Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 294

#294. People of the Old World (4)

Ray walked quickly through the alley, repeating the woman's words.

"City, where in this city is the place with the most children?"

Why did the doctor ask that question?

To grow in strength by absorbing the life force of children through exploitative magic, like Walter did?

Or perhaps to find a scapegoat for his experiments?

I couldn't figure it out.

However, the woman said that she chose the training center on the rooftop as the answer to her question.

“As you know, every school operates a training center as an auxiliary facility to train new magicians. The training center is bound to be the place with the most children.”

“But why did that man ask such a question? It’s something that every city person knows. He spoke as if he had been away for a long time and was just returning.”

Afterwards, I met with all the other residents who had encountered the doctor, but the same information came back.

Deciding that there was nothing more to gain, Ray returned to the Magic Tower and traveled to the wilderness settlement through the space route installed inside the bus.

“Oh, you’re here!”

“Ray! Hello!”

Greetings from all directions came from the dwarves and elves who were busy cultivating the forest beneath the World Tree and building an underground city.

Ray nodded slightly, paying homage.

Afterwards, I met the dwarf elders and heard about Rael's location. Without delay, I climbed to the top of Rael Row and opened the door leading to the watchtower.

Ki-ki …

A field of vision that brightens in an instant.

I could see Lael's back, looking down at the ground from in front of the railing.

A voice came out from there.

“Are you here?”

“… … .”

Ray came up to her silently and gazed at the scenery on the ground.

Rael turned to Ray, bowed respectfully like a subject would to a king, and then spoke.

“I think you must have been very confused. You suddenly heard that you were the reincarnation of a divine being called Rainbow.”

“I’ve sorted things out a bit now.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Rael nodded slightly and followed Ray as he looked forward again.

“I heard from the elders of Lael Lowe that the beautiful scenery you see now was all created thanks to Raynim.”

The landscape that unfolded on the ground was a vast continuum of green and brown.

The plants are growing thickly and slowly taking the form of a forest.

Animals big and small running around lively in between.

This happened in just three months, and was the result of the combination of the elven growth magic and the dwarven technology.

“… The scenery was amazing, but what surprised me the most was that dwarves and elves, who were born with bad compatibility, were joining forces and living together.”

“It wasn’t really my intention.”

Rael smiled at Ray's firm answer and said.

“Even if it wasn’t your intention, you may have unconsciously taken action in that direction. So that dwarves and elves can coexist. You have always wished for harmony among all races.”

Everything is according to your will and intention.

Rael added that it may have been almost inevitable that a joint settlement of dwarves and elves would be formed.

“You could call it fate. Just like the yellow shards I passed down to my descendants eventually ended up in your hands after a long time.”

Rael looked down at the massive mobile citadel he was aboard.

Rael Lowe originally wandered the wilderness using yellow shards as a power source.

There was no longer any need to move around in search of a settlement, and the deck and other exterior areas were covered in bushes and vines, giving them the appearance of ancient ruins.

“Lael Lowe must have finally been able to fall into a deep sleep after a long and seemingly endless journey.”

“… … .”

Ray suddenly asked as he listened to the voice full of emotion.

“What were the old days like?”

“Are you talking about the old days?”

“They say it’s the reincarnation of the rainbow, but in truth, I don’t remember anything about that time.”

“I think it will come back slowly, like getting wet in water.”

Rael took a small breath.

And the story began.

“The creatures of the beginning were imprisoned in a gray landscape. They lived without even the slightest emotion, repeating only mechanical actions to sustain life. To use a metaphor─”

The ending of the speech was blurred for a moment.

“─It was like me now. A robot made of inorganic matter.”

Ray looked blankly at Rael.

Robot, that was a word I had heard countless times throughout my life.

Especially during childhood when we were completely incapable of feeling emotions and had no socialization.

But the Rael in front of me now and the myself back then felt very different.

“You don’t feel like a robot at all.”

“Then, it must all be thanks to the emotions you gave me. I lived my life enjoying many emotions, and the memories of those times are still stored intact in the circuits of my head.”

Rael added with a smile.

Of course, it can't have real emotions, and it can only take appropriate actions based on pre-entered values, but at least it won't look awkward on the outside.

“… Anyway, back to the original story, in the beginning, only two beings in the sky had proper colors.”

“The sun and the rainbow.”

