Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 146

#148. Inferior Beings (1)

“… I introduced myself as a student from the upper class.”

While Binjin was talking beside him, Ray’s gaze was always directed beyond the iron bars of the mansion’s front gate.

‘There’s something.’

Although I couldn’t see it, I could feel something heavy moving in the inner lawn.

At a fairly nimble pace.

With a clanking metal sound.

As Binjin injected mana, the iron doors that had been tightly closed opened wide to the left and right.

Squeak──

It was security magic.

Ray stored in his memory the type and ratio of mana used by Binjin.

“Please come in first. Food is being prepared inside.”

I moved along the road leading to the main building of the mansion with Binjin.

I took in the surrounding scenery as I heard the door closing behind me.

‘It’s much wider than it looks from outside.’

The site itself was large.

The front yard had a wide lawn whose colors were magically maintained.

Next to the mansion there was a tall cylindrical tower that looked to be at least ten stories high.

‘You said you were staying with your disciples. That place looks like a training ground…’

As Ray continued his exploration.

Toodoodoodo──

A rumbling sound was heard across the lawn.

Something appeared from behind the mansion and was running towards us.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. There’s no need to panic─.”

Binjin was about to speak, but closed his mouth when he saw Ray’s expression, which didn’t seem to be flustered no matter how he looked at it.

At first glance, expressionless.

But there was a strong curiosity in his eyes.

The creature that was running on all fours, wagging its huge tail… .

‘dog?’

Ray tilted his head.

Its appearance was clearly that of a dog.

But as the distance grew closer, I began to realize that there was something a little strange about its appearance.

Cheeeeeeek─

Hot steam poured out of its nose.

Crunch! Crunch!

The thick legs made a metallic clanking sound every time they hit the ground.

Krook! Krook krook!

The barking sounded very artificial.

“Kelly, you punk. Stop. This is a customer, not a thief.”

Binjin stretched out his palm forward.

Then, the guy who was running towards Ray with his fangs exposed stopped right in front of him like a knife and took a quiet stance.

Heh heh heh

Even though he was sitting, his eye level was almost the same as Ray’s.

Ray asked, looking at the guy panting and sticking his tongue out.

“Your name is Kelly?”

“Yes. We use it as a guard dog to protect the mansion.”

It was no ordinary dog.

A dog whose entire body, including its eyes, nose, and mouth, is made up of complex and sophisticated mechanical devices, can never be considered ordinary.

Also, if you look at its size, it was closer to other animals seen in books than to dogs.

‘Did you say bear? It looks like it’s about the same size.’

But it was only in appearance.

Kelly showed exemplary dog behavior, such as fetching a stick when Ray threw it and giving him a paw when Ray gave her a ‘hand’.

Ray couldn’t help but say it.

“Like a dog.”

“Yes, it’s like a dog.”

“Ignorance, you’re like a dog.

“Yes. Ignorantly, like a dog.”

“Is it ready-made?”

“Huh? What do you mean by ready-made…?”

“I wonder if it’s a mass-produced product like the rickshaws roaming the streets.”

Colorful mana flowed through Kelly’s body like a rickshaw.

Although the fusion of mana took place in the heart rather than the pedal, the black smoke was produced in the same way.

It was a dreg of mana that only the boy could see.

Binjin burst into laughter after hearing Ray’s question.

“Haha! It’s not a ready-made product. There probably isn’t a company in this day and age that has the technology to make something like this. Unless, of course, there is a company run by dwarves.”

“Dwarf?”

“Yes, I think you probably know more about this than I do.”

Binjin looked at Ray for a moment and then continued speaking.

“This also seems to be one of your lost memories. Dwarves, like the wizard’s race, the elves, are a race that is currently known to be extinct. They are said to have advanced technology and live underground, so they are also called the “underground people.”

“You’ve never met in person?”

“Yes, that’s right. Anyway, Kelly is a kind of relic that I found at the ruins. After much effort, I was able to restore its function. It is truly an object that contains the essence of old technology.”

