4. Rynella’s fate is decided by Rynella (50)
The saintess was even more moved by the man’s careless words, so she had no choice but to raise her voice.
As an orphan, her love and care for the weak was genuine.
There was no way I could just accept that and move on.
“Did you know this would happen?! If that was the case, there would have been a way to devise another solution by saving the Dark Priest!”
“Can Mitram be saved?”
Pick, the man snorted as if it were nonsense.
Still, as the alcohol went in, the expression of emotions increased.
Even so, it was only so faint that it could not be recognized unless you looked closely.
“Sounds funny… Do you know how rare it is for that cunning fellow to reveal himself? If he had been saved, he might have been active for several more years. And if not more than hundreds of people get hurt and die because of his machinations.”
“Yeah, but… … .”
It’s your territory, the saintess wanted to say, but the man’s expression was cold.
he said in a firm tone.
“There is no ‘but’ in war. After all, there is no such thing as a ruthless person, so you always have to make efficient and rational choices… You can’t make exceptions. Neither me nor anyone else.”
The first one who was at a loss for words was the saintess.
It was a matter of at least hundreds of lives at stake.
Even if I had to discuss it carelessly, I couldn’t afford to take responsibility for those countless lives. She was a saintess who had saved and lost countless lives, so she understood the weight of it.
The next one to object was Elsie.
She asked with a slightly more relaxed attitude than before, but still with firm hostility.
“… … If you don’t try, you won’t know, right?”
The man didn’t even look at Elsie.
It was only that he tipped the whiskey bottle again. Half of that much alcohol was already gone.
Elsie cried out even more at the blatant disregard.
“Anyway, you are not the master! Who are you to leave the master’s estate behind?! How strong is the magic corps of our Rainella family, without even trying… … !”
However, that hot voice was soon silenced.
The man only looked at Elsie.
It was the eyes that couldn’t read emotions enough to give goosebumps.
It made me wonder if there was anyone who could live on even after losing a heart, it might be the man in front of me.
There was no superintendent in the company’s decision.
Even so, it seemed like she could see the man’s memory passing through that dry face, so Elsie clenched her fists and turned her head away.
There was no way I wouldn’t want to save it.
It just can’t be.
Perhaps he, too, had tried it several times.
in the distant future.
Then I fell and hurt myself so many times that I just didn’t do it anymore.
“Is the story over now? I’ll take care of the head of household, Arthur, and Sir Reynolds, so everyone pack your things quickly. It’s a large-scale operation, so there’s no more room.”
It was around the time that the man who had put his words together got up.
someone asked
“… … What if I throw it away like that?”
It was Celine.
With her eyes still confused, she asked again with a trembling voice, not knowing whether this was a question or a provocation.
“By throwing it away like that, what have you been protecting?”
The man who was preparing the whiskey on the table hesitated.
His eyes focused on Celine.
Even so, unlike the women, Celine did not stop talking. On the contrary, she let out a voice that grew hotter and hotter.
“family? friend? or lover? What the hell is going on while leaving the territory… … !”
“world.”
It was a moment when I was at a loss for words.
Celine’s eyes blankly turned to the man.
It was a man who emptied half a bottle of hard liquor.
Even though his pupils should be dilated now, the man’s eyes were still sharp.
Like a ember left in the ashes.
“… … Other than that, I couldn’t keep anything.”
family, friends, lovers.
all that.
The man drank his whiskey one last time and trudged along.
It was a sad look.
In the painful silence, only the saintess uttered a prayer mixed with a sigh.
“Immanuel… … .”
cost hundreds of lives.
That was the conclusion of this place.
**
After leaving the drawing room, the man’s behavior was unconventional.
Immediately after, he visited Arthur, the imperial magistrate.
As with the women, the man explained the situation, but Arthur did not appear to be convinced.
It was a man who entered the meeting room smelling like alcohol.
No matter how much information was obtained from the Dark Priest, it was difficult to trust it straight away.
Arthur shook his head and opened his mouth.
“It is impossible. This is a matter of concern even to His Majesty the Emperor. Believing only the words of the Dark Priest and launching a large-scale retreat… … .”
It was then that the man lowered his finger.
Strange letters began to be engraved in the air as if blood was flowing down.
If you were an imperial administrator, you couldn’t know his identity.
Arthur’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
Despite the dramatic reaction, the man only spoke in a toneless voice.
“It’s not a request, it’s an order. Take responsibility and execute the retreat operation. Tell Sir Reynolds that he is the emperor.”
“… … Yes, yes!”
Arthur was just an administrator who was from a commoner and had no background.
It was impossible to refuse the man’s order.
No, it was an order that could not be refused even if there was a back stomach.
The dragon blood characters were no different from the emperor’s symbol.
Therefore, the orders issued by the owner of the Dragon Blood characters were the same as those of the emperor.
It meant that if the emperor did not come and revise the order out of nowhere, Arthur would have to carry out the man’s will, even at the cost of his life.
Arthur, who had lost his senses, hurriedly got up and tried to kneel, as if he had suddenly remembered something.
If it hadn’t been for the man’s cold voice.
“Do you have time to keep up with the ostentation? Then start right away.”
“Ah, I see!”
Arthur had no choice but to return to his seat with a trembling voice.
After the dragon blood text was displayed, everything went smoothly.
