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260th Episode
When Preches grasped the Sacred Sword.
The knights guarding the Sacred Sword smirked unconcernedly.
Although it was extremely unpleasant that Preches had touched the Sacred Sword, everyone mocked her for coveting a weapon she couldn’t even use.
However, as Preches began to pull the Sacred Sword out, the expressions of the knights who had been glaring at her sharply stiffened.
Preches felt amusement from their reactions.
You fools, do you remember who first saved you?
What kind of end this child had to meet…
And how horrifying and imperfect is the one you revere…
She wanted to show and prove these things to twist your blind faith.
It was undoubtedly an act of revenge.
But.
The Sacred Sword that Preches had started pulling suddenly stopped.
After hesitating a few more times, Preches reluctantly turned to look at Ray.
Ray twisted his lips with a tired expression.
“Did you really think it would come out?”
“…”
“But what should we do? If you want to pull it out, you need my permission.”
“…Do you intend to grant it?”
“With words alone?”
Preches threw the Dragonheart she had pulled out from her chest toward Ray.
As Ray looked down at the Dragonheart, he clicked his tongue briefly.
“This is stolen goods. I don’t accept stolen goods.”
Despite Ray’s response, Preches smiled faintly, having somewhat played along.
“Are you saying… that you hold higher authority than this body?”
“Well, it seems so. Or maybe the qualification of this body has been revoked.”
Preches wore an expression of disbelief before letting go of the Sacred Sword with a reluctant touch.
Without the blessing of the Sacred Sword, there was nothing else she could do now.
Even maintaining the physical form of her body was no longer possible.
Preches faced Ray, shaking off her attachment.
“We will meet again.”
The body she had been using wasn’t her true form.
Ray shrugged once.
If he kept bickering with demon worshippers, he might eventually encounter Preches’ true form, but Ray doubted whether he’d still be alive by then.
Crack!
Preches’ body crumbled into pieces.
Preches gazed at the sky and closed her eyes, turning into dust and disappearing.
Sand-like particles scattered far and wide on the wind.
The matter was settled.
Ray took a slow breath.
A strong wave of exhaustion and pain squeezing his body washed over him all at once.
However, he couldn’t collapse here.
Having returned Omega Series to its scabbard and stored Moros in A-Space while groaning, Ray moved his legs.
A nearby knight approached and asked.
“Are you alright?”
“Hmm… not at all.”
Ray glanced around the place where the curtain had been spread.
Through the upper air, the sight of the broken Warp Gate could be seen.
How many of them managed to escape, one wonders.
Ray hoped the Empire’s army had successfully wiped out the demon worshippers.
*
“…”
Ray opened his eyes.
He was lying on a hospital bed.
More precisely, inside a private room within the medical ward located in Izhise.
Ray frowned as he couldn’t clearly recall the process of being placed on the bed.
He remembered meeting the field commander to report the situation and helping with casualty management.
He also seemed to have encountered Johanna, who was crying her eyes out.
Regardless, upon regaining consciousness, the first thing he felt was the pain throughout his body.
Ray noticed his breathing becoming labored and forced himself to regulate it.
Turning his head, he saw Ernst sitting in a chair beside him.
“…”
“…”
After a silent staring contest, Ray furrowed his brows.
“Isn’t it about time you greeted me first?”
“I will do so in an official setting.”
“Is the Empire’s Swordmaster being too petty?”
“I admit it.”
Ernst sighed deeply.
“My apologies for being late.”
“Yeah… We missed you quite a bit while fighting back the dukes.”
Had Ernst been there, Ray wouldn’t have suffered half as much during this ordeal.
Of course, the enemies must have taken notice of Ernst’s presence and calculated the time it would take for him to reach the Imperial Capital before launching their attack.
Still,
Ray had the option to wait for Ernst before entering the veil.
He didn’t choose that because of the urgency of the situation, but also because he needed a solitary achievement.
Groaning, Ray asked the first thing he needed to know.
“Is Delun alive?”
“He was in danger, but fortunately, he did not lose his life.”
Thanks to the artifact given by Anthonyus and the potions that the students had prepared and consumed en masse, Delun managed to survive until reinforcements arrived.
