I Became a Sick Nobleman-Chapter 196: Meet the King (2)

In a moment of déjà vu, Ruel recalled a similar scene from a dream. Gritting his teeth, he confronted the king.

“With this kind of power, and yet you say you can’t help?”

“Calm yourself,” the king reassured him. “I am merely a maintainer of balance. I am not free from the laws of the world myself.”

“And what of this power you wield?” Ruel pressed, skeptical.

“I simply paused time briefly for our discourse. It was a necessity, given my own temporal constraints. I apologize if it startled you,” the king explained gently.

Ruel frowned in disbelief.

‘This is ridiculous.’

That power was almost like a scam.

The king looked at Ruel affectionately and said, “You deserve to know everything. A lovely and brave human.”

Ruel burst into laughter at the king’s audacious words. “Hahaha… Seriously?” he retorted. “Did you expect me to be delighted and bow down if you said something like that?”

Regardless, the ‘king’ posed no threat to him. Ruel Setiria had reached this point by enduring, and now it appeared that the ‘king’ relied on his very existence. Ruel gestured to his own head.

“Why bring back memories of the donations I made foolishly? Are you trying to enrage me to the point of self-harm, or perhaps suggesting it’s my fault for not heeding the warnings?”

“Neither of those,” the king responded.

“Then what is it?”

“You will seek an explanation, and I have preemptively provided it,” the king replied.

“Alright. Let’s say you issued a clever warning, and I naively agreed to donate and come here. What’s the way out?” Ruel questioned.

Instead of answering, the king simply shook his head.

“Is there truly no way back…?” Ruel’s anger surged, his blood boiling. Gritting his teeth, he fought to contain his rage, a metallic taste of blood already present in his throat.

“What about those who became Ruel Setiria and failed? What happened to them?”

At Ruel’s question, the king’s complexion darkened, and he cautiously replied, “Do you really want to know?”

“Fuck!”

Ruel understood everything just from the king’s expression.

“Damn it…!”

There was no way back, and dying as Ruel Setiria was real death.

“Damn you!” Ruel yelled, his gaze ablaze with fury fixed on the king.

“You have the ability! You possess that kind of power!” Ruel insisted.

“I… cannot,” the king replied.

“Why? Why not?”

“The Great Man cannot exist in this world. I have neither the authority nor the power to touch those who have already been banished.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That guy is back here. You know he’s been jumping around in a human body!”

The king composed himself, closed his eyes briefly, then met Ruel’s gaze once more.

“No, that being is not truly the Great Man,” the king clarified.

“What do you mean by that…?”

In that instant, Ruel nearly collapsed as his legs gave way. Just breaking apart the things that he had already laid out was overwhelming enough. But if it’s not the real thing… Then what has he been doing all this time?

“The being known as the Great Man is a kind of copy that can share thoughts with the true one who has been exiled,” the king said.

Ruel’s eyes widened in shock.

The king continued, “It’s his unique power.”

Ruel had heard from Jan before that the man had a unique power.

“He was resurrected using that ability and the power of death. However, due to his physical form being split up by your ancestor, Cadien Setiria, and sealed in Leponia, only his soul could return to this world.”

Ruel took a breath. For the most part, this was what he already knew.

“Then why was he sealed away? Was he so strong that you couldn’t get rid of him with your power?”

“No, it was an act of mercy,” the king replied with a tinge of bitterness. It was something he had already heard in a dream.

“In order to repay the hero who saved this world, I chose to banish him rather than erase his existence. But that was the wrong choice.”

The King’s voice filled with strength as the scales covering his body trembled. “The powers that God bestowed upon him with the intention of saving the world have instead driven this world into crisis.”

“What are these powers, and who is he? You can tell me, can’t you?” Ruel stared intently at the king.

“Yes, only I can utter his name. For I am not intertwined with him,” the king affirmed.

“Then, reveal it to me.”

“His name is Declin Setiria.”

As expected, he was a Setiria.

“He was the twin brother of your ancestor, Cadien Setiria, and the hero who saved the world.”

As expected, the first Setiria were twins.

“The powers he received from God were his unique power and the hero’s power that you possess now.”

“This power is from God?”

“Yes,” the king nodded. “The unique power can only be activated when the hero’s power exists, and it grows stronger based on how many people know him, how often his name is invoked, and how well he is remembered. Additionally…”

He’s already a tough opponent, but he has other strengths. For the first time, Ruel felt the true fear of that word, “also.”

