Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 274: Engagement Ep - Pyrite

273. Engagement Ep - Pyrite

In the yard of a neatly maintained house with a small vegetable garden, a young boy holding a wooden sword spoke boldly.

“When I grow up, I’ll become a brave knight like my father, someone who lives up to his name.”

“Do as you wish, Ray. My son will surely become that. But first, you’ll have to beat your mother, won’t you?”

Ibera Ainar smiled gently. The five-year-old boy grinned brightly and tightened his grip on his wooden sword. Just then, a man appeared at the gate. The knight, covered in blood and with his cheekbone exposed from a sword wound, collapsed as soon as he saw Ibera, as if relieved.

“Mom!”

Ray Dexter jolted awake, shouting in his sleep. The loud snoring of Dehor echoed in the tent that leaned against the carriage.

Ray sat for a moment, white breath escaping his mouth.

It was a dream... A dream, he thought as he wiped his face with his hands to collect himself.

It was still early dawn, before sunrise. When he lifted the blanket, the cold winter air seeped into his body. Looking around, he noticed that his father, who should have been sleeping in the middle, was gone, leaving only neatly folded blankets in his place.Ray carefully tidied the blankets so as not to wake Dehor and stepped outside. When he opened the fabric covering the tent entrance, snow that had piled up overnight fell to the ground. Right in front of the entrance, a large creature was dozing peacefully.

It was Kus, the summoned black horse.

Perhaps due to the cold, Kus wasn’t lying down properly. Still wrapped in the blanket Ray had thrown over him last night, the horse was in a kneeling position, a common resting posture for horses.

Ray brushed off the dew on Kus’s mane, then walked around the carriage to check on things. They had been forced to camp outside, unable to reach the next village in time, so Ray wanted to ensure there had been no theft overnight and that Rera was still sleeping soundly.

As expected, Rera was sleeping just fine.

“You’re up?”

“Yes. You woke up early.”

Just then, Noel returned, carrying a large load on his back. Firewood.

He dumped the bundle beside him and rummaged through his coat for the pouch containing flint and steel. Sensing what was needed, Ray retrieved the tinder box from beneath the carriage driver’s seat. More specifically, it was a container holding the tinder.

During winter, preparing tinder ahead of time and keeping it dry was crucial.

Tinder is used to catch the sparks produced when steel strikes flint, and it works best when finely ground and completely dry. In the northern regions, people commonly used powdered leaves of the plant known as ‘Daner,’ which were roasted and ground to make excellent tinder.

Ray picked a log, sprinkled a bit of tinder on top, and pulled out the steel and flint from the pouch his father handed him. He struck them together repeatedly, creating sparks.

The fire caught quickly. Ray blew gently on the tinder to fan the flame, gradually adding dry leaves and firewood.

“Your set is definitely better than mine.”

Ray returned the pouch to his father, who shrugged and replied, “It’s standard issue for Royal Knights.”

There are many types of flint.

For the striking tool, known as steel, dark iron was universally used (high-carbon iron). But flint varied greatly depending on the region.

The most common substitute was white, semi-translucent chert, often used when no real flint was available (though its hardness made it difficult to generate sparks). Generally, sharp-edged stones known as ‘flint’ were preferred for fire-starting.

Ray’s flint was of the common variety.

In contrast, Noel Dexter’s flint was made of pyrite. In its natural state, pyrite often forms hexagonal crystals and resembles gold, which is why it’s sometimes called ‘fool’s gold.’ However, as a fire starter, it was considered superior.

Compared to flint, pyrite produced sparks three to four times more readily, making it easier to start a fire even in freezing conditions. The result was a roaring campfire. Ray Dexter placed a tin pot over the fire to boil water.

Crackle, crackle.

The sound of burning logs filled the silence as father and son sat quietly. Just as Ray considered adding more wood, Noel Dexter spoke softly.

“We’re nearly at Barnaul.”

“Yes, we’re almost there.”

“To be honest, I didn’t fully believe it. An oracle, you say... But just like you said, it seems war is about to break out.”

“...”

“You know, I’ve killed a lot of people. Whether they were innocent or not didn’t matter. I killed anyone who got in my way, and at some point, having a different opinion became reason enough to kill.”

The pre-dawn glow of the fire cast a grim light on Noel’s face.

“I regret that time. If I’d declared neutrality and just stayed at home, your mother wouldn’t have died like that. I’ve regretted it a thousand times, but there’s no undoing the past.”

“...”

“But even now, it’s time to make things right. You mentioned the evil god, Malhas. I need to ask you something more specific. Once we reach the capital, what do I need to do? Should I just inform Baron Arpen Albacete as we discussed before?”

“...Probably.”

“Nothing else you need? I know many people in the capital besides those in the First Knight’s Order. There are quite a few nobles I could reach out to for help.”

“Do you think they’d believe me?”

“Who knows? Probably not... but we’ll do our best. Don’t worry; I won’t go around shouting that the king isn’t human. We’ll assess the situation and prepare accordingly.”

“...Thank you.”

“Thank me? No need…”

Noel Dexter smiled faintly.

