Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 145

#147. Misunderstanding (3)

“Of course, this is assuming that Binjin’s story is true, but isn’t it possible that the Doctor is the Guardian? Because Curie said that person has a red jewel.”

Ray and Philip’s eyes were fixed on Veronica’s face.

“No… It’s embarrassing to stare at me like that. Ahem! Anyway, if I continue my reasoning, you said that the doctor’s goal is to return the world to its original state, right? Isn’t that talking about rebuilding the fallen Magic Nation? That’s why you collect jewels. Maybe because you said that if you complete the rainbow, you can grant any wish.”

Veronica said everything she wanted to say, her face heating up as she kept fanning herself with her hand.

Philip clapped his hands.

“That’s a great deduction, Honorary Investigator of our Rainbow Expedition. However, there’s a critical flaw in your deduction. The old times are at best a few hundred years ago. There’s no way the Guardian could still be alive today.”

Veronica, sensing the teasing tone in Philip’s voice, immediately flared up.

“The Doctor might be an elf!”

“Hmm, didn’t you say that elves have a strong peaceful disposition? I don’t think someone like that would form a criminal organization.”

“That, that!”

“Ah! No, I forgot for a moment that your knowledge of elves is erroneous. What was their… appetite?”

“Elf’s staple food is vegetables and fruits!”

Philip smiled bitterly.

“What? You idiot, it’s not vegetables or fruits, it’s canned meat!”

“No! My grandfather said that elves are vegetarians!”

Veronica took a deep breath.

I was so angry that I almost cried.

I’ve felt it several times, but it’s impossible to win an argument with this vicious, three-inch-tongued apostle.

The girl bit her lips hard and shouted.

“Nero! Ask!”

Haaaak!

“This, this human-discriminating cat!”

Ray said, after watching the two humans and one animal bickering for a while.

“Veronica has a point.”

The fighting stopped.

“See! Ray has a point too!”

“That makes sense?”

Ray nodded at the two people looking back.

“I think it’s certainly possible that there are people from the old days who have survived to this day, including the Guardians. They could be elves, or some other race with long life spans that we don’t know about.”

Philip asked in bewilderment.

“Are there any other races besides elves and humans…?”

“They say that they selected outstanding people from various races as guardians. If that’s true, then there may be cases like Blue’s where memories are passed down from generation to generation.”

Ray took a deep breath and then finished speaking.

“We can’t completely rule out the possibility that the Doctor is the Guardian himself or his successor.”

Veronica was in high spirits, having the support of the Rainbow Expedition’s highest authority behind her.

“Huh! Look! Nero! Come here! Don’t even go near that bad guy!”

“Hmm, when Ray says that, it suddenly becomes more convincing.”

While there was a not-so-noisy uproar.

Outside the window, the sun behind the hazy clouds was faithfully moving its body.

*

An evening when everyone prepares to end the day after a hard day’s work.

The crimson sunset shining from the edge of the horizon warmly enveloped the entire sector.

The benevolent sunlight spreads in all directions.

Among them, one ray of exceptionally high warmth passed through the glass window of a building in a busy area.

Saaaa …

It shone and broke like grains of sand on the luscious red hair that swayed in the comb.

“… … .”

The girl stopped combing her hair and looked at herself in the mirror.

His head, which had been in terrible condition from being exposed to wind and sand while moving through the wilderness, was actually in better condition than when he had been staying at the bookstore thanks to Madame Lenia’s secret recipe.

“Your hair looks okay, but your face… oh my, your cheeks are so red…”

Her cheeks were flushed and she felt a faint heat.

It couldn’t just be because of the sunlight.

Because right now, the words the boy had thrown out were echoing in the girl’s head, forming an eternal whirlpool.

─I have something to tell you before dinner. I’ll be waiting in the backyard.

I’ll be waiting…

I’ll be there… I’ll be there… I’ll be there…

There will be… There will be… There will be… There will be…

The girl covered her burning face with both hands.

Of course, we had already received the declaration of war when we rode the rickshaw together this morning.

“I’d like to find a place to stay and talk in a quiet place.”

“This is very important. I really want you to listen.”

Said.

‘But I didn’t know it would be today…!’

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.

It seemed as if he was planning to assassinate his master by suffocating him.

The girl took a deep breath.

“Hahaha─ Hahaha─.”

okay.

Didn’t you expect that a day like this would come?

It’s just that the time of the decisive battle has come sooner than expected.

It is necessary to deal with it in an elegant and wise manner, like a cultured lady… … .

I guess I’m quite cultured… right?

‘Wow, if I had known this would happen, I would have asked Madam Lenia a lot of questions besides just hair care.’

The girl crossed her head forward, hiding her reddened face in agony.

After a while, I laid out the items I had purchased at the general store today on the table.

It was a set of makeup tools.

“… … .”

I’ve never worn makeup before.

I never learned it separately.

All I could see was over the shoulders of the precocious kids at the orphanage, using tools they had smuggled in from somewhere.

I remember it to some extent, but… .

‘Can I do it well?’

There was no one around the girl to teach her the so-called rites of passage of that age.

The adults were absent.

What shape and texture life has.

An adult who will guide you from the front.

That story applies to the other two boys as well.

Boys and girls had no choice but to learn about the world through direct encounters.

Through trial and error,

It might be awkward at first,

Gradually, I find the trick,

In the end, he would find his own way.

“Phew.”

Veronica held her makeup tools in both hands as if she were holding a spear and shield with a determined look on her face.

After hearing an explanation from the store clerk, I have a rough idea of how to use it.

A thin, trembling brush was directed at the girl’s eyebrows.

Swish— Swish—

High concentration and tension.

Work was underway within it.

‘Is this the right thing to do…?’

Contrary to fears, Veronica was doing very well.

