Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 21

#021.   **Veronica’s Bookstore (2)**

 

 

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“The outcome depends solely on skill in manipulating mana, not the number of circles. That’s the point.”

*Woom—*

The gray mass of mana moved.

It hovered between the old man and the boy, much closer to the boy.

“I assume I surpass you in both skill and the number of circles. The difference in our years of experience explains that. Placing the sphere closer to you seems fair. What do you think?”

Ray nodded.

The old man inferred that “circles” referred to rings of some kind. Yet, a question arose in his mind.

*‘He doesn’t seem to know that I don’t have any circle. Judging by his speculative tone, he likely can’t sense my circles or rings.’*

This suggested that sensing someone else’s circles was not a common ability—Ray’s ability to see mana’s color was unique.

While he processed this, the old man gestured toward the wall clock with a finger.

“The game begins when the second hand reaches the next minute. Does that sound acceptable?”

“Fine.”

Ray adjusted his posture, focusing all his senses on the gray mana.

*Tick. Tock.*

A strange tension filled the air.

The second hand steadily advanced.

*Tick. Tock. Click.*

The instant the minute hand shifted, Ray pulled the gray mana toward himself.

*Woom—!*

The mana shot forward with incredible speed.

And landed in a palm.

“The first round seems to be mine.”

Not Ray’s hand.

But the old man’s.

“……”

Ray was stunned. He hadn’t even felt the sensation of holding the mana.

That meant the old man had stolen it in an instant.

“Then, may I ask the first question?”

“Yes.”

The old man, prepared, immediately asked.

“Which sector are you from? You don’t seem like an ordinary child.”

Ray briefly considered lying but quickly dismissed the thought.

It had been a fair match, and deception rarely worked on people like the old man.

“Sector 50.”

“Sector 50? Did you come here alone?”

“Only one question at a time.”

Ray’s curt reply made the old man chuckle once more.

“Fair enough. My mistake—rules are rules.”

“Let’s move to the next round.”

The gray mana shifted again, repositioning between the two.

“We’ll start at the same cue: when the minute hand moves next.”

“Understood.”

*Tick. Tock. Click!*

*Woom—!*

Once more, the gray mana was drawn into the old man’s hand.

But this time, Ray felt a faint sensation of grasping it.

*‘Still not enough. I need to be much faster—or use another method.’*

The old man’s speed was beyond imagination.

If things continued like this, Ray would only end up giving away information about himself.

While Ray strategized, the old man spoke.

“Now for my second question: who taught you magic? Judging by my guess, it seems you left your training unfinished.”

“I didn’t learn from anyone. I taught myself.”

The old man narrowed his eyes, studying Ray’s gaze, as though to discern his sincerity.

It didn’t seem like a lie.

If it were an act, it was extraordinary.

The old man chuckled softly.

“You’ve surprised me twice today. I haven’t been this startled in my entire life.”

“Is it rare? To teach oneself magic?”

“If you win the next game, I’ll answer that—it counts as another question.”

The gray mana was repositioned.

Both contestants held their breath, focusing on the clock hands.

*Tick. Tock. Click!*

*Woom—!*

The gray mana surged toward the old man’s palm.

But something unexpected occurred.

The mana around the old man’s face rippled violently.

“…!”

Momentarily distracted, the old man faltered.

Ray seized the opportunity to wrest control of the gray mana.

“Oh, my.”

The old man looked disappointed as he saw the gray mana—the element of *Stability*—resting in Ray’s hand.

“You’ve changed your tactics.”

“There was no rule against causing distractions.”

“Veronica always tried to play honestly, but fine. Ask your question.”

The old man didn’t seem offended by Ray’s move. Instead, he smiled faintly, as though pleased.

Ray pondered for a moment.

He didn’t know how many opportunities he’d have, so each question had to yield as much information as possible.

Decision made, Ray asked, “What is mana?”

“Mana?”

The old man’s lips curved upward.

*「Grandfather Graham, there’s a boy who wants to meet you. He helped me at the bookstore…」*

At first, Graham had no strong feelings about the matter. He was willing to grant a simple favor in return for the help rendered.

After all, he was resigned—a sickly old man waiting for death.

While he harbored regrets about unfinished business, those were beyond his power to resolve.

But now, things were different.

*‘What is mana, indeed? I’ve taught many children magic, but none have ever asked such a direct question.’*

It was extraordinary.

A greater thrill than he had felt at any point in his life coursed through him.

“You want to understand mana?”

“Yes.”

Unable to hide his smile, the old man calmly began his explanation.

“Mana is the most fundamental element that constitutes all things in the world. Though it cannot be seen or touched, it undeniably exists around us.”

“The fact that it cannot be seen is certain, right?”

Strictly speaking, it was a question.

The old man, aware of this, pretended not to notice and answered.

“You can observe the secondary phenomena caused by the movement of mana—lightning, fire, hail, for example. But you cannot see mana itself.”

The old man paused briefly.

