Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 37

#037. The place where the lights go out (2)

Late that evening.

“We’ll be staying at the hotel while we look for a new hideout. If you cause any harm to Philip and the hotel kids, I’ll punish you myself.”

Dozens of boys lined up in a corner of the hotel gulped.

It was now Cedric’s gang that became Ray’s subordinates.

I was already thinking that I should be careful about my actions, but hearing the direct threat made the hairs on my body stand on end.

“And from now on, Cedric is the leader of the gang. Most of my orders will be relayed through Cedric. I consider Cedric’s word as my word.”

There was a bit of murmuring, but everyone seemed to agree.

─I guess the issue you ran into yesterday was resolved well.

─Cedric was originally the squad leader. I guess he was taken there and received some training.

The atmosphere completely changed after Ray continued speaking.

“And I’ll give you all your money back. I have enough money from other gangs.”

What does this mean?

I didn’t understand at first.

I was dumbfounded when I saw Cedric bring the bag of money as instructed by Ray.

Bam.

It was only after the bills and coins appeared in my palm that I came to my senses.

“Oh, you’re giving me my money back? Really?”

“It was all the money I had saved up….”

Faces that say they can’t believe it.

Uncontrollable excitement and joy began to spread in an instant.

“… … .”

Ray watched the scene.

To be precise, I was watching the emotions rushing into the subordinates’ bowls.

‘I said that to gain true loyalty, you have to use appropriate rewards.’

It was an action taken on Philip’s advice.

In fact, eliciting loyalty through rewards may not have much meaning in the current situation.

Anyway, Sector 49 is a place where you are likely to stay for a short time and then leave.

There was no need to lay a large foundation for the gang since he wasn’t leaving with all his subordinates.

However, the reason Ray made an investment with an uncertain return was curiosity.

I wanted to put into practice the compensation method that Philip had talked about and observe the results that would result.

If it is deemed a good method, it can be applied to various situations that may be encountered in the future.

Since the reason for spending was clear, it was worth spending the money if you think about it that way.

“Ray, we have to deal with Zephyr and Lotson too.”

Philip, who had come closer, whispered.

Ray left the scene to Cedric and followed his instructions.

“Eww! Ewww!”

“Eww! Eww! Ugh!”

On the opposite corner of the hotel where we arrived, there was Zephyr and Rosson, flapping around like freshly caught fish.

Even though he had been tied up since last night, he didn’t seem to be losing any energy.

“Euuuup! Euuup! Euuup?”

“Eww! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!”

If you translate it, it was something like this.

“Dare to treat me like this?”

“You damn bastards! Let them go right now! Even if they’re prisoners! You have to give them food!”

Although his eyes were extremely rebellious and full of complaints, his pupils couldn’t help but shake greatly when he saw who the opponent was in front of him.

“… … .”

“… … .”

The opponent was a hunter.

Zephyr and Lotson, whose backs were covered in cold sweat, politely lowered their heads to avoid eye contact with Ray.

Thud, thud.

Ray approached Zephyr without hesitation, grabbed him by the hair, and slapped him across the face.

Crack──!

Blood burst out of his mouth and splashed onto the floor.

Ray turned Zephyr’s face straight towards him as he trembled, then released the gag and said.

“Zephyr. Let me get straight to the point. I don’t have much time.”

“Whoa, whoa, what do you want? Money? Street? That, that? Or─.”

“Veronica’s Bookstore. You know?”

Zephyr’s eyes shook.

“I, I don’t know. What is that─”

Ray, who had captured the trembling of emotion that appeared in Zephyr’s bowl, immediately took the next action.

Crack──!

“I guess you still haven’t figured out the situation. Your subordinates aren’t coming. How could they come when I’ve rendered their limbs crippled? Right?”

“Sorry, sorry… I’m sorry. It was, it was my fault…”

Crack──!

This time this one flew away.

Zephyr’s attitude, which had been showing off a bit of pride, was immediately corrected, and Philip, who was watching the scene from behind, felt a chill down his spine.

‘I’m getting goosebumps. That’s Ray’s original form.’

