Leaving (2)
Chapter 55
While Ray was contemplating whether to shake off Johanna, who was clinging to his pants and whining, Karen, who had been watching Johanna’s persuasion attempt from the bushes, suddenly burst out and clung tightly around Ray’s waist.
“Don’t go!! If you’re going, take me with you!!”
As Karen pleaded with her eyes completely red, Ray shook his head as if angry.
“No way. I can’t bring you. I’m going alone.”
“Hweeeeeeng!! Don’t gooo!!”
“??”
When both Johanna and Karen started sobbing one after another, Ray began to feel a bit awkward.
It wasn’t like he was never coming back; he was just planning a few months’ trip. Was it really something to cry and cling over?
Ray turned his head to see Luna, who had quietly revealed herself.
Just as he was about to ask Luna why the girls were reacting so sensitively…
Ray realized the air was getting warmer.
Dragging along Karen and Johanna, who were still clinging to his waist and legs, Ray walked over and grabbed Luna’s cheek.
“Hey, this is some kind of blackmail, isn’t it? Not going to put you in a circle?”
“Auuuugh…”
Luna, who resisted for a moment by twisting her body, soon stabilized the surrounding mana.
Rubbing his stiffening neck, Ray asked,
“What’s with this oversensitive reaction? I’ll be gone at most five months, right?”
Karen protested.
“Don’t lie! The knight told me! If you study abroad, you won’t come back for five years! So take me too! I want to stay by Ray!”
“Hey, five years?! Haa…”
Ray spent quite some time explaining that it wouldn’t take that long to return from studying abroad.
Though Karen and Johanna didn’t seem to fully believe Ray’s words, they eventually managed to nod their heads after persistent persuasion.
With sniffling Karen and Johanna behind, Luna grabbed Ray’s wrist.
“Will you really come back?”
“Oh come on, don’t worry. Where would I go without you guys?”
“…”
Luna, who had been staring at Ray expressionlessly, playfully bumped her forehead against his chest.
After patting Luna’s hair, Ray helped Karen and Johanna stand up.
He felt utterly drained in that short span of time.
*
“…So, I’ll likely be away from the orphanage for about three to five months.”
“Really?!”
Taking advantage of the visit, Ray informed the children at the orphanage about his short-term study abroad plans.
Some children earnestly begged to be taken along, while others seemed secretly pleased about Ray’s absence.
Clapping his hands together to quiet the children, Ray gave his final instructions.
“You all behave. Listen to the teachers. Don’t cause trouble. And if anything happens, report it immediately to the teacher. Don’t hide things and let them escalate. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t get arrogant because I’m not around. That’s a warning.”
“Yes!”
“Alright, take care everyone.”
After finishing his farewell, Ray turned around.
At the entrance of the orphanage, Jimy and Matthew were waiting for him.
Seeing Jimy’s face, which had lost many wrinkles in just a few days, made Ray burst into laughter.
“Looks like you’re enjoying life lately?”
“Hmm, enjoy? What are you talking about…”
Jimy fiddled with the insignia pinned to his chest, letting the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
Though it was more of an honorary title rather than a proper noble rank, it was still a prestigious honor for Jimy and Matthew.
For the past few days, Jimy had been proudly strutting around wearing the insignia on his chest.
He looked much better than when he used to plow fields with a gloomy face.
Leaning casually, Ray asked,
“You must be thrilled not seeing my face, huh?”
“Hmph, how could that be? I care about you so much.”
Knowing that he received the honorary title thanks to Ray’s contributions, Jimy cleared his throat awkwardly and showed modesty.
Chuckling, Ray glanced back at the orphanage.
“While I’m gone, please take good care of the orphanage and Dragon Princess Lair.”
“Stop worrying. By the way, what does ‘Dragon Princess Lair’ even mean?”
Ray often referred to the red-light district as “Dragon Princess Lair.”
Thinking for a moment upon Jimy’s unexpected question, Ray randomly attached a word that came to mind.
