Fear (5)
Chapter 134
Ray swung his sword.
Each time the sword cleaved through the air, the ground cracked and the sky split apart.
Even a Sword Master, comparable to a ruler of a nation and often called an Overlord or Lord-class warrior, along with a Grand Mage of the 9th Circle, would be cut down in a single slash by Ray.
With nothing left to fear, Ray began to eliminate anyone who annoyed him even slightly, further elevating his notorious reputation without end.
After finishing the day’s work in high spirits, Ray entered a tavern, concealing his identity, and quietly sipped his drink in a corner.
Even in the tavern, voices praising Ray were heard frequently.
At that moment, a particularly loud drunkard pounded his friend’s back and shouted,
“Do you know where Ray, that man, comes from?”
“Hmm? I don’t know much about it, but do you?”
“Apparently, he’s the sole survivor of the extinct Dwarf race!”
“Oh, that makes sense!”
…?
What nonsense is this? I’m human; why am I being called a Dwarf?
Ray found the drunken chatter absurd and was about to say something, pushing his chair back as he stood up.
However, upon standing, he noticed the people around him seemed unusually tall.
It felt like he had returned to when he was nine years old, seeing adults tower over him. Confused, Ray averted his gaze.
He realized his head was nearly level with the edge of the table.
The table wasn’t more than a little over a meter tall.
Realizing this fact, Ray stumbled backward and fell, only for the scenery to suddenly shift.
Ray found himself standing in the middle of a field.
As he stood there blankly, feeling the gentle breeze, he heard a sound and turned his head.
Karen, with her long red hair, looked down at Ray with beautiful eyes resembling the sunset, scrutinizing their height difference.
“I don’t like short men.”
“…?”
Still stunned, Ray opened his mouth wide as Johanna appeared next, sneering at him.
“Pathetic kid.”
“…?”
Then Luna showed up, shaking her head disdainfully.
“…Too small.”
“…?”
Finally, Alesya knelt down to meet Ray’s eye level and sighed deeply.
“My knight is so tiny…”
Only then did Ray realize the despairing truth.
His growth had stopped far below average, right after he turned nine.
Terrified by the unbelievable reality, Ray took a step back and screamed.
Uaaaaaah!!!
“Ugh!!”
Jolting upright from his sickbed, Ray panted heavily.
Drenched in cold sweat, Ray soon realized he had been having a nightmare.
Wiping his face several times, the first thing out of his mouth was a curse.
“Shit.”
The same dream.
In fact, if the divine power in this world had been even slightly insufficient, it might have become a reality.
“Damn, calling me a Dwarf though.”
It was truly a nightmare he never wanted to experience again.
Shaking off the fear from the nightmare, Ray clenched his lips tightly not long after.
The pain he had been deliberately ignoring had grown worse.
The searing agony spreading throughout his body made his mind feel pricked and caused convulsions.
Initially, due to the release of endorphins after being injured, the pain wasn’t too severe, but after resting and getting up again, it felt like death.
“Ah, I’m really going to die like this.”
Ray, muttering complaints, fumbled around on the bedside table in the dark room.
It took some time to find the painkillers the healer had left.
Grabbing the potion form of the painkiller, Ray hastily swallowed it and adjusted his posture.
“Huff…”
Looking down, he couldn’t help but sigh.
His left arm was tightly wrapped in cloth, and his entire body was covered in powdered medicine.
Even his face, judging from what he remembered from looking in the mirror, wasn’t in any better condition than his left arm.
Realizing how close he had come to dying this time, Ray felt a bit melancholic.
“…I’m fine.”
It was fine. There was no need to worry. Ray steadied his resolve.
In another 2-3 years, Phillip’s County would become strong enough to overcome any disaster that came its way.
Even if the county couldn’t be defended, as long as the people were safe, they could evacuate temporarily and return to rebuild.
The chaos that originally engulfed the world would also weaken and lose its power.
Though it might seem baseless, Ray firmly believed that the achievements since his reincarnation would bring about meaningful change.
The only issue troubling him was ‘Lea’.
Without Ray’s protection, Lea was… just a worthless bomb.
Without Ray, Lea wouldn’t stand a chance at survival.
Handing Lea over to other trustworthy children was something Ray couldn’t bear to do.
Ray didn’t want to burden the children with the suffering he had to endure to protect Lea.
To Ray, Lea was by no means less valuable than Karen, Luna, Johanna, or the connections in Phillip’s County.
“Lea, you…”
What kind of existence were you in the original history? Did you even exist?
“…If a similar incident occurred in the original timeline and a royal bastard was born, there would likely have been genetic differences compared to Lea.”
