304th Episode
Lea began to move her steps to see her mother, and Ray followed.
Ray couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the current situation.
On the other hand, a girl with bright blue eyes was humming a tune as she walked alongside Ray.
In this colorless world, only the girl seemed to shine.
Ray murmured to himself that it was fortunate the girl resembled Alesya.
Even if these colors were artificially created, the girl retained an optimistic and positive mindset, brimming with vitality.
As they continued walking, a heavily armed knight approached them. It was Didier.
Judging by his aura, he had undoubtedly reached the Graduation level.
“The Count is looking for you.”
“Mother?”
Ah, I wanted to chat more with my sister.
The girl sighed regretfully and tapped Ray’s head.
“I must go! Don’t cause trouble and maintain your dignity!”
The girl continued lecturing until the end, and Ray never once asked her name.
He feared that knowing her name would entangle him in this illusion… He didn’t want to tether this illusion to reality, so he couldn’t ask her name.
The girl waved goodbye and left with Didier.
Ray resumed following Lea from behind.
“…”
Ray slowly observed Lea’s back as she walked ahead.
Lea had survived well and grown up beautifully, which was the only comforting element in this cursed vision.
Although Ray had almost completed all preparations to ensure Lea’s survival in reality, he couldn’t be entirely certain things would go according to plan.
Still, seeing Lea grow up so well brought him some peace of mind, even though he knew this was an illusion.
“Aunt.”
“What.”
“You’re doing fine, aren’t you?”
“…?”
Lea frowned and turned around to look at Ray.
To her, today’s behavior from her nephew seemed particularly eccentric.
As Ray stared at Lea’s puzzled expression, he chuckled.
“Isn’t it all thanks to Dad?”
“What about Dad?”
“That you’re doing so well.”
“…”
After a brief silence, Lea grabbed Ray’s cheek and pulled it.
“So~ it’s all thanks to your dad. That’s why I’m taking care of your mess too, got it nephew?”
“It’s only natural that you do.”
“My, why are you so brazen?”
“You received countless gifts from Dad, didn’t you Aunt?”
“Who says that?”
“Mom does.”
“Really? I don’t remember getting many gifts… I clearly remember your father pulling out chairs to make me fall and hitting me on the head constantly.”
“No, how can you only remember the things favorable to yourself?”
“Your father tormented me quite a lot.”
Lea giggled as she said this and continued walking ahead.
Ray also giggled as he watched Lea’s back and suddenly asked,
“Aunt, are you happy?”
“…”
Lea stopped in her tracks for a moment before answering with a voice still tinged with laughter.
“If you just listened better, I’d be incredibly happy.”
Since Lea didn’t turn around, Ray couldn’t see her expression.
He felt a bittersweet emotion as he followed Lea under the red sky that drained feelings, where relentless struggles continued without respite.
*
Walking with Lea felt familiar to Ray.
As they approached their destination, Ray kept unconsciously tightening his jaw and massaging his cheeks.
At the outskirts of the residential area, slightly uphill, stood a house that Ray recognized.
Lea stopped and went ahead to the gate, calling out loudly,
“Sister!! I’ve brought your daughter!!”
Not long after, the door opened.
Karen stepped out and greeted Lea first.
“You came?”
“Yeah, I caught that stubborn niece of yours.”
“Sorry. You’ve worked hard, haven’t you?”
“Pfft, no big deal.”
While Karen and Lea conversed, Ray quietly observed Karen from a distance.
Karen looked unfamiliar to Ray.
Given the passage of time, it was expected that Karen had aged, and her outer beauty wouldn’t be the same as before.
Moreover, raising such a disobedient daughter must have been exhausting.
Thus, Ray didn’t care about the few wrinkles on Karen’s face.
However, the ‘unfamiliarity’ Ray felt wasn’t due to aging.
Karen really looked… very tired.
Her beautiful eyes, which used to sparkle, were now dull and bloodshot as if she hadn’t slept for a long time.
