Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 201

#201. Maintenance (3)

Ray approached the window.

In the direction of the mansion’s main gate, the mana in the air was rippling into the shape of a human being.

He approached the mansion as if he was swimming through water, then stopped and did not move any further.

“Hold on a second, I’ll be back.”

“Huh? Where?”

Ray left the living room, leaving the bewildered children behind.

As I opened the door to the mansion and went out, Curiosa appeared from a gap in the space.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been almost a month. Long time no see, kid.”

Curiosa answered indifferently and took out a notebook from inside the cloth and handed it to me.

“These are the results of the investigation you requested. All the information gathered from sectors 45 to 38 is in there.”

Ray opened the notebook and saw dense sentences on each page.

It didn’t seem like they had specifically collected information, but judging by the quantity, it was clear that Curiosa had put a lot of effort into the investigation.

“That’s amazing. It wouldn’t have been easy to finish investigating eight sectors in one month.”

“Well, for an authority on space jumping, gathering this much information is easier than scaring Lockdeer.”

Ray’s exclamation was soulless, but Curiosa continued to speak proudly anyway.

“Have you been to the historical site?”

“I’m back. I just arrived.”

“Your timing was good. There might not have been a rainbow fragment there as the Doctor instructed, but even without that, it was a good experience that broadened my horizons.”

“I found the fragments.”

“what?”

“Not a historic site, but somewhere else.”

The black lines that draw the eyes, nose, and mouth move in a distrustful manner on the white mask.

Curiosa concentrated.

Although she was extremely sensitive to other people’s emotions, she felt no emotion from the boy.

In other words, I couldn’t read the emotions and judge whether the statement was false as I could with other people.

‘But that cheeky little brat isn’t the type to lie about something like that.’

Curiosa waved her hand in the air, opening a passageway leading to the cabin.

“Let’s go in and talk. I have something to say, and it looks like the conversation will be long.”

“Just a moment. I’ll bring Veronica and Philip.”

“No, kid, I think it would be better for you to come in alone.”

Ray, who had been looking at Curiosa for a moment, nodded without asking any further questions.

The two walked into the cabin, visible through the gap in space.

Supporting─

The gap in space closed.

Ray took out some snacks from the cupboard with no fuss, made some tea, and placed it on the table.

‘What the heck, I clearly changed the location, but how do you know?’

Curiosa was momentarily taken aback.

“Sit down.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks for inviting me.”

He sat down at the table, answering in a hesitant manner.

The teacups clanked, and the first one to speak was Ray.

“Is what you have to tell me so important that I have to hear it alone without Philip and Veronica?”

“Okay. Let’s talk about that first.”

Curiosa, who had caught her breath, spoke in a meaningful voice.

“The doctor noticed our presence.”

Contrary to expectations, Ray didn’t look surprised at all.

Just calmly tilting the teacup.

“Kid, why aren’t you surprised?”

“Because I already know.”

“what?”

“Just keep talking.”

Curiosa continued her story with a mixture of doubt and confusion.

“It was Sector 43. I realized I was being followed while I was walking down the street. At first, I thought it was a group within the sector that had followed me because of my strange behavior. I was able to shake them off by jumping through spaces in a back alley. However, the new guys who had appeared somehow knew where I was and followed me. I wasn’t attacked or anything. They just quietly watched me as if they were keeping watch.”

Curiosa took a moment to catch her breath and continued.

“I caught one, and I knew right away what it was. It was a homunculus sent by the Doctor.”

“Homunculus.”

“Yes. Homunculus. Do you remember when we first met, I told you that I thought you were a homunculus?”

“I think I remember.”

Curiosa continued her explanation of the homunculus.

“You can’t feel any emotions from them. Anger, sadness, joy, etc. Even when they’re in a calm state, humans harbor small amounts of emotions. However, when they do certain things, certain emotions come up. They’re so intense.”

“… Similar to me.”

“Yes, they are similar to you, little one. But there is a big difference. Their words and actions are so awkward. Unnatural and bizarre. Like dolls that clumsily imitate humans.”

Curiosa added.

Just looking at those guys makes me feel a strong sense of discomfort.

