Duty (4)
Chapter 175
“…?!”
As Karen turned her head to the side, she saw Alesya standing there with her mouth wide open.
Karen was so shocked that she couldn’t even think of removing her tongue from Ray’s mouth and froze in place.
Alesya, who had almost reached her limit of trembling, clenched her fists tightly.
Without warning, Alesya ran straight toward Ray and rammed into him shoulder-first.
Phewk!
“Ugh…!!”
Ray, pushed aside by Alesya, hastily detached his lips from Karen’s.
Their tongues untangled, leaving a stringy trail of saliva that eventually snapped.
A single drop of spit fell to the floor.
Alesya slowly turned her gaze toward Karen, her body shaking with anger.
Alesya’s blue eyes were blazing with fury.
Pressed by her intimidating presence, Karen instinctively stepped back as Alesya raised her hand high.
Alesya’s hand struck Karen hard on the back.
Gack!!
“Aaaah…!!”
Karen screamed as she straightened her back.
Regardless, Alesya continued to beat Karen’s back repeatedly, venting her frustration.
“I trusted you…! How could you betray me like this?!”
“I-I’m sorry…!”
There was nothing Karen could say to Alesya’s outburst.
Philip Count had always emphasized the importance of remembering their family’s gratitude since Ray’s childhood.
Karen had no intention of resisting just because she’d been hit on the back by Alesya. Moreover, Alesya’s anger was entirely justified.
Gack! Gack!
“You told me to follow the proper order, but behind my back, you two were getting all cozy together!”
“I’m sorry…!!”
“How dare you deceive me like this?!”
This situation drove Alesya absolutely mad.
While she was keeping an eye on Speira, she had been blindsided by Karen.
The world’s most dangerous enemies are often those within.
Karen’s still shiny lips only fueled Alesya’s rage further.
“There is no way I can forgive you!”
Gack! Gack!
Alesya continued to strike Karen’s back while screeching loudly.
Only then did Ray, who had been pushed aside earlier, step in to stop Alesya.
“Ahh… Stop it, Young Miss. People are watching us right here in the middle of the corridor.”
At this moment, Alesya’s blood pressure soared, causing her vision to spin.
Because people were watching them in the middle of the corridor?
Was that something the person who had just been making out in the same spot should be saying?
“My knight…! How could you betray me like this?”
After delivering a few more blows to Karen’s back, Alesya turned toward Ray, growling.
All rational thought had vanished from Alesya’s blue eyes.
Alesya charged at Ray.
Ray collided with Alesya and fell to the ground.
“Aaaah!”
“A-Alesya-sama!!”
This time, Karen pulled Alesya back.
*
Ray, who had suffered Alesya’s wrath, trudged back to his room.
As he opened the door, Luna, who had been sitting in a chair reading a book, looked up at him.
Luna had recently been frequently intruding into Ray’s room, worried about his safety. No matter how many times Ray told her not to, she paid no heed, so he had given up trying half-heartedly.
Luna scanned Ray as he entered the room and fixed her gaze on his swollen lips.
Ray’s lips were puffed up—not from being kissed, but rather as if they had been bitten.
Luna blinked and asked,
“Did a dog bite you?”
“No, it wasn’t that…”
Ray absently touched his swollen lips, recalling what had just happened.
Infuriated after being blindsided, Alesya had lost control and attacked Ray, biting his lips fiercely.
It seemed to be her attempt to reclaim her rights after losing her turn, though this “kiss” was far too violent and savage.
Ray groaned softly, reflecting on himself.
Before mentioning any “order,” Ray had consciously kept his distance from peers since his youth.
This was both Ray’s stubbornness and his resolve.
“Ah, I must be crazy.”
However, Ray had been under immense mental stress recently, and his body was exhausted.
Although things had somewhat stabilized now, he hadn’t fully recovered when Karen suddenly kissed him.
Since then, controlling his desires hadn’t been as easy as before.
His instincts, having tasted the sweetness of a woman’s body, kept provoking him.
Moreover, it was Karen.
Karen was undeniably a beautiful girl with a strong allure that captivated men.
Most importantly, Ray had subconsciously relied on Karen emotionally since the past.
Thus, it was difficult for him to easily suppress the desires that had ignited for Karen.
“Hmm…”
Ray, who often imitated a superhuman, was certainly no perfect machine.
He tapped his own head, realizing he was needlessly worrying while standing in an awkward position.
Luna observed Ray’s inner conflict silently before speaking.
“Ray.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you abandoning Alesya for Speira?”
By switching to someone better-conditioned like Speira?
Upon hearing this question, Ray coughed briefly.
“…No, Luna.”
“Hmm?”
“People shouldn’t use the word ‘abandon’ when referring to others. It’s a bad word.”
Luna tilted her head slightly and furrowed her brow.
