Stitching (1)
Episode 107
There was a condition.
It was only natural.
Ray couldn’t stay in the baron’s territory simply out of goodwill.
Ray quietly waited for the count to continue speaking.
The count seemed to still be conflicted and hesitated to speak.
After another moment of silence, the count finally looked Ray straight in the eyes after collecting his thoughts.
“Make Alesya your second.”
Short and concise demand.
But how much meaning was packed into that brief statement, Ray pondered as he rubbed his forehead.
The count’s request was excessively favorable for Ray, yet it also demanded that he take on an immense and broad responsibility.
The count’s gaze deepened.
“At first, I considered whether I should ask you for something more concrete.”
A powerful binding like an engagement that ties together their social statuses.
The count had pondered whether such a thing should be demanded of Ray.
However, after much deliberation, the count judged it highly dangerous to hastily bind Alesya and Ray together.
No one knew what problems or chaos might arise in the baron’s territory in the future.
There might come a time when all ties with Ray would need to be severed.
Yet if Ray and Alesya were bound by marriage, the entire baron’s territory could be reduced to rubble due to just Ray’s demise.
On the other hand, it would be a waste to exile Ray from the baron’s territory right now, given his talents and the uncertain future ahead.
Ray possessed a historically rare talent.
Many followed him, and numerous talents began to sprout under his guidance.
In these times when the devil’s minions are gradually revealing their fangs, Ray could become a great shield protecting the baron’s territory.
However, as the successor of the Spatial Blade, Ray alone was already a threat to the empire.
To make matters worse, Ray refused to abandon his younger brother who carried royal blood.
Therefore, the count requested:
“Make Alesya your second.”
“Your first is surely Bella, isn’t it? It won’t change for a lifetime.”
Bella was the foundation of every judgment and action principle Ray made.
Only after this incident did the count fully realize that even the incomprehensible actions Ray occasionally took ultimately stemmed from his devotion to Bella.
“So Ray, promise me that no matter what future comes, you will always consider Alesya as your second.”
At this point, no one knew what future awaited the baron’s territory.
Due to issues like the Spatial Blade or Lea, Philip’s County might burn down.
Or it might collapse due to external events unrelated to Ray.
Alternatively, unexpectedly, Philip’s County might thrive and become a family wielding great influence in the region.
Regardless of any outcome, judge situations prioritizing Alesya after Bella.
Protect Alesya, the sole heir representing the Philip family.
Even if the county burns to ashes and disappears from history, ensure Alesya has the foundation to start anew.
This was exactly Count Philip’s request.
Ray couldn’t tell if Count Philip’s request was for the sake of the family or purely for the love of his daughter.
Ray wiped his face once.
Though the request seemed excessive at first glance, this kind of contract could ultimately only be left verbal.
What could the count possibly do if Ray broke the agreement at a critical moment?
Contract inscription?
The only person capable of forming a contract inscription with Ray would be Alesya.
But even if Alesya terminated her contracts with all the spirits guarding her and formed a contract inscription with Ray, due to capacity limitations, they couldn’t create a complex and highly enforceable contract.
Ray sighed deeply.
“Is that the only condition?”
“Under the premise that you make Alesya your second, there are a few more.”
“Do you trust me, my lord?”
“…”
The count slowly turned his head away from Ray and gazed out the window.
“Protect Alesya. As long as she survives, the Philip family can always rise again, even if it burns to ashes. I…”
Because you are a man who knows gratitude, twice saving us…
“Trust that you won’t betray us.”
Ultimately, it was a gamble.
If luck holds, a Master-level knight near Harshia will protect the baron’s territory from fierce storms, but if things go awry, the small baron’s territory might have to bear the full wrath of the empire.
Ray rose from his seat and knelt before Count Philip.
For now, this formality was the only way Ray could demonstrate his resolve to the count.
“I will certainly do so.”
*
Fierce winds blew through the Sigini Mountain Range where solitary shadows appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
Normally, the concealment field cast by a mage should have perfectly hidden even the shadow, but the unknown mana residue permeating the surroundings kept disrupting the delicate magic.
Michael frowned as he moved within the concealment field cast by the mage.
Among the towering mountains, a peculiarly shaped mountain came into view.
From the middle slopes upward, it appeared to have collapsed, replaced by a massive crater.
Michael asked the knight beside him,
“Was there any information about volcanic activity detected recently in the mountain range?”
“No. And during the pursuit operation, it was a normal-shaped mountain.”
Upon hearing the response, Michael silently gestured to his subordinates.
An imperial operation team consisting of three Royal Guards and a high-ranking mage quickly advanced toward the mountain with the crater.
As they approached the crater, a strange heat flowed over their skin.
It wasn’t simple heat but rather heat mixed with mana.
‘What on earth happened here?’
This crater was definitely not naturally formed.
It looked like it had been struck by a powerful grand spell, yet the accompanying mage couldn’t easily determine what had occurred either.
When Michael finally reached the edge of the crater and was about to move toward the center, he slowly turned around.
A faint presence was felt behind a tree.
Michael muttered while touching his waist.
