**#244. The Sun, and Love (1)**
—
The blue light spiraling down the World Tree shone brilliantly.
Beings across the land, regardless of race, could only stop in place and gaze at the sight.
And finally—
When Ray, having descended from Blue’s back, set foot on the ground—
*Tatadatak!*
Veronica ran straight into his arms and threw herself against him.
Ray flinched for a moment but quickly steadied himself.
Though he had grown a bit taller, the height difference wasn’t significant, and so their faces were slightly misaligned.
“……”
“……”
In the still silence,
Veronica’s back could be seen rising and falling slightly with trembling breaths, and the soft touch of her red hair brushed against his cheek.
The tight embrace transmitted warmth through his back.
…He couldn’t see her face or her vessel clearly, so he had no way of knowing what kind of emotion she was in.
What was the right thing to do in a moment like this?
Just as Ray instinctively raised a hand to gently pat her back—
“I was worried.”
Veronica pulled away.
“I know it’s you, so I believed you’d return safely, but there was such a loud sound from the sky, and I… I got scared.”
She wiped her eyes, trying her best to hide the traces of tears, and gradually calmed down as she spoke.
“Thank you for worrying. I wasn’t hurt badly.”
“Of course not. There’s no mage in the world as strong as you, Ray.”
At that moment, Philip poked his head out from Ray’s bag.
“Greetings. I am Philip.”
“Ah!”
Startled, Veronica backed away quickly, and then noticed the glasses pattern near Philip’s eyes.
“A fox… talking? And just now, you said Philip… Huh? Philip, you’re… a fox now?”
While Veronica was having a minor existential crisis, the elves and dwarves approached.
“Ha, is such a lifeform even technically possible?”
“Could it be that being? The one spoken of in the World Tree’s records…?”
They surrounded him in awe, but couldn’t bring themselves to approach directly.
Only then did Veronica take a proper look at Blue and cry out in surprise.
“W-wait! This is that spirit, right? From when we were in the canyon! The one that flew from the sky!”
“Yes, Veronica, you’re right. So please stop shaking my shoulder.”
Ray could now empathize with how Blue must’ve felt when its horn was grabbed.
While the chaos continued, a man emerged from among the elves and dwarves.
It was Jang, the butler who had traveled via space channel connecting the bus and the annex.
“Young master Ray, Priest Solite of the Church has visited the mansion. He says he has something urgent to convey.”
Jang’s face, usually composed, looked unusually flustered.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Ray handed the bag containing Philip to Veronica and strode toward the bus.
From behind, conversation floated to his ears.
─Are you Lord Ray’s wife? I look forward to getting along with you.
─Do I *look* like it? Really? You’re quite the charming fox… But wait, are you really Philip?
Ray traveled to the annex via the spatial channel within the bus and met Solite in the parlor.
In front of Solite sat an untouched teacup.
“It’s been a while, Lord Ray.”
“I heard you have urgent news.”
“Yes. Since we likely don’t have much time, I’ll get straight to the point.”
After pausing to compose himself, Solite spoke in a low voice.
“A Saint has been discovered in the parish of Sector 33.”
The Saint.
Ray silently repeated the word to himself.
The goal of the Church was to launch an artificial sun into the sky to erase the darkness blanketing the world and bring light to all.
To do that, they had been searching across sectors for individuals born with a constitution capable of imbuing light into the artificial sun.
And now, one had been found.
The so-called *Saint of the Sun*.
The implication was clear.
“All the artificial suns in each parish will now be gathered into one place.”
“Correct. They say the verification process for the Saint has been completed. The suns will be retrieved to the main temple, melted down in a furnace, and reforged into an even greater artificial sun.”
And then, it would rise into the sky, scattering the light imbued by the Saint across the world.
The dark clouds would vanish, clear rain would fall, vegetation would flourish, and the departed animals would return.
But doubts remained.
*Could such things truly happen with an artificial sun, not the real one?*
Even if the artificial sun were capable of immense power—
Was it really possible to safely launch it into the sky?
Because—
“How is Bishop Sardio?”
The Church harbored infiltrators from the Azure Dawn Society.
So far, the only spy they had identified was Bishop Sardio from Sector 37.
But no one knew how many other spies might be lurking in the main temple or other sectors.
“Since you left the sector, I and the Seventh Priest Group have kept him under constant watch. But no suspicious activity has been detected. As always, he receives parishioners at the cathedral and leads charitable work among the poor—a devout man in every way.”
That was the Bishop Sardio Solite had known for a very long time.
If Ray hadn’t told him about the symbol of the Azure Dawn—the mixed circle—that the bishop possessed…
If Solite hadn’t then interrogated him with eyes that could distinguish truth from falsehood…
He might never have realized that Sardio was a spy for an external faction.
Ray, deep in thought, finally spoke.
“You said almost everyone in the Church would gather in one place. It’s the perfect opportunity to confirm how many spies are embedded within.”
“I agree.”
“Can I join the sun transport team?”
“Technically, the escort will be handled by me and the Seventh Priest Group. The person in overall charge from Sector 37 is Bishop Sardio. But I don’t think it’ll be difficult for you to be included.”
