Gift (2)
Chapter 136
Lea continued to cry as if her heart was breaking.
Of course, from the listener’s perspective, it was just unbearably loud, so Ray frowned and scolded her.
“Lea, if you keep crying, I won’t give you a gift.”
At Ray’s words, Lea immediately stopped crying.
Wiping away her tears, Lea smiled brightly and looked at him with hopeful eyes.
“If I don’t cry, will you give me a gift? Lea won’t cry! Lea won’t cry! Give me a gift!”
“But you’ve already cried once, so I won’t give you anything.”
“Whaaaaa!!!!”
Seeing Lea wailing as if the world had ended, Ray stroked his chin.
Listening to Lea’s cries brought back old memories.
“Our Lea takes after her father with that powerful voice…”
“…Just like your father, who kept yelling at me until he went to heaven…”
While Ray muttered these unspoken thoughts, Lea swung her tiny fists at his leg.
Lea was deeply resentful of her older brother for coming without bringing her any gifts.
“I hate my brother!! I dislike him!! I won’t marry him!!!”
“Who asked you to?”
“Whaaaaaa!!!”
Seeing Lea crying nonstop, Bella sighed.
If making Lea cry was Ray’s responsibility, then calming her down was Bella’s.
While Ray worked on maintaining discipline, Bella entered the room and opened the jewelry box.
Finding a silver chain with a loop, Bella hung one side of the earrings she had received as a gift onto it.
With the makeshift necklace in hand, Bella called out to Lea.
“Our daughter! Come here!”
Though still sobbing, Lea toddled over to Bella when she was called.
Bella held up the necklace and smiled broadly.
“Our daughter’s gift was here all along?”
Hearing the word “gift,” Lea paused her crying momentarily and wiped her eyes.
While Lea was busy rubbing her eyes, Bella quickly placed the necklace around her neck.
“Our daughter looks so pretty with this necklace!”
“Necklace?”
Lea looked down at the necklace hanging around her neck with redder-than-usual eyes.
The turquoise necklace shimmered beautifully, capturing the attention of the young child instantly.
Surprised, Lea touched the necklace and asked Bella,
“Is this a gift? Is this Lea’s gift?”
As Lea struggled to contain her emotions and her lips quivered, Bella quickly added an explanation.
“Yes. This is the gift from your older brother.”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“My brother is the best!”
Lea, who had completely dried her tear-streaked cheeks, began jumping around the house with her arms raised.
It was so chaotic that Bella had to calm Lea down and sit her in the room for a while.
Since handling children wasn’t easy, Bella emerged from the room, drenched in sweat, and sighed.
“Son.”
At Bella’s seemingly irritated tone, Ray wondered if he had been too strict with his younger sibling.
However, Bella didn’t even mention Lea. Instead, she approached and hugged Ray, who was sitting in his wheelchair.
“Son, my one and only son.”
In front of the innocent Lea, Bella had momentarily suppressed her emotions but now expressed them fully to Ray.
“You are my son, do you know that?”
After confirming this fact several times, Bella kissed Ray on the cheek.
“So please, don’t worry your mother too much. I’m asking you.”
Bella’s voice carried a deep sense of melancholy.
Ray buried his face in Bella’s neck and steadied his breathing.
It was always the warmth and familiar scent he longed for.
For a moment, Ray leaned against Bella quietly before nodding slightly.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Your son is tough. I won’t get hurt, and if I do, I’ll be back on my feet in a few days.”
“Just giving good answers, huh?”
“One must answer well, Mother.”
Ray chuckled.
Bella caressed Ray’s face, remembering how he had grown accustomed to hiding his pain since childhood.
It pained her every time she realized that Ray had matured too early because of her.
“…Our son has become even more handsome.”
Although the severity of the injuries hidden beneath Ray’s bandages was unknown, at least his face looked much better, with past scars having disappeared.
“Why didn’t you remove those scars earlier?”
“Now that I’m even handsomer, how am I supposed to handle all the attention?”
Ray smirked as he gazed into Bella’s eyes.
Beautiful as ever, Bella’s eyes gave off a slightly unfamiliar vibe compared to the past.
With her new family and her real child, Bella was gradually drifting away from Ray, which he also wished for.
Still, it was natural to feel a little lonely, so Ray brought her hand to his face again.
At Ray’s rare display of affection, Bella opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Lea burst into tears.
“Whaaaaaaa!!!”
Apparently, she had fallen while celebrating her new gift and causing chaos in the room.
Bella rushed into the room hurriedly, while Ray watched the scene with satisfaction.
*
Clemens had been virtually confined since arriving at Phillip’s County.
While Clemens didn’t mind being confined, he lived in constant fear of losing his head at any moment.
The knights who delivered his food were unexpectedly kind due to security reasons, but their demeanor could change at any time.
Nevertheless, as time passed, Clemens gradually adjusted to his captivity and found some peace.