“Dragon Princess Lair… It means dragon princess lair.”
Though Ray himself found it amusing after saying it, Jimy surprisingly nodded without hesitation.
“Haha, sometimes you do act your age.”
It was common for young children to create their own cool names for places or objects.
Jimy also remembered calling yellow-stained twigs “Thunder Hawk” and swinging them around like swords during his childhood.
“Anyway, stop worrying. I’ll do my best to ensure no problems arise.”
“Thanks. Take care of yourself, Jimy and Matthew too.”
“You too. Try not to cause any trouble and come back safely.”
“I’ll give it a shot.”
Nodding, Ray pulled Titi, who was sucking her fingers nearby, towards him.
He planned to make one last visit to Lord Gardi’s manor.
*
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
Pietro, who oversees the administrative affairs of the Dinor region and effectively acts as the lord, took a deep breath.
“You should have visited occasionally.”
“I’ve been busy.”
Ray replied briefly.
Although Pietro undoubtedly considered Ray an benefactor, there was no denying that Ray had killed Pietro’s only son.
How could one look at the face of the person who killed their child with ease?
Thus, Ray avoided visiting Lord Gardi’s manor whenever possible.
Knock knock!
After the knocking sound, a girl with her ash-brown hair tied forward appeared holding a tray of snacks.
It was a familiar face to Ray.
“It’s been a while, Rifa.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
Rifa smiled and placed down the snack tray before bowing.
“Have a pleasant time.”
After Rifa closed the door and left, Ray picked up a snack and fell into thought.
Among the orphans collected from Dinor, a few showed promising talent.
Out of the five orphans who were promoted to rare status through O.P.S., three moved their residence to Phillip’s County, and two remained in the Dinor branch.
Rifa was one of the latter cases.
While her physical abilities were average, her sense for numbers was exceptional.
About two years ago, she was sent to the manor to learn practical skills, and she quickly gained recognition for her abilities and was entrusted with important tasks.
“Is Rifa still doing well?”
“She’s an excellent child. Nowadays, most of the budget allocated to the Dinor region passes through her eyes at least once.”
“That’s good news.”
“Make sure to show your face to Rifa occasionally. That child considers you her benefactor.”
“Benefactor… Her father probably…”
“Was killed by the dark wizard.”
Pietro interrupted.
All civilians who perished during the locust extermination were officially announced as victims of the dark wizard’s curses.
While Ray didn’t receive official credit, many people witnessed him accompanying Count Philip during the event, leading to rumors that Ray contributed to the dark wizard’s defeat.
Thus, it wasn’t unreasonable for Rifa to consider Ray her benefactor.
Scratching his head, Ray asked Pietro,
“Her father’s name was definitely… ‘Knife,’ right?”
“Correct.”
“Knife, Knife…”
Recalling the name from memory, Ray gazed wistfully at the setting sun through the window.
The face of Knife, whom he met in a tavern four years ago, faintly overlapped with the sun.
“Knife, are you watching from up there? Your daughter has grown up so wonderfully.”
The image of Knife smiling contentedly appeared above the sun.
Ray raised his teacup towards the window.
“You don’t need to be too grateful. If it weren’t for Knife’s sacrifice that day, Rifa might not have grown up to be such a straight and talented person.”
Knife entrusted his daughter to Ray, and Ray admirably fulfilled that promise.
Knife nodded approvingly as if satisfied with his daughter’s growth and gradually faded away.
As Ray extended his teacup forward as if sharing a drink with Knife, Pietro asked with a puzzled expression,
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, sorry. Just got lost in old memories.”
Putting down his teacup, Ray took out his inkwell.
“When will Lord Ulte return?”
“Well, I’ve heard, but honestly… I’m not sure.”
Pietro looked troubled.
There was no issue with Ulte’s wellbeing; he was still wandering the world in search of answers.
However, if Ulte had wanted to spare the time, he certainly could have stopped by Dinor for a while.
