Karen knew that Bella was recuperating at the manor. She wondered if she could visit, so she loitered around the perimeter but was stopped by the knights. Fortunately, she did hear that both Bella and her child were recovering well, yet upon hearing they were safe, Karen didn’t feel particularly cheerful.
‘Mom is fine, so she should be able to spend a little time with us…’
Contrary to Karen’s hopes, Ray was devoting all his time and energy solely to Bella and her child. Each time this happened, Karen felt a bit down.
Karen wanted to become someone closer and more precious to Ray.
However, to Ray, Karen was merely one of the many children from the orphanage.
Every time such an event occurred, the harsh reality became even colder for Karen.
Karen, feeling disheartened, fidgeted with her necklace.
“Not showing up at the orphanage for a whole month…”
Johanna clung to Karen and whined together with her.
“It’s because you’re always so nice! You always rush off whenever Ray calls! That’s why he doesn’t miss you!”
“Is that so?”
“Matthew says we need some push and pull in relationships. Karen lacks that!”
While the friends whispered amongst themselves, Luna stared intently at the manor.
The fact that Karen and Johanna could complain like this so freely was possible only because they deeply trusted Ray. To them, Ray was a transcendent being without rival and an unshakable giant who would never fall.
Thus, they hoped Ray would always be by their side and believed he could handle anything.
But to Luna, Ray was always a precarious existence. His steadfast appearance was due to burning everything he had until he collapsed. Moreover, he never hesitated to offer himself up in the face of death.
Karen and Johanna didn’t know this, but Luna did.
After quietly listening to her friends’ conversation, Luna started walking toward the manor.
“…I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Huh? The manor? Didn’t the knights say no visitors?”
Luna paused briefly, then pulled her robe over herself.
“…I’m sneaking in.”
Surprisingly rebellious words from Luna made Karen and Johanna jump in surprise.
*
“Huff…”
After finishing his discussion with the count, Ray stepped out of the reception room and exhaled heavily. Choosing to raise a child brought about much conflict and contemplation.
As Ray stroked the corner of his eye and walked down the corridor, Alesya peeked out from the end of the hallway.
“Ray, did the conversation go well?”
“Yeah, thanks to Count’s consideration, it went smoothly.”
“That’s fortunate. Lately, the atmosphere hasn’t been good, so I’ve been scolded unnecessarily…”
Alesya looked dejected.
She also didn’t know about Lea’s lineage. Since knowing might lead to harm, both Ray and the count decided to keep quiet about Lea’s issues from Alesya.
Because of this, Alesya was caught in a heavy atmosphere without knowing the cause, having to constantly read people’s moods.
“At least it’s resolved, which is a relief. By the way, when will you show me your sibling?”
“Just wait a couple more months. Newborns shouldn’t interact with too many people.”
“Ah, what a pity.”
As Ray watched the disappointed Alesya, he noticed there was no one else in the corridor and tapped her forehead.
“Are you still studying diligently?”
“My knight, isn’t it enough that my father lectures me?”
“Don’t just read strange books; study hard too.”
“There are no strange books anymore! Didn’t you take them all away?”
After having all her carefully collected books seized, Alesya couldn’t contain her anger and raised her voice.
“My knight shows insufficient consideration for his master! Why must you always take away my pleasures?”
“You’re the one who caused trouble. If you’d kept them hidden and read them alone, I wouldn’t have said anything. Now look at the mess you’ve made.”
“…”
Under Ray’s reprimand, Alesya avoided his gaze with a sheepish expression.
Getting caught reading erotica wasn’t a pleasant memory for Alesya either.
“A knight must also know how to cover up his master’s faults…”
“I’ll cover it up, so please study hard.”
“Today, Ray treats me like one of the orphans.”
“Whether commoner or noble, ultimately, one must rely on their own abilities to avoid starvation.”
“Hmm…”
With a pout, Alesya asked Ray,
“So, what did Father say?”
“Well, if the situation gets tough, he said to make sure even Alesya escapes safely.”
“Oh…! How romantic!”
Ray had indirectly mentioned the count’s instruction to protect Alesya even if the baron’s territory falls, but Alesya interpreted it as a love-driven midnight escape.
“[The Noble Knight and the Villainous Young Lady] also ended with Leonhardt taking Anastasia away in the middle of the night…!”
Seeing Alesya excitedly recounting the book content, Ray thought to himself that perhaps he should have the maid search her room again.
*
After conversing with Alesya, Ray immediately met with Jimy.
Ray explained in detail to Jimy what he discussed with the count.
Upon hearing Ray’s story, Jimy sighed repeatedly, relieved that things turned out well.
Jimy, who seemed troubled, kept drinking water, while Ray chuckled.
“You’ve done well, Jimy.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“One son is the successor of the Great Hero, and one daughter is royalty.”
Staring silently at Ray, Jimy asked with a grimace,
“They’re not actually mine, right?”
“Have you ever heard of responsibility without pleasure?”
“You bastard.”
With a reflexive curse, Jimy kicked him.
After being kicked in the chest by Jimy and rolling on the ground, Ray giggled.
Once Jimy kicked Ray enough to release his emotions, he sat heavily in a chair, panting.
“At least it’s fortunate you haven’t left.”
“Why?”
“If you weren’t here, do you think there’d be only one or two brats crying?”
“Haha…”
Letting out a dry laugh, Ray, sitting on the floor, said,
“To be honest, Jimy, I might find it difficult to stay by the children’s side forever.”
“What are you saying after resolving everything nicely?”
“It’s not irrelevant…”
It wasn’t about leaving Phillip’s County or anything like that.
Since reincarnating, Ray encountered numerous threats and each time solved problems by risking his life without hesitation.
