**#146. Misunderstanding (2)**
—
A clear sky. Clean rain.
But a rainbow fell to the ground.
‘And the seven guardians who protect the seven colors of the rainbow, and the Magic Kingdom.’
Various keywords danced chaotically in the boy’s mind.
None of them were stories he had heard from Curiosa, and a strong curiosity began to rise in his chest.
Ray spoke in a meaningful voice.
“Hm… So the rainbow split into seven colors and each contained immense power.”
“Yes. I believe it refers not to some grand metaphor, but to a literal, tangible phenomenon. The seven colors of the rainbow could refer to locations, people, or objects.”
Objects containing enormous power, with physical form.
That added credibility to Binjin’s story.
Because it aligned with the boy’s strong suspicion that the rainbow was a collection of gemstones.
A small excitement stirred within him.
Fragmented information began overlapping, gradually revealing a clearer shape.
‘And the claim that the most distinguished individuals of each race were selected as guardians…’
…Did that mean other non-human races besides humans and elves existed?
Just then, Binjin spoke.
“But, Sir Mage… have you actually experienced that ancient era yourself…?”
Maybe because he had only been listening to the conversation, a flicker of doubt lit up in Binjin’s eyes.
Continuing with lies didn’t seem like a major issue.
Though Binjin had deep knowledge of elves and the ancient era, it remained largely in the realm of theories and speculation.
‘It felt like he wanted me to confirm things for him.’
In other words, his knowledge—
—didn’t carry as much weight as the words of someone he believed to be an actual elf.
The advantage lay with this side.
With that in mind, Ray spoke.
“I did experience the ancient era. That’s why I was quite surprised listening to you. I never thought a human would know this much about those times.”
Binjin’s face brightened.
The doubt in his mind faded, replaced by swelling excitement and anticipation.
“Heh heh. Yes, I am a person with deep knowledge like this. But I never expected you to actually be a survivor of the ancient era. Just meeting an elf is the luck of a lifetime, and to think you’ve lived through that time as well…! May I… may I ask you to share something about that era? Culture, environment, anything is fine.”
Ray shook his head as he looked at the breathless Binjin.
“Unfortunately, I don’t remember much.”
“Pardon…?”
“I only recently woke up from sleep.”
“What do you…?”
“For someone so confident in their studies on elves, don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
Ray’s words were laden with implication.
The swelling doubt and suspicion in Binjin’s heart quickly shriveled up.
“N-No! I know! Yes! Of course! When elves sleep, their memories become unclear!”
Did he even know what he was claiming to know?
Ray had just blurted it out without a plan.
“Yes, as you know, elves periodically enter long periods of hibernation. We have active and inactive phases.”
“Of course, of course, I know that.”
Sure you do.
“Elves can sleep for decades, even centuries at a time. And when we wake, the memories from before sleep are blurry. It’s inevitable. In my case, the memory loss is quite substantial.”
The lie continued smoothly.
Since he didn’t have much talent for imagination or fiction, this was a lightly modified story based on a fairy tale Grandma Viola had once told.
“That’s why I don’t have many memories of the ancient era. You mentioned ruins are remnants of that time, right? That’s also why I want to visit them. I thought maybe I could find clues about my past.”
Even so, the words flowed out better than he expected.
As if the story had been stored deep in his memory all along.
…Maybe it was also thanks to some advice Phillip once gave.
_”Ray, sometimes in life you have to boldly rely on agitation and fabrication to win. Here’s a tip for those times.”_
He had said: if you truly want to deceive someone, make the lie so grand that it seems absurd. Half-hearted lies only provoke suspicion.
That advice seemed true.
“Ruins… memories… the past… Yes, yes. That makes sense.”
Judging by how the doubts and suspicions in Binjin’s heart were now thoroughly smothered under a mountain of confusion—
If Ray wove a semi-plausible story from here, all that confusion could be transformed into belief.
“But there’s one memory I do recall clearly.”
“Oh…! What memory is that?”
“What the world looked like during the ancient era, when the Magic Kingdom flourished.”
“Oh, that’s something even I don’t know. Please, I would be honored to hear it.”
Ray paused and tried to imagine what that ancient time might’ve been like.
A time of great magical power and resulting prosperity that couldn’t even be dreamed of now.
…Surely, the emotions people held were different from today’s.
“A world where no one suffers from illness.”
He thought of a young girl who had lost her guardian.
“A world where no one is forced to part with someone precious.”
He thought of a boy who had been separated from his mother.
“A world where no one fought, and everyone lived harmoniously.”
He thought of a man who had no choice but to kill an old friend.
“And so,”
As Ray continued speaking, the two men across from him held their breath.
“A world where everyone could be happy.”
The boy was reminded of a word he had once seen in the dictionary.
That word was *paradise*.
—
Amon and Binjin had another engagement, so the meeting ended after the meal.
Though the two offered to cancel their next appointments, Ray didn’t feel the need to force them.
While the hierarchy between them was clear, their relationship was still, at least officially, one of cooperation.
Instead—
“I’ll be visiting your mansion tomorrow. Please be prepared for that.”
“Eh? Ah! It would be an honor to have you visit!”
—he was invited.
