***

    “Ruel-nim,” Cassion’s voice roused Ruel from his sleep.

    Leo was within his line of sight.

    —How are you feeling?

    Leo asked.

    “A bit better.”

    Despite the necklace easing some of his tension, his fever persisted, refusing to subside.

    —It’s still quite high.

    Leo observed, placing his paw gently on Ruel’s forehead.

    The warmth of Leo’s paw quickly turned cold.

    “Is it already dawn?” Ruel’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, glancing towards the window.

    Night had fallen, but dawn was not yet in sight.

    “No, I woke you to tell you that Prince Adea has spread the powder,” Cassion informed him.

    “And you’re saying that Adea is on his way here as well?” Ruel asked.

    “That’s correct.”

    Ruel inhaled Breath.

    Prince Adea was certainly passionate.

    It had only been a day, and by now, a welcoming party without the main guest was likely underway.

    “What was the result?” Ruel asked.

    “The king... stopped for a moment.”

    Ruel smiled faintly.

    His hypothesis had been correct.

    The king was already deceased, and the Great Man was pulling the strings.

    Ruel chuckled and said, “That guy’s completely insane. To think he’d manipulate the king.”

    “Ruel-nim,” Cassion’s voice sounded grave.

    “Yes?”

    “I’m not sure if I should bring this up now, but is there anything else related to Setiria?” Cassion asked cautiously.

    “I’m not sure... Ah, there was one thing.” Ruel’s smile widened, making Cassion uneasy. “The pattern on the wall that confines death. What do you think it was?”

    “Ruel-nim, what exactly is Setiria?”

    “That’s something I want to know too.”

    —This body is curious too.

    Leo chimed in, raising his paw.

    “I truly have no idea,” Cassion paused, glancing towards the door and continued, “Prince Adea is on his way.”

    Since the king had acted strangely after the powder was sprinkled, Adea would undoubtedly be in a rush.

    Moments later, Ruel smiled as he heard frantic knocking on the door.

    “Open the door, Cassion.”

    As Cassion opened the door, Adea rushed in with a flustered expression and approached Ruel.

    Medeas, following behind, bowed to Ruel.

    Adea had a lot to say, but he held back until the door was closed, then blurted out, “Lord Setiria! What just happened? Father... no, the king has stopped! It was like a puppet whose strings were suddenly cut!”

    Ruel smiled.

    “Now we can finally talk.”

    He reached for the cane Cassion offered, attempting to stand but wavering slightly. Nevertheless, his smile remained unwavering.

    “Please, Your Highness, take a seat for now.”

    “Did Lord Setiria foresee this situation?” Adea asked in disbelief.

    Ruel’s expression betrayed no surprise; in fact, he seemed calm, almost as if he knew what was to come.

    “I had anticipated this to some extent. Please, take a seat, Your Highness.” Adea had arrived for a courtesy visit, but neither he nor Ruel had much time to spare.

    Gulp.

    Adea gulped nervously, a look of discomfort crossing his face as he settled into his seat.

    Ruel seemed different to him now.

    He exuded an air of intimidation, leaving Adea both fearful and unsure of the extent of Ruel’s thoughts and knowledge.

    Once Medeas had also taken a seat, Ruel looked at Cassion.

    “I will take my leave,” Cassion announced quietly before stepping outside.

    —This body will stay by Ruel’s side.

    Having jumped down from the bed, Leo quickly climbed onto Ruel’s lap.

    Ruel affectionately petted Leo and began to speak, “You arrived much earlier than I expected.”

    “Why would I delay? I had an appointment with the king today,” Adea replied.

    Despite having an appointment, it would be difficult to carry out such a task immediately.

    It was evident that Adea was in a hurry.

    “When I heard that Lord Setiria had visited Cyronian as the head of a delegation, I’ve been waiting for you to come to Kran.”

    “And why is that?”

    “I saw you as the only hope to save Kran. You survived the Red Ash, didn’t you?”

    Ruel pressed his index finger tightly against his thumb.

    He hadn’t survived; the Great Man had spared him.

    “I was incompetent. What good is it to be in line for the throne when I didn’t even know that the Kran Kingdom had been crumbling for so long?” Adea spoke with a bitter smile.

    “Your Highness,” Ruel called out.

    “Speak.”

    “I’m answering your question, so please listen without misunderstanding,” Ruel requested, his expression serious.

    “Understood,” Adea replied, his tone tense.

    “His Majesty has passed. The one sitting on the throne now...” Ruel began, but Adea interrupted him.

    “...Stop there,” Adea demanded, suppressing his anger.

    However, Ruel continued speaking. “Your Highness, the one sitting on the throne is not a living person...”

    Adea seemed at a loss for words, unable to utter anything.

