Reunion (3)
Chapter 78
Glibiyas was a city of considerable size, and as such, it had its own administrative building dedicated to handling local governance.
Among those present were the regional lord’s retainers, upper-tier administrative officers, and local officials dispatched by the Emperor. They were in the midst of discussions regarding issues that needed resolution.
Everyone was vociferously arguing to push their points, but all voices were drowned out by an unexpected loud sound.
BOOM!!
The grand doors of the administrative building were shattered into pieces.
Guards rushed toward the destroyed entrance, but the intruder simply waved an arm, sending them flying.
Eventually, a knight stationed at the building drew their sword.
A wave of relief swept over everyone’s faces—but only for an instant.
POW!
The knight met the same fate as the guards, being sent sprawling.
The intruder, who had turned the entrance into chaos, gestured with a hand toward the administrators looking down from inside the building.
The most junior administrator stepped forward, trembling as he asked,
“Who might you be to cause such a ruckus?”
“Saria Alstein.”
“Saria Al… What?!”
Recognizing the familiar name, the administrator widened his eyes and scrutinized Saria.
She looked terrible, as if she had been rolling around on a battlefield.
Only then did the administrator somewhat understand why Saria had so violently broken through the main gates.
There must have been a battle somewhere.
“What… what has happened?”
“Send a message. To the House of Alstein. Immediately.”
Saria’s eyes flashed fiercely.
It was necessary to inform not only the House of Alstein but also all nearby regions about the attack.
Bridges, reverse horses, artefacts—Saria mobilized every available communication method in Glibiyas through her display of force.
*
It had been a few days since the sudden attack on the nobility occurred.
House Alstein was the first to hear the news and responded swiftly. Given that Saria herself had been attacked, their reaction was quite intense.
Other noble families gradually heard the news and began paying attention to this incident.
It was already noisy, and it was bound to get even noisier.
As Ray sipped tea politely served by Ropheiren, he muttered,
“I guess I’ve done all I need to do…”
Until just the other day, Ray had been patrolling the ravine that had been attacked, checking for any suspicious activity.
Currently, troops provided by Glibiyas, House Alstein, and several nearby lords were gathered around the attack site, maintaining strict control.
An investigation to uncover the identities of the attackers would begin within a few days.
“The Crown Prince…”
The attacker had said that the Crown Prince would lose his position due to this incident.
If the First Crown Prince loses his title, the Second Crown Prince would be next in line.
Ropheiren described the Second Crown Prince as competent but cruel.
“Well, it’s none of my business.”
While they fight among themselves, all Ray had to do was keep his head down.
Ray didn’t particularly care about the royal family suspected of orchestrating this attack.
If what the attacker said was true, it meant getting caught up in a shift in the royal power structure—a stroke of bad luck indeed. Still, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Had someone close to him been severely harmed, things might have been different.
Fortunately, the people of the Philips Count family were relatively unscathed.
Standing up, Ray headed towards the central healing facility of Glibiyas with Ropheiren.
“Have you arrived?”
Upon reaching the healing center, the priests and healers lightly greeted them.
Excluding Saria, all the injured from the recent attack were here.
Ray went straight to Avencio first.
Avencio, who had been unconscious for several days, regained consciousness yesterday.
Though his life had been saved somehow, his condition was far from good.
“You’re still alive.”
“Grrr…”
With a groan, Avencio opened his eyes slightly and asked,
“Are the young misses safe?”
“That’s the third time you’ve asked. Both are fine.”
Ray pulled out a potion from his robes and uncapped it.
“This is an incredibly expensive potion from your esteemed aunt, so don’t spit it out. Drink it.”
“Hmm…”
Avencio, lying down, drank the potion and breathed uncomfortably.
“I can’t believe how you managed to survive that…”
“Isn’t it thanks to your amazing aunt?”
After saying that, Ray examined Avencio from head to toe.
His arm was completely gone, and his leg was shattered, indicating a long recovery ahead.
Thanks to the existence of divine power, if one had enough power and money, lost limbs could be restored—even though such treatment was beyond the reach of even high-ranking nobles.
In any case, it seemed unlikely that Avencio would ever fully function as a knight again.
“It’ll be tough for a while.”
“…I’ll accept it. It’s an injury sustained in fulfilling my duty as a knight.”
“If the house mistreats you, come to the Philips Count family. We’ll treat you as our benefactor.”
“You arrogant little brat, talking like you’re something.”