Her skin remained as white as snow but had become rough, revealing veins close to the bone.
She had lost a lot of weight—so much that her appearance had drastically changed, making it painful to look at.
While Ray was frozen in place, Karen smiled at Lea.
A forced smile spread across her face, creating lines around her mouth.
This smile was strange to Ray.
Despite the unfamiliarity, fortunately, her voice wasn’t too different from what Ray remembered.
“Thank you so much.”
Karen repeatedly thanked Lea, suggesting this kind of thing happened often, and she felt quite apologetic.
When Lea started feeling burdened, Karen stopped apologizing and briefly glanced up at the sky.
“…”
The red sky, devoid of its former blueness, seemed to weigh down one’s heart upon gazing at it.
Only the space under the roof gave Karen a sense of comfort.
Being in the dark spaces made her feel enveloped by shadows of the past, yet it provided more stability than being under the red sky.
Turning her gaze away from the red sky, Karen approached Ray.
“Will our daughter keep troubling Mommy and Aunt?”
Karen pinched Ray’s cheeks.
When Ray was younger, he used to pinch Karen’s cheeks like this while teasing her.
“Don’t wander alone in dangerous places, especially near the mountains. Today was extremely perilous, wasn’t it? If Auntie hadn’t been there, what would’ve happened?”
“…”
As Karen continued scolding, Ray slowly embraced her.
Startled by the sudden hug, Karen asked,
“My goodness… What’s wrong, our daughter?”
“Why are you still here…?”
Why are you still…
“Here…?”
This was the house where Ray used to live.
It was spacious and well-furnished.
That was true when Ray lived here with Bella during his childhood.
However, within the Phillip’s County, there were plenty of homes far better equipped than this one.
Additionally, this house was inconveniently located, somewhat isolated from the main residential areas.
Yet, why…
“Why are you still here?”
Confused by Ray’s cryptic question, Karen hugged him back and smiled.
“Mommy has been waiting here for our daughter.”
“…”
Without saying a word, Ray tightened his grip around Karen.
The overwhelming emotions couldn’t find a voice, so he stood there silently for a long while.
Karen quietly held Ray until she noticed his shoulders trembling and asked, startled,
“Our daughter, are you crying?”
What’s with this sudden sobbing?
Adolescent sensitivity was truly something parents struggled to keep up with.
Meanwhile, Lea cautiously observed the interaction between Karen and Ray.
‘Hmm… did I hit him too hard earlier?’
Is that why he’s crying?
Lea was quite flustered.
Earlier, she had indeed hit him pretty hard.
But wasn’t it Ray who hit her head first?
Of course, she could have avoided it, but she let it happen, thinking he wouldn’t actually hit her.
Then Ray hit her head three times, leading to Lea deliberately punishing him.
Looking back, maybe she hit him a bit too hard?
Feeling guilty, Lea crept closer and brushed off the dirt from Ray’s clothes.
After standing there hugging Karen for a while, Ray finally exhaled deeply and broke free.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Again?!”
“I’ll go with Aunt.”
Saying this, Ray quickly turned around.
No matter how many times he reminded himself that this was an illusion, the turbulent emotions refused to subside.
On the other hand, when Karen tried to follow Ray, Lea stopped her.
“Sister, I’ll go with him for a bit.”
“But…”
“Stay here. When I come back, prepare a meal for us.”
Convinced by Lea’s persistence, Karen reluctantly nodded, showing visible signs of apology.
*
Ray was angry.
He had been angry all along, but now it was becoming increasingly difficult to control.
Illusion, illusion, illusion, illusion… No matter how many times he repeated the word in his mind, the sticky discomfort wouldn’t fade.
“… Aunt, where did my father die?”
Lea muttered to herself about how intense this boy’s adolescence was before answering.
“He passed away at your home.”
“Ah, I really can’t understand this.”
Dying at home meant he didn’t wander around unprepared and succumbed unexpectedly.
