Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 341

#341. Side story 3. Colors of love (8)

“I don’t know exactly. I know that love is the feeling of caring for someone, liking them, and wanting to keep seeing them.”

Ray explained as best he could within his knowledge.

─I get it. So, is it love that I like the window seat where the sunlight shines in?

“It’s a little different, but I think it can be seen as a type of love.”

─Do I like toys with strings too?

"maybe?"

─Is my desire to always be with Reval and Esua also love?

“That’s definitely love.”

Ray, who had made Catherine understand, asked a question.

“This love, has it ever diminished in age?”

─Never. Not even for a moment. Whether it was Reval's or Esua's. It just grew bigger, never shrunk.

Their love has never changed.

But the fact that they spent their last moments in their own rooms probably means that they were unable to let go of their pride until the very end.

'I guess I didn't apologize first.'

As they both built up their pride, the situation became so solid that time just passed by helplessly.

Somehow I felt sorry.

In any case, the condition of love was met, and it was assumed that the condition for the locking spell to be lifted was for the two people to stand in front of the door together.

'But those two people have already passed away.'

I can't meet you at the entrance.

In other words, it is impossible to unlock the lock magic.

An idea flashed through my mind.

What if the emotion itself, rather than the physical coordinates of the two people, is the condition?

'You just have to move the two people's emotions to the front door.'

It was only a possibility, but it seemed worth a try.

“Would it be okay if I moved Reval and Esua’s feelings to somewhere else?”

─I refuse.

“Maybe I can open the door to the mansion.”

─Not allowed.

“But if you still want us to leave, you have to cooperate too….”

Hah!

It seemed like he didn't want anyone to touch anything related to Reval and Esua.

Then Veronica appeared in the room.

“Ray, it’s been so long since you came back that I found you… It’s a cat!”

Veronica approached at the speed of light, hugged Catherine, and pressed her face against hers.

“What’s that cat? What’s that cute cat doing here?”

Haaaak!

Catherine, who realized the situation belatedly, resisted fiercely.

But soon, it fell into disarray under the benevolent hands of the current butler.

─Hmm… It’s warm, so it’s not bad. Yeah, there. It’s nice there.

Golgogolgolgol.

Looking at it this way, I thought that even though he continued to show hostility, he was still hungry for human touch.

After hearing Ray's explanation, Veronica's eyes filled with tears.

“What should I do… I’m so sad… We loved each other, so why did we have to live like that?”

Catherine made an emergency escape to avoid the falling tears.

Veronica, overcome with emotion, spoke with a sincere voice.

“Your Majesty, Reval and Esua, you two loved each other very much before you fell asleep, right? But things got awkward between you, and you spent a long time unable to fully express those feelings.”

─… … .

“You must have felt a great sense of regret at the moment you fell asleep. Oh, I wish I had taken care of my pride and offered to make peace first. But by then, you probably didn’t even have the energy to go to the other person’s room.”

Catherine thought.

I think that really happened.

For several years before falling asleep, Reval and Esua were so weak that they could not even move properly.

Although the exact reason was unknown, he repeatedly showed signs of crying, despair, and regret.

At the time, I was not a spirit, so there was no way I could help them.

“So now we are trying to help the two of you find your love again. Even though your body is asleep, at least your emotions remain.”

─… … .

Catherine remained silent for a long time before responding to Veronica's persuasion.

─Okay, I understand.

“What did you say?”

“I gave permission.”

"thank god…!"

After hearing the interpretation, Veronica captured Catherine again and hugged her like a stuffed animal.

Meanwhile, Ray tried to move Reval's emotions.

Love, regret, foolishness, guilt, etc.

The lump of various emotions was very elaborate and complex in shape.

'It's not easy.'

Movement is possible, but there is a risk that the original form will be broken.

A powerful force that moved a large amount of mana at once did not help.

In such cases, the small power of several people was needed to move mana without error, even at a very slow speed.

“Veronica, do you feel the mana gathered here right now?”

“Yeah. I can feel it. I’ve never seen this much concentrated mana anywhere.”

“It’s Reval’s love. There are elements of regret, foolishness, and guilt, but anyway.”

Veronica participated in the transport.

“Lay, you need to move!”

“No. That would upset the balance.”

“Hmm, no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it can be done with two people’s hands…?”

Greene and Caron were summoned.

The two elves, who had not expected the other to come, were startled to see the other, but had no choice but to stay in their seats after being told that they could leave the mansion.

And so the work of conveying emotions began.

“Caron! Be careful not to lose your balance!”

“… … .”

“Yeah, I think it would be better to focus on that now.”

“… … .”

It was as if they were carrying a large piece of glass by holding it by each corner.

You could tell that the two elves were still arguing from the way they weren't even making eye contact or speaking to each other.

But soon a change occurred in that atmosphere.

“So, who is the original owner of the mana we are moving now?…”

Veronica begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the mansion.

Reval and Esua.

A couple who had unchanging love, but because of their pride, they went from different angles until the moment of their death.

The faces of the two elves in similar situations revealed emotions that could not be hidden.

