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#193. What You Lose When You Become an Adult (1)
Ray met with the elders in the conference room after work.
“How is it? Did you have a good look around, Lael Lowe?”
“Thanks to Is, I was well guided. I haven’t been to all the places yet, but their lifestyle is similar to humans and different, so it was interesting.”
The elders nodded with a gesture that was full of pride and talked among themselves for a while about Is.
“Still, I’m glad that Iss did his job well.”
“Isn’t it a bit quiet these days? You’ve hardly ever said anything about wanting to leave Rael Lowe.”
“It’s about becoming more mature little by little.”
well.
Ray asked, repeating to himself.
“I heard that Iss could become an elder in the future.”
“That’s right. I voluntarily gave up during the training. Does anyone remember what Iss said at that time?”
The elder sitting next to Falun answered his question.
“You said you didn’t have the confidence to be stuffed into a stereotypical life. You said you might suffocate to death.”
“That’s right, that’s right. It was a remark full of the childishness of a young person.”
The laughter of the elders continued.
Ray suddenly realized that he was feeling something of an unpleasant kind.
The identity of the emotion that had a rough texture was a faint discomfort.
“I don’t think I’m being picky at all.”
The words thrown out of the blue brought silence to the conference room.
Falun wiggled his eyebrows and then asked in a trembling voice.
“Why do you think so?”
“Is’s thoughts are not that young. It is a decision made after much thought and emotional pain.”
Falun chuckled at Ray’s words.
“I was wondering what you meant, but you are still young and seem to be on Ys’ side. If I may teach you one lesson, unrefined and raw freedom is no different from debauchery. All you will end up with is terrible confusion. As you grow older and become an adult, you will come to know how important and precious a quantified life is.”
“… … .”
Freedom and indulgence.
Adults. Quantified lives.
Many thoughts and words came to mind, but Ray, who had confirmed the unwavering emotions contained in the elders’ vessels, chose not to open his mouth.
But differences of opinion quickly arose in the ensuing conversation.
“Have you ever thought of selling the current stone?”
“I still don’t think so.”
“Think about it again. Isn’t the electric stone of no use to you?”
“I said in our last conversation that my goal was to complete the rainbow. That’s why I think it would be better if you handed me the current stone instead.”
Falun let out a hollow laugh.
“Rainbow, isn’t that such a far-fetched story? A fantasy that only very young children would believe in… .”
“It’s not absurd at all.”
“I don’t understand the idea at all. Anyway, if we had one more current stone, we could increase the output of all the facilities built inside and outside of Rael Low.”
“It would be better to lower that output.”
“What does that mean?”
“I heard you’re looking for a place to settle down.”
Falun frowned.
“Who said that?”
“Is.”
“That’s strange. It’s not really a secret, but our young free spirit is not the type to open up to just anyone.”
Falun, who had been silent for a moment, nodded as if he understood.
“Well, we’re similar in age so we probably became close quickly.”
I don’t think so.
They did give me some growth pills though.
Anyway, Ray explained why the equipment’s output had to be lowered.
It is said that the mana in the air that is excessively mixed turns into black smoke and rises into the sky, forming black clouds.
“Ultimately, the faster Rael Low moves, the more polluted the land becomes, and it becomes harder to find a settlement. The mana extracted from the current stone is fine, but it’s better to reduce the use of mana in the air.”
The elders were silent for a moment after hearing Ray’s story, and then they all burst into laughter.
“I’ve never heard a story like this before!”
“Where do stories come from? Is it the imagination of the storyteller living in your head?”
“We also collected rainwater and analyzed it in various ways. However, no mana or any other element was detected inside. The cause of the black rain that we suspect is different.”
Although Ray explained further the process of mana transforming into black smoke, the elders were very confident in their own research and did not believe the story one bit.
“… … .”
At some point Ray found himself giving up on trying to make her understand.
After that, the topic returned to Jeonryeok, but the conversation just kept going in circles without any results.
“It seems like both sides have strong arguments and it doesn’t seem like the story will end easily. How about staying in Rael Low for a few more days and trying to find a compromise?”
Ray nodded and left the conference room.
There was an iceberg outside the door.
“He didn’t come back.”
“My guidance will last until you all return to your rooms.”
“There’s no need to memorize the directions.”
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“No, I will guide you.”
The two boys used the stairs, the elevator, and the hallway to get to their room.
While moving, Iss suddenly asked.
“I heard loud laughter from inside earlier. Maybe they were talking about something interesting?”
He seemed curious as to whether his story had come up.
This seemed to be the reason why he stayed behind and volunteered to guide us.
“There wasn’t much to talk about. It seems like we’ll have to stay here for a few more days since the story about the electric stone hasn’t been resolved yet.”
“how much?”
“Up to 5 days.”
Anything more than that was difficult.
Because there’s a mountain of work to be done back in the sector.
As in Blue’s case, I didn’t know if I should be satisfied with just finding out where the rainbow fragments were.
“You have to leave after that.”
At the mention of leaving Rael Row, a feeling of envy passed over Iss’s bowl.
After that, Iss asked several rounds of questions to see if his story had been told.
But Ray was consistent with the same answer from beginning to end.
“I don’t know.”
“… … .”
Finally, unable to bear the frustration, Iss asked himself.
“You didn’t say anything about me?”
“It seemed like they still thought of you as a candidate for elder.”
“Damn old men. Lose your beards and never grow back again.”
