Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 169

#169. Melting Point (5)

—

Ray gazed at the pale blue wind forming in Ayla’s vessel and thought:

*Will the ice in my heart ever melt too?*

‘…I doubt it.’

The reason he couldn’t picture a positive outcome wasn’t just due to a lack of imagination.

With a slight glance downward—
──────
He could see a layer of ice that was now far thicker than before, radiating a dazzling blue light.

*Why?*

He didn’t know the reason.

He could only speculate.

Maybe it was because he’d come to understand the true nature of blue mana and, at the same time, turned his gaze inward.

*I always thought I loved myself to some extent.*

But that was a ridiculous delusion.

He realized it only after seeing Ayla’s behavior, like a mirror reflecting his own.

The actions and attitude he’d taken up until now had never truly held any love for himself.

*It’s more accurate to say I was indifferent. Just like Veronica said, I do tend to view my body like a kind of tool.*

That was why the ice at the base of his vessel had thickened.

Because the emotion associated with blue mana was indifference toward oneself.

“Ayla! My disciple!”

Just then, a shout came from below.

“Well done! You’ve reached the 3rd Circle! As expected, you’re my most cherished disciple in the mansion! Excellent!”

He looked down.

He saw Binjin holding Ain from behind, with an ice awl pressed against Ain’s neck.

Ray calmly assessed the situation.

The open door. The glimpse of fallen Amon Family members outside.

The sound of pouring rain, and faint yelling and footsteps in the distance.

*Makes sense.*

That massive noise from the tower must’ve reached the mansion.

Even from afar, anyone could see the huge holes blasted into the walls.

Some of the more daring disciples probably came to investigate the tower.

“Ayla! I’ll forgive you for not following orders earlier! As long as you do well from now on! Attack that thief with your spear—now!”

“Master…! What are you saying…! Sis! Weren’t you headed to the Tower of Magic? What happened?!”

Ain’s Circle was deactivated—likely due to Binjin’s ring.

He wouldn’t have suspected Binjin, not knowing his true nature.

Despite being in utter confusion, Ain frantically looked around, trying to assess the situation.

“Ayla! What are you doing?! *Cough!* Attack him, now!”

“……”

Ayla said nothing.

She simply shot Binjin a cold, glacial glare—so different from the girl she used to be.

Within her vessel now,
the emotion swelling most rapidly was anger and hatred—
which had thawed as the frozen parts melted and began to stir.

As the sharp tip of her ice spear slowly turned toward Binjin—

“How dare you defy my command?! Must I beat some sense into you again?!”

*Beatings.*

Ayla flinched.

At the same time, her growing anger and hatred wavered—
and…

“If you don’t obey me, I’ll cut your brother’s throat!”

—her concern for Ain surged.

“Ah, ah…”

…Ayla’s pale lips trembled.

Ray, on the other hand, remained composed.

He’d already scattered ice-element mana throughout the area; it wouldn’t be hard to subdue Binjin at any moment.

Just one second of focus, and he could freeze and shatter the hand holding the awl.

However—

*It doesn’t mean much. If I’m the one who kills Binjin.*

The boy understood that vengeance held greater value when it was exacted by the victim themselves.

He had already finished analyzing the blue mana and had no more interest in Ayla.

But thanks to her, he’d uncovered the truth behind it.

He owed her at least that much.

*Crunch.*

Ice began to gather beside Ray, forming a spear far larger and sharper than Ayla’s.

With a face like frost and murder in his eyes, Ray spoke.

“Go ahead. If you attack me, I’ll attack you too.”

“…!”

“Ayla! Don’t you hear me threatening your brother’s life?!”

“…!”

“Sis! I get the gist of what’s going on! Don’t worry about me!”

Ain struggled in Binjin’s arms and shouted:

“Damn it! Why’s this scrawny bastard so strong…! You crazy freak! What the hell have you done to my sister?! Sis! I’m fine, so kill this bastard! Kill him!”

The rain, the shouting, the cold air.

The damp emotions surrounding them.

“……”

Ayla felt nauseous.

It felt like she might throw everything up—or faint, which would be preferable.

But maybe reaching the 3rd Circle had strengthened her mind.

Her thoughts were clearer and sharper than ever before.

Then, from above, a voice spoke:

“If you attack me, you’ll die.”

“……”

“If you attack Binjin, Ain will die.”

“……”

“Either way, it’s your choice.”

“……”

A thousand flickers of conflict passed through Ayla’s blue eyes.

Ray stared into her vessel.

The white “worry” that had lingered above was now clearly turned toward its rightful owner.

*Before, she would’ve attacked me without hesitation to save her brother.*

That was what it came down to.

Worry for oneself.

Worry for one’s sibling.

Which one held more weight?

Ray already knew the answer Ayla would arrive at.

Because—

*Ayla.*

You’ve become someone capable of loving yourself.

The moment Ray concluded his thought, Ayla’s spear ripped through the air.

*Shwaaa!*

It flew toward the base of the tower.

“How dare you, Aylaaa!”

Binjin tried to slash Ain’s neck with the ice shard he held—

*Clang!*

But the surrounding cold froze Binjin’s hand solid.

Ayla’s charging spear struck before he could react, piercing his chest.

The spear shattered on impact with the ground, glimmering fragments falling.

*Thud!*

Binjin’s body collapsed.

*Shhhhhh—*

Rain fell steadily, replacing the chaos with silence.

A few seconds later—

Ayla came to her senses and hurriedly jumped over the intact parts of the staircase.

