**#132. Leap (1)**
—
The day after Ray defeated Allager.
A hazy sunlight filtered down that afternoon.
In a wide clearing where the ground had fully dried and all traces of battle had been swept away by the wind, two pairs of footsteps echoed.
*Step— step—*
It was Veronica and Curiosa.
Both had expressions (and in Curiosa’s case, dots and lines on the mask) of intense concentration. With palms extended toward the ground ahead, they walked carefully and diligently.
“……”
“……”
So deeply focused they were, neither spoke a word.
*Step— step—*
Their steps seemed erratic at a glance.
Suddenly changing directions.
Staying in one spot for a long time.
Occasionally walking backwards.
But upon closer inspection, one could see that their movements never strayed outside a certain range.
A massive circle.
A magic circle.
Similar in size to the one they had drawn on the rooftop, but of a far more complex design in terms of the formulas, amount of mana required, and time to complete.
The two, immersed in their intense focus—
*Step— thud.*
—bumped into each other as they stepped backward.
They turned and glanced at one another, awkwardly hesitating.
“Ah, I need to pass through here… you go ahead and draw.”
“N-no, you first, Ghost Mask….”
They each yielded, and the work resumed.
Exactly five minutes later—
*Step— thud.*
“Ah… this time, please go first, Ghost Mask.”
“Ah, shall I…?”
They hesitated again.
The red-haired girl walked away from the white mask on black cloth, thinking:
*“I’m going to die of awkwardness!”*
Ray had said this:
There’s no need to be afraid anymore, since they were now allies.
He’d also said this:
“Allager and Curiosa… Unlike Walter, they felt more like they were dealing with peers our age rather than adults.”
He said it wasn’t just due to the emotional binding.
He couldn’t explain exactly why, but it felt like their mental age had been stuck somewhere in the past.
“So I think you’ll be able to befriend them easily.”
*“Befriend… Ghost Mask…?”*
The girl had observed Ghost Mask yesterday with a cold, sharp, and logical gaze.
Just as Ray said, she had confirmed they weren’t dangerous.
But the fear hadn’t been completely erased. So imagining herself laughing and chatting with Ghost Mask didn’t quite compute.
For now, it was just—
*“I’m seriously going to die! It’s so awkward!”*
*Why did you leave us two alone!*
If there was any silver lining, it was that she wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
*“This is awkward. Hmm, maybe I should say something…”*
“……”
Curiosa, realizing what she was thinking, suddenly felt a deep sense of futility.
*“What am I even doing here?”*
Who could’ve imagined she’d end up drawing a magic circle with the red-haired brat she once considered an enemy?
Life is unpredictable, sure, but—
*Slide.*
Curiosa raised her head and looked over the clearing.
Thousands of elemental threads, fine and intricate, spread wide to form the patterns.
A long-range teleportation circle.
Designed to skip over exactly eight sectors from this location.
Curiosa recalled her conversation with the boy yesterday in her room.
“How far can you teleport using spatial magic?”
The sudden question had thrown Curiosa off.
But with Ray’s next words, she understood the intent.
“The orders you and Allager received regarding the gems—everything in the 40s sectors has already been executed.”
Ray had grown skeptical of their current journey method.
Following the Elton River, moving one sector at a time.
Was that really the most efficient way to pursue their goal?
While not every sector had been fruitless, the clues they gained had been unsatisfying.
The only significant lead was Blue, whom they met in the wastelands.
The information gathered from questioning residents? Practically useless.
Then, they discovered a yellow gem here.
Sector 46.
Underground beneath a building.
Exactly in line with one of the keywords from Allager’s notebook.
“There are 22 gem-related missions left. If we combine yours and Allager’s. The nearest one from here is near Sector 37.”
“So you want to jump sectors using teleportation magic…?”
“Exactly.”
Of course, following the doctor’s orders didn’t guarantee a gem.
In fact, aside from Sector 46, all the completed orders had been marked with an X, implying failure.
Still, Ray believed it was more efficient than their current method.
“You… do you even understand how difficult and complex spatial magic is?”
“Nope. That’s why I’m asking how far *you* can jump.”
Curiosa had wanted to gulp down an entire bottle of headache pills but kept her tone calm as she explained.
“What you see isn’t everything. This is not easy.”
“Even for me to jump *one* sector solo, I need the mana equivalent of four circles.”
“And that’s not counting the side effects—I’d be stuck in bed for a whole day.”