The essence of old technology.

That made sense.

At first glance, Kelly’s structure was so complex that it couldn’t even be compared to a rickshaw.

‘At first glance, it seems like it can make autonomous decisions like a real living creature.’

What on earth is the principle?

I wanted to grab it and tear it open, but I gave up because I felt like I would get bitten.

“But it’s strange. I’ve never seen Kelly follow anyone else so well besides me, the person registered as her owner…”

Ray noticed that Binjin was looking at him with expectant eyes.

─By the way, do you have any memories of returning to the old days after seeing Kelly?

That was the look in his eyes.

Ray, who could not betray expectations, said while stroking Kelly’s firm head.

“It seems like there were a lot of really living animals in the old days.”

“I see! That’s something I didn’t know!”

Binjin took out his notebook and wrote down his thoughts, his face looking very moved.

The two sent Kelly away and walked back toward the mansion.

“… … .”

Ray was lost in thought.

The identity of the sense of unease I felt before entering the mansion was not Kelly.

A subtle discomfort felt on the skin that has not yet gone away.

‘A mansion… or maybe a tower?’

Something was lurking.

In either of two places.

While I was lost in thought, the main gate of the mansion suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Squeak─

As soon as the door opens.

“welcome.”

“welcome.”

“welcome.”

“Welcome to visit.”

Bin Jin’s disciples who were waiting inside all bowed their waists in greeting.

There were a good 30 people in a wide range of ages, from early teens to early twenties.

“Ahem.”

Binjin cleared his throat once, stepped forward, and spoke with his voice amplified by magic.

“As I said yesterday, the second son of the famous magic tool manufacturing company Rockefeller Chant will be touring our mansion today. He is also the top student at the Magic Top that you all admire so much. It’s a kind of exchange. He was specially invited by Magic Top and Rockefeller Chant, so treat him with respect.”

Dozens of pairs of eyes were blatantly fixed on Ray.

Envy, jealousy, envy.

Longing, admiration, curiosity, etc.

A variety of emotions swirled in their bowls.

“In the case of Class B, you probably already know their faces. Yesterday, I made them practice for a real battle under the pretense of an attack. Despite your poor skills, be sure to be grateful to Master Hayler Rockfell, who treated you with sincerity.”

Binjin turned his head and glared at the people on his right, and those who caught his gaze hurriedly lowered their heads.

Among the ten people who fought in the open space yesterday with Ray, eight of them, excluding two, had blue mana trembling uneasily in their vessels.

and.

“Tsk tsk, you losers.”

Along with Binjin’s reprimand, the blue mana expanded in volume and its trembling also became more intense.

Ray’s eyes were filled with interest as he watched the scene.

The blue mana itself was familiar.

Because I’ve seen it countless times in the slums.

We also saw it when we faced Allegheny in Sector 46.

The emotions associated with the blue mana that Allager held at that time were… .

‘Ridicule, mockery, contempt, superiority.’

In other words, a feeling of looking down on others.

But now it looked a little different.

When the blue mana is shaped like a chain like that… .

‘Feelings of inferiority, self-loathing, depression.’

In other words, a feeling of looking down on oneself.

The blue mana was something that those who hated themselves and did not trust themselves held.

Another interesting thing was that the other disciples who had not been reprimanded at the time also had blue mana in their vessels.

‘Even my master, Binjin.’

As if that were the default for how they normally feel.

It was a very strange thing.

There were only three people in the room who did not have blue mana.

‘Me, and.’

Blue-haired siblings in Class B.

Instead of blue, the two people’s bowls contained mana of a different color.

In my sister’s case, it’s blue.

For my younger brother, it’s sky blue.

They are not all easy to find, and these are colors that I have not yet figured out the associated emotions for.

As I was looking closely at the siblings’ bowl, I heard Binjin’s voice.

“Aila, you should be especially ashamed. Because you can’t demonstrate your skills in real battles, you’re the only 2nd Circle student among the disciples, but you’re still a perennial Class B.”