“In addition to those two powers, he was a mutant who could harness both the power of the Devotee of Darkness and the power of the Warlock. This is the ‘power of death’ I mentioned earlier.”

Darkness was a higher concept than death, but the Devotee of Darkness lacked control over death. Conversely, the Warlock couldn’t wield darkness but could precisely manage or command death. These beings possessed powers that complemented and countered each other.

‘But he has both powers?’ Ruel shivered all over.

‘That’s why he could control the King of Kran and the first Setiria?’

That being is an enemy. How terrifying is this?

“I thought everyone had forgotten about him, the one who has now become evil. But that wasn’t the case.”

The king seemed to close his eyes as if recalling that moment.

“I sealed his body not only because I couldn’t destroy it with his unique power and the hero’s power, but also to extract the hero’s power from within.”

Jan had said that the unique power couldn’t be taken.

‘So that’s why the hero’s power was scattered?’

Ruel stared blankly at his hands.

“Those he aided did not forget him, and his body had not lost the hero’s power. Eventually, he amplified the power of death with his unique power. By enhancing the power of death, he forcibly recreated his own soul.”

“Crazy.”

Ruel felt his blood draining from his body. It was a power beyond imagination.

“But… he’s already banished. How could his body accomplish this on its own?” Ruel questioned, puzzled.

“Indeed. God bestowed power upon humans because this world desperately needed an immortal hero. I witnessed his numerous deaths and resurrections for the sake of this world.”

“Crazy.”

“I realized this too late. To prevent him from growing stronger, your guardian attempted to erase all records, but he was one step ahead. His soul had already been reborn.”

The king slowly opened his eyes.

“He created a corrupted death driven by the singular desire for revenge, and in exchange, he disrupted the balance by changing bodies many times. And he even managed to kill your guardian…”

“Y-you…?” Ruel furrowed his brow deeply.

Even if the ‘King’ couldn’t prevent his revival, there must have been time to stop things from getting this bad. But the ‘King’ did nothing.

“What were you doing while everything escalated to this point?”

“Many Setirias have posed the same question. Why did I stand idly by? Why did I merely observe, despite possessing such power?” The king’s voice trembled with deep sorrow. “Setiria, I am weaker and more insignificant than you realize.”

“Stop with these excuses,” Ruel scoffed.

How could he, with the power to manipulate time, claim to be insignificant?

The king spoke as if pleading.

“The scope of the power granted to me by the gods is limited to maintaining the balance of the world. It’s a much more restricted power than you might think.”

“Right now, the balance has been disrupted because of him. If it’s your role to set it right, can’t you just kill him?”

“No, I’m talking about the balance of life and death. I must maintain equilibrium, ensuring it does not lean too far in one direction. Right now, with it tilting toward death, I must add the weight of life to correct it. Do you understand what that means?”

Ruel bit his lip. This was all part of his plan. In the balance formed by life and death, with death being the heavier side, it meant that the ‘king’ could not take any actions related to death.

“Then what about in the past?”

Ruel distinctly remembered the ‘king’ saying he could have annihilated him but chose mercy and exile instead.

“When a being shifts the balance towards death, I gain total authority over that entity as the one maintaining equilibrium. However, currently, this being is in flux, changing bodies.”

“So, the scale doesn’t see him as a singular entity but as one that switches bodies?”

“Exactly.”

The constant body-switching wasn’t just about expanding influence; it was a tactic to avoid being weighed on that scale.

“This all works in his favor. What the hell…!” Ruel’s fists clenched in frustration, while the king maintained a silent smile that repulsed him.

“I understand I’m just one of many Setirias. Is this also tied to the laws of this world?”

“Yes, it is.”

Ruel bitterly smirked, knowing he could never reveal this truth to anyone, tightly gripping his clothing.

“At that moment when I was saved, was it you or his power that rescued me?”

“Do you really want to know?”

‘It wasn’t the king or the power of recovery that saved me?’

Ruel contemplated the possibility of the guardian helping him but quickly dismissed it.

“No, I’ll ask something else.” With his suspicions about the truth growing, his hands shook uncontrollably as he spoke more firmly. “Why Ruel Setiria specifically? Is it because I can see spirits?”

“No, Ruel Setiria’s death led to catastrophe in the world.”

“Catastrophe?”

Ruel found the idea unbelievable. The notion that his mere existence could bring about ruin was absurd, and he reacted sharply to this revelation.