“However, it is possible to sense mana, though only a rare few are born with such an innate ability. But sensing mana doesn’t mean one can necessarily use magic. The talent for sensing mana and the talent for manipulating it are entirely separate domains.”

Ray continued with another question.

“Does manipulating mana mean how well one can control its movement?”

The old man nodded.

“Exactly. More specifically, it refers to the ability to separate the elemental components of mana and combine them in the correct proportions. It’s often said that those who know themselves well tend to excel as magicians. In a sense, magic can be considered a study of self-discovery. There’s even a saying about it.”

Another pause for breath.

“Mana reaches out to those who are honest with themselves.”

Ray repeated the phrase.

As if engraving it in his memory.

“Mana reaches out to those who are honest with themselves….”

To him, it seemed to carry this meaning:

“Those who are true to their emotions are better at handling mana.”

Honest with oneself.

While open to interpretation, it likely meant being faithful to one’s emotions.

From experience, Ray had found mana easier to handle when he was in touch with specific emotions.

The old man’s explanation continued for quite some time.

“I think that’s enough of an answer to your question. Are you satisfied?”

“Yes, thank you for explaining.”

The next game began.

Ray used the same strategy, but this time it didn’t work.

“I’m curious why you left Sector 50 to come up to Sector 49.”

“If I had stayed there, I would have died.”

The old man let out a hum but refrained from probing further.

In the following game, Ray manipulated the mana around the old man’s face more forcefully than before.

As a result, he won.

“This time, I’ve won.”

“Indeed. Your next question?”

“I want to know about the rings that magicians carry with them.”

The old man stroked his chin.

“Rings? You must mean circles. Hmm, judging from your question, it seems you haven’t constructed a circle yet. Though, according to Veronica, you’ve been using ambient mana.”

“….”

He had unintentionally revealed a piece of information.

But there was no avoiding it.

The “circle” was an essential puzzle he needed to solve.

“A circle, or ring, is essentially a vessel that holds mana. Once created, ambient mana flows into the circle and is stored. It undergoes automatic refinement in the process. When you use mana, it refills itself. Use it again, and it refills again. The elemental distribution of the mana stored varies depending on one’s constitution.”

Refinement. He didn’t know the exact meaning of the term but could infer from the context.

“Does refined mana become easier to handle compared to ambient mana?”

“Exactly. That’s why magicians can use the same spell with less mana and greater speed when they have a circle. But that’s not the main reason why refinement is important.”

Ray leaned forward, hanging on to his every word.

The old man smirked at his eagerness.

“What’s the real reason refinement is so important?”

He briefly considered teasing Ray by withholding the answer but quickly dismissed the idea.

Conversations like this might be the most meaningful moments of his life now.

There wasn’t much time left, and he couldn’t waste it on trivial games.

“Ambient mana is essentially raw. Using it repeatedly can lead to mana poisoning.”

“Mana poisoning?”

“Simply put, it causes mental disturbances. You might become unable to control your anger, fall into deep depression, lose the will to live, or be unable to stop laughing. The symptoms vary widely.”

Ray was speechless.

Then what about himself, who had been using raw mana all this time?

“When you say repeatedly, how long are we talking about?”

“It depends on the magic, but usually, the effects are immediate. You’d feel drowsy, lethargic… Not a perfect analogy, but it’s somewhat like a drug.”

The old man added that prolonged mana poisoning could lead to permanent mental damage.

“Have you ever felt that way? Without a circle, you’ve been relying on ambient mana. Veronica mentioned it before, but maybe last time was too urgent….”

The old man’s words faded into the background.

Countless moments when Ray had used magic flashed through his mind.

Not once had he experienced any abnormalities.

Even now, his mind was clear.

Then a memory surfaced.

The moment the ring’s red mana had connected to Kedric’s heart.

At that time, Kedric had been unable to suppress his rage.

“Ah.”

Realization struck him.

Mana was closely tied to specific emotions.

For instance, anger made red mana easier to manipulate.

“The reverse is also true.”

Just as Kedric’s rage had been amplified by the ring’s red mana.

Which came first, the emotion or the mana?

Like the chicken and the egg, the sequence was unclear.

But it was evident that emotions and mana influenced each other, and the more one used unrefined mana, the more they were consumed by the corresponding emotion.

This explained why Ray hadn’t suffered from mana poisoning.

It was inevitable.

He had lived his entire life devoid of emotions and had only recently begun to feel them.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

He asked to confirm his hypothesis.

“If someone could use ambient mana without succumbing to mana poisoning, they’d have a tremendous advantage, wouldn’t they?”

The old man chuckled.

“Your ideas are certainly unconventional.”

After a moment of serious thought, he replied.

“I’ve never encountered such a case. But if someone like that existed, they’d indeed enjoy a tremendous advantage. Unlike magicians who rely on circles for safety, they’d have no limit to the amount of mana they could use.”

A brief silence followed.

Then the old man concluded.

“Yes, in effect, their mana would be infinite.”