Smirking, Avencio laid his head back down.
Without disturbing Avencio’s rest further, Ray moved to the next room.
Alessia, riding Fenrir, was spinning in place when she suddenly leapt onto the bed in surprise.
Ray turned to the healer accompanying him and asked, with a sour expression,
“Why is she… I mean, Lady Alessia so perfectly fine?”
“She had shallow wounds, and thick subcutaneous fat absorbed the shock, sparing most of her organs. Thus, she seems to be recovering quickly.”
“So, you’re saying she survived because she was fat?”
Listening to the conversation, Alessia grinned at Ray.
As if she had planned it, her smile suggested that gaining weight had saved her life—an absurd implication which made Ray raise his fist.
Quickly realizing the situation, Alessia hid under the blanket.
‘Well, she’s safe, so it’s fine.’
Ray let out a small snort and proceeded to greet the patients before finally visiting Florya.
When Florya saw Ray enter the room alone, she immediately sat up.
“Ah, hello!”
Her usual composed demeanor, where she casually fanned herself, was nowhere to be seen.
Ray inwardly sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
‘Seen everything now.’
Although it wasn’t clear exactly what misconception Florya had formed after witnessing the battle in the ravine, Ray decided to leave it alone.
Given that Florya was bound by a contract seal, there was almost no chance she would recklessly talk about anything.
“Relax, Lady Florya. Is anyone going to eat you?”
“Eh, uh… Shall I relax then?”
Florya adjusted her tone carefully and hesitantly greeted him.
“Uh, thank you. For saving me again.”
“Yes, well… By the way, is there any new information from the Osiris Count family?”
“My father said he will send someone, but I don’t know the details yet.”
“I see.”
Ray nodded.
After signs of imperial involvement emerged, it was unclear what judgment Osiris Count would make, but it wasn’t Ray’s place to interfere.
“Take care of yourself.”
Ray tapped the trembling Florya’s head gently a couple of times before leaving the healing center.
Ropheiren followed closely behind.
“Are you heading straight back to the lodging?”
“No. I’m going to buy some gifts for the kids.”
Ray jingled his pocket.
Thanks to thoroughly searching the attackers in the ravine, he had managed to collect quite a bit of platinum coins.
Unlike the imperial gold coins, which were mostly impure, these platinum coins held significant value.
After repurchasing the stationery he had bought recently, Ray handed it off to Ropheiren.
Despite struggling under the heavy load, Ropheiren walked happily behind Ray.
Next stop was the blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith, recognizing Ray’s face after seeing him break several swords, frowned upon seeing him again.
Ignoring this, Ray picked up a displayed sword and tested it by flexing it repeatedly.
‘Finally, I’ve become able to handle Spatial Blades properly…’
Not perfectly, but Ray could now intentionally adjust the timing and location of the Leaping Sword Energy’s descent.
This was thanks to the insights gained within the Resina Record and the circle created in his heart.
By obtaining the circle, he could accumulate more mana in his core.
However, this was akin to a double-edged sword.
The more mana accumulated in the core, the greater the pressure exerted on the circle, meaning a heavier burden on his heart.
‘How long can I endure?’
Given that this body was chosen by a transcendent, it wouldn’t collapse easily, but living for a long time was clearly impossible.
Ray swallowed another high-grade potion given by Saria and infused mana into the sword.
As the mana began to rotate, the sword snapped in two.
The blacksmith frowned deeply.
“Don’t break any more swords. I won’t tolerate being ripped off.”
“Three.”
Ray tossed the bag of platinum coins.
After inspecting the coins, the blacksmith disappeared into the warehouse.
While waiting for the blacksmith to return, Ray observed his core.
Aside from the strain on his heart, there was another issue.
To fully utilize the core’s potential, he needed assistance from the circle. However, during this process, the mana from the circle that resisted the core scattered wildly.
This was why Harshia always emitted coldness wherever she went.
‘Even if I advance to the next level, I’ll likely still need the circle’s help to manifest Sword Energy…’
When the Sword Energy manifested, the surrounding area froze.
It was rather limiting to display in public.
Anyone seeing a graduate constantly surrounded by coldness would inevitably recall someone specific.
‘The performance is reliable, but it’s hard to use effectively.’
At this rate, he might as well have reincarnated as a prince.
Muttering to himself, Ray collected the swords from the blacksmith and turned around.
‘Let’s head back to the barony for now.’
