Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 245

#245. The Sun and Love (2)

Red, orange, yellow, pink, and… … .

The emotion that was colorfully dyed and tangled on Philip’s plate was love.

Feeling strong curiosity, Ray quietly used stealth magic and approached from behind the two.

“Sister Ayla, what are you doing after class tomorrow?”

“Um, tomorrow? We’ll practice combining elements in our room.”

“Then what about the day after tomorrow?”

“Theory study that was put off.”

“…And the next day?”

“I’m going to accelerate the rotation of the ring. If I don’t do it periodically, I’ll lose mana.”

The two were drinking tea and looking at the scenery beyond the balcony.

While Ayla answered without thinking, Philip was trying hard to continue the conversation.

I felt a strange tension and trembling, unusual for Philip.

‘As expected, it’s love.’

Or, to speak rudely in front of a specific person.

If you are unusually nervous and make mistakes.

It was one of the symptoms of love that Ray usually concluded.

“Then what about the day after that?”

“Practicing sparring with Ain.”

“If we spar, Ain almost always wins?”

“No, but I’ve been practicing a lot now… huh?”

Ayla just turned her head, realizing that the question wasn’t Philip’s.

“Whoa!”

I was so surprised when I saw Ray appearing right next to me that I fell over.

Philip quickly moved and caught Ayla, who was awkwardly and confidently falling, and helped her up.

“Phew, phew, thanks.”

“Sister, you really are weak to being surprised like this.”

The two people who had caught their breath looked back at Ray and shouted at the same time.

“Radar!”

“Lay…!”

Emotions of joy and happiness overflowed into the bowl.

“Is this journey over? Have you succeeded in finding the dwarf settlement?”

“I’ve been waiting every day for you to come back! Not just me and Ain, but all the kids in the mansion too!”

As if they had been waiting for a long time, Philip and Ayla began to pour out their words.

“I’m talking about the operation of the Amon Family that you entrusted to me. It was hard at first, but the more I did it, the more fun it became. I also became more and more greedy.”

It suits her to run the entire organization, and the balance in her Ignis account is steadily increasing.

“Ain and I continue to teach the children in the main building. Their skills are steadily improving. The mana ball you created in the lobby hasn’t been able to move anyone yet…!”

Everyone was so enthusiastic about learning magic that they even gave up their nighttime sleep, and they were able to deal with the homunculi’s attack on the mansion without difficulty.

and.

“The children of the main house are a great help in managing the district. The wizards patrol the streets periodically, so other organizations cannot easily invade the district. They are a kind of military force.”

Ray seemed to know why Philip and Ayla had become so close in such a short period of time.

The person in charge of operations for the Amon Family is Philip.

The leader of the children in the main building is Ayla.

The two people had a relationship where they had no choice but to communicate a lot as managers.

I felt a little… strange.

Even while I was away, the mansion and the organization were still running so well.

Ray opened his mouth, feeling grateful to the two of them.

“For now.”

“So the store numbers now are… huh?”

“This journey is over. However, I think we will have to leave again soon after a week. I will tell you more details when we all gather together later. For now, I have to go back to the settlement.”

Philip and Ayla nodded.

“Yes! I wonder what kind of exciting adventure he had this time. It’s going to be a long story, so let’s listen to it while having a nice meal and a drink together.”

“I think that’s better too! Yeah? By the way, Philip, do you drink alcohol too?”

“Ah, ah…! Since I often meet with business owners…! I don’t mean to drink like a drunk, but just enough to enhance the flavor of the meal, so don’t misunderstand, sis.”

Even though there was no particular intention behind Ayla’s question, Philip was flustered for a while.

Afterwards, Ray handed Philip a notebook containing a list of travel necessities.

“I’ll go. I have class soon!”

Ayla disappeared down the stairs.

And when the girl’s back was no longer visible.

“Philip, do you like Ayla?”

Philip spit out the tea he was drinking at Ray’s sudden question.

“Keluk! Kolok! Kek, kek! W-what are you saying? Do I like Sister Ayla? All of a sudden? Ah…! This is it.”

Extremely embarrassed, Philip remembered that his special friend could read other people’s emotions.

Still, I caught it anyway.

“No? I don’t like you? I hate Sister Ayla.”

“I’ll tell you exactly what it is.”

“Oh, please don’t do that, sir.”

Philip hung on to Ray’s trouser leg as he was going down the stairs.

After the commotion died down, the two boys sat facing each other at the balcony table.

Ray asked.

“Since when?”

“Well, I don’t know. It’s just that whenever I see Sister Ayla, my heart starts racing. At first, I thought it was an arrhythmia, but it wasn’t.”

“When you like someone, your heart races… Memo… How do you feel?”

“Of course I’m excited and happy every time I wake up in the morning… But why aren’t you going when you’re busy?

“I have to hear this.”

“Oh my.”

Philip was extremely embarrassed, but knowing Ray’s persistence, he sighed and gave up.

“First of all, I feel like my life is full. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I think of is that person. I smile for no reason, I feel excited, motivated, and work harder. However, when the other person doesn’t live up to my expectations, I sometimes feel resentful.”

“When Ayla answered your questions earlier, she only answered about her schedule?”

“Uh… yeah, that.”

Philip stared into space with a blank expression on his face for a moment.

“Anyway, I end up thinking about him all day.”

“Is that love?”

“Yes, it’s love. Love between a man and a woman.”

“I envy you.”

