Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 301

#301. Exchange (4)

The moment Ray saw Veronica lying on the ground, a cold spark appeared in his eyes.

I turned my head across the hallway.

I locked eyes with a large man who was guarding this area.

The unusual volume of lethargy contained in the vessel suggested to him that it was the officer of Murcred whom he had been searching for.

“Lazy.”

“… … !”

The guess became certain as the emotional agitation that occurred when the name was repeated.

Ray said, looking into the living room, which was now wide open due to the collapsed wall.

“I didn’t know you were hiding in the reception room where the interview was being conducted. You approached me without making any noise. I have to admit that you have some magical stealth.”

The mana surrounding Ray swirled violently.

The man, who flinched back at the momentum, quickly caught his breath and spoke in his characteristically scraping voice.

“Yes, you were doing a good job of conducting the interview without even realizing that I was hiding in the shadow of the bookshelf. It seems that you came here because I was taking too long, but that won’t change anything. You won’t be able to touch me anyway.”

The man who spoke confidently was enveloped in a transparent aura and then completely disappeared.

The ring wasn't even visible.

The mana inside the body was not visible.

It was as if everything had evaporated, and there was no sign of life anywhere, and only silence flowed everywhere.

He didn't run away. Ray turned around, following the danger signal his instincts gave him, and pulled out his dagger and swung it.

Chae-Ang──!

Ray's body was pushed back with a loud crashing sound.

The momentary presence of the opponent was felt, it had already disappeared by the time I straightened my posture.

Ray calmly took an attack stance and looked around cautiously.

'I couldn't hear any stomping of feet, no swinging of weapons, no movement of arms. I couldn't feel any vibration of mana either.'

It feels like dealing with an invisible person.

But the problems didn't end there.

Because the hand holding the dagger that deflected the opponent's attack was quite cold.

He has incredible speed and strength to match for his large physique.

Even though he didn't use stealth magic, he was a person familiar with combat itself, and he was skilled at handling reinforcement magic at a high level.

As silence fell again in the hallway, Ray turned around again and swung his dagger.

Chae-Ang──!

Ray's body shook, and the opponent's presence disappeared in an instant.

'This time too, I couldn't detect any signs of an attack.'

This was the first time I had seen a battle like this.

It was also extremely unfavorable in terms of compatibility.

His strength lies in being able to completely predict his opponent's movements through the movement of mana flowing within his body.

But against an enemy that was invisible, this powerful advantage was blocked.

Chae-Ang──! Chae-Ang──!

The enemy's attacks intensified, and wounds began to appear on Ray's arms and shoulders.

Every time my body was pushed, the enemy's whispers rang in my ears.

“I don’t understand. Why did Father say it was dangerous to deal with a guy like this?”

“Weak, much weaker than I thought. To the point where it makes me mad that I was so careful and alert.”

“It’s nothing. No matter what power you have, or what choices you’ve been given, if you can’t handle it, it means nothing.”

Ray didn't respond.

I was just looking for a way to end the situation right away while the enemy was letting their guard down.

Then I closed my eyes.

I thought that constantly trying to figure out the other person's location through sight was actually interfering with my senses.

Chae-Ang──!

The sound of a crash resonates.

A body that keeps being pushed away.

Amidst the various distractions and darkness, I focused my senses solely on the sounds of the enemy.

A ripple of surrounding mana.

The trembling of the air. The breath and body heat of the enemy.

and.

Wedge! Jaw!

“Ugh, ugh! Crack!”

When Ray opened his eyes, he saw his enemy floating in the air with his neck held in his grasp.

“Ugh, ugh! Huh… how…!”

A man whose transparent aura is peeling off from his neck and revealing his true form.

The elements of concealment and hiding flowing within his body tried to somehow form a magic of invisibility again, but Ray's control destroyed all of the combinations.

“Ah… how…! Shh! Me…! Me…!”

“… … .”

Ray thought as he looked at the man writhing in shock and disbelief.

Why did the doctor send another executive?

'You must have known that an orange shard fell into my hands.'

There is also the fact that if we send an executive rashly, the emotional bondage we have built up against him could be lifted.

Clearly, the doctor had written down some numbers, and that was why Ray was not letting his guard down at all at the moment.

Ray first summoned orange shards to release the spell.

It was at that moment that the man's reaction suddenly changed.

The ring's mana began to run wild, and its eyes rolled back and it started foaming at the mouth.

“I, I don’t want to die…! Father! I’m, I’m sorry…! It was my fault…! P, please…! P, please give me one more chance──!”

Kwaaaaang────!

Before anyone could react, a massive explosion from the man's body engulfed the entire area.

A gust of wind blew as if my body would fly away, and the entire tower shook.

After the commotion died down, what came into view through the dust was Ray, with a calm face and quite a few bruises on his body.

“… … .”

I looked down at the palm that had been holding the man's neck just a moment ago.

From the beginning, the doctor had not expected the man to win, and it seemed that he had planted an explosion-type magic to threaten his life.

'It might have worked.'

If I hadn't raised my mana in advance and protected my body.

There were a lot of wounds from having to simultaneously protect Veronica and Joshua from the aftermath of the explosion, but it was okay.

Anyway, as long as he was still breathing, Veronica would heal him completely.

'Isn't it?'

Ray, who was tilting his head, saw a notebook lying on the floor.

An object that fell out of a man's pocket at the moment of the explosion, and which he instinctively used to protect himself.

Falak.

The man's orders were written down, and it seemed possible to infer the doctor's next move.

However, there were many parts that were burned, charred, and blown away, so I thought I would have to analyze it properly later.