Philip Count’s reinforcements should arrive soon.
Once they do, Ray intended to return to the barony with Alessia.
Many might try to detain him under the pretense of cooperating with the investigation, but ignoring them would suffice.
A storm is approaching.
Unless one foresees the entire future, the best course of action is to keep one’s head low and avoid being swept away.
‘Aunt Saria is somewhat concerning, but…’
Given Saria’s status and position, it was impossible for her to disentangle herself from this situation.
Still, as a victim of the attack with the backing of House Alstein, Ray believed she would handle it well.
Looking briefly at the sky, Ray smirked.
“I miss them… or rather.”
The emotions he felt now weren’t pleasant.
He seemed to be developing attachments to this wretched world, making him feel uneasy.
Still…
“I want to see my mom and the kids.”
He was starting to miss home.
*
On the day Ray left for the Magic Tower, Jimmy celebrated with Matthew.
Thinking that the troublesome guy was finally gone, Jimmy anticipated enjoying a peaceful slow life for a while.
However, the children Ray had left behind in Philip’s territory remained.
With Ray gone, the orphanage atmosphere became chaotic, leading to a series of incidents without pause.
Thanks to Jimmy and Matthew’s efforts, the orphanage stabilized within a few days, but some children continued to appear dejected and melancholic despite the passage of time.
Karen was especially severe; after Ray left, she lost her vitality like a flower deprived of sunlight, continuously wilting.
She would sniffle while eating and sobbing while sleeping.
Watching Karen continually waste away, Jimmy trembled with anxiety.
If this continued, Ray would surely scold him upon returning in a few months for not taking proper care of the children.
‘Please, eat properly!!!’
Jimmy clenched his thinning hair and silently pleaded.
Things started improving slightly when Ray’s return date approached, and Karen’s rigid expression began to soften.
Smiling more often, Karen eagerly awaited Ray’s return.
On the very day Ray promised to return,
Karen dressed neatly and went to meet him.
But even after waiting all day, Ray did not return.
That day, Jimmy, summoned by Philip Count, learned shocking news.
“Was there an…attack?”
“I don’t have the full details either.”
The count furrowed his brow in frustration.
According to the letter Ray had sent, the group had been attacked, but everyone was alive.
Interpreted negatively, it could mean they barely survived.
The count wanted to rush to the scene with knights immediately.
However, Ray had strongly warned against rash actions in the letter.
Whenever Ray acted rudely, there was always a reason.
The count decided to stay put, only dispatching investigators and additional guards as minimal measures.
“It seems the return schedule will be delayed by about half a month.”
“Umm… understood.”
Though Jimmy had many questions, he refrained from asking given the count’s grim expression.
Still, a half-month wasn’t too long. That’s what Jimmy thought, mistakenly.
After Ray’s return was delayed,
Karen sat motionlessly for over two days in front of the manor where Ray had departed for the royal magic tower.
Hearing the news, Jimmy rushed to the manor in panic.
“Karen!”
“…?”
Turning slowly, Karen stared at the road where the carriage had left, her gaunt face showing deep sorrow.
Recognizing Jimmy’s approach, Karen burst into tears.
“Wah! Black! Ray isn’t coming… Wah! Let’s go together to bring Ray back… Hweeeng…”
“Relax, kid. He’ll be back soon. There was a problem with the carriage, so he’s just a bit late.”
Jimmy embraced Karen and consoled her.
Sniffling in Jimmy’s arms, Karen wiped her streaming tears and asked,
“When will he come?”
Jimmy carefully chose words typically used to soothe young children.
“In ten nights, he’ll be back.”
“Waaahh…!! Waaaahhh!!!”
Karen began to wail uncontrollably.
Jimmy realized too late that he had made a grave mistake with his word choice.
How many orphans had starved at home, trusting their parents’ promise to return after “ten nights”?
For the orphanage children, “returning after ten nights” was synonymous with never coming back.
“Waaaahh!! Ray isn’t coming back, is he?”
“Ka, Karen…! That’s not what I meant…”
Trying to console Karen, Jimmy felt a throbbing headache.
Most of the orphanage children had experienced abandonment.
They lived with the constant fear of being abandoned again.
Therefore, when Ray failed to return on the promised date, even the previously stable children began showing signs of anxiety.
‘Hurry back, you brat!!’
Ultimately, Jimmy found himself having to search for Ray, the person he had desperately wished to disappear from sight.
