Osiris (3)
Chapter 115
Unlike studying at the Magic Tower, Alesya did not need to make grand preparations for her trip to the Osiris Countdom.
Since it was a short outing to a region right next to Phillip’s County, only a small number of servants were set to accompany her.
With a graduate squire guarding her, the count had no great worries and prepared the carriage for her journey.
Before departing for the Osiris Countdom, Ray briefly glanced at Jimy who had come out to see him off with a slight smile.
Due to past incidents, Ray always worried about Bella’s safety whenever he left, but now he could finally feel at ease.
Even without Ray, there were two graduates guarding the countdom. Moreover, Luna, who could handle high-level spirits, would surely join in case of an emergency.
It gave him immense reassurance.
Ray looked at Jimy with a contented smile on his face.
“Our manor has good performance and cost-effective turrets…”
“…”
Though Jimy didn’t fully understand what Ray said, he glared at Ray as his mood soured.
In the midst of their silent father-son showdown, Lea burst into tears.
She couldn’t bear the thought of her older brother leaving even for a moment.
“Whaaaah!!”
“Haha.”
Seeing Lea throwing a tantrum, Ray chuckled.
The phase where the orphanage kids, whom he practically raised, threw tantrums had passed, and now it was his new little sister’s turn.
Ray patted Lea’s back and helped her stand up.
“Be a good girl and listen to Mommy. If you get bored, ask Daddy to play with you.”
“Daddy’s gone. He’s not here. He won’t come when I call!”
Lea complained.
Jimy was busy with work, so he couldn’t visit home often. Nevertheless, Jimy tried very hard to be a good father in his own way.
Considering that Lea wasn’t Jimy’s biological daughter, he was already showing her tremendous kindness.
Of course, young Lea couldn’t fully understand Jimy’s situation.
Lea kept whining because Jimy wasn’t always by her side.
Then Ray grabbed Lea’s hand and placed it on her chest.
“Ah~ Sister! How can Daddy not be here?”
“Daddy’s not here!”
“C’mon, how does it feel when you touch your chest?”
“Chest? Thump-thump, thump-thump!”
“Does it thump? Your daddy is right here.”
As Ray spoke, Jimy, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, suddenly froze in place.
Lea tilted her head, not understanding what Ray meant.
“Is Daddy here?”
“Your daddy is always watching over you from here.”
“No, Daddy’s over there!”
Lea shook her head and pointed at Jimy.
Just then, Jimy approached Lea, picked her up, and kicked Ray away.
“Ugh!”
Ray comically rolled around on the ground.
Watching Ray roll for quite some time, Lea laughed gleefully.
Jimy gently rocked Lea while pretending to be upset.
“Our daughter, I told you not to talk to bad people, didn’t I?”
“Is Brother a bad person?”
“He’s a really bad person.”
“Brother is a bad person!”
Lea excitedly squirmed around.
After calming Lea down, Jimy tricked her with the promise of cookies and took her away.
As Lea moved further away from the carriage, she waved her arms back and forth.
Ray also waved his arms toward Lea and sighed deeply.
Dealing with children was still exhausting, whether in the past or now.
After waving goodbye to Lea, Ray conducted one last check of his luggage. This time, Karen and Luna showed up.
Without warning, Luna grabbed Ray’s wrist and began to cast a spell.
Naturally, Ray panicked.
“Hey! Is this another tracking magic?”
“…”
Luna narrowed her eyes.
Ray repeatedly explained to Luna that he was just visiting a neighboring territory for a short while.
Satisfied with Ray’s explanation, Ropheiren smiled.
Muttering that Luna had been influenced by bad influences, Ray managed to escape from her tracking magic.
“Karen, I’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah! Be careful, Ray, and come back quickly!”
After bidding farewell to Karen, Ray boarded the carriage.
Soon after, the carriage carrying Alesya departed for the Osiris Countdom.
The journey was peaceful.
While awkwardly guiding the horses, Johanna enthusiastically chatted with the knights.
Looking out of the carriage window at Johanna, Ray momentarily lost himself in thought.
For the rapid growth of the children, they needed a bigger stage than Phillip’s County.
Especially to help Johanna flourish with her incredible talent, it was necessary to expose her to more swordsmanship and combat experience.
Johanna would build upon numerous swords to find her own unique style. She was born with the talent to do so.
‘This might be a bit tricky.’
Johanna and Luna couldn’t be sent out entirely on their own.
Both lacked sufficient background compared to their talents.
There were too many uncertainties and risks involved in letting them go unsupervised.
He couldn’t allow others to poach and misuse the talents he had nurtured.
Chin in hand, Ray contemplated various methods.
Johanna, sensing Ray’s intense gaze, became flustered and fidgeted uncomfortably on the saddle.
At that moment, Alesya spoke.
“Ray, will you help solve the issue with the spirit possessed by the merchant leader?”
“It depends on the situation.”
Although the probability of ignoring the matter was significantly higher.
Alesya stroked Fenrir, who was sprawled out across the carriage space, and murmured.
“There are so many bad spirits in the world.”
“Hmm, Lady Alesya… There are no bad spirits in the world.”