“We must acknowledge the tracking skills of the rangers.”
“That’s our specialty. And this is our turf, after all.”
Brandil grinned as he emerged between the trees.
Michael glared at Brandil before stepping out of the range of the concealment field cast by the mage.
Only then could Brandil clearly see Michael.
Despite Michael’s quite menacing aura, Brandil remained calm.
“I’ve been waiting for you to show up, but you’re quite late.”
“The Crown Prince’s…”
“The Crown Prince’s heart containing the Dragon Heart—did you come to confirm if it’s here?”
Without hesitation, Michael drew his sword.
While the rumor had somewhat spread, the fact that royalty received a Dragon Heart transplant was still an imperial secret.
Michael intensified his aura as a warning.
However, Brandil remained unperturbed.
Compared to the overwhelming aura emanating from Ray and the Crown Prince, Michael’s aura seemed lacking in various ways.
“You didn’t come here to fight, did you? You seem to be here to verify facts; why bother raising me?”
As Brandil continued to act casually, Michael reluctantly toned down his aura with a grim expression.
“You seem to know quite a lot.”
“We know why you’ve come searching here.”
Brandil chuckled.
The empire had been in quite a turmoil recently and still was, but despite that, it had continued pressuring the Rubia Kingdom to recover the body of the Crown Prince.
However, the reaction from the Rubia Kingdom deviated significantly from the empire’s expectations.
Didn’t the empire, which sought diplomatic resolution, suddenly invade the Sigini Mountain Range?
Having confirmed the loss of the Dragon Heart during that conflict, why does the empire brazenly question it now?
The kingdom responded in this manner.
In reality, the kingdom was also extremely tense at this point.
The empire’s Crown Prince, who sought asylum in the kingdom, accepted demonic power.
While this was problematic for the kingdom, it was equally embarrassing for the empire.
Accepting demonic power by the Crown Prince was an event that severely undermined the royal authority.
The royal family had no choice but to try its best to cover up incidents related to the Crown Prince.
Thus, the kingdom anticipated that the empire would secretly contact the Rubia Kingdom to completely erase this matter as if it never happened.
Instead, the empire openly sent envoys to the kingdom demanding the return of the Crown Prince’s body.
The kingdom couldn’t understand the empire’s intentions, and the empire was puzzled why the kingdom was being so defiant.
Brandil shrugged at Michael.
“There was internal strife among the rangers.”
“…Internal strife?”
“Can’t give you details. There was considerable conflict between the hardliners and the moderates. Ah, I was on the moderate side, but those hardliner bastards kept acting as if they were ready to clash directly with the empire. They were driving me crazy.”
“…”
“So, there was some mutiny. The late director, in his final desperate attempt, removed the Dragon Heart from the Crown Prince’s heart and self-detonated. This is the aftermath.”
“That sounds far-fetched…”
“Hard to believe, isn’t it? Why don’t you investigate? The melted pit still emits intense heat.”
Michael examined the center of the crater again.
The strange heat infused with mana was a phenomenon that couldn’t be created by ordinary magic.
With a skeptical look, Michael continued,
“While I’m not entirely sure about your superiors’ minds… it’s probably difficult for the kingdom to publicly admit that there was internal strife among the rangers it boasted about, so it blamed the empire. Did the kingdom not secretly inform you of this?”
Michael quietly thought.
Listening to Brandil, the situation started to make some sense, though vague.
Of course, further information gathering and cross-verification would be necessary, but Brandil’s story seemed plausible considering the circumstances.
“…Is the Dragon Heart completely gone?”
“We searched through the heat but found nothing.”
“Toni.”
At Michael’s call, the mage revealed himself.
Michael asked the mage,
“Can you confirm if the Dragon Heart has been completely destroyed?”
“I can analyze the mana composition, investigate the energy flow, and reverse-calculate to roughly determine it.”
“Can you do it alone?”
“If I were alone, it would take about a day…”
“Five hours.”
Brandil interjected their conversation.
Lifting his eyelids slightly and extending one hand flat,
“You’ll have trouble if you stay too long.”
“…”
Michael reluctantly gave in, considering the location.
“Toni, can you finish within five hours?”
“I’ll try my best to speed it up.”
While listening to their conversation, Brandil subtly glanced around the back of the mountain.
Numerous ranger forces were gathered nearby.
Although Brandil claimed they could be appropriately dismissed, rangers were inherently warlike individuals.
Their patience wouldn’t last long.
Brandil hoped he had adequately fulfilled the role Ray entrusted to him.
Eventually, the empire would obtain information that the Crown Prince accepted demonic power in the Sigini Mountains and was slain by a Spatial Blade wielder.
However, since the story was overly exaggerated and lacked solid evidence, if fortune favors, the empire might accept Brandil’s testimony as fact.
‘Whatever you have to overcome in the future, I wish you good luck.’
Brandil mumbled towards Ray somewhere beyond the mountain range.
Meanwhile.
Back in the baron’s territory,
Karen was repeating a story she’d told 45 times already.
“Ray has been neglecting us lately!!”
