Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 201

**#201. Maintenance (3)**

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Ray stepped up to the window.

Toward the main gate of the estate, the mana in the air shimmered into the shape of a person.

It approached the estate as though wading through water, then stopped in place without moving any further.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Huh? Where to?”

Leaving the bewildered children behind, Ray exited the drawing room.

When he opened the door and stepped outside, Curiosa emerged from a rift in space.

“Long time no see.”

“It’s been nearly a month. Yeah, long time, kid.”

Responding nonchalantly, Curiosa pulled a notebook from within her robe and handed it over.

“It’s the results of the inquiry you requested. From Sectors 45 to 38—eight sectors in total. All the information gathered is in there.”

Ray flipped through the notebook and saw pages densely filled with text.

It didn’t seem like the information had been curated or filtered, but the sheer amount made it clear Curiosa had put considerable effort into the investigation.

“Impressive. Gathering intel from eight sectors in a month can’t have been easy.”

“Well, for the authority on spatial teleportation, this much data collection is easier than scaring Rockdeer.”

Though Ray’s admiration lacked soul, Curiosa puffed up proudly and continued speaking.

“Have you visited the ruins yet?”

“I have. I just got back.”

“Good timing, then. I doubt you found any rainbow fragments there like the Doctor instructed, but even so, it should’ve been a good experience to broaden your perspective.”

“I found a fragment.”

“What?”

“Not in the ruins, but somewhere else.”

The black lines forming eyes, nose, and mouth on the white mask twisted in disbelief.

Curiosa focused her senses.

She could detect others’ emotions with extreme sensitivity, but from the boy—nothing. Not a trace.

In other words, unlike with others, she couldn’t read his emotions to determine if he was lying.

‘Still, he’s not the type to lie about something like this.’

Curiosa waved her hand in the air, opening a portal to the cabin.

“Let’s go in and talk. I have things to tell you too, and this is going to take a while.”

“Wait. Let me bring Veronica and Philip.”

“No, kid, it’s better if you come in alone.”

Ray stared at her for a moment, then nodded without question.

The two of them stepped through the rift into the cabin.

Zzzk—

The spatial rift closed.

Ray moved with efficient grace—retrieving refreshments from the cupboard, boiling tea, and placing everything on the table.

‘What the—? I rearranged everything. How does he know?’

Curiosa was momentarily caught off guard.

“Sit.”

“Ah, sure. Thanks for the invitation.”

She sat, slightly reluctant.

The teacups clinked, and Ray spoke first.

“Is what you have to say really so important that I need to hear it without Veronica and Philip?”

“Yes. Let’s start with that.”

Curiosa took a breath and spoke in a meaningful tone.

“The Doctor has realized we exist.”

Unexpectedly, Ray didn’t seem surprised in the least.

He simply sipped his tea calmly.

“Kid, why aren’t you surprised?”

“Because I already know.”

“What?”

“Go on, tell me the rest.”

Curiosa continued her story, full of confusion and doubt.

“It was Sector 43. I noticed I was being tailed while walking the streets. At first, I thought it was a local gang interested in my bizarre appearance. I slipped away using spatial leaps through alleyways. But somehow, new pursuers showed up. They didn’t attack—just quietly observed, as if surveilling me.”

She paused briefly, then resumed.

“I caught one of them. Figured it out right away. It was a homunculus sent by the Doctor.”

“Homunculus.”

“Yeah. Homunculus. Remember when I first met you, I said I thought you were one?”

“I think I do.”

Curiosa elaborated on the homunculi.

“I couldn’t sense any emotions from them. Humans always carry at least a trace of emotion—anger, sadness, joy—even when calm. But these things… nothing. Except, when performing certain actions, specific emotions surged—intensely so.”

“…Sounds like me.”

“Exactly. You’re similar. But there’s a big difference. Their speech and movements are awkward—unnatural, grotesque. Like dolls clumsily mimicking humans.”

She added that just looking at them filled her with revulsion.