Ray’s eyes subtly shifted towards Fenrir.
“Only spirits that haven’t been treated well enough.”
[Grunt grunt!]
Fenrir let out a groan as if in pain and rubbed against Alesya.
Alesya laughed delightedly, thinking Fenrir was being playful.
*
Alesya’s group arrived at the Manor of the Osiris Countdom without any issues.
The Osiris Count personally greeted Alesya and welcomed her warmly.
After receiving instructions from the steward about where to stay, Alesya took a brief rest before engaging in pleasant conversation with the Osiris Count.
Ray was also present, and the Osiris Count rather openly boasted about the influence of the Osiris Countdom.
While listening to the boasting wasn’t particularly enjoyable, the count’s words were fairly reasonable for a noble.
“The merchant leader is currently in the kingdom; it will take a few days for him to return.”
The Osiris Count suggested waiting until the merchant leader returned to the countdom to have a proper discussion and advised everyone to relax in the meantime.
Having spent a quiet day, Ray visited the Osiris family’s public training grounds the next day.
Jenkins and Johanna also accompanied Ray to the training grounds.
The Osiris family’s public training ground was excessively elaborate for merely practicing swordplay.
“Goodness, why did they put a statue here? What if someone gets hit by a sword?”
Ray chuckled.
Of course, he understood why such extravagance existed.
The Manor of the Osiris family frequently hosted nobles or gentry related to trade.
Since this was the public training ground shown to them, it made sense to pay attention to its appearance.
Even now, visitors gathered in groups around the training ground, chatting.
Ignoring others, Ray waved to a familiar face.
Viktor and Hamus happily acknowledged Ray’s greeting.
“Wow, it’s been a while.”
“You’ve grown taller, huh?”
With a grin, Ray found a suitable spot to sit.
After meeting after a long time, the three exchanged stories.
“What?”
Ray teased Hamus.
“You’ve been knighted? So now you’re officially a knight?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my, forgive me for not recognizing you, Sir Hamus.”
“Stop teasing me.”
Hamus questioned Ray with a curt voice.
“Why are you still a squire?”
“Because my skills aren’t good enough.”
“Do you need to produce Sword Energy before your knighthood in your territory?”
Hamus’s sharp remark caused Ray to chuckle before slowly stiffening his expression.
“But how is Sir Abencio doing?”
Abencio lost an arm and a leg during the battle on the way back from the Magic Tower.
With a troubled look, Hamus replied.
“He’s honorably retired and recuperating at his house. The count highly values Sir Abencio’s contributions and granted him a fief.”
“At least that’s fortunate.”
Ray nodded and looked towards the opposite side of the training ground.
Jenkins was exchanging greetings with the Osiris family’s knights.
Knights often puff up their necks based on the authority of their masters.
However, today the Osiris family’s knights greeted Jenkins with relaxed necks.
Noticing Ray’s gaze, Viktor spoke up.
“We all witnessed it firsthand. The knights of the Phillip family possess both noble spirits and excellent skills.”
The Osiris family’s knights and squires who accompanied Alesya and the Magic Tower attested that the Phillip family’s knights were far from mediocre.
This testimony was the reason why the Osiris family’s knights now respected Jenkins.
Though they might not completely eliminate their condescending attitudes, the treatment was much better than before.
After finishing introductions, Jenkins introduced Johanna.
The Osiris family’s knights all looked at Johanna with interest.
Johanna was already quite famous in this area.
In a world where female knights were extremely rare due to physical differences and societal perceptions, Johanna reached the Expert level before even becoming an adult.
Initially, the Osiris family dismissed the news of an expert swordsman appearing in Phillip’s County as mere rumors.
Even now, seeing Johanna in front of them, they remained somewhat skeptical.
Of course, Hamus, who had personally sparred with Johanna, knew the rumors were true.
At the age of thirteen, Johanna had matched Hamus, who was nineteen at the time.
And in the past, Ray had overwhelmingly dominated Hamus, who was nineteen.
Frowning, Hamus asked Ray,
“Isn’t her name Johanna? Why is she still pretending to be a squire?”
“She reached the Expert level half a year ago. She still needs to refine her fundamentals.”
“…Ah, is that so?”
Half a year?
Naturally, Hamus and Viktor didn’t believe Ray’s words.
They decided not to argue and simply pretended to believe him.
Just then, Johanna drew her sword.
Following the etiquette she had learned beforehand, Johanna respectfully requested guidance from the Osiris family’s knights.
The knights laughed heartily and gladly accepted.
For the Osiris family’s knights, it was a first to seriously duel with a vibrant and healthy young girl like Johanna.
One of the knights stepped forward to test her skills.
“Don’t underestimate her; you might end up embarrassed.”
Ray clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
Hamus and Viktor, who had personally seen Johanna’s swordsmanship, nodded in agreement.
Besides skill, Johanna’s fighting style differed greatly from the static sword techniques typically used by the Phillip family’s knights.
Hamus muttered under his breath, furrowing his brows slightly.
“Sir Bastian is an experienced knight, so even if he’s surprised, he’ll handle it well.”
“Still, it feels like he might embarrass himself.”
Ray joked in response.
