Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 300

#300. Exchange (3)

Laboratory, study, training room, warehouse.

Ray dashed down the hallway, quickly searching every room he could see, regardless of type.

Boom!

Since I didn't have time to unlock each door with a card key, I broke down the wall and entered.

It seemed as if Philip's screams, who had financed the construction of the tower, were coming from somewhere.

'It must be my imagination.'

Woohoo!

He surveyed every place with his eyes, while at the same time spreading out a vast net of mana.

A map of the interior of the tower was drawn in my mind, and the vibrations of mana resonating throughout the place were detected.

Boom!

“Please go down to the auditorium on the fourth floor and gather there. There is a high probability that enemies have infiltrated the upper floors.”

“Oh, I see!”

Most of the vibrations of mana are from the servants who reside in the magic tower.

Ray evacuated everyone he encountered and confirmed that there was nothing more being detected on the detection network.

That shouldn't have happened.

Because I hadn't found Lazy yet.

Even though we had already reached the top of the tower, we could not find any trace of the enemy.

'It might be hidden outside, not inside the tower.'

Since it is highly specialized in stealth magic, it is only natural that it is difficult to find.

However, if the judgment of the location itself was wrong, the search being conducted now could have been a meaningless action.

“… … .”

I was lost in thought for a moment.

Should I break through the homunculi that are flocking in now and go out into the streets?

Kugugugu──!

The entire tower is shaking due to the fierce battle in the lower levels.

Considering the worst-case scenario of the tower collapsing, a quick decision had to be made.

and.

Woohoo──!

Ray spread his detection net wider without changing the direction of his dash.

'The enemy is definitely inside.'

The judgment has not changed.

All the executives I've met so far have had emotional attachments engraved in them based on their childhood temperament, and have shown behavioral patterns based on that.

Shortly after resuming the search, the sound of Mana rising with tremendous momentum from the lower floor was felt.

The person who appeared was Veronica.

"veronica?"

"ray?"

Veronica approached cautiously with a strangely wary expression on her face and held out her hand.

Ray unconsciously placed his dusty hand on it, wondering.

“Whew, that’s Ray.”

“… I don’t know what that means. How’s the battle going downstairs?”

“Just as Ray said, we all managed to evacuate to the auditorium. The defense line itself won’t be pushed back.”

Kugugugu──!

“Well… the shaking of the tower is a separate issue.”

Ray resumed his search with Veronica, and during that time, he sensed the presence of some mana in the break room.

Boom!

Beyond the collapsed wall, a gray-haired boy was seen sitting down in surprise.

Ray, who had been looking closely at the other person's face, opened his mouth.

“Jordi.”

“Joe, Joshua! I was on the train with you back then…!”

“I remember.”

I heard the detailed situation from Joshua, who had gotten up from his seat in a daze.

He said that the door lock malfunctioned due to the vibration of the rooftop, and he was trapped in the break room.

“Veronica, take Joshua to the auditorium.”

"okay!"

“Now, wait a minute, what’s going on right now?”

“A group has attacked the Magic Tower and a battle is taking place. It would be safer to gather with others.”

Joshua looked dumbfounded after hearing Ray's brief explanation, then came to his senses and spoke.

“I was supposed to be next in line to interview you… but I don’t think that’s important right now.”

Ray's steps, as he was about to leave the room and resume his search, suddenly stopped.

He looked back at Joshua and asked with a calm face and a flat voice.

“Is there something you’ve always wanted and hoped for?”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Wish, the thing you most strongly desire and long for. Picture it in your mind, draw it, and use magic. Then you will be able to use your imagination.”

With those last words, Ray kicked off his seat and quickly climbed up the tower.

After searching every area thoroughly but finding nothing, I arrived at the rooftop of the tower.

widely.

The sticky wind caressed my skin.

Across the nearby grounds, homunculi could be seen swarming towards the magic tower.

'The number of people flocking in continues to increase.'

