Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 47

#047. Where evil gathers (4)

Woof──!

The tiny gems, each the size of a fingernail, glowed so brightly that they could be seen from dozens of meters away.

A very ominous mood.

Cedric, feeling intimidated, opened his mouth and said nothing.

What on earth is this?

How is it floating in the air?

First of all, it was definitely magic, just as Ray had said and demonstrated.

‘Wow, that looks dangerous.’

I felt a sense of dread in the ominous atmosphere and wanted to escape, so I instinctively turned my head to look at Ray.

“… … .”

Ray with his usual expressionless face.

Cedric felt a moment of awe.

How can you be so calm and collected at all times?

I’ve always felt that way since we were together, but I think he’s something far removed from the norm for a normal street boy.

The emotionless white eyes seemed to have some kind of magical power, making those who saw them feel calm.

Cedric, his anxiety subsiding a little, asked the man in a cautious voice.

“Can I ask what this is?”

“Heh heh. Don’t be so scared. It’s the same type of gem that’s adorning the ring I gave you. It has the effect of suppressing illness and boosting energy.”

A smile appeared across the man’s face.

“These are the talents that will become the future of our organization, so it’s only right that we provide them with this much help. Even if it’s not a place where they’ll stay for long.”

“I see. Thank you for your concern, teacher!”

“Yes. Be grateful. And don’t touch the jewels. They won’t be able to get near it in the first place because of the barrier.”

“Yes! I understand!”

After checking the magic circle and looking further inside the abandoned factory, the man walked towards the entrance.

Then he turned around and looked at Cedric and Ray and said.

“I’ll go first. I have to finish writing a letter to send to the boss. And the ring.”

The man’s gaze turned to Cedric’s finger, which was wearing a ring.

“Never lose it. Cherish it as much as you have your life. Especially until I return here in three days.”

Frosty eyes and a low voice.

It was more of a warning than a request.

Cedric, who was trembling, nodded quickly.

After the man left, silence fell over the room.

Cedric asked, looking at Ray, who was unable to take his eyes off the jewels in the distance.

“Now… what do we do? What is that guy trying to do?”

“We’ll have to find out from now on. For now, go back to the hotel. I’ll go back after investigating those things.”

“okay.”

Squeak──! Clang!

Ray, left alone, slowly approached the nearest jewel.

The jewel was spurting red mana like a fountain.

Mana dripped down and soaked into the ends of the patterns on the floor, then spread through the connected patterns to the entire floor of the abandoned factory.

And the mana in the air seeped into the red gem, refilling the emptied storage space.

‘You can use the charging stone like this too.’

Patterns on the floor and jewels in the air.

It gave the impression of a power plant with an infinite supply of fuel.

Ray just watched the scene and didn’t touch the jewels or patterns directly.

First of all, a transparent spherical membrane was visible surrounding the jewel, and it was not a good idea to touch it rashly without knowing exactly what the device was.

Ray climbed the stairs.

I moved the two-story platform that stretched along the wall and stopped at the location where I could most clearly see the pattern.

I turned my head and looked down.

The patterns painted throughout the abandoned factory were red and intricate, geometric shapes I had never seen before.

“… … .”

What on earth is this?

It was clearly something related to magic, but I lacked the knowledge to deduce anything more than that.

Fortunately, I can think of someone who might be able to tell me about the device in front of me.

Rustle.

Ray took out a notebook and pen.

I turned the page where I had been practicing my writing and began to trace the pattern on the floor.

It would have been perfectly possible to remember it in my head, but it was better to draw it since I was going to show it to other people.

After completing the miniature pattern in his notebook, Ray came down the stairs.

And after watching the red glowing pattern on the floor for a while, he left the abandoned factory.

*

The next morning.

The old man who received the notebook stared blankly at its contents for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Is this something to do with the man who said he was an executive of Murcred?”

“… … .”

Ray felt curious.

How on earth do you know exactly what’s going on here before we’ve even had a conversation?

Could this also be magic?

The world of magic is endless, so there may be a type of magic that allows you to look into people’s minds.

‘I’ll have to ask what kind of magic it is when I get the chance. I don’t have time now, so I’ll ask later when I have time.’

Ray parted his lips as he thought about that.

“That’s right. That man came to the new hideout. He used mana to draw a pattern, and placed a red gem, or charging stone, at each corner.”

The old man closed his eyes tightly.

Looks like he’s organizing his thoughts.

After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes again and said.

“If my guess is correct, then we’re getting caught up in something more dangerous than we thought. This is a magic circle.”

“A magic circle?”

“Yes. It’s a type of spell that can greatly increase the power and range of magic with the same amount of mana. The difficulty of constructing the spell is high, so it’s a field that you can’t even touch without precise knowledge…”

The old man’s words trailed off for a moment.