“That’s right. You came down to earth and scattered your colors to give us the blessing of emotions.”

And he divided his power into seven parts, and gave them to the ancient races to prosper.

Of course, the peace was soon brought to an end by the fierce war that followed.

Woof──!

Ray summoned all the rainbow fragments he had collected so far into his hand.

Orange, yellow, green, blue.

The four jewels shone with a splendid light.

“You’ve almost recovered the fragments. What’s left here is….”

“Red, and purple.”

Ray shared with Rael what he currently knew.

The blue shards are guarded by a spirit named Blue.

It is certain that the red fragment is in the possession of Doctor Redran.

“And it seems like Redran’s goal is to return the world to a state where emotions do not exist.”

Rael looked dumbfounded after hearing the story.

“Why would you do such a thing, I can’t understand. But… Redran has been an enigmatic being since the moment he was appointed as a glorious guardian long ago. That tendency tended to deepen as the emotions scattered throughout the world diversified. It was he who suddenly started the second war after sealing the blue guardian.”

Ray nodded slightly.

And added the facts he found out.

“I heard that the locals asked where there were the most children in the city. I wonder if it had something to do with crossing the disaster area.”

“Children… Land of Disaster… .”

Rael, who had been repeating the two words over and over, shook his head.

“Actually, I don’t know much about the Land of Disaster. I haven’t been there since the fairies finished building all the barriers and traps. No, it would be more accurate to say I didn’t dare approach it.”

Fairies are a powerful race with the highest mana affinity among the ancient races.

They created the Land of Disaster by migrating their entire race nearby to protect the sealed ruins.

Not much is known about the Land of Disaster, as the Approachers attacked anyone regardless of their background.

“In fact, it is not clear whether the fairies are still alive. It is possible that the disaster is being maintained by some device after their death.”

“Don’t you know anything about the fairies themselves?”

“In relation to the information you have given me, fairies generally have many childish characteristics. They have a childlike side, you could say. They are often innocently playful. In particular, when they see children of other races, they often follow them around and ask to play together.”

It was said that the race that wielded the most powerful magic caused quite a bit of trouble and commotion.

Ray recalled the testimony he had heard about the doctor in Dark Alley.

"I asked where there were the most children in this city."

“… … .”

I thought I knew.

What is the purpose of the doctor?

First of all, the doctor's whereabouts have become unknown again since the attack on the workshop.

However, given the circumstances revealed, it seemed that there was no room to immediately break through the disaster area and head to the sealed ruins.

In other words.

'I have time.'

While the doctor was making some preparations, I was also able to prepare myself.

And what Ray felt he needed most right now was strength.

If he had been strong enough, he could have stopped the doctor from escaping with Indiago during the battle with the Dawn Society.

I've had a few emotional awakenings recently, but they've all been minor, and the loop is still stuck at 4.

The odds of progressing to the next stage were objectively slim.

‘… but if you use a method other than enlightenment.’

The possibility was quite possible.

Because his current main activity area was the city of magicians where various training methods existed.

Ray said, gathering his thoughts.

“I'll stop by again.”

“Yes, I will be here for a while to check on the descendants and Lael Lowe. I apologize for not being of much help.”

“Let go of this.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Let go and go.”

Lael, whose arm was torn off by Ray, looked very regretful.

*

Ray returned to the city of wizards and headed straight to Sector 7.

The destination, Harmony Tower, was completely new to me, but I didn't need to ask for directions.

'It must be bigger than Lael Lowe.'

Because from anywhere in the street you could see a tower rising high into the sky.

The Harmony Tower that arrived that way boasted three-digit floors, befitting its reputation as the number one school in the hierarchy.

It was impressive to see the old and worn-out floors become more refined and neat as they went up, as if they contained the flow of magnificent history.

A security guard in a neat uniform stopped Ray at the entrance.

“Have you made a reservation? Please tell me your affiliation and name so I can confirm.”

I didn't really make a reservation.

It would have been better to do it in advance, Ray thought, when another guard spoke in a stammering voice.

“Wait a minute, a boy of about 17 with white hair… H, are you perhaps Ray-sama from the Imaginary School?”

Nod.

“I came to see Chief Secretary Khan.”

“Please wait a moment! I will check it right away.”

The security guard went into the booth next door, then ran out in a hurry and said.