“You’ve seen me popping in and out of my room easily? That’s because there’s an already-built corridor. Do you know how long that took me to—”
Ray cut off her explanation in a single sentence.
“What if we draw a magic circle?”
“Hmm… then it might be possible. I’ve never drawn a long-distance teleportation circle before, though.”
Curiosa scanned Ray up and down once.
Seemed to run some calculations in her head.
“No, it’s doable. For a person with this kind of mass and volume, teleporting should be feasible.”
“It’s not just one person.”
“Oh, right. There’s the red brat and the brown brat. That’s fine.”
“Also two animals.”
“You’ve got to be f—”
“I’ll tell you what elemental affinity takes up the most of my mana circle.”
“I’ll do my best, so I hope you’ll trust me. I’m the embodiment of trust and sincerity.”
…That was how Curiosa ended up drawing a magic circle with Veronica today.
No one knew how long it would take, but it was to teleport three humans and two animals.
“……”
Reflecting on the absurdity of life, Curiosa gathered herself and refocused on the task.
And thought:
*“Still, if I get close to the redhead, I might be able to extract some info about the white-haired one.”*
What do kids these days like?
Should I ask what kind of cookies or ice cream they prefer?
Like, “Hey, have you tried Jet Cracker peppermint flavor?”
*Vroooom—*
Then, from the basin’s entrance, a shabby white car appeared.
*Screech— clack.*
Ray and Philip stepped out after completing their intel gathering in the sector.
Seeing Curiosa, Philip flinched and gave a stiff greeting.
“Uh… ah, hello? D-did you sleep well?”
They weren’t strangers.
Their first meeting had been just yesterday.
That afternoon.
After speaking with Curiosa, Ray had returned to the Resistance hideout.
“How’s your body? Are you okay? Any injuries?”
“I was just about to send someone. We received reports that a building collapsed on Street #1.”
While Veronica fussed over checking him for injuries, Ray calmly said:
“I defeated a high-ranking member of Murcred. The danger is completely eliminated now.”
He gave a brief summary of his fight with Allager.
“As expected of you, Ray!”
“Truly… it was our great fortune to meet a magician like you.”
“Our Ray! And I’m Ray’s sun!”
“The sun! Incredible!”
As cheers and applause swept through the room—
*Snap.*
Ray snapped his fingers toward an empty space beside him.
Out popped Curiosa.
“……”
“……”
Veronica, whose eyes met Ray’s, quickly let go of his arm, which she’d been fiddling with, and dashed behind the other members.
After a not-so-short silence,
Colin came to his senses and asked:
“Th-the person beside you is…?”
“She’s an executive of Murcred.”
“…Pardon? But didn’t you just say you took one down earlier…?”
“That was a different executive.”
That was everyone’s first meeting with Curiosa.
“H-hi there.”
While Curiosa awkwardly returned Philip’s greeting,
Ray turned to Veronica.
“How far along is the magic circle?”
“Hmm. If I had to put it into numbers, maybe around 5 percent?”
The moment Veronica saw Ray, her sulking melted away.
She had intended to pout a little for being left behind, but the corners of her lips curled up against her will.
The gift she’d received from Ray the day before had a huge impact.
He probably hadn’t chosen it with the flower’s meaning in mind, but it had certainly been the perfect gift for her heart.
“Then, should we estimate about three weeks to be safe?”
“Yeah. That should be plenty.”
Unlike last time, Ray wasn’t participating in the magic circle’s design.
Even if he did, the pace of the work wouldn’t improve meaningfully.
The four essential elements for spatial magic were:
**Displacement, Opening, Space, and Construction.**
Of these, Ray could draw vast quantities of the *Displacement* and *Opening* elements from the atmosphere.
Their corresponding emotions were curiosity and inquisitiveness.
Emotions he was deeply familiar with.
By simply thinking of the unknowns of magic, he could easily handle the violet-hued mana.
However, handling large quantities of *Space* and *Construction* was still difficult.
They appeared as a murky, almost bark-like dark brown mana.
He hadn’t yet discovered the emotions that corresponded to those elements, and thus couldn’t freely manipulate their mana.
*“Rather than helping with the circle, it’s more efficient to train using the mana from the gems.”*
That was Ray’s conclusion.
After all, the time required to complete the magic circle ultimately depended on Curiosa, who could manipulate all the essential elements.
