**#197. What You Lose When You Become an Adult (5)**
—
What Parun placed on the table was a bolt made of gleaming silver metal.
Just from the colorful mana it held inside, it was clear this was no ordinary item.
When Ray looked at him expectantly, Parun began to explain.
“This is a component passed down in Rael Row from a very long time ago.”
“From a long time ago?”
“That’s right. While we rush ahead, only looking toward the present and future, this is the one remnant of the past that we preserve.”
It was said that Rael Row possessed a toolbox once used by the original designer.
It contained parts made of materials that no longer existed in modern times, and gifting one of these as a token to a guest of honor was a longstanding tradition of Rael Row.
“You may return this bolt at any time to make a request of Rael Row. So long as the request doesn’t threaten Rael Row’s existence, we will assist you with every means and method at our disposal.”
Parun’s declaration was immediately met with fierce backlash from the other elders.
“Parun…! This was not something we agreed upon!”
“Indeed. For you to make such a decision alone is a clear abuse of authority.”
Parun roared in frustration.
“Silence, all of you. Have you not seen for yourselves how powerful the intruder was? Can you still not grasp the gravity of the situation? Rael Row’s very survival was at stake. A gesture of this magnitude is the least we can do.”
“But even so…”
The argument continued.
Ray leaned toward Isra and whispered.
“That bolt is really worth fighting over like that?”
“Uh… yeah, I was surprised too. As far as I know, no outsider has been given one in the past few hundred years. At least, not according to the records.”
Ray fiddled with the bolt.
The idea that he could make any request of Rael Row didn’t quite sink in.
Still, judging from the intricate and complex mana patterns flowing inside it, he had a hunch it wasn’t just a simple component.
‘…The designer of Rael Row.’
According to the mural, the seven guardians had once gone to war, each holding a piece of the rainbow.
Eventually, six of them united and cornered the guardian who held the navy fragment.
The mural cut off at that point, so it was unclear what happened afterward.
But perhaps… the guardian who had protected the yellow gem had gone on to design Rael Row?
“Are there any records about Rael Row’s designer?”
In the middle of his argument with the other elders, Parun turned back to Ray and replied.
“There are no surviving records. It’s believed they were a dwarf, but what race they truly belonged to or what purpose they had in designing it—none of it is known. The only thing certain is that items of theirs have long been given as tokens to honored guests.”
Ray tilted his head.
“Why isn’t there any record?”
“I suspect the records were erased due to space constraints, and the information passed down orally—but at some point, that transmission must have been interrupted. Wh-why are you charging your hands with electricity all of a sudden?”
Ray took a slow breath and calmed the anger that had flared within him.
He suddenly understood how Grine might’ve felt yesterday when she nearly got into a brawl with Parun.
*Slide.*
He pushed the bolt back toward Parun and said,
“I’m going to use that request right now.”
“Right now…?”
“It’s about the handling of the Electrostone.”
Ray pulled out the item everyone had been waiting for.
A fully merged Electrostone.
Its seamlessly fused seam made it hard to believe it had ever been two separate pieces.
“As you can see, the Electrostone is now one. I’ve tried several methods, but it can’t be separated.”
“…May I examine it?”
“Go ahead.”
Parun and the elders forgot their argument and were instantly entranced, pulling out a slew of tools from wall drawers to inspect the gem.
“My goodness, it’s perfectly fused. You’d believe it had always been a single ore.”
“Look at this—its hardness is over 20. It was already impossible to destroy before, but now it’s even stronger.”
“Let’s check the mana purity, too!”
The stone was bombarded with curious gazes from all sides.
Inside, Laqria, who had been resting, flinched in alarm as if under attack.
Spirits instinctively reject anything that disrupts the natural order.
That aversion applied to dwarves just as much as humans.
────
There were only three exceptions to this: Ray, Veronica, and Grine the elf.
Plus, since Laqria hadn’t been summoned in the recent battle, its energy had built up excessively.
Ray had a bad feeling the ill-tempered serpent might manifest right there in the meeting room.
“I think we’d better stop.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
The elders reluctantly handed the stone back, looking regretful.
“It seems even with our dwarven craftsmanship, separation is impossible.”
“We’ll need to analyze it further, but that’s the likely outcome.”
“In that case, we’ve got a problem—who owns the Electrostone? I’m using the bolt to request that the ownership of the fused Electrostone be granted to me.”
The elders murmured uneasily.
Parun, his expression now stern, spoke.
“I’m sorry, but that’s a request that threatens the existence of Rael Row. Without the Electrostone, Rael Row cannot operate.”
“It’s better that it doesn’t.”
“Is this that nonsense you said before? That Rael Row moving around pollutes the land? There’s no proof of such a wild claim—”
“There is proof.”
Ray swept his gaze across Parun and the elders and then spoke.
“The black marks on the walls and ceiling.”
During the battle, black smoke had constantly risen from Vicious.
While the residual mana only Ray could see had been invisible to others, it had left visible black traces wherever it touched the walls and ceiling.
“As you all saw, Vicious—our intruder—manipulated manifested mana. It started out dark red and gradually turned pitch black. That’s what happens when elements are forcibly fused—it creates side effects and corrupts the surroundings.”
The elders were silent.
It was a difficult thing to believe, but they had seen it with their own eyes—they couldn’t outright dismiss it.
After a long, hesitant discussion, Parun finally spoke.
“Let’s say what you claim is true. Even then, Rael Row cannot come to a stop. The moment we stay in one place, we lose any chance of finding a new settlement.”
