Chapter 206
The carriage arrived at the Prislan Clan Fortress.
As the carriage entered the fortress, Speira and Alesya came out first to greet Ray.
“Did you return unharmed?”
When Speira asked with a joyful voice, Ray nodded as he stepped down from the carriage.
“Fortunately, I’ve returned in one piece.”
“My knight! I missed you!”
The compassionate Alesya welcomed Ray, omitting the phrase ‘who committed adultery.’
Ray kissed the back of Alesya’s hand and replied.
“I missed you too, Young Miss.”
As Ray adjusted the mood, Alesya smiled contentedly.
Johanna greeted Luna first before quietly approaching Ray and lightly punched various parts of his body.
No matter how much she prodded, Ray’s brow did not furrow once.
After confirming that there were no injuries, Johanna said with a somewhat haughty expression.
“You didn’t get hurt badly this time?”
“Fortunately, it’s thanks to Luna.”
“Hmm…”
With a slightly complicated look, Johanna showed off her sword, which she had received from Zeppelin.
“Have I improved much?”
“Let’s see tomorrow or the day after at the training grounds.”
Ray was also looking forward to Johanna’s progress.
At that moment, Karen approached Ray and hugged him tightly.
Alesya tried to rationalize that since Karen hadn’t seen Ray for a long time, such an affectionate greeting was acceptable. However, when Ray moved to bury his face in Karen’s neck, Alesya was startled.
“What are you doing so intimately in front of others…!”
Alesya forcibly pulled Karen away.
Ray chuckled lightly and greeted the other children, including Delun.
Only after finishing most of the greetings did Ray notice Jenkins.
“Hello, Master. Is Sir Didier well?”
Still using crutches due to some lingering discomfort in his legs, Jenkins smirked at Ray.
“Brat, shouldn’t you have greeted your master first?”
“Since you were waiting with bated breath, I thought I’d change the order.”
“Your audacity remains unchanged even after visiting the kingdom.”
Laughing heartily with Ray, Jenkins sighed deeply.
“Wherever you go, chaos ensues.”
Although the meteor strike on the kingdom was kept confidential, with hundreds of kilometers devastated, rumors couldn’t be contained. In the Empire, everyone who needed to know already did, and all sorts of wild rumors were spreading like wildfire.
Jenkins, along with Didier beside him, asked apologetically.
“What happened to Lord Gardi?”
“We rescued him. Due to the trouble he caused, he is currently under arrest, but he should be released by the time everything wraps up.”
“Thank you, and you’ve worked hard. It’s fortunate that you returned safely.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Ray smiled brightly.
*
After washing up and resting, Ray shared a meal with Speira.
Since Ray was technically a guest visiting the Prislan family fortress, it was only proper that he dine with Speira first.
Originally, Ray, Luna, and Speira were supposed to eat together, but due to Alesya’s insistence, the four of them ended up dining together.
While cutting his meat, Ray asked Speira.
“Were there any issues while I was gone?”
“Unfortunately, no. It would have been nice to have more stories to tell.”
“That’s fortunate. How has your win rate against Johanna been lately?”
Speira’s expression immediately soured.
The results weren’t good.
Ray struggled to suppress his laughter.
Back when they first met Johanna, Speira was delighted to have found a peer to practice swordplay with. Now, however, all that remained was the fiery competitiveness of a knight.
Realizing her sour expression, Speira quickly changed the subject.
“I’ve been thinking recently…”
“About what?”
“It seems difficult for Ray and me to enter an engagement.”
“Hmm… Yes, that’s true.”
Two Swordmasters marrying each other? That could only disrupt the balance of power. Politically, it would never be a wise decision unless overthrowing the empire was the goal. There would undoubtedly be overwhelming scrutiny and interference.
Even if two Swordmasters or potential Swordmasters were romantically inclined, it would still be better for one of them to marry someone else.
Ernst may have attempted to force an engagement between Ray, but circumstances suggested otherwise.
Upon hearing Speira’s explanation, Alesya triumphantly raised her voice.
“Of course, my knight belongs to no one but me!”
Alesya rejoiced, believing that her humble background allowed her to outshine Speira.
But then Speira dropped a bombshell.
“However, sending Ray to the edge of the empire might be awkward for His Majesty. Perhaps Ray will end up forming ties with the royal family instead.”
“…!”
Alesya’s mouth dropped open, and her face contorted into a sad expression.
“Wha… What kind of… This… This thing…”
Having celebrated Speira’s elimination, Alesya now faced competition from a princess who hadn’t even been born yet.
This was a battle she could never win.
“My knight… You’re abandoning me like a used tissue…”
Ray consoled the sobbing Alesya.
“Young Miss, don’t worry and just enjoy your meal.”
“Uuuu…”
Despite being disheartened, Alesya managed to chew and swallow her food. Soon, she regained her spirit and asked Ray.
