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#046. Where evil gathers (3)
“I haven’t seen your face before. Are you the new guy? Why did you follow me all the way here?”
“Oh, that’s right! He’s a new recruit who just joined a few days ago, but he’s so good at fighting that he’s been promoted to captain! I brought him here because I wanted to introduce him to you.”
The man narrowed his eyes.
Without giving him time to react, he closed the distance between them and grabbed Ray’s shoulders with both hands, then brought his face right in front of him and met his gaze.
“I think I’ve seen it somewhere.”
His face was completely devoid of any smile.
The man and the boy’s eyes reflected each other’s eyes, and their faces were so close that the distance between them was less than a span.
“It definitely looks familiar. Hmm. I’m not the type of person to keep unimportant memories in my head.”
The man clenched his teeth, annoyed by the memories that seemed to come but would not.
The expression and sound were extremely threatening, but Ray showed no reaction.
He just met my gaze calmly with his usual emotionless eyes.
It was okay.
No matter how hard I stare, the man won’t notice me.
When I met him at the entrance to the basement building a few days ago, there was ‘not the slightest’ hint of hostility or suspicion in the man’s stomach.
That’s because the man’s subconscious failed to make the connection between the boy loitering at the entrance of the building and the boy fighting in the basement.
It seemed to mean that it would continue to be like that unless there was a decisive turning point in the future.
Ray, who had been observing people’s emotions and behavioral patterns for a long time, was also aware of this fact.
‘… I didn’t know you wouldn’t even remember what happened when we met at the entrance of the building.’
Your memory isn’t very good.
I didn’t expect this.
But it didn’t matter because it was beneficial to the plan and not detrimental.
“Have you ever met me?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
The man let go of Ray’s shoulder and took a few steps back.
An eerie smile returned to his once serious face.
“Well, it’s a shame about the physique, but it’s okay. When I touched his body, his muscles were quite firm. A sacrifice… no, his physical condition is more than suitable for becoming a member of our Murcred organization.”
Cedric didn’t understand the word sacrifice.
Rather, I reacted to the words ‘Member of Murcred’s Organization’, and for a moment, a faint feeling of confusion rose in my stomach.
‘Ray said this guy was up to something bad. I don’t know exactly what though.’
I was in a state of agreement with that.
But what if Ray is wrong and the man she’s been calling her teacher is right?
What if you were to blow a precious opportunity to become a member of a huge organization right now?
“Then let’s hear the rest of the explanation. Cedric, were you playing with fire in the hideout?”
The moment when I was biting my lips and struggling.
Behind the back of the man who was turning around and approaching me, I saw Ray moving his lips and saying something.
“Trust me.”
The chaos in Cedric’s bowl crumbled and scattered in all directions.
“There was a fire, but it wasn’t a prank. It was caused by a drum that fell over at night…”
Cedric guided the man to the abandoned factory site, explaining calmly and skillfully.
Ray watched the scene for a while and then followed the two at regular intervals.
‘Cedric is doing much better than I expected.’
Even when I was teaching him fighting skills, I felt that Cedric was quite capable in many ways.
No matter what instructions he was given, he understood exactly what he had to do and carried it out flawlessly, and he was excellent at improvising when an emergency arose.
Although I often felt emotionally unstable due to the aftereffects of the red mana, it wasn’t a big problem.
Because it was something I just had to calm my emotions down like I did just now.
‘… It’s not that bad, actually.’
Guiding the other person’s emotions in the direction he thought was a very meaningful experience for Ray.
“The hideout was completely burned down. So where are the rest of them now? Surely they’re not scattered?”
Cedric quickly added, looking at the man’s expressionless face.
“No, I’m currently living outside for a while.”
“Life outside.”
“Yes. But I found a new place that I can use as a hideout a while ago. I plan to move in as soon as the furniture is ready. It’s not too far away, so why don’t you take a look around today…?”
“Don’t do that. You shouldn’t build a new nest in a strange place.”
“Yes! And the personnel will likely reach the target you mentioned soon.”
I think I will reach my target.
At those words, the man’s crumpled expression instantly disappeared, and a deep sense of joy and excitement settled in his bowl.
“So how many people are there now?”
“There are exactly 63 people now.”
“There are three left. The conditions must be certain.”
“Yes, of course. I checked last time you visited, but I only picked guys who were big and strong.”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
“Kuhuhu. Khahahahahaha──!!”
The man suddenly burst into laughter and started clapping his hands like a madman.
It was only after quite some time that he finally spoke in his true form.
“Okay. Let’s go. To that new hideout. Next time I visit, all 66 of them will be there. Right?”
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“Yes! That’s right! I will guide you!”
The man turned and walked deeper into the dump with Cedric.
The moment Ray stopped walking to follow the two people, he started to walk.
“Hey, you’re the guy who said you were the captain. What’s your name?”