The spawning sites of homunculi were spread out all over the streets, and their creation would be controlled by enemy executives.

Since I couldn't find the cadre on the rooftop, I had to search the streets, but my feet wouldn't move because of my strong intuition that the enemy was hiding inside, not outside.

'I definitely checked every place inside the tower.'

It was then that a thought crossed my mind.

There was a place I passed by without looking closely.

Ray immediately turned around and started to go back the way he had come at lightning speed.

And before long, many vibrations of mana were detected.

Taang─!

The gallop was given a boost.

*

Joshua's head was a little dazed as he followed Veronica down the stairs.

'Think of what you most strongly desire and long for and cast a spell… .'

The enigmatic words were very confusing to the mind.

It was really a use of magic that I had never thought of, so I was a bit confused.

“Don’t think too hard about it.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Are you troubled by what Ray just said? It’s true. When you think about something you really want to do, Mana reads your emotions and moves on her own.”

When I raised my head, I saw the back of Veronica walking up and down the stairs.

… How did you read my mind without even looking back?

“Can you use that power of imagination too?”

“Yes, I can cure any disease. The problem is that my imagination doesn’t extend very far in other directions.”

“Is there a set time when you can use it?”

“I think it usually happens, unless it’s a special case like Ray. In my case, when I think of healing someone or being flirty with Ray… Ah, ah, ah! That’s not the last one!”

Veronica flailed her body vigorously in the momentary embarrassment that came over her.

Joshua looked at that sight, dumbfounded, but lost in thought.

'What I hope and wish for.'

He was originally an orphan from outside the walls, kidnapped by a wizard and sold into the city as a slave.

Luckily, I was taken in by the current school's headmaster and was able to be reborn as a trainee.

If I had a wish, it would be to solve the difficult problem of the Stone School in order to repay the favor.

and.

'I'm going to somehow succeed here and return to my brother from whom I broke up.'

His memories of the outside of the wall were hazy, as if he had been subjected to some kind of magic when he was kidnapped, but he was clear that he had a brother.

Broad back and tall stature.

A voice that says it will always protect you.

Things like that came to mind.

“…I want to meet my brother.”

"brother?"

Joshua took out a small stone figurine from his bosom, which looked like a man.

Veronica's eyes widened.

“Wow, is it made with magic? It’s so delicate! I’ve heard of it. The Stoner School practices magic using stones.”

“I carved it myself with a carving knife. Magic can’t shape stone into such detailed shapes.”

The challenges faced by the Stone school were similar to those faced by the Methana school, which dealt with metals.

The limitation is that the results of creating and sculpting stones or rocks are limited to one-dimensional forms.

“This is the reason why our school has not been able to expand into fields other than architecture. At most, we are limited to creating simple creatures. If only this could be resolved, we could escape from being a weak school.”

“I’m sure you can figure it out! Huh? But why didn’t you sculpt the face?”

The statue's face was flawless and smooth, Joshua answered.

“I don’t remember. This is a statue carved in the likeness of my brother.”

Joshua's brief explanation followed.

Originally from outside the wall, it seems that part of his memories were sealed by mental magic when he was kidnapped.

“It’s a very powerful magic so I can’t break it. Everyone in our school has raised their hands. If I go to the Seals School, which is the best in sealing magic, things might be different, but the cost of the request would be too high to afford.”

After hearing that, Veronica thought for a moment and then spoke in a serious voice.

“If you tell Ray about that, he might be able to solve it.”

“Huh…? Ray also uses sealing magic?”

It was at that moment that the conversation between the two stopped.

It was because a long shadow was stretching out from a room on the other side of the hallway with an open door.

Sensing danger, Veronica whispered in a small voice.

“… It’s the living room, it’s where Ray and I were until about 20 minutes ago.”

What appeared to be the shadow of a bookshelf swayed wildly like a flame in the wind, then shot up into the air.

The pitch-black shape created in this way.

As the shadows cleared, a man with a large build appeared.

