Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 172

#172. The Place to Stay (2)

 

—

The disciples of the mansion heard the truth about Binjin through Ayla’s words.

“…So Binjin raised us as his disciples to use us as sacrifices for exploitation magic.”

At first, they couldn’t believe it.

That meant they were essentially livestock raised for slaughter.

But with the traces of the exploitation magic circle still remaining in the tower, and the testimony of Bassel from the Amon Family, who had been compelled to obey Binjin’s orders—

With the evidence appearing before their eyes, they had no choice but to accept the truth.

“Our master… No, that bastard tried to kill us.”

“I… I thought if I just became a mage, I’d be able to live happily.”

Emotions like rage, betrayal, shock, and confusion—

Those numbing emotions spread like wildfire.

Especially in Ain’s case, he fell into a state of panic and couldn’t come to his senses.

“I… I kept saying I’d protect my sister……”

Yet in the end, he hadn’t been able to block a single threat that came her way.

He hadn’t even known she was being beaten by Binjin on a daily basis.

He didn’t know their parents’ deaths weren’t an accident, but a ploy orchestrated by Binjin.

Nor that his sister had chosen to sacrifice herself to protect him.

…And to that sister, he had smiled and waved as she left for the Magic Tower.

The shame and self-loathing were so overwhelming that he couldn’t lift his head.

And then—

“Thank you, hyung.”

Alongside that came a deep sense of gratitude toward Ray.

“If it weren’t for you… I might never have seen my sister’s face again. I’ll repay this debt for the rest of my life.”

Following Ain’s lead, all the disciples bowed their heads deeply to Ray.

It would not be an exaggeration to say the entire mansion owed Ray their lives.

Had he not stopped Binjin, they too would have eventually ended up as lumps of mana atop a magic circle.

*Whooosh—*

The rain still poured down.

Wearing raincoats, the disciples worked with the surviving Amon Family members to clean up the scene.

—That son of a bitch, good riddance.

—You have no idea how much pain your careless words caused us.

Spit was hurled onto Binjin’s cold, lifeless corpse, and fat raindrops fell onto the wreckage of the tower being cleared away.

Ayla approached Ray and asked in a dazed voice.

“What do we… do now?”

At that question, all the working disciples perked up their ears.

They, too, were desperately curious.

What would happen to them next?

It was a fear that had risen in their chests the moment they realized Binjin was dead—a question they had longed to voice.

To them, Binjin had been like a compass guiding them from filthy street lives toward the bright path of magehood.

But now, that compass was shattered.

Granted, the needle had been pointing the wrong way from the start… and the one who had stomped it to pieces was that boy.

—He’s not… a student from the Magic Tower, is he?

—Didn’t you see his magic earlier? He’s not an ordinary kid.

—Honestly… he might not even be the same age as us.

That creeping fear also weighed on them.

What if that boy was no different from Binjin? Or even worse?

With everyone’s attention fixed on him, the boy quietly spoke.

“Do whatever you want.”

“Whatever… we want?”

“Yeah. Whether you stay or leave.”

The victor claims everything from the defeated.

That was one of the fundamental rules of the boy’s world.

According to that rule, the tower, the relics, the mansion, and even the disciples—all could be considered spoils of war.

…In the past, the boy would not have seen any need to correct that line of thinking.

But the boy who had gained many experiences and relationships during his journey now understood.

That people and things could not be treated the same.

In other words—

“Decide for yourselves.”

Ray had no intention of making the disciples of the mansion part of his spoils.

“If you choose to stay, you can live here just like before. If you want to leave, you’ll be paid according to the work you did under Binjin’s orders.”

The unexpected offer stirred unrest among the disciples.

They had never dreamed he would not only give them a choice but also compensate them if they chose to leave.

Then, a child gathered up their courage and stepped forward to ask Ray.

“Then… what will those who choose to stay do?”

Ray fell silent for a moment in thought, then parted his lips.

“You’ll learn magic from me.”

*
*
*

After giving a few instructions to Ayla and Bassel, Ray left the mansion and headed back to the inn.

*Whoooosh—*

The pounding black rain had closed all the shops, and no pedestrians could be seen in the streets.

*Splish—splish—*

The puddled water splashed black foam into the air as it was kicked by Ray’s steps.

Before long, two familiar faces were reflected in his emotionless eyes.

Veronica and Philip, waiting outside the inn, rushed over and held umbrellas over his head.

“You’re soaking wet! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Did the plan work? You came back safe, so it must’ve worked, right?”

Ray looked at the shining white worry and sky-blue self-regard within their auras as he spoke.

“No serious injuries. The plan worked.”

“You didn’t even have enough mana left to make a barrier? You know how harmful black rain is…!”

“……”

Ray stared down at his rain-drenched body.

He had plenty of mana.

And even without forming a barrier, he could have avoided the rain in many other ways.

Yet the reason he had let himself be soaked was simple.

*‘Because I’m someone who has no self-love.’*

His realization regarding blue mana had gifted him the third circle—but also brought disappointment.

A person who could not love himself.

He hadn’t been fully conscious of it, but walking in the rain had been a form of rebellion—and self-punishment.

“Let’s talk inside. First, wash up with some warm water!”

“Yeah, you should rest first. You must be exhausted.”

Veronica and Philip each took one of Ray’s arms and dragged him into the inn.