It was also easy to convince Viscount Percus.
Borrowing the authority of Arthur, the administrator of the empire, and conveying the word “Hwangmyeong” was over.
There were no nobles in the Empire who could defy the will of the Emperor.
Viscount Percus looked confused, but soon had to issue instructions to the Gasols with a sigh.
Issue an evacuation order throughout the territory.
Of course, the stormy pace of the man didn’t stop there.
He moved to the backyard before he knew it and let out a nonchalant voice.
“… … Neris.”
“Yes, Ian.”
As if it were natural, a shadow fell behind the man’s back.
It was Neris of the Imperial Intelligence Service, a beauty with brown hair and dark green eyes.
She was hiding in the backyard of the Percus mansion while gathering information.
“Put a message to the swordsman through the contact network. I think you should come to the Percus Territory. And request the enlistment of the White Wings Knights.”
“… … Yes Yes?”
Neris decided not to question it anymore, but the content was so shocking that she couldn’t help but let out a dumbfounded sound.
If it’s a swordsmith, isn’t it the imperial family and the only master in the empire?
He was not a person who dared to tell someone to come.
This was the case even if the opponent had the dragon blood character.
The swordsmith was the greatest adult in the imperial family, who even the emperor acknowledged his authority and gave him a hand.
Even the white wing knights, it was no different from calling one of the elite knights of the imperial central army.
However, Neris had no choice but to bow down and obey the man’s command.
It was because the hatchet appeared in her eyes as she stared blankly at the man.
Witnessing this, she immediately returned to Ian’s loyal subordinate.
“No, I will do as you say!”
Despite the belated recovery, the man was somewhat dissatisfied.
He tapped the hatchet hanging from his waist as if in agony. Every time that happened, drops of sweat dripped down Neris’ forehead.
Fortunately, the man didn’t have to carry a hatchet.
It was just a warning in a cold tone.
“… … do not forget. The imperial crow must have black eyes.”
It meant pretending not to know the identity of the other person or the information they had collected.
In addition, it also meant to follow the instructions of the superiors calmly like blind eyes that do not know anything.
As if to keep that in mind, Neris hit her head on the ground once and hurriedly left.
It was to activate the contact network of the Imperial Intelligence Service.
While the incident was going on like that, the man always had a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
The first bottle he had been drinking had long since been emptied.
The second bottle was now more than half empty. There was no choice but to have a slight intoxication on the man’s face.
Even in the midst of that, it was surprising that only the eyes did not die.
The man walked towards the prepared room in the mansion.
It was early evening, but now it was time to lie down and sleep.
However, there was one person who followed the man.
It was Leto.
As soon as he spotted the man, he grabbed him by the shoulder.
The man’s gaze naturally turned to his back, and Leto met those golden eyes and asked.
“… … can’t you?”
No answer came back from the man.
So Leto had to ask again.
“With your strength, can’t you defeat that evil god’s family or something?”
Not long after, a sigh escaped, heated with alcohol.
He put a hand on his forehead, then shook his head.
“I can’t, it’s an exceptional situation that I’ve been called in now. So it’s going to be difficult for a while… The extent to which I can directly twist the future is fixed.”
So, he had no choice but to convey fragmentary information, the man added.
Now, there are already known clues, so more detailed information can be provided, but before that, it was said that the more specific the information provided, the more power it wasted.
That alone was enough for Leto to capture the man.
Even so, Leto seemed to still have more questions to ask.
In a serious tone, he asked the man for additional information.
“So what about providing your memories to Ian? Listening to Ian’s words, he said he had an unidentified dream… Isn’t that your memory? After that, I think I will learn the skills you used.”
The man did not deny that reasoning.
However, it was just another sigh.
“… … The assimilation rate is too high.”
“What?”
“The assimilation rate… That kid stole too many of my memories. So originally, it should appear only at the time I want, but if I lose consciousness, I will be called out.”
He sighed and leaned his back against the wall next to the door.
As if to dispose of the remaining alcohol, the man tipped the whiskey bottle and gulped down the drink.
“The more I do, the more I can’t help but be influenced by my strong emotions… I don’t know if your mental powers are as strong as mine, but it can’t be. That’s why it gets more and more violent and weird.”
“… … What if the assimilation rate goes higher than this?”
“I don’t know either.”
The man shrugged and added.
“Do you think it’s the second time for me to return to the past? It’s the first time ever… So I don’t know, I have no choice but to be careful.”
It’s because if the kiddo is broken, it’s all over.
With that vague muttering at the end, the man poured the remaining alcohol onto his tongue.
Then, wiping the corner of his mouth, he staggered open the door.
It was a signal to end the conversation.
Leto just quietly watched him.
Instead of saying goodbye, Leto uttered a single syllable of questioning.
“… … why?”
The man’s golden eyes glanced at Leto.
His gestures were no different from those of a drunkard, but his eyes were so intense.
It felt like seeing someone who wanted to get drunk but couldn’t.
“There’s no benefit to you in saving this world… But why do you go to such lengths?”
With his mouth shut, the man stared into space for a moment.
His silence didn’t last long.
The man answered with a peek and laughed.
“… … I don’t know.”
Those were the last words the man had that day.
*
The next day, Ian Perkus returned.
“… … what is this.”
As he faces the people around him whose attitude towards him has changed completely.