Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 186

#186. Old City (4)

Ten days ago.

A boy wearing a long windbreaker was said to have appeared on the outskirts of the site.

“Even if we brought an army, it wouldn’t be enough, so it was surprising that he showed up alone. In any case, the fact that he was an intruder threatening the security of my kingdom remained unchanged. That’s why I tried to send soldiers to drive him out.”

But the man who was about to throw the decoy device witnessed it the next moment.

The boy is seen chewing and swallowing several small red gems.

“At that moment, the mana energy felt from the intruder’s body was explosively amplified. The nearby soldiers reacted and rushed forward with their swords drawn.”

The boy burst into an eerie laughter at the sight, then created a sword made of red energy and held it in his hand.

and.

He swung it madly, slaughtering the keepers as he advanced towards the tower.

“Of course, I couldn’t cut through the tough armor of the red and black soldiers. I just targeted the weak joints and cut them.”

Because of this, the fallen keepers kept getting up again and again as their bodies recovered.

But it didn’t mean anything.

Because the invaders were advancing and taking down the keepers much faster than their recovery speed.

“The intruder laughed endlessly. As if he enjoyed the act of breaking and cutting things. Like a child who mercilessly kills bugs with malice.”

Feeling a kind of fear he had never experienced before, the man entered the cube and locked the door.

While desperately praying that the other person doesn’t notice his presence.

“The intruders came into the castle, set it on fire, and slashed everywhere with swords. I could only curl up in my bedroom, helpless like an insect.”

Fortunately, the intruder did not notice their presence.

He simply gave up trying to break the cube and went out of the tower, wandering around as if looking for something before leaving the ruins.

Veronica whispered to Ray.

“Lay, that red jewel… .”

“Yes, it’s a red blood stone.”

Red blood stone.

A high-quality mana recharge stone given to members of Murkred’s organization.

In other words, it meant that the intruder was a member of Murcred.

Ray asked the man.

“You said that the intruder came close to the cube and attacked. Do you remember how many of the opponent’s rings were activated at that time?”

“I remember. There were exactly four.”

Four rings. He was an executive.

Ups, Vicious, Lazy.

It was probably one of the three people I hadn’t met yet, but there was a question that came to mind before who it was.

Ray looked closely at Walter’s ring that he took out of his bosom and thought.

‘Detection magic, the arrows indicating the locations of the remaining three executives have never moved from the direction of the Elton River upstream to the other side.’

I asked the man with a question.

“Was there a ring on the intruder’s hand?”

“You were wearing it. I remember it was a ring with a red gem.”

The executive did not pass his ring on to someone else.

There is only one conclusion.

The other party was said to have manipulated the detection magic granted to the ring, just like Curiosa had done, to falsify their location.

And after a moment of thought.

“The doctor recognized our presence.”

Veronica questioned Ray’s additional conclusion that had just come out of his mouth.

“Is that how it is?”

“This is Alleger’s command location. There’s no reason for other executives whose routes don’t overlap to show up here, so.”

Ray took a breath and finished speaking.

“Unless the doctor gives new instructions to the executives.”

“ah…!”

“The other party arrived here ten days earlier, damaging the tower’s records and also conducting a search for the jewel. We must clearly view this as an action conscious of us.”

Veronica said with a realized look on her face.

“This is what we were hoping for.”

“The reason I clashed with Murkred was to attract the doctor’s attention and meet him directly.”

“But at the same time, it is also a worrisome situation.”

“There will definitely be more exposure to risk.”

The girl felt a queasy feeling for a moment… but when she met the boy’s calm eyes, she felt better.

Then he expressed his doubts.

“But why didn’t you send a cadre directly to us? If they are someone who is interfering with the organization’s activities, it would be right to deal with them quickly.”

Even the boy couldn’t figure that out.

I just got the impression that the doctor wanted to hide the letters and pictures on the tower walls.

With a question in his mind, Ray continued to ask the man questions.

“Are there any memorable characteristics about the intruder?”

“That’s all I said. About mid-teens. Eerie laughter, long windbreaker, and….”

Mid teens.

It was an age that was not understood.

According to Curiosa, the executives were adopted by the doctor about 20 years ago.

If we look at it that way, the current age should all be in the 20s or 30s.

‘Is it because of something like the doctor’s experiment that he doesn’t age? Or is it possible that he’s a different person?’

While Ray was lost in thought, a man’s shout was heard.

“Ah, ah! There was something the intruder kept muttering as he came up here!”

“What words?”

“I said I didn’t understand my father. I don’t understand why he’s wary of a guy who doesn’t even have a developed imagination.”

Ray tilted his head.

My father probably meant doctor, but I couldn’t figure out what he meant by imagination.

Veronica muttered next to me.

“Ray is a little, just a little bit lacking in imagination.”

“… … .”

In fact, it was not just a little bit lacking, it was catastrophically lacking, so it could not be refuted.

Ray asked Greene.

“Have you heard of Murkred?”

“Rumor has it.”

“What did you just say? Any guesses?”

“Hmm… I don’t think a 4th circle magician who is an executive of a powerful organization would say something like that lightly.”

Grinne thought for a moment and then said.

“There was a story like that in the records preserved in the Last Forest. It is said that the wizards of old used magic in a different way than they do now.”

“Are you talking about a method other than the ring?”

“No. The rings were the same. However, there was a big difference in the way the magic was manifested.”

Because the records were damaged, the exact details were unknown.

