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#054. Uninvited Guest (1)
“… … .”
Ray bent down and picked up the photo.
The old black and white photograph, so worn that it looked like it would crumble if touched, was taken in front of the main gate of a two-story building.
‘orphanage?’
In the center of the photo stood a large man wearing a bowler hat and a coat.
Underneath the long arms spread out to the sides.
Six children were standing close together.
Although the photo was old and blurry, if you looked closely, you could see that everyone had an anxious look on their faces.
Of course, in Ray’s case, since he wasn’t good at recognizing people’s facial expressions, he could only guess their age based on their physique.
‘At least 7 years old… at most 12 years old. Everyone is somewhere in between.’
Ray continued to look at the photos.
The large man was wearing sunglasses and a mask, making it impossible to see his face.
At first I thought this was Walter, the man from the basement, because he was dressed similarly, but upon closer inspection I could see that his physique was clearly different.
The word ‘Master’ was written above his head, and when I brought the letter and compared the handwriting, it was definitely Walter’s.
The large man was very likely not Walter.
Because I wouldn’t refer to myself as the master unless there was a very special reason.
Rather, the boy on the far left with the word ‘I’ written above his head was most likely Walter.
Also, names that were presumed to be theirs were written above the heads of the other children.
“… … .”
I tried to compare Walter’s face, which I had imagined as best as I could, with that of the boy on the left.
But recognizing human faces wasn’t easy for Ray.
The difficulty was further enhanced because the photo itself was old and blurry.
‘I guess I’ll have to look into this in more detail later.’
After taking the photos, Ray looked through his notebook next.
The red-tinted leather notebook was covered in peeling and fingerprints.
Palak─
The inner pages were the same.
The recently used pages were in relatively good condition, but as I went further back, the traces of time became more evident, making me feel like I was going back in time.
Palak – Tick.
The pages that Ray was turning stopped at the very front.
“B-071. Sector 43. Maledrich. Assassination. Leave the scene immediately after the disturbance during the march.”
I turned a page.
“G-009. Sector 38. Kedermoney Bank. Transport vehicle. Seize. Use barricades to block escape route.”
“F-142. Sector 47. Secro Field. Contact. Trade. Permission to use magic.”
The back pages were also filled to the brim in the same way.
They were all in Walter’s handwriting, and appeared to be directives he had been receiving from the organization.
The date was written next to each directive.
Flap— Flap—
The very first directive on the front page of the notebook is dated 20 years ago.
‘Walter’s estimated age was in his early to mid 30s, according to the note Philip had previously given me.’
If that’s the case, then Walter must have been working for the organization since his early to mid-teens.
Ray continued to turn the pages and look at the contents of the notebook.
Flap— Flap—
The total number of directives written in the notebook exceeded several hundred.
The date intervals between directives ranged from as short as a few weeks to as long as several months.
Additionally, each command was surrounded by a large circle with the word ‘Complete’ written next to it.
In all, hundreds of directives.
“… … .”
Ray’s fingers, which were turning the page, suddenly stopped.
This was because there was an order with an X, not a circle.
“Sector 31. Investigation into the green gem. Kelly Gold Auction House.”
“Failure. No results.”
I stopped turning the page again.
“Sector 48. Investigation into the blue gem. Gront Mountains.”
“Failure. No results.”
There were several more directives marked with an X throughout the notebook.
They all had one thing in common: they all contained the word “jewel.”
What does this mean?
The first thing that came to mind was a hypothesis about rainbows.
The theory is that the rainbow is a gem that generates infinite mana, and is currently divided into seven fragments and sleeping somewhere.
“… … .”
Is Murkred’s boss also looking for the rainbow fragments?
By scattering the luggage throughout the sector and investigating.
Of course, a hypothesis is just a hypothesis, and the jewels written in the notebook could mean something completely different than rainbow fragments.
But it was clear that it was a guess that could explain the revealed situation to some extent.
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Ray took his notebook and searched every corner of the basement.
Crumpled bedding.
Clothes scattered haphazardly.
Food ingredients scattered in the corner, etc.
There were many clues that could be used to infer something about the person named Walter.
However, the only information that could be inferred about the organization was what was written in the notebook.
Quite a bit of time has passed.
Ray decided that further exploration was pointless and headed for the door, gathering what he could.
A little money that was in the clothes.
A few red gems left in the tin can.
Ray looked back one last time before leaving the room.
Crackle- Crackle-
The light was swaying alone in the uninhabited room, casting a dangerous glow.
“… … .”
Ray, who had been staring at the light, approached and turned it off.
And then I left the basement again.
Kkeeeeeeeee── Clank!
The iron door closed with a sound like someone screaming, and the light coming through the crack in the door gradually decreased and eventually disappeared completely.
A peaceful darkness fell on the basement.
In the distance, only the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs could be heard.
*
Time passed quickly.
Philip, who was out and about every day, discovered a new abandoned factory that was suitable for use as a hideout.
The location was the west dump, in the exact opposite direction from the east dump where the hotel was.
“I owe you a lot.”
An afternoon with less cloudiness than usual in the sky thanks to the rain that fell the night before.
There were over a hundred children gathered at the hotel entrance.