The man looked back and asked.
Ray thought for a moment, and then answered shortly after.
“This is Niles.”
“Niles. That’s not a common name. Come forward. Don’t walk away.”
“yes.”
Ray, keeping pace with his quick steps, listened to the conversation between Cedric and the man.
“Teacher. So now we really become official members of the organization?”
“Yes, that’s right. If I go back today and report back, a vehicle will arrive to pick us up in a few weeks.”
While checking the content of the conversation, I asked myself questions.
Why did I use Niles’ name?
I definitely had a alias prepared.
That was a really weird moment.
As soon as the man asked the question, the name Niles just came out naturally.
As if Niles was the only correct answer to a question that required filling in the blanks.
Why?
To the boy, the world was made up of cause and effect, and these laws applied directly to his own actions.
Every action had a reason.
I helped Veronica to gain knowledge about magic and read books.
I helped Philip to accumulate as much money as possible while he was in Sector 49.
But this time, there was no motive to be found, and that fact made the boy tilt his head.
“I still can’t believe we’re now part of a real organization.”
“I was lucky. It was the right time for the organization to train a special force. When you go to headquarters, you’ll all live in dormitories and receive training.”
“It feels like a dream. I think it was really the luck of my life to have met you, teacher.”
Ray decided to focus on the current situation for now and joined the conversation.
“Excuse me, can I ask you a question?”
“Huh? Okay. Captain. Tell me.”
The man’s bowl was filled with a considerable amount of superiority and elation.
This was the result of Cedric continuing to spout words of praise next to the man, following Ray’s instructions.
Ray knew.
The fact that people are more likely to show weaknesses when they have positive emotions than when they have negative emotions.
And perhaps the man was usually hungry for recognition.
It wouldn’t be easy to be so arrogant about the sweet talk of a minor with a significant age difference.
“If it’s a headquarters, I wonder if there are multiple branches, and in what sector is the headquarters located?”
“That’s right, teacher. I’m curious too.”
The man answered the question quite easily, wondering if he was in a good mood.
“There are no branches in Murcred. The members of the organization simply travel around and carry out their own orders.”
There was no particular change in the man’s feelings.
What I just said meant to be true.
“And the headquarters is in Sector 43. It can be said that all the business the organization carries out is conceived here.”
This time, a slight tremble occurred throughout the emotions contained in the bowl.
The degree of ambiguity was ambiguous, meaning that what he had just said was mixed with truth and lies.
Headquarters is a word that means the most central location.
So, the latter statement that all business is conceived at headquarters is likely to be true without much error.
‘… The story that the headquarters is in sector 43 is false.’
The very idea of bringing street children into the organization was a blatant lie.
They probably just threw around the sector number because they had no intention of taking it to headquarters.
Because the man’s purpose is to do something by sacrificing children.
“What do we do first when we join the organization?
“You have a lot of questions. Well, it makes sense since your life will change from now on. Alright. Ask me anything. Hehe.”
Ray continued to ask questions, examining the man’s emotions.
Answers came back often, but they didn’t contain much nutritious information.
Rather than saying that the man was deliberately hiding information, it seemed like he himself didn’t know much about the organization.
Thud, thud.
The movement continued, dry dust rising with each pair of footsteps.
Piles of scrap metal on either side of me gleamed gloomily in the dim sunlight.
The end of a series of questions.
Ray asked the last question he had been holding in his heart.
“I would like to ask you who the boss is.”
The man’s footsteps suddenly stopped.
Ray and Cedric’s footsteps also stopped.
“… … .”
Unlike before, no answer came out of the man’s tightly shut mouth.
The smile that had once spread across his face had completely evaporated and disappeared.
In the bowl, two new emotions had bloomed, pushing out the old emotions and taking their place.
Longing. And fear.
These were not emotions that evoked any special feelings in Ray.
Because I’ve been seeing it a lot lately through hotels and street kids.
But if both emotions appear at the same time, the story is a little different.
‘These are not feelings that go together.’
Every emotion in the world has a pair of opposing attributes.
On the opposite side of joy is sadness.
On the opposite side of faith is disbelief.
On the other side of expectation is disappointment.
Ray’s mind was filled with a list of these opposing pairs of emotions.
What made it possible to compile such a list?
It would not be a joke to say that this is because of the high level of understanding of those emotions.
The semi-emotionless boy was only just beginning to understand a very small part of the world’s emotions.
It would be closer to instinctive awareness.
‘The two emotions are pushing each other away.’
One day, a boy playing with the colorful mana that spread out in the air realized that there were friendly relationships between mana.
It was just like a crowd of people.
When the colors were mixed, there were colors that blended together softly as if they were originally one.
On the contrary, there were colors that repelled each other like mortal enemies.
In the latter case, they usually had contrasting colors like black and white, and also never mixed like water and oil.
