Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 270

#270. The Saint and the Miracle (2)

—

Perhaps it was the wind stirred up by magic as he hurried down the hill.

Or maybe it was the faint excitement of preparing a gift for Veronica.

He couldn’t be sure.

Before long, he arrived in the city.

What did Veronica usually like?

There was nothing she had definitively expressed a preference for, so he simply looked around as he moved forward.

The streets had returned to their everyday appearance, no longer resembling a festival.

However, there was a definite difference from before.

Thud!

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“No, I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

People apologized first for things that, in the past, would have sparked arguments.

“This is on the house. Yes, just come by often, and we’ll call it even!”

“I’ll carry that for you. Where were you headed?”

They showed kindness even in small matters, without being calculating, and looked after those weaker than themselves.

In their vessels, violet-colored emotions were softly welling up.

Watching them, Ray thought to himself:

‘Is it hope that’s changing people’s behavior?’

The hope that, thanks to the artificial sun, the world was gradually becoming a better place.

At least for now, it didn’t seem like a short-lived change.

According to Philip, good deeds tended to bring about more good deeds, and barring major disruptions, the chain reaction usually lasted a long time.

As long as something like the sudden disappearance of the artificial sun didn’t happen.

“Wow, look at that sky.”

“I can’t remember the last time I saw such a clear sky.”

Ray raised his head at the conversation nearby.

The sky was cloudless, yet it didn’t feel crisp.

To be precise, it was closer to a bluish-gray.

The primordial sky he had seen in the World Tree’s memory had been far bluer than this.

But for people who had lived under black clouds their whole lives, even a sky like this stirred a trembling joy.

It wasn’t enough for Ray, though.

Not just the sky, but the sunlight too.

The sun high in the sky now looked just as dim as when he had seen it on the Sky Island.

He had assumed that the sunlight would naturally strengthen after Veronica’s awakening.

According to the words of the violet guardian, once the sun returned, the world would regain its original light.

‘But the sunlight hasn’t changed.’

It was hard to interpret “original light” as referring to the artificial sun.

As powerful as the artificial sun was, it could never compare to the primordial sun.

‘Once the sun returns.’

Could that phrase mean more than just Veronica realizing that she was the reincarnation of the sun?

Also—

To fully restore the world to its original state, the rainbow had to return as well.

That part might have something to do with the blueness of the sky.

‘Returns… returns…’

Murmuring internally, Ray pulled out the Cromwell Dictionary and looked up the word.

**\[Return]**

**\[To come or revert back to the original place or state.]**

The sun’s original place was the sky.

Then… did that mean Veronica had to become the sun in the sky?

Ray imagined Veronica racing toward the sun aboard Blue, then abruptly stopped walking.

Before him stood the great bridge leading to the central island of the sector.

The bridge, meant for vehicles, was now bustling with people heading to the sanctuary.

Ray joined the procession.

After walking for a while—

He arrived before the artificial sun, which shone with blinding light.

Perhaps due to its overwhelming magnificence and awe, not a single person dared to cross the temporary cordon line.

“……”

He stood still, gazing at it.

Unlike ordinary people, Ray could sense something more than warmth from the artificial sun.

Inside it was filled with white light mana.

It was the Element of Creation.

An omnipotent element formed by combining all existing types of elements.

‘On the other side is the Element of Destruction.’

The creation principles of both elements were already well established in Ray’s mind.

Primordial mana, originating from each shard of the rainbow, glowed in various colors—when combined, they produced pure white light.

That was the Element of Creation.

In contrast, mana that had lost its light and grown murky while drifting through the world, when combined, became black.

That was the Element of Destruction.

Though both were made by combining all types of elements, the results were polar opposites.

Vmmm──

Ray reached out his hand and absorbed the white light mana from the artificial sun.

He had once produced the Element of Creation on the Sky Island, where mana was constantly refined thanks to the abundant vegetation.

But the difference now—

The artificial sun’s mana was of far greater purity.

No—rather than just high purity—

‘It’s closer to the source of all mana in the world.’

The light he held in his hand gradually faded.

And in his carefully opened palm appeared tiny sculptures of a cat and a mouse.

Nero and Ratto, who would be at the mansion in Sector 37.

Though he wasn’t sure why, animals of all species strangely adored Veronica.

Veronica, in turn, took good care of them and had dearly missed them on the way up to Sector 28.

So he had crafted these as a gift for her.

“……”

But they were clumsy.

Probably because the image of Nero and Ratto wasn’t clearly engraved in his memory.

Swoosh.

He tucked the sculptures away and stored the remaining Element of Creation within his body.

Unlike the mana of the Circles, it wasn’t permanent, but he could retain it for a while.

Ray turned and left.

Behind him, voices murmured.

—What on earth makes it shine? Is it truly a miracle?

—I suspect there’s some magical principle at work.

—But we can’t sense any mana. Not even with equipment.

Among the crowd gazing at the artificial sun, there were quite a few mages.

