Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 338

#338. Side Story 3. The Color of Love (5)

—

A crimson carpet spread across the floor.

Frames lined the walls.

To the casual observer, the second-floor corridor was peaceful and serene.

But Ray saw it differently.

“Pretty hostile.”

Colored mana was clumped in masses all over the floor, walls, and other surfaces.

Even approaching slightly would almost certainly trigger a barrage of powerful attack spells.

When Ray mentioned going up to the upper floor of the mansion, Karon had shaken his head.

「It took me nearly three months just to secure the entire first floor as a safe zone after I entered the mansion.」

「But for the rest of the time, I never even dared to set foot on the second floor.」

「Because the intensity and density of the spells installed there are far beyond what’s on the lower level. It’s not even comparable.」

Karon was a 4th-circle mage.

By both human and elven standards, he was a skilled individual.

So for someone like that to be thoroughly daunted spoke volumes about how viciously trapped the second floor was.

This led to a natural question:

Just how powerful were the mages who installed such strong spells—throughout the entire mansion, no less?

「I believe the spell designers were the owners of this mansion. The young couple in the framed photo by the entrance hall.」

「I agree. From what I could gather, it seems they lived here alone, without any servants.」

Karon pointed out that all items in the mansion—furniture, tableware—existed only in pairs.

Ray continued questioning.

「Is there a chance the owners are still alive and living in this mansion?」

「An interesting thought, but… it would be impossible for people from that era to still be alive, wouldn’t it? That defies all common sense.」

「It’s just… earlier, I felt like someone was interfering with my spell.」

Ray explained.

When he had tried to destroy the door using a wind sphere, a headwind had blown in, significantly reducing the spell’s power.

Karon tilted his head.

「That’s strange. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I’d guess it was either a mana anomaly caused by the mansion’s high ambient mana density… or it was just your imagination.」

But it wasn’t Ray’s imagination.

When it came to mana, Ray never misjudged.

「Just a warning—you should give up on exploring the upper floor. You could have ten lives and it still wouldn’t be enough to break through that field of spells.」

Ray nodded in acknowledgment.

It was his way of saying, *So hurry up and uncover this mansion’s secrets from above and help me find closure.*

‘First, I should identify whoever interfered with my spell earlier.’

Ray gauged the strength of the automatic protection spell cast on the wall decorations.

Then—

**Whooong──!**

A wind sphere formed at a speed too fast to react to, and he hurled it.

It was much larger and far more condensed than the one he’d used on the first floor.

But again, it was intercepted and nullified by a protection spell that triggered instantly.

The barrier vanished once its job was done, but Ray had seen it clearly.

*There were two layers of protection.*

One was the automatic spell tied to the decoration.

The other had been activated in real time.

Unlike earlier, where a counter wind had neutralized his spell, this time the opponent had used a direct defense to block the destruction of the decoration.

“Interesting.”

It had been a wind sphere strong enough that most mages wouldn’t even try to stop it.

Let’s see who comes out on top.

As Ray entered full-combat mode, a vicious storm nucleus swirled in his palm—

When something sparkled at the end of the hallway.

It flew quickly toward him and stopped just in front of his face—it was a fist-sized speaker.

“Warning. Intruder. Step back. Immediately. If you continue this rampage. You will be gravely injured.”

A male voice, clipped and mechanical.

Ray instantly matched it to the young man in the photograph.

“Who are you? The owner of this mansion?”

“I understand. You are. Far stronger. Than the elf. However. What lies ahead. Is a highly developed magical zone. If you do not turn back. I cannot guarantee. Your safety.”

The “elf” likely referred to Karon, who was illegally staying on the first floor.

Intrigued, Ray kept the conversation going.

“So calling me an intruder means you’re telling me to leave the mansion, right?”

“That is correct. I want you. To leave this mansion. At once.”

“But the door is locked. I can’t get out. And when I try to break it, you interfere using magic.”

“Destruction of. Any property in the mansion. Is not permitted.”

“Then unlock the door.”

A pause.

Then came the answer.

“That is. Impossible.”

“Why not?”

“Impossible.”

“Then I’ll have to break it.”

“Destruction of property. Is not permitted.”

“Then unlock it.”

“That is. Impossible.”

Ray realized the dialogue algorithm was hopelessly broken.

So he did the best thing one could do in this situation.

**Thud!**

He cast a reinforcement spell on both legs and dashed down the hallway at full speed.

**Wooooong!**

The spells sensed his approach and began triggering.

Along his path, a dazzling array of elemental magic lit up.

**Boom! Bang! Boom!**

Fireballs, shards of ice, crackling bolts of electricity.

An onslaught of spells flew through the air, painting a vivid elemental storm.

The mansion’s automatic defense spells activated in quick succession.

It was complete chaos.

The speaker frantically caught up, orbiting Ray while shouting:

“Warning. Intruder. Warning. Stop. Immediately. Further rampage. Will not be tolerated.”

Even though the voice was robotic and flat, it unmistakably sounded panicked.

Ray responded to the desperate request with perfect politeness.

“No.”

If you don’t want me heading upstairs, then at least open the damn door.

Thinking that, he effortlessly dodged an ice arrow.

