Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 340

Side Story 3. The Colors of Love (7)

**#340. Side Story 3. The Colors of Love (7)**

—

The story of how Catherine, the elegant white-furred cat, came to live in the mansion wasn’t all that complicated.

**“Reeval! Come here, look at this!”**
**“It’s a cat…? Looks like it’s covered in ash and badly injured. How on earth did it get in here?”**
**“We temporarily turned off the distortion and barrier fields for inspection yesterday, remember? I think it came in through the chimney then!”**

Ash was scattered across the carpet.
On top of it, a cat panted weakly.

The man approached with a stern expression, intending to drive the intruder out of the mansion.

But the woman blocked his path.

**“We have to take care of it. If we just leave it alone, it’ll die.”**
**“But Esua, we can’t do that. We agreed from the beginning that no one else would be allowed into the mansion but the two of us. Once you give in to sympathy, it never ends.”**

The woman shook her head and said,

**“She’s pregnant.”**

**“……”**

The man fell silent.

He wanted to stick to their principles, but he also knew that in the end, he wouldn’t be able to.

Because he loved the woman deeply and was someone who would do anything for her.

Thus began an earnest period of care and treatment.

But perhaps the wounds had been too severe.

The guest who had found her way to their mansion ultimately passed away—

Leaving behind a squirming little life.

**“Catherine.”**
**“Catherine?”**
**“I just named her.”**

The man looked down at the kitten with discontented eyes.

To take responsibility for a life—it was something that required more effort and energy than one might expect.

And besides, hadn’t they already come to the mansion, leaving behind all the dying lives from the war?

**“I want to raise her.”**

But the woman’s voice was firm.

Perhaps she clung to this small life because she could no longer have children of her own.

**“Alright. If that’s what you want, Esua.”**

And so, a new member was added to the mansion.

Catherine, who grew up quickly under the woman’s care, roamed the mansion as if it were her personal playground.

Like any exemplary cat, she would brazenly knock down dishes that blocked her way on shelves,
Asserted her prowess by pouncing on fluttering insects,
And occasionally jumped into the laps of the man and woman as they read, curling up and purring in comfort.

**“Reeval, what’s gotten into you? You’re holding Catherine? You’ve never liked cats.”**
**“…She kind of grows on you.”**

The man muttered as he stroked Catherine’s fur.

**Hiss!**
**Chomp!**

Despite the occasional bite, there was something irresistibly charming about her that made one keep reaching out.

**“Reeval, your finger’s bleeding…”**
**“It’s fine.”**

**Hiss!**
**Chomp!**

Eventually, the man had to admit it.

This tiny white-furred life had seeped not only into the woman’s daily routine but into his own as well.

To the man and woman, Catherine was nothing short of a blessing.

Confined within the mansion as they were, the little cat became an unexpectedly vital source of energy for them.

Their love for each other also deepened, thanks to this new connection named Catherine.

Naturally, the affection they poured into Catherine grew more special each day.

Only warm, positive emotions floated through the mansion.

The young cat was happy.

Hunger, boredom, anxiety—
These were concepts she couldn’t even learn about in such a bountiful home.

She was sometimes curious about the outside world glimpsed through the windows, but she had no intention of leaving.

After all, her mama and papa were right here.

Every moment was precious.

Lounging in the sunlight with the two of them by the window.
Listening to their mealtime chatter—though she didn’t understand the words, the rhythm was pleasant.
Being brushed while curled on their laps.

Every bit of daily life, everything—was wonderful.

But happiness doesn’t last forever.

At some point, things began to creak between the man and the woman.

**“How could you react like that to what I said?”**
**“No, that part was obviously—”**

Arguments erupted.
Voices were raised.

They had become so used to each other that they could no longer overlook the little flaws.

They made mistakes. Apologized.
Fought again.
And so on, countless times.

Their hearts were pulled apart and stitched back together over and over again.

By the time they had reached about halfway through their lives—

**“……”**
**“……”**

Their hearts were worn and frayed beyond recognition.

They now used separate rooms.

Meals and hobbies were done alone.

They avoided each other’s spaces, often going whole days without crossing paths.

The final straw had been a particularly huge argument recently.

One that had inevitably arisen after years of them becoming too similar, like magnets of the same pole repelling one another violently.

In their respective rooms, they each thought:

**“Reeval should apologize first.”**
**“It’s Esua who should say sorry.”**

In truth, they could barely remember who was at fault or how the fight had even started—it wasn’t important anymore.

Even the bitterness had long since faded.

What mattered now was pride—who would be the first to bend and apologize.

The cold war was uncomfortable and tense, but not overly concerning.

Because this time, it was the other’s turn to apologize.

There was an unspoken rule: they took turns.

**“It’s Reeval’s turn to apologize.”**
**“Esua will come find me this time.”**

They both thought the other would come knock and sheepishly offer reconciliation.

But it never happened.

**“Why hasn’t Reeval come?”**
**“It’s been two weeks now… Not a single word from Esua.”**

They grew anxious.
Worried. Desperate.
Angry that the other had broken the rule.