*Tap!*

Reaching the first floor, she rushed to Ain and hugged him, sobbing.

“I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry…!”

“No, it’s fine. You did great—really great. That was the best choice you could’ve made. If you’d attacked the wolf—no, I mean, Hailer—then… you probably would’ve died.”

Ray quietly descended and watched the siblings.

Ayla gently touched Ain’s face and asked:

“Are you okay? Really?”

“Sis… your finger’s in my nostril. I think you’re going to injure me. You trying to suffocate me?”

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, but you just stuck that finger in my mouth too.”

“So no injuries?”

“Ptew! Ptew! I think we should be more worried about you.”

Ayla’s body was covered in wounds from her chase with Laqria.

“Your knee’s badly scraped. Can you even walk?”

“Ow…!”

Only now realizing her injuries, Ayla grimaced in pain.

Watching her, Ray created a shard of ice and cut his own finger deeply.

“……”

Crimson blood dripped, but he didn’t really feel any pain.

Then, Ayla ran toward Binjin’s collapsed body.

Picking up the fallen ice awl with both hands, she began stabbing his chest again and again.

“What did I do…! Why did you always hit me like that…! It hurt…! It hurt so much…!”

The girl sobbed.

“Our parents too…! Why did you kill them…! Even without that, we would’ve gone to the mansion…!”

She cried and cried again.

“I’m not useless…! I’m not useless!”

Anger, hatred, sorrow, bitterness—

The emotions long frozen inside her burst free, raging within her vessel with more intensity than ever.

“Why did I have to live just for you…! I wanted to eat delicious food…! I wanted to wear pretty clothes too…!”

Watching Ayla pour out her feelings, Ray suddenly sensed something strange.

He saw Ayla’s vessel also expressing anger toward her father.

*Is she projecting her father onto Binjin?*

…If that was the case—

Then perhaps all this grief and resentment wasn’t truly directed at Binjin, but at her father.

At the same time, Ray felt he understood why that layer of ice had formed in Ayla’s vessel.

*…Most traumas originate in childhood, don’t they?*

Most likely—

The cause was her father’s verbal abuse and violence, which made her feel worthless.

“Never again…! Don’t ever show up in front of me and my brother again…! You bastard…! You piece of shit…!”

Ain approached Ray with a troubled look and whispered:

“H-Hey, shouldn’t we stop her…?”

“It’s fine. Let her be.”

In fact, it was better not to stop her.

Because the more she cried, the more the old, repressed emotions inside her vessel were released.

*Thunk—!*

When Ayla finally drove the awl into Binjin one last time—

*Huff… Huff…*

All the negative emotions in her vessel had been washed away.

Breathing heavily, Ayla flinched as she fully realized what she had done.

“……”

She stayed still for a moment, then stood up.

*Tap— Tap— Tap.*

As if knowing what had to come next, she walked toward Ray and said,

“Thank you. Truly.”

It was a thank-you filled with deep emotion and meaning.

She hadn’t fully grasped the situation or resolved all her questions yet.

But some things were clear.

That she’d survived thanks to the boy before her.

That she’d broken free from Binjin’s control and exacted her own revenge.

And… that her thoughts and emotions were now completely different from before.

“It’s nothing.”

The boy’s quiet reply.

Ayla suddenly felt a sharp pang in her chest.

Ray’s expression and tone were no different than usual.

But somehow…

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something *had* changed.

She quickly added,

“Really, I mean it. Thank you. No reward would be enough. Are you hurt?”

“No serious injuries.”

…He really had changed.

Her breath caught for a moment.

An unfamiliar anxiety swelled in her chest.

Then Ain interjected.

“Sis, big bro, sorry to interrupt but… could someone explain what’s going on? You were supposed to be at the Tower of Magic, and now you’re back. Master—no, that Binjin bastard—tried to kill Hailer. The tower’s a wreck. I’ve got an idea in my head, but it just doesn’t make any sense.”

Ray replied,

“I’ll explain.”

“Great. I’m really curious—”

“After we clean up this situation.”

“—Huh? Isn’t it already over?”

Ray looked past the wide-open iron door.

Through the pounding rain came the sound of many overlapping noises—

Countless footsteps.

The clinking of metal.

Car doors opening and closing.

Ayla and Ain’s faces hardened as they realized what was happening.

The three stepped outside the tower.

*Shhhhhh—!*

Through the pouring rain, men wearing raincoats and holding guns stood gathered in front of the tower.

Over a hundred of them.

They could also see several Class B disciples bound and restrained.

“Greetings, Mage.”

The only one without a raincoat, holding an umbrella passed to him by a subordinate, stepped forward—Amon.

“It’s been a while. We last met when you came to collect your card a few days ago.”

“What brings you here? I told you I’d come to you for updates on the information gathering.”

Amon flinched slightly under Ray’s cold gaze.

But he soon cleared his throat and replied smoothly.

“My apologies, but we’re not here for you, Mage. We’re here for Binjin. Providing protection while he handles critical affairs is our job—and we received a report about a disturbance in the tower.”

Amon’s gaze shifted past Ray, toward the interior of the tower just barely visible behind him.

“Don’t tell me… Binjin is inside right now…?”

At that moment—

Ray’s eyes were fixed on Amon’s vessel.

A rippling golden glow of greed.

And a murderous intent directed this way.

*‘Interesting.’*

Instantly grasping the situation, Ray thought to himself and parted his lips.

“Binjin is dead.”

The air turned cold in an instant.

“She killed him by piercing through his chest.”

Ayla’s pupils shook violently.