349th Chapter
“…”
Ray dropped his sword.
Jimy immediately took Bella and Lea upstairs.
Lea, cradled in Bella’s arms, continued to sob uncontrollably.
Even after the three hid themselves inside a room on the second floor, Lea’s heart-wrenching cries continued to echo in Ray’s ears.
Ray looked at the bloodstains on the floor while hearing those cries.
Standing silently as if rooted to the spot, it seemed like Lea’s crying would never end—until suddenly, it abruptly stopped.
Ray realized that Luna had blocked out external sounds but remained motionless without any reaction.
Ray’s eyes appeared hollow, yet they were sharply focused.
This unnerved Luna greatly.
“Ray.”
“…”
“Ray, look at me.”
“…”
Only then did Ray turn his head toward Luna.
Luna glared at Ray with passionate silver eyes and moved her lips.
“What exactly are you contemplating?”
What Ray needed to decide now wasn’t whether to kill or save Lea.
Lea was destined to die anyway; the only question left was whose hands would take her life.
Even if Ray made the wrong choice, there was no way to save Lea.
“Is the Empire really going to keep its promise if I kill Lea…?”
“RAY!!!”
Hearing Luna’s outcry filled with reproach, Ray mocked himself.
Yes, if Ray killed Lea, perhaps the Empire wouldn’t make unnecessary mistakes by stirring up trouble.
But after Ray died, predicting how the Empire would act became impossible.
There wasn’t much time left for Ray to prepare for what came after, and even revealing suspicious signs carelessly would just get him killed faster.
So, all Ray could do was ensure he behaved properly after killing Lea and hope the Empire kept its word.
Perhaps… Perhaps things might work out better than expected.
If Ernst truly harbored goodwill towards Ray, he would extend mercy to Ray’s acquaintances while Ray was still alive.
By the time Ernst passed away, everyone would likely have established their own foundations.
Thus, Ray merely had to carefully observe everything during the remainder of his life.
Together with Bella, who had gone mad over losing Lea.
Chances were high that Ray wouldn’t even be able to properly care for Bella while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
That was Ray’s final fate.
“…”
“RAY!!”
Unable to endure Ray’s silence any longer, Luna grabbed the collar of his shirt.
“There’s no way to save Lea…! There’s no such method…! You know that, Ray…!”
“…Yeah.”
Ray also knew there was no way to save Lea.
Even if, hypothetically, Ray sacrificed himself to help Lea escape from the Imperial Capital, who would want her?
The South? Would the southern factions or the church even desire her?
“…”
Lea was in a very ambiguous position.
She was an excellent material and means to shake the Empire and the Emperor, but putting her forward as the face of any faction was fraught with flaws.
If a royal family member escaped a purge and fled, helping them would at least provide some semblance of justification.
However, hiding and raising a royal secretly was an entirely different taboo.
It was an impure sin, even worse than killing royalty.
It was both treason and rebellion, a taboo in the noble society that valued lineage.
No matter how hard one tried, there was no plausible justification for such actions.
Thus, Lea herself was far too tainted.
Putting her forward as the figurehead of any faction lacked not only justification but would also inevitably provoke internal opposition.
Of course… If she were the offspring of ‘Ray,’ she might seem enticing.
The assumption that Ray was the greatest hero in the history of the Empire, combined with the power to conquer the Demonic Realm.
Possessing both, if Ray stood beside Lea, despite the lack of justification, promoting her would still be a highly alluring option.
But that was assuming Ray remained alive and supported Lea.
If Ray were to die, Lea’s value would instantly halve.
“…”
If Ray were to die trying to help Lea escape from the Imperial Capital…
The factions restraining the Emperor might actually find Lea’s existence unpleasant.
Lea was definitive proof that Ray plotted rebellion. The distinct characteristics of the royal family left no room for debate.
But if Lea disappeared, making it impossible for the royal family to prove Ray’s betrayal…
It would become very easy to manipulate public opinion into believing “The Emperor envied the hero, falsely accused him of rebellion, and killed him.”
“…”
Lea isn’t worthless.
But Lea alone, left behind after Ray’s death, would be complicated to use.
Therefore, it would be far more effective to completely erase Lea and portray the Emperor as a tyrant who killed the hero out of jealousy, destabilizing the royal family and rallying friendly forces.
Alexander would undoubtedly consider this.
He was absolutely not someone who would overlook such a strategy.
While there might be better options where they chose not to kill Lea but instead exploit her, ultimately, they would discard her.
No matter where she went or whom she sought refuge with… Lea was destined to be abandoned.
“…”
Excluding Bella and Jimy, was there anyone or any faction who would surely stand firmly on Lea’s side?
