**#305. Land of Catastrophe (4)**
—
*Whoooshhh───!*
Through the raging sandstorm, Ray and the children pressed forward.
Toys like dolls and balls, thrown toward the catastrophes charging at them like starving beasts, were swallowed by flames and electricity, vanishing without a trace.
*Giggle giggle giggle!*
Innocent laughter echoed within the midst of the disasters.
“Philip, is this the right way?”
“Yes, it is. We’re still heading northwest.”
The densely gathered catastrophes obscured even the path directly ahead, let alone the sky.
It felt as if their sense of time was warping.
They had no idea how far they’d come.
All they could do was chant songs and stories like sacred texts and continue in the direction the compass needle pointed.
How long had that strange procession continued?
*Tap.*
Ray suddenly came to a halt.
He turned and asked Philip,
“That was the last book, right?”
“…Yeah. The one I just finished reading was the last.”
The situation wasn’t exactly hopeful.
Due to continued rescue efforts along the way, their group had swelled to nearly twenty people.
But now, they had no more songs or stories left in their books to stall the disasters. Not even small toys to toss.
*─More! More! Tell us more!*
*─Why? Why did you stop? You have to keep playing with us!*
With the urging voices, the disasters began to grow more agitated.
If they’d known books and toys would be used like this, they would’ve brought far more.
But Ray didn’t particularly regret it.
Dwelling on the past was pointless—his way was to focus solely on the present.
He cast a calm gaze around, assessing the situation.
*‘If I could convince the disasters to back down…’*
Impossible.
The disasters behaved almost irrationally. Logic and dialogue held no sway over them.
*‘Fighting might be a better option.’*
Each of the disasters surrounding them was massive and powerful beyond what any human should dare face.
Yet, Ray felt it might be possible.
The mana that composed the disasters had far more seams than ordinary magic.
In other words, there was a chance to create a crack in the phenomenon.
Risky, but better than standing idle and being swallowed whole.
“Philip─.”
“Yeah?”
“……”
“Uh, what? This isn’t the time to go silent—weren’t you about to say something?”
Ray, about to speak his plan, suddenly fell silent and stared at something in the distance.
Beyond the thick wall of catastrophe.
An orange light flickered.
It drifted like a firefly in midair, giving the impression that it was watching them.
*Vmmmm!*
A strange sensation pulsed from his chest. He summoned the orange shard, confirming it was vibrating intensely.
Ray instinctively realized the identity of the orange firefly.
“Philip, Veronica—do you see that light?”
“Where? What light?”
“I see it! Over there—the orange one!”
Following Ray’s pointing finger, Philip also spotted the glow.
“It looks like the queen of the fairies.”
“The queen of the fairies?”
“Yeah. The guardian who protected the orange shard of the Rainbow—*Tear of Orea*—we won at the auction. If we talk to her, we might be able to resolve this.”
They quickly exchanged words, and both Veronica and Philip agreed with Ray’s theory.
But—
“How do you plan to get through that fire and lightning?”
“Veronica, if I run at full speed while under your protection, I might get hurt, but I can still make it. Anyway─”
“Anyway?”
Veronica’s eyes sharpened as she guessed what Ray was about to say.
Ray, meeting her gaze, finally spoke.
“Because if I get hurt, you’ll heal me.”
“Why do you always assume you’ll get hurt first?! Huh?! Huh?!”
“Ow, Veronica. Your hand stings like it’s coated in enhancement magic. I’d appreciate it if you noticed that.”
Philip spoke up just as Veronica was smacking Ray’s back repeatedly in frustration.
“I’ll distract the disasters.”
“Veronica, it’s true that your healing magic makes me far more effective. Ow—wait. Distract them?”
“I’d find you less annoying if you just stayed quiet!”
“Yeah. If I can pull the disasters away for a bit, Ray, you’ll have a much better chance of reaching that firefly unharmed.”
The smacking ceased.
Veronica turned to Philip and asked,
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. I’ve always wanted to be helpful to our group. I’ve felt bad, honestly—while you all were risking your lives out in the wilds, I was always holed up in the sector.”
Surprised, Veronica looked to Ray for his opinion.
“……”
Ray silently examined the emotions held within Philip.
He already knew Philip carried guilt and remorse about their group.
To someone like Philip, who was so calculating, those feelings were like debts that had to be paid to move forward.
*‘Learning to drive and shoot must’ve been part of that.’*
In truth, Philip had provided tremendous, indescribable support through finances and business management.
He probably knew that himself.
But Ray could tell that Philip’s tightly wound emotions wouldn’t be swayed by logic.
*‘Unlike me, Philip is stubborn.’*
It would be nice if he were like me—less stubborn and more willing to listen.
After a brief thought, Ray decided to respect Philip’s feelings.
“What’s your plan for the distraction?”
“Disasters are drawn to things like fairy tales, songs, and toys. If I shout that I’m about to tell an amazing story, they’ll gather around me.”
“But we’ve already read all our books. There are no more stories to tell.”
Philip grinned.
“Then I’ll make one up. Did you forget? I’m a guy who survived the roughest back alleys on nothing but a silver tongue.”
Preparation proceeded quickly after that.