“What’s the matter? Who is the hotel benefiting from? It’s only natural that they provide this level of convenience.”
The boys gathered at the entrance are Philip and the hotel kids.
And the boys standing outside were Ray and his men.
Ray and Philip, the leaders or captains of the two camps, were at the very front of their groups and talking.
“I’ve brought all the necessary furniture in front of the new hideout. I’ve rented a truck. All I have to do is move it inside.”
“okay.
“They are defective items from a furniture store, but if you look at them carefully, they are not much different from the original ones. It’s not like the hotel doesn’t have technicians. They brought them here for almost free.”
“Well done, great, Philip.”
Philip chuckled at Ray’s mechanical answer.
‘I gave you some advice about praising your children. It looks like you’re applying that to me too.’
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Because compliments are a conversational skill that can bring about 100% benefits in human relationships, except in very rare cases.
“This is the remaining amount from the money I gave you as a deposit.”
Ray stared blankly at the bag of money that Philip offered him, then accepted it and put it in his bosom.
“I will have the settlement money sent to you via courier every day.”
“Yeah. That seems more comfortable.”
“If you think the settlement fee needs to be adjusted, please let me know at any time. Once you have decided on your departure date, please let me know in advance.”
“I will do that.”
Philip carefully checked the parts that needed to be agreed upon in advance.
And for the final greeting, we parted our lips with regretful feelings.
“If I go now, unless something special comes up, I won’t be able to see you for a while─.”
“I wish you would come with me when I leave the sector.”
Those were unexpected words spoken at a time no one expected.
Philip asked back with a bewildered look on his face.
“Did I hear that wrong?”
The hotel kids and Ray’s subordinates who were listening were also surprised.
“Did you hear what the hunter just said?”
“You said before that the Captain would be leaving the sector within a few weeks. Was that true?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Can I give you some potato chips before you leave, Hunter?”
The commotion around them grew louder.
The colorful emotions surrounding Philip and Ray continued to surge.
The only boy who showed no sign of agitation in the midst of the commotion spoke.
“You heard right. I want you to leave Sector 49 with me.”
“Are you making me an offer?”
“That’s what it is.”
“That’s… such a sudden suggestion. I’ve never left Sector 49 before. What you’re saying is like telling me to give up everything I’ve built here and leave.”
The hotel children sighed in relief at the sight of Philip expressing his negative opinion.
Philippe was the founder of the hotel and was in charge of all aspects of its operation.
That’s why he couldn’t imagine a hotel without Philip, and Philip himself thought so too.
But when I heard Ray’s next words.
Philip’s eyes couldn’t help but shake violently.
“Your real goal of saving money. Isn’t that something you can only achieve by leaving this place?”
“… … !”
The night after the defeat of the Rodson and Zephyr gang, a small festival was held at the hotel.
Philip, who was intoxicated by the atmosphere and in high spirits, spoke in passing.
The real reason why you save money.
About what it is.
‘You remembered. I just said it briefly.’
Philip licked his lips.
My heart pounded nonstop as if I had been hit hard with a hammer.
Ray’s words were not wrong.
If you really wanted to achieve your goal, you had to leave Sector 49.
I’ve been avoiding reality all this time because of my fear of leaving my familiar place and going to a new place.
‘… this may be an opportunity that will never come again. That’s for sure.’
Leaving your home means exposing yourself to many risks.
And Ray has the intelligence and powerful magic to repel such dangers.
If you can accompany them, you will gain an incredibly strong guardian.
But questions remain.
‘Why do you want to go with me? I don’t think you’ll regret it at all if you go alone.’
I thought about it, but no answer came to me.
Philip, who had been biting his lips tightly, finally opened his mouth after a while, letting out a sound similar to a groan.
“I need some time to think.”
There was a gasp of relief all around.
Soon the commotion grew louder again.
“How much time do you need?”
“A week… I think that’ll be enough. You’re not leaving this place right away, are you?”
“okay.”
Ray nodded.
Although I gave him time to think about it, I thought that in the end, the decision that Philip would make was already decided.
The courage that Philip sometimes shows.
The longing shown as he revealed the reason for saving money.
Because he remembered the intense colors that the two emotions had emitted.
‘Philip is not a coward. He can leave what he has and go.’
There were two main reasons for wanting to take Philip as a companion.
First, I wanted to continuously observe the emotions that Philip was showing.
Second, he thought he would leave everything related to money to Philip and focus solely on his research on rainbows.
Also, since he was more knowledgeable about how the world works than I was, he would be helpful in many situations.
After some more business-related conversation, the two leaders said their final goodbyes.
“Let’s go.”
Ray turned around and spoke to his subordinates.
The shock from the conversation between the two captains had subsided somewhat over time.
The men turned and began to move, following Ray away from the hotel.
About 60 boys, all of whom turned their heads and glanced toward the hotel.
Then someone shouted.
“Thank you! For letting us stay while we had nowhere to go!”
From that point on, the cries began to spread.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you! For helping us!”
“I was really grateful too!”
“Thank you──!”
A puddle of water on the ground.
The crimson gratitude in the boys’ bowl was reflected there and shook their bodies.
Like the palms of hotel children waving from side to side in the distance.