29 Pretending To Be Crazy

Ray walked towards the mansion, distancing himself from the Gate where he and Robert had parted ways. With a haunting sense of fear, he continued walking, weighed down by doubt in his heart. But Ray was tired and fed up with being like this, so he chose to step forward and keep walking without thinking.

I just have to move forward and find that person. The madman who made me experience my own death for the first time.

Ray passed through the large garden and looked around, not finding the usual strange maid who would be present in this place. It made him even more certain that he should be able to change fate. It made him feel that he had a responsibility to alter the destinies of his friends and the kingdom. However, on the other hand, it made his back feel heavy, knowing that the fate of several people around him now rested in his hands.

Ray, who no longer questioned his reasons for saving the kingdom.

He used to think that he didn't need any reason to help others. But he realized that he was wrong, that he needed a stronger reason than just "wanting to help" .And he had found that reason a few hours earlier.

But unfortunately, that reason had been shattered by his own hands. Making Ray think that he had to start over by dying.

This is the only way!

I have this responsibility.

I hold this destiny.

I can definitely change this fate.

Only I alone can change this misery.

He continued to fight against the fear and doubt within him by thinking like this.

There were times when he thought of running away and escaping. Ray realized that he could actually start a new life in a faraway and quieter place. But that thought was contradicted by his memory of the people he knew.

I don't want to live my life with full of regrets and guilt.

With all the determination he had strengthened, he stepped into the mansion that he should have avoided. Normally, people would avoid places they knew were dangerous. But Ray was different, he now felt that he had to enter that dangerous place.

There are times when a person has to face danger even though they know they might die.

With this, Ray chose to act indifferent and put on a smile that had no meaning. He entered the mansion with a smile that was actually just a facade.

I'm crazy, I am a crazy person, I'm just an ignorant child.

Kill the feelings in this heart. I don't need these useless things right now.

I'm having fun right now, this is not a scary place. I came here just to take a walk.

Ray tried to deceive himself, wanting to make himself not think about anything related to death. He just wanted to walk towards danger without knowing that it was dangerous.

Ray realized that what he was doing right now was very strange. But thinking strangely like this made his fear diminish a little.

Now, Ray laughed at himself, looking like a crazy person. Suddenly, he felt happy because he felt that he had lost his fear.

With this, Ray succeeded in becoming the crazy person he desired to be.

*****

In another place, precisely in the dining room, there was a person wearing a black robe and white hair sitting on a dining chair.

Casually, the person was eating among the bodies of the people he had killed a few moments before. The person's name was Anderson, someone who had been the center of Ray's suffering all this time.

Slowly, Anderson elegantly finished his meal without thinking about what was happening around him. He didn't even feel disgusted when eating the flesh that was laid out on the table.

Several times, Anderson was seen talking to the corpse next to him. The corpse next to him was the body of Jimmy, who no longer had any life in him. Anderson spoke as if he were crazy, appearing to have a casual conversation with someone else. But in reality, he was only talking to himself through Jimmy's corpse.

When Anderson finished the food on his plate, he suddenly looked at a book that he took out of his pocket.

Anderson read the small book seriously. He read every detail of the words in the book and absorbed them with all his heart.

But slowly, Anderson noticed something that didn't match his expectations. He saw that there was a word that didn't fit with what was happening at the moment.

Anderson, with a confused and panicked face, quickly looked around. He checked the entire room and searched for someone who should be in this room.

But unfortunately, the person who should be in this place was nowhere to be found.

"What is this? This is strange. Where... Where is she? This is a mistake. Where is the princess who should be in this place right now? Why isn't she here? This is wrong! Where is my mistake? No... this is not my fault... whose fault is this!?"

Anderson scratched his own face with his nails, leaving scratches on his face. Blood flowed from his face, covering it with self-inflicted wounds.

As that happened, a black-haired boy came in with the same uniform as the corpses there.

Seeing the boy, Anderson was slightly surprised and realized that the boy was one of the people he was supposed to kill.

Knowing that, Anderson looked at the book he was carrying and realized that the presence of the boy was not mentioned in the book.

Anderson asked the boy, "Who are you?"

"Me? Are you asking for my name? My name is Ray Lewinston."

