Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 29

 

#029. When Flames Meet Flames (3)

 

 

 

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Ray paused mid-step.

A question arose in his mind.

Why on earth was Philip doing this?

To save Kedrick?

With that frail body of his?

“Hurry up and go! Don’t worry about me!”

Philip shouted, but his words weren’t directed at Ray.

Outside the dueling ground.

Beyond the burning barrels.

The hotel children who had come as escorts stood frozen, staring helplessly at Philip’s back.

“I’m not forcing you to help! If you don’t have the courage, then leave now!”

Philip’s voice followed, resolute.

The children bit their lips and began running around the barrels toward the exit.

*Thud! Tap, tap, tap!*

Even as the sound of their retreating footsteps grew distant, Ray couldn’t take his eyes off Philip.

Suddenly, a conversation from the hotel surfaced in his mind.

> “You said you were old friends. Don’t you want to fix what’s broken between you?”

> “I… I do. If I can.”

> “Then come with me to the duel. After it’s over, I’ll give you a chance to talk to Kedrick.”

Was that the reason Philip was risking everything to save Kedrick?

Even so, was it worth putting his life on the line?

*‘Kedrick nearly killed him just two days ago.’*

The irony of the situation struck Ray hard.

Here was Philip, risking his life to save someone who had tried to kill him.

*Clatter! Crash!*

The ceiling structure fell around them, scattering embers.

*Whoosh! Crackle!*

The flames spread fiercely, expanding their domain.

“….”

Yet Ray didn’t move.

He was conflicted.

But one thing was clear—Philip’s mana was brimming with an overwhelming intensity. No mere word like “massive” could describe it.

Bright white mana, radiant as snow.

Soft yellow mana, sharp as sunlight.

*‘Worry. And courage.’*

Ray’s gaze landed on Philip, struggling to lift the collapsed Kedrick.

*Thud.*

As if spellbound, Ray took a step forward.

He strode into the dueling ground.

Stopping in front of Philip, who was panting from exhaustion, Ray asked, “Are you planning to drag Kedrick, along with the wheelchair you came in?”

“You’re still here.”

Philip, recognizing Ray, lifted his head and forced a strained smile.

“I thought you’d have left first. You’re usually quick to assess situations.”

“….”

That would’ve been true—if not for the overwhelming curiosity roiling within him now.

“Answer me. Did you stay behind to save Kedrick?”

“Yes. Sorry, but could you help me get Kedrick into the wheelchair?”

Philip’s voice was urgent, though he tried to remain calm. His strained expression betrayed the pain of moving his injured body.

“….”

Ray glanced around.

*Whoosh! Crackle!*

The factory, both inside and out, was already engulfed in flames.

Red and yellow hues painted his view, and the superheated air was tightening around them.

*‘It’s too late to escape.’*

But Ray didn’t point that out. He was curious to see what Philip intended to do.

“And after you get him into the wheelchair?”

“Take Kedrick and get out of here. You can keep my share of the winnings if you do.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Fine?”

“You’re strong, but even you can’t save both of us. At least get Kedrick out. Please.”

“It sounds like you’re asking me to save Kedrick instead of you.”

Philip fell silent for a moment.

Because Ray’s words were accurate.

“…I’ll be fine.”

Despite his trembling voice, Philip’s mana remained unwavering.

The emotions of worry and courage swelled, filling his vessel completely. The vivid intensity of his mana didn’t falter.

“I mean it. I’ll be fine. So please….”

Philip’s sincerity only deepened Ray’s confusion.

Ray had always lived by observing human emotions and their subsequent actions, storing countless examples in his memory despite his young age.

*‘Everyone’s first priority is their own life.’*

When faced with death, all emotions would retreat, leaving only the instincts of survival and fear standing tall.

But now, an exception stood before him.

The first since Niles.

“What were you planning to do if I weren’t here? Even if you managed to get Kedrick into the wheelchair, then what?”