“……”

Strangely, Ray felt a sense of warmth rising within him, even as the disappointment faded.

As if someone had left a tiny ember in a corner of his heart.

It was the same sensation he’d felt after finishing a day’s work, sitting around the tent with the underpass kids.

And again—

When he’d been surrounded by Veronica, Ayla, and Ain at the restaurant.

As he was being dragged along, Ray suddenly opened his mouth.

“Veronica, Philip.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve decided.”

“I want to build a family.”

The kids stopped dead in their tracks.

A long silence followed, in which their shock was palpable.

Philip had a calculating look, as if trying to understand why Ray would suddenly say something like that.

Veronica looked like she’d been hit by a bolt of lightning, her pupils trembling.

Then, too confused to even understand what she was asking, she blurted out:

“How many sons and daughters?”

“Sons? Daughters? I’m not sure, but… the more, the better.”

“As many as possible… Got it.”

Veronica nodded with a look of firm resolve.

Then the three of them passed through the inn’s courtyard and approached the entrance.

After a long pause, Veronica whispered to Philip behind Ray’s back.

“Philip, how do you make babies?”

“……?”

Philip gave her a look that screamed, *Are you serious?*

Realizing she was being completely sincere, he looked around and then whispered in a low voice.

“This is something people our age usually don’t know, but since we’re friends, I’ll tell you. Listen carefully. Babies are brought by the rock deer when a man and woman hold hands and sleep together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. The important thing is to interlock your fingers. The rock deer uses that to gauge how much the couple loves each other.”

“W-Wow. I had no idea.”

She had the strange feeling she was being duped… but having no better knowledge, Veronica said nothing.

She figured she’d have to ask Ayla about it later.

Back in his room, Ray washed up and changed.

He towel-dried his hair and went straight to the room where Veronica and Philip were.

The moment he sat down, Nero, who had been on Veronica’s lap, jumped onto his knee.

*…The efficiency of summoning magic is proportional to intimacy, after all.*

As he stroked the fur repeatedly, a purring sound emerged.

Philip, reaching out to pet Nero only to almost get bitten again, looked exasperated.

“…Why is it always me?”

*Whoooosh—*

The rain outside still poured.

In the quiet room, Ray opened his mouth.

“Binjin is dead.”

Binjin. Exploitation magic. Laqria. Spirits.

Ayla. The mansion’s disciples. The Amon Family.

He calmly explained everything that had happened at the mansion.

What he had briefly mentioned before was now explained in full, and stories he’d never had the chance to tell came out as well.

One of them was about the one-eyed wizard—and Ray’s revenge.

“So because of that wizard, all the kids you lived with died…”

“And that guy from Nisoha, Niles… he died back then, too. I didn’t know any of this.”

They were seeing a side of their friend they hadn’t known—and it broke their hearts.

Though the person himself remained composed.

“So, a member of the Azure Dawn Society will come to Binjin’s mansion in a month.”

Philip picked up the explanation.

“If we capture them, we can find out a lot about the organization. Maybe even get a lead on that mage named Indiago.”

Ray nodded.

“Yeah. But I’m not planning to wait idly for a month. I think the timing will work out if we visit the ruins we originally planned to check out.”

This time, Veronica chimed in.

“You mean we’re joining the expedition that leaves in three days, right?”

“Exactly. Can you show me the pamphlet again?”

Veronica took out the recruitment flyer they had confiscated from the mercenary office and opened it.

“Here, this page.”

—

[Recruiter]

[Gaiole, an explorer with 8 years of experience in ruins expeditions.]

[Discovered a marker pointing to an undiscovered ruin at coordinates 412. 32 in the northeastern outskirts of the sector.]

[The marker indicates the ruin is located at coordinates 877. 129.]

[However, the existence of the ruin at that location cannot be guaranteed. The route is expected to be extremely dangerous, and survival is not assured.]

[But if successful, enormous wealth that will last a lifetime is promised.]

—

They had read it before, but scanned again in case anything was missed.

*“Interviews are held through Gaiole, currently staying at Matterfold Inn on 27th Street.”*

They had not yet taken the interview.

They hadn’t known how the final showdown with Binjin would play out.

*“Departure is three days from today.”*

Assuming they passed the interview, they still had plenty to do before leaving the sector—time was not exactly on their side.

In other words—

They would need to move very quickly starting now.

*
*
*

Early the next morning.

The rain still fell, though it was weakening, as if to signal the end of the monsoon.

*Pang! Pang!*

Ray shook off his white umbrella and stepped into the mansion.

“……”

He was slightly surprised.

All the disciples were lined up in neat rows, waiting for him.

“You don’t have to stand on ceremony like that. I’m not Binjin.”

He said so, but the disciples just glanced at each other nervously, not relaxing their posture.

Then Ayla stepped forward.

“Welcome back. We were waiting.”

“Have you all made your decision?”

He meant whether they’d decided to stay or leave.

Those who stayed could help with Amon Family matters as before—and receive magic lessons from Ray.

Those who left would receive a sum of money far beyond anything a street orphan could dream of.

Ayla nodded and spoke.

“Everyone’s decided.”

“Good. Then those who chose to leave, step forward first. I’ll calculate how long you’ve been here and pay accordingly.”

Ray pulled out a leather pouch.

Ayla spoke firmly.

“No need for that. No one’s chosen to leave.”

 

 

 

 

---