“No matter what I asked them, they just stared at me with empty eyes. Silent as mutes. I killed every one I found. But in each new sector, there they were again. I haven’t spotted any yet, but I’m sure there are some in this one—Sector 37.”

“……”

At that moment, Ray began to understand how the Doctor had tracked their movements.

“Do you know anything else about the homunculi?”

“No, that’s all. They’re emotion-defective beings, and the Doctor calls them homunculi. I’d guess they’re related to his experiments on emotion.”

Ray fell into thought for a moment, then asked,

“Could this be connected to the Doctor’s goal? Restoring the world to its original state?”

“It’s possible. Though I don’t know what exactly he plans to do with the homunculi.”

“They seem… efficient.”

Curiosa tilted her head.

“Efficient?”

“Homunculi. They only feel emotions when necessary.”

She began to understand where Ray was going.

Humans are irrational beings, constantly ruled by emotion.

If one could summon and dismiss feelings at will, they could live entirely by reason and logic.

But…

“……”

Was that truly a better way to live?

Curiosa asked,

“Kid, aren’t you the same? You seem to only feel emotions when needed and stay emotionless otherwise. Is that efficiency… satisfying?”

The unexpected question left Ray silent in thought for a long while.

“…No. It’s not satisfying.”

“Exactly. Efficiency and satisfaction don’t always go hand in hand. If I had the choice, I’d pick a life of emotional inconvenience over one of artificial control.”

After wrapping up their discussion on homunculi, the conversation moved on.

“Vicious reached the ruins before us. That’s when I realized the Doctor was tracking our path.”

Calmly, the story continued.

The damaged records of the tower, the murals left underground.

The fierce battle against Vicious in Rael Row.

“…From what you’re telling me, it does sound like Vicious. Though I don’t get why he looks like a child.”

“Probably because of the Doctor’s experiments. Vicious said that once you become an adult, you can’t imagine anymore.”

Ray summoned mana, creating a dagger of yellow light in his palm.

Curiosa blinked, then asked in alarm,

“What is that? How did you do that?”

“I just imagined it.”

“What kind of crap is that? Those elements are combined in an absurd way!”

Curiosa gasped for air.

A flood of lilac curiosity thrashed violently inside her.

“You wicked little monster! You brought back another new technique, didn’t you! What do you want—money? Fame? Women? I’ll give you everything, just tell me how!”

Not that he wanted any of those.

“Sorry, but I don’t even know how it works. I just picture it, and the elements move on their own.”

Curiosa fell silent.

Then said,

“I can’t do it.”

“Beats me. Vicious used magic the same way. He freely manipulated forms of dark red mana.”

After much squirming and screeching, Curiosa finally calmed down enough to speak again.

“So… to summarize all this, you’re saying the Doctor restricted Vicious’s growth to keep his imagination intact?”

“That’s the most plausible theory based on the evidence.”

“Who knows. The Doctor’s a notoriously tight-lipped man.”

Curiosa fell into thought.

Ray broke the silence a few seconds later.

“You’re the world’s best spatial jumper, right?”

The sudden question didn’t faze her.

“Of course. I can confidently say no one’s studied space magic longer than I have.”

“No one at all?”

“No one.”

“Then I guess you’re the only one I can ask.”

Ask?

A chill ran down Curiosa’s spine.

“Connect the inside of the soon-to-be-completed mansion with the bus using a spatial route. Like how you access the cabin from anywhere—I want to be able to go back and forth between the mansion and the bus during travel.”

Something about a World Tree and sky islands followed, but Curiosa didn’t hear a word.

All she heard was:

**Construct a spatial route.**

‘He wants me to build a spatial route…! That conscience-selling brat…!’

Even drawing a single-use teleportation circle across sectors had drained her of time and mental energy.

And now he wanted a **permanent** spatial route?

It was a nausea-inducing task she never wanted to repeat.

Curiosa trembled with rage, but then remembered something and smiled triumphantly.

“Kid, sorry, it’s impossible. Spatial routes can’t be made with just time and effort. You need a relic called a spatial stone—extremely rare, only found in ruins—”

“This?”