Basically good dexterity.

A superior aesthetic sense.

It was the result of two factors combined.

Knock knock knock.

The girl’s movements gradually gained confidence.

The bowl was soon filled with mana of various colors.

Red, yellow, orange… … .

And there was a glimpse of sky blue.

Associated emotions are joy and cheerfulness.

But more importantly, it was a color that only appeared when you were interested in yourself.

How much time has passed like that?

‘Is this enough…?’

The atmosphere of the girl in the mirror had completely changed.

I chose light makeup because I wasn’t confident in wearing flashy makeup yet.

But that was actually the method that suited Veronica better.

The result is a bit more maturity.

The once innocent girl had become a young lady with a look that everyone on the street would look at at least once.

‘I guess it’s okay…?’

The girl, who had been staring at the mirror for a while, suddenly checked the time, was startled, and left the room.

As we went out to the backyard of the inn, a boy with white hair was waiting for us.

My heart pounded and I felt like it was going to burst as I thought about the sentences that would soon come out of the boy’s lips.

Haha. Haha.

Heart, don’t give up.

Veronica asked bashfully, twirling her toes on the ground.

“Ha, what do you have to say?”

“Shall we walk for now?”

“Uh, yeah. Okay.”

okay.

Since this was no ordinary story, Ray would need time to prepare himself mentally and gather his courage.

Hit— Hit—

The backyard took the form of a small garden where one could enjoy a walk.

Stone steps and benches.

Colorful flowers and bushes.

Although it was not well-managed, the scenery with the crimson sunset was enough to further fuel the girl’s excitement and anticipation.

Hit— Hit—

There was an eerie silence as we walked.

Veronica couldn’t raise her head because her face was so red it felt like it was going to burst.

‘Thank goodness I had makeup on.’

So that I can hide my ripe face like an apple a little.

‘But… Ray doesn’t say anything either.’

Although he was originally a man of few words, this was a little different from his usual silence.

This was… the kind of silence that appeared when Ray was deeply absorbed in one thought.

For a moment, my heart sank.

‘You’re preparing to say that.’

Now, Ray is waiting for the right time to bring up the topic of a decisive battle.

The moment she realized that fact, the girl’s world began to spin and tilt.

‘Oh, what should I do? What should I do!’

Haha. Haha.

I wonder if Ray’s heart is trembling like mine.

Are you feeling nervous and excited?

Veronica thought, steeling her trembling heart.

‘Ray, take heart. I’m here cheering you on.’

How long had it been since I walked like that, my heart pounding like it was going to burst?

widely.

The boy stopped and the girl flinched.

‘Is it now?’

But contrary to expectations, Ray looked at the ground for a moment before lifting his feet and starting off.

Veronica quickly followed suit, matching his pace.

And again.

widely.

‘Now?’

This time, Ray started off looking at the ground, and Veronica had to quickly follow behind him to match his pace.

And again.

widely.

‘Not yet?’

widely.

‘I’m ready!’

After the same situation had been repeated about five times, Ray finally opened his mouth.

“veronica.”

“huh!”

“what do you think about it?”

What do you think? What?

What about our future married life?

Countless scenes flashed through Veronica’s head in an instant.

Veronica, with her head bowed, spoke in a crawling voice.

“I, I think it would be better to have one son or one daughter. Of course! I’ll make the decision after discussing it with Ray.”

“One son and one daughter?”

“I think that trust and respect are the most important things in a relationship, and it doesn’t have to be a big city where you settle down.”

“Trust and respect?”

“If we become a long-distance couple because of work… I hate to even imagine that, but I hope it doesn’t happen, and if by any chance something like that happens and we end up living apart, I hope we’re buried in the same land when we die.”

Ray, who had been tilting his head throughout the story, reacted to the word ‘land’.

“Yeah, the ground. Veronica, what do you think about the ground we’re standing on right now?”

“Huh? This place is soaked in black rain, so it’s not a good place for us to be buried… Huh?”

It was at that moment that Veronica realized something and raised her head.

A transparent plastic roof covering the entire garden caught my eye.

There were holes all over the place, and some areas of the ground underneath were blackened.

Only then did the image of Ray wandering around, staring at the ground, come to mind.

“Do you have anything to say…?”

“It’s about Black Rain. There are some facts I’ve discovered recently that might be helpful for your research.”

“ah….”

Veronica’s body sank down as her face suddenly turned red.

Hongdangmu muttered, crouching down and burying his face in his knees, which he had wrapped around his arms.

“I am an idiot… an idiot… I am Veronica, the world’s biggest idiot…”

“… … ?”

Ray tilted his head.

I tried to figure out the cause of Veronica’s sudden behavior by observing the emotions contained in her bowl, but it wasn’t easy.

Red, orange, yellow, and… .

‘I’ve seen this color combination somewhere.’

The vague sense of foreboding about the source only makes me chew on new questions.

And then.

There was a man sitting on the third floor windowsill, watching all this while wiping his gun with a rag.

‘That’s what I told you. That’s not why Ray is calling.’

Looking at the girl who had collapsed and was unable to get up, Philip let out a sigh.

“Veronica, did you have a happy dream?”

*

The next afternoon.

A luxury mansion located on the eastern outskirts of the sector.

“Thank you for your hard work on the way here. I am honored that you came to see me.”

A middle-aged gentleman waiting in front of the gate bowed politely to a boy who appeared from afar.

And then he whispered again, bending his waist.

“Since you said you were hiding your elf identity, I introduced you to your disciples as a magician from the upper class.”

Ray nodded.

But Binjin’s words were not being heard properly.

The boy’s attention was focused entirely on the other side of the iron gate.

‘There’s something.’

… Inside the mansion, an inexplicable sense of discomfort was felt.