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#055. Uninvited Guest (2)
Death was squeezing the old man’s breath away with each passing moment.
The symptoms of insomnia became more severe and I could now stay awake for less than 30 minutes during the day.
“By combining elements in this way, you can use magic in a slightly more efficient way. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
The older man became more and more enthusiastic about teaching Ray magic.
Like a flame on the verge of going out, burning with all its might to leave a little more light in the world.
“Yes. You can use it that way. Also, as a method to instantly release the bonds of elements and transform them… .”
Ray was able to acquire a vast amount of magical theory through the old man.
And also a considerable number of magic spells.
However, there was one thing that was disappointing.
‘They are all types of magic that are helpful in daily life. The only magic that is helpful in combat is the magic that creates and manipulates stone fragments.’
Of course, the potential uses were endless.
Depending on how you create and transform the stone sculptures, you can create big variables in battle.
…the problem was that, objectively speaking, I didn’t have a very good imagination.
‘Because it’s always been far from fantasy-like behavior.’
Additionally, there was still a limit to the amount of gray that could be mixed with mana among the rings.
Or draw on the gray mana that has been completed while waiting.
Or use the mana in the air to tint it gray.
Considering the mental power consumed, these were not very efficient actions.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
An old man’s voice was heard.
“… Then let’s stop here for today.”
The old man never looked at his watch during class, but he knew exactly what time he would go to bed.
For the past few days, I’ve always had about five minutes left before going to bed, looking out the window with a calm gaze.
Before leaving this world.
Is it an attempt to take in as much of the scenery as possible?
The boy couldn’t figure out what exactly the old man’s actions meant.
But it was still strange.
‘…How can you be so calm?’
Cry like a child.
Or beg for help.
Or screaming because you can’t stand it.
Or frozen with regret and sorrow.
That was the common reaction of people facing death.
Although all sorts of emotions would have swept through the bowl like a storm, the old man’s bowl was as calm as the windless sky.
Ray looked at the old man staring out the window, nodded slightly, and left the room.
I went down to the first floor, talked to Veronica about the old man’s condition, and started studying the text.
“So in this sentence, the subject is….”
Veronica looked very sullen, her expression and voice lacking the usual liveliness.
It was the same with Yulta and Morphine, and the children in the bookstore were filled with anxiety and fear of a magnitude they had never felt before.
Everyone felt the old man’s death approaching.
You will feel sad and anxious.
Ray could understand what the kids at the bookstore were feeling at the moment.
Not completely, though.
Enough to be able to empathize.
He too had witnessed the death of loved ones right before his eyes.
‘I need to cut off those feelings.’
Emotions were like a swamp.
Once you sink, it’s not easy to get back up, so it was necessary to cut off the emotions at an appropriate level.
It had to be that way.
Because I was thinking of extending the companionship offer to one more person besides Philip.
‘When my younger siblings cried in sector 50, I held them in my arms and comforted them.’
The children in the bookstore only looked depressed and didn’t show any tears.
How can I get rid of that anxiety and fear?
“Veronica. I think you’re really good at teaching.”
“Huh? Oh, I see. Thank you.”
Praise had no effect.
Judging from the constant tone of voice and the emotion in the bowl, there is no change.
Next time I see Philip, I think I should ask him how to comfort someone in such a situation.
Dangling──
It was then that the bell rang at the bookstore door.
When I turned my head, a man with a fierce expression was looking around the inside of the bookstore with a careless gesture.
“Our bookstore opens at noon. So, if you look, the lights in the front are turned off─.”
Veronica, who had been standing up and speaking, quickly shut her mouth.
Several more men came in through the open door, each carrying a pipe and a club in their hands.
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Ray stepped forward and whispered to Veronica.
“Go up. Take Malta and Yulpin with you.”
“No. I’m here with you too….”
“If a fight breaks out, it becomes a hindrance.”
“… … .”
Veronica nodded with a stern face.
Following Ray’s words, I took my siblings up to the second floor.
Ray walked between the shelves and spoke in a soft voice.
“It doesn’t seem like you came here to buy books. What do you do?”
There were some parts that I could guess.
A person who had been suggesting to sell the bookstore for a long time and had instigated the Zephyr gang to slam the bookstore.
‘3rd Street. Owner of Fred’s General Store.’
Perhaps the Zephyr gang will use stronger means now that they have withdrawn from the commission.
widely.
Ray’s footsteps stopped in front of seven physically fit men.
The men frowned as if asking, “What is this?” as they watched Ray, who showed no sign of being intimidated at all.
“Kid. Bring an adult here. I have something to tell you.”
“Where did you come from and for what purpose? Tell me that first.”
“That little brat is speaking rudely to me.”
Ray interrupted.
“Did the owner of Fred’s General Store send you?”
The emotions contained in the men’s vessels stirred, and that was sufficient answer.
“The bookstore has no intention of selling. If you don’t want to die, go back.”
“I heard that it’s a bookstore that only has old people and kids.”
The man who looked like a general let out a laugh and then said with a serious expression.
“I didn’t know that kid was a drugged kid! Get going! If you keep destroying things, the old man will come down on his own!”
With the captain’s shout, the men began swinging their weapons at the bookshelves and shelves.
Ray kicked the floor.
bang!
He squeezed through the narrow gap between the two men in front and passed by like flowing water.
and.
Pushuut!
“Cow, your hand! My hand!”
“Ahhhh!”
Blood spurted from both men’s wrists.