But how could such a future even happen? It was incomprehensible.
While Ray furrowed his brow, pressing his face, a familiar voice called out.
“Caught by Aunt again?”
“… Jimy.”
Jimy, whose face was covered in scars, clicked his tongue.
“Whose child are you to be so disobedient? Oh, right, you take after your father. I know that guy well. He raised you, didn’t he? You’re a spitting image of him.”
Jimy answered his own question while roughly patting Ray’s head.
“Be careful with your body. Your mom lives only for you. And what good does it do you to get hurt? Would lying in bed make you happy?”
“… Why are you here, Jimy?”
“Why? Can’t Grandpa be here?”
“No… Jimy, don’t you have your estate? Why aren’t you there instead of here?”
“The estate is there, but the granddaughters are here.”
With a shrug, Jimy replied.
Ray blinked and then asked seriously,
“Jimy, just this once, answer my question honestly without overthinking it.”
“What question?”
“After my father’s death, was there any civil war in the Empire? Or any event that divided humanity and consumed significant power?”
“Hmm… There were minor conflicts, but nothing major enough to warrant a large-scale battle.”
“Then why…! Humanity is in a total war, right? Who made such mistakes? And what about that red sky?”
“Hmm, I don’t know why you’re asking these questions suddenly, but… in my opinion, no one made a mistake. We all did our best.”
“That’s complete nonsense!!”
Unable to contain the surging anger, Ray shouted.
Breathing heavily amidst the tense atmosphere, Ray tugged at his hair and asked another question,
“Bella… Where is Bella now?”
“…”
“…”
Taken aback by Ray’s sudden outburst, both Jimy and Lea stiffened simultaneously.
From their reactions, Ray sensed something amiss.
No, no, it can’t be.
The reason Ray hadn’t sought Bella first in this vision was because Lea was safe.
Therefore, it was only natural to assume Bella was safe too.
But what does this reaction mean?
Ray, with bloodshot eyes, grabbed Jimy’s shoulder.
“Jimy, where is Bella? Answer me immediately…!!”
Just as he was about to press further, the scenery began to twist.
“This damn…!!!”
Despite shouting curses, Ray couldn’t stop the scenery from distorting.
Soon, Ray collapsed onto the newly transformed landscape.
*
Even after meeting Jimy, various visions continued.
Though his emotions were wildly fluctuating, Ray persisted without giving up.
The self-persuasion that all of this was merely an illusion acted as his support.
“Huh…”
The scenery changed three more times after meeting Jimy.
Each change left Ray dizzy, causing him to lean against the wall.
The fact that there was a wall to lean on suggested that they were indoors rather than outdoors.
Alright, where have I landed this time? Shaking his head lightly, Ray opened his eyes again.
And Ray met the cold, silver eyes.
“Luna…!”
There was no mistaking her.
Although her appearance had matured significantly, Luna’s silver eyes were deeply imprinted in Ray’s mind.
Facing a bewildered Ray, Luna spoke.
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
Ray believed that the Luna before him was also an illusion.
However, Ray was mentally exhausted.
In this state where he barely clung to his will, the figure of the person he trusted most both mentally and skill-wise appeared before him.
Breathing heavily, Ray couldn’t suppress the impulse and blurted out,
“Luna…! It’s me. I’m Ray. I’m Ray.”
“…You’re Ray?”
“Yeah, yeah! Hard to believe, I know, but… I came from the past.”
Luna responded with surprising calmness despite hearing what sounded like madness.
“When exactly from the past?”
“That… Osiris County. The guy with the Command Blade attacked the county, right? Wasn’t it Benedict? Ah, after eliminating that guy and finishing the war with the Rubia Kingdom, it hasn’t been long.”
“…”
Listening to Ray’s story, Luna quietly smiled.
It was a smile hard to decipher, quite artificial.
Maintaining that smile, Luna finally nodded.
“…Alright. I’ll play along with your joke, Ray.”
