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267. Engagement – Apartment

– Who is this? Hahaha! It’s the Red Raven, Malpas. I’ve benefited a bit this time.

“Lena, Lena. Get a grip. Please.”

Leo said softly. However, Lena was frozen in fear and couldn’t move her feet, while the warrior with the raven tattoo calmly suggested under the swaying moonlight.

“Astroth. Give me the north. I won’t covet the south where you are. I also have a grudge against the deity.”

Steel wings measuring five lengths rippled behind him. Each feather sharp as a sword was truly terrifying.

But he was hardly a match for Duke Astroth. The two-headed duke grinned smugly, revealing his square and neatly arranged grotesqueness.

– Oh dear. That’s quite unfortunate. But what can I do? Do you really think you’re in a position to negotiate with me?

“…”

– Just wait while you groom your feathers, Malpas. You must have felt good after winning the war… Hehehe. If you don’t want to lose your wings for nothing, you’d better step up. Your Swordmaster won’t be quiet about it, you know. By the way, where’s the one who killed our Swordmaster? I heard it was Jensen, Leo, and Lena…

“Are you saying you won’t negotiate?”

The barbarian warrior persistently asked. Astroth smirked, answering the warrior by flicking him away with his fingernail.

Though there were many from the Avviker tribe, tattooed with raven feathers, wings, and tails, Malpas no longer showed himself.

Astroth chuckled and bent down, looking around Toridom. The castle walls collapsed with the giant eagle claws and he soon found the people he was looking for.

Leo Dexter and Lena Ainar. According to Ainar tribe customs, the names of the bride and groom were hung large on two flags, making it impossible not to find them.

Astroth lowered his head to thank the human who killed Count Hermann Forte…

– Ah, there you are. Thank you. Thanks to you, I can descend in peace… Huh? What? The name is wrong. It’s Ray Dexter, Lera Ainar—why…

In that moment, a storm surged.

Waves erupted around Ray Dexter, spreading across the Asgard Plains. Astroth’s eyes went wide.

Leonel?

I didn’t know where to start being surprised. Like Azura, it was shocking to see another reincarnation of Todler Akiunen, but he soon realized that this kid was a toy of the deity. How is this possible? As Astroth thought, he finally grasped something and erupted in anger.

– Damn it! I wasn’t bound by the restraints! But to tie the world up like this!

The world had been completely copied. Whether bound by restraints or not. There was simply no other way for Leonel to exist concurrently.

Then the deity, this world…

Had copied at will. Only the world perfectly pleasing to the deity remained, and the rest was surely discarded.

Astroth let out a furious roar. Meanwhile, as the true name was revealed, text appeared before Ray Dexter’s eyes.

[ Achievement: Bound Item, 3/3 ]

[ The ‘Bound Item’ achievement is being erased. ]

[ Quest: Guardian, 3/3 – You have met all other Leos. All Bound Items have been unlocked. You have met three Swordmasters. ]

[ The ‘Guardian’ quest is now available. ]

[ Quest: Guardian, 1/4 – Barbatos ]

The messages didn’t end there. With a creak, calculating something, several lines of text were added, along with three illustrations.

[ You know the true name of Childhood Friend Lena. She is granted {Holy}. ]

[ You know the true name of Engagement Lena. She is granted {Mana Body}. ]

[ You know the true name of Beggar Siblings Lena. She is granted {Immunity}. ]

In the first illustration was Leah, enveloped in a silver aura. She shone like a holy woman.

The third illustration depicted the younger sister, Reriana, with golden, shining eyes, portrayed quite normally, while the second illustration didn’t need a second glance.

A blue glow erupted from Lera Ainar’s body. That gentle glow gradually faded, and Lera, who had been trembling in fear, began to calm down.

“Lera! Lera! Are you okay? Are you back to your senses? Say something.”

“Gasp! L-Ray. What in the world…”

“There’s no time to explain. We have to run now. Can you run?”

Lera Ainar shook her head. She could barely stand with her own two feet, but her body still trembled uncontrollably.

Astroth had descended. Before the terrible fear he radiated, only Ray could retain some sanity.

No, in fact, there was one more person.

“Oh, dearest god! Grant courage to the warriors! Let the iron hammer of righteousness strike down upon the enemies they face!”

It was the bald priest who held the power of the deity. He squeezed the divine power to bless the nearby knights. The blessed knights, gasping heavily, gripped their swords.

But that didn’t matter.

Ray Dexter had no intention of fighting Astroth. Not at all!

Fighting him was akin to a death wish.

Even if he set aside the fact that he was a deity, how could a mere swordsman swinging a stick stand a chance against such a massive creature?

Right now, running was the correct course of action. Whether to call for a holy woman or not…

Ray suddenly whistled.

