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#077. The Vortex of Desire (3)
I want to break it down.
All the respect Michael had for me.
It was a thought that came from complex emotions.
Having already tried building up emotions, I now want to try breaking them down, a sense of intellectual curiosity.
A childlike, devilish urge to knock down someone’s hard-earned sandcastle.
And, unconscious jealousy about what one cannot have.
All of this combined to cause the boy to blurt out one word.
“Do you know whose fault it is that this situation is happening now?”
Michael’s pupils shook as he heard Ray’s words.
This was because he also thought deep down that John might be one of the causes of this situation.
The word antidote that came up during the speech.
John’s tone and behavior were different than usual.
At least it was clear that there was something he wasn’t telling himself.
And it was likely to be a very negative kind of thing.
The feeling of John’s body trembling behind him added confirmation to that thought.
“… … .”
Michael bit his lip with all his might to avoid the ominous feeling.
“John called me to the hotel last night and made me an offer.”
“… If you won’t let me continue to be protected, I will have no choice but to use force.”
No, that can’t be true.
“I was suggesting that we get rid of the useless mercenary group. So let’s take away their assets, including their advance payment.”
“We will attack Ray’s defenses with all our might.”
There’s no way the CEO would have made such a suggestion.
“And then you put poison in the tea….”
“D, don’t listen to me! Everything that devil says is a lie!”
John, who was being carried on Michael’s back, suddenly raised his head and shouted, his body shaking.
“Mi, Michael! You don’t believe me, do you!”
John’s bowl was filled with feelings of anxiety and nervousness.
Because in this situation, the only person who could help him was Michael.
Fortunately, John was soon relieved by the words that came out of Michael’s mouth.
“I know. You’re not the kind of person who would do something like that.”
“That, that’s right! That’s right! The current situation is all because of that, ah, devil─.”
John, who had caught Ray’s gaze, lowered his head again without saying a word.
“It’s because of me.”
The boy tilted his head.
“well.”
I didn’t quite understand.
It was John and Skyle who first suggested killing the opponent and stealing the money.
It did encourage their desires and direct their hostility a little more directly towards each other.
But even if that hadn’t happened, the current landscape wouldn’t have changed.
Because John and Skyle’s desires and animosity were way over the line from the beginning.
“The result would have been the same even if I wasn’t there.”
The boy’s face was expressionless and polite.
Michael bit his lip hard.
Boom! Kwaang!
The beak and talons were covered in steel and fell onto the armor surrounding the vehicle.
The tremendous destructive force caused cracks to appear in the defensive surface in an instant.
But the speed of recovery was also not easy.
It was thanks to Veronica inside the vehicle that she was focusing all her mana on maintaining protection.
Ray’s gaze, which had been on John, moved to Michael.
“Skyle made a similar suggestion. He wanted to lure John and steal his fortune. He also lied about finding the target, Rock Deer.”
“… … .”
Michael didn’t answer.
He just kept a hard face and tried to deny Ray’s words, concentrating on attacking the defense by using his servants.
Boom! Bang!
But Veronica’s defense was unwavering.
Kwaang─!
Rather, it was Michael’s defense that showed the limits of durability.
It’s because of the Rock Deers that keep charging from all directions.
KWAAANG──!
The crashing and shaking became more intense.
The movements of the three falcons attacking Veronica’s defense also became rougher and more violent.
As if reflecting the owner’s anxious and uneasy mind.
Ray continued speaking, observing Michael’s emotions.
“They say that donations and charity events are also for tax purposes or to test products.”
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“… … .”
Boom! Bang!
“Have you ever felt this way? If you want, I can record John’s words for you.”
“… … .”
Respect for John, the volume of the purple mana lump was strangely intact.
Like a solid rock that is unaffected by any external impact.
The mass shook from side to side as if it were singing a nursery rhyme, but the vibration range was not very large.
It seemed like it wouldn’t be easy to reduce the total amount of respect.
Ray decided to take care of other matters that had higher priorities first.
“It’s amazing. The belief and respect for John remains strong even in this situation. Good. I’ll let you in.”
Michael’s eyes widened.
At the same time, the servants’ attacks stopped.