“But really, did a meteor fall?”
“Yes, it really did fall…”
“Did you see it close up? Was it really like the storybooks say—bright flashes of light, columns of dust reaching the sky, and powerful winds blowing?”
Curious and wide-eyed, Alesya asked innocently.
Ray felt somewhat uneasy about her question.
Asking someone who recently survived something akin to a nuclear explosion about mushroom clouds might evoke a strange sense of discomfort.
“…”
As Ray’s eyes narrowed, Alesya subtly moved her chair away, fearing a slap.
Seeing this, Ray burst into laughter and gestured with both hands to illustrate the massive dust column as he spoke animatedly.
“Wow! It was terrifying. I thought I was going to die.”
“Was the dust cloud really that big?”
“I couldn’t even see the end of it. So, basically…”
Both Alesya and Speira set down their knives and leaned closer, eager to hear Ray’s thrilling account. For some time, the fortress had lacked excitement, making the story all the more captivating.
Meanwhile, Luna quietly continued eating, ignoring the lively conversation.
*
Beneath a sky darkened by black rain,
A woman walked across a land saturated with putrid stench.
Along her path lay countless corpses.
Amidst the cracked earth, collapsed mountains, and displaced clouds,
The woman pressed forward, stepping through rivers of sticky, viscous liquid.
Eventually, she encountered a man leaning against a dirty, jagged rock.
Beside him lay the enormous, grotesque corpse of some monstrous entity, its flesh torn apart.
As the woman waved her hand, the blackened corpse flew far away, rolling across the ground.
Sensing the shadow above him, the man opened his parched lips.
“What capricious whim brought you here?”
“…”
After a long silence, the woman finally spoke.
“I knew you wouldn’t die so pitifully.”
“You said I would perish alone in a ditch.”
The man forced his eyelids open.
Through his blurred vision, he saw the dark landscape and the figure of the woman.
“You were wrong. Look, I’m not alone.”
Smirking smugly, the man asked,
“Do you regret anything?”
“Regret… Hmm… There are many things I regret. But… the happy memories seem to outweigh them.”
Conserving his breath, the man reminisced.
Short though it may have been, and long as it may have felt, memory after memory passed through his mind, bringing a smile to his face.
“We matched pretty well, didn’t we? It was fun working together. Though you did tend to stray a bit. Haah, I…”
Finally facing the woman directly, the man grinned slyly.
“I thought you didn’t know how to cry.”
The man had believed that.
But now, the woman was crying.
Her voice remained calm as ever, but her eyes were redder than they had ever been.
The woman looked down at the man’s chest.
There was a gaping hole where his heart should have been, blood seeping out in rivulets.
Even if the hole could be sealed, or the heart instantly restored, it wouldn’t save him.
The hole in his chest and the missing heart were merely secondary issues.
The man was paying the ‘price’ of a deal he had willingly made.
His soul and body were collapsing, and he was gradually disappearing.
The phenomenon was within the realm of divine powers, leaving the woman unable to interfere immediately.
Noticing the weapon lying nearby, the man motioned toward it with his chin.
“It’s embarrassing, but since you’ve come all this way, can I ask one favor?”
“…”
“Could you take care of that? It’s a symbolic object with lots of talk surrounding it. I’d like you to retrieve it and return it for me.”
“Alright.”
“You’re surprisingly agreeable today. I like it.”
The man’s attempt at humor no longer seemed amusing.
The woman, who usually appeared cold-hearted, posed an unexpected question.
“…Are you not afraid?”
“I was until just now.”
The man’s voice trembled faintly due to the loss of nearly all his blood.
Struggling to steady his voice, he continued.
“But seeing you makes me feel better. You’ve always been composed and cool-headed. Being around you gave me a sense of stability.”
The woman, often criticized as cold-blooded, had simply prioritized reason and efficiency.
Through their long association, the man realized the woman possessed a heart.
Though far from ordinary, the man could feel the ‘warmth’ within her.
“Huh…”
The man’s breathing grew slower and slower.
Life was fading. They both knew it was time for their final farewell.
The woman’s lips moved.
She tried to speak but shook her head.
After much deliberation…
She would not confess her love.
To encapsulate the blind devotion of a mage with the word ‘love’… would make it too trivial.
Therefore, the woman refrained from uttering the word ‘love.’
“I’ll miss you, Harshia.”
“I’ll… miss… you…”
Reflecting on their final words, Harshia smiled warmly.
Taking her last breath, Harshia bid farewell to the woman vanishing beyond the Gate.
“Thank you for everything, Resina.”
Crack!!
The vision faded.
The gemstone that held the vision shattered and disappeared.
Crown Prince Poibos, Emperor of the Empire, stood there for a long time holding the empire’s sacred sword.
Negotiation (1)
