#020. Veronica’s Bookstore (1)
The sound of two pairs of footsteps echoed.
Breaking through the silence piled up in the bookstore, they moved forward.
“Your clothes have changed. Yesterday, you were wearing a raincoat.”
At Veronica’s question, Ray answered without hesitation.
“I threw it away.”
To be precise, he burned it.
There was always a chance of encountering the man in the basement while wandering the streets.
Even the clothes he wore underneath were swapped for relatively clean ones, which he had requested from Philip.
Just that change alone gave him a completely different appearance.
Perhaps intrigued by this, Veronica kept glancing back at Ray as she looked over her shoulder repeatedly.
“Iâve already told him about you. That you used magic, helped chase off the others, and are looking for the rainbowâ.”
“You didnât tell him anything else about me, did you?”
“Nope. Just those three things. Honestly, itâs not like youâve shared anything more about yourself.”
Ray nodded.
When Veronica spoke about the old man, her “container of emotions” was steeped in thick trust.
But it was too early to let his guard down.
The monocled magician.
The basement magician.
Every magician Ray had encountered thus far carried negative emotions and a high degree of danger.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Following Veronica, Ray walked down a creaking wooden hallway.
“……”
He noticed two small faces peeking out from the far end of the hallway.
Boys, around seven or eight years old.
The wariness in their gazes was surprisingly authentic.
When the two little boys locked eyes with Ray, they quickly ducked out of sight.
Looking at the spot where her brothers had vanished with a bittersweet expression, Veronica spoke.
“Theyâre my younger brothers from the orphanage. Grandpa chose them personallyâme, Malta, and Yulfin.”
“To teach magic?”
Veronicaâs eyes widened as she exclaimed in surprise.
“How did you know?”
…Well, because you mentioned learning magic from your grandfather.
“Otherwise, I canât imagine any reason to take in orphans. And you said you learned magic from him.”
Sector 50 also had orphanages.
Although their poor conditions and abuse made them barely distinguishable from prisons.
Veronica nodded as if she understood.
“That makes sense. The orphanage I was at didnât have real adoptions either. Everyone who came had other purposes for taking kids.”
The boy and girl continued walking until they reached a door at the end of the hallway.
“This is it. Grandpa is inside.”
Knocking on the door, Veronica spoke to the person inside.
Knock knock.
“Grandpa Graham, Ray is here. The boy I mentioned yesterday.”
A faint voice from inside told them to come in.
Click.
The door opened to reveal the roomâs interior.
Ray followed Veronica into the room.
It wasnât particularly large or small.
With just a window and a few pieces of furniture, the room didnât feel empty.
âSo this is him.â
The old man rose from the bed by the window.
His sheer presence filled the room.
Leaning against the headboard, the old man settled into position.
“Sit down.”
The words were directed at Ray.
It was as if he had met Ray before, given his natural tone.
“Veronica, you may leave.”
Veronica, who had been heading toward a chair near the bed, flinched.
Reluctantly, she spun around and quickly left the room, her gaze lingering on Ray until the door shut behind her.
Ray sat on the chair.
The old man looked at the boy.
The boy looked at the old man.
“……”
The old manâs eyes were piercing, belying his frail body.
Yet, beneath the surface, a hint of exhaustion seeped throughâlikely due to his illness.
The old man spoke first.
“First of all, thank you for helping Veronica chase them off. Itâs something I shouldâve done, but as you can see, Iâm not in the best shape.”
“It wasnât particularly difficult.”
Ray gave a mechanical reply while observing the old manâs chest.
Three rings were visible.
Fewer than the monocled magician, but still an impossibly high level for someone like him.
He shifted his gaze to the container of emotions.
Red for anger. Orange for comfort.
Yellow for excitement. Green for confusion.
Blue for indifference. Indigo for sadness.
A dazzling array of colors.
These were emotions impossible to feel all at once.
Upon closer inspection, the mana wasnât actually contained in the vesselâit was more like the colors were etched into it.
Traces left by the storms of emotions experienced over a lifetime.
Such containers often belonged to those who had either lived long lives or endured particularly intense experiences.
For Ray, it was difficult to read the old manâs exact emotions.
In a dry voice, the old man continued slowly.
“Veronica said you have many questions for me.”
“Iâve been searching for magicians.”
“Arenât you a magician yourself? According to Veronica, you use magic quite skillfully.”
“I donât know much.”
The old man chuckled softly, his laughter tinged with mystery.
“Answering questions isnât difficult, especially about magic. But first, isnât it polite to introduce yourself?”
It wasnât an unreasonable request.
Ray himself wouldâve reacted the same way.
“…Ray.”
For now, he only gave his name, gauging the old manâs reaction.
He didnât want to reveal too much about himself.
“I see, Ray. Where are you from?”
“……”
Ray hoped the question would be brushed aside, but that wasnât the case.
As he hesitated, the old man spoke again.
“You seem to carry quite a story. If youâre reluctant to answer, how about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Weâll play a simple game. The winner of each round can ask the loser one question. Since Veronicaâs stories piqued my interest in you, it seems fair.”
The old man gestured with a flick of his finger.
Mana in the air began to swirl.
It condensed into a colorful vortex, the individual colors distinct and unmixed.
