novelraw Chapter 114 – Familiar faces
Chapter 114 – Familiar faces
Chapter 114 – Familiar faces
“Gasp!”
Zera’s voice tore through the black void like a ripple over still water.
[Did you feel any change?]
Raven’s eyes fluttered open. The wooden ceiling above him looked the same: faint cracks running across the beams, the same flickering candlelight breathing against the stone walls. He was sitting in the chair—again.
A faint tremor ran through his fingers.
‘How… did she come to my room instead of the assassin?’ His brows creased.
[Are you alright, kid? Why is your heart racing all of a sudden?] Zera’s voice carried a note of concern.
Raven exhaled slowly, pressing his palm against his chest to calm the thudding heart. “...I’m fine.”
But his tone was hollow.
[What happened?]
Raven leaned back against the chair. The wooden frame groaned as he recounted everything—the conversation, the nobles, the warning, and the blade that had cut through him before darkness swallowed his vision.
When he finished, silence followed. Then—
[Time Loop, huh?] Zera’s tone turned thoughtful. [In every loop, even the smallest action can twist the future. That’s why it’s crucial to notice the details.]
Raven nodded faintly. “I know.” His eyes dropped to the floorboards. The faint trace of blood—his blood—was gone. Everything reset, as if the night refused to admit what had happened.
‘I still don’t get why that woman came after me.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Someone changed the target. Someone inside leaked information.’
[A traitor, then?]
‘Yes. Among those three nobles, I suspect Gideon the most.’ Raven’s fingers clenched. The man’s expression during the meeting had shifted—cold, defensive—when Raven mentioned the Rebel Prince.
[What’s your plan?]
“I can’t accuse him without proof,” Raven muttered, standing. His shadow stretched across the wooden floor, long and thin under the candle’s glow. “If I tell them now, no one will believe me. All I can do is prepare.”
[Do you think that will change the outcome?]
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But this time, I’ll make sure fewer people die. I’ll wake everyone before it starts.”
[And test your allies’ strength in the process.]
Raven’s eyes glinted faintly. “Exactly.”
He rose from the chair and walked down the dim corridor. The building slept under the chill of midnight—the sound of rain dripping from the eaves, the smell of damp wood, the faint rustle of curtains.
He stopped before the next room, where Jacob and Roland stayed, and knocked twice.
The door opened, revealing Roland’s sharp eyes and Jacob’s cautious stare.
“Enemy assassins will infiltrate here tonight. I’m unsure of their main target, but we will also be attacked.” Raven said quietly.
Neither man questioned him. They had seen enough to trust that tone.
“Roland, summon the others,” Raven ordered.
Roland gave a curt nod and vanished down the hallway like a shadow.
Within ten minutes, the room filled with knights—Fiona, Sam, and the rest, faces drawn and pale in the lamplight. The air smelled of leather, steel, and tension.
Raven’s voice cut through the silence.
“Assassins will strike between 1:30 and 1:32 A.M. I want everyone hidden near the noble mansions—Count Magnus’s included. When the clock hits 1:30, you alert them immediately. Then retreat here without getting caught. Understood?”
A wave of quiet nods followed.
“Does everyone have a pocket watch?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Fiona hesitated, biting her lip. “Won’t we become suspects once this is over?”
Before Raven could speak, Roland shot her a sharp glare.
“Don’t ask foolish questions. We’re not staying to watch the fireworks. Alert and disappear. Simple.”
Raven gave a faint nod. “In case something goes wrong—” He reached into his coat, pulling out vials that gleamed faintly under the lamplight. “—drink these. They’ll help you.”
The knights accepted the potions solemnly.
“Your mission starts now. I don’t care how or where you hide—ensure you succeed.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
Raven turned toward Roland. “Roland. If it comes down to it… what would you do?”
Roland folded his arms, thinking. “If we can’t trust the nobles, warning them openly will only backfire. But a sleeping knight, even warned, is defenseless. He won’t last ten seconds once the assassin strikes.”
“So it’s pointless to alert them?” Jacob asked.
“Not pointless,” Raven said, eyes narrowing. “Necessary.”
They both turned to him.
“I need to see who can survive,” he said softly. “Which knights have real strength… and who’s just a name with a title.”
Jacob understood instantly. “You’re gathering information.”
Raven’s lips curved faintly. “Exactly.”
“But why not warn the nobles directly?” Roland asked again.
“Because one of them is the traitor,” Raven said flatly. “If I speak, we die before midnight.”
A cold silence followed.
“…Then it’s just us,” Roland muttered.
Raven nodded. “Just us.”
He turned to Sam. “Give me your rifle.”
Sam handed it over wordlessly. The metallic click echoed in the quiet as Raven stored it inside his inventory.