“Manager Khan is waiting for you on the 113th floor. Once you enter, a staff member will guide you!”

As we went inside as the security guard told us, a neatly dressed man came running up to us and nodded.

“Hoo, hoo, it’s an honor to meet you, Ray-nim. My name is Cheroth, the head of the Harmony School’s External Cooperation Team. I would appreciate it if you could remember me.”

Ray put the business card he handed him in his pocket and followed the instructions.

I got on the open, disc-shaped elevator and went up, and as I passed each floor, I felt countless eyes looking in my direction.

Cherott looked at Ray for a moment and said with a smile.

“Haha, everyone recognizes you, Ray-nim. There’s no one in the city who hasn’t heard rumors about the Imagination School and Ray-nim, and white hair isn’t common. Didn’t you get stares like this a lot on your way here?”

“More than that.”

"yes?"

“I think there are a lot of people from other schools.”

“Ah, that’s because the Harmony School is a school that seeks to harmonize and balance the elements. In fact, it encompasses the research fields of most schools, which means it interacts with many schools.”

Harmony and balance of the elements.

In some ways, it was a word that was in line with the elements of creation, where all elements come together in equal proportions to become complete.

At that time, several floors with a high proportion of children appeared in the hallway in succession.

“That’s why I….”

“You! Don’t come here!”

“Haha, ghosts? Who would believe such a story?”

Children playfully chatting while creating small magic spells on the palms of their hands.

In a quick glance, I saw large signs attached to the wall.

[Residential Floor – Level 1 Trainee]

[Residential Floor – Level 2 Trainee]

[Residential Floor – Level 3 Trainee]

Ray muttered.

“I think it would be better to focus on taking care of the children for the time being.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

It was at that moment that the elevator arrived at its destination floor.

Cherot guided Ray through the complex hallways without asking any more questions.

dripping.

“I brought it.”

─Come in.

The door to the office opened, and as soon as he saw Ray, Chief Secretary Khan got up from his chair, approached him, and greeted him warmly, shaking his hand tightly.

“It’s been a while. It’s been about a year since I saw you at the last conference.”

“It’s only been four days.”

“Haha, that means you missed me that much. Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were coming? I heard you were coming, so I stopped giving lectures to my disciples and came here.”

“There was no need to do that.”

“Haha, how can I keep my guest waiting?”

Khan burst into loud laughter.

It was a much more lively and exciting scene than what I had seen at the conference.

“I would have liked to have a drink and chat all night after the conference, but you ran away from the conference hall. What should I get you? Tea? Coffee? Or do you like alcohol?”

“It doesn’t matter what.”

“I like that answer.”

As Khan gestured to the air, bottles and glasses of liquor began to tumble and clatter across the table.

Khan exclaimed in admiration as he watched Ray drink the strong alcohol as if it were water.

“It looks like your stomach is made of steel. I have many questions to ask, but I think you have a purpose for coming here. I will first listen to those questions and then resolve my curiosity.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

Ray explained simply.

I would like to borrow Harmony Tower's state-of-the-art facilities for circle training.

“That’s not a difficult request. May I ask how many rings you currently have?”

“There are four.”

“You’re amazing for your age. Well, it’s not that surprising considering the level of the theory you presented. What is the limit of the number of rings?”

“Is there a limit?”

Ray expressed his bewilderment.

Khan said with a sigh.

“I guess it’s true that you came from outside the walls. I thought it was a strategic remark to attract attention.”

“Everything I said at the conference was true.”

“Let me explain to you what the limits of the ring are.”

The explanation continued.

Before each resident of the city begins to learn magic in earnest, they use special equipment to measure the maximum number of rings they can stack.

“The number of measurements is not absolute, but it shows a high hit rate. How about measuring it once before starting training?”

There was no reason to refuse.

At Khan's gesture, a metal plate with an intricate pattern engraved on it flew from the shelf.

“Just put your palm here.”

Ray followed the instructions.

Along with the sensation of mana flowing into my body and moving through every part, the gauge engraved on the metal plate began to fill up.

“1st circle, 2nd circle, 3rd circle, it’s rising quickly. 4th circle, this is the current level, so it’s a natural number. Oh, 5th circle is possible…? No, wait… .”

Khan was left bewildered.

The gauge showed no signs of stopping and was rising to a level similar to a runaway.