I felt fortunate to be on the same side as Ray.

“You mean that bookstore on 8th Street? Oh, I know that one. I, I was asked to harass and kick them out because they wanted the store space.”

“Who is the client?”

“The owner of Fred’s General Store on 3rd and 3rd Streets… .”

Ray nodded.

Then, he kicked Zephyr’s stomach with all his might using his strengthening magic.

“Cough…!”

Zephyr rolled on the floor with a gasping sound.

“Uh… what is it?”

“Zephyr and Lotson. The ones who were taken prisoner.”

Ray chased after them and kicked them without stopping, and the children who had gathered surrounded them, making a noise.

Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!

For a while, the only thing heard in the room was the eerie sound of impact.

You get what you pay for.

Either repayment or retaliation.

Ray’s actions were based on principle, but there was also thorough calculation behind them.

First of all, I had no intention of killing them both.

If the leader disappeared, the two factions would start fighting each other, and the resulting chaos would spread to this side, causing trouble.

It takes time and effort to quell unnecessary conflict.

It would be better to just put the two guys that can be controlled as leaders.

‘And killing people could instill unnecessary fear in the hotel children.’

Since we had a contract, we needed to maintain the best possible relationship with the hotel.

There is no reason to leave unpleasant feelings among the hotel staff.

Thud─! Thud─!

Ray rather intended to make a better impression with his current actions.

I glanced away.

The hotel children’s bowls were filled with anger and rage.

The animosity and grudge that has built up between Zephyr and Lotson is not trivial.

In addition to the usual harassment, this time the hotel itself was almost invaded.

If we had lost the war, the hotel would not be in such good condition now.

Children will know that fact too.

Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!

Zephyr gasped for breath, unable to even groan from the massive impact that hit his entire body.

Just crouch down as much as possible.

I just wanted this painful moment to pass quickly.

The children couldn’t take their eyes off the sight.

The anger and rage in the bowl gradually decreased, and the joy and pleasure increased accordingly.

Although he didn’t have the courage to directly harm Zephyr and Lotson, he felt great vicarious satisfaction through Ray’s revenge.

“Just think about it! What would have happened if they had come into the hotel?”

“Even if you get beaten up like that, you still get beat up!”

Ray observed the children’s emotional changes and confirmed that the situation was going as planned.

It was definitely different from when Ray was in Sector 50.

Even if it were me, I would have beaten up Zephyr and Lotson just the same.

However, it would have been limited to simple retaliation and would not have taken into consideration the factors surrounding the current situation.

A new location, Sector 49.

Meeting and interacting with many people.

The boy who had lived his entire life in the closed world of Sector 50 opened the broken door and came out.

There is a lot to think about.

There were many things to take care of.

In the midst of variables pouring in without rest.

The boy was learning how to take other people’s feelings into account when making choices about his actions.

Bam─!

Ray lifted Zephyr’s hair and whispered in his ear.

“I’ll give you a mission. Use whatever means necessary to ruin that general store. Take good care of it. If any damage comes to this side, I’ll find you at the end of the sector─”

You get what you pay for.

Whether it’s a reward or not.

“─Because I’m going to kill you.”

Whether it’s revenge or not.

Zephyr nodded his head madly, his eyes out of focus.

thud!

Zephyr’s head fell off.

Ray got up from his seat and turned his gaze.

There was Lotson, shivering and waiting for his turn to be corrected.

*

That night.

Two groups of people who had been contacted came to the hotel.

“Oh, my goodness. The captain looks like….”

“Come on, you idiot! Shut up and hurry up and get the captain. The hunter might change his mind.”

I felt sad seeing Zephyr and Lotson in a near-death state, but there was nothing else I could do.

The losers of the war are themselves.

I had to be grateful that they let Zephyr and Lotson live.

Squeak── bang!

The gang turned around and the door closed.

A loud cheer echoed through the hotel.

All the boys, regardless of their group affiliation, shouted loudly.

Now it really feels real.

He won the war against two factions.

It was truly a historic moment in which the hierarchy of the streets, which had remained unchanged for a long time, was reestablished.