Ray held up two familiar-looking stones.

Curiosa stared between his face and his hand.

Silence.

One by one, the black lines on her mask vanished, then disappeared entirely.

A spatial rift opened suddenly, and Curiosa leapt for it.

But the rift shut faster than it opened, slamming her into the ground.

“……”

“……”

Curiosa looked up with a face full of injustice.

What the hell—how did you close that?

“Was that your imagination again?”

“No. I just twisted the mana rushing in as the space opened.”

“What the…!”

Whether it was imagination or mana-twisting, no proper, sane mage would understand this.

“No! I can’t! I was bedridden for weeks after building one passage! And you want me to do that again?!”

“You’ll do it, right?”

“Don’t come near me, you monster!”

“You’re the only one who can. And I’m not a monster—I’m human.”

“You! You said you’d share your methods—just do it yourself!”

“I’ve got too many other things to do.”

“You demon! You’re not even trying to make a deal this time! Stay back! If you come closer, I’ll kill you!”

Every new rift she opened was immediately closed.

Curiosa’s wails echoed through the cabin for a long time.

*
*
*

 

The annex construction, into which the Amon family had poured a significant amount of manpower, continued day and night without pause.

Thanks to that, the annex was rapidly taking shape.

“Until the annex is completed, you can stay in the main building,” Ray said.

To this, Jang and William responded at the same time.

“Yes, understood, young master.”

“Th-thank you. R-really.”

Jang had formally quit his job at the rickshaw company and began helping with the estate’s affairs.

He had a sociable personality, which quickly endeared him to the children of the estate, and he displayed exceptional adaptability and responsibility—completing every task he was given quickly and neatly.

Ray thought that once the annex was complete, Jang could be entrusted with the role of caretaker.

“I-I’ll help out too. Y-you saved me, so I, I should do… something…”

As for William, who had been trapped in the ruins for many years, he seemed to be gradually recovering his sanity.

Though his stammering and incoherent speech persisted, making it difficult to learn the details of his past, his ever-present gratitude, which he carried deep in his being, made it clear that even if he fully regained his mind, he wouldn’t become a threat.

In any case, just having him around was helpful for now.

In times of emergency, having even one more mage available for mobilization was better.

Ray had scouted the area, but saw no sign of any homunculi, and he deemed the possibility of the Doctor launching an attack to be low.

**But the possibility of a “what if” still existed.**

As for Demper, he stayed at the estate for a few days with a dazed expression, then left.

“…Let’s meet again if the chance arises.”

He said he planned to take a break from mercenary work for a while to sort out his thoughts.

Sorrow, regret, emptiness, helplessness—

These emotions swirled hazily within the man, born from the realization that he had been deceived by someone he had deeply trusted.

…By Ray’s standards, Demper was a strong person.

Yet to see such a strong man unable to escape from those delicate emotions for so long—

It felt a little strange.

And difficult, but Ray tried to understand it.

**“……”**

With everyone’s arrangements settled—

Ray was now inside the tower.

The interior had been completely repaired, and faint sunlight drifted in, stirring the dust in the air.

Ray was waiting for Grine, who had agreed to be his art teacher.

There were about ten days left until the arrival of the Azure Dawn Envoy.

He didn’t know how powerful those coming would be, so he had to grow as much as possible before then.

**‘But raising my Circle level is impossible.’**

It hadn’t even been two months since he’d reached the 3rd Circle.

The conclusion wasn’t difficult to reach.

**Fostering his imagination was the best option available to him right now.**

*Tak— Tak—*

As Ray strolled between the tables on which artifacts were arranged, something suddenly caught his eye.

A glass sculpture in the shape of a triangular pyramid.

**‘A prism.’**

“It’s a prism.”

At the sound of a voice behind him, Ray turned around and saw that Grine had arrived.

He asked, “Did you just say ‘prism’? How do you know what it’s called?”

“Of course I know. I even know how to use it.”

Grine replied with a bright smile.

 

 

 

 

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