Ray was moving towards his next target, holding a sharp knife in his hand.
“Stop! They’re coming this way!”
“This little shit is holding a knife!”
The men who were busy swinging their weapons at Ray who was running towards them, but it was a scene that couldn’t even be called a battle in the first place.
Push! Push!
“Kwaaak!”
“Ahh!”
Because the movements of Ray operating the ring were difficult for ordinary people to even follow with their eyes.
Boom! Crunch! Boom!
Wherever Ray passed, men dropped their weapons and fell to the ground, screaming.
“Oh, oh, don’t come!”
Now the only remaining target is a man presumed to be the captain.
The man, filled with fear, swung his pipe wildly.
Ray ducked down and lightly dodged the attack, while at the same time slashing the man’s ankle without hesitation.
Push!
“Kwaaak!”
I turned around and jumped up hard behind the man who was falling forward, and slammed my knee into his back.
Kwaang─!
A man who literally got his face smashed into the floor.
A knife was thrust straight down his neck.
“Ugh! Ugh, ugh!”
The feeling of cold metal against my Adam’s apple was enough to make me stop breathing immediately.
And Ray’s voice that followed was colder than the blade.
“Are you in a gang? Or just a bunch of people hanging out? How many of you in total?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll tell you everything!”
There was no trace of the man’s initial arrogance.
I was so scared that I vomited out everything I hadn’t even asked about.
“We, we just hang out together. We, we don’t have an organization or anything.”
This was expected from the sloppy clothing.
“Ma, as you said, I, I got Fred’s fortune! And, a large shopping mall will be coming in here soon, so the land price will go up…”
This was also somewhat expected.
I felt that in order to prevent something like this from happening again, I had to deal with Fred myself.
“I like it because the answers are quick. It doesn’t waste either of our time.”
“Then, then we are now sending… .”
“I have to send it.”
It was at that moment that the man was about to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Make them pay first.”
Ssuk.
The knife that had been held to his neck moved to the man’s ear.
“Okay, okay, wait a minute… ugh!”
The man, whose face had turned pale, tried to struggle, but the pressure on his back suddenly became so strong that he was unable to move.
The boy’s eyes shone quietly.
You get what you pay for.
Whether it’s repayment or retaliation.
The moment I tried to push the knife that was placed against my ear.
“I think that’s enough.”
A voice came from ahead.
When he raised his head, he saw the old man coming down the stairs, and Ray, understanding what he meant, answered in a cold voice.
“If you just send it back, it might come back.”
It must imprint an unforgettable fear and terror on the mind.
Don’t even dare to go near the bookstore.
“I know what you’re thinking. But violence breeds violence. Revenge or retaliation comes back, and retaliation happens again, and the cycle never ends.”
“… … .”
At first glance, it sounded similar to what I had heard from Philip.
“You can’t get true loyalty from children through force alone. You have to use appropriate rewards. The same goes for when you’re trying to persuade your enemies.”
But this time, things were decidedly different.
Because the opponent was a pure enemy who was not worth appeasing.
“If there is retaliation, it is because you exercised your power too clumsily. You must crush it so thoroughly that it will not be possible for you to have even the slightest thought of nonsense later.”
After hearing Ray’s rebuttal, the old man turned his head and slowly looked over the fallen men.
“It looks like they all have injured tendons in their wrists. I think these people have paid a sufficient price. Strictly speaking, these people were only moving under orders.”
“… … .”
“Calm down first.”
Ray couldn’t understand the old man’s words, much less the emotions reflected in his bowl.
‘You’re angry.’
The emotion contained in the old man’s bowl was a bright red anger.
This was an enormous amount of anger, considering that he was an old man who rarely had mood swings.
The old man was also angry.
About the space that one worked so hard to create being invaded and destroyed.
However, the old man did not display any behavior that reflected his anger.
Rather, he was saying that we should forgive our enemies within the appropriate limits.
‘I don’t know.’
Inconsistency between the elderly person’s behavior and emotions.
Confusion arose in the boy’s mind.
But what was clear was that the old man’s response was too weak.
“Eww!”
Several of the fallen men got up and ran towards the old man.
Look.
Don’t they show their malice like this when they get even the slightest opening?
I thought I could easily subdue an old man even if I couldn’t use my hands properly.
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeee──!!”
The men quickly closed the distance with the old man.
Ray didn’t move from his seat, even though he had ample time to react.
It was because the gray mana that started spinning fiercely in the old man’s ring had taken over his mind.
Knock knock!
“uh…?”
“Uh huh…?”
The men running toward the old man suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Both feet were turning to stone, turning gray from the tips of their shoes.
“Hee, heeeek─!”
“W-what is this─! S-save me!”
The screams of panicked gangsters filled the bookstore.
In it, the eyes of the old man and the boy met.
“Ray. Calm down.”
“… … .”
The boy’s body and mind were seething with blood-red anger.
It was an emotion that could be easily suppressed if one put one’s mind to it, but the boy did not do so.
‘They must be punished.’
When you trample on your opponent, you must trample them firmly.
That was the law of power the boy had learned through living on the streets for a long time.
“Ray. The situation has been resolved. Calm down.”
“… … .”
The old man’s words are incomprehensible, but there must be some truth to them.
Because the old man was the wisest man I had ever seen.
‘But my choice also has a basis.’
The end of the gaze that went back and forth in silence.
The boy put down the knife without hesitation.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHH──!!”
With a scream of pain, the man’s right ear fell to the floor.