Ray’s acquaintances cherished and loved Lea because of the connection through Ray.
After that connection disappeared, there was no way they would risk everything for Lea. They would likely resent her for taking Ray’s life.
Ray was well aware of this fact.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Lea should never have been exposed.
From the start, Lea was someone who should never have been discovered.
She should have quietly lived her life in the countryside, staying by Bella’s side forever.
The moment her royal identity was revealed, Lea was doomed to be hated and used until her death.
To others and to himself, Lea was nothing but a bundle of calamities.
There was no one outside of family who would genuinely recognize and help Lea.
Without family, Lea was alone.
Ray… recalled the face of Lea smiling brightly as she gave him a scarf she had knitted herself, and reflected on the past with regret.
“Did I… Was my choice wrong…? Did I make a mistake with my decisions…?”
Choosing not to build a proper faction and distancing himself from real power was Ray’s way of reducing political risks. He believed it was the right decision.
Moreover, Ray had faced many crossroads in life and always chose what he thought was the correct path.
He chose to prevent the Empire’s fracture so humanity could unite against a great calamity.
He chose Anthonyus as the owner of the Sacred Sword to maintain stability on the continent after his death.
He chose to sacrifice his remaining years for the sake of reclaiming a blue sky.
Were all those choices wrong? Were they misjudgments?
No, they were right. They could have been the right choices.
But all those choices intertwined, leading to this current predicament.
“Ha… Ha…”
Perhaps it was because all these choices intertwined that Ray had obtained this last chance.
Killing only Lea might restore order to this twisted situation.
But Ray… couldn’t kill Lea, who had become everything to Bella…
And there were no other options left.
“Hahaha…”
Ray entertained the delusion of killing the Emperor.
If Ray killed the Emperor and then himself, would others elevate the orphaned Lea as the new Empress?
Impossible. They would instead rally behind another surviving royal and hunt down Lea.
They’d establish justice, secure justification, and wield the Emperor as they pleased, expanding their influence.
Even if no other royals besides Lea survived, there would be none to acknowledge her as the heir to the royal family.
“There’s… nothing… left for me…”
There was nothing left for Ray.
There was no way to save Bella and Lea.
Even if they miraculously escaped the Imperial Capital, they’d have to live as fugitives forever. The same would apply to those close to Ray.
Clutching his fists, Ray felt another wave of nausea.
The Sacred Sword… It still existed.
Ray still held the highest authority over the Sacred Sword.
Though he had delegated some of his rights to Anthonyus and the seal on the Sacred Sword had been broken, as long as it was within sight, he could summon it.
Contacting Anthonyus immediately was also theoretically possible if he tried hard enough.
But what would change?
The Sacred Sword wasn’t a powerful weapon for Ray. If Ray wielded it recklessly, the Empire would pursue him even more fiercely.
With Anthonyus already representing its external symbolism, the chances of him siding with Ray for the sake of his sister were slim.
“…”
The Command Blade.
It existed, but…
Whether usable or not, the moment Ray wielded it, both he and his acquaintances would become traitors not just to the Empire, but to the entire continent.
Everyone associated with Ray would be forced to live as fugitives.
“…”
Ray wandered aimlessly in the pitch-black darkness.
Endless frustration and sorrow squeezed Ray’s throat.
Yet, Ray didn’t lose focus in his eyes.
Ray wanted to save the world for Bella.
Because of Bella, Ray opened his heart for the first time and learned to love others.
Over time, Ray worked to stabilize the world for those he loved.
Regretting the realization of his limited lifespan too late, he nonetheless chose to sacrifice himself until the very end.
Thus, peace and stability in the world were always tools for Ray, not values in themselves.
After reflecting once again on this unchanging truth, Ray finally understood what he should agonize over now.
“…Luna.”
Ray pulled out the Dragonheart from his pocket and extended it to Luna.
“Luna, take this…”
WHACK!!
Before Ray could finish speaking, Luna slapped him across the face.
Pushing Ray back against the wall after he staggered from the slap, Luna shouted.
“Ray, snap out of it!!”
“…”
“Ray…! Ray…!”
Calling out Ray’s name repeatedly, Luna finally reddened her eyes and contorted her face.
“I’ll… I’ll protect them. I’ll protect the people you loved… So stop being stubborn and kill Lea.”
Luna pleaded with Ray, emitting suppressed groans in pain.
Ray instinctively reached out to Luna’s tear-streaked face but couldn’t bring himself to wipe her tears, collapsing halfway.
“Luna, I… I will protect you all…”
“…”
“And… I must protect Lea too.”
Luna slapped Ray’s cheek once more.
First Vow (9)
