Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 197

#197. What You Lose When You Grow Up (5)

What Falun placed on the table was a bolt made of shiny silver metal.

You could tell from the colorful mana inside that it was no ordinary object.

When Ray looked at him with a look that asked for an explanation, Falun opened his mouth.

“It’s a part that has been passed down in Lael Low for a very long time.”

“Since a long time ago?”

“That’s right. It’s the only past we can preserve, as we run forward looking only at the present and the future.”

It is said that Lael Lowe has a toolbox that was used by the original designer.

It contains components made of materials that cannot be found in modern times, and it has been a long-standing tradition of Rael Lowe to give them as gifts to nobles as tokens.

“You may return this bolt at any time and make one request of Rael Lowe. As long as it is not a request that would threaten the existence of Rael Lowe, we will assist you in any way possible.”

The other elders objected vehemently to Falun’s words.

“Falun…! Isn’t this not something we agreed on…!”

“That’s right. It’s a clear abuse of power for you to decide matters on your own.”

Falun burst into laughter.

“Shut up, everyone. Do you still not understand the situation after experiencing firsthand how strong the intruders are? The very existence of Rael Lowe could be in jeopardy. This level of gratitude is only natural.”

“No, but still….”

The argument continues.

Ray whispered to Iss.

“Is this bolt that great that it can fight like that?”

“Uh… I was surprised too. I know it hasn’t been given to outsiders in the last few hundred years. At least not on record.”

Ray fiddled with the bolt.

The weight of the statement that I could ask Lael Lowe for anything didn’t really hit me.

However, judging by the complex and elaborate mana patterns flowing inside, I got the feeling that it wasn’t a simple component.

‘… the designer of Rael Lowe.’

According to the mural, the seven guardians appeared to be fighting a war while holding a piece of the rainbow.

Then the six joined forces to corner the guardian with the blue piece.

The mural was cut off there, so it is unclear exactly what happened to the guardians after that.

But if we were to guess, wouldn’t it be possible that the Guardian who guarded the yellow gem designed Rael Row?

“Are there any records of the designer of Lael Lowe?”

Falun, who was engaged in a heated argument with the other elders, turned to Ray and answered.

“There are no surviving records. It is assumed that they were dwarves, but it is unknown what race they were, or what purpose they were designed for. The only thing that is certain is that their items were given to nobles as tokens.”

Ray tilted his head.

“Why aren’t there any records?”

“I think that due to space issues, they deleted the records and chose to use the oral method, but at some point the transmission was cut off. Uh, uh, why are you generating electricity in your hand now?”

Ray calmed down his boiling anger with a few calm breaths.

I felt like I knew how Greene felt, having almost gotten into a fight with Falun yesterday.

Swish.

He said, pushing the bolt towards Falun.

“I will use that request right away.”

“Is that right…?”

“It’s a question about the handling of the current stone.”

The object that everyone had been waiting for was lifted from Ray’s arms.

It was a complete electric current stone.

The seamless seams made it hard to believe that it was originally two pieces.

“As you can see, the current stones are fused together. I’ve tried several methods, but separation is impossible.”

“…Can I take a look for a moment?”

“as you please.”

Small tools of unknown purpose were taken out one by one from a wall drawer.

Falun and the elders forgot about the fight and studied the jewel as if they were possessed.

“My goodness, it’s so perfectly put together. I’d almost believe it was originally a single ore.”

“Huh, do you see that the strength rating is over 20? It was already impossible to destroy, but it has become even stronger.”

“Check the purity of your mana!”

A gaze of observation pouring in from outside.

Lacria, who had been resting inside the jewel, made a panicked gesture as if she had been struck by a disaster.

Spirits are beings who fundamentally feel an instinctive aversion to anything that goes against the natural state.

This aversion applied to humans as well as dwarves without exception.

────.

The only people I feel exceptionally comfortable with are Ray, Veronica, and the elf Grine.

There is an excessive amount of energy accumulated because it was not summoned for this battle.

Ray quickly spoke, feeling that a foul-tempered snake was about to materialize in the conference room.

“I think it would be better to stop giving it.”

“Ah, ah, that’s right.”

The elders who handed over the jewels looked very regretful.

“It seems like even the dwarf’s technology that came into the conversation makes it impossible to separate them.”

“I need to do more analysis, but I think it’s highly likely.”

“Then there is a problem. Who will own the current stone? I will use the Volt to make a request. I want you to acknowledge that I own the combined current stone.”

The elders were murmuring.

Falun said with a very stern face.

“I’m sorry, but that request would be detrimental to the existence of Rael Lowe. Without the current stone, Rael Lowe would not be able to function.”

“It’s better not to move at all.”

“Is that the same nonsense you told me last time? That the land gets polluted as Rael Low moves? It’s just a fantasy with no evidence─.”

“There is evidence.”

Ray looked back at Falun and the elders, then opened his mouth.

“Black marks left on the walls and ceiling.”

Black smoke continued to rise from Vicious throughout the battle.

The mana byproduct, visible only to Ray, touched the walls and ceilings inside Rael Row, leaving a black mark that everyone could see.

“As you can see, Vicious, the intruder manipulated mana by materializing it. It started out as a crimson color, then gradually turned completely black. When you forcefully fuse elements, that’s the result, and it has a negative effect on the surrounding area.”

The elders were silent.

It was a statement that was hard to believe, but I couldn’t completely ignore it after seeing it with my own eyes.

The elders hesitated for a while, exchanging opinions, and then Falun said:

“Let’s say your story is true. But even if it is, Rael Lowe cannot be stopped. The moment he stays in one place, the very possibility of finding a settlement disappears.”