The blue-haired girl, Ayla, lowered her head even further.

“At first, I thought he was a genius of the century. He reached the level of the 2nd circle at such a young age. But if he can’t use his mana properly, what good is it? And in the last class… .”

As Binjin’s reprimand continued, the various emotions in Ayla’s bowl became entangled and mixed together, turning black.

and.

The completed black color covered the blue that was in the bowl first and dyed it with its own color.

A blue that gradually turns to navy.

Ray’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

‘That won’t do.’

It would be a shame to lose such a rare and hard to find specimen so easily.

Ray opened his mouth quickly.

“I think it would be better to eat quickly.”

“Ah? Ah, ah! Yes. Sorry. I wasted your time with useless talk.”

Ray, who had stopped the scolding, checked Ayla’s vessel.

I saw black mana with weakened power, and blue mana regaining its original color.

Exactly!

When Binjin snapped his fingers, a tall young man popped out.

“Is the meal ready?

“Yes. We have prepared the menus you mentioned in the private room on the 4th floor.”

He was one of the three disciples who entered Amon’s office yesterday.

Could it be because I clearly witnessed the destruction of my colleagues’ circle?

He couldn’t hide his fear as he kept glancing at Ray.

“Oh, if you go up, there’s a bar, you can eat right away.”

Binjin nodded and gestured to his disciples.

“Go and do your work, you lazy, worthless, inferior things.”

Then, a large group of about 30 people dispersed busily throughout the first floor.

Ray and Binjin followed the disciple’s instructions and climbed the central stairs.

Knock, knock, knock

The mansion had four floors in total.

Every time I reached the second and third floors, I could see empty hallways extending on both sides.

“The mansion looks quite large. Are there no servants there?”

Binjin answered Ray’s question with a smile.

“Haha, of course I have enough money to hire servants. I have my own personal assets, and I also receive a considerable amount of sponsorship from the Amon Family in exchange for taking care of various tasks. However, I intentionally have my disciples do all the work at the mansion. It’s to foster self-reliance and make them into people who can do their part anywhere.”

According to the explanation that followed, the disciples were all street children with no connections.

It is said that he went around back alleys and orphanages and collected sprouts with magical aptitude.

“I don’t care what kind of plants those sprouts grow into, but ultimately, I want them to be unaffected by things like black rain and sandstorms. As you’ve probably lived longer than me, isn’t the world teeming with all kinds of evil?”

That was right.

Because even at this very moment, we can easily find malice all around us.

Ray, who was listening to the story, suddenly changed the subject as a thought occurred to him.

“I didn’t see Khan earlier.”

“Ah, you mean that guy from yesterday who attacked the wizard without knowing the subject?”

Binjin, who had been silent for a moment, continued to answer.

“Khan had a long conversation with me last night. Unfortunately, after much thought, he has decided to leave the mansion. He knows full well that this is a sort of wizard training center, and that those who have lost all possibility cannot stay here. Khan left the mansion this morning.”

“If you left the mansion, where would you go?”

At the moment of questioning, Ray’s gaze was directed towards the tower visible outside the window.

“I’m off to my own little farm in Sector 40. I’ll work, eat, and sleep in a bed every night. I’ve lost my dream of magic, but I’ll still live out the rest of my life enjoying a much better quality of life than living on the streets.”

He said that in some cases, the destination is not a farm but a tower.

In the case of children with exceptional talent, they write letters of recommendation to help them get into Matap.

“A promising sprout needs to be watered in a better environment. At Matap, you can receive more systematic education, and those who come from Matap are treated well wherever they go.”

“… … .”

“The disciples called each other that way. If they went to the magic tower, it was graduation, and if they went to the farm, it was rest.”

While we were chatting about this and that, we arrived at the private room on the 4th floor.

Squeak─

The door opened and a neat and tidy room was revealed.

“… … .”

Looking out the large window and seeing the tower directly in front of him, Ray could sense something.

There it was.