Chapter 74
‘So they used to endure on the wall even with injuries this severe.’
No matter how you looked at it, Magda’s current condition was not fit for fighting monsters much stronger than humans. Even in perfect condition, it was a place where one had to fight with their life on the line. How long could she last in such an injured state?
Ruan felt sorrowful at the statement that hinted at how the people of Reinke had endured winters until now.
Although the situation had improved somewhat this winter due to various factors…
Ruan’s gaze turned to Magda, who was fidgeting restlessly and frowning in pain when her injured areas hurt.
‘Still, it’s true that Reinke remains dangerous.’
Ruan recalled the moment when he heard the news of Magda’s injury. Even though he had been prepared for such possibilities, he couldn’t come to his senses at all in that moment.
Fortunately, it wasn’t an injury that threatened her life or would leave lasting aftereffects, but…
It was fortunate this time, but there was no guarantee that only ‘fortunate’ things would happen in the future.
How could the people of Reinke be made safer?
Various ideas rose and fell in Ruan’s mind. There were many things he could think of, but among them, there weren’t many that he himself could do, especially in Reinke.
If there was one thing for certain in the midst of all this…
It was that while improving the situation was difficult, it was all too easy for the slightly improved circumstances to worsen.
Just as in “Tales of the Sirah Empire,” if Louise were to drag Reinke into political strife, the little breathing room they had worked so hard to gain would disappear, and Reinke would find itself in an even worse situation than before.
‘Well… I suppose the situation with “Tales of the Sirah Empire” has changed a bit now.’
When he first became possessed by ‘Ruan Daen’, a character who had never even been named in the novel and lived far from the main story, he thought he would live a life almost unrelated to the novel’s protagonists.
Being so far from the main story meant he couldn’t take advantage of his knowledge as a possessed person… But in exchange, he thought he could continue a life far from the complicated main story if he could just avoid the danger coming to Reinke once.
But after he started actively working to protect Reinke and the Grand Duke, Ruan realized that his actions would inevitably affect the overall main story.
First was the spread of the treatment for the erosion disease.
By sharing it with Ralph, the time when the treatment for erosion disease became known to the world was greatly advanced.
And that meant…
‘Originally, a character who would have died from erosion disease before the treatment was known — Erich, Louise’s husband who would have become the Emperor of the Holy Empire by now — won’t die prematurely from erosion disease.’
Erich was someone who desperately needed a cure, to the point where he had tried every known method to treat erosion disease. Especially in recent years, as repeated seizures made it difficult to hide his condition.
There was no way such an Erich wouldn’t hear about the treatment that Ralph Steiner had started to spread.
Unlike in the novel, Erich would survive thanks to the treatment method revealed by Ruan.
Then the young Emperor, now further from death, would stop preparing for his demise.
He would no longer need to empower Louise, whom he had brought in and married as the most suitable political successor to uphold his will and govern the empire as if he were still alive until his child, who would become the next emperor after his premature death, grew up.
‘So… due to the early spread of the erosion disease treatment, Louise will lose considerable influence in the Holy Empire.’
It would now be difficult for Louise to wield as much power as she did in the novel.
The story might be a bit different if Erich continued to support Louise for reasons different from those in the novel… But even then, the reach of Louise’s influence would be narrowed.
Moreover…
‘If Erich’s survival becomes certain, Louise, who was only focused on revenge, might find meaning in life elsewhere besides revenge.’
Originally, Louise was set to realize her love for Erich only after losing him, but… She loved Erich enough to feel her driving force crumbling after his death.
So if she could continue living with Erich, wouldn’t there be a chance for a change of heart?
Erich’s feelings for Louise were never clearly described, and it was unknown whether Louise would realize her feelings early, so nothing was certain yet… But either way, it was good news for Reinke.
‘I’ve asked Ralph to keep an ear open towards the Holy Empire, so we should get some hints about how things are going there soon.’
The second major change was Reinke’s standing.
Reinke was originally a domain that had only a good image but was isolated and unconnected to anywhere else. Just look at how no one helped when Reinke was suffering.
But now it was different.
Reinke had formed a friendly relationship with the Steiner Guild, which had influence throughout the empire, and was increasing its presence through monster products.
If things went well as Ruan had planned when he first conceived this plan, there would be more people and businesses related to Reinke. Then, whatever happened to Reinke would no longer be just Reinke’s problem.
And that meant changes in the political and economic landscape of the Sirah Empire.
‘If that happens, since the main story is about the political strife in the Sirah Empire, the plot of “Tales of the Sirah Empire” will inevitably be twisted in many parts.’
Besides such direct influences, the distribution of potatoes, which had a great ripple effect even in the original history, and the supply of new materials from monster by-products — the things Ruan had done to help Reinke would bring various changes to this world.
‘The things I plan to do in the future will be the same.’
He had only thought about how the main story of “Tales of the Sirah Empire” would affect him, but he never thought he would influence the novel.
As Ruan was feeling complicated thinking about future events…
“How much of a loss would it be if I’m out? My left arm is fine.”
Magda started fidgeting again, seemingly feeling less pain.
“If you know that, then don’t get hurt in the first place. If you keep this up, I’ll tell Mother.”
“You sneaky bastard. Your sister didn’t raise you to be like this.”
At the mention of Julia, Magda grumbled but quieted down. Joachim and Magda, who often encountered Julia as the Knight Commander, seemed particularly obedient to her.
Lying down quietly, Magda muttered as if resigned.
“Well… His Grace is much more formidable this winter… They’ll manage somehow even without me.”
Ruan, who had already heard much about the Grand Duke’s unusually aggressive performance this year, asked:
“Is His Grace that different this year?”
“Yeah. He’s usually more bloodthirsty around Monster Wave season so nobody goes near him, but this year… If I were an orc, I’d run away quickly and never set foot in this direction again.”
“I wonder if it’s because he’s been under a lot of stress lately… I’m worried he might be pushing himself too hard…”
Ruan, who had been listing his concerns about the cat who had been acting strangely and seeming very stressed lately, suddenly realized that Magda had fallen silent.
Looking at Magda…
“Sis. Why do you look like that?”
Magda was making a face like someone who had just seen an alien grilling pork belly and kimchi, then diligently frying rice afterward.
“Uh… Yeah… You should have a beautiful love.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Right. Your brother seems to be in the wrong, so at least you should work hard at dating…”
Why did Joachim, who had been quiet, get cursed at when all that was said was that the cat was stressed and worrying?
‘Why indeed… It’s all because of the cat’s ruined image…’
Swallowing a sigh, Ruan got up to welcome the Grand Duke who would soon return to the inner castle.
“Well then, I’ll be going now. Take care of yourself.”
“Alright. Eat while you work.”
Receiving Magda’s farewell, Ruan left the infirmary and headed to the office. As he walked diligently, the thoughts that had taken small root grew steadily.
‘If even humans get stressed in such situations, a cat that’s sensitive to changes and threats must be several times more stressed… Yet everyone just treats him like that, saying he’s strong and scary.’
In reality, he’s a cat with a lot of affection and kindness, willing to stay close even when stressed instead of hiding in a corner. How lonely must the cat have been all this time, with no one recognizing his pain?
Thinking about how lonely and difficult the winters must have been for the cat until now made Ruan’s heart ache.
Heaving a deep sigh, Ruan quickened his pace to welcome the Grand Duke soon.
Come to think of it…
‘The Grand Duke in “Tales of the Sirah Empire” must have been enduring everything alone, without anyone worrying about him or recognizing his pain.’
