Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 338

#338. Side story 3. Colors of love (5)

A red carpet on the floor.

Picture frames lined up along the wall.

The second floor hallway looked peaceful and quiet to anyone who saw it.

But Ray's impression was different.

“It’s brutal.”

Colorful mana was clumped up in various places, including on the floor and walls.

It was clear that even if you got a little closer, it would fly in with a powerful attack magic.

When told to go up to the upper floor of the mansion, Caron shook his head.

"It took less than three months for me to secure the entire first floor as a safe zone after I entered the mansion."

"But for the rest of the period, I couldn't even think of going up to the second floor."

“Because the power and density of the installed magic is incomparably stronger and denser than those on the lower floors.”

Charon was a 4th circle wizard.

A level that can be called skilled by either human or elf standards.

The fact that such a person sticks out his tongue shows the wickedness of the second floor.

So, a question could be raised here.

How great of a wizard must these people have been to install such powerful spells not just one or two, but throughout the entire mansion?

"I think the designers of the magic are the owners of the mansion. The young couple in the framed photo in the entrance hall."

“I think so too. From what I understand, it seems like they were the only two living in this mansion, without any servants.”

Caron argued that all the items in the mansion, including furniture and tableware, were only available in sets for two.

Ray continued asking questions.

“Is there a possibility that the owners of the mansion are still alive and living in this mansion?”

“It’s an interesting idea, but isn’t it logically impossible for people from the old days to still be alive?”

"Because I had a feeling someone was interfering with the magic earlier."

Ray explained.

When I tried to destroy the door with the wind sphere earlier, the wind blew against me and the power of the magic was significantly reduced.

Caron tilted his head.

“That’s strange. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I think it’s either a strange phenomenon caused by the high concentration of mana inside the mansion, or it’s just my imagination.”

It couldn't have been my imagination.

Because as far as Mana was concerned, there was nothing Ray felt was wrong.

"I warn you, you'd better give up exploring the upper floors. You'll need ten lives to get through that magic field."

Ray nodded in understanding.

It meant that he wanted to quickly uncover the secrets of the mansion above and relieve his grievances.

'First of all, it would be a priority to identify the opponent who interfered with the magic earlier.'

Ray gauged the strength of the automatic defensive magic hanging on the wall decorations.

and.

Hoooow──!

He created a sphere of wind and threw it at a speed that was difficult to react to.

A sphere much larger than the one used on the first floor, and also with a high degree of condensation.

But this time too, it was blocked by the defense that was created in an instant and disappeared.

The guard disappeared as soon as he finished his job, but Ray saw it clearly.

'The protection was doubled.'

One was hanging as decoration.

Another one is one that manifests in real time.

Unlike before, since it was impossible to counteract it with a headwind, the opponent used defense to prevent the decoration from being destroyed.

“That’s interesting.”

It was a sphere of the century that even the most skilled wizards would not dare to block.

Let's see who wins.

It was at that moment that the core of a ferocious storm swept into Ray's grasp as he entered Serious Mode.

Something sparkled across the hallway.

It was a fist-sized speaker that flew in and stopped in front of my face.

“Warning. Intruder. Stand back now. If you continue to cause trouble, you will be seriously injured.”

A man's voice that was cut off like a machine.

The first thing that came to mind was a young man in a picture frame.

“Who are you? The owner of this mansion?”

“I have realized that you are much stronger than an elf. However, what awaits you ahead is a highly advanced magical zone. If you do not retreat, I cannot guarantee your safety.”

The elf would refer to Charon, who was staying illegally on the first floor.

Ray continued the conversation with great interest.

“If you call me an intruder, does that mean I should leave the mansion?”

“Yes. Quickly. I want you to leave this mansion.”

“But the door is locked and I can’t get out. But if I try to break it down, you’ll use magic to get in my way.”

“You are not permitted to break anything in the mansion.”

“Then please release the locking spell.”

A moment of silence followed.

The answer came back soon.

“That’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“It’s impossible.”

“Then we have to break down the door.”

“Destruction of property is not permitted.”

“Then unlock it.”

“That’s impossible.”

Ray detected a fatal error in the conversation's algorithm.

So I did the best I could in this situation.

fault!

He had been running down the hallway with strengthening magic on both legs.

Woohoo!

The magic that detected the approach was activated.

A feast of colorful elements unfolded along the racing route.

Boom! BANG! BANG!

Fireballs, ice shards, and electrical currents.

Colorful magic flew through the air, creating a feast of colorful elements.

The automatic guards hanging throughout the mansion were also activated in a chain reaction.

It was truly a mess.

The speaker quickly caught up with Ray and circled around him, shouting.

“Warning. Intruder. Warning. Stop. Now. Stop. No more disturbances will be tolerated.”

Is it my imagination that I feel a deep sense of embarrassment even though the voice is clearly toneless?

Ray politely responded to his opponent's earnest request.

“I don’t like it.”

If you don't want to go upstairs, at least open the door so you can get out.

With that thought, I dodged an ice arrow with a light movement.

Wedge!

As Charon warned, the magic on the second floor was truly terrifying, but unfortunately, Ray's movements were even more terrifying.

