**#211. A Place to Return To (2)**
—
The luggage belonging to the group from the main house was loaded one by one into the bus trunk.
Ray, Veronica, Philip, and Grine.
Along with Jang, originally a rickshaw puller, and William, who had been rescued from the ruins.
Altogether, the six people’s belongings only amounted to a few bags, and the loading didn’t take long to complete.
*Creaaak— clunk!*
As Ray closed the trunk without hesitation, Ain appeared beside him.
“Hyung-nim, are you really leaving?”
“I have to.”
Unlike Ain, whose voice was full of regret and sorrow, Ray’s tone was calm and composed.
Ayla, who had been hesitating nearby for a while, also approached and spoke.
“Do you… really have to go?”
“Yeah. I do.”
The girl’s blue eyes shimmered with sadness and reluctance.
Then Ain suddenly grabbed Ray’s hand and exclaimed,
“Hyung-nim…! I’ll never forget the time we spent together…! You were the strongest man I’ve ever known…! No matter where you go, I’m sure you’ll succeed…! I’ll remember you…!”
As if that declaration had been a signal, the children gathered nearby started shouting.
“We’ll remember you!”
“We won’t forget you, Ray-nim!”
“Thank you so much for everything!”
Ray, who had been looking at the children with an expressionless gaze, released Ain’s hand and boarded the bus.
*Pshhh— clunk.*
The door closed.
The bus departed from the main house and slowly crossed the inner courtyard.
*Screech.*
Exactly seven seconds later, it arrived at the annex.
When Ray got off and turned his head, he could see the children at the main house waving toward them.
“No matter where you are, we’ll be under the same sky, breathing the same air!”
“Ray-nim! We’ll miss you!”
Ray frowned slightly.
“What’s with all that?”
“I heard they all watched a play yesterday with a dramatic farewell scene.”
Philip shrugged and led the group into the mansion.
The interior was made of white marble on both the walls and floor, and stepping inside immediately made everything seem brighter.
“It’s so huge…! And all the furniture looks brand new…! That chandelier—I’ve only seen those in books…!”
Veronica couldn’t hide her excitement, turning her head left and right.
“Certainly, human architecture has more variety than that of elves who use giant trees as dwellings.”
Grine expressed curiosity with a composed face.
“White is going to be a bit hard to maintain, though.”
Ray gave a purely efficiency-driven comment that had instantly come to his mind.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
A voice came from beside them.
Everyone turned their heads—Jang was standing there, now dressed in a new outfit.
Veronica’s eyes widened.
“Is that really you, Uncle Jang? I thought you were a completely different person!”
His hair and beard were neatly groomed.
He wore a stylish black suit and tie.
The image of a lower-class laborer who once wandered the streets was gone.
The back that had always been hunched from pulling a rickshaw was now straightened, perfectly matching his attire.
Philip chimed in with admiration.
“Wow, Butler-nim, that suits you so well! I figured it would, considering your build and proportions. How’s the fit? We had it tailored, but is there anything uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. In fact, it feels more comfortable than the clothes I was used to wearing daily. I still can’t believe I’m actually wearing something like this… It feels like I’m dreaming. I’d like to thank the young master and the young ladies once again for this opportunity.”
Lifting the head he had bowed, Jang met Ray’s eyes.
“I’ll make sure the mansion is always kept in top condition. So that whenever you return from your travels, you’ll always have a comfortable and pleasant place to stay.”
Ray glanced down.
The emotions in Jang’s vessel were of various warm colors—responsibility, care, devotion, affection.
They were all very suitable emotions for maintaining a household.
“Take good care of it.”
“I will.”
Philip added from beside them.
“We’re planning to hire more staff. It’s great that Jang has such a strong sense of duty, but realistically, managing the entire mansion alone is too much. I’ll go over the details of staffing and maintenance with you later.”
Philip continued guiding them through the mansion.
The first stop was one of the second-floor rooms, accessible via a long hallway.
*Creak—*
As the large door opened, the interior was revealed, and in that instant, a place from Ray’s memory surfaced.
He said it aloud, as if the name had come together on his tongue naturally.
“Bookstore Veronica?”
Tall bookshelves lined the walls.
Orderly display cases and shelves stood in neat rows.
It looked like a perfect copy of a portion of Bookstore Veronica, located in Sector 49.
Philip, for once looking a bit nervous, explained,
“It’s a lab we prepared for Veronica. I tried to make it feel as similar as possible. Finishing Grandpa Graham’s research is one of your goals, right? I figured you’d need a quiet space to work in. I collected as many of the books from Bookstore Veronica that I could remember, and since you’ve seemed really into medicine lately, we’ve stocked some medical texts over there as well.”
But the one most surprised was Veronica herself.
She stood there in a daze, as if struck by a hammer.
Then—
*Plop.*
A tear dropped and soaked into the carpet.
*Plop— drip—*
Soon, it became heavy rain.
“Hh… Huhuh… *sniff*…”
Grine gently pulled the weeping girl into an embrace.
“You’ve been through so much. It’s okay. Let it all out.”
“Huuuuh…! Grandpa…! Malta…! *sniff*… Yulfin, I’m sorry…! I came alone, all by myself…! Huuuh…!”
With every comforting pat on her back, the girl sobbed louder and trembled.