“This is perfect. At least in the form you drew. If you can draw a magic circle with such a flawless shape, then other elements such as the combination of elements and the placement of the charging stones should be perfect as well.”

As the old man continued his explanation, Ray also felt surprised.

The magic circle itself contains a large amount of mana in narrow spaces.

Because of this, it was virtually impossible to feel the magic circle on site and draw it exactly without even a single error.

It’s like trying to feel through a bunch of very densely layered threads with your fingers and distinguishing each strand accurately.

‘Unless you already have knowledge of the magic circle… .’

But the boy has no knowledge of magic circles.

It has already been confirmed that he has never learned anything about magic, including magic circles, from anyone.

So should we also accept this as part of the boy’s genius?

Isn’t the shape of the magic circle that I drew so perfect that it’s almost as if the mana that makes up the magic circle is visible?

…as seen with the eyes?

Just before some kind of realization could dawn on the old man, Ray’s voice broke his thoughts.

“So, is there a specific type of magic circle for each type of magic?”

“Ah, yes. In theory, yes. However, due to difficulty and efficiency, the types of magic that are mainly used are fixed.”

“Then that magic circle is….”

“Exploitation magic. It’s exactly the same type of magic that was on the ring you showed me.”

“That means it has a much wider range of power?”

“That’s correct.”

The old man added an explanation.

The moment the magic circle is activated, all living things in the area will disappear, and the life force they contained will be converted into mana.

“The mana that comes out is incomparably more concentrated than what is in the air. However, it is not the type of mana that humans can use.”

“Why? Wouldn’t it be better if it were concentrated mana?”

“The exact reason is not yet known, but the mana created from human life force is extremely toxic. If you use it recklessly, there is a very high chance of becoming mana addicted.”

Ray, who had been lost in thought for a moment, was able to convince himself of those words with his own logic.

‘Humans live while feeling emotions.’

emotion.

When Ray saw it, it was no exaggeration to say that humans live because of emotions.

Emotions were the force that made people laugh, cry, and get angry, and any action was ultimately based on a certain emotion.

The power that makes humans live is emotion.

However, emotions have far more negative effects on humans than positive ones.

First, emotions clouded people’s rational judgment.

It led to irrational and unreasonable behavior.

Certain emotions in themselves can be debilitating.

Emotions were like a kind of poison.

It is a poison that can be used as medicine when used properly, but is fundamentally a serious threat to health.

“If you couldn’t feel emotions like me, you could live without being swayed by your surroundings.”

I’m trying to broaden my emotional range now, but it’s true that I once had those thoughts.

And there has been no significant change in the idea that being emotionally insensitive is advantageous for survival.

In any case, as humans live, countless traces of emotion are engraved on the vessel.

If you were to create mana using such human beings as material, it was natural that the result would be toxic and harmful.

Because it might be mana that contains all the emotions someone has felt throughout their life.

“It is impossible to re-filter or refine the mana obtained by sacrificing a living being. Therefore, I know that it is usually used for other purposes. Injecting it into creatures as fuel. Or enhancing the performance of certain magical tools.”

“Does that tool include a charging stone?”

The old man could see that the boy was thinking the same thing as he was.

“In theory, nothing is impossible. I’ve never heard of anyone strengthening a charging stone, which is a tool with functional limitations.”

“… … .”

“But if it were something like the ring I saw last time, it might be a different story.”

Ray remembered what the man had said to Cedric yesterday.

“Make sure you don’t lose the ring. Especially not until I return here in three days.”

The conclusion of a long investigation has been reached.

The man’s goal is to sacrifice street children to strengthen his charging stone.

“Okay. What do you plan to do?”

The silence continued.

Ray asked after gathering his thoughts.

“If you are on top of the magic circle, will anyone be able to endure it and die?”

*

Early that afternoon.

Inside an abandoned factory in the northern dump.

About twenty boys were walking around carrying welding machines and large iron plates.

“Ray, can we block all the windows here too?”

“Block every single place. Make sure the only way out is through an iron gate.”

Crackle─! Crackle─!

Sparks flew off the iron frame attached to the window.

Watching the light coming into the room gradually diminish, Ray recalled what had happened about two hours ago.

“Please get me some welding tools and some sheet metal.”

Indeed, Philip was competent.

Because we were able to arrange for all the equipment and personnel needed for the job in just two hours.

Of course, welding was an advanced skill that only a few people in the hotel, even among the kids with a lot of work experience, had.

That’s why there are currently only four welding technicians.

The rest of the personnel were all Ray’s subordinates, carrying the work buckets.

“Raise it a little higher!”

“Can you hold that for me?”