Drawn by the rumors, they had gathered from across the land—but their chances of discovering anything were slim.

The Element of Creation existed in the artificial sun in the form of light, colorless and scentless.

And it responded only to the boy’s call.

*
*
*

Back in the city streets, Ray browsed the stalls and displays of the shops.

Then he suddenly stopped in front of one, as if entranced, and walked in.

*Ding-ling!*

“Welco—oh!”

The shopkeeper trailed off mid-greeting.

A young boy had entered a professional gear shop, frequented mostly by rough mercenaries.

“Uh, looking for something in particular?”

“I’ll just browse.”

The shopkeeper didn’t immediately throw Ray out.

There were cases of children working in mercenary groups from a young age.

And with his refined appearance, there was a high chance he came from high class.

‘A noble kid playing at being a mercenary, maybe?’

But that thought didn’t last long.

The way Ray examined the gear—his eyes and movements—were incredibly precise.

‘Never seen a knife made from mithonium before. How does it compare to the equipment in Acrassium?’

His eyes were filled with keen interest and curiosity.

In no time, he’d gathered several knives, pistols, ammo, and explosive cases.

Wouldn’t Veronica be happy with these? Yes, surely she would.

Thud!

Seeing the items piled on the counter, the shopkeeper couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked,

“That’s quite a lot. Are these for your own use, young mercenary?”

“I’m not a mercenary. They’re gifts for a friend.”

“A gift?”

“My friend is upset about something, and I thought a present might cheer her up.”

Ray paused, then added,

“Now that I think about it, today might be her birthday. I’m not exactly sure, though.”

“……”

Gifting weapons like these for a birthday?

The flustered shopkeeper asked a few more questions and realized that the recipient was just an ordinary teenage girl.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

He gave Ray a baffled look, but the pretty-faced boy didn’t flinch.

He was dead serious.

“Please ring these up.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Sure, a sale was great—but he couldn’t let a relationship crash and burn.

The shopkeeper hastily put the gear back and handed Ray a note.

“Forget everything else. Just buy these, okay? Please?”

“Flowers… a necklace… Wouldn’t the Bullet No. 6 series from Bolt Action Inc. be a more reliable choice?”

“Give her that, and you might end up getting shot with it.”

After a desperate round of persuasion—

Ray gave up on buying the gear and looked for another store.

“I’m looking to buy some flowers.”

“Oh, do you have something specific in mind?”

“I’ll look around.”

Ray wandered through the florist.

In the sector, most good land was used for farming, so the types and quantity of flowers were limited.

‘Still, if I had to choose from these…’

Now that he thought about it, Veronica did like flowers.

Sector 47.

After helping Nisoha win the war, he’d received a bouquet from shop owners as a thank-you gift.

Only one flower had survived the battle with Allager that followed—and he had brought it to Veronica.

She had been overjoyed.

She kept it in a vase, caring for it tenderly, and even after it withered, she didn’t throw it away for a long time.

‘It wasn’t even in the trash—I don’t know how she disposed of it.’

Anyway, maybe he could give her that flower again.

But he couldn’t find it in the florist shop.

And he couldn’t remember its name either.

Ray pulled out his sketchbook.

*Scribble—scribble—*

The image was vivid in his mind, so he had no trouble drawing it, and he quickly showed the sketch to the shopkeeper.

“Wow, it’s a sunflower! Did you study art? I’d believe it was a real flower!”

Sunflower—Ray repeated to himself silently.

“‘Waiting,’ ‘Admiration,’ ‘Worship,’ ‘I will wait only for you.’ That’s what the flower means. But I’m sorry—we only have one left. They only grow well with plenty of sunlight, so they’re hard to cultivate.”

The shopkeeper smiled and added that it might become easier to grow them now, thanks to the artificial sun.

“I’ll take that one.”

“Of course! I’ll wrap it nicely for you.”

“Please make the bouquet large at the base.”

“Pardon? But it’s only one flower.”

“That’s fine.”

If it were a large bouquet, maybe Veronica would be even happier.

Thinking that, Ray visited other florists—but no one had sunflowers left.

As he stared at the sparse bouquet, something occurred to him.

*Vmmm!*

He released the white light mana he had stored within his body into the bouquet.

Soon, where the light had been—

Nearly ten sunflowers appeared.

Their fragrance, color, and texture—

Everything was real. Perfect sunflowers.

Perhaps it was thanks to his emotional growth.

Or the purity of the element itself?

Perhaps it was because the image had been so vivid.

Whatever the case, it consumed far less mental energy than when he had handled the element of creation on the Sky Island.

No, it was nearly negligible.

After meticulously inspecting the bouquet, Ray left the spot, satisfied.

And then—

There was one fact he failed to notice, too focused on his work to realize.

That a passerby had been watching the entire scene from not too far away.

A reporter’s notebook sticking out of his front pocket.

The posture of someone who had just lowered his camera.

In a voice still shaken by shock, he muttered unconsciously,

“…The Saint…?”

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