“……”
Ray glanced over at Curiosa and saw that the four circles she has nearly drained.
Like a satisfied employer watching a diligent worker, he opened his mouth:
“Looks like your mana is nearly depleted. You should take a break for a bit. I’ve got something to discuss, too.”
As he said that, he stared intently at the air next to Curiosa.
When nothing happened, he shifted his gaze and locked eyes with her.
*What are you doing? Don’t open the door.*
“……”
“……”
Curiosa, who’d nearly had a tantrum, managed to calm herself.
With a sigh heavy with layered meaning, she opened a space leading to her room.
*Zzzzzzzik—*
“Go on in. There’s a table and chairs inside.”
“Huh? What? Now? I didn’t even bring a gift!”
“So this is the place Ray talked about. Excuse us, ma’am!”
Following Veronica and Philip, Ray also stepped through the portal into the room.
Just as Curiosa was about to follow, trying to remember where she’d left the headache pills—
Something caught her eye.
Words carved into the cliff face of the basin.
**Veronica. Philip. Ray.**
*…What the hell is that now.*
—
**Outer edge of Sector 47.**
A mountain of endless metal junk.
Nestled deep within was Curiosa’s cabin.
Though “Curiosa’s” might soon become an outdated term.
*Clink—clatter—*
Teacups and snacks were being neatly arranged on the table by Ray’s telekinesis.
Curiosa sat dazed for a moment.
*Did he memorize the layout when he came yesterday? No—wait, that’s the snack I’d hidden…*
“Here. The headache pills. I heard you muttering about needing them earlier.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
Without thinking, Curiosa took the container Ray handed over.
Something… something was seriously going wrong.
“You can bring the table over from that side.”
“Got it!”
*But way too many things are going wrong here.*
“The chairs are the foldable kind, to the back.”
“Oh, right. These are a pretty expensive brand, too.”
She had no idea where to even begin pointing out what was off.
“Here, take a seat, Miss Ghost Mask.”
“Oh. Sure. Thanks for the invitation.”
Before she knew it, Curiosa sat down.
Meanwhile, Ray spoke to Veronica and Philip:
“It’s a cabin in the junkyard at the edge of Sector 47. Surrounded by illusion and distortion magic—likely a place others can’t find.”
*Why are you the one explaining that.*
Chewing the headache pills like candy, Curiosa gave up thinking entirely.
Ray continued his briefing.
“With the help of pro faction members, the investigation in Sector 46 went quickly.”
However, there were no major findings.
Just like in all the sectors they’d passed through so far.
Everyone had anticipated this outcome.
「I’m thinking we should try jumping sectors.」
That’s why Philip and Veronica readily agreed to Ray’s proposal.
They, too, had been about to suggest the same thing due to the inefficiency of the current method.
「Yeah, that seems like a much more efficient approach.」
「Same here. So we’re using magic to jump straight to Sector 37, right?」
Of course, they made sure not to miss any possible leads either.
「Soil sample collection… basic info gathering… Three key terms: rainbow, black rain, and a brown-haired woman with a scar on her neck.」
From Sector 45 to 38,
Curiosa volunteered to handle the sector inquiries while following the Elton River upstream.
「Curly brown hair, and a scar on the neck…」
「Does that ring any bells?」
「Hmm… It *feels* familiar somehow. Like I’m on the verge of remembering something. Hm. Not sure.」
From Curiosa’s perspective, it wasn’t a difficult request.
She’d been planning to visit various sectors anyway to search for clues about lifting the curse.
“Ray, do you happen to have a teaspoon?”
“Second drawer. I’ll get it.”
Thinking back on it now, accepting the request had been the right call.
If she’d traveled with the white-haired kid, she might’ve died of stress before she even got the chance to kill the doctor.
*Clink, clink.*
The four voices intertwined as the teacups gently moved.
Inside the cabin, bathed in the afternoon sun—
“So, the direction of our journey from here is…”
“Got it! So the tasks while we stay here are—”
The desires and hopes of each of them were slowly blending together.
*Clink.*
Like the gentle swirl forming in the cup along with the teaspoon.
—
**Exactly three weeks and two days later.**
In a wide clearing surrounded by the basin,
Dozens of men had gathered.
With eyes filled with deep regret and gratitude,
They all looked in the same direction.
At the center of the clearing—
Stood three youths.
And soon,
A radiant line of light began to draw itself across the ground.
—