Though it was close, Delun ultimately survived.
“He’s receiving treatment now… and they say he’s regained consciousness, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“That’s a relief. But did we catch all the demon worshippers?”
“A large portion of their main forces escaped through the Warp Gate.”
“Oh dear…”
Ray massaged his temples.
While it was frustrating not to capture those they were supposed to, something else bothered him more.
“It’s my fault we let them get away… This feels like something that would leave a sour taste, doesn’t it?”
“There’s no reason for that. It’s said that the demon worshippers who attacked the Imperial Capital aimed to paralyze it by contaminating the Mana Veins.”
If the mana veins were contaminated, the empire would be immobilized until the purification process was completed.
Even if it took only five years, it would have been a tremendous opportunity for the empire’s enemies.
If the purification process required several decades, the empire might have had to abandon the Imperial Capital altogether.
“If it weren’t for you, the response would have been delayed, and the contamination of the mana veins would not have been avoided. No one can belittle your achievements.”
“Oh… Then, do you think I’ll receive the Dragon Heart this time?”
Ray asked bluntly.
The Dragon Heart Ray was referring to was the ‘Imperial Dragon Heart’ left behind by the progenitor dragon.
If the emperor continued testing him despite his accomplishments, Ray would be in a very difficult position.
If the emperor refused to give him the Imperial Dragon Heart again this time, Ray would have to change his plans.
“…”
After a brief silence,
Ernst replied.
“Don’t worry. Should His Majesty fail to reward you appropriately, I will personally plead with him.”
Ernst had never made empty promises regarding such matters up to this point.
Deciding to trust Ernst for now, Ray nodded slightly.
“Yes, thank you.”
“And… there’s something you need to know.”
Since Ernst didn’t intend to keep Ray occupied for long after he had just regained consciousness, he spoke briefly.
“A war is about to begin.”
The empire had already been preparing for war to expel the demon worshippers in the Rubia Kingdom.
However, during this attack, several relics of the evil deity that were believed to exist in the Rubia Kingdom were revealed.
War could no longer be postponed.
Of course, considering the empire’s position, which now had to rebuild and reorganize the Imperial Capital’s systems from scratch due to this attack, conducting a war was burdensome.
Nevertheless, to prevent the front lines from expanding due to the unchecked activities of demon worshippers, the issues concerning the Rubia Kingdom had to be resolved quickly.
Ray accepted the news of the impending war calmly.
“Indeed, it came to this.”
Ray had foreseen this as well.
Had Preches’ plan succeeded and the Imperial Capital been shut down for a long period, the empire might have struggled to actively engage in war.
However, Preches failed, and now the world had to bear the wrath of the empire.
“In preparation for any contingencies… I’ve dispatched a small elite force to Phillip’s County. Additional measures will be taken swiftly if necessary.”
“Thank you.”
Ray sincerely expressed his gratitude for Ernst’s consideration.
That said, Ray wasn’t overly worried about Phillip’s County.
Not only was he in the process of recruiting the Rubia Kingdom’s rangers, who posed the greatest threat to Phillip’s County, but most importantly, Luna was there.
With two graduates supporting Luna in the county, the probability of any ordinary army attacking and surviving was slim.
Thinking of Luna, Ray relaxed.
Ernst stood up and instructed Ray.
“Let’s discuss complicated matters later. Focus on recovering for now.”
“Yes, understood. Ah, and let me return this.”
Ray summoned Moros from the air.
Ernst glanced at Moros and turned away.
“You may keep it for a while.”
After Ernst left the room, Ray reluctantly stored Moros back in A-Space.
Soon afterward, Johanna arrived.
Upon seeing Ray’s face, Johanna burst into tears again with her puffy eyes.
“Waaaah…”
Sighing deeply at Johanna’s heartbreaking cries, Ray said,
“Johanna, how old are you? Why do you keep crying?”
Even though Ray lightly scolded her, Johanna couldn’t stop crying.
Unbeknownst to Ray, his complexion had turned deathly pale, making anyone see how dire his health condition was.
As Johanna continued to cry, Ray reached out and gently stroked her cheek.
