#057. The Final Lesson (2)
—
“Do you truly believe you’ve never expressed emotion?”
The old man’s words were entirely unexpected.
“Are you saying I have expressed emotion before?”
In the past, Ray had tried to feel emotions. He had even forced himself to move his facial muscles, attempting to mimic various expressions. Technically, he could create expressions.
*”Ray, are you upset? Why are you scowling like that?”*
*”No, I’m smiling.”*
*”…That’s a smile?”*
*”It looks more like you’re smirking before hitting someone.”*
The results were far from ideal. Moreover, like a taut rubber band, any lapse in concentration would immediately return his face to its default, expressionless state. Even the simplest expressions drained his mental energy.
*”…This isn’t efficient.”*
It was like forcing himself into ill-fitting shoes. He eventually gave up on making expressions and lived with a neutral face.
But now, the old man’s words…
“When you perform magic perfectly to your satisfaction, the corners of your lips tend to rise.”
“……”
“And when you’re mulling over someone’s words, the edges of your eyes subtly soften.”
“……”
“Though these signals are almost imperceptible, they’re still part of expressing emotion.”
It was hard to believe. Could such subtle movements happen on his face without his awareness?
“Try practicing how to read others’ expressions,” the old man continued. “If what I’ve shown you seems like magic, and you wish to learn it, then start there.”
“…I’m not good at distinguishing faces. They all look the same to me. I usually rely on features like clothing, voice, or hair color to tell people apart.”
He hadn’t felt too inconvenienced by this. In some ways, he could identify others more accurately than most people. It was similar to how one sense sharpens when another is diminished.
“I see,” the old man chuckled softly.
—
—
The old man passed away two days later.
He leaned against the headboard, gazing out the window before slowly closing his eyes. At first glance, it seemed like he had simply drifted off to sleep. However, the diminishing rise and fall of his chest and the softening of his breaths signaled the inevitable. Eventually, complete stillness filled the room.
────!
──────!
Malta and Yulfin collapsed by the bed, clutching the blanket and crying uncontrollably. Ray watched them silently.
He didn’t feel particularly sad. Instead, he replayed his last conversation with the old man in his mind.
*”Don’t try to shoulder everything alone.”*
It was a short, simple statement, neither more nor less.
**Creak—**
Ray stood up and left the room. Veronica was leaning against the wall beside the door.
*”He’s gone, hasn’t he?”*
Her emotions surged like a storm contained within a vessel—sadness, anxiety, fear, regret. Considering the intensity and mix of emotions, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to break down in tears.
Yet Veronica didn’t cry.
Together with Ray, she entered the room with a composed face.
────!
─────!
The children ran to Veronica, clinging to her and crying like broken faucets. Yet again, she didn’t shed a tear. She gazed at the old man’s lifeless form with steady eyes, gently patting her younger brothers’ shoulders.
—
Ray understood what the children were feeling—the loss of someone precious. Though the circumstances differed, he had experienced something similar.
If he delved into the sorrow he had buried deep within himself, he might have empathized more deeply with their grief.
But Ray chose not to.
The memory of that sorrow was so harrowing that he never wanted to relive it. Instead, his focus was elsewhere.
*”I can’t discern their expressions. This method isn’t working.”*
Ray’s gaze fixed on Malta and Yulfin’s tear-streaked faces. He recalled the old man’s advice:
*”If you can’t perceive faces as a whole, try focusing on individual features one at a time.”*
Breaking something into parts is often easier than grasping the whole.
Thinking the suggestion made sense, Ray narrowed his focus.
—
At first, it didn’t seem to help. But as he spent time concentrating, the individual features of their faces began to stand out. He mentally etched each feature into his memory, like painting a portrait.
From the eyes to the nose.
From the nose to the mouth.
From the mouth to the ears.
A faint sense of excitement and elation rose in his chest. For the first time in his life, he could perceive another’s face with such clarity.
Just a little more…
Ray became so absorbed in his effort that he lost track of time.
Meanwhile, the soft sounds of Malta and Yulfin’s breathing reached his ears.
*”They must have fallen asleep.”*
Veronica, still tearless, softly asked Ray for help.
