Are you scared? Do you lack confidence? Is it small?
A series of provocations that ruthlessly tore at Ray’s pride as a man caused him to glare sharply at Johanna.
However, Johanna grew even more aggressive and continued her taunts.
“Hmph, well, looks like you’re scared after all?”
“No, what’s there to be scared of…”
“Hey, if you’re upset, why don’t you show me something manly? Can’t do it? Can’t show it?”
As Johanna’s relentless mockery continued, Ray’s blood pressure soared, and he grabbed her by the nape of her neck.
‘Ah, damn it.’
Having raised this kid for over ten years, it was almost indescribable how humiliated he felt right now.
‘Biological father, are you watching?’
You broke your head while teasing someone about their size, but here I am enduring this humiliation because I’ve been too gentle.
While Ray wrestled with self-loathing, Johanna delivered the final blow with a smirk on one side of her mouth.
“Hmph, so you really lack confidence then? Ray, you’re just a weakling after all?”
“No, you crazy woman.”
The tenuous thread of reason that had kept Ray in check snapped.
In the end, Ray, his mind clouded, grabbed Johanna’s arm and dragged her behind a wall.
Johanna, who was making “uh-uh” sounds as she was pulled away by Ray behind the wall, was watched with wide eyes by Karen and Luna.
After a moment.
Johanna emerged from behind the wall with wide eyes and muttered loudly.
“It… It…”
“It?”
Karen, who seemed to have a question mark floating above her head, was shouted at by Johanna.
“Not small…!”
Genius in spatial perception, Johanna.
Johanna put her talents to full use, trying to recreate the length of what she’d just seen.
Stretching her arms out wide toward each other, Johanna adjusted the distance between her hands, finally stopping.
Perfectly recreating the length of what she’d seen moments ago, Johanna muttered in confusion.
“From here, how much bigger does it get?”
Before she could covertly place her hands vertically against her stomach, Ray struck her on the back of the head.
Puck!
“Ouch!”
“Stop fooling around and go already. The sun is setting.”
“What does the sunset matter?”
“It’ll be dangerous when it sets.”
“I’m an expert!!”
It was truly a valid point, causing Ray to momentarily lose his words.
With both Johanna and Luna involved, unless hordes of Rangers were to come rushing in, they would be hard to handle.
While Johanna complained to Ray not to treat her like a child,
Finally, Karen realized what Johanna had gone to see and shrieked.
“Me too! Show me!”
“What do you want me to show again?!”
“Why only Johanna? Show me too!!”
Karen clung to Ray’s arm with an expression of utmost injustice.
Ray panicked as he tried to shake off Karen, having acted quite impulsively due to Johanna’s provocation.
“No way! I can’t show you!”
“Why do you keep discriminating against me?”
Karen continued to whine, demanding to see his pants.
Throwing any random excuse to placate Karen, Ray saw her crimson irises grow redder, glistening with tears.
“Why are you acting like this? Is it because of Lady Alesya? She said it’s fine to take on a few concubines.”
Karen knew that what she was doing looked rather inappropriate.
However, Karen hadn’t always approached Ray this way.
She had tried hinting at her affection indirectly like everyone else did, attempted to create a romantic atmosphere by taking Ray to scenic spots frequented by couples, and even tried seducing him more explicitly.
But Ray ignored all of Karen’s efforts.
No matter what tricks she tried, Ray kept putting up walls.
Eventually, Karen had no choice but to set aside her pride.
Of course, the act of lowering her pride wasn’t much different from throwing a tantrum, and Karen herself felt quite disheartened.
“Ray said I was pretty. So why does he always treat me like a kid…”
“Oh my…”
Feeling an incredibly complex mix of emotions, Ray sighed deeply.
If he didn’t consider Karen a woman at all, it might have been easier.
But Karen had grown into someone very attractive in Ray’s eyes, and he couldn’t deny feeling some romantic attraction towards her.
Certainly, there was also part of him that saw her like a daughter, but the body of an 18-year-old man reacted quite actively to sexual stimuli.
Ultimately, Ray had to resort to a rather pathetic excuse, even to himself.
“Let’s talk when you’re a bit older.”
“How much older do I need to be here!”
Karen argued, clearly showing off her ample bosom.
Without a proper retort, Ray had to awkwardly try to placate Karen and turn her away.
Even though Karen grumbled, she calmed down somewhat when Ray gave her a tight hug, slightly letting go of her stubbornness with a trembling lip.
As the atmosphere shifted completely, Luna finally asked Ray, holding onto his forearm with an innocent voice.
“…Is Ray mean?”
At such a direct question, Ray squeezed his eyes shut.
“…There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my lower parts.”
Luna handed over a gift that Karen had bought, with an expressionless face.
Under that silent pressure, Ray eventually accepted Karen’s present into his arms.
And thus, Karen, Johanna, and Luna created quite a ruckus before leaving Ray’s house.
Waving goodbye to the trio as they walked away, Ray entered his home and groaned.
“Oh my…”
Sitting on the sofa, Ray rested his chin on his hand and frowned.
All three—Karen, Johanna, and Luna—had great talents, albeit with varying degrees, and Ray cared deeply for them.
That’s why he wanted to maintain some distance with them.
Once a romantic relationship went awry, it would be hard to restore things to how they were.