Rather, it seems that the one who is having a hard time is the opponent who is constantly creating additional defenses in real time to prevent the destruction of the mansion.

“Warning. No more disturbances. Warning. Safety. Cannot. Be. Guaranteed. Warning.”

Now I don't even have time to express myself properly.

Ray ignored the warning and scanned the quickly passing hallway.

Chest of drawers, mirrors, chandeliers, candle holders, etc.

There were many objects, but there was one object that caught my eye the most.

'frame.'

Hanging at regular intervals along the wall were picture frames of a young couple, just like the ones we had seen on the first floor.

Have a meal together.

Or read a book together.

Play an instrument together.

All of the photos were taken inside the mansion, and the couple were showing various aspects of their daily lives with happy faces.

They were often photographed with a pure white cat that appeared to be their pet.

Squeak!

I opened the door to one of the rooms I had been aiming for and rolled inside.

A fireball landed where Ray had been, and the explosion was absorbed by the shield that had been created in the moment.

bang!

The door is closed.

A moment of silence came.

‘This is….’

It was a spacious study with open floor plans.

The tall bookshelves that filled the walls were comparable to those at the Veronica Bookstore.

Also, judging from the fact that magic no longer flies in, it seems that the traps are limited to the hallways.

“Warning. Get out. Sir─.”

Ray wrapped the speaker with a rag he had nearby and tied it up before slowly walking away.

Magic, science, fiction, essays… … .

As I was browsing through the titles of various subjects, I arrived at a large desk with its back to the window.

There was a notebook above.

Falak.

“People are starting to flee the city. You can’t blame them for leaving the place they’ve lived their whole lives. It’s clear that this place too will soon be engulfed in the flames of war.”

Handwritten text.

It appeared to be a diary written by the husband of the couple.

"But the evacuation itself is not a wise choice. Now that the war between races has broken out, there is no safe place in the world. Even if you escape and reach somewhere, you will have to escape again from there to somewhere else."

Falak.

"So I came up with an idea with Esua. Let's not leave the city. Let's use all our resources to create our own hideout."

Falak.

Ray's eyes quickly scanned the sentences, and the entries in the journal weren't that long.

The last sentence ended like this.

"My love, Jesus, if only she were here. If only she were here with me. We can live in this world without needing anything else."

“… … .”

widely.

I closed the journal and raised my head.

I thought I had a rough idea of the situation.

This was a mansion that a young couple had set up as a hiding place to escape the war.

A powerful distortion field outside the mansion and traps inside.

All of these were probably devices to protect themselves from war.

Ray left the study.

Breaking through the magic, I was transported to another room, this time a dressing room.

'There's a notebook here too.'

Judging by the different handwriting, it seemed to be the wife's diary, not the husband's.

"Is it crazy to expect that the aftermath of the war will soon reach here and I can start living in the mansion with Reval? It's exciting. It feels like I'm playing a naughty prank on the world without them knowing."

Falak.

"Reval suggested that we limit the only entrance to the mansion to the door on the first floor and place a locking spell on it that no one can break. If a soldier were to enter and exit, there would be a risk that they would alert their comrades to the mansion's existence."

"I didn't think that far ahead. As expected, Rival is smart."

"He and I are destined."

widely.

“… … .”

There was growing interest.

We quickly moved to other rooms and collected information there as well, using records such as diaries, letters, and recording devices.

"Actually, the soldiers didn't find our mansion. They got right up to our noses and then turned around and went back. What a sense of tension and relief that was! Did you feel the same way, Rival?"

"Life in the mansion has begun in earnest. The outside world is in ruins, and there is no telling when the war will end, but there is nothing to worry about. Food has been prepared so that you will not have any problems for several decades, and various entertainment items have been prepared inside the mansion. Above all, isn't there Esuah by your side?"

“Without any servants, we have to take care of the mansion every day. It’s not bad. No, it’s actually good. Mansion life is so lazy! But having work to do is actually an advantage in that it adds some liveliness to our daily lives. After all, it’s official work time with Reval.”

"Our love will last forever."

"Our love will last forever."

All the emotions felt from the records discovered on the second floor were positive.

Joy, delight, happiness, excitement, etc.

The faces of smiling couples in picture frames everywhere proved that fact.

But the atmosphere began to change in the records discovered on the third floor.

“The war shows no sign of ending. Every day, when I look out the window, all I see is a devastated city and land.”

"There are many things to do, such as books, playing cards, and playing musical instruments, but they are no longer fun. I want to go out of the mansion, but the mana of the world has been polluted and it is not safe."

Falak.

"I fought with Reval for the first time today."

Click.

“Esua suggested… chit-chit… wouldn’t it be a hassle to… manage the mansion every day… chit-chit… if we cast a preservation spell on every piece of furniture and object we see?”

Chijijik.

“In terms of efficiency… there’s nothing better. You don’t have to worry about it in the future… because it won’t collect dust or lose its color.”

“Officially, we won’t be able to see each other face to face anymore… but even if we do meet, we won’t have much to talk about, right?”

Life in the isolated mansion seemed to have taken a toll on the couple's spirits.

“… … .”

Ray raised his head.

I saw a picture frame lined up along the wall.

They were no longer laughing.