“Go, thank you…! Then…!”
“But there is a condition.”
Ray turned his gaze and spoke to John, not Michael.
“John, hand over the Ignis card you have.”
John’s body trembled.
He buried his face in Michael’s back and screamed in a fit of rage.
“W-This is ridiculous…! I, I saved up all this money…!”
“Didn’t you say money is the best? You said there’s nothing that money can’t solve. It’s still the same now. Try solving it with money. If you give me money, I’ll let you in.”
A look of disappointment crossed Michael’s face.
“Wasn’t Ray’s purpose no different from Skye’s? It was too unreasonable and excessive to ask of someone in need─.”
“Unfair, like John tried to poison me?”
“… … .”
“The other person tried to poison me and make me a slave for the rest of my life. Isn’t this the price I should pay to make it fair?”
Michael was speechless.
At the same time, he quickly realized that the other party had no intention of withdrawing their demands, and whispered urgently to John.
“Sir, I need to hand over the card. That way we can get through this situation. If we don’t treat the injury quickly, it could be life-threatening.”
“Oh, no. I absolutely will not….”
“I’ll somehow get the card back later.”
John seemed to be very mentally unstable.
He was shaking constantly, as if he was shivering from the bleeding, and his eyes kept losing focus.
Still, he nodded his head with difficulty, as if he understood Michael’s last words.
Michael put John down for a moment, as he was carrying him.
Rustle.
Then he took the card out of John’s arms, stood up, and said.
“I’ll pass the card over. Could you please temporarily disable the protection blocking setting?”
Ray glanced at the vehicle.
The gazes of a boy and a girl meeting through the windshield of a car.
Veronica nodded and briefly reset the composition of the elements that formed the defense.
Whirik─
The card Michael threw went over the defense and landed in Ray’s hand.
“Then now we… .”
“password.”
“yes…?”
“This is the card password.”
Michael bit his lips hard.
Anger welled up in my chest, but I couldn’t help it because I was the one who felt sorry in this situation.
“Sir. The password is….”
At Michael’s urging, John whispered the number in a small voice.
The number was passed on to Ray through Michael.
“─. I told you the password to use the card, so now─.”
“That’s amazing. But most people choose their lives over money.”
Ray’s gaze was not directed at Michael.
He was staring intently at John, who was sitting there as if he had collapsed behind him.
“What do you mean…?”
“That number just now. It’s the wrong number.”
“That, that can’t be true.”
“Think whatever you want. You won’t be able to get in until you tell me the real password.”
Michael turned his head and looked at John.
At the same time, Rockdeer ran towards John and struck the guard.
KWAAANG──!
“Hee, heeeek!”
John crouched down with a scream and shouted the number in a terrified voice.
This time, Ray, confirming that there were no signs of a lie in the bowl, spoke loudly toward the vehicle.
“Veronica, let them both enter the shelter.”
Soon the white light emitted by the shield faded.
The moment Michael lifted John up in his arms with urgent gestures and entered Veronica’s protective space.
Kwaang─! Kwajijik─!
There was a shrill sound as the guard behind me was shattered into pieces.
I looked back.
The Rockdeers arrived at the spot where Michael and John were, kicking the ground angrily.
An extremely ominous and violent demeanor.
If the evacuation had been delayed even just a little, the bones in all of their bodies would have been crushed by the rocky bodies of the Rock Deers.
“…Thank you for allowing me to come in.
Michael, after expressing his gratitude, quickly placed John on the floor and helped him find the most stable position possible.
“Oh my god, you’re such a useless, useless bastard. Please, please. Do something about this wound… Ugh.”
“… I’m sorry. Please bear with me for a little longer.”
Michael stood up and said.
“Rain, if there’s a first aid kit in your car, can I borrow it? I’ll get some painkillers, disinfectants, and antibiotics… No, if you know how to use healing magic… .”
Ray wasn’t listening to Michael properly.
I was lost in thought for a moment, looking at Michael’s purple mana, which still had the same amount of total power.
‘There are manas of similar color schemes around. Are they acting as support from the side so that respect doesn’t break? That’s loyalty, bonds… and trust, and… .’