That was a valid point.

It was at that moment that a piece of tickling appeared in the boy’s head.

On a blank sheet of paper.

Multicolored lines stretched out.

Ray concentrated on controlling his wild imagination, but soon realized that he didn’t need to.

… imagination is essentially a free force, and controlling it can actually weaken its influence.

“… … .”

I calmed down and came to my senses.

What is finally completed is one painting.

It was rough, but there were a lot of flashes of brilliance.

The boy spoke softly.

“Once I settle down, I won’t have to move anymore. I wish you would call me Grine.”

*

Upon arriving at the conference room, Greene spotted Falun and exchanged a look of subtle war of nerves.

“Sister, fire─.”

“Sit down.”

“Well, let’s do that for now.”

Greene, who was sitting down, asked back in a slightly surprised voice after hearing Ray’s story.

“Under the island floating in the sky?”

“According to Iss, Sky Island is always observed from the same direction.”

At Ray’s words, all eyes in the conference room turned to Is.

“Uh… I like looking up at the sky. Every time I look up after a storm, the location of the island doesn’t change.”

Gays’ dream is to one day fly through the sky and reach an island floating high in the sky.

That’s why they said they also keep a record of the island’s defenses every day.

Falun, who had been keeping silent, looked at Ray and spoke with a sigh.

“So, to summarize what you’re saying, the land beneath the so-called Sky Island, floating in the sky, is likely to have been much less affected by the Black Rain than other places.”

“That’s right. I think it’s because the clouds don’t gather because they hit the island. In fact, when I looked up at the sky during the day, that part seemed to have fewer dark clouds than other places.”

“So move there and settle down. This is ridiculous.”

The elders gossip.

Ray turned his head and continued talking to Grinne.

“That could be the place where a new world tree will sprout.”

“… I think it’s certainly possible to investigate. However, for the World Tree to grow to a sufficient size, it usually doesn’t require good quality land.”

“I think that can be compensated for to some extent with dwarven technology. I heard that there is a technology that makes plants grow quickly. Right? Es?”

Iss answered Ray’s question in a bewildered voice.

“Uh, um, it’s a technology for quickly growing plants that grow underground to use them as food, but there’s nothing that can’t be applied to plants that grow above ground.”

Ray nodded.

“And you said that the green gem has the power of growth and purification?”

“Yes, but not much research has been done.”

“I will help grow the World Tree. I will use the mana from the green gem.”

The elves of the Last Forest did not know much about the green gem.

It was the same for the boy.

It had not been analyzed and communicated as thoroughly as the yellow gem, and there was much less knowledge about the dissolved elements.

But why is that?

It occurred to me that I could use green mana to make anything I imagine possible.

“You’re saying that Ray-nim will help grow the World Tree…?”

Greene had a rare look on her face.

Even among the elves who were born with a high affinity for magic, only a very small number of them could handle the mana of the green gem, the life stone.

The boy handled Mana, who had such a difficult nature, without any hesitation, as if he had been handling her for a long time.

There is no doubt about his ability to manipulate mana.

‘But there must be a limit to the height to which the power of the life stone can grow vegetation. And to cooperate with the dwarves to build a territory for each other.’

It’s uncertain and also awkward.

It seems like a child’s fantasy that runs wild without any consideration of the situation.

But at the same time, it was true that the thought of ‘what if’ was disturbing my mind.

And that thought.

“Let me hear the story again.”

It seemed like the same thing happened to the dwarves.

Ray continued his explanation.

Elves on the ground.

Dwarves live under the ground.

It was a story about how, although they live in different worlds across the Earth’s surface, they share the same goal of creating a clean land, so they can work together and coexist.

“Hmm, sure, if the World Tree is a sacred tree that acts as a giant umbrella to block the black rain….”

“Wouldn’t it be better to first compile a list of technologies we can provide?”

Before they knew it, the elders were deeply engrossed in Ray’s story.

“… … .”

Iss remained silent as he listened to the conversation.

The thought that perhaps Rael Lowe’s long-cherished wish would be resolved, and that he would soon be banished and become a person with no connection to such matters, gave rise to a strange feeling.

It feels like there’s a hole in my chest.

I shook my head inwardly and steeled my resolve.

‘Yes, leaving Rael Lowe is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. To finally be free from the shackles of convention and discipline, and become a free-spirited wanderer.’

Boiling passion and elation.

It was then that Falun’s voice awakened my thoughts.

“Is, I’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”

“Yes? Why me?”

“There have been quite a few casualties, haven’t there? We’re short on manpower, so we need to fill the vacancies.”

“I should be expelled.”

Falun frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you not remember me hitting the elder in the forehead?”

“Oh, I remember. My stomach still feels cold.”

“Insubordination in an emergency situation. This is a clear violation of discipline, and the article states that you will be expelled without warning.”

“I guess you were very worried about that.”

Falun nodded once and continued speaking with a forgiving expression on his face.

“Don’t worry. I decided not to hold you responsible for anything that happened due to the urgency of the situation. I also learned something thanks to you.”

“yes?”

Other elders chimed in from the side.

“I heard the story. In the end, it was your judgment to open all passages that allowed us to repel the intruders.”

“no.”

“Be glad. I have lifted your restraining order and reinstated you as a candidate for leadership.

“what.”

“It was decided unanimously.”

“that is.”

“I never thought you’d show such determination. I’ve seen you again, Iss.”

“ah.”

Iss looked back at Ray with a blank expression.

‘I told you to get into an accident.’

‘Are you asking for congratulations?’

Ray gave a thumbs up.

For a while, only the dwarf boy’s soulless laughter flowed through the conference room.