Anxiety, nervousness, regret, self-reproach… … .

This emotional turmoil continued until Esua's love was moved to the room across the hallway, in front of the first floor entrance.

Woohoo──!

Reval and Esua.

The loves of two people met.

The feelings of regret and resentment that had been stuck together like crumbs were the first to scatter into dust and fly away.

The remaining love merged together and became one color.

───.

What appeared at the end was a dizzying shade of pink, like flowers on a spring day.

Ray could sense it.

A love that is constantly changing into various colors, so its true form is unknown.

The reason is that there are many different types of love.

What you are seeing now is the color of love between lovers.

In the stillness and silence of all.

The love that had become one stayed there for a while, as if it had achieved a long-held wish.

and.

Saaaaa──

In the end, it dispersed into particles and disappeared.

There was nothing left in the place.

Ray, who had come out of the afterglow earlier than the others, checked the door.

Crunch, crunch.

"oh."

The locking magic remained the same.

I shook the door as if I was going to pull the doorknob out, but the door wouldn't open.

It seemed that simply moving the emotions to the door wasn't enough.

'It's a story about someone who is in love having to come together.'

Even if we move Reval and Esua here, the door will not open.

Because the love is already gone.

Even if there was a chance that the door would open, I didn't want to use the deceased in that way.

'Then what's left?'

I'm sorry to say this to Catherine, but I had no choice but to break down the door.

After all, destruction was the only reliable food for the mind in this harsh world, and it was the only legitimate universal key that could be applied in any situation.

'If you can't open it.'

Destroy.

At that moment, as Ray was creating a fierce gust of wind with his hand, a voice was heard from behind.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I just got emotional at the moment… .”

“No. I’m the one who should apologize. I’ve fallen into a bad habit again.”

When I looked back, I saw Caron and Greene looking at each other with awkward faces.

The love that had been shining in each of their bowls turned pink, and some of it scattered and was sucked into the door.

Crunch!

“… … .”

A door that opened for a moment.

Ray disrupted the gust of wind.

*

Reval's room is back again.

Outside the window, on the ground, an elf couple was seen sitting on a bench, having a happy conversation.

Ray returned his gaze.

And he looked at Catherine, who was sitting on Reval's lap like a reserved seat, and asked.

“You really don’t want to go with us?”

─The place I should be is with Reval and Esua.

Ray was troubled.

Should I tell this spirit?

The two of them are actually not asleep, but dead, and their stay in the mansion may not have as much meaning as you think.

─Are those two dead?

Ray was surprised.

“Did you know about death?”

─Yes. Actually, I knew. After becoming a spirit, I read many books in the mansion. Of course, I came across the concept of death. I just wasn't sure if the two people were really dead, but I found out after seeing your reaction.

If you already knew the concept of death, the story would have been faster.

“Yes, both of them are dead. Their lifespan is over.”

─Do you think there's no point in staying by the side of the dead?

“It’s not that it’s completely meaningless. But when you think about your future life….”

Then Veronica poked me in the side.

Ray seemed curious about what kind of conversation was going on, so he interpreted for them.

Veronica joined the conversation.

“It’s not that it’s meaningless. I just think that Reval and Esua would never have wanted a future where Catherine would live in the mansion for the rest of her life and then end her life. You said that it was your dream for all three of them to leave the mansion together.”

Veronica's persuasion was much more emotional than Ray's, and Catherine seemed to waver a little.

─But I have nowhere to go after leaving the mansion. It's also uncertain whether I'll be able to adapt to the outside world, which I've never been to before.

“You can come and stay at our mansion. He’s not a spirit, but he has a cat friend! He’s a black boy, and his name is Nero. We can help you adjust!”

Persuasion that continued for quite some time.

Finally, Catherine got down from Rival's lap and rubbed her head against Veronica's leg.

Afterwards, at Catherine's request, the two toured the mansion.

─I want to finish up and leave.

Finishing meant dispelling all preservation magic within the mansion that had been maintained and repaired.

The magic would naturally disintegrate over time anyway, and I wanted to end it myself and leave.

Things that have been maintained in a state for a long time by the chemical reaction of mana.

All of this has now entered the flow of time that had been suspended until now.

Saaaaa──

It rapidly deteriorated, crumbled, and fell into disrepair, eventually disintegrating into nothingness.

Rivaldo, Esuado.

The mansion's picture frames, its pillars, everything.

Catherine looked up at the scattering manas as if she could see them, even though it couldn't be.

And when all the work is done.

There is nothing left where the original mansion once stood.

Pushii──

The group boarded the bus.

The couple still talked.

The cat continued to burrow into the girl's arms.

“Then let’s go.”

"good!"

Veronica shouted loudly next to Ray, then remembered the no-touch-the-wheel order and hurried back to the back seat.

Looking at her back, Ray thought.

The love in Veronica's bowl seemed to have just taken on a pink hue.

'Who does Veronica like?'

I didn't know who the object was, but love was definitely a beautiful emotion.

Feeling the warmth of the sunlight shining down, Ray stepped on the accelerator.

– Side story complete –