**#158. The Frozen Things (2)**
—
The moment he caught sight of the bruises on the inside of Ayla’s sleeve—
*Tap!*
Ray grabbed Ayla’s wrist and pulled it toward the center of the table.
*Swish—*
As the sleeve slipped down, her arm, covered in bruises, was exposed.
“……!”
Ayla, clearly flustered, shook off Ray’s hand and yanked her sleeve back up.
She immediately pulled her body back to increase the distance, drawing upon the mana of her circle.
*Crack! Crack-crack!*
Multiple ice spikes emerged.
Ready to fire toward Ray at any moment.
“…….”
Ayla said nothing.
Only her wary gaze and quickened, panicked breaths conveyed her thoughts in her stead.
“…….”
Ray remained silent too.
Even though she could launch the spikes at him with the slightest thought, he didn’t draw any mana.
He simply looked at her arm, now covered again by her sleeve, and—
“Was it Binjin who did that to you?”
—asked.
“……!”
Ayla’s pupils trembled violently.
Emotions that had been suppressed on a frozen lake of her heart now began to quake.
Ray could now turn suspicion into certainty.
“It *was* Binjin. Judging from the marks, it looks like he used some kind of whip. And considering the varied depth and coloration, it wasn’t just once or twice, was it?”
“You…! Keep your voice down…!”
Ayla glanced around in panic.
They were inside one of the restaurants run by the Amon family. If someone overheard, the conversation might reach Binjin.
“No need to worry. I already cast soundproofing and a distortion field. No one outside can hear us. They won’t even see the ice spikes. We’ll just look like we’re quietly sipping tea.”
Ayla’s head, which had been swiveling like a turret, finally stopped.
“When did you even do that…?”
“From the moment we sat down.”
“…….”
After a pause, Ayla spoke.
“It wasn’t my master who hit me. I just… fell and got bruised.”
“…….”
Just how badly do you have to fall to leave marks that look like you’ve been wrapped in a serpent?
You’re really not good at lying.
I’ll have to teach you that someday.
Thinking this, Ray asked another question to confirm.
“It was Binjin, wasn’t it?”
“No.”
“You were punished with something like a whip, right?”
“I said no.”
“You were hit, weren’t you?”
“You… do you *want* to get hit by me…?”
With every repeated question, Ayla’s fear of Binjin grew.
And the question that explicitly included being hit—brought out her fear of her father as well.
“Did your father hit you too?”
“…….”
It happened then.
A bright red fury bloomed inside Ayla’s vessel.
“It’s none of your business.”
The red flame didn’t seem to be affected by the icy surface beneath.
Recognizing that he’d hit a nerve, Ray shifted the focus of his questioning from Binjin to her father.
“So your father hit you too.”
“That’s a rude question.”
“When did he hit you?”
“You’re being *extremely* rude right now.”
“When you were young?”
“Stay out of other people’s family affairs.”
“So it *was* when you were young.”
As her father was brought up, the icy surface inside Ayla’s vessel turned an even deeper shade of blue.
Ray could feel it instinctively.
The reason the icy layer formed in Ayla’s vessel was very likely because of her father’s violence when she was young.
*A trauma.*
A past event creates present emotion.
Then, what about me?
What kind of incident laid the icy sheet over my own heart?
At that moment, Ayla stood up from her seat.
“I can’t talk with someone so rude. I’m leaving.”
Ray immediately pulled out the dictionary.
Seeing it halfway out of his bag, Ayla flinched and quickly lifted the menu to shield her head.
“…….”
“You’re not gonna hit me…?”
“…….”
“You’re really not gonna hit me…?”
“…….”
“You’re planning to hit me the moment I lower my guard, right? I know it.”
Ray thought for a moment.
The reason Ayla’s vessel had frozen and became stained with navy—it all stemmed from the violence of her father and Binjin.
*Pulling out the dictionary to trigger her fear—was that violence?*
Ray mulled over the dictionary definition of violence.
*Depending on the case, maybe so.*
Using the dictionary to force Ayla back into the conversation wasn’t a rational solution.
What Ray truly wanted was to understand the emotional link to her blue mana—and ultimately find a way to melt the frozen layer.
Violence wouldn’t melt it—it would only make it stronger.
Having made up his mind, Ray put the dictionary away and said:
“I’ll train your little brother.”
“What…?”
“You value your brother more than yourself, don’t you? Like, he’s your number one priority. I can help Ain develop his magic to the fullest. In exchange, I want you to answer a few of my questions.”
Ayla, only after confirming the dictionary was fully sealed back in his bag, replied:
“You’ve already done all the rude things you could do. I have nothing more to say to you.”
She confidently reached for the distortion field, ready to leave at any moment.
“Bye. Take care.”
“…….”
“I’m really going now.”
“…….”
“I’ve never met anyone as rude as you.”
“…….”
“I mean it. Goodbye.”
“If you’re not leaving, sit down.”
“…Okay.”
Ayla quietly returned to her seat, then her eyes lit up.
“How do you plan to teach him? Will it be the same curriculum? I’d like to see it first, if possible.”
“The curriculum is kind of…”
“I don’t know what your teaching method is, but I hope you’ll focus on elemental extremes, links, formulas, and high-order variables. That’s the foundation. If not, I can’t trust you with Ain. Also, his improvement by the next exam is important too.”
Ray stared at Ayla.