He dismantled various gang groups ravaging the county, fought thugs endlessly to stabilize Jimy’s orphanage, protected the orphanage kids, and presented visions to those with extraordinary potential.
There were easily over ten instances where he almost lost his head if things had gone slightly wrong.
One day, he would stumble. Even if not, his body definitely wouldn’t last long.
Though Ray would try his best, this world was simply… too screwed up to be confident about anything.
“I’ve gathered quite a lot of talented people, far exceeding what’s needed to guard just one territory.”
They centered around Ray.
And Ray was aware of this.
“Even without me, even if I never return, they must unite and not fall apart. Only then can we navigate through this wretched world.”
If Ray disappeared, there was exactly one person who could partially fill his place.
“Jimy, even if I’m gone, help everyone work together to protect the county and each other.”
“…You always make such difficult requests.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No one can replace you.”
“Haha, of course, perfectly replace…”
Ray stopped speaking mid-sentence and glanced at the closed door.
Ray and Jimy were conversing in a secluded room within the manor, and Ray had set up a simple barrier with Aptel’s help. While the barrier couldn’t stop intruders, it could at least detect anyone approaching.
Suddenly, an unexpected presence was sensed inside the barrier.
Before Ray could stand up, the faint presence vanished.
Stepping outside, Ray scanned the area but found no traces of magical residue indicating someone used magic.
“Apfel.”
Seeking advice from Apfel, he analyzed the surrounding mana flow through the bracelet and responded.
[…Finding clear traces is difficult, but the mana flow does seem a bit awkward.]
“Someone was here?”
[If Master didn’t mistakenly sense something, yes.]
Hearing the answer, Ray chuckled.
“The barrier is simple, so it could be easily destroyed, but passing through secretly shouldn’t be possible. How did they manage it?”
[By aligning their own mana with the fluctuating mana flow of the real-time barrier, it’s possible… though it requires talent comparable to Resina.]
“Ugh.”
Ray groaned.
In the future, instead of setting up a detection barrier, it might be better to use a sound-blocking barrier, despite its higher mana consumption. This problem arose because he opted for the simpler detection barrier.
‘Well, it’s probably fine.’
The moment the presence was detected was fleeting, and there was only one person in the county with near-archmage-level talent.
‘Still, I should talk to whoever snuck into the manor.’
Ray clicked his tongue irritably.
Meanwhile.
Outside the manor, Karen and Johanna, biting their fingers anxiously, greeted Luna with excitement.
The manor, surrounded by patrols of knights and a thinly spread magical barrier, was successfully infiltrated and exited by Luna alone.
“Luna, you’re amazing!”
“Did you meet Ray at the manor?”
Facing the cheering Karen and Johanna, Luna muttered with a blank expression.
“…Ray might leave us.”
Karen and Johanna stiffened instantly.
However, since they weren’t unfamiliar with such news, Karen quickly recomposed herself and asked Luna,
“Does Ray have to travel somewhere again…?”
Luna shook her head.
“He might leave permanently.”
Watching the expressions of Karen and Johanna stiffen again, Luna gripped her chest.
“…It’s okay.”
With a steady voice, devoid of fluctuations but filled with conviction, Luna continued.
“We can hold onto Ray.”
*
Around sunset, Ray left the manor and headed toward his original home.
He intended to tidy up the house after a long absence.
For now, the issue regarding Bella’s child, Lea, was temporarily resolved.
Though the problem wasn’t truly solved but rather superficially patched, as long as Lea’s lineage remained concealed, things would be fine for the moment.
Ray caressed the Dragon Heart he retrieved from Ropheiren, tucked inside his coat.
Dragon blood is less like blood and more akin to highly concentrated liquid mana.
If such a substance flowed in a human body, it would be impossible to endure.
Therefore, the royal family needed fragments of the Dragon Heart to control dragon blood.
Having experienced simulated dragon blood once in Ropheiren’s experiment, Ray was struck by a peculiar sensation.
‘It’s similar to that technique. Well, considering the origin of that technique…’
Just as Ray was about to continue his thoughts, he sensed a threatening aura and narrowed his eyes.
As Ray hastily drew his sword, something massive blocked the night sky and fell directly on top of him.
BOOM!!!
“Aaaaaah!!”
Crushed under the enormous body, Ray let out a shrill scream.
Turning his head with difficulty, Ray identified the massive body as none other than the high spirit Karga.
Annoyance immediately flashed across Ray’s eyes.
“This is going to kill me. Hey, want a taste of Spatial Blade? What the hell are you doing?”
[KIEEEEEEEK!!]
Karga convulsed and shook its head.
Karga’s eyes were filled with injustice.
Ray was the master of Spatial Blade, a blade capable of striking the true form of spirits.
Karga also wished to avoid physical contact with Ray as much as possible.
Yet, not only was Karga forced into contact, but it had accidentally crushed Ray, causing cold sweat to pour down Karga’s body, something spirits don’t usually experience.
[KIEEEEEEK!]
Watching Karga squawk continuously, Ray groaned.
Bound by a slave contract, Karga wouldn’t crush Ray without orders.
This meant Ray inadvertently summoned this calamity upon himself.
“Hey!! If you don’t want to get slashed, move aside somehow!!”
[KIEEEEEEEK!!]
You stupid human, if you hadn’t forced me into this contract, I would’ve moved already!
As Karga struggled while blaming Ray, Ray, trapped beneath it, felt even worse.
Meanwhile.
From a distance, Karen watched in bewilderment as Ray was crushed by Karga.
“So, this is what ‘holding on’ means…?”
Karen, expecting persuasion to come first, was speechless.