Ray nodded, gently cradling Malta in his arms. Veronica carried Yulfin in the same manner, and they quietly moved the children to another room.
As he laid Malta down, Ray’s mental image of the two brothers’ faces solidified. He realized he would never forget them.
And in that moment, he understood why they seemed so familiar.
A single tear slid down his cheek.
Malta and Yulfin’s faces resembled those of two younger siblings he had once lived with in Sector 50.
*”This isn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to feel sadness.”*
Through his blurred vision, he saw Veronica collapse a few steps ahead, her shoulders trembling.
Soft, sorrowful sobs spilled from her lips.
*”Hic… hic… sob.”*
Finally, Veronica cried.
Once unleashed, her emotions struck her body and soul relentlessly, overwhelming her with grief.
In that moment, Ray and Veronica shared the same shade of emotion.
Ray approached her, thinking:
*”Perhaps it’s a good thing. At least I know how to comfort someone now.”*
Kneeling before her trembling form, he gently embraced her, stroking her head with one hand.
“It’s okay,” he murmured softly.
“It’s okay, Veronica.”
His words resonated with a faint pink aura of mana, pulsing in harmony with his heartbeat.
—
—
Days later, Veronica arranged for the old man’s funeral. His coffin was taken to a communal cemetery in Sector 49 and buried by workers. Despite the considerable expenses for the burial plot and headstone, Veronica spared no cost.
Dressed in mourning black, she and her brothers silently watched as the coffin was covered with soil.
The bookstore grew quieter in the days that followed. Though its atmosphere was calm, Veronica’s eyes remained hollow. Even after completing her circle with Ray’s help, she didn’t seem happy.
Every night, she would sit at the desk behind the counter, surrounded by the old man’s research materials.
Ray knew what the research was about. He had once read the notes aloud during his first visit to the store:
*”Research on elemental distribution by sector… The cause of the Black Rain’s spread…?”*
The day Ray first visited the bookstore, he remembered stepping behind the counter and reading the contents of the notebook out loud.
It was said that Eternal Sleep Syndrome was one of the incurable diseases caused by the black rain.
Perhaps it was the old man’s attempt to define this disease in detail and find a cure.
“The old man was indeed trying to find a cure—for others, not just himself. He said he wanted to create a world where no one died meaninglessly like him.”
With those words, Veronica devoted all her remaining time to reading and organizing the old man’s research journal.
“…There’s such a lack of research material. I’ll have to travel to various places to investigate further.”
Afterward, she began asking Ray more and more questions about the outside world.
“What about Sector 50? Sector 48 wouldn’t be much different from here, would it? Was crossing the wasteland difficult?”
Veronica’s obsession with his research seemed to be a reaction to the shock of the old man’s death.
It made sense—her vessel was filled with deep anxiety and intense frustration.
And the same was true for Malta and Yulfin.
“How is life on the streets?”
“Is it hard? Difficult?”
The two boys’ vessels overflowed with desire and anxiety.
Ray could tell that Malta and Yulfin longed for life on the streets.
They were about ten years old.
But by the standards of the streets, that wasn’t an age considered entirely young.
During this time, the date of Ray’s departure from the sector was set.
“Alright. I’ll go with you. But give me a bit of time. I need to hand over my hotel duties.”
“How long?”
“Five days. I’ll wrap everything up by then.”
Philip added that he had a deputy he had been training for some time.
“His name is Welcus—a trustworthy guy. If I leave the hotel to him, I can leave with peace of mind.”
Ray trusted Philip’s words.
Philip had always shown exceptional skill in judging and managing people.
‘…Kedrick probably won’t cause any major issues either.’
Kedrick showed a level of loyalty to Ray that was almost overwhelming.
His fighting skills had also improved greatly, making it easy for him to fend off challenges from other gangs.
「Haha! With my throws, even the biggest guys go down in one hit! Fairly, you get one hit! And I’m the throwing champion of Sector 49!」
「S-Someone stop Kedrick!」
「The kids’ backs won’t survive this!」
…Although his excitement was a bit excessive, it wasn’t a serious problem.
Furthermore, as if to atone for his past misdeeds, Kedrick showed great friendliness toward the hotel children.
‘I think the relationship between the gang and the hotel will