“I’m fine, really. I’m not seriously injured. I’m okay, so please stop crying. My ears hurt.”
“Hiccup… hic!”
“Did you see Delun?”
“Hiccup! Yes… Delun is going to be fine. Hic!”
“Ahh, that’s good. Why does he always have to get a hole in his stomach…?”
Trying to lighten the mood, Ray muttered casually.
However, Johanna merely clutched Ray’s hand tightly on her cheek and swallowed her sobs.
Ray truly wished Johanna would stop crying.
“Really, stop crying. Alright?”
“…”
Johanna wiped her tears.
She had been genuinely worried about Ray, but thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any major injuries.
Once Johanna had finally calmed down, she grumbled in a choked voice.
“Why do you keep stepping forward when you’re not in good shape…?”
“But everything turned out fine, right? We saved Delun. So please understand.”
Mentioning Delun, Johanna couldn’t argue further.
With a sulky expression, Johanna fidgeted with Ray’s hand as time passed until a healer and cleric came to see Ray.
“…I’ll go.”
Johanna stepped aside after checking Ray’s reaction.
After exchanging greetings with the healer Ray had met a few times before, he quietly requested.
“Could you make sure no one eavesdrops on our conversation outside?”
“The Royal Guard is currently guarding the hallway. There’s no need to worry about that.”
“Ah, that’s a relief. So…”
Ray groaned and slightly sat up.
“While I was unconscious, you must have examined my body already… So, how much time do I have left?”
In response to the straightforward question, a straightforward answer came back.
“At most, five years.”
Not long ago,
The healer had told Ray that with all means utilized, ten years was the limit.
Currently, although he could endure for now, pushing himself would rapidly worsen his condition, and living long was definitely out of the question.
However, the timeline had been halved.
This didn’t simply mean his lifespan had been reduced by half.
It meant his body was already irreversibly deteriorated. Even lying in bed like a corpse undergoing life support, five years was the maximum. Moreover, collapsing and dying immediately wouldn’t be surprising.
Ray massaged his temples.
It was the result he had anticipated.
Even so, receiving a definitive diagnosis didn’t make him feel good.
Ray asked another question.
“How many more battles can my body endure?”
Battle? Absolutely none—rest completely…
Ordinarily, the healer would have shouted this and scolded Ray.
But the healer now understood the resolve with which Ray was consuming his life.
Thus, without hesitation, the healer provided the answer Ray sought.
“One time… Maybe twice if you’re very lucky… That’s about it.”
“…”
“If you strain your heart excessively like you did this time… Eventually, your heart and major blood vessels will tear simultaneously. Even using the artifact given earlier, you might survive the battle temporarily, but…”
The healer shook his head slightly.
“Even if you survive, you won’t last more than a month.”
“A month should be enough to wrap things up.”
Smirking faintly, Ray requested,
“Can you give me some painkillers?”
The healer opened the bag he had prepared.
There were various types of painkillers in the bag, and among them, Ray pointed at the one resembling rolled-up tobacco and asked,
“What’s the coiled one?”
“It’s a painkiller made from Brashia.”
Brashia was the plant used as the raw material for narcotics.
Ray had seen Brashia a few times before.
“Jimy’s growing Brashia enthusiastically in the fields…”
Chuckling to himself, Ray asked for the painkiller made from Brashia.
After dismissing the healer and cleric, Ray put the “rolled-up” painkiller—basically the cigarette—in his mouth.
Whoosh!
The tip of the cigarette lit up.
Lying in the hospital room, Ray stared blankly at the ceiling.
Being alone like this, the pain in his body and the chaotic emotions swirling in his mind overwhelmed him.
Whenever his thoughts became tangled like this, focusing on the immediate tasks ahead helped clear his mind.
A war was imminent, and the people of Phillip’s County would evacuate as a precaution.
There might be unforeseen problems during the war, so Ray needed to visit Phillip’s County.
Looks like he wouldn’t be able to finish the first semester and would have to leave Izhise.
“Need to go back and straighten out Lea’s discipline…”
That hellion of a younger sister of mine…
Ray laughed. He just tried to laugh.
(Hometown – Part 1)
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