Speira looked at Ray with a bug-eaten expression.
It was the first time Speira had shown such an expression since they met, but Ray, ignoring Speira’s attitude, covered his face with both hands and groaned.
‘Is there something wrong with my mouth?’
He had just said whatever came to mind, but it instantly became a problem.
Looking back at the past, this wasn’t the first time it had happened.
Once, when Jimmy asked about the meaning of “dragon princess lair,” he made a silly pun, and years later, a fiery-eyed younger brother appeared out of nowhere.
Ray, frustrated, started pulling his hair but suddenly stopped.
‘Could I be in trouble right now?’
Ernst likely didn’t know that an attack would take place at this exact moment. However, he must have anticipated the possibility that Speira or the Warp Gate could be targeted.
Sending Ray along with Speira to the location of the Warp Gate meant he was also expected to act as a turret of sorts.
‘I can’t believe I’m the one in trouble now…’
In Phillip’s County, Ray was always the one causing trouble for others.
But not everyone was like Jimmy.
Speira observed Ray, who was silently suffering, with a blank expression.
Not long after, Ray regained his senses, sighed deeply, and shook the gemstone given by Ernst.
“Young Miss, please quickly explain what exactly this thing does.”
*
Jenkins was peacefully driving the carriage when he suddenly startled.
Sharp energies began flowing from all directions.
All the guards surrounding the carriage immediately drew their weapons.
After a brief silence,
The concealment of the attackers surrounding the carriage was revealed.
A force exceeding a hundred men surrounded the carriage on all sides.
Everyone, including Jenkins, stared at the enemies in astonishment.
‘What is this…!’
To secretly move such a large number of troops within the Empire required the assistance of a high-circle mage and countless preparations.
Even then, there was at least a fifty percent chance of being discovered.
Yet, they had successfully arrived here and surrounded not only Jenkins but also members related to the Phillip and Prizzran clans.
With sword auras manifesting and tension rising, Jenkins stood ready while Ray approached and positioned himself right beside him.
“Master.”
“Ray…!”
“Ah, let’s get moving.”
Ray frowned as he assessed the overwhelming pressure from the enemies surrounding them.
He hoped against hope that they were just filling numbers with regular soldiers, but judging by the aura, they were all elite units.
It was undoubtedly a force gathered over a long period through covert replacements.
‘Four graduates, the remaining knights are elites based on their aura and armaments, multiple mages, and even holy knights attached.’
Their combination was well-rounded, and the enemy mages were already prepared for battle.
As the situation escalated, the difficulty of the battle would skyrocket.
‘…There he is.’
Scanning the enemies, Ray spotted someone with silver hair tied up and red eyes.
Royalty.
Confirming his guess, Ray muttered a curse under his breath.
‘Shit.’
At this point, claiming ignorance of Speira and asking to be excused wouldn’t work.
Moreover, they would surely execute anyone unnecessary, including Speira, sooner or later.
A clash was inevitable, and hiding his strength in such a situation was impossible.
“…”
Ray pondered while stroking the hilt of his sword.
Ray intended to use all his power, but he still didn’t want to expose Luna just yet.
‘Can I end the battle with just the help of the spirit Luna has contracted with?’
While Ray was deep in thought, Aptel suddenly appeared beside him.
[Master.]
“…?”
[That human… is someone from your memories.]
Aptel pointed at one of the close aides standing near the royalty.
Ray questioned hesitantly.
“…Whose memory?”
[Resina’s memory.]
A person remembered by the elf Resina who was active 600 years ago.
Naturally, they couldn’t truly be a ‘human’.
“An elf?”
[No.]
“…A demon?”
[Yes.]
“Ah, things are getting more complicated.”
While Ray frowned,
Aptel used the Obelisk’s data to identify the individual dressed in white robes standing near the royalty.
His name was Lilif.
Originally from the Esilon Kingdom, he was the chief mage of the White Magic Tower and a prodigy who achieved great success in a short time.
Of course, this identity was clearly a disguise.
[The original race of this entity is unknown, but it is an extremely dangerous demon. They can reconstruct parts of their body into desired forms, use illogical magic, and excel in deception strategies. Six hundred years ago, two kingdoms almost perished due to this demon.]
“Wait a moment.”
Ray initially used his authority to look at the individual known as ‘Lilif’.
At first glance, he seemed no different from other humans, but as Ray’s authority manifested strongly, Lilif’s image split into two layers.
Confirming something hidden beneath a shell, Ray turned off his ability.
“Not human, huh? But if they can change form, why are they using the same face from 600 years ago?”
[It’s not exactly the same. To be precise, only the lower jaw matches the data in Resina’s memory.]
“…We’re lucky.”
Perhaps because it was troublesome, they only reshaped the upper part of their face.
No one would have realized this was the same entity, especially with a gap of 600 years.
However, thanks to the perfectly preserved data from Resina’s memory, Aptel managed to catch the tail.
[We missed them 600 years ago. I hope we can capture and kill them this time.]
“So, how strong is this thing?”
[In the Demonic Realm, it rivals a Lord level.]
Frowning deeply, Ray turned to Aptel.
Aptel added further explanation.