It was clear that Philip wouldn’t have had the strength to push the wheelchair, meaning he’d have failed to escape.

Philip understood the implication of Ray’s question.

“I didn’t think that far ahead. No one else was trying to save Kedrick, so I came to do it.”

“And what’s in it for you?”

“What?”

“You’re good at calculating things. What benefit do you gain from risking your life to save Kedrick?”

Ray had encountered people who sacrificed themselves before.

But it was usually due to obligations from a group or external pressure, or because they stood to gain something specific from their sacrifice.

True, voluntary self-sacrifice? That didn’t exist.

At least not in the world Ray had experienced.

So Philip must have a reason—especially if he was staking his life.

*‘He’s thought of some gain he’ll get from saving Kedrick.’*

Self-interest and survival—these were the basic principles of human behavior.

But when Philip finally opened his mouth to answer, his words struck Ray like a blow.

“There’s no gain in it.”

Ray felt as if he’d been hit on the head.

“No gain…?”

“I told you. I wasn’t thinking about what happens afterward.”

“Then why? You had plenty of time to escape with the hotel kids. Why take on something so obviously fatal?”

“Because Kedrick’s my friend.”

A friend.

The brief sentence that slipped through his ears rippled through the barren field of the boy’s heart.

It was an incredibly peculiar moment.

*“Strange.”*

For a moment, it felt as if all sound around him had stopped.

*“My chest…”*

An unexplainable tickling sensation writhed within his chest.

*”It’s just because we’re friends, Ray. You and I are friends.”*

Memories, long submerged in the boy’s unconscious, began to resurface simultaneously.

*”Why did I go as far as using expensive medicine to save you?”*

*”Because someone was dying of frostbite right in front of me. I just thought I had to save them. I didn’t think of anything else.”*

His head spun.

His steps faltered momentarily.

In the past, when his emotions were completely blocked—

Back then, the sentences he had glossed over without meaning were now surfacing with undeniable clarity.

Here, now, in this very moment.

*”Because we’re friends.”*

If he could just reach a little further—

It felt as though he might grasp the true meaning behind those words.

No, it was futile.

At the same time, he felt as though no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t be able to reach it.

*…*

One thing was certain.

Something extraordinary was happening within the wellspring of his emotions.

Ray bent his knees and crouched down.

He turned Kedrick’s collapsed body over to check his breathing.

“You’re really trying to help? For real?”

“There’s no time to escape now. The place is already surrounded by flames.”

It was only then that Philip, finally taking a proper look around, let out a small gasp.

“Ah…”

“It might actually be safer to stay here. The fire hasn’t reached the innermost part of the arena yet.”

Suddenly, Ray tore off his outer garment into three large strips.

*Riiip—! Riiiip—!*

“What are you—!”

Ignoring Philip’s startled reaction, he infused mana from the air into the fabric.

*Woooong—!*

Mana of an icy blue hue, gathered on the torn cloth in a spherical form.

Then, as if responding to Ray’s will, it turned into water, soaking the cloth before dropping with a splash.

Ray used the damp cloth to cover Kedrick’s mouth and nose, creating a breathing barrier.

He handed one piece to Philip as well.

“Drape it over your shoulder and cover your mouth. Avoid inhaling the smoke directly.”

“Wait… is that magic?”

Philip stared, his mouth agape in shock.

The heat clinging to his skin seemed to dissipate momentarily, as if chilled by goosebumps erupting all over him.

He vaguely knew about magic.

Rumors picked up on the streets often included stories detached from reality.

But he’d never believed in it.

Born and raised in the filth and dust of back alleys, magic seemed like an utterly ungraspable concept.

For someone like Philip, who had faced reality head-on far earlier than others his age, the idea was even more absurd.

That’s why, when Ray had asked him to search for a mage—

A part of him thought it would be a fruitless effort.

Because magic didn’t exist in the world.

*…*

And yet, now, right before his eyes, magic had manifested.