Assuming the number of chromosomes in humans in this world is the same as on Earth, the number of possible genetic combinations in the royal seed carried by the crown prince would be at least 2 to the power of 23.
Anyway, such details aside…
If the royal bastard had been born to Bella in the original history, it would have been discovered quickly.
After being discovered, would it have been disposed of immediately, or would it have survived?
If it survived, who took Lea and for what purpose?
Why use the bloodline of a low-born mother?
“…”
Ray wiped his face as his thoughts grew complicated.
If it weren’t for Lea, if Lea didn’t exist, Ray could have more easily envisioned life after his own death.
However, Lea had become an inherently dangerous presence simply because of her origins.
Frowning in irritation, Ray soon realized his mistake and sighed deeply.
This was putting the cart before the horse.
Ray’s top priority was Bella’s happiness, and thanks to Lea, Bella had regained true happiness.
Even if Ray disappeared one day, Bella could continue living fully with Lea by her side.
Because Lea became Bella’s first person and true family, Ray could face the future calmly despite contemplating death.
“Therefore, I…”
With my remaining life.
“Must do…”
Muttering to himself, Ray suddenly felt an odd sensation and turned his head.
In the dark corner of the room, someone stood silently watching Ray.
“Augh, you scared me!”
Reacting instinctively, Ray stepped back, recognizing his visitor and squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.
“Luna, how did you find me here?”
There was a hint of panic in Ray’s voice.
He had planned to meet her once his face healed, but her sudden appearance left him unsure of how to respond.
Ray, who had been muttering to himself, started rummaging through the bag beside him.
A staff given to him by Florya emerged from the bag.
“Uh, I got you a present.”
It was a random comment thrown out impulsively.
Even in the darkness, Ray could see Luna’s expression stiffen.
Worried that the staff might not be to her liking, Ray nervously spun it around.
The hidden blade inside the staff suddenly popped out.
“Ta-da! Isn’t it amazing?”
“…”
Luna silently approached Ray.
Tension gripped Ray as he broke out in cold sweat.
Standing before Ray, Luna cast a small Light magic spell, illuminating the room slightly.
As the room brightened, all of Ray’s injuries became painfully obvious.
His battered face, his left arm pressed flat like an old tree trunk, and the large and small wounds covering his body were all revealed.
Watching Luna’s reaction, Ray subtly placed the staff down.
“The staff was just a joke, the real gift is—”
“Ray.”
Luna extended her hand toward Ray.
She wanted to caress him, but the wounds covering Ray’s body left no place for her hand to rest.
Clenching her fists, Luna hesitated for a while before placing them on the relatively undamaged area of Ray’s right waist.
The usually stoic expression on Luna’s face twisted repeatedly.
Through her trembling fists, the intense emotions she felt were palpable, leaving Ray speechless.
After a long silence, Luna managed to choke out her words.
“Ray… please don’t do this.”
The moisture welling up in Luna’s eyes finally spilled over.
Clutching her aching heart, Luna let out a painful groan.
“Whenever I close my eyes, I always see you.”
Weary, wounded, bleeding, suffering, yet always pretending to be calm.
Bravely forging ahead alone, wearing a false smile that’s clearly visible.
“You always, always hurt me.”
Though Ray acts like a warrior who doesn’t feel pain, an immortal who doesn’t know death, Luna knows that Ray feels pain, suffers, and regrets just like everyone else.
“So please, don’t get hurt. Please don’t be in pain.”
In the past, she was powerless and could only watch Ray sacrifice himself.
But now, things were different, and Luna pleaded desperately.
“I can protect Ray now. With the strength Ray gave me, I will protect you. If it’s not enough, I’ll work harder.”
So please,
“Please don’t leave me behind.”
Luna’s Circle emitted a soft glow, revealing itself.
Beautiful rings of light began to inscribe characters onto her soul.
Through Luna’s Circle, a vow flowed into Ray’s Circle, binding their fates together so they could always sense each other’s presence and find one another.
Ray didn’t resist as Luna sealed the contract.
Anyway, wherever he went from now on, he would have to take Luna with him.
While he still had the ability to protect Luna, while his body was still somewhat intact, he needed to help Luna grow as much as possible and give her many experiences.
As Ray felt the contract seal settle into his Circle, he gently stroked Luna’s head.
“Luna, you’ll be fine even without me.”
Because,
“You’re going to become a kind and great mage.”
Luna tightened her fists even more.
No, that’s wrong. That’s your misconception.
Without you, I cannot become a kind mage, nor a great mage.
You brought me to this place, and you are my everything.
Luna wanted to shout this out, but she closed her mouth that day, grateful that Ray had agreed to the contract.