A reasonable point.
But then, something sparked in Ray’s mind.
A single flicker on a blank canvas.
Multicolored lines began to stretch.
He tried to restrain his imagination—but soon realized there was no need.
…Imagination, by nature, was meant to be free. Restraining it only dulled its power.
He let go, calmly.
And at the end of it all—a drawing came into being.
Rough, but filled with flashes of insight.
The boy murmured,
“If you settle down, you won’t have to move anymore. I’d like Grine to be brought here.”
*
*
*
When Grine arrived at the meeting room and spotted Parun, her eyes immediately narrowed.
“If you call me ‘sis’—”
“Just sit down.”
“…Fine, whatever.”
Once seated, Grine listened to Ray’s proposal and blinked in surprise.
“Underneath the floating island in the sky?”
“According to Isra, the island in the sky is always seen from the same direction.”
All eyes in the room turned to Isra.
“Uh… yeah, I guess you could say sky-watching is a hobby of mine. But every time I look up after a storm, the island is in the same place.”
His dream had always been to reach that island floating high above the clouds.
So, he had made a habit of recording its position daily.
Parun, who had been silent until now, frowned slightly and addressed Ray.
“So, if I understand correctly, you’re saying that the land beneath that floating island might be far less affected by the Black Rain than other places?”
“Exactly. I think the island blocks the cloud buildup. I’ve looked at it during the day—it always has fewer black clouds around it.”
“And so, you want us to move and settle there? Absurd.”
The elders whispered in disbelief.
Ray turned back to Grine.
“It could be the place where we plant the new World Tree.”
“…I think it’s definitely worth investigating. But a World Tree doesn’t grow well just anywhere.”
“The dwarves can compensate for that to some extent, right? Isra, you said you had technology to accelerate plant growth?”
Isra answered, flustered.
“Uh, yeah. We use it to quickly grow underground crops for food, but there’s no reason we couldn’t apply it to surface plants too.”
Ray nodded.
“And Grine, you said the green jewel contains the power of growth and purification, right?”
“That’s true, though not much research has been done.”
“I’ll help grow the World Tree. I’ll use the green jewel’s mana to do it.”
The last forest elves didn’t know much about the green jewel.
Ray didn’t either.
Unlike the yellow gem, he hadn’t thoroughly analyzed or bonded with it, and he knew far less about its dissolved elements.
But strangely—he had the distinct feeling he could bring his imagination to life using the green mana.
“You’re saying you’ll help grow the World Tree…?”
For once, Grine looked genuinely unsure.
The mana of the Life Stone—the green gem—was notoriously difficult. Only a few elves, even among those naturally attuned to magic, could handle it.
But Ray used it effortlessly, like someone who’d wielded it all his life.
There was no doubt about his mana control.
‘Still, the Life Stone must have limits on how tall a tree it can grow… And forming a settlement together with dwarves?’
It all felt uncertain. Awkward. Like the reckless fantasy of a child, indifferent to practical matters.
And yet…
She couldn’t shake the thought: *What if…?*
And so, she said,
“Let’s hear more of your idea.”
The dwarves, too, seemed to feel the same way.
Ray continued.
Elves would live aboveground.
Dwarves would live underground.
Separated by the surface, but united in the pursuit of a clean land—they could coexist and support each other.
“Hm. If the World Tree really acts like a giant umbrella that blocks the Black Rain…”
“Then maybe we should make a list of the technologies we can offer to help.”
Before long, the elders were completely immersed in Ray’s proposal.
“……”
Isra quietly listened.
There was a strange feeling in his chest—a mixture of hope that Rael Row’s long-cherished goal might finally be realized… and the bitter knowledge that he’d soon be cast out, irrelevant to it all.
Like a hole had been punched through his heart.
But he quickly shook his head and steeled himself.
*Yeah, leaving Rael Row is what I’ve always wanted. I’ll finally be free—from customs, from rules. I’ll be a wandering soul.*
Excitement and resolve surged in him.
That’s when Parun’s voice brought him back to the present.
“Isra, you’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”
“Huh? Why me?”
“A fair number of casualties occurred, didn’t they? We’re short on personnel, so we need to fill the gaps.”
“I’m supposed to be expelled, though.”
Parun raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
“What are you talking about now?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot I punched you in the solar plexus, Elder.”
“Oh, I remember. My abdomen’s still sore, I’ll have you know.”
“Disobeying orders during an emergency. A clear violation of protocol. According to the regulations, it’s grounds for immediate expulsion without warning.”
“So you’ve been worrying about that quite a bit, haven’t you?”
Parun nodded once, then continued, his expression softening.
“Don’t worry. Given the urgency of the situation, we’ve decided not to hold you accountable. I even had a few realizations thanks to you.”
“Sorry, what?”
Other elders chimed in beside him.
“We heard about it. In the end, the reason we were able to repel the intruders was thanks to your decision to open all the passageways.”
“No, wait—”
“You should be happy. Your probation has been lifted, and you’re reinstated as a leadership candidate.”
“What…”
“It was a unanimous decision.”
“But—”
“To think you’d show such decisiveness. You’ve really proven yourself, Is.”
“Ah.”
Isra turned to Ray with a dazed look on his face.
*‘You told me to stir up trouble…’*
*‘What, now you want me to congratulate you?’*
Ray gave him a thumbs-up.
For a while, the only sound in the conference room was the dumbfounded laughter of a Dwarf boy.