He patted his son’s head, which was now larger than his own, and changed the subject. If there was one topic Noel could use to lighten the mood...

“How’s Rera doing these days?”

Who else could it be but Rera Ainar?

She was a welcome change to the somber atmosphere, noticeably lifting the mood. Ray spoke with pride.

“She’s learning well. Rera could take on any junior knights by herself. She doesn’t realize it, but... she could even go up against a full knight.”

This was thanks to her {Mana Body}.

Rera’s movements had improved beyond comparison to her past self. Even her previous weakness—arm strength—had been compensated, helping her unconsciously break the habit of constantly stepping back and only waiting for counterattacks.

Without engaging in contests of strength, she couldn’t become a truly great swordsman.

‘Deros, who used to tag along with Katrina, can now be handled by Rera alone. In a few months, she’ll be able to overpower him. But... she’s still too slow.’

If Noel’s older brother Elson had heard this, he would have blown his top. To surpass junior knights and challenge full knights within just two months was an incredible rate of growth deserving of being called a genius.

However, Ray’s assessment of Rera’s progress as slow was because the enemies they had to face were simply too strong.

Time was also short.

The [Raising Lena] scenario had a time limit of, at most, three years.

This wasn’t explicitly stated.

However, the playtime naturally lasted around that length because, in the childhood friend scenario, Lena quickly became a priestess, and in the engagement scenario, Rera, reaching the proper age, was eager to become a knight and marry Ray.

The timeline for the ending was particularly unique in the Beggar siblings scenario, but even there, it was roughly the same.

Unless you locked Rera in a room without letting her marry or take any job, there was no way to delay the ending. That gave you about two years.

Moreover, heading out to defeat Malpas now meant that there was virtually no time left for her to grow.

Malpas was the god of war and victory. He thrived on war, drawing divine power from battles, and grew significantly stronger with each victory.

That’s how it was in the previous cycle.

He’d retreated without a peep before Astroth, who had devoured the Beggar siblings, but his might when he unfurled his five steel wings was immense. Malpas grew stronger because the Astin Kingdom won the war and gained a substantial amount of divine power from battle.

He had to be dealt with before the war truly began. Preferably before the knight orders deployed.

Thus, there wasn’t much room for Rera to shine in this battle. To avoid the bad ending, Ray also had to keep his abilities concealed.

That’s why he’d asked for his father’s help.

Ray himself was a Sword Master, but to influence Baron Arpen Albacete and the knight orders without stepping forward himself, he needed someone like his father, a former First Order knight. That level of power would be sufficient to take down Malpas.

Of course, they also needed a priest and a paladin, so that was another matter to handle... Ray’s expression darkened.

He had a plan in mind. But it also involved confronting a knot from his past, which soured his mood.

“The water’s boiling. I’ll start cooking. You should take a break, Father.”

“All right. You’re surprisingly good at cooking. Shall I wake Dehor, then? Haha. It’s funny how father and daughter sleep soundly without a care.”

Noel Dexter headed toward the tent.

Shortly after, the tent rustled as the massive Dehor awoke. As he stepped outside, he tripped over Kus, who was sleeping right at the entrance. Startled, Kus kicked the carriage, dislodging the wheel lock, causing the carriage to start rolling on its own. Rera burst out in her nightgown, shouting,

“An earthquake!!”

It was a chaotic morning at the ridgeline of a winter forest, just five days away from Barnaul.

  *

“Wow!! Is this the capital?”

Leaving behind Rera’s exclamation of awe, the group entered Barnaul. Rera was the only one marveling at the bustling city of tens of thousands, while the others passed through the gates indifferently.

There was a checkpoint as they drove the carriage in, but Noel quickly resolved it by showing his retired knight’s insignia. The soldiers, upon seeing the name engraved on the insignia, couldn’t hide their surprise.

Noel Dexter.

In Barnaul, he was infamous enough to quiet crying children. The soldiers, being citizens of Barnaul themselves, had mixed expressions.

Resentment, fear, and reverence.

Noel paid no mind to their expressions as he urged the group onward. Navigating the unchanged streets of Barnaul, he pointed out directions as they made their way to his old family home.

There was, however, one significant change.

Throughout the streets were inscriptions resembling gravestones, and the walls of the Dexter estate were filled with curses. During the Civil War, Noel had become a notorious figure, a symbol of blame for the citizens of Barnaul who had lost their families.

The war had been horrific for everyone, leaving no one to blame but themselves. For some, venting their anger in this way was a means of coping. Yet, few knew that Noel himself had also lost his beloved wife to that war.

“Kuhahaha! You’ll live a long life, my friend. With all these curses, you’re bound to have a long, healthy life.”

Dehor slapped Noel’s shoulder, laughing heartily. With a shrug, Noel approached the old wooden door of his family home, still Reinforced with five iron hinges. He knocked on the metal ring attached to the door.

- Thud, thud, thud.

A man opened the door. Noel had expected to see his older brother, Elson, but the person standing before him was a stranger.

“Who are you...?”

The man stared at him blankly.