“If the SSS-Class knight truly mirrors this world like a web novel, what about Ganien’s story? Isn’t Ganien the protagonist? Surely, he must possess something to overcome this crisis, right?”

“You know this world isn’t a web novel, don’t you?”

The king’s words pierced through Ruel’s attempts to deny the truth, leaving him speechless.

“Hence, Ganien isn’t the protagonist either. He’s simply intertwined with Ruel Setiria, granted the ability to see the world through Ruel’s final wish.”

‘So, are you saying that all the power Ganien gained from the Great Man is just coincidence?’

Ruel’s mouth went dry.

“What about this ruin? It wasn’t part of the latest updates in the web novel.”

“Setiria.” The king pronounced Ruel’s name heavily. “You understand now, don’t you? The existence of Ruel Setiria has changed countless times. I have also witnessed how many Setirias faced the end of the world.”

“Did you truly… reverse time?”

“Yes. To restore balance on the tipping scale leaning towards death, the presence of Ruel Setiria was essential. I utilized my power to return Ruel Setiria to a time before his death.”

The king’s voice weighed heavily on Ruel, causing his fingertips to tremble. He refrained from asking why it had to be Setiria again; the answer was already clear. The Devotee of Darkness. He was the Devotee of Darkness who reappeared in Setiria after a long absence.

“However, every action has consequences,” the king sighed deeply. “As a side effect of reversing time, Ruel Setiria’s true soul separated from his body. It became impossible to house any other soul in that body. If it wasn’t a being from another world, revival was no longer an option.”

The king’s gaze faltered.

“So, I reached out to another world and secured permission, in the form of sponsorship, to implant a soul into Ruel Setiria.”

The king’s voice trembled as well.

“I reset the world. Every time Ruel Setiria died, I reset it.”

Hearing the anguish in the king’s words, Ruel fell silent.

“I, as the one who must maintain the balance of this world, sacrificed the existence of another world. Although I had to drive completely innocent lives to death, I still had to do it.”

“Because of the damn balance of this world?”

The king’s eyes welled up with tears.

“Yes.”

“You disgusting bastard.” Despite his harsh words, Ruel harbored no sympathy. “Do you know how disgusting your actions are? You and that guy are the same.”

“I can’t deny that.”

The king did not argue. Ruel genuinely wanted to storm out of the room if only he could. But the frustrating reality pinned him in place. Regardless of the king’s selfishness, Ruel needed to eliminate the Great Man who was after him, and for that, he required the king’s aid.

‘How annoying.’

Ruel already grasped the Great Man’s intentions. He had come to confirm two things: first, whether the Great One was Setiria, and second, why he was made into Ruel Setiria. Through their discussion, he had verified both facts and pieced together the puzzle to some extent. Yet, one less critical question lingered.

“Why did he turn corrupt?”

“…”

The king fell silent, displaying discomfort. Whether he lacked the knowledge or chose not to divulge it, Ruel cared little for the backstory.

“Very well, let’s continue.”

There must have been a reason for it.

‘So…’

Ruel briefly summarized the current situation. Thanks to the king’s mercy, the Great Man was not destroyed but banished from this world. The King couldn’t destroy his body because of the ‘power of recovery’ the Great Man possessed, so he had to seal him. But ironically, thanks to the remaining hero’s power during the sealing process, the Great Man was able to revive a soul that was almost a copy of himself, and that’s how the current situation arose.

‘And with Ruel Setiria’s demise, the world fell into ruin…’

As Ruel organized his thoughts, a peculiar realization struck him.

‘Without this body, he wouldn’t be able to acquire a physical form.’

Even so, the ‘king’ said the world had been destroyed. It could have been because the Great Man had detonated the magic circles in the three kingdoms.

Before he became Ruel, the world didn’t know what the black water was or how to deal with it.

‘What is this?’

No matter how much the ‘king’ had turned back time, Ruel Setiria had died. Ultimately, it meant the same situation had been repeated. If that were the case, it should be the same now. Yet he was alive, and the Great Man needed Ruel Setiria to obtain a physical form.

“How did he know he needed my body?” Ruel scrutinized the king with suspicion.

If nobody had informed him, the circumstances might have differed.

“Was it you…? Did you inform him?”

“That’s correct.” The king did not evade the question.

With a bitter smile, he confessed, “That was my final gamble.”

“Why?” Ruel’s gaze bore into him.