âUsually, mixing so many colors causes mana to repel itself immediately.â
Ray marveled at the old manâs skill with mana.
The old man seemed equally impressed by Rayâs reaction.
“Oh-ho, you have a keen sensitivity to mana. The way you immediately noticed is remarkable.”
“What kind of game do you mean?”
Ray asked quietly.
In truth, he wasnât thrilled about the idea of a game.
No matter how hard he tried, the odds of defeating a magician with three rings were slim.
Still, his thoughts shifted.
The old manâs mastery of mana was fascinating.
What kind of magic would he use?
What other skills was he hiding?
And what kind of game would someone like this propose?
Rayâs insatiable intellectual curiosity, rooted in his lifelong interest in magic and mana, surpassed his initial wariness.
It was worth hearing the explanation at least.
The old man, noticing the subtle change in Rayâs attitude, smirked.
“Itâs not a difficult game. I often play it with Veronicaâitâs good practice for controlling mana.”
He released most of the swirling mana into the air, leaving only a small portion behind.
The remaining mana coalesced into a dense gray.
Guided by the old manâs gestures, the gray mana floated between them.
“Can you sense the mana between us?”
Ray nodded.
Not only could he sense itâhe could see it.
“Mana consists of various elemental components. You could say theyâre the ingredients of magic.”
The old man suddenly began to explain, though it didnât feel abrupt.
“Different elements are used in different spells. Sometimes, they combine to form new ones.”
His words flowed naturally, as if this moment had been prepared for teaching all along.
The moment the term âelementâ was mentioned, all of Rayâs senses sharpened.
He focused intently, determined not to miss a single word.
“The mana between us now is made of the element of *Stability*. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the consistency of spells against external influences.”
Each word struck a chord in Rayâs heart.
“Due to its inherent nature to maintain stability, itâs one of the hardest elements to moveâ.”
“Whatâs the other element?”
Ray couldnât hold back his question.
The mana before him consisted of two elements.
At first glance, it appeared to be one solid gray mass.
But upon closer inspection, Ray noticed faint boundaries separating the mana into two parts.
Gray.
A slightly darker gray.
To most, it would seem like one shade.
But to Ray, who could distinguish even the subtlest colors, they were entirely distinct.
The old man fell silent, narrowing his eyes as if reexamining Rayâs question. Then his gaze widened.
“What did you just say?”
The emotions swirling in the old manâs container became more vivid.
Surprise. Disbelief. Excitement.
Ray had clearly struck a nerve.
âDid I ask something wrong?â
For a moment, he considered brushing it off, but his curiosity refused to be silenced.
âThe element next to it. You didnât tell me its name.â
âHahâŠâ
A faint sigh escaped.
The old man furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ray.
His expression made it clearâhe couldnât believe what he was hearing.
âYou just said, *the element next to it*, correct?â
âYes.â
âAre you saying it feels like there are two elements, not one?â
Of course, that was what he meant.
He could sense it. He could see it.
âYes, there are two.â
âHahahahaâ!â
Rayâs firm response.
The old man suddenly burst into laughter.
He doubled over, even shedding tears as he laughed.
âHahaâ! Coughâ! Hah, coughâ!â
Despite his poor health, he made no effort to stop.
In the meantime, a whirlwind of emotions churned wildly within him.
How much time passed like that?
The old man finally lifted his head, his eyes red and teary.
A self-reproachful murmur escaped his cracked lips.
âGraham⊠All this effort was for nothing. Searching through hundreds of orphanages wasnât necessary. The true gem was in a place like this all along. But fate is truly ironic, isnât it? Arranging such a meeting when I have so little time left to live.â
Still catching his breath after his laughter, the old man steadied himself and turned to Ray.
âJudging by your words and actions, you donât seem to have received formal training in magic. It makes me all the more curious about what kind of child you are.â
âSo, whatâs the name of the element next to the element of stability?â
Rayâs persistence in questioning.
The old man chuckled, as if he had met his match.
âThatâs not something Iâd give away so easily. Wouldnât that ruin the fun? Weâre in the middle of explaining the game, arenât we? Letâs leave it as a question for you to figure out.â
ââŠâ
âWell, back to the explanation. Between us right now is a sphereâa lump combining two types of elements. The rules are simple. Whoever pulls the sphere to their hand wins. What do you think?â
A moment of thought.
Ray spoke.
âCan I handle some mana for a moment?â
âOf course. As a concession, the sphere will start much closer to you for balance.â
Thick, gray mana.
It was a color he had never created before, yet it felt strangely familiar.
With the old manâs permission, Ray focused his mind and began to manipulate the gray mana.
*Woomâ*
It had a noticeably stiffer sensation than mana of typical colors.
âThis seems manageable.â
Ray recalled the feeling from back thenâthe moment he had taken control of the mana Veronica had failed to grasp.
That mana, too, had been tough to move, and the distance was much greater than this.
But it hadnât been beyond his ability.
Gray mana wouldnât be much different.
Though the thought of competing with the old man over the same mana raised the difficulty significantly.
Even so, with the starting position adjusted in his favorâŠ
Yes, there was enough chance of winning on his side.
Ray made his decision.
âAlright. Letâs start the game.â