“Yeah. There’s no need to bother moving around unnecessarily. If you wait for the right time, opportunities like this will come. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to break up with that white-haired boy.”

A strange sound, like scraping metal.

Veronica and Joshua felt goosebumps run down their spines for a moment.

“Joshua, this isn’t an opponent that the two of us can handle…! I’ll buy you some time, so run away…!”

“Oh, no, that can’t be.”

The man who heard their conversation snorted.

“Run away? Who gave you permission? I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go. They both look like minors or adults, so they fit the criteria your father mentioned. The redhead in particular seems to be close to the whitehead, so they could be useful hostages.”

As the man licked his tongue, Veronica deployed her guard.

However, a black tentacle that reached the shadows just in time to strike Veronica struck her.

Boom!

Veronica flew and hit the wall, slipped down, and fainted.

“Keep on going, let’s hurry up and finish this. That guy might come back.”

Shhh!

Joshua immediately rolled over and barely avoided the flying tentacle.

Looking back, I could see the space quickly opening and closing where the tentacle had passed.

ha.

My breath was hot.

My heart was pounding.

I could intuitively guess who the culprit behind the recent disappearance of young practitioners was and how it happened.

Shhh!

“That guy is really quick on his feet. Ugh! Even so, he won’t be able to avoid it forever!”

Joshua, who was covered in strengthening magic, desperately rolled his body to avoid the attack.

It had to be that way.

‘I can’t get caught again…!’

Because being dragged helplessly to wherever that place was once was enough.

However, let alone counterattacking, his stamina and mana were exhausted just from evading, and the wounds on his body quickly increased as his movements became sluggish.

… my feet wouldn't move anymore.

“You quick-witted little rat. Looks like you’ve finally run out of strength. This is the end. I’ll start by collecting your debts.”

The man, who seemed to be angry because he hadn't caught his target easily, glared at Joshua, who had completely stopped, and snapped.

Shhh!

Joshua thought in a dazed state as he watched the tentacles flying towards him.

That you absolutely must succeed in the city.

So I have to go back to where I used to live and meet my brother.

It was at that moment that the aspirations and wishes contained in the boy's vessel shone brighter than ever.

──────!

A halo of light enveloped the scene along with a violent wave of mana.

Immediately after, when the light cleared, someone appeared in front of Joshua and grabbed the tentacles with his hand and blocked them.

Knock knock! Knock knock!

A tense struggle ensues.

At first I thought it was a person, but upon closer inspection it wasn't.

“Stone…? A stone statue…?”

It was a large stone statue, with an extremely detailed outline, like the smaller figurines in Joshua's pocket.

The statue turned its head to look at Joshua with smooth movements, just like a real person.

Then the face of the stone statue appeared.

There was a distinct facial feature carved into it, modeled after someone else.

Her slowly moving lips smiled faintly at the boy.

"ah…."

As part of the seal of memory cracked, a groan escaped Joshua's mouth.

The stone statue turned its head forward and continued its struggle with the tentacles, and the man who saw this gritted his teeth and spoke.

“You dare to unleash your power without my permission. As per my father’s orders, I will kill you here and now.”

Whirlirik!

The number of flying tentacles increased in an instant.

The statue fought hard, but its limbs and body were gradually cracking as tentacles wrapped around them.

The magical power based on imagination was certainly powerful, but it was not enough to narrow the fundamental gap in fighting power between her and the man.

“It’s over now. Do you realize that struggling is useless?”

“Ah… ahh… .”

Joshua, who had briefly seen hope, suddenly fell into despair.

In contrast, the man's joy and delight grew steadily.

And finally, at that moment, a huge crack appeared across the entire statue.

Kwaaang!

Someone fell through the ceiling with great force and landed in front of the statue.

He turned his body and unleashed a shockwave of mana in all directions, and dozens of tentacles were cut off and sent flying.

“You worked hard, holding on.”

Ray, who had been confronted by the man in an instant, glanced at him and spoke to Joshua behind him.