From the hand of someone he had thought was the epitome of realism.

He almost felt cheated.

But the shock didn’t last long.

*“Wait. If you can create water, doesn’t that mean we could use it to put out the fire and escape—?”*

“Magic isn’t limitless. The more you use it, the more exhausting it becomes. And among the spells I can cast, there’s nothing particularly helpful for this situation.”

“Oh…”

Once again, Ray seemed to answer as if he’d read Philip’s thoughts.

“If you have questions, I’ll answer them later. For now, I’d appreciate it if you answered mine first.”

*…*

Philip looked directly at Ray.

His calm tone and composed expression made the dire situation feel surreal.

*Fwoosh! Thud!*

Burning debris fell.

A drum barrel toppled, and the flames spread further inward.

The children had long since evacuated.

Now, only three souls remained in the desolate factory.

And at the end of the fleeting time lay nothing but death.

Yet Ray seemed neither alarmed nor tense.

His lack of fear wasn’t just due to his emotional void—there was something more.

*”Because we’re friends.”*

Every ounce of his focus was locked on the words Philip had spoken.

He felt a desire—a strong, burning need to resolve the itch of curiosity as soon as possible.

*Fwoosh! Thud!*

Debris fell perilously close.

But Ray, as if disconnected from the chaos, stared directly at Philip.

“What does ‘friend’ mean to you?”

“Is that… really important right now?”

“It’s important. Very much so.”

Philip was bewildered.

He couldn’t grasp the intent behind the question.

Although Ray seemed utterly insane, his seriousness was undeniable, prompting Philip to stammer a response.

“A friend is just… a friend. A word commonly used in daily life.”

“I’m not unfamiliar with the term. But the ‘friend’ I know and the one you described seem different. You said you risked yourself for Kedrick just because he’s your friend—not for any benefit.”

“…Then what does ‘friend’ mean to you?”

Ray answered without hesitation.

“Someone you’ve known for a certain period of time.”

*…*

It wasn’t wrong, and anyone could have said the same thing.

Yet, for some reason, coming from Ray—his obsession with the meaning of friendship—it felt profoundly strange.

*…*

Suddenly, Philip thought he understood.

The elusive sense of incongruity he’d felt toward Ray until now.

*Fwoosh! Thud!*

Perhaps the calm spreading within him was contagious from Ray.

Taking a breath, Philip responded with a steady voice.

“What you said about friends isn’t wrong. But it’s incomplete.”

“Then?”

“Someone you can help without expecting anything in return. And someone you can receive help from. That’s a friend.”

“You mean without any material compensation?”

“Anything. Material or otherwise. Just because it’s them. Because you care about them. Because you want to look out for them. Honestly, the word ‘family’ might be more fitting than ‘friend.’”

Philip added that Kedrick, aside from his long-absent mother, was the only person in his life he could call family.

“Do you regret your choice? You’re about to lose your life here.”

“No regrets. I stayed true to my feelings.”

*Screech! Thud!*

The collapsing debris grew more frequent.

The blazing flames edged closer.

“What do you think ‘worry’ is?” Ray asked.

“A desire to protect someone.”

The questions continued.

The answers followed.

*Fwoosh! Thud!*

Ray’s insides churned.

It felt as though something small and sharp, like a beak, was persistently poking at the core of his chest.

At the same time, countless past memories he had dismissed as meaningless scattered like sheets of paper in his mind, creating a whirlwind of thoughts.

*Screeeech—!*

And then, it happened.

Above the two boys.

A massive steel beam that formed part of the ceiling began to tilt.

*Screech! Whoooosh—!*

The connection broke, and the beam started its descent.

“Wanting to protect someone?”

“Yes. Just because it’s them.”

Yet, engrossed in their conversation, the two boys failed to notice.

“Wanting to protect…”

Ray’s lips softly repeated the phrase.

In that moment—

*Wooooong.*

It stirred.

The white mana in the air, which had never moved before, finally quivered.