*Was she always this talkative?*
“I’m not sure I follow, but I noticed some things in our fight with Ain that could use improvement. If he fixes them, he’ll get much better.”
Ayla immediately responded.
“Then fix them.”
“In return, answer my question.”
“…What is it?”
“Why did your father and Binjin hit you?”
After a moment of silence, Ayla asked:
“Why are you so curious about that…?”
“It’s very important to me.”
A storm of emotions swirled in her vessel—confusion, embarrassment, doubt, conflict.
Ray addressed what she seemed most worried about.
“Binjin won’t find out about this conversation. I’ve got soundproofing spells around us, and I’m not going to tell anyone what I hear.”
“…….”
“Binjin probably doesn’t suspect you’d say anything, either. If he did, he wouldn’t have arranged this lunch.”
After a long pause.
“I don’t remember exactly why my father hit me. I was… very young.”
Ayla finally spoke.
“I must’ve done something wrong, right? I’m completely useless, can’t do anything. That’s probably why my master hits me too. Because I’m not progressing to 3rd Circle fast enough.”
Ray tilted his head.
“You’re being hit because you haven’t reached 3rd Circle?”
“Yeah. He has high hopes for me. I need to hurry and reach the next circle to be helpful…”
“Do the other students know you’re being hit?”
Ayla paused before answering.
“No, they don’t. I’m the only one who gets hit. Maybe… because I’m the only one still in 2nd Circle? I don’t know about skill, but in terms of speed, I am the fastest.”
Ayla said she was called to the tower daily and beaten with a belt.
Accompanied by cruel remarks about being inherently lazy and stupid.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“If we’re talking pain… yeah, it hurts a lot. But it’s okay. He doesn’t hit hard enough to leave serious wounds. And medicine helps.”
Of course. Any serious injury would attract the attention of the other kids.
*Next target is likely Ayla.*
Ray recalled a conversation he had with Binjin the day before.
**“I’m planning to have lunch with Ayla tomorrow.”**
**“May I ask why?”**
**“She seems to have talent. I want to assess her condition in a more comfortable setting.”**
**“I’m grateful. It’ll be a good opportunity for Ayla. She may even reach 3rd Circle with your guidance.”**
In that moment, Ray had seen intense expectation and desire for Ayla in Binjin’s vessel.
**“The growth of my disciples is the same as my own growth. Watching them flourish is more satisfying than eating or drinking.”**
And that was the truth—
*At least, for Binjin.*
Because as the students advanced, the quality of the mana he could extract with exploitation magic increased.
…Binjin was raising disciples to use them as sacrifices for mana extraction.
There were lingering magic circle traces in the center of the tower.
And in the air above them, one color of mana floated like a mist.
*Dark blue mana.*
That was the first piece of evidence.
Dark blue symbolized malice or inferiority mixed with fear—emotions held by most of the students.
**“You said high performers go to the tower with letters of recommendation. And low performers are sent to rest at the farm, right?”**
**“Yes, that’s correct.”**
Of course, that was a lie.
All those “sent to the tower or the farm” had fallen victim to mana extraction magic, leaving only their emotions suspended above the magic circle.
*Khan was the most notable example. His mana fragment was found beneath the engraved floor.*
That was the second piece of evidence.
…And Binjin was extending his reach here, too.
Perhaps he thought he could extract more mana from elves, who are inherently talented in magic.
There was no visible malice, which was odd—but not surprising.
One question remained.
*Where is all the mana being used?*
Given the context, Binjin must have been maintaining this secret operation for a long time.
Ever since he stopped going on relic expeditions, he had focused solely on training students.
*Mana extracted by exploitation magic can’t strengthen circles. It’s usually used to enhance devices like mana charging stone or mana stone.*
But no such items were found in the mansion or the tower.
And none seemed to be among Binjin’s personal belongings.
**“So, before we begin the procedure, let me explain the precautions…”**
As Binjin explained, Ray focused his senses—and finally found the answer.
*Magic circle. Under the floor. Underground.*
Something was there.
Ray sharpened his vision, piercing through the concrete beneath.
Past physical barriers, deep underground—what came into view was—
*A galaxy?*
A massive stream of mana.
Its steady, flowing path resembled a galaxy Ray had read about in books.
*This mana is of high quality. It’s artificially concentrated—something you’d never see in the atmosphere. Has all the extracted mana been funneled there?*
Maybe due to the limits of his vision-through-matter ability, the “galaxy” shimmered faintly like a hazy night sky.
Still, it was detectable.
Ray continued observing, calmly and persistently.
Eventually, he learned a few things.
*It’s not gently flowing. That’s just an illusion caused by limited perception. It’s actually rushing at high speed. And the path is far more twisted than expected.*
In other words, it wasn’t a galaxy.
It was more like blood vessels, with blood racing in all directions.
And as the mana’s shimmer became more familiar, a massive form began to emerge.
A thick, endless curve—
*It moved. Just now.*
…It slid smoothly, almost without a trace.
And then, somewhere, it raised its front.
**[Crack!]**
It devoured the mana fragment of Khan that had been drifting underground.
Then lowered its body again.
And its presence vanished completely.
*So that’s what it was.*
In that moment, Ray understood.
The discomfort he’d felt since entering Binjin’s mansion—he now knew its source.
And within that discomfort was a sense of déjà vu, like when he saw the stone tablet.
The boy’s heart began to race.
—