    He would need some time to process it all.

    Ruel shifted his gaze to Medeas.

    “Yesterday, Lord Tehel mentioned that even the executives are unaware of the Great Man’s current host.”

    “That’s correct.”

    “How, then, do you receive instructions from the Great Man?” Ruel asked, seizing the opportunity.

    This was something he had always been curious about.

    Medeas looked at Adea with concern before answering.

    “A note inscribed with the flame symbol is delivered. All the executives receive their instructions through that note.”

    “...Ha,” Ruel scoffed. “You truly believe that? It’s merely a piece of paper!”

    “For the executives, it is not ‘just.’ The Great Man is a god to them. No, perhaps even a greater existence.”

    “What on earth has he done to be revered in such a way?”

    Ruel could not understand.

    Just looking at what the Great Man had done to the empire, he was nothing more than a cruel murderer, not a god.

    “Do you know what occurs when a hero is forgotten? And what happens to their descendants?”

    “...?”

    Ruel’s hand, which had been petting Leo, halted.

    Why was the term hero suddenly coming up?

    “The term hero is usually used when someone accomplishes great deeds. However, there is nothing more pitiful than a forgotten hero. Time strips away even past glory, leaving them with no one to remember them.”

    Ruel sneered and said, “That’s too far-fetched. Even if they were heroes, not everyone can remember them.”

    “I agree, but what about their descendants?” Medeas interjected.

    “Are you suggesting...?” Ruel inquired.

    “Yes. All the executives are descendants of forgotten heroes. The Great Man brought them to the present with the promise of restoring their past glory. It’s only natural for them to serve him,” Medeas explained.

    “I don’t understand. What does that have to do with the current situation?”

    “I couldn’t quite grasp that either,” Medeas replied ambiguously.

    Hero.

    That term seemed to come up quite often.

    Ruel stroked his chin in contemplation.

    Familiar phrases associated with heroes and the power they left behind crossed his mind.

    When he learned that the power left behind by a hero was the power of the Great Man, he thought it was a misnomer.

    In his view, the Great Man wasn’t a hero but pure malevolence.

    ‘What if, against all odds, that title was rightly bestowed?’

    Ruel felt a wave of disgust wash over him.

    The notion of the Great Man being labeled a hero seemed absurd to him.

    ‘Crazy. How could he be a hero?’

    “Lord Setiria?”

    Ruel stopped his thoughts belatedly at Medeas’ voice and looked at him.

    “Oh, my apologies.”

    “It’s alright. Anyway, it’s not efficient to keep searching for that place. We might get caught.”

    “Is Lord Tehel currently safe?” Ruel inquired, his trust in Adea wavering, considering Medeas’ precarious position as a Red Ash executive.

    “It’s difficult to say that the situation is safe right now. However, I’m not in immediate danger. Moreover, a command has been issued for all executives to remain still, so it should be fine.”

    Perhaps it was because the wall that concealed death had crumbled.

    “...Huh.”

    Adea let out a deep, heavy sigh.

    His face was filled with a weariness that made him seem older in an instant.

    “Now I understand why you gave me the powder. My father has passed away...”

    Adea began but abruptly stopped, his eyes brimming with anger.

    That kind of look wasn’t good.

    “Your Highness, I know it’s difficult, but if you lose your temper now, it will only give your enemies an opportunity to attack. You are the king of this country now. You must look after your kingdom properly.”

    Because it was Ruel’s words, Adea nodded.

    Ruel had also lost his father to the Red Ash.

    “I understand. I’ll calm myself down.”

    Only after witnessing Adea slowly calm down did Ruel speak again.

    “The Tonisk Empire is no more,” Ruel declared, directing his gaze at Medeas, who remained unmoved.

    “The Tonisk Empire fell long ago,” he added.

    Bang!

    Medeas slammed his fist down so hard that the desk broke beneath him.

    Adea and Leo were startled almost simultaneously.

    “What... What does this mean...”

    Emotions swirled within Medeas, evident in his reddened eyes and bulging veins reflecting his anger.

    “Yes. We were deceived. The Great Man played us all,” Medeas admitted in frustration.

    “Are you expecting me to believe this now?” Adea questioned.

    “Lord Tehel.”

    Ruel called out firmly to calm Medeas, but he couldn’t contain his outburst.

    “My father thought he was unjustly driven out of the empire for no reason. He couldn’t return because of the barrier!”

    ‘Because of the barrier, he couldn’t enter the empire?’

    He had clearly heard that only citizens of the empire could enter.

    He had heard it directly from the Red Ash he had captured in Cyronian but to say that even citizens couldn’t enter?

    Ruel realized that Medeas wasn’t lying.

    ‘What lies within the empire? Should the barrier even be lifted?’