[Outside the Demonic Realm, they can only exert about 20% of their full power, but considering the current era, they might reach up to 50% for a short time.]
“…So, you mean they equaled Lord level 600 years ago?”
Understanding Ray’s intent, Aptel shook its head.
[Receiving demonic power and evolving into a demon doesn’t mean becoming infinitely stronger over infinite time. Accepting the power of demons causes one’s self to gradually submerge, eventually reducing them to puppets programmed by demons. Therefore, they likely haven’t made any meaningful progress compared to the past.]
“…”
After some deliberation, Ray spoke.
“Luna.”
Luna, waiting right behind, stepped forward.
Keeping his voice low, Ray instructed while ensuring Jenkins and Mohamed were nearby.
“Luna, we’ll surrender and allow ourselves to be bound. But if the enemies attempt to execute any of us, act immediately. Summon all the spirits and unleash the strongest magic available directly at the enemy command. I’ll free the others during that time.”
If they fought now, they’d be bombarded with magic while surrounded.
Thus, pretending to surrender and launching a counterattack to induce chaos could be a decent strategy.
However, Ray’s real plan wasn’t to counterattack here.
“If they don’t execute us immediately and take us to the Warp Gate, you’ll need to do something else for me.”
After explaining in detail, Ray handed the twenty-sided gem-like object he received from Ernst to Luna.
“Please.”
Luna hesitated but nodded.
Jenkins, without looking at Ray, asked while pretending to monitor the surroundings.
“Will everything go as planned?”
“We need to make sure it does.”
The Warp Gate had numerous defensive forces deployed.
Leading the enemies there would naturally trap them.
If the enemies couldn’t use the Warp Gate, their retreat would be cut off, and with the help of the defensive forces, they could annihilate the enemies.
This was a far more advantageous condition than diving straight into the battle with the significant power disparity here.
Of course, if things didn’t go as planned, Ray would have to draw his sword immediately.
After organizing his thoughts once more, Ray shouted at Shay, who was confronting the enemies.
“Stop waving your sword around and let’s surrender!!”
“…!! Shut up and die!!”
“How are we supposed to fight when they outnumber us several times?! Do you want to die pointlessly here? Just surrender!!”
“You idiot…!!”
“Let’s surrender, I said!!”
As Ray loudly insisted, unrest spread among those around him.
Although Shay vented anger, Speira intervened.
“Shay, lower your sword. The power disparity is too great.”
“Miss, I am prepared to sacrifice my life to protect you, and that is my honor. Please don’t tarnish my honor.”
“Shay, please. For my sake, lower your sword unless you want me to carry guilt toward you for the rest of my life.”
Persuaded by Speira’s continued appeal, Shay trembled before finally dropping his sword.
Following Shay, everyone gradually discarded their weapons.
Once the surrender was confirmed, the enemies approached cautiously.
Ray tensed up, unsure if the enemies would immediately slash at the surrendered individuals.
If that happened, Ray planned to draw Moros and strike the royal’s neck in an instant.
“…”
Amidst the tense atmosphere,
The enemies began systematically binding the surrendered individuals.
Knights judged to be the most threatening were bound first.
After removing all their armaments, thick and heavy shackles were placed on their wrists and necks.
These shackles were made of a special metal that reacted explosively to mana. If the knight wearing them activated their mana, the shackles would explode inward.
Though knights at the graduate level might survive, the severe damage to their wrists and necks would render them incapable of continuing proper combat.
After securing the knights clad in metallic armor,
The remaining people were mostly bound with ropes.
Ray internally muttered.
‘We’re lucky.’
The enemies thoroughly inspected Speira’s group.
They securely bound everyone, confiscated their weapons, and carefully searched the carriage.
On the contrary, the Phillip family group, with their visibly rural appearance from the carriage to their attire, relaxed the enemies’ vigilance.
Young girls like Johanna and Luna were relatively lightly bound, and Ray’s sword was carelessly thrown aside with other cheap-looking weapons.
Ray was relieved that he had previously switched his and Johanna’s sword sheaths.
Since no one had drawn the swords, the true value of the blades concealed within the cheap-looking scabbards remained unnoticed.
The situation was swiftly resolved.
Once all bindings were completed, the royal leading this operation, Brantley, approached Speira.
“You must be Speira Prizzran.”
“…”
“Behave yourself. If you try anything funny, I’ll cut off your limbs and bring you anyway.”
Brantley scanned the battlefield, where no blood had been spilled, and smirked.
“All we really need is you… What should we do with the rest?”
There was no harm in taking along members related to the Prizzran clan, but the Phillip family members were useless.
“Should we dispose of these ones here?”
Yes, that was reasonable.
Ray agreed, preparing for the rapid rotation of Core and Circle.
‘I’ll draw Moros and cut off that guy’s head first.’
The moment icy killing intent flashed in Ray’s eyes, Speira spoke.
“Hold on.”
“…What is it?”
Turning her head towards Brantley, Speira stared directly at Ray.
Ray was slightly frightened, fearing that Speira might now claim they were strangers.
Now, for Ray to survive, it was necessary for others to believe he and Speira knew each other well.