“If I catch them and ask them questions, they just stare at me with empty eyes. They keep their mouths shut like mutes. I killed them all as soon as I saw them. However, when I moved to the next sector, they were still lying around on the streets. I haven’t found them yet, but there must be some here in Sector 37 as well.”

“… … .”

It was a moment when I understood how the doctor had figured out the group’s movements.

“Do you know anything else about Homunculi?”

“None. That’s all. The fact that they have broken emotional glands, and that the Doctor calls them homunculi. They’re probably related to the experiments on emotions that the Doctor is conducting.”

Ray thought for a moment and then said.

“Is it related to the doctor’s purpose? To return the world to its original state?”

“It’s not impossible. I don’t know what they’re planning to do with that homunculus, though.”

“It seems efficient.”

Curiosa’s head tilted.

“Efficient?”

“Homunculus, you only feel emotions when you need to.”

Curiosa seemed to know what Ray was talking about.

Humans are irrational beings who live their entire lives dominated by emotions.

If it were possible to call forth and expel emotions when desired, it would be possible to live entirely according to the principles of reason and rationality.

but.

“… … .”

I wondered if that was really a better life.

Curiosa asked.

“Kid, aren’t you the same? You only show emotion when you need to, and usually remain emotionless. Is it efficient? Are you satisfied?”

The unexpected question left Ray pondering for quite some time.

“… No, I’m not satisfied.”

“Yes. Efficiency and satisfaction are not always proportional. If I had a choice, I would choose a life where I am constantly exposed to emotions, even if it is uncomfortable, rather than a life where I artificially control my emotions.”

After talking a little more about homunculi, the two moved on to the next topic.

“Vicious went to the ruins before us. That’s when I realized that the Doctor was reading our movements.”

The story continued calmly.

Records of the tower damaged by Vicious and the murals that remained underground.

A fierce battle with Vicious who appeared in Rael Row.

“… Just listening to the story, it seems like it’s Vicious. I don’t understand why he looks like a child though.”

“I wonder if it’s because of the doctor’s experiments. Vicious said that once you become an adult, your mind becomes rigid and you can’t imagine.”

Ray summoned his mana and created a yellow dagger in his palm.

Curiosa, who had been dazed for a moment and then came to her senses, asked in an urgent voice.

“What is it? How did you do it?”

“I just imagined it.”

“What the hell are you talking about? The elements are now entangled in some ridiculous combination!”

Curiosa gasped for breath.

The purple curiosity in the bowl was crazy.

“You evil little brat! You’ve come back with another new skill! What do you want? Wealth? Fame? Women? I’ll give you everything, so tell me the method!”

I don’t really need any of those.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know the principle. If you just think of an image, the elements move on their own.”

Curiosa was quiet for a moment.

He said within.

“I can’t do it?”

“I don’t know. Vicious used magic in the same way. He freely changed the form of crimson mana.”

Curiosa, who had been writhing around with a scream, finally calmed down and spoke after a while.

“To summarize what we’ve said so far… it seems like the doctor limited Vicious’s growth so that he could continue to use his imagination.”

“That seems most convincing given the circumstances.”

“I don’t know. The doctor is a person who doesn’t leak information.”

Curiosa in deep thought.

It was only a few seconds later that Ray changed the subject.

“You’re definitely the world’s greatest space jumper, aren’t you?”

Although it was a sudden question, Curiosa responded immediately.

“Of course. I can confidently say that no one has studied spatial magic for as long as I have.”

“Not even one?”

“Yes, not a single one.”

“It seems like you’re the only one who can ask for this favor.”

ask.

For a moment, an ominous feeling ran down Curiosa’s spine.

“Connect the soon-to-be-completed mansion and the interior of the bus with a space corridor. Just as you can enter and exit the cabin from anywhere, you can also enter and exit the mansion whenever you want while traveling on the bus.”

There was talk of the World Tree and the Sky Island, but Curiosa couldn’t hear a thing.

Built with space.

Only those words were ringing in my ears.

‘Build a space road! This little bastard who sold his conscience!’

I’ve also poured a lot of time and mental energy into drawing a one-time magic circle that skips sectors.

But it’s a permanent space.

It was truly a gut-wrenching experience that I never want to experience again.