And they each came to a conclusion.

**“God… That person really wants to end things between us.”**
**“Is this… really the ending you want, Esua…?”**

And so, their emotions continued to fester.

Blaming only the other.
Never thinking to reach out first.

Meanwhile, the cat—no longer exactly young, but still forever a child in this mansion—was curious.

**Meow─**

Why did mama and papa no longer sleep together?

Why did they eat separately in different rooms?

Why did they stare blankly down the hallway all day?

She just wanted to know.

And then, a very long time passed.

The man and woman no longer moved.

Even when she rubbed her head against their legs, they didn’t pet her like they used to.
Even when she brought her toys and dropped them at their feet, there was no response.

They simply sat in their armchairs like pieces of furniture.

And at some point, a foul smell began to emanate from them.

It was around then that the cat awakened as a spirit—and gained sentience.

This happened because over the long years, she had unknowingly absorbed the pure mana densely accumulated within the mansion.

It was natural. Inevitable.

The spirit tried countless ways to rouse the slumbering couple by moving mana.

But no matter what intuitive magic she tried, it had no effect.

Only their physical condition continued to deteriorate.

Then she recalled a certain spell.

**“What do you think? If we use this magic, we won’t have to worry about preserving the household items anymore.”**

It was the preservation magic the couple had cast over all the items in the mansion.

The spirit recreated the magic based on her memory of how the mana had moved then.

And she cast it on the man and the woman.

The foul smell vanished.

After that, the spirit waited.

For the man and woman to awaken.

Alone, in the vast mansion.
For an unmeasurably long time.
Dreaming of the day they would go outside together, to a world where green earth had returned.

Then, an intruder appeared.

—An elf. At first, I thought I’d attack, but they couldn’t even get past the first floor. They almost fell into a trap, so I secretly helped them out.

And Catherine added:

The speaker floating in the air was manipulating the panel in front of the monitor to project Reeval’s voice.

—As you asked, I’ve told you everything. So now, can we wake Reeval and Esua?

Ray fell silent for a long time.

How should he explain this to the little spirit, who didn’t understand the concept of death?

He couldn’t avoid answering forever. After some thought, he said,

**“Every living thing, after some time, falls into an eternal sleep.”**

—Eternal sleep?

**“It means they lived their lives as best they could, and now they’re resting.”**

Forever, happily.
In paradise, where souls go.

Ray borrowed from his own religious knowledge to explain as best he could.

Catherine didn’t fully understand, but she seemed somewhat convinced.

—That they’re doing well is a relief. So in short, you’re saying they can’t be awakened now?

**“That’s right. But would you consider coming outside with us?”**

Suddenly, Catherine squirmed and slipped out of Ray’s arms.

Tap.

She landed on the floor, then leapt back onto Reeval’s lap.

—Thank you for the offer, but I can’t.

**“Why not? There’s nothing more you can do here.”**

—Because Reeval and Esua are here. I won’t leave their side.

Catherine’s tone was resolute.

An obsession with those she could no longer see.

That emotion resembled the lingering attachment Ray felt for Niles and the children under the bridge.

He had often wondered—could he use the power of the gems to bring back old bonds?

But he already knew the answer.

The moment you’re bound to the past, you can no longer move forward. And the right choice was always to step toward the future.

**“I think you’d be better off living your life—starting now.”**

In a way, he was saying this to himself too.

But of course, it had no effect.

—I’ll have to decline.

**“You’re going to stay trapped in this mansion?”**

—I won’t leave.

**“Outside, there’s a much better place—”**

**Hiss!**

A white fluffy paw shot out and batted Ray’s hand away with a series of quick taps.

She looked so adorable that he wanted to smother her with affection, but he decided to focus on other matters first.

Ray moved around the room to inspect it.

Catherine merely watched him with clear eyes but didn’t interfere.

‘There’s a journal here, too.’

While there had been no documents on the fourth floor, here they were gathered in abundance.

He picked up the nearest one and began flipping through its pages.

*Flip—*

> “Our love is eternal. Just like the items in this mansion that will remain forever preserved in their original state thanks to preservation magic.”

A firm conviction in love.

Judging by the tone, it appeared to be written in youth, not old age.

> “When all wars are over, and the ravaged land returns to normal, we will leave this mansion together.”

> “Alone, it means nothing. It has to be with her. She feels the same way.”

*Flip—*

> “We made a promise. We don’t know exactly when in the future, but one day, at the same time, we will open the door and leave together. Until that moment, we will carry unchanging love in our hearts.”

*Flip—*

> “Yes. That is the blessing prepared by our past selves for our future selves—and at the same time, it is the only way out of this place.”

*Thud.*

Ray closed the journal and felt it instinctively.

The contents of this journal were the clue to leaving the mansion.

‘The locking magic on the first-floor entrance was from a bygone era.’

Its structure was so complex that it was impossible to fully decipher.

But it seemed to open only when certain conditions were met.

‘Unchanging love.’

Could that be the primary condition?

Ray turned and looked at the mass of emotion lingering on Reeval’s chest.

Approaching the armchair, he asked,