When he grew close enough to naturally exchange greetings with the knights, Ray visited.
“Have you been doing well?”
“Yes, thanks to you… Um, are you feeling okay?”
Clemens wondered if it was appropriate for him to ask such a question, but it turned out to be unnecessary concern.
Tapping his wheelchair lightly, Ray shrugged.
“I think I’ll continue using it for another month or two, just in case.”
After about ten minutes of casual conversation, Ray moved on to the main topic.
“To be honest, there was no reason to take such risks to bring you here. You understand that, right?”
“…Yes, I understand.”
If not for the ability to conceal his identity easily, it would have been fine, but his paralyzed lower body made things quite awkward.
Reiterating this point, Ray calmly said,
“As long as you don’t cause trouble, we’ll treat you like a person, but you’ll need to earn your keep.”
“I understand. But what can I do…”
“Not much, really.”
Ray smirked.
Though Clemens possessed excellent skills as a merchant, there weren’t many opportunities to use them effectively in the remote Phillip’s County.
“Well, you can occasionally offer advice during large-scale trade deals, help manage the estate’s finances if needed, and teach business to kids interested in commerce.”
Regardless, Clemens’ financial acumen was undoubtedly the best in Phillip’s County.
Understanding Ray’s words, Clemens nodded.
Ray relayed a few additional points to Clemens.
First, he should avoid drawing attention from outsiders, limiting his range of movement.
He also needed to disguise his appearance, especially his walking style, which shouldn’t be revealed to others.
When going outside occasionally, he should either ride in a carriage or remain seated in a wheelchair, moving only his upper body.
Though restrictive, these conditions were considerate enough for Clemens.
Burdened by guilt, Clemens felt uneasy.
Even Clemens thought that if he were in Ray’s position, he would have buried someone like Clemens in the ground.
This consideration meant that Ray expected something in return, so Clemens felt compelled to prove his worth despite lacking abilities.
While Ray hadn’t planned to be overly demanding about earning his keep, he was open to changing his mind if Clemens became too listless.
Thanks to Clemens’ merchant instincts, the overall conversation flowed smoothly.
After drinking a glass of water and taking a short break, Ray pointed at Clemens’ chest.
“Are you ready to part ways with the spirit?”
“…”
This time, Clemens couldn’t answer immediately.
Having spent difficult times together like a friend, he had grown very attached to the spirit.
However, since many people knew the form of the spirit Clemens had contracted, Ray’s request to terminate the contract was reasonable.
Letting out a long sigh, Clemens finally nodded.
“I’m ready.”
“In that case, let’s proceed.”
Understanding the sadness Clemens would have to endure, Ray planned to help him make a new contract with another spirit after terminating the current one.
A wind spirit might help him move around a bit easier.
Excited at the prospect of coercing another wind spirit, Ray grinned to himself.
Meanwhile, Clemens summoned the ice spirit.
The lizard-shaped spirit conveyed its sorrow upon sensing its contractor’s resolve before briefly disappearing.
Soon, the ice spirit returned with another spirit.
Realizing that his long-time companion was introducing him to a new friend for the last time, Clemens shed tears.
Ultimately, Clemens terminated his contract with the original spirit and formed a new one.
The lizard-shaped ice spirit licked Clemens’ tears away as its final farewell before vanishing.
Witnessing this touching scene, Ray was greatly disappointed.
He had been excited to mess with the spirits’ bonds but felt deflated when everything went smoothly.
Eventually, Ray used his Spatial Blade to interfere with the spirits’ connections a bit later.
*
Elves have long lifespans.
Some types of elves live for thousands of years, leading one to believe that strong individuals might overwhelm the population, but this isn’t entirely true.
Elves as a race have less vitality than humans and relatively low mana affinity.
Ironically, it’s precisely because they lack vitality and have low mana affinity that they maintain such long lifespans.
Physical bodies tend to wear out faster the more they’re used.
Of course, elves also possess clear advantages compared to other races.
Their physical senses are far superior, allowing them to excel in detection and stealth techniques that humans struggle to match.
After arriving at Phillip’s County, Mineher relaxed her body.
Even an expert human knight would find it hard to detect an elf skilled in stealth.
There probably aren’t any Graduates in this remote area, but even if there were, Mineher wouldn’t be detected unless they got extremely close.
Magic barriers were tricky to deal with, but since her mission wasn’t to infiltrate the manor, it didn’t matter.
‘Should I move?’
Technically, Mineher’s presence here was a waste of resources.
This was merely a simple surveillance mission, not a kidnapping operation.
Normally, sending a few incompetent spies would suffice. If Phillip’s County were a large city, Duke Matthias might have done just that.
However, if multiple strangers appeared in the small land of Phillip’s County, it would naturally raise suspicion.
That’s why Mineher was sent, and from her perspective, it was an easy task, so there was nothing to complain about.
She definitely thought that way—until she soon realized she had made a grave misjudgment.
A truly grave misjudgment.