“Why the beard?”
“Beards are the pride of dwarves. I don’t understand it at all. If a man doesn’t have a full beard, he’s not even considered an adult.”
Ray nodded, recalling the well-groomed beards of dwarven men.
They were also dyed and twisted in various ways.
It was a moment later that Ray opened his lips and stared at Is’s bowl.
“If you want to leave, leave.”
“what?”
“If you want to leave, then leave.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I told you. The elders won’t give permission.”
“Just make them grant permission.”
“how?”
“Have an accident.”
Isga looked at me with a puzzled look.
“That’s getting kicked out.”
“Or sneak into the bedroom and burn all the elders’ beards.”
“… … .”
“You can manipulate the hands of the square clock tower to mess up everyone’s schedule. There are many ways to do that.”
As Isga looked at me with a crazy look, a guest room appeared before my eyes.
“I appreciate the advice, but I can’t do something so crazy. That would be breaking the rules of Rael Lowe.”
After saying that, Iss turned around and left.
And then.
“You are less desperate.”
A single word heard from behind stopped me in my tracks.
Iss turned around, but Ray had already disappeared into the room.
The young dwarf stood there frozen in a daze, unable to leave for a while.
*
The next day too. And the day after that too.
Time passed quickly, but the conversation with the elders made no significant progress.
“I told you. They’re old people whose thoughts are so blocked that they can’t communicate. Of course, I don’t believe the story about mana tangled up and turning into black smoke.”
Rael Low’s watchtower, momentarily anchored in a fierce sandstorm.
A boy wearing a gas mask-style helmet and a thick coat spoke to a boy sitting next to him wearing the same outfit.
“And that rainbow thing is a bit unrealistic. A seven-colored ribbon floating in a clear sky.”
Ray answered Iss’s words.
“It seems much more realistic than the idea of flying in the sky.”
“No. This is much more realistic.”
“not really.”
“Your thoughts are not so good.”
“Your thoughts are even more and more different.”
The two boys, who had been exchanging increasingly longer sentences, stopped talking and stared at the sandstorm and fluttering magic surrounding them.
Suddenly, Issa said.
“I’ll check later when I get up high in the sky. Is there really a rainbow there?”
“… … .”
Ray was curious about that too.
What exists above the gray and black clouds that always cover the sky?
Ray asked.
“But why are you out here even during your free time after work? And it’s so stormy right now that you can’t even see the sky.”
“Just. I feel suffocated.”
Is’s gaze turned forward.
The sense of alertness that is rising in the bowl.
‘I think it would be right to monitor the approach of any enemy.’
Is it some kind of inevitable affection that I have because it is the place I was born?
It was an action that was somewhat at odds with his statement that he was ready to leave Rael Lowe at any time.
How much time has passed like that?
“That thing right now… .”
“… … .”
The two boys saw a red dot shining beyond the sandstorm.
A very ominous atmosphere.
A phenomenon of resolution completely different from the magic that occurs naturally in the storm was approaching us.
For a moment, Iss felt a chill run down his spine.
“Run and tell the elders immediately.”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he immediately disappeared through the door behind him.
Kkiei- Boom!
Ray spread mana throughout his body and stared at the red dot.
The red dot approaching in a straight line gradually grew longer and took the shape of a sharp, pointed bar.
That’s how it was completed.
‘knife.’
The moment a certain person suddenly appeared in Ray’s mind.
──.
The red sword exploded and leapt toward the watchtower, which was dozens of meters high.
──────!
At the same time, hundreds of blasts of electricity shot out from the boy’s palm.
The world flickered for a moment in the raging storm.
There were two figures standing on the watchtower where the light had cleared and the scenery was revealed.
A figure in a windbreaker holding a red sword stuck into the watchtower platform.
A boy who is keeping his distance from him while his whole body is wrapped in yellow electricity.
Ray watched his opponent, feeling his pulse pounding and his blood boiling.
Similar height to this one.
Mask and goggles.
Four rings containing crimson mana.
And a thick windbreaker with the right side completely burnt black.
‘You narrowly avoided my attack.’
It was at that moment that the other person’s strange voice was heard through the mask.
“You avoided this?”
Knock knock! Knock knock!
The longsword pulled out from the ground with force was absorbed into the opponent’s hand by the red energy.
The opponent looked at Ray and tilted his head repeatedly.
“I can’t believe you dodged my attack so easily. And you’re covered in magic. I told you that dwarves can’t use magic. Oh, and you might be wearing some kind of special equipment. No, but you’re also quite tall for a dwarf.”
… a younger voice than expected.
Ray never let go of the string of his maximized physical senses for even a moment, while at the same time inferring the identity of his opponent with his head.
Unlike their confused opponents, this side had quite a few clues.
Red sword. Boy. Windbreaker.
‘Mercred’s executive.’
It was the same person who appeared at the ruins, cut down the keepers, and advanced towards the tower in one breath.
Many questions were intertwined, colliding, disappearing, and reappearing in the boy’s mind.
Why did the opponent appear here?
Are you following the doctor’s orders?
Or is it an arbitrary act?
How strong is the opponent’s force?
If we were to fight, would I be able to win?
What will I gain if I fight and win?
As the boy thought about it, he could feel his excitement and elation rising.
At that moment, I finally heard the other person’s voice, as if he understood.
“You’re human?”
“I’m a dwarf.”
Ray became serious.