If Philip had come to the scene and seen it in person, he would have burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe it even after seeing it. Those big guys are just waiting for directions next to the hotel kids. I never thought I’d see something like this in my life. You have to live long to see it.”

Perhaps that’s what he meant.

Ray walked around the second floor scaffolding to check that the work was progressing smoothly.

“It’s too complicated!”

Then a shout was heard from below.

Not far from the first floor.

There was a red-haired girl staring blankly at the floor.

Ray went down to the first floor.

I stopped for a moment as I approached Veronica’s back, who was groaning with the face of a scholar full of anguish.

“How many types of elements are used here? On the whole….”

He seemed so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice me approaching.

‘If I just say it, I don’t think you’ll be able to hear it.’

Ray, who had closed the gap a little more, spat out the sentence in a slightly louder voice than usual.

“It’s okay to give up if it gets hard.”

“Whoa!”

Veronica, startled, turned toward Ray and stumbled.

Red hair billowing in the air.

A new type of girl gradually sinking down.

The moment before I fall backwards and land on my butt without even being able to catch myself.

Phew──

The wind that blew gently wrapped around the girl’s body from behind.

The movement of falling was reversed, pushing her body up, and the girl was able to correct her posture again.

“Oh, oh my. Thank you. I almost fell over.”

Veronica sighed in relief, while admiring Ray’s increasing magical skills with each passing day.

How on earth can one cast magic so quickly and accurately?

Assuming they use the same amount of mana, Ray has already surpassed his grandfather’s magical skills.

“That’s not that surprising.”

“… If you spoke to me from behind like a ghost just now, everyone would be startled and dumbfounded.”

And I was a little confused.

Is it right to feel gratitude towards the person who caused your misstep for saving you?

‘I almost fell over because I was so surprised by someone just now… Huh…? Surprised?’

An idea flashed through Veronica’s head.

Without realizing it, my eyes sparkled and the corners of my mouth went up.

“Are you playing a prank on me? Do you think we’re that close now?”

“… … .”

That wasn’t the case at all.

It was just for the purpose of making the point clear.

Rather, from Ray’s perspective, the prank was one of the most incomprehensible human behaviors in the world.

“Not really….”

“I didn’t know. He seemed like the type of person who wouldn’t joke around at all.”

“That’s not it….”

“You have to be alert even in normal times! You never know when he’ll play a prank on you again!”

“… … .”

Ray added a phrase about Veronica to his mental notepad.

The girl at the bookstore has a strange habit of only hearing what she wants to hear during conversations.

“Oh, right. What did you say just now?”

“Magic Circle Analysis. If it’s hard, it’s okay to give up.”

“It’s not hard at all! Never give up!”

It had been an hour since Veronica arrived at the abandoned factory and began analyzing the magic circle.

Ray thought back to the conversation he had had with the old man at the bookstore this morning.

“The basic framework is clearly exploitation magic. However, the activation time and activation conditions are different for each person who installed the magic circle, so I think we’ll have to see it in person to know that part.”

“But as you can see, I’m not in a position to go out and do anything.”

“Go with Veronica. She’s the one who inherited almost all the knowledge I have, so she’ll be helpful.”

The last words were exactly what Ray was thinking.

I was thinking of bringing up the subject to Veronica anyway.

“Yeah. Grandpa is asleep? Uh… please…? Can you analyze the magic circle for me…?”

Veronica was momentarily taken aback, but accepted the request without much thought.

“Okay. I’ll have it ready to go by the time you come back later.”

It was Ray’s request, not someone else’s, but it was also a reason that sparked my intellectual curiosity.

Ray returned after giving instructions to Philip and handed him a wad of bills.

“What is this?”

“Request.”

Veronica looked up from her stump of bills and said,

“It’s a bad habit to try to solve everything with money. I’m just helping you because you’re my friend.”

His mouth smiled, but his eyes did not.

Through the mana in the bowl, Ray could tell that Veronica was feeling a bit angry and sad.

The boy couldn’t understand.

It was a moment when one of the world’s standards was thrown into confusion.

“It’s okay if you don’t give me money. I can’t accept this much money.”

Why on earth?

Philip too, why?

In my experience, there is no one in the world who hates money.

Also, there was no one who refused when offered money.

Unless it’s dangerous money of unknown origin… Oh, maybe that’s why.

“It’s not dangerous money. You can take it.”

“It’s really okay. You don’t have to pay.”

「… … .」

I had to give back what I received.

Either repayment or retaliation.

“I hope you get it.”

“There’s probably no one as assertive as you.”

Your argument doesn’t seem so bad either.

There was a bit of a scuffle.

Meanwhile, Veronica began to realize that Ray’s behavior was not just stubbornness, but something closer to an obsession.

The compulsion to return what one has received.

Veronica said, lost in thought for a moment.

“Um… How about doing it like this?”