After pausing for a moment, Solite continued.
“Bishop Sardio still doesn’t know you’re a mage. But he does show great interest in your artwork. If you say you want to capture the historic moment of the artificial sun rising in a painting, he won’t refuse. I’ll fabricate your identity and background for the official record.”
Ray nodded.
“Understood. When do we depart?”
“In a week.”
According to Solite, the transport from Sector 40 would depart first.
They would travel up the Elton River, joining with other transport teams along the way, and arrive in Sector 37 about a week later.
“At that point, we will also join the procession and head to the main temple in Sector 26. More people will join us as we go.”
“A week… Not much time to prepare.”
After wrapping up the discussion, Solite finished his now-lukewarm tea in one gulp and left the parlor.
Only after finalizing the plans did he seem to relax a little.
“What do you think?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Something big is bound to happen.”
Before Ray knew it, Curiosa had appeared behind him.
“Those Azure Dawn envoys from before—all 4th Circle mages. That’s no small group. While you were away, I did some digging on them, but I couldn’t find a single trace of their base. It’s as if they have no home in any sector.”
“……”
Ray turned to stare silently at Curiosa, then asked,
“Feeling any better?”
“Feeling better? What are you—ah.”
Curiosa, puzzled at first, realized Ray was concerned about her.
A few days ago, when Ray returned from the final forest—
She had gone back to the hut in a slump after hearing about Obsess, the friend from her past.
*This kid… was worried about me?*
An awkward emotion flared within Curiosa’s vessel.
“Ha! Ridiculous. Kid, did you think I’d be even the slightest bit touched or grateful for your concern? Not a chance.”
“Your vessel’s emotion suggests otherwise.”
“Hah, kid, let me warn you—reading others’ emotions so freely will get you into serious trouble one day.”
…Warning or not, the lines and dots on her mask still formed a smiling expression.
She barely managed to suppress the mask’s function and erase the expression.
Then Ray shared what had happened in the sky.
“Hmm… A sphere floating above the clouds. Mana condensed so heavily its color was visible to the naked eye… that dark crimson hue, the same as Vicious’ magic. The giant from the lake, and the talk of the research being nearly complete…”
After thinking it over, Curiosa spoke like she had reached a conclusion.
“Maybe, the Doctor’s goal is to erase emotion from the world.”
“Erase emotion?”
“Yeah, assuming everything you said is true.”
In the beginning, as Ray had seen through Blue’s memories, the vessels of ancient races and animals were completely empty.
And the dark red mana clinging to Blue’s body had devoured the emotions from his vessel.
“And remember, the Doctor said his goal was to return the world to its original state.”
…To erase emotions and return the world to its original form.
It sounded extreme, but it wasn’t something that could be dismissed outright.
Curiosa continued her train of thought.
“Kid, I’m getting this feeling.”
“What kind?”
“Whether it’s the Doctor or the Azure Dawn, it feels like they’re trying to enshrine their own symbol in the sky. That guy Krymer, too—he fought with a dark navy mana sphere hovering in the air.”
As Ray listened, he murmured, almost entranced.
“…The sun.”
“What?”
In response to her question, Ray answered.
“They want to create a sun. One of their own. One that never goes out.”
*
“…Then until the escort team departs, we’ll keep investigating the Azure Dawn.”
With those parting words, Curiosa vanished into a rift in space.
Ray left the parlor and tried mixing ambient mana of different colors.
*As expected, it doesn’t work.*
What formed in his palm was a pitch-black mass of mana—the Element of Destruction.
As suspected, the Element of Creation could only be made with extremely pure mana, like that of jewels or the island’s core.
*Still, if used right, even the Element of Destruction could become a powerful weapon.*
It was a reasonable thought.
The Element of Destruction, which could reduce matter to particles on contact, held limitless potential.
Even without it, Ray’s combat strength was considerable by any standard.
A 4th Circle mage, rare in any sector.
And while his immersion levels varied, he had identified the essence of most emotions.
If there were still a single emotion he hadn’t yet grasped the thread of—
*‘Love.’*
It was the emotion called love.
At times, it seemed like affection.
At times, it resembled hatred.
At times, it looked like worry.
Constantly shifting in color and form, it was an emotion whose true nature could never be pinned down.
An unstable feeling—one that left him unsure whether it was even truly love.
If he were ever to realize what love truly was, perhaps his sensitivity to the mana of its many associated colors would dramatically increase.
“Good day, young master.”
“Welcome back, young master.”
The servants bowed their heads respectfully as they passed Ray, who was walking briskly.
“By any chance, has Philip returned to the estate?”
“Yes, Master Philip is currently on the second-floor terrace.”
Following the servants’ directions, Ray ascended the stairs.
The escort unit was set to depart in a week.
He intended to ask Philip to prepare the necessary supplies for the journey.
*Tap, tap, tap, tap—*
Not long after he began walking, he caught sight of two figures from behind, standing in front of the terrace railing and gazing out at the scenery.
A brown-haired boy.
A blue-haired girl.
It was Philip and Ayla.
And Ray could see it, too.
The small sprout of love beginning to bloom in one of their hearts.