Moreover, Ray didn’t have long to live.
Though he couldn’t guarantee it, judging by the abilities given to him by the Transcendent, it was clear that he was meant to fulfill his role briefly and intensely before passing on.
‘And besides…’
Lea lingered in his thoughts.
Considering the bombshell that she represented, forming a romantic or familial bond with anyone felt quite troublesome.
Count Philips had refrained from proceeding with the engagement between Ray and Alesya for the same reasons.
Although there were many women who could casually meet without considering all these factors, Ray didn’t feel the necessity to pursue relationships just for the sake of it.
This likely stemmed from a form of stress disorder following the events he experienced during his more carefree youth.
“Phew, what am I worrying about?”
The kids who used to be so young now had thick heads.
It wasn’t easy anymore to coax them with a couple of cookies or suppress them with words or force.
Still, the fact that none of them had strayed and were each progressing in their own ways was quite satisfying for Ray.
Changing clothes and lying down on the bed, Ray closed his eyes, feeling drowsy.
Just before falling asleep,
Ray suddenly sat up.
“…Aptel, can you put up a barrier?”
[…It won’t be enough to stop Luna.]
“Just make it so they can barely sense it.”
[I’ll give it a try.]
Ray urged Aptel, fearing that they would sneak into his room in the morning to check for a tent.
Aptel reluctantly erected a barrier inside the room.
Meanwhile,
Luna, observing Ray’s house from afar, realized the day’s attempt had failed and turned back with her friends.
*
Jimy and Matthew still frequently exchanged swordsmanship with the knights.
The knights had long recognized Jimy and Matthew’s spirit and, under the count’s permission, taught them several advanced techniques.
Now, with trust firmly established, Jimy and Matthew had access to most of the knights’ expertise, something they never could have dreamed of given their original status.
For a while, Jimy and Matthew gleefully focused on building relationships with the knights.
Time passed, and Matthew continued to show immense passion for learning swordsmanship.
However, Jimy increasingly swung his sword half-heartedly with a detached look as time went by.
During today’s morning sparring session with the knights, this detachment stood out even more; anyone could see that Jimy’s sword lacked vitality.
The knights who parried Jimy’s emotionless sword shook their heads and temporarily sent him to a corner.
Jimy aimlessly swung his sword at the air and stared at the sky.
“Pointless… everything is pointless…”
Once, Jimy struggled solely to survive.
When life became stable, he wielded his sword to live more comfortably.
He tried flattering greater powers to gain authority.
He abandoned everything, returned to his hometown, and even started an orphanage to prevent nearby children from starving.
But somehow, Jimy ended up becoming the ruler of the underworld.
And unexpectedly found himself with a rabbit-like wife (not really), a viper-like son (not really), and a fox-like daughter (not really) under his roof.
At times, he lamented how he had become this.
But seeing Ray, who once thought himself so capable, suffer from impotence and unable to freely enjoy women, Jimy realized:
All is meaningless.
Everything in life is utterly meaningless.
Life flows like a river.
What comes to my hands isn’t mine, and what doesn’t reach my hands isn’t necessarily someone else’s.
Human suffering stems from selfish attachment; by letting go of obsession, one finally escapes anguish and sees the true ‘self’.
Jimy forgot worldly emotions and swung his sword according to his heart’s guidance.
The flow guides the sword, and the sword creates the flow.
Mana emanating from Jimy merged with the flow, gently coursing along his blade.
The entire process was so tranquil that the knights only noticed the phenomenon when Jimy’s sword shimmered like a morning star, prompting them to gasp.
“Eh? That…!”
Jenkins covered his mouth in awe, and only then did those sparring turn to look at Jimy.
Matthew, noticing late, gaped in astonishment.
The streams of mana flowing through Jimy’s sword intertwined and fused, emitting a calm yet massive glow.
The legendary Sword Energy of Clavis Philips, the war hero from 600 years ago, illuminated the morning once more.
*
“What? You’re saying Jimy has reached the Graduate level?”
Ray openly expressed his disbelief as he repeated Matthew’s statement.
Graduate wasn’t some pet name for a backyard animal, and it was astonishing that Jimy, who had practiced lineage-less swordsmanship all his life, had reached such a level.
Of course, Ray had attained the Graduate level too, but that was only possible because he had consumed his lifespan thanks to the special favors granted by the Transcendent.
“That’s impressive, huh? Even after learning new sword techniques from the knights, reaching such a level at his age is remarkable.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“But… seriously, how did this happen? It’s too sudden.”
When someone approaches the Graduate level, there are usually signs.
However, Jimy ascended without showing any prior indications.
Clearing his throat, Matthew leaned closer and whispered to Ray.
“Well… he gained some insight through married life.”
“Married… life?”
“Yes, married life.”
“Wow, marry again, and he might become a Swordmaster!”
‘Remarriage leading to Swordmaster’ could be the title of Jimy’s upcoming saga.
As Ray jokingly slapped his hands together and suggested looking for another woman, Matthew immediately grabbed Ray’s wrist.
“Don’t say that kind of thing in front of Jimy, even as a joke.”
Getting into a sword fight with someone at the Graduate level would lead to far more complications than expected.
Matthew, sweating profusely, quickly reprimanded Ray.
