347th Episode
“Big brother really came!!”
Lea, who had been running hard, immediately clung to Ray.
Lea tried to climb up Ray’s body but stopped when her hands felt the texture of a scarf and cheerfully exclaimed,
“Big brother is wearing a scarf! The scarf Lea made!”
Lea took pride in her handiwork and basked in the satisfaction as she clung tightly to Ray again.
However, Ray couldn’t properly hear what Lea was shouting because his head was suddenly ringing heavily.
Still, he could clearly feel that the small body clinging to him was radiating considerable heat.
It wasn’t difficult to predict the source of this heat.
The fragment of Dragonheart embedded in Lea’s heart was overflowing with dragon blood, which was now coursing through her body.
Due to her inability to fully control this overwhelming power, if left unchecked, Lea wouldn’t even reach puberty before hitting her limit.
Ray could sense the heat, and Lea too was aware that something strange had been happening to her body recently.
Occasionally, her whole body would grow unbearably hot, making her dizzy or causing her to groan in discomfort.
But everyone was preoccupied with worrying about Ray’s expedition, so despite feeling unwell, she refrained from complaining out of consideration for others.
Now that Ray had returned, there was no need for her to hide her condition any longer.
Lea was eager to proudly confess how she’d endured her fever alone all this time.
She believed that her big brother, despite teasingly pretending to scold her, would surely praise her.
But unlike usual, Ray remained stiff and motionless, not lifting Lea up or pinching her cheeks as he normally would have by now.
Lea wondered why her big brother wasn’t responding.
After pondering for a moment, she gently pulled on the end of the scarf tied around Ray’s neck.
Tock, Tock. As she tugged at it, Ray’s gaze finally moved toward her.
“…!”
Lea flinched.
The bloodshot eyes staring at her were filled with a distorted hostility.
“Big brother…?”
Lea, encountering such clear enmity from Ray for the first time, awkwardly let go of the scarf, wondering if she had done something terribly wrong.
At that moment, Bella approached Ray from a short distance away and called out loudly.
“My son!!”
Bella tightly embraced Ray, who had returned safely.
With Bella’s appearance, Ray’s rigid expression softened.
Lea cautiously observed the situation and then timidly clung to Ray again, following Bella’s lead.
Bella caressed Ray’s cheek, wiped away tears from her reddened eyes, and asked,
“Our son… did you come back well? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“A… yeah, I came back. No injuries… uh, no injuries.”
At first glance, there didn’t seem to be any major wounds on Ray’s body.
However, given his exhausted complexion, Bella hugged him again, saying he must have suffered greatly.
As Bella patted Ray’s back, Alesya’s voice was heard as the mansion door opened.
“My knight has arrived…!!”
Alesya approached Ray, standing beside him without getting too close due to her noticeably swollen belly.
Karen followed Alesya, approaching Ray while wiping away tears.
“Ray… huuu…”
Though crying, Karen’s tears were those of relief and joy.
Johanna stood slightly apart from Karen, similarly red-eyed. When their eyes met, she honestly smiled and greeted Ray, asking if he had returned well.
Also present were Delun, Jimy, Matthew, and Didier, along with the knights of Phillip’s County.
Upon seeing Johanna and Delun, Ray momentarily hesitated.
They were originally stationed in Izhise; why had they all been gathered here?
If the Empire had kept these two people, who were practically hostages, far away from Ray, it could have caused him even more distress.
“…”
No.
The Empire had no need to complicate matters.
Since they intended to kill everyone anyway, it was simpler to gather them in one place and annihilate them completely.
Simultaneously revealing this intention, the Empire was also overtly showing Ray what he would lose should he make the wrong choice.
“…”
Ray turned his gaze to the swollen bellies of Alesya and Karen.
Even though their children hadn’t been born yet, Ray somehow didn’t find them unfamiliar.
A vision of the future he had experienced when visiting the World Tree briefly flickered before his eyes.
Although Ray might not be able to witness the growth of these children to the end, he had to protect them.
And it wasn’t that difficult a task.
All he needed to do was twist and sever whatever was clinging to his waist.
“…”
Ray momentarily regulated his breathing due to the rising nausea.
He couldn’t tell whether the churning sensation in his stomach was due to physical problems or mental pressure.
Ray consoled himself, deciding there was no point in overthinking things.
He had no other options now.
No matter how desperately he struggled, neither Ray nor his acquaintances could escape the Imperial Capital.
Despite accumulating numerous merits, Ray was now almost a half-invalid who couldn’t wield a sword properly.
Even with Jimy, the knights of Phillip’s County, and Luna, who occasionally displayed powers surpassing the Lord level, their combined strength was insufficient to leave the capital.
Unlike someone like Preches who could exploit system loopholes, the defense systems of the Imperial Capital were designed to withstand even Lord-level threats.
