#122. The Flower Blooming in the Mud (11)
—
Swaaah───
The pouring rain.
Splash! Splash!
The hurried sound of footsteps spreading across the muddy ground.
Tat-tat─! Tatatat──!
Gunshots rang out without pause.
Within the dimly lit vision,
the boy’s eyes reflected countless starlights chasing after the fleeing enemies.
One, two, three, four…
An uncountable number of starlights covering his entire field of vision.
His chest swelled with emotion.
It was the starlight he had longed to see.
(Tl note:- Here starlight represents conviction or ideals of a person.)
The exact same form of starlight as that person’s was now illuminating the ground.
─C-catch them…! Don’t let a single one escape…!
─E-end them…! W-we will… win…!
With each additional starlight, the boy’s stored memories related to ‘him’ began to light up.
Rustle.
The pages of his memory turned, one by one at first.
Rustle. Rustle.
Then, at an uncontrollable speed.
Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.
Countless scenes flickered through the boy’s mind.
And at the end of it all, a bridge appeared.
「So, when you leave this place…」
「I have no intention of leaving.」
The boy and the man had once stood on a bridge, exchanging words.
Looking down at the landscape below, just as they were now.
In a world covered in gray, where the clouds blanketed the sky.
The boy’s past and present began to intertwine.
「I wish you could go somewhere better.」
Atop the bridge.
The silhouette of the man beside the boy continued speaking.
But at this moment, the boy could barely hear him.
Because his mind was consumed by a single thought and question.
Right now.
Were the dazzling starlights spreading below…
also reflected in your eyes?
────.
A surge of exhilaration and excitement welled up.
Those emotions left a vivid mark on the boy’s heart before he could even recognize them.
The circulation of mana around the second ring momentarily accelerated—then gradually returned to its original pace.
「Go up. Don’t get swept away by the current.」
Unable to contain the emotions any longer, the boy—
“Niles.”
—spoke his name and turned to look beside him.
And.
Swaaah──
All he found was an empty, rain-soaked space.
“……”
Reality came rushing back.
The corners of his lips, which had unknowingly risen so high by his standards, slowly returned to their original position.
Soon, the boy’s face was expressionless once more.
“……”
He was dead.
He no longer existed in this world.
It was something the boy already knew—so why had he deceived himself?
Even thinking of him now,
the boy neither shed tears nor clutched his aching heart.
The sorrow buried deep within his subconscious had already been released back at the mansion.
“There might not be a need to go down… after all.”
Colin, who had come closer, said.
With all the operatives’ helmet lights turned on, the waves of light were reflected in his eyes as well.
Ray quietly nodded.
After staring outside for a long moment, he turned and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Niles.
“We still need to clean up the situation.”
This is my repayment to you.
My gift to you.
As Colin followed Ray’s lead, only the sound of rain and darkness remained in their place.
The iron-barred railing.
Beyond it, countless starlights scattered in all directions.
────!
──────!
With deafening shouts,
and the sound of feet splashing through the mud,
as if desperately declaring their existence to the world—
they had to.
Because they were born in a filthy, lowly place.
Because they had to struggle tens of times harder than others.
Only then,
only then could they lift their heads without being buried beneath the heavy, damp weight.
Swaaah───
They were flowers blooming in the mud.
The **Nisoha**.
*
*
*
The boy, walking with thoughts of the starlight, suddenly stopped.
Before him was a large hole in the rooftop floor—left by a lightning strike.
‘Something is coming up.’
He felt a powerful presence.
Starting from the first floor, it was rising through the connected holes in the ceilings and floors of each level.
…He could tell.
Even without looking down into the hole.
Because it was a substance the boy could sense more delicately and acutely than anyone else.
‘Mana.’
It was a mass of mana.
About the size of half a fist.
And yet, the mana it radiated was more intense and destructive than any spell or natural phenomenon he had ever experienced.
The electric sphere that had annihilated the Murcred members in a single strike paled in comparison.
A few times stronger? Dozens of times?
No.
Even saying it was hundreds of times more powerful felt insufficient.
…He couldn’t even begin to fathom how much elemental energy had been compressed within it.
Uuuuuuuung───!
A bizarre phenomenon unfolded.
Every element in the path of the mana mass’s movement was being erased.
‘They’re burning away.’
Elements shouldn’t be able to burn.
But in this moment, there was no better way to describe what he was sensing.
“Ray, there’s a light… coming from below….”
Colin’s anxious voice sounded beside him.
Ray didn’t respond.
He wanted to focus entirely on this sensation.
And soon.
Uuuuuuuung───!
The presence rising through the hole in the rooftop revealed itself.
‘Starlight…?’
At first, the boy thought it was starlight.
But upon focusing his vision, he realized—it was a gemstone.
A small gemstone radiating a brilliant golden light toward the world.
Crackle! Crackle!
Star-like sparks burst endlessly around it.
Uuuuuuuung───!
At its core, mana was being continuously generated.
Electricity, transformation, speed, fusion…
Certain elemental attributes surged forth like an infinite well, accumulating within.
This was it.
The gemstone that members of Murcred had been scouring the sector for.
And he knew instinctively—
this was the very object that had disrupted the magic circle, caused an external interference, and drawn the catastrophic lightning strike to the rooftop.
‘And…’
It was the same type of gemstone that had been embedded in Blue’s forehead.
Though their shapes were distinctly different—
unlike Blue’s, which was whole, the one before him was a fragmented half.
As if it had lost its pair.
Their colors differed.
And this one was much smaller.
Yet, he was certain they were of the same kind.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this before.’
Because of the longing that surged within his chest.
The exact same feeling as when he had encountered Blue’s gemstone in the wasteland.