**Sweeek!**

As Karon had warned, the spells on the second floor were truly fearsome—but Ray’s movements were even more so.

The real struggle was on the other side: the one frantically generating new defenses in real-time to prevent the mansion’s destruction.

“Warning. Further rampage. Warning. Safety. Cannot. Guarantee. Warning.”

Now the voice couldn’t even form full sentences.

Ignoring the speaker, Ray darted past the hallway decor, scanning the area.

Drawers, mirrors, chandeliers, candlesticks—

There were many objects, but one thing stood out above the rest.

*The frames.*

Just like on the first floor, the framed photographs along the wall showed the young couple.

Having dinner together.

Reading books together.

Playing music together.

All taken inside the mansion, the couple always smiling happily.

A white-haired cat—presumably their pet—often appeared in the photos with them.

**Creak!**

Ray opened the door to one of his target rooms and rolled inside.

A fireball struck where he’d just been standing, colliding with a summoned shield that absorbed the blast.

**Boom!**

He shut the door.

Silence fell.

*This is…*

A spacious library with an open floor plan.

Towering bookshelves lined the walls—rivaling even the famous Bookstore Veronica.

Also, no more spells were flying in, meaning the traps were limited to the hallway.

“Warning. Exit this room. Warn—”

Ray picked up a nearby cloth, wrapped it around the speaker, and tied it shut, then calmly continued forward.

Magic, science, fiction, essays…

As he scanned the titles spanning various fields, he eventually arrived in front of a large desk with its back to the window.

There was a notebook on top.

Flip.

> “People have started evacuating the city. I can’t blame them for leaving the place they’ve lived in all their lives. This place, too, will undoubtedly be engulfed in the flames of war before long.”

The writing was in longhand.

It appeared to be a journal written by the husband.

> “But evacuation itself is not a wise choice. Now that a war between species has broken out, there is no place in the world that can be called safe. Even if you escape and reach somewhere, you’ll only have to flee from there to somewhere else again.”

Flip.

> “So Esua and I came up with an idea. Rather than leave the city, we would pour all our resources into building a hideout of our own.”

Flip.

Ray’s eyes moved swiftly across the sentences. The contents of the journal were not very long.

The final line ended like this:

> “As long as I have my beloved Esua, and as long as she has me, we can live in this world without needing anything else.”

“……”

Snap.

He closed the journal and lifted his head.

He thought he had a general grasp of the situation.

This mansion had been prepared as a hideout by a young couple seeking to escape the war.

The powerful distortion field surrounding the mansion and the traps inside—

They had all been devised to protect themselves from the war.

Ray left the study.

He broke through the magic and moved to another room—this time, a dressing room.

*‘There’s a notebook here too.’*

Judging by the handwriting, it seemed to be the wife’s journal, not the husband’s.

> “Would it be crazy to say that I hope the effects of the war reach here quickly so that Reeval and I can start our life in the mansion? I’m excited. It feels like we’re playing a naughty trick on the world in secret.”

Flip.

> “Reeval made a suggestion. That we restrict the mansion’s only entrance to the first-floor door and place a locking spell on it that no one could ever undo. He said that if a soldier ever managed to enter and then leave, it could put us at risk of exposure.”

> “I hadn’t thought that far. As expected, Reeval is smart.”

> “He and I are meant to be.”

Snap.

“……”

Ray grew increasingly intrigued.

He quickly moved through other rooms, gathering information from journals, letters, recording devices, and other documents.

> “In the end, the soldiers never discovered our mansion. They came right up to the front and then turned away. The tension and relief in that moment—Reeval, you felt it too, didn’t you?”

> “Our life in the mansion has truly begun. The outside world is in ruins, and there’s no telling when the war will end, but there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve stockpiled enough food to last decades, and we’ve filled the mansion with various forms of entertainment. Most of all, I have Esua by my side.”

> “Since we have no servants, we have to manage the mansion ourselves every day. It’s not bad. No, it’s actually great. A lifestyle that could make us endlessly lazy! But having chores brings life into our routine. And more importantly, it’s official work I get to do with Reeval.”

> “Our love will last forever.”

> “Our love will last forever.”

The records found on the second floor all conveyed positive emotions.

Joy, happiness, delight, anticipation—

The smiling faces of the couple in the framed pictures throughout the mansion confirmed that.

But the records found on the third floor began to shift in tone.

> “The war shows no signs of ending. No matter how often I look out the window, all I see is a devastated city and scorched earth.”

> “Books, card games, musical instruments—there are many ways to play, but none of it is fun anymore. I want to go outside the mansion, but the mana out there is all contaminated. It’s not safe.”

Flip.

> “Today, Reeval and I had our first fight.”

Click.

> “Esua suggested… *static*… managing the mansion every day is a hassle… *static*… what if we just cast preservation magic on all the furniture and belongings in sight… *static*…”

Buzz.

> “From an efficiency standpoint… there’s nothing better. From now on, we won’t have to worry about dust gathering… or colors fading.”

> “We’ll no longer have official reasons to see each other… but then again, even when we did, we didn’t talk much, did we?”

Life in the isolated mansion seemed to have worn down the couple’s spirits.

“……”

Ray lifted his head.

He looked at the framed photos lining the wall.

They weren’t smiling anymore.