Philip unleashed the hotel’s stockpiled food, and everyone ate and drank to their heart’s content in a festive atmosphere.

“Where is the hunter?”

“Can I give you some chocolate?”

“Oh… I think I saw it over there earlier.”

The children were looking for Ray, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The person in question had sneaked out from among the children and was now sitting on a sofa in a far corner of the hotel.

dump.

Ray, buried in the worn-out sofa, stared at the center of the hotel with his characteristically emotionless face.

In the deep night, with the lights on everywhere, the scenery before my eyes was quite dreamy and beautiful.

If there was one thing that was regrettable, it was that Ray had no sense of beauty and ugliness.

The scenery did not evoke any particular emotion, but only provided information about what was where.

“… … .”

Because my gaze was directed forward, I was not actually observing the scenery.

Ray’s thoughts were focused on a topic that he had not yet had time to fully resolve due to a series of pressing circumstances.

“Someone who can help you without expecting anything in return. Someone who can also receive help. That’s a friend.”

The definition of a friend that Philip spoke of in the arena was different from what he knew.

‘I thought of people I’d known for a certain period of time as friends.’

As Philip says, you can become friends without necessarily spending a long time together.

Anyone who can help each other without asking for anything in return.

‘Helping without compensation is only possible if you have a concerned heart. Because you want to take care of that person because they are your concern.’

In other words, it meant that friends were people who truly cared for each other.

Woof─

As I recalled the memory of the Guldari children, the white mana in the air clung to my palm.

Pale and his brothers.

Perhaps they are the only beings who have ever felt the emotion of worry.

Aren’t they the only ones who fit the definition of a friend?

‘I want to add Niles to my friends too.’

…Can we still be friends even if we have a twenty year age gap?

“Read this as ‘hyung’, repeat after me. Hyung. The cool, handsome, smart, and nice-natured Hyung Niles.”

“… When studying vocabulary, please stop giving examples using strange word combinations.”

Niles usually begged to be called brother.

But he always called Niles “uncle.”

My brother… … .

For some reason, I felt a sense of rejection.

Was it just that he didn’t want to give in to Niles’s wishes so easily?

‘I don’t know.’

The thoughts flowed and the questions continued.

Will I ever have another friend?

“… … .”

After some thought, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that the odds were slim.

Because, unlike other people, I am a being that does not have emotions.

Recently, I’ve been able to feel emotions when I concentrate, but it’s only momentary and only a few specific emotions.

Being different wasn’t a particularly advantageous trait for living in the world.

“You’re a little weird. It’s scary.”

“You don’t shed a single tear.”

They were not accepted by the group and were subject to discrimination, contempt, and fear.

The only ones who treated me with sincerity and without any prejudice were Niles and the Guldari kids.

‘Will I ever meet people who understand me? Or at least try to understand me?’

The answer was no.

No matter how much I thought about it, the answer was the same.

As Ray was coming to that conclusion, he heard the leather of the sofa creaking nearby.

Phew─

When I turned my head, it was Philip.

He was holding two glasses in his hands.

“I guess quiet is better than noisy, right? Here, it’s yours.”

A sweet fragrance wafted from the steaming cup.

“Cocoa. I think you like sweet foods.”

I couldn’t say I liked sweet food because I didn’t have any preferences about the taste.

However, I ate it often.

Because I used to consciously eat things like chocolate and candy to replenish my energy.

‘So that’s why you thought I liked you.’

Philip smiled as Ray accepted the glass.

The two boys looked together in silence toward the center of the hotel.

The light bulbs in the scenery still glowed brightly, and the laughter of children could be heard from afar.

─Horok.

As I poured the glass, the warm liquid flowed smoothly down my throat.

It was not a bad warmth.

Just enough to make me forget for a moment the emptiness in my heart that I had been feeling for some reason.

─Horok.

I poured myself another glass.

The night at the hotel deepened like that.

“By the way, what were those magazines you put in the safe?”

The cocoa that Philip had poured embroidered the scenery sparkling with the light of the light bulbs.