However, the part where the power of magic was amplified by utilizing some of the living creature’s innate qualities remained.

He said that when he heard the word imagination, for some reason that content came to mind.

‘The flowering of imagination.’

I tried to imagine a short phrase, but failed because I didn’t have the imagination to expand it.

So the boy opened his eyes wide and glared at the man.

“The walls were full of pictures and letters.”

“Tch, that was before it was damaged by the intruders.”

“What was it about?”

“Uh, um. I don’t quite remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

“Isn’t that just graffiti? I’ve never noticed it before─.”

Phage crackle!

The man’s face turned pale as he saw the bright blue electricity shooting out of Ray’s hand.

Veronica quickly grabbed Ray by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out.

“Your Majesty, is there really nothing you can remember? It is something that is very important to us. If you think about it carefully, you will surely remember something.”

“Uh, uhm, if you say so…”

The man’s fears were quickly allayed by Veronica’s barrage of praise and soothing words.

Before long, the man, feeling better, pulled his lips away.

“There is a place where those vicious invaders dare not set foot.”

*

The place the man guided the group to was the first floor of the tower.

“Please wait a moment while I open the door.”

The man, sitting with one knee bent, injected mana into the floor of the first floor.

Colorful mana spread out across the floor in intricate patterns, and soon.

Gugugugu──

The floor split in half, revealing a deep underground staircase.

“Your Majesty, how do you know this?”

“Hahaha! Isn’t it natural to know every space in your own lair?”

“But why can’t I remember the letters and pictures on the wall─”

Veronica twisted her lips against Ray’s.

“I think you are really, really great! Can you please continue to guide me?”

“Of course, follow me!”

A smiling man took the lead and went down the stairs.

Veronica let go of Ray’s mouth and moved her hand over her lips, pretending to close the zipper.

Ray did the same and followed the man with his companions.

Knock—knock—knock—

Under the magical halo of light.

Four pairs of footsteps echoed quietly.

As I walked, the light on the ground seemed to fade away, and the sloping stairs gave the feeling of falling rather than descending.

How much time has passed like that?

widely.

I reached the end of the stairs.

A sudden burst of light chased away the darkness that had been engulfing the space.

“and…!”

“This is amazing…?”

Veronica and Grinye were amazed at the sight that appeared before their eyes.

It was a spacious common space.

In the center stood a tall stone slab that was taller than an adult male.

The walls surrounding the room were filled with unknown paintings.

“Your Majesty, where is this…?”

“I don’t know exactly what the purpose of this place is. But if you were curious about the graffiti on the wall, there are a lot of similar things here, so feel free to enjoy them─.”

That was the moment.

The boy’s steps were as if he was possessed.

Tak─

A pace that is neither slow nor fast.

Tak─

I moved forward, leaving deep footprints in the silence that filled the space.

widely.

The place it finally stopped was in front of a stone slab.

The old letters, filled with purple mana, were reflected in the boy’s white eyes.

It was a short sentence that could neither be read nor pronounced, but the meaning was conveyed intact.

[We are waiting for your return.]

At that moment, the boy couldn’t think straight.

I just wanted to ask.

Who are we who are waiting?

Who are you who is coming back?

And who carved these words on the stone tablet and for what purpose?

“… … ?”

The boy suddenly realized that tears were flowing from his eyes.

Looking closely, the mana contained in the old letters was of various colors other than purple.

Pink sadness. Crimson gratitude.

Purple longing, pink longing, etc.

Perhaps it was a moment of empathy with the emotions of the person who wrote the text.

Then Veronica and Grine’s voices were heard from behind.

“Grine, these paintings. Don’t you think there’s a story going on along the walls?”

“Sure. So the beginning and end of the story are on either side of the entrance we came in from?”

Since there was nothing else on the tablet, Ray turned to face the two men.

“Ah, Ray. Come here! I think it starts here!”

The mural had a simple style consisting of only dots and lines.

At first glance, it looked like a child’s scribbles, but upon closer inspection, individual shapes could be easily identified.

Ray said, staring at the mural on the right side of the entrance.

“This round line is a fruit─.”

“Hmm? Ray, I don’t think so. There are a lot of people gathered inside. I think it’s a plaza.”

“Then this square here is a bench─.”

“Ray, anyone can tell that it’s a staircase.”

The hammer wielded by those with a rich imagination was truly fierce.

Ray, who almost lost consciousness, managed to get back and listen in on the conversation.

“Isn’t this a picture showing various races living together in one place?”

“I agree with Veronica. This one has pointy ears so he looks like an elf, this one is short so he looks like a dwarf, and this one is tall so he looks like a giant.”

I’m not sure.

“I guess this is how it was before the war. But it doesn’t look that happy or joyful.”

“It feels a bit mechanical. Their faces are all expressionless.”

How do you know that?

Ray, who was asking a silent question, suddenly realized something that the two of them had not yet noticed.

‘The mural in front of me now has no color.’

Only black and white.

There were only two colors.

When I turned my gaze to the right and examined the connected murals, I could see that they all belonged to a world of colorlessness.

However, its history was not long.

At some point, the mural was painted and continued on.

Ray walked towards the part where the rapeseed and radish were tangled like a sea.

“… … .”

A slightly larger mural than the others.

Above the black and white world, the only object with color was floating.

Seven colors layered on top of each other.

A ring shape cut in half.

Below that.

I could see someone walking towards the old tribes.