Ray, who had already packed his notebook, turned around and approached Joshua.

The stone statue lay completely still beside him.

'Your face, I think I've seen it somewhere.'

Ray, who was looking closely at the face of the stone statue, muttered without realizing it.

“Humphrey?”

Joshua, who had been staring at the stone statue with blank eyes, looked back at Ray in surprise.

“Hey, do you know my brother?”

“Brother? Are you Humphrey’s brother?”

Ray took out the note he had received from Humphrey and read its contents again.

A member of the Hector Organization who helped you leave Sector 50.

In exchange for the money and keys he had saved his entire life, he asked her to find his younger brother who had been taken to the city of wizards.

[It was sold a year ago]

[gray hair] [age 16 at the time]

The hair color and estimated current age matched, but the names were different.

The name written on the note.

“Herne.”

“Oh, that’s right! That’s my real name!”

“You changed your name?”

“When the head of the Stone School I belong to took me in, he gave me a new name. He said that if I show my identity outside the walls, it will be bad for many reasons.”

The explanation of the situation continued, and Joshua's emotions told him that not all of those words were lies.

In fact, even if that wasn't the case, we could tell that Joshua was Humphrey's real brother.

A stone statue with the face of Humphrey.

Because the undeniable evidence was right before our eyes.

'But just now, the stone statue clearly came to life and moved. It wasn't a simple manipulation type of magic.'

Ray, who was lost in thought for a moment, realized something and spoke softly.

"congratulations."

"huh…?"

“I think I’ve gone over the wall.”

"ah…!"

Leaving Joshua behind, who seemed to have only just realized the situation, Ray walked to the window and looked outside.

The homunculi that had been swarming like bees were no longer visible.

Let's sharpen our eyesight, and instead we see red bloodstones scattered all over the grass.

As expected, it appeared to have disappeared naturally when the pilot died.

widely.

I turned around again and headed towards Veronica, who was leaning against the wall.

Fortunately, there were no major injuries to the body, and it appeared that he was simply unconscious.

“… … .”

He gently stroked my head.

Somehow, I feel my heart sinking.

Then Ray pulled away.

“Veronica, wake up.”

“… … .”

“I know you’re awake.”

“…Uh, how did you know?

“The corners of my mouth were twitching. My face kept getting red.”

“Oh, that can’t be.”

Veronica, startled, quickly pulled down the corners of her lips that were about to ascend with her fingers.

Afterwards, I listened to the explanation of the situation while cooling my face with a hand fan.

“You said it exploded…?”

“It seems like the doctor activated the magic he had planted in the executive’s body. When he came next to me, the timing was just right.”

“But, but the executives of Murkred call the doctor ‘father’. He was a test subject to begin with… but… if he was really going to use me as a tool, I don’t think he should have asked them to call him that from the beginning…!”

Veronica looked quite shocked and had tears in her eyes.

Ray nodded slightly, wiping away his tears with his dusty hands.

Afterwards, the group, having cleaned up, went down the stairs to the auditorium.

“I can’t feel the vibrations in the tower anymore!”

“The battle is probably over. All the homunculi have been destroyed.”

That prediction came true.

People had stopped fighting, and were looking at the red jewels that had covered the place where the enemies had stood just a moment ago, with confused expressions on their faces.

Then Mrs. McQueen spotted the group and approached them. Ray asked first.

“Are there any injured people?”

“The battle was fierce, but no one suffered life-threatening injuries. Thanks to the white light magic that the lady here cast.”

With those words, everyone's eyes turned to Veronica.

A red-haired girl whose face had become the same color as her hair hid behind Ray's back.

“But how did all this happen? I think I need a more detailed explanation.”

Ray slowly climbed up onto the platform and stood in front of the crowd, explaining the situation.

The attack was the work of a group called Murkred, who are said to be responsible for the recent disappearances.

“Mercred? That’s a name I’ve never heard of before.”

“There’s nothing strange about it. There are so many unknown groups in the shadows of the city.”

“There are more than a few groups with impure intentions.”

There were various opinions exchanged amid the commotion, but initially the atmosphere was one of understanding.

“It is clear that the enemies repeatedly made movements that seemed to target the trainees during the battle.”

“What are you planning to do with the kidnapped trainees? And who on earth are these people we were dealing with…?”

“First of all, it is clear that not all of you are bold enough to raid a place where all the schools are gathered.”

It was at that moment that someone raised their hand and shouted loudly.

“Could it be that this is all a fabrication by the Imagination School?”

“Chief Ray?”

“Seal School’s Deputy Secretary Heroban, I disagree with that. A farce? What advantage does the Imaginary School have in doing this?”

Heroban shrugged his shoulders with a disgruntled expression.

“I don’t know about that. But I guess it’s not because they intentionally ruined the exchange meeting? They suddenly became unwilling to spread the power and theories that the Imaginary School possesses. Or maybe they planned this situation from the time they made their pledge at the conference.”

“Heroban! Watch your words!”

In an instant, the commotion spread.

Although most of them supported the Imaginary School, there were many who agreed with Heroban's ideas.

The commotion died down for a moment when Ray's voice rang out in the room.

“I can prove it.”

“What can you prove?”

“The core of the Imaginary School is the ability to freely manipulate mana, ignoring the rules of elemental combination. Commonly called imagination. I can prove that I have no hesitation in spreading that power and theory.”

Following Ray's sudden turn of head, everyone's eyes were focused on one person.

“Uh, uh uh…?”

Joshua was extremely embarrassed.

Ray spoke with his eyes.

What are you doing, not coming out because you're being careful?