Hearing Ray's answer, Anderson became more convinced that Ray was not part of the destiny he knew from the book he carried.

Anderson trusted the book in his hands more than he trusted himself. The book had become like a holy scripture to him, and fulfilling what was written in the book had become a duty for Anderson. But now, for the first time, he saw that something written in the book was wrong in predicting the future. His trust in the book began to crumble, making him angry at himself. He didn't want to destroy the trust he had built for years just because of this one event.

"This is not right. This is not allowed. This is not 'that person' fault, this is my fault! But... but, but, but, I'm not wrong. I am great and perfect. This cannot be my fault! Whose fault is this?"

Anderson remembered the presence of the boy who seemed to appear out of nowhere, and he chose to blame the boy. He used Ray as a scapegoat, convincing himself that Ray was the one at fault. He considered Ray to be someone who changed the destiny around him, causing the question of 'that person' and his own mistakes to fade in his mind.

Anderson shouted while pointing at Ray, "You, this is your fault! You are to blame for all of this!"

Ray simply laughed and muttered, ignoring Anderson, "It seems Alex wasn't involved in this massacre. Maybe they're preparing for the Elaina's funeral."

Anderson heard what Ray murmured, making him reflexively approach Ray quickly and choke his neck.

"Ugh, this hurts enough. My breath..." Ray said, trying to keep breathing.

Ray's body instinctively fought to stay alive. Although Ray planned to die, deep down he didn't actually want death.

Ray had resigned himself at this point, but in the depths of his heart, he felt glad to be able to relive everything and see the person he knew come back to life.

Ray muttered again, without any clear reason, feeling the pain in his throat, "If only there was a painless way to die."

Anderson suddenly asked with a serious face while still choking Ray, "Do you know something about the princess?"

I knew he would ask that. If my guess is correct, this person wants Elaina to be alive. This could be the trigger to ignite his anger so that he can kill me quickly. But it seems I have to gather some information first.

Instead of answering Anderson's question, Ray asked back, "Before I answer that, I want to ask you first, who are you? What is your goal?"

Anderson tightened his grip on Ray's neck. Ray's body became weaker.

Damn, this reminds me of my first death. He choked me like this back then too.

With a serious face, Anderson said, "What's the point of me answering your question? Just answer my question."

"Please, just answer me. Anyway, no matter how I answer, you'll still kill me, right? At least let me die knowing about the great person who wants to kill me. Please."

With a pleading tone, Ray discarded his dignity and asked for help from his enemy.

Anderson felt happy and smiled, then answered, "Fine then, if that's the case, my name is Anderson. One of the seven high-ranking members church of darkness . You can call me pastor if you want. Is that enough? Now explain to me about the princess's whereabouts!"

Seems like that's enough...

Ray laughed and made himself look crazy again. He laughed uncontrollably as if seeing something funny. It reduced the stress that enveloped his mind, pretending to be crazy.

"Why are you laughing like that? Answer me, you dammit!"

Anderson became angry because he was tired of waiting and started lifting Ray into the air, leaving Ray hanging in his grip, still tightly gripping his neck.

Ray continued laughing, feeling the extreme pain in his neck. He couldn't breathe normally anymore.

Feeling the right moment, Ray said, "I'm the one who killed the princess! You damn scoundrel! Ahahaha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Ray continued to laugh, hiding the sadness he actually felt. Saying that also made him feel guilty towards Elaina. But he chose to act crazy and unpredictable. He sacrificed his shame and sanity, choosing to appear as someone very strange and unpredictable.

With this, he will consider me as the mastermind behind everything that changed his destiny.

Well... He's not wrong, I am the one who changed his destiny. himself told me that I was someone who shouldn't exist in the prophecy.

Ray suddenly realized something.

So... Why am I called a hero by Elaina? Doesn't she know that I shouldn't actually have been sent to this world?

While Ray was busy thinking about that, pretending to act crazy, he didn't realize that he couldn't breathe anymore.

At this moment, he could only look at the ceiling without knowing that Anderson was currently cursing at him incessantly. Ray couldn't hear him anymore, as his hearing had diminished due to the pain he felt.

There was no turning back. Ray's neck was crushed by Anderson's grip, causing him to die once again and reset the world.