Crackle! Crackle!
The high-voltage sparks bursting around the yellow gemstone were undoubtedly threatening.
And yet, to the boy—
it merely seemed as if the gemstone was stretching noisily after a long slumber.
As if entranced, he reached out his hand toward it.
**Ray-nim… it’s dangerous…!**
All the sounds around him had already vanished from his world.
Only the two of them remained.
The boy and the jewel.
The boy wanted to ask.
—Did I wake you up?
And, if so—
—Did you have a good dream?
At some point, the corners of his lips had lifted into a smile.
*
**“We plan to decide through discussion how to handle Brook’s captured subordinates.”**
The rain had stopped.
Sunlight peeked through the clouds.
**“As for the neutral faction, we’ve assigned them to supervised labor. Though they helped us win the war after changing sides, they were once with the opposition…”**
Listening to Colin’s report, Ray gazed down from the railing of an abandoned building.
The hardened ground was covered in dried footprints.
It was silent.
So much so that it was hard to believe such an intense battle had taken place here just yesterday.
He drew his gaze inward.
Just below the railing, despite the heavy rain from the day before, a bloodstain remained relatively clear.
The spot where Brook had fallen.
**“T-The captain is dead!”**
**“S-Shit! What the hell are these bastards?! They’re attacking us out of nowhere!”**
With Brook’s confession and death, the tide of war had turned.
A large number of the neutral faction surrendered to the supporters and joined the fight, while the opposition was either killed or captured.
With the captain’s death and the annihilation of Murcred members—
There was no will left to fight in the opposition.
**──────────!**
A victory cry thundered through the rain.
**“…Huh? We… won?”**
Awoken by the sound, Veronica blinked dazedly at Ray.
**“Yeah, we won. Thanks to the magic circle you drew. Philip, you worked hard too.”**
Ray didn’t forget to praise them both.
Still immersed in the lingering emotions, the supporters finished the bare minimum cleanup before retreating to their hideout.
Clatter. Clatter.
Inside the vehicle heading back, Veronica leaned against Ray’s shoulder and fell asleep again.
Philip, on the other hand, remained wide awake, staring out at the battlefield’s remnants.
He was still overwhelmed by the weight of everything that had transpired.
**“Still, I feel good knowing I was at least a little helpful. Since I can’t use powers like you guys, I sometimes wonder if I’m just a burden.”**
Ray didn’t quite understand.
Philip had played an important role in various situations, not just in battle.
**“You’re doing more than enough.”**
Philip looked at Ray, momentarily surprised.
Then, a smile tugged at his lips.
**“We’ve arrived!”**
After laying Veronica on a bed in an upper-floor room of the hideout, Ray went up to the rooftop.
Holding Walter’s ring, he looked toward the sector’s center.
Watching the arrow of the binding spell, he eventually passed the ring to Philip.
**“If the target moves even a little, don’t hesitate to wake me.”**
**“Got it. Leave it to me. I’m still the one with the most energy.”**
Then, he collapsed onto his bed, unconscious.
───.
────.
─────.
Amid the muffled noises through the walls and floor, the boy drifted into sleep.
And when he opened his eyes again—
It was evening.
**“……”**
It felt like he had dreamed of something, but he couldn’t remember.
He went downstairs.
Veronica, who had woken up earlier, was helping treat the wounded.
Beyond just using healing magic, she was attentively learning about injuries and treatments from the medic beside her.
**“…With this, Hobson’s life is no longer in danger. Thanks to Lady Veronica’s magic.”**
Not in danger.
Every time those words left the medic’s mouth, worry drained from Veronica’s face, replaced by relief and joy.
**“You’re up? How’s your condition?”**
Philip approached and handed him the ring.
The enemy officer hadn’t moved from the central sector’s building.
**“Good work.”**
**“Not at all.”**
Ray slowly scanned his surroundings.
Then, he spotted someone and began walking toward them.
**“……!”**
It was the jeweler, Jade, and his mercenary guards.
Seeing Ray approaching, they hurriedly shielded their chests with wooden boards they had prepared.
Their gazes were filled with tension.
Ray rummaged through his belongings and pulled something out.
**“I couldn’t keep it in perfect condition.”**
What emerged in his hand was a yellow sapphire, covered in scratches.
Jade’s eyes welled with tears, as if welcoming back a child who had returned from war with severe wounds.
**“I’ll compensate for it.”**
After some hesitation, Jade replied.
**“No, no need. Just ending the war is already more than enough compensation.”**
**“No, I should still—mph.”**
Philip quickly covered Ray’s mouth.
**“Ah! Ah! We deeply appreciate it! We are truly touched by Mr. Jade’s generous heart!”**
**“—Philip, your hand tastes salty.”**
And thus, evening fell on the day the war ended.
**“The site cleanup will soon be complete. Three squads are retrieving scattered weapons and equipment.”**
Colin’s voice pulled Ray from his thoughts.
In truth, the boy didn’t quite understand why the man kept coming to him with these reports.
‘The war is over.’
Yet, Colin still treated him as if he were a superior.
At that moment, Ray noticed something on the railing.
**[Niles, Colin, Brook.]**
Words crudely scratched into the concrete with a knife.
The letters were faded and blurred, as if they had been carved long ago.
He had a vague understanding now.
Why Colin had hesitated so long before pushing Brook at the last moment.
Ray stared quietly at the names before speaking.
**“Could you bring Veronica and Philip up here?”**
**“Yes, understood.”**
Tap, tap, tap—
As Colin left, Ray took his eyes off the carving and looked down at his palm.
**“……”**
There was something he needed to tell his companions.
Crackle!
A bright yellow spark flickered across the boy’s palm.
