186th Episode
The morning air was cold.
Ray sat in his chair, quietly gazing at the rising sun through the window.
His mood wasn’t good.
Ulte. His existence was making Ray restless.
‘Even if I stir up trouble here, it seems like the Empire doesn’t need to worry too much…’
Ray knew that the Emperor’s life was drawing to an end.
Once the throne is inherited, Ernst had already hinted to Ray that he would present the new emperor with the empire’s divine sword, whether Ray returned from the Alimo Kingdom or not.
‘Even if I cause quite a commotion here, by the time accurate information about it reaches the royal family… the throne will have already been inherited.’
Prince Poibos ascending the throne wouldn’t have been possible without Ray’s significant contributions.
He eliminated the first prince who became an Apostle and thwarted an attack on the warp gate that could’ve caused great chaos in the empire.
There was also the merit of discovering Moros, so even if Ray caused some trouble in the kingdom, those sins were more than compensated for.
Moreover, with Ernst covering for him, there wasn’t much for the empire to worry about.
Ultimately, the problem was Ulte.
What situation could he possibly be facing?
‘Did history change because of me, and did he really die a meaningless death far away?’
Or was this the very point where Ulte began his descent into corruption?
Whatever the case, Ray wanted to quickly secure Ulte’s whereabouts.
Since Ulte was the only Apostle seed Ray remembered, it mattered all the more.
However, despite moving aggressively, Ray had little to show for it.
This made him anxious.
‘…Ulte probably hasn’t died. Maybe… he discovered the base of the demon worshippers in the Forbidden Forest and got chased after being found out?’
Ray trusted his own speculation to a certain degree.
If Ulte had simply perished elsewhere, it wouldn’t explain why someone went through the trouble of setting a grand trap to kill Ray while he was searching for Ulte.
So Ray decided to trust his hypothesis and pondered how to find the demon worshippers’ base.
‘I wonder if the Silver Cross Knight Order knows something…’
“Ron.”
Luna, sitting on the bed, called out to Ray.
When Ray turned his eyes toward her, Luna lightly tapped the bed.
“Get some rest.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Instead of lying down, Ray stroked Luna’s head and asked,
“Aren’t you tired? This is your first time traveling so far for such a long period. We haven’t even stayed still in one place.”
“I’m fine too.”
In Luna’s calm voice, Ray felt a slight pang of unease.
After a brief silence, Ray gave her a composed smile, hiding his emotions.
At that moment, the sound of hooves began to approach.
As the hoofbeats grew closer, Ray gripped his staff.
“I should go check it out.”
It was still uncertain how much communication could be established with the Silver Cross Knight Order members.
*
A group arrived in front of the inn early in the morning.
Led by Count Girenhal, mercenaries, guards, and the Silver Cross Knight Order formed the crowd.
The townsfolk avoided them, fearing unnecessary entanglements.
Knight Captain Gilland rode his horse to the inn building after clearing his throat.
Before Gilland could speak loudly, the inn door swung open.
“Are you the Silver Cross Knight Order?”
Ray, having opened the door and stepped out with the others from the inn, directly questioned them.
Gilland, surprised by Ray’s initiative, inspected him top to bottom before responding.
“Yes. I am Gilland, captain of the Silver Cross Knight Order. Are you the mage who assaulted mercenaries at Wypor’s Nest?”
“The mercenaries were being unreasonable, so I set an example. But I remember compensating them sufficiently. Anyway, it’s good timing. I was just about to visit you guys, but you came here instead.”
“…The Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild has gone missing.”
Gilland cut straight to the chase.
“Do you know anything about it?”
The reason Gilland led the knight order directly to the inn where Ray was staying was due to the news of the missing Guild Master.
Ray was considered the prime suspect in the Guild Master’s disappearance.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come rushing here just to capture a foreigner who fought with some mercenaries.
“Answer me.”
Gilland projected an intimidating presence.
The mercenaries and guards instinctively took a step back upon sensing Gilland’s powerful aura.
Despite Gilland’s imposing demeanor, Ray didn’t flinch. Instead, he smirked and moved closer.
“What a lively morning.”
“If you’ve caused harm to the citizens of the kingdom, we will hold you accountable accordingly.”
“You intend to hold me accountable?”
Ray had no intention of backing down in the power struggle, so he matched Gilland’s intensity as he closed the distance.
However, Ray, who had approached close to Gilland, soon subtly stepped back.
It looked like he was backing off.
Bang and Jetteu blinked in confusion.
“Why is he doing that?”
“Beats me…”
Why was Ray retreating when the opponent wasn’t even a Swordmaster?
Bang and Jetteu were perplexed and started whispering among themselves.
Of course, Ray hadn’t lost the power struggle.
The issue lay elsewhere.
Gilland was exceptionally well-built.
Nearly two meters tall, he towered over Ray by more than 20 centimeters.
Because of this height difference, Ray had to look way up at Gilland when they stood face-to-face.
It was humiliating for his pride.
“”
Unable to endure the deep sense of inadequacy from having to tilt his chin skyward, Ray retreated first.