‘Could you tell us more about the assassins, My Lord? How strong are they?” Jacob asked.
“Don’t know the numbers, but you will first face an Expert rank assassin. Then, a Rank-4 Mystic, possibly the leader of this group,” Raven smiled. “Think we stand a chance?”
Jacob hesitated. “A Rank-4 Walker has their Sea of Consciousness expanded within their soul. The difference isn’t just strength—it’s existence itself.”
Raven tilted his head. “Then what if we ambush her?”
Jacob’s jaw tightened.
“...We’ll try.”
“Good.”
Raven placed a hand on his shoulder. “We only need one chance.”
“Are you all ready?” He asked while looking at others.
“Yes, My Lord.”
Their unified voices filled the small room like a low thunder before they scattered into the night.
Raven returned to his room. The door closed behind him with a dull thud.
The clock on the wall read 11:05 P.M.
‘It’s time.’
He slipped on the monocle, and lines of blue light rippled across its glass. He took a sleek, silver armor from his spatial ring, which shimmered faintly like liquid moonlight.
…
[Name: Galeheart]
Rank: Rare
Abilities:
• Wind Barrier – Deflects one projectile or spell. (Cooldown: 1 hr)
• Vital Bloom – Heals 25% of total health and purges toxins. (Cooldown: 8 hrs)
• Frost Shackles – Freezes the target’s legs in ice. (Cooldown: 6 days)
…
The armor hummed faintly as it settled over him, the faintest pulse of wind wrapping his shoulders.
Raven’s next movement was quiet and deliberate. He drew out the Ring of Astral Drift and slid it over his finger. “Solis,” he whispered.
A crystalline owl emerged in a shimmer of light and perched on his shoulder, its translucent feathers glinting like glass.
“How far can you fly?”
‘I can go three hundred meters from you, Master.’
“Good. Go to Count Magnus’s mansion. I want eyes on everyone inside.”
The owl blinked once, then spread its wings. Its form slipped through the open window, silent as mist.
Raven closed his eyes and focused on the Ruler’s Throne. The world tilted. The air warped. The next moment, he saw through Solis’s eyes—
Branches swaying, the night wind biting cold, the moonlight bathing the roofs in pale silver.
The mansion appeared below—massive, layered in stone and shadow, with more than two dozen guards pacing the courtyard.
Solis circled higher, then descended toward a single balcony on the left side of the second floor—its light still burning.
Through the glass, Raven saw five familiar figures. Two young women, two men, and a middle-aged man with scars carved across his face like lines of old wars.
‘This is quite a surprise.’
The first woman—pale skin, black hair, blue gem-like eyes.
‘Daisy Spade,’ Raven noted.
The second—blonde, olive skin, brown eyes, spear resting against her knee.
‘Mary Whitebard.’
Then came two men. One silver-haired with a proud expression—Dennis Sunfire. The other, black-haired, blue-eyed, with a faint smile on his face—Chris.
‘So they’re all here…’ Raven leaned forward slightly. ‘Radiant Walkers. Every one of them.’
But it was the man standing before them who made him pause.
He couldn’t see through him. Not his strength, not his presence. Just a heavy stillness—like standing before a storm that hadn’t decided when to break.
Inside, the man’s voice rumbled.
“How is your training going?”
Dennis bowed slightly. “I’ve reached the peak of Intermediate Swordsmanship, Teacher. If I’d trained from childhood, I’d have become a Swordmaster by now.”
“Excuses,” the man snapped, his tone sharp as steel. “You lost time. Earn it back.”
He turned to Mary. “And you?”
“I’m still stuck at the advanced stage of Radiant rank, but I’ll—”
“Pathetic.” His glare cut through her words. “If not for Alexander’s face, I’d have thrown you into the river.”
Mary’s hands trembled, but she kept her head low.
Then his gaze fell on Daisy. “You?”
“I’ve reached Advanced Radiant, Teacher.”
“Humph. Thank your mother’s blood. Without it, you’d be trash like Finnegan.”
Daisy didn’t flinch. She merely nodded.
Finally, his eyes landed on Chris. “And you, bastard?”
“B–Beginner Radiant, Teacher.”
“Rotten blood breeds rotten talent. Blame your whore of a mother.”
Chris’s fists clenched, but he said nothing.
“I took you all in despite your filth and failure,” the man growled. “If you don’t rise one rank before this war ends, forget about the Royal Knights. I’ll make sure you die nameless.”
Saying so, he stood up from his seat and walked out of the room.
“Damn it!” Chris smashed the wooden table beside him while Dennis clicked his tongue.
“Don’t be angry, Chris. Our instructor always talks like that.” Mary consoled him.
Raven watched them talking for a while, withdrew his consciousness from Solis, and soon opened his eyes in his room.
It was 11.35 P.M.