And the boy who was observing people’s mana, emotions, and actions naturally realized one more fact.
It was the fact that the friendly relationship between colors was directly reflected in the friendly relationship between each emotion associated with it.
For example, white mana and black mana, which are opposites, also have associated emotions with opposite properties.
White mana is mainly connected to emotions such as concern, consideration, and devotion for others.
Black mana was mainly linked to emotions such as contempt, murder, and greed, which are emotions that seek to harm or exploit others.
This is because the boy’s understanding of emotions could be said to be based on colors rather than the properties of the emotions themselves.
“The boss… yes. He is truly amazing. He is so great that someone like me wouldn’t even dare look up to him…”
The man muttered, clicking his fingernails.
Longing and fear.
Although their feelings were not completely opposite to each other, they clearly belonged to different camps.
The two masses of emotion were repelling each other like magnets, and the fear was more intense in size and color.
“Boss, please wait a moment and I will…”
After that, the man’s walking speed doubled.
The man continued to mutter something incomprehensible, and the two boys followed him, picking up their pace.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
For a while, only the sound of footsteps filled the air.
Before long, the three arrived in front of an abandoned factory.
“This is it, sir.”
“Look inside.”
Squeak──!
The iron gate opened and the interior of an abandoned factory was revealed.
Broken tiles and exposed dirt floors.
Sunlight streaming in through the high ceilings and windows.
This was the place that Philip had searched for. It was larger than the place Cedric had previously used, and it was also relatively clean.
Additionally, it was confirmed that the place was ownerless and could be used at will.
“This looks to be in better condition than I thought. It’s supposed to be a place to stay for a while before leaving for headquarters.”
The man turned his head and looked inside, saying:
Afterwards, he walked around and looked around every corner, and he seemed to be measuring the size of the space, such as measuring the distance between walls with his steps.
Ray thought as he looked at the man’s back.
‘If I make a surprise attack now, can I win?’
From his previous answers, the man seemed to not know much about his organization.
But that was only a suspicion, and it was quite possible that he actually knew more than that.
However, there were limits to conducting leading questions.
‘The most certain way is to subdue and inflict pain.’
It piles up a dull pain on top of the head of an opponent who can’t move.
And if you press down like a press, you can squeeze out every last bit of information your opponent has, leaving nothing behind.
Because pain and fear have a way of making humans docile.
That was something Ray knew very well, and it was actually the method he used most often to get the information he wanted.
But the problem was that I couldn’t guarantee victory against men right now.
A man has two rings.
On the other hand, his own ring is 1.
Over the past few days, Ray has been working on figuring out what his maximum potential is.
How much magic can be used at a time using the ring’s mana.
And I came to one conclusion.
‘The difference in the number of rings is absolute.’
I could personally experience the huge difference between having a ring and not having one while checking my skills.
The gap between one and two rings would be even greater.
They said that the more layers are stacked, the more the performance is greatly enhanced.
It is also impossible to obtain information through questions.
It is also impossible to subdue the opponent.
But Ray didn’t feel frustrated or anxious.
If you watch for a while, even the strongest enemy will show weaknesses and clues to the situation will be revealed.
It felt so familiar.
It’s a matter of holding your breath and waiting.
As Ray continued to observe, the man turned around and looked at Cedric and asked.
“When are you moving here?”
“I have a connection with a guy at a furniture store, so I’ve arranged for him to pick up all my discarded furniture tomorrow! Besides that, if I finish up some other things, I think I’ll be moving in in two days!”
“That date is correct, right?”
“Yes, of course!”
“Then I will come back here in three days. I will have to properly introduce myself to your subordinates and say hello.”
“Yes! I will definitely finish moving!”
The man smiled in satisfaction at Cedric’s booming answer.
Then he turned around and started walking slowly around the abandoned factory again.
Palms facing down.
The red mana that flowed out from there fell like sand, seeping into the ground along the path the man took.
And it gave off a bright light.
‘That’s….’
A normal wizard wouldn’t have immediately realized what the man was doing.
Unless you have a decent level of mana detection.
But Ray, who had a different perspective than others, couldn’t help but notice.
… the man was drawing some kind of pattern using mana.
By treating the entire abandoned factory as one giant canvas.
It was not immediately clear what pattern the mana was drawing unless I looked down from above.
However, it was clear that it was a very complex and elaborate pattern.
The man did not move from his seat any longer, as the pattern was completed.
Instead, he took something out of his bosom, and it was the red gems the size of his fingernails that Ray had seen in the basement.
Woohoo──
The jewels soared above the man’s palm.
It flew in all directions and stopped at several corners of the pattern’s border.
It was bouncing up and down in that spot.
Exactly!
And with the man’s finger snapping, it began to emit an ominous red light.
The boy’s white eyes.
There was a red glow and intense curiosity.