Confused by her behavior, Ray pondered, until Luna spoke again.
“Dinor Mountain.”
“…”
“Legendary.”
“Eh!”
Ray quickly interrupted Luna.
“Where did you hear such bad words?”
“…”
“Anyway, you shouldn’t say such things.”
Sweat poured down Ray’s face as he stared into Luna’s unwavering eyes.
“What? Me abandoning Alesya…? Don’t worry; there’s nothing like that.”
Ray cared deeply about the Philip Count family within his means.
When Alesya would lead the Philip Count family in five or ten years, he wanted to ensure its foundation was solid enough.
His emphasis on trust with Ernst during their conversation stemmed from this very reason.
Luna grabbed Ray’s hand and led him to the bed.
“Ray needs to rest now.”
“Rest.”
This was something Luna had been saying often lately.
If anyone else heard it, they might laugh, thinking it treated the 18-year-old boy like an old man.
But Luna vividly remembered Ray’s past.
She remembered how he had overworked himself since an incredibly young age.
Before his body broke down further, Ray needed to rest.
“It’s okay to rest now, isn’t it?”
Luna partially understood Ray’s purpose.
She knew that Ray’s goal had been achieved to a certain extent at this stage.
“It’s fine if Ray doesn’t have to suffer anymore.”
Even without Ray’s intervention, the children would flourish under Ernst’s support.
The Philip Count family could also gradually restore its former glory by maintaining the system Ray had established.
“So, please rest already.”
Ray stared quietly at Luna’s silver eyes and smiled.
“Can I work for another five years?”
“…I’ll research a way to put people in A-Space without killing them.”
“Eh! Don’t do such research.”
Ray felt a little scared that Luna might actually succeed in her research.
As Luna faintly blushed, barely noticeable to others, Ray gently patted her head.
Her blue hair was adorned with a hairpin Ray had gifted her.
Ray stroked Luna’s head while contemplating.
What she said wasn’t wrong.
Once the Empire began moving actively, it might be hard to find something that Ray specifically needed to solve.
However, Ray found it hard to make a definitive judgment.
Ray didn’t know the future. Knowing the future was the job of his buddy from his previous life.
On one hand, Ray thought he had done enough, but on the other, he constantly questioned whether it was the right judgment.
Was anything missing? Had he overlooked something that absolutely needed solving?
This was an old dilemma, one that he might never resolve until the end of his life.
Hiding his complicated feelings, Ray smiled at Luna.
*
Not long after Alesya unleashed her fury on Karen and Ray,
Alesya, who had been closely monitoring Karen instead of Speira, rushed to Ray.
“Thou faithless knight, committing adultery, someone has come to see you!”
The changed title showed no signs of returning after several days.
While hearing whispers around them, Ray asked Alesya with a grimaced face,
“…Visitor? Who is it?”
“Just come out and see!”
Ray followed Alesya outside to the outer wall of the fortress.
There, a familiar face awaited them.
“Ah, Sir Didier.”
Sir Didier had arrived at the Prislan Clan Fortress.
After going through the identity verification process, Sir Didier respectfully greeted Alesya.
Then, turning to Ray, Didier silently placed his hand on Ray’s shoulder.
Feeling the emotion conveyed through Didier’s grip, Ray chuckled softly.
“Welcome, Sir Didier.”
“Yes. I’ve heard from Sir Mohamed. You’ve truly worked hard and thank you. The Count appreciates you as well.”
“Not at all.”
After a brief exchange, Didier was guided inside the fortress where he first sought out Sir Jenkins.
“Sir Jenkins, are you feeling alright?”
“To have survived is a blessing itself.”
Sir Jenkins shook his head lying on the bed.
Considering the number of casualties from the battle, surviving was indeed no small feat.
However, it was by no means a minor injury.
Just recovering his legs would take several months, and rehabilitation would stretch for nearly a year.
Didier offered comforting words to Jenkins in a way that wouldn’t hurt his pride before leaving the room.
Walking down the hallway, Didier spoke to Ray.
“Ray. Though I feel truly apologetic for troubling you after all your hard work, we need to discuss an issue.”
“Apology? What are you talking about? Let’s go to my room.”
Ray didn’t think Didier had come all this way merely to check on him.
Bringing Didier to his room, Ray sat in a chair and cast a barrier.
“Why have you come here?”
“Ulte… Viscount Gardi has gone missing.”
“…Did he go missing within the Empire?”
Didier shook his head.
Ray sighed deeply.
He understood why Didier had come all the way here.
Had Ulte gone missing within the Empire, the Philip Count family could have somehow conducted an investigation.
However, if something happened to Ulte outside the Empire, it becomes an issue beyond the Philip Count family’s reach.
Ray massaged his temples.
To even attempt to solve this problem, assistance was necessary.
Powerful assistance capable of exerting direct or indirect influence across national borders.