“… Are you jealous?”

“I don’t know what it feels like to love someone.”

Ray brought up the story he had heard from Veronica.

“They say that in order to love others, you must first learn to love yourself. But I’m not sure if I love myself.”

“Hmm… The standard for love is different for each person. I think it’s possible to love others without necessarily loving yourself…”

Philip trailed off as he thought about his friend Ray.

‘It’s changed a lot. The awkward parts in behavior and expression haven’t completely disappeared, though.’

Compared to when we first met in Sector 49, the current Ray was truly emotionally rich.

He said with his own mouth that he had awakened many emotions, and it was the same when I actually saw it from the side.

But love is one of the most complex and subtle emotions, so it seems like it’s not easy to grasp.

“… Will there ever come a time when I can love others?”

Ray’s muttering was heard for a moment.

Philip asked without realizing it.

“What does Veronica think?”

“veronica?”

“Well, what comes to mind when you think of Veronica?”

Yes. My love seems to be out of reach for the time being, so let’s start with helping Veronica.

“Have you ever had that? Your heart raced when you saw Veronica, or you thought of her for no reason while you were resting? Or maybe Veronica treated you differently than she treated other people? What comes to mind when you think of Veronica? If you could talk about your feelings, emotions, or anything else, it might help you realize your love.”

Philip nodded inwardly.

How could you not notice this?

Even though Ray has lost all sense of humor, why does he give such a direct hint?

“… … .”

“… … .”

As Ray’s worries grew longer, Philip’s expectations also grew.

And finally.

“Veronica is a good healer.”

“You really need to reflect on yourself.”

“When I’m next to you, I feel warm, and why do I feel like reflecting?”

“Not knowing why to reflect is the reason why you should reflect.”

“You just sounded like Veronica.”

Philip shook his head.

*

When Ray returned to the settlement, the sight he saw was a group of dwarves and elves admiring the vast oasis surrounding it.

“Haha, who would have thought that the water problem would be solved so easily and absurdly?”

“Even if all of our elves here combined their strength, we wouldn’t be able to create a water source this large.”

Boom!

At that moment, Blue, who had flown from the center of the oasis, ran through the air and arrived in front of Ray.

Ray talked to Blue, naturally, with everyone’s attention focused on him.

[Thank you. I was going to ask you anyway. And it seems like you added protection to the settlement’s distortion field.]

[I can extend a favor of this magnitude. Boy, you saved my life.]

[Are you leaving right now?]

[Yes. Besides this place, there are countless lives in the wilderness that need to be taken care of.]

Blue, who was preparing to fly by stamping his feet, looked back at Ray one last time and said.

[I hope you can call me whenever you remember.]

[I know, there’s a way to recognize the returning rainbow. I’ll try to recall it as quickly as possible.]

[I’m waiting.]

[Oh, but.]

[Do you have anything left to say?]

[What do you think love is?]

The transparent water that made up Blue’s body rippled greatly.

[That’s a difficult question. Love. There is no emotion that is as vague as that. I wish you could narrow down the scope of the question a little.]

[It doesn’t matter what kind it is… but if I had to choose, it would be love between a man and a woman.]

Blue thought for a moment and then answered.

[Sometimes it boils like hot water, and at other times it freezes like cold ice. At the same time, it has a changeable form like water. Did that answer your question?]

[I’m not really sure. But thank you for your serious answer.]

Blue nodded and kicked the ground, disappearing into the blue dot across the sky in an instant.

After the excitement and heat Blue left on the scene had subsided, Ray spoke to the other two races one by one.

Elder Falun said:

“The construction of the underground city is progressing smoothly. The maximum number of floors that can be lowered will depend on the situation, but it seems that we will be able to secure enough space for all the dwarves of Lael Low to move into within a month.”

Falun burst into hearty laughter at Ray’s words that it was much faster than expected.

“Haha! That’s the technology of the dwarves. Hmm? Do you know about the ore called Terracotta? Yes, it’s a very rare ore with exceptional strength. I have a sample at Rael Lowe, so if you want, I can bring it to you. And… um, what do you think love is?”

Falun, who had been frowning, soon beat his chest and spoke confidently.

“Love, it is like the flames of a hot furnace, it never cools down.”

The next conversation partner was Greene.

“Everyone is adapting to their new home without any problems. The elves and animals are surprised and happy that there is a place like this outside the last forest. First of all, what happened in the sky is slowly… Love? The only thing that comes to mind is that nemesis, Charon, the elf… Ray, please don’t get married. No. If I tell you not to, then don’t.”

Grinne, who was unusually excited, finally calmed down and spoke.

“To answer seriously, I think love is a process in which two figures who have lived completely different lives adjust to each other. Of course, there are also figures that are like enemies that can never be defeated no matter what you do… .”

Greene left the place with a faint smile and a trailing voice.

The next person to approach was Veronica, holding the fox spirit in her arms.

“Heh heh! Ray-nim! There are so many strange things around here!”

“Lay, this isn’t really Philip, is it? I’ve never heard of a magic where people turn into animals! Oh, right! And I think we need to get more medicine and bandages from the mansion! The dwarves and elves here sometimes get hurt while working…”

Ray pulled away and asked.

“Veronica, what do you think love is?”

“Huh…? What?”

Veronica’s face began to become more familiar as she understood the question.

The red-haired girl thought.

So, the reason my cheeks are hot right now is definitely because of the sunlight.