At the rear of the group, Philip shouted loudly,
“Hey! You guys! I’m about to tell the most amazing story ever! Come on over!”
The disasters, growing increasingly violent, responded and swarmed around Philip.
Though there were still some blocking the path to the firefly, their numbers had noticeably decreased.
*‘This should be doable.’*
Veronica’s white barrier gently wrapped around Ray.
Spotting an opening in the storm of flame, he bolted forward.
*Bang──!*
As his vision shifted rapidly, embers scattered like shards.
He ran without stopping, breaking through the firestorm. Spells making up the disasters behind him crashed into the shield one after another.
*Crack!*
The moment he passed through the wall of disaster, the barrier finally broke.
Beyond the dusty storm, the firefly flitted in a startled motion.
Ray closed the distance in a flash and cupped his hands toward it.
*‘Got it.’*
He opened them.
Nothing.
“?”
What? He was sure he had it.
Glancing around, he spotted the firefly scuttling away not far off.
A frenzied chase unfolded in the sandstorm. On his 22nd attempt, Ray finally caught it.
*‘This time I really got it.’*
And in that moment—
*Flash!*
With a burst of light, the scenery changed.
Before him stretched not a stormy wasteland, but a green meadow filled with fragrant wind.
He looked around in confusion.
Fairies, glowing in various hues, flew everywhere. Especially near where Philip and the children were, a massive number had gathered.
“Who are you?”
Turning toward the voice, Ray saw the fairy in his hand.
A graceful appearance and attire.
Orange mana flowing through her body.
Ray instantly realized she was the orange light he’d been chasing.
“You were that firefly just now?”
“Firefly? That’s incredibly rude. First, could you let go? This is really painful.”
The fairy patted his hand with her tiny fist.
Of course, it didn’t hurt, but Ray released her for the sake of a proper conversation.
Then—
“Let go. I wasn’t running—I was gliding to unfold my crumpled wings.”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I can fall for that twice.”
He grabbed her again.
“I’m Ray. You’re Orea, queen of the fairies, right? I captured you because I want to talk. First—where is this place? Did we shift to another dimension?”
“How do you know my name…? We didn’t shift anywhere. Only what you’re seeing has changed.”
Only what he’s seeing?
“You mean everything I’m seeing right now is an illusion?”
“Yes. Of a sort. We fairies with a mission spend our whole lives trapped inside it.”
Her voice turned faintly sorrowful.
Turning his head, Ray realized something.
The movement patterns of the fairies around Philip and the others were identical to the catastrophes they’d seen in the wasteland.
“So this wasn’t some installed magic—your people *became* the catastrophes?”
“You’re quite perceptive. Yes. But the children don’t know they’ve been transformed by magic. They simply frolic forever in a beautiful dream.”
“……”
Ray felt a little stunned.
He never imagined the fairies had built the land of catastrophe through such sacrifice.
“We had no choice. We had a place to protect. And this was the best way to maintain its defenses forever.”
“A place to protect.”
She must mean the sealed ruins.
“Yes. We have a place we must guard with our lives. No one can be allowed to enter. So you shouldn’t be here either. You must go back.”
Orea quickly added,
“Since I don’t sense any malice from you, if you’ve merely made a misstep, I’ll help you persuade the children as best I can so you can return the way you came.”
“But someone’s already passed through, haven’t they?”
“…Are you chasing that person?”
Ray nodded.
Orea spoke with self-deprecation.
“A man carrying emotions tangled like thread, and a stone mimicking a person… They’ve already passed. It happened while I was resting—something I couldn’t prevent. But it’s alright. I don’t know what his goal is, but the worst won’t come to pass. Where he’s headed, there will be gatekeepers possessing great power.”
Ray dismissed it curtly.
“We’ll see.”
“We’ll see?”
“That man possesses a stronger obsession, ambition, inferiority complex, and will than any human I’ve ever seen. He intends to absorb the power of the sealed navy-blue guardian, and he’ll most likely succeed.”
Orea’s eyes widened.
“You know about the guardian’s existence… You’re no ordinary human, are you?”
“Send me to the next place—to the ruins. I have to stop Indiago.”
In the gaze they exchanged, more passed between them than could be said in hours of conversation.
Turning her head to the side, Orea spoke, her voice revealing her inner turmoil.
“…I understand your resolve. But it’s impossible. After my crown was stolen, I lost much of my power. I can no longer control the children as I once could. That means I can’t clear the path or transport you directly to the seal.”
The stolen crown.
At the sight of Orea’s tearful eyes, Ray recalled an old legend.
A tale from centuries ago, of a certain adventurer who had stolen something from the Queen of the Fairies.
*Vwooom!*
Without a word, he summoned all the rainbow shards he had in his possession.
Orange, yellow, green, indigo.
Brilliant, radiant gems floated in a circular formation between them.
“……!”
It didn’t take long for the Queen of the fairies. to instinctively understand what this meant.
Watching Orea’s slowly crumbling expression, Ray thought—
If it were the Rainbow speaking now, perhaps it would have said this:
“It’s been a while, Orea.”
*Vwooooom!*
Mana emanating from the orange shard began to form the shape of a crown above the Fairy Queen’s head.