At that moment, Ray tilted his head.
Squeak─
A noise was heard from the vehicle.
When I turned my head, I could see Veronica opening the car door and coming out.
The emotion contained in the bowl is worry.
Ray, who had been watching the movements of the white mana for a moment, thought he knew why Veronica had come out.
‘… I think she wants to use healing magic on John.’
Ray had a feeling about the girl named Veronica.
Cowardly and timid.
Also, a personality that cannot hide its consideration and concern for others.
No matter how much of an enemy you are, isn’t it difficult to just stand by and watch someone get hurt?
The reason he’s looking this way is probably to ask for permission.
‘Heal John.’
Ray thought back to Skye’s words.
“There are a few steps involved in withdrawing money from your account, but it’s all a matter that can be resolved through a broker. The most important thing is the card itself and the password.”
Now that he had the card and password, there was nothing more for John to do.
The one that keeps John alive.
The one who kills John.
However, if I had to choose, the latter was a better choice than the former.
Because there’s no telling what action John might take on the account if he survives.
‘The other party showed their malice first.’
They tried to poison his tea and put chains around his ankles.
So, there was no big problem in choosing revenge at the level of ‘killing’.
No, in the first place, he just left them alone, so it couldn’t be seen as killing them directly.
It was when Ray, who had made a decision, was trying to convey his thoughts to Veronica.
“That, that guy! That guy!”
John, his eyes widening, pointed at Veronica with his finger.
“Oh, there you are! There you are!”
The finger was pointing, to be precise, at Fran, who was in Veronica’s arms.
A baby rock deer with its soft blue skin revealed between its cracked shells.
widely!
John got up from his seat and ran towards Veronica.
It’s hard to believe that this patient was just lying down and groaning at that speed.
“Gyaaaah!”
“Yes, sir!”
Michael followed quickly, but was slow to react.
“Him, that guy! Hand him over!”
John quickly closed the distance and extended his arm toward Veronica.
‘Uh, how… .’
Veronica’s face turned white.
Eyes dyed with greed and madness.
A rough gesture that is reminiscent of malice.
The old man’s presence was enough to intimidate and frighten the girl.
My body was frozen and I couldn’t move.
Also, because I was so focused on maintaining my defenses, I didn’t have the energy to protect myself with other magic.
Veronica hugged Fran tightly and shut her eyes tightly.
And then nothing happened.
After a few seconds.
“Profit! Profit!”
I opened my eyes to the sound.
The old man was standing right in front of me with his arms raised in a raised position, unable to move as if his wrists and ankles were being grabbed by an invisible person.
Hoooowoooooo─!
It was the wind.
The fierce wind blowing around John was making it impossible for him to move.
‘Ray’s… magic.’
It wasn’t hard to figure out.
Not only is it not a natural wind, but I have been helped in this way several times before.
Veronica released mana from the ring to aid Ray’s magic.
“Hey, give him this! If I just have that guy! If I just have that guy, I can buy my company back, I can save it!”
John spat and cursed.
He was struggling, shaking, trying to somehow snatch the franc away.
“Make the water spurt out─! All, make an oasis again─! If only I could do that─! And, the glory of the past─!”
The old man’s strength was like the last spark of a flame just before it went out.
As powerful and desperate as it was, it was still not enough to overcome the power of magic.
But it was threatening enough.
Knock knock!
It was to the point where the little creature in the girl’s arms flailed around in fear.
“Ahh!”
widely!
Fran, who had fallen out of Veronica’s arms and landed on the ground, started running.
In the direction away from John.
Outside the defenses, where the battle between humans and rock deer is taking place.
Phew─!
Ray created a wind, but the movements of wild animals were different from those of humans, so it was not easy to catch them.
Also, the distance to the protective perimeter was close.
Fran slipped out of the guard in an instant, and at the same time, another movement occurred.
“Hey, come here! My, my treasure! My treasure!”
John shook off the wind that was getting weaker and weaker.
The old man ran desperately after the small animal.
A move that no one expected.
“Come here──!”
The moment John’s body slipped through the defenses and was exposed to danger, before anyone could respond.
Taang───!
A single gunshot rang out through the empty lot.