At that, the strong black horse, Kus, galloped up the stairs, and Ray put Lera on his back.

Sitting behind Lera, Ray slapped Kus’s belly.

Hee-haw! Kus dashed down the staircase littered with loose rocks. Ray shouted, “Get out of the way! Move!” as he weaved through soldiers frozen in fear, looking up at the sky.

“Gasp…! Gasp! Kreeeah! O-older brother!! S-save me…”

Just then, Astroth yanked Leon and Reriana from his shoulder.

He briefly hesitated, holding the naked siblings, before casting aside any lingering attachment. Hundreds of meters high, Astroth flung the siblings against the castle walls.

Splat! Blood splattered, and his fury now turned towards Ray and Lera.

– You damn replicas! Where do you think you’re running off to!?

Astroth slammed his massive palm down in a rage. You and I, everyone, are all replicas. In a fit of anger, he aimed to smash the detestable toy created by the deity…

– Boom!

As the palm with eagle claws descended upon Ray and Lera, a blue light burst forth. A round dome enveloped the two riders.

[ Necklace – It’s a pretty necklace. ]

The one protecting them was the blue necklace hanging around Lera’s neck. Ray wiped the cold sweat off and urged Kus to charge northward, away from Duke Astroth…

But in truth, he knew.

That they’d never escape.

Astroth leaped over Toridom in a single stride. The terrifying being’s back turned, and for a moment, the bald priest let out a sigh of relief. He clicked his tongue, reminiscing about the day he first met that young man in prison.

He had worn a face as if burdened with the world’s tragedies. Despite showing signs of longing for life, he kept his mouth tightly shut.

What was his name…?

Oh right. It’s written here. Ray Dexter.

Even when things went well and he was treated like a hero, he never smiled. It was only during his wedding to his fiancée that he managed a smile for the first time… And now, he understood, at least a little, why he had shown that attitude all along. He had been chased by immense misfortune.

The bald priest urged, “Prince! Please evacuate quickly! Knights too, hurry!” He prayed for the young man who had bought them time.

That they could escape safely.

And he continued the wedding prayer he hadn’t finished earlier.

[ Congratulations! ]

“What? Oh no!”

As Ray fled from Astroth’s kick, he felt his vision swirl. Panicking, he flailed his limbs, but the messages appeared indifferently.

[ Lena’s dream has come true. ]

[ True Ending 2/2: Complete ]

[ Thank you for playing Lena’s raising game. You have cleared all scenarios. You may exit the game now. ]

‘This can’t be! This can’t be!’

Just kill me instead! I can’t end like this! ─ He shouted, but it was useless. In a spherical form, Ray floated up towards the red-tinted sky.

It’s a true ending. As he soared slowly like he was to appreciate the ending you created, Ray screamed.

For a moment, perhaps due to his momentary distraction, Kus was caught by Astroth’s kick. Left behind were Lera and Ray, tumbled dozens of meters away. Though obscured by the bushes, he knew the ending.

‘L-Le… Lera! Lera! A-Aaah… Aaaaaaaah!!’

This is what they call a true ending.

Ray felt like he might vomit blood. Had he not been in spherical form, he surely would have.

But that wasn’t even the end. Astroth glared at Ray, who was rising to his eye level with round eyes. He pushed his head forward menacingly,

So this is it.

This is a toy made by the deity.

Astroth began to look at the dodecahedron of the deity, which had begun to envelop Ray’s consciousness. Familiar darkness descended, the ending credits were supposed to roll… But Astroth screamed and charged.

– Bang!

– Bang! Bang!

– Bang!

– Crash!

– Crash! Crash!

– Jang!

After countless hits, cracks began to form on the dodecahedron. Scarlet moonlight seeped in; he reached inside the cracks and tore it apart.

In the end, Astroth raised his arm. Grabbing the moonlight, he shouted, “Burn away!!!” with his red-hot hand as he struck the dodecahedron and Ray’s mind.

“Kuhh!”

Struck by the red eagle claw, he flew away helplessly. The world spun, and as nausea overwhelmed him, he landed with a thud, Minseo falling to the ground with a groan.

His body hurt like hell. He was sure some ribs were broken as he painfully tended to them when suddenly, Minseo felt something was off.

Am I… hurting?

He opened his eyes.

In the darkness, with blackout curtains drawn, the laptop screen glowed. On the floor he had fallen to, discarded clothes lay scattered like a carpet, and beyond the not soundproofed walls, a fast-paced pop song played without filtration.

“Uh?”

Minseo lifted his head.

A messy desk. It was cluttered with half-unpacked and half-new civil service exam books. The smell of smoke and a sense of defeat permeated the air in this place…

His apartment.