Thinking of Titi, who was likely munching on snacks with a maid in the next room, Ray clicked his tongue.
Watching an important person lose their memories day by day and become smaller was akin to torture.
He understood why Ulte avoided visiting the estate.
“At any rate, it’s fortunate he’s safe.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Pietro looked somewhat distressed, but compared to before, his melancholy had significantly diminished.
Apparently, he had developed affection for the children sent to intern at the manor.
After concluding his conversation, Ray borrowed a pen from Pietro.
He intended to write a reply to Saria before heading to the magic tower.
Three years ago, Saria acquired a surname.
The head of the Alstein family adopted her as a foster daughter to leverage her growing reputation.
As a result, though Saria became bound to the Alstein family, she also gained much in return.
Writing various stories, including updates about Ulte, Ray finally finished the letter to send to his aunt by nightfall.
Putting down his pen, Ray sighed once.
He had completed everything he needed to wrap up before leaving for the magic tower.
Feeling a slight flutter of excitement, Ray closed his eyes while sitting in the chair.
*
All personnel gathered in front of the Manor of the Phillips County to depart for the Royal Magic Tower.
The mode of transportation was a carriage, but to Ray’s surprise, the number of people accompanying him to the royal magic tower was larger than expected.
Led by Alesya and Florya, there were several assistants serving them, and six knights and squires provided by the Osiris family as escorts.
Including Jenkins and Ray, the group exceeded twenty people.
Just as they were about to depart, Karen suddenly appeared and clung to Ray’s waist.
“Whew! I don’t want to part with Ray…”
“Come on, I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Ray consoled Karen, whose eyes were swollen.
A step away, Viktor was clutching his chest, trying to soothe the pain of unrequited love.
Gradually, children from the orphanage began to appear, welcoming Ray.
Johanna, who seemed to have changed her mind again, stood in a corner without speaking, furrowing her brows.
Luna puffed her cheeks and hugged Ray once before stepping back.
Allesia approached quietly, crossed her arms, and stood beside Ray, tightening her neck muscles.
Faced with this blatant move, Karen wriggled her limbs in frustration and eventually bowed her head.
“Miss, please come back safely…”
Compared to before, Karen had matured considerably.
After exchanging farewells, Ray waved and boarded the carriage.
As the carriage slowly moved away,
Karen trudged along, feeling drained, until she noticed Johanna still standing there with a scowl.
Johanna was caught in a mix of irritation, anger, and emotions she couldn’t clearly identify, breathing heavily and feeling suffocated.
Karen hesitated.
Adolescents often struggle to identify their immediate feelings.
This was true for Johanna as well, but Karren, who observed Johanna closely, vaguely understood why she had been acting annoyed towards Ray.
Until recently, Johanna hadn’t fully grasped the concept of “romance.”
She used to cheerfully proclaim “We all like each other, that’s all!” and enthusiastically supported the growing closeness between Karen and Ray.
However, as puberty approached, Johanna began distinguishing between “like” and “love.”
This realization prevented her from casually declaring “I really like Ray!” in front of Karen as she used to.
Unbeknownst to Johanna,
Karen noticed that her attitude shifted precisely at that point.
The confusion between friendship and romance was enough to unsettle any adolescent girl.
And it affected Karen similarly.
After hesitating, Karen quietly took Johanna’s hand.
For now, this arrangement was fine.
Pushing Johanna forward was something Karen wasn’t ready for yet; she still wanted to stay by Ray’s side.
*
A few days after departing from Phillips County, inside the dungeon.
“Huff…”
Sighing, Ray roughly cut off Florya’s overturned dress.
Florya’s face, which had been upside down while her limbs were bound, was finally revealed.
GACK!!
Without hesitation, Ray slapped Florya’s already swollen cheeks and grabbed her dangling body to warn her.
“Hey, snap out of it! If you don’t, you’ll die in my hands, got it?”
GACK!
Once again, Florya’s face turned sideways.
Watching this, Jenkins seriously pondered whether they should flee from this spot.