Binjin currently resided with his apprentices at a mansion on the outskirts of the sector.
Ray’s objective was the research materials stored there—especially those related to the ancient era, which were surely present.
‘Still, the most important thing will be probing for information about the one-eyed monocle-wearing mage.’
After ensuring there were no tails or surveillance, Ray returned to his lodging.
As he exited a tunnel beneath the road, his eyes and hair reverted to their white color.
‘Why did the Magic Kingdom, said to be so prosperous, fall?’
Countless unresolved thoughts floated through his mind, appearing and disappearing.
Why had the rainbow fallen to the earth?
The claim that it split into seven—wasn’t that likely referring to gemstones?
If so, had the guardians protected a gem of each color?
Lost in thought—
*Tap.*
He suddenly found himself standing in front of the lodging.
“Hrnnngh── Hnngh, ngh.”
Jang was sitting on the rickshaw saddle, slumped over the handlebars, snoring strangely.
It seemed Phillip and Veronica had returned earlier after finishing their errands.
*Srrk.*
Ray lifted the overcoat that had slipped off Jang’s shoulder and gently placed it back.
‘If he gets sick, it’ll affect his ability to pull the rickshaw.’
November’s chilly wind was beginning to stir.
Even if he woke him and told him to rest inside, it’d be pointless.
Ray had already offered earlier that morning to book him a room, but Jang had firmly refused.
‘He’s oddly stubborn about things like this.’
Ray didn’t realize the same could be said of himself.
*Flick!*
He summoned small embers close to Jang’s face and body to warm him.
His hair, scorched by the heat, began curling—but Ray didn’t notice and headed inside.
“Ah! Ray’s back!”
“Are you hurt? Anywhere hurt?”
Phillip and Veronica greeted Ray from the men’s quarters.
They must’ve just returned—newly bought items were being unpacked on the table.
*Thunk!*
From Veronica’s bag, she pulled out a massive book rivaling the Cromwell Encyclopedia.
“It’s the Great Plant Compendium. That sprout in our flower pot wasn’t listed in the old one, right? I thought maybe a bigger reference might have it, so I bought this. And no, Ray, no matter how you look at me like that, I’m not lending it to you. Dictionaries are for filling your brain with knowledge—not for smacking people on the head and knocking that knowledge back out.”
Next, Phillip laid out a pile of car catalogs.
“I gathered them from every dealership nearby. We’re not sure of our budget yet, but we can probably pick something from here.”
Ray took a catalog and flipped through it.
Sedans, jeeps, trucks, buses—vehicles of all kinds were neatly listed by performance, purpose, and price.
*Flap—flap—*
But he kept flipping, seemingly unimpressed.
Then—
*Flap.*
He stopped on a page.
“Oh, that one looks good to you?”
Phillip asked hopefully, worried his effort might’ve been for nothing.
“No, I want something bigger than this.”
“Uh… bigger? How much bigger?”
The open page already showed a massive bus racing down a highway.
“About five times bigger.”
“…….”
“And it’d be nice if it had turret-like cannons mounted so it could fight back.”
“…….”
“And I want it to be able to drive along the riverbed, just in case.”
“Uh… hmm…”
Ray.
We’ve socially agreed to call that a *tank*, not a *car*…
…No, it’s fine. If that’s what you want, who cares whether it’s called a vehicle or a war machine?
‘Let Ray do whatever he wants.’
There was affection in the sigh, but also understanding.
According to Curiosa, the road to the ruins was extremely dangerous.
_”Ruins are usually far from the sector. You have to cross unknown wilderness
—no roads, feral monsters, bizarre magical phenomena…”_
She meant to scare him
—but Ray wasn’t fazed in the slightest.
The one who turned pale and started trembling was Veronica.
…In any case.
Considering Curiosa’s warning, it made sense to pick the sturdiest and most versatile vehicle possible.
Then Ray began speaking again.
As he recounted everything that had happened at the black market and the Amon Family office, Phillip and Veronica’s expressions and emotions changed by the second.
“Think the kids’ heads are okay?”
“Well, anyone who dares mess with our mage should get a good beating.”
At the fight with the kids, they showed concern and pride.
“Good. So we can use the card, right?”
“You’re going back to pick it up in two days? I wonder how much money’s on it.”
At the mention of meeting the card engineer, they expressed relief and anticipation.
“Ray is as handsome as an elf!”
“Yes! Teaching you how to lie was worth it!”
When Ray said he had tricked the others into thinking he was an elf, they felt pride.
Phillip summed everything up again.
“So basically, while staying in Sector 37, you’ve now got enough authority to issue orders to the biggest organization in the East. And tomorrow, you’re visiting the mansion of that mage Binjin.”
Phillip was amazed.
They had been in this new sector for less than a day, yet the results were massive.
“That means we can begin investigating the sector through their people. If the Amon Family expands, the scope of our investigation will too.”
“Exactly. That’s why I gave them those instructions…”
As Phillip and Ray were getting heated discussing future plans—
“Ray, that story earlier. About the rainbow that fell to the ground and the guardians.”
Veronica, who had been quietly thinking to herself, spoke up.
“Could that person called the Doctor be one of the guardians?”