Operated passively to minimize collateral damage, these systems could overpower even Great Mages when fully activated.
Additionally, the defense systems of the Imperial Capital were designed to indirectly utilize the powers of the Dragonheart possessed by the Empire, allowing them to counter even the Absolute Domain of Swordmasters to some extent.
Moreover…
Elite forces of the Empire had already gathered in the capital, ready to draw their swords against Ray.
In such circumstances, Ray had no chance of escaping the Imperial Capital.
What tricks could he possibly pull off in an environment where warping itself was restricted?
Therefore, Ray had only one option left.
“…”
“Ray, are you hurt anywhere?”
Alarmed, Alesya asked the spaced-out Ray.
Ray belatedly raised his head and looked at Alesya.
“…Ah, I’m fine. I’m okay… uh, are you alright?”
“I’m healthy! The baby inside me is kicking strongly too!”
“Ah… that’s good. And, is Karen alright too?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. No injuries or pain. Is Ray really okay?”
“Uh… I’m perfectly fine.”
Saying this, Ray reached over Karen’s head and tousled Johanna’s hair.
Johanna muttered in mock annoyance but grinned widely.
Everyone seemed worried about Ray’s unusual demeanor but didn’t press him further since he appeared uninjured on the surface.
Meanwhile, Lea expected Ray to pat her head as his hand approached hers.
However, Ray roughly pressed down on her head, forcibly detaching her.
Lea looked up at her big brother with a crestfallen expression, but Ray didn’t even glance at her.
Walking towards the mansion, Alesya spoke.
“My knight, what are your plans now? Will you visit the county once your schedule wraps up?”
Alesya waited anxiously for Ray’s reply, knowing well that he wouldn’t remain subordinate to Phillip’s County.
While Ray might take care of Alesya and Karen according to his nature, how often he would see them remained uncertain.
Ray stared blankly at Alesya’s belly for a moment before asking,
“…How much time is left?”
“The date is almost upon us!”
There was still some leeway, but it would truly be soon—Karen’s situation was similar as well.
Johanna, walking ahead, glanced back at Alesya’s belly and teased her.
“Will this belly shrink once the baby comes out?”
“…”
This comment momentarily troubled Alesya, who fell silent before lightly slapping Johanna’s back.
Stopping in his tracks, Ray watched the vitality returning to them because of his safe return.
“…Go ahead first. I have something brief to discuss with Jimy.”
At Ray’s request, everyone except Jimy and Luna headed back to the mansion.
Luna maintained a distance while keeping watch, and Jimy sighed deeply after observing Ray’s weary countenance.
Despite showing no visible wounds, Ray looked extremely fatigued and somewhat disoriented.
Jimy, aware of Ray’s situation, asked with concern,
“Are you alright?”
“A, Jimy… um…”
Ray fumbled with his words, unable to articulate what he wanted to say.
“It’s… um… that… if you’re… um…”
“Ray.”
At Jimy’s weighty voice, Ray hesitated several times before finally forcing out the words stuck in his throat.
“I need to kill Lea.”
Silence reigned for a moment.
With his head bowed, Ray couldn’t see Jimy’s expression.
Staring into Ray’s unfocused eyes, Jimy eventually nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
Apologizing for not being able to protect Lea until the end and for his own mistakes leading to this situation, Jimy closed his stinging eyes before reopening them.
“Rest. Let… let me do it.”
!
Ray grabbed Jimy’s wrist.
Jimy’s wrist was trembling violently.
…No, wait. Ray realized belatedly that it wasn’t Jimy’s wrist trembling—it was his own.
Catching his shaking wrist with the other hand, Ray shook his head.
“It’s fine. This is… my job. I have to do it. I must do it. It has to be done.”
This was a process of proof.
Thus, Ray had to do it himself without help from anyone else.
Besides, he couldn’t burden Jimy, who had already helped him so much, with such a heavy emotional load.
Looking at Ray, Jimy bit his lips until they bled before nodding again.
“Alright… but… what about Bella?”
“A… we have to. We need to tell her.”
This wasn’t suggesting persuading Bella.
Rather, they needed to explain the dire situation they were facing.
That from now on, for all of us to survive, I will have to kill your child… explain that… explain that…
Ray abruptly cut off his train of thought, standing dazed for a moment before twisting his lips.
“Hey, Jimy. Can you bring Bella and Lea here?”
“…”
Jimy looked at Ray’s twisted lips.
The grip on his wrist, held by Ray, continued to tremble.
Facing such a Ray, Jimy couldn’t afford to show weakness.
Patting Ray’s shoulder lightly, Jimy agreed and turned around.
Before long, Bella and Lea emerged, holding hands.
Following Bella, Lea subtly pouted but still smiled brightly, thinking all her big brother’s ignoring her was just playful teasing.
Ray could no longer meet Lea’s eyes.
The First Vow (7)