As Ray mulled over why he endured such humiliation after reincarnating, he glanced behind him.
Luna, watching Ray, had her cheeks puffed up.
“”
Ray sternly warned her by tapping his cheek.
With a “Chik-” sound, the air in Luna’s cheeks deflated.
Ray pressed the bridge of his nose before issuing an order to Bang and Jetteu.
“Bring it out.”
Understanding the command, Bang and Jetteu bowed their heads and re-entered the inn.
Moments later.
Baret and Rasker, battered and bruised, were dragged out by Jetteu.
Clearly, Baret and Rasker had suffered serious injuries.
KAGA-KANG!!
The Silver Cross knights immediately drew their swords.
Gilland raised his hand to restrain his subordinates before speaking.
“I’ll give you a chance to explain.”
“Gilland Sir! What explanation is there?! Arrest him immediately!”
Count Girenhal insisted, but Gilland ignored him.
As Ray shrugged, Bang dragged something else out of the inn.
A foul stench, previously contained by a barrier, spread around.
A few guards with weak stomachs gagged upon catching the smell alone.
“It’s here.”
Bang dragged the massive corpse of a demon and placed it in front of Gilland.
It was one of the few preserved corpses among the dozens of demons that attacked Ray’s group.
Gilland stared coldly at the severely deformed demon corpse.
Upon Gilland’s gesture, two paladins approached the corpse.
The paladins detected overwhelming malevolent energy emanating from the demon corpse and briefly prayed in the name of El-Lam.
The fact that they needed to offer even a short prayer indicated the level of shock they experienced.
Regardless of whether one was a paladin or not, everyone was shocked.
Ray explained the entire incident in considerable detail to everyone.
Pointing at Baret after recounting the events, Ray said,
“…And according to this guy, he acted solely on Count Girenhal’s orders.”
“Are you accusing me now!!”
Count Girenhal was enraged.
He intended to immediately order someone to cut off the tongue of the person making such accusations, but Gilland’s order came faster.
“Arrest Count Girenhal.”
“Gilland Sir?!”
Girenhal was astonished.
To arrest him based merely on the testimony of a mercenary guild master…
Certainly, even without concrete evidence, arrests and interrogations could proceed if the matter involved devil worshippers, but no one dared to be so aggressive against nobility.
Besides, it was an open secret that high-ranking officials within the kingdom occasionally engaged in trade with the dark wizards of the Forbidden Forest.
“This, what are you doing? Let me go!!”
As Girenhal struggled while yelling, the knights followed Gilland’s orders, arresting and gagging him.
While Girenhal was dragged away, Gilland drew his sword and pointed it at Ray.
TSUUZZZ!!
A blade of sword energy manifested on Gilland’s sword.
With blazing eyes, Gilland spoke.
“Kidnapping, torturing, and injuring citizens constitutes a grave crime.”
“I merely sought out accomplices of the devil worshippers to protect my safety. If you’d properly examined this demon corpse, you’d understand the gravity of the situation.”
“While I acknowledge the seriousness of the matter, separate from that, you have no authority to interrogate citizens. Drop your weapon.”
All fair points.
Even though it happened during a pursuit of devil worshippers, Ray’s actions exceeded the acceptable limits for a knight.
Ray never expected things to go smoothly from the start.
Ultimately, it had to be resolved through force.
“..Wasn’t the Silver Cross Knight Order assigned to investigate the Forbidden Forest? I’m not sure if you have the luxury to waste energy on me.”
TRRD-D-D-D-D!!
Both Ray’s magic circle and core began to spin simultaneously.
A flow of mana erupted, freezing the surrounding area.
The intense mana flow was so powerful it could warp space itself, causing the knights to hesitate, unsure of what to do.
“…”
Realizing he had underestimated his opponent, Gilland tightened his grip on his sword.
The opponent was a criminal who committed serious offenses. No matter the cost, he had to be captured. That was Gilland’s duty and conviction.
“…”
Seeing Gilland steady himself, Ray sighed inwardly.
Should he knock out the knights and extract the information he needs? Would that lead him to Ulte?
It was an utterly reckless choice, far from wise. There was no guarantee the Silver Cross Knight Order possessed the correct information either.
But Ray didn’t have the luxury of time.
Rather than wasting time, he planned to charge forward and escape if answers weren’t forthcoming.
Hiding his frustration, Ray raised his staff.
Just then,
Deputy Captain Leonie of the Silver Cross Knight Order rushed out and shouted.
“Stop!! Stop!! Everyone, put away your weapons!!”
Leonie’s sudden action angered Gilland.
“What nonsense are you pulling right now!!!”
“Just put away your weapons!!”
“Are you defying orders…!!”
Gilland frowned as usual, trying to stop Leonie.
In the next moment, Leonie, who had endured so much, finally exploded.
“No!! Just!! Please listen to me!! After saving me from almost being exiled to the foot of the mountains without a village, huh?! Really?! Do you want to be exiled to the mountains?! Huh?! Do you want to live alone eating grass?! ACK!!!”