Watching the scene silently, Ray turned to Philip and said,
“You made her cry.”
“Uh… I thought she’d be moved, but I didn’t expect tears.”
“Impressive, making someone cry without hitting them. I thought men weren’t supposed to make women cry.”
“People don’t only cry when they get hit, Ray. And… who told you that last part?”
“Niles.”
As he talked with Philip, Ray turned his attention back to Veronica.
Faint, aged emotions in her vessel were scattering like powder in the air.
*Emotional release.*
This wasn’t the first time he’d seen it.
Sector 49.
When Veronica, always strong in front of her siblings, finally broke down at Graham’s death.
Sector 47.
When Lady Renia, long suppressed by the doctor’s tricks, was freed from the magical necklace.
He had witnessed emotional release in those moments too.
‘…But this is different. I hadn’t seen any old emotions in Veronica’s vessel lately.’
During their recent journey, Veronica had seemed cheerful and lively.
Her vessel had only been filled with positive emotions.
Yet now, sadness and longing were pouring out in torrents.
‘Did I miss something?’
He considered it briefly but quickly rejected the idea that he’d been negligent.
Observing and analyzing his friends’ emotions was a core part of his daily routine.
He knew well that pent-up emotions could harm both body and mind.
‘There’s no way I missed it… Ah.’
It was then that he noticed a particular emotion pressed against the inner wall of Veronica’s vessel.
A pale pink sorrow.
Faded and worn.
He could tell immediately it had been stuck there for a long time.
…At least over a month.
Why hadn’t he seen it before?
If he’d just paid a little more attention, he would’ve caught it.
The boy, who prided himself on meticulously managing his friends’ emotions, was struck by deep shock.
And then—
────.
Through the widening cracks in his own heart, an unfamiliar emotion began to leak out.
“……”
That feather-like feeling brought a faint heat to the boy’s face.
It was *embarrassment*.
A kind he hadn’t consciously experienced before—this was the first time he became aware of it.
The mana dot drawing his fourth circle briefly accelerated, but the boy was too immersed in that embarrassment to notice.
*Whip!*
Ray turned his head abruptly.
Philip, startled by Ray’s intense gaze, asked nervously,
“Wh-why are you suddenly staring at my chest like that?”
“I have business there.”
“Oh, you’re reading my emotions. But why mine all of a sudden?”
“Do you have any pent-up feelings?”
“Pent-up feelings?”
“Sadness, anxiety, worry, anger, regret—any kind of negative emotions.”
Philip pondered for a moment with a groan, then answered clearly.
“Not really? Life’s been pretty satisfying lately.”
“That can’t be right.”
“I swear, nothing’s there.”
“Move your hand.”
“It’s kind of embarrassing to have my emotions read so directly.”
“There has to be something hidden.”
“You think emotions can be hidden just because you want them to be?”
“I need to observe from closer up.”
“…What does that even mean?”
Ray began walking toward his target, staring intently at Philip’s vessel. Philip backed away.
And then—
“S-save me! Someone save me! The serial empath is chasing me!”
“Wait. I just need to check something.”
A chase began in the lab.
Philip, being a master of running away, skillfully used his surroundings—but he couldn’t escape the grasp of the seasoned hunter.
“You can’t just dig through someone’s emotions like that!”
“Your shame is too strong—it’s blocking everything else. Can you try being a little less embarrassed?”
“If I could control that, I wouldn’t be Philip, I’d be *Ray*!“
While Philip was doing his best to be exasperated, Veronica gradually completed her emotional release.
Ray, having finished his observation and analysis, let Philip go.
He walked up to Veronica, wiped the remaining tears from her face with his sleeve, and said,
“Philip’s fine. He does carry some longing for his mother, but I’ve been monitoring that for a while. I can confidently say there are no other buried emotions.”
“……”
Veronica was briefly taken aback, but with all the experience and data she’d gathered about Ray, she quickly understood the context of his words.
*Worry.*
Ray’s worrying about me and Philip.
That realization brought a smile to her face.
“Hehe, thank you for worrying about me. And I’m sorry for suddenly crying. I couldn’t help it — my emotions just overwhelmed me. And thank you too, Philip. I never dreamed I’d be gifted with a space like this.”
The situation was quickly brought under control.
After finishing their tour of the laboratory, the group followed Philip, whose complexion had turned noticeably weary, to the next location.
Creeeeak—
“This is my office.”
It was Philip’s study.
On the massive desk, dozens of towering stacks of documents — all brought over from the main building — were piled high. The bookshelves lining the walls were filled with books related to mathematics and business management.
“I’ve been entrusted with operating the Amon family’s businesses on your behalf, Ray. Compared to when I used to manage the hotel, the scale of the money involved is on a completely different level. Lately, I’ve been feeling a real need to study more.”
The tour of the mansion continued.
There was a private office exclusively for Ray’s use.
Guest rooms where visitors like Griné could stay.
An infirmary stocked with medicines and basic first aid supplies.
Storage rooms, a dining hall, reception rooms, meeting rooms, and more.
Many different spaces were introduced one after another.
The mansion had two floors.
However, because of its considerable width, touring the place took quite a bit of time.
And then—
“This is the last stop. Ray, this is a place I prepared just for you.”
Philip, speaking in the most confident voice he had used all day, opened the door.
—