Curiosa trembled with anger, but then smiled in remorse as the truth occurred to her.

“Kid, I’m sorry, but it’s impossible. Space isn’t something that can be built with just time and effort. We need a relic called a space stone, which is extremely rare to find at a historical site…”

“this?”

In Ray’s hands were a pair of stone sculptures of a familiar shape.

Curiosa looked back and forth between Ray’s face and hands.

A moment of silence.

The black lines on the mask disappeared one by one and then disappeared completely.

Suddenly a gap opened in space and Curiosa leapt into it.

And then, faster than the speed at which it opened, it passed through the gap and fell to the ground with a thud.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Curiosa gave me a look of resentment.

What is it, how did you close it?

“Did you do that with your imagination too?”

“That’s not it. I just twisted the mana that rushed in when the space opened.”

“what…!”

Whether it was imagination or mana twisting, it was something that was difficult to understand with the common sense of a normal, good magician.

“No! You can’t do it! You built a passage once and then you were sick for weeks! Are you going to do it again?”

“You’ll do it, right?”

“Oh, don’t come here! You freaking bastard!”

“No one else can do it but you. And I’m a human, not a monster.”

“Yes, you! I’ll show you how, so you can do it!”

“I have other things to do.”

“You devil bastard! Now don’t even try to make a deal to tell me anything! Don’t come near me! If you come near me, I’ll kill you!”

The gaps in the newly created space closed as soon as they opened.

Curiosa’s screams echoed through the cabin for a while.

*

The construction of the annex, to which the Amon family poured their manpower, was carried out day and night.

Thanks to this, the annex was taking shape at a rapid pace.

“You can stay in the main house until the annex is completed.”

Jang and William answered Ray’s words simultaneously.

“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, thank you. I really do.”

Jang quit his job at the rickshaw company and helped out at the mansion.

Because he was friendly, he quickly became friends with the children in the mansion, and because he had outstanding adaptability and responsibility, he quickly and neatly completed any task he was given.

I thought it would be a good idea to take on the role of caretaker once the annex was completed.

“I, I’ll help out too. Since you saved me, I guess I have to do something…”

In the case of William, who had been trapped in the ruins for a long time, he seemed to be slowly regaining his senses.

Because he still had a habit of talking nonsense, I couldn’t know the details of his past.

However, judging from the deep gratitude he always held in his heart, it was judged that it would not be harmful to him even if he fully regained consciousness.

Anyway, it was helpful just to have it with me right now.

Considering an emergency, it would be good to have at least one more wizard available.

After looking around the streets, I couldn’t see any homunculi, and I thought it was unlikely that the doctor would attack.

‘Because there is a possibility of ‘what if.’

In Damper’s case, he stayed at the mansion for a few days with a blank expression and then left.

“… Let’s meet up later when we get the chance.”

He said he would take a break from his mercenary work for a while to gather his thoughts.

Sadness, regret, emptiness, helplessness.

The emotions that bloomed from the fact that he had been deceived by someone he had deeply trusted swirled around in the man’s stomach.

… By Ray’s standards, Damper was a strong man.

How can someone so strong be so stuck in a weak emotional state for so long?

It felt a little strange.

It was difficult, but I tried to understand.

“… … .”

The group’s whereabouts have been decided.

Ray was in the tower.

Inside the tower, which had been neatly repaired, dust floated leisurely along with the dim sunlight.

Ray was waiting for Grinne, who had agreed to become his art teacher.

There are about ten days left until the envoy from the Southern Light Dawn Society arrives.

I had to build up my strength as much as possible before they arrived, because I didn’t know how strong they would be.

‘But it’s impossible to raise the circle.’

Because it hadn’t even been two months since I reached the 3rd circle.

The conclusion was not difficult to arrive at.

Cultivating your imagination is the best option you can take right now.

Knock, knock, knock

As Ray walked between the tables containing the relics, something suddenly caught his eye.

A glass sculpture in the shape of a triangular pyramid.

‘prism.’

“It’s a prism.”

When I turned around at the sound of the voice, Grinne was there behind me.

Ray asked.

“You just said something called Prism… How did you know its name?”

“Of course I know. I know how to use it.”

Greene answered with a smile.