voices growing louder. Prince Adea intervened, raising his hand to silence the room, fixing his gaze on Treitol seated across from him.

 

“Everyone, please maintain decorum in the presence of His Majesty,” Adea’s stern words quelled the uproar.

 

“Let’s review the circumstances of that moment by reviewing the footage,” the king interjected, ending the silence.

 

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

 

A servant beside the king initiated playback of the soldiers’ acquired footage. The screen displayed Ruel’s ship consumed by ominous black flames. Although brief, the impact of the scene was profound.

 

“Th-that!”

 

“What is that ominous black thing!”

 

The nobles pointed to the black flames in unison in alarm.

 

“It seems that the Cyronian are claiming that a warlock orchestrated this. Looks like it might be true.”

 

One of the nobles mentioned the warlock, and the news spread like wildfire. Who is the warlock? Nobody knew who they were or what they were capable of, but everyone seemed to say words linked with ‘black.’ The black flames devouring the ship naturally invoked memories of the strange being known as the warlock.

 

“Silence.” The king’s firm voice quashed the escalating chatter. “Until a thorough investigation is conducted, refrain from baseless speculations.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

The nobles fell silent at the king’s directive.

 

“Let’s end this meeting here for now. Since nothing conclusive has come up yet, be cautious with your words.”

 

After warning the nobles, the king stood up and left the room.

 

***

 

‘Is it my turn now?’

 

Adea bit his lip as he exited the conference hall, heading toward his quarters. He needed to sever the connection with the Great Man who had been using his father’s body—a daunting task that filled him with anxiety.

 

“Brother.” Treitol’s voice caught Adea by surprise from behind.

 

In a displeased tone, Adea responded, “What do you need?”

 

Recalling Ruel’s warning to avoid Treitol, Adea refused to meet his gaze.

 

“Can we talk for a moment?”

 

“I’m exhausted. Let’s talk later.”

 

“Brother, this is urgent.”

 

“I said I’m tired,” Adea’s voice edged with impatience.

 

“Brother,” Treitol called out weakly to Adea.

 

For a moment, Adea’s heart wavered. Despite keeping his distance since Treitol had changed, it was hard to sever the bond they had shared since childhood.

 

“I’m okay, truly,” Treitol’s words were ambiguous as Adea finally turned to face him, who appeared ready to flee at any moment. “I don’t hold it against you, brother.”

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“I won’t end up like him. Instead of succumbing to despair, I’ll take action.”

 

“Treitol, I don’t have the energy to argue with you right now.”

 

“Indeed, brother.” Treitol paused.

 

Adea recognized that familiar expression, the one Treitol wore when restraining his words.

 

“Please take care of yourself and stay safe.” Treitol bowed to Adea before swiftly turning away.

 

‘What’s gotten into you?’

 

Adea observed Treitol’s retreat. For a fleeting moment, it seemed like tears welled up in his eyes, stirring memories of their childhood together.

 

‘Why?’

 

***

 

Bang!

 

Adea jerked awake at the abrupt, jolting sound of the door being flung open.

 

“What is the meaning of this?!”

 

Perhaps due to the burden after contacting Ruel, his voice unconsciously raised as he had just fallen asleep.

 

“I-I beg your pardon, Your Highness!” The servant hastily bowed, stammering, “Forgive my intrusion, Your Highness. An urgent matter necessitates your immediate attention.”

 

“Is it so urgent as to disturb the peace of the night?”

 

“Your Highness, please remain composed.”

 

“Why don’t you start by composing yourself?”

 

Adea couldn’t help but chuckle at the rare sight of his normally unflappable servant flustered.

 

“I apologize!”

 

“Speak, what is causing this rush?”

 

“The king…,” the servant gasped, taking a breath. “The king has passed away.”

 

“…” Adea blinked in disbelief.

 

“The king has… just passed away.” The servant’s words rang in Adea’s ears, prompting him to swiftly rise from his bed.

 

“W-what are you saying?!”

 

Frantically checking himself for the powder still on him, Adea couldn’t believe the news.

 

“No, this can’t be. I must see His Majesty immediately. Speak as we go.”

 

Grabbing a change of clothes, Adea hurried out of the room.

 

***

 

“Huh.”

Adea stumbled and sank down, the servant and a knight rushing to his aid.

 

“Your Highness, you must hold on to your senses. You are now the pillar of this country.” The servant swallowed back tears as he comforted Adea.

 

‘Who…?’

 

Adea found it hard to believe what was happening before his eyes. The king was truly dead.

His eyes, usually lacking vitality, now had none at all. His skin was so pale it seemed almost inhuman.

 

“A short while ago, a knight patrolling the royal chambers sensed something amiss and entered the king’s bedchamber to investigate. There, he witnessed a dark and ominous presence enveloping His Majesty.”

Adea recalled what the servant had said.

 

“I won’t end up like him. Instead of succumbing to despair, I’ll take action.”

 

Suddenly, Treitol’s words echoed in his mind. Adea drew in a deep breath and faced the harsh reality that seemed to press against his skin. The king was no more. No, his father, who should have long passed, had finally closed his eyes.

 

“Summon a meeting,” Adea rose to his feet and commanded the knight. His gaze was so determined that the knight instinctively strengthened his resolve.

 

“As you wish!”

 

***

 

“Ruel-nim.” Cassion gently woke Ruel.

 

Ruel had just begun to fall asleep after suffering all night from pain when the communication device emitted a light. Cassion had initially tried to ignore it, but upon realizing it was Adea calling, he had no choice but to wake Ruel.

 

“What is it?” Ruel’s voice was weak.

 

“Prince Adea is trying to reach you.”

 

Confirming it was still early morning, Ruel pondered why Adea would be calling at such an hour and responded, “Connect it.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Once Cassion connected the call, Adea’s urgent voice filled the room.

 

-Lord Setiria, my apologies for contacting you so early.

A heavy sigh followed his words.

 

“Is everything alright, Your Highness?”

 

-The situation has… changed.

 

Struggling to stay awake, Ruel blinked.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

-Before I could act, someone intervened and cut the connection between the king and the Great Man.

 

At that moment, Ruel tried to sit up hurriedly but found himself too weak, slumping back onto the bed. Frowning at the dizziness that rushed over him, he asked, “Please explain what you mean in detail, Your Highness.”

 

‘Who could have intervened?’

 

-I apologize. My mind is not clear enough to provide a detailed explanation.

 

“Just tell me what Your Highness witnessed and heard.”

 

Adea began with the story of how he was awakened by his servant in the early morning and heard the news that the King of Kran was dead, leading him to check on the king in his chamber.

 

-After that news, I immediately convened a meeting. The knight who last saw His Majesty said he saw some black something surrounding him. It’s similar to the black power that sank the ship you were on.

 

‘The power of darkness.’

Ruel immediately recognized the nature of that power.

 

“Was Prince Treitol present?”

 

-No, he wasn’t. Not only Treitol, but my other siblings were also absent, so we are focusing our investigation on those who were away.

 

‘Treitol wasn’t there?’

 

As far as Ruel knew, Adea and TreItol were the only ones among the Kran royalty who were devotees of darkness.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

-Speak.

 

“Please investigate Prince Treitol’s room first.”

 

-I was already planning to do that… Please wait a moment. It seems the knights who went to investigate are returning.

 

“Can you trust the knights guarding you?”

 

-For now, yes. Just a moment, please.

 

Ruel glanced at Cassion as he waited for Adea, who had momentarily cut off the communication.

 

“Don’t worry; my subordinates are nearby. By the way, things have taken a sudden turn.”

 

“No, it hasn’t gone wrong yet. In any case, the king is dead, and if Prince Adea uses what has transpired to his advantage, there won’t be much change to the existing plan.”

 

“Who do you suspect is behind this, Ruel-nim?”

 

“Well, there’s only one person here. But why… Why did they suddenly cause this situation?”

 

Ruel fixated on that particular point, a frown forming as the familiar ache slowly returned.

 

“I will call Fran…”

 

“No, give me the medicine first.”

 

Since he needed to continue the conversation with Adea, Ruel decided to endure the discomfort for a moment. Given that his pain had been occurring more frequently lately, this sudden spike reminded him just how much the cold winter ocean had impacted his body. He wondered whether even a good carriage ride would feel burdensome on the way to the Ice Palace.

 

“I’ll reconnect now.” Cassion checked the communication device, confirming that the light was back on, and infused it with aura.

 

-I apologize for keeping you waiting.
Adea’s voice carried a weightier tone this time. Ruel waited for him to initiate the conversation.

 

-You might have predicted this situation, but Treitol has disappeared.

 

“Your Highness.”

Rather than panicking, Ruel tried to keep a calm picture of the situation in his mind.

 

-I’m listening.

 

“Did you meet with Prince Treitol before his disappearance?”

 

-How did you know that?

 

“Could you share what you discussed?”

 

-It was rather ambiguous.

Adea released a long sigh.

 

-He mentioned he doesn’t hold me responsible.

 

Ruel’s eyes slowly widened.

 

-He stated he wouldn’t meet the same fate as that man and would do what he could.

 

‘This is…’

 

-He also wished me to stay healthy. I don’t understand why that statement has shaken me so much.

 

Ruel bit his lip.

 

‘This is a message for Adea… no, a message for me.’

 

Before disappearing, Treitol had left Adea with a crucial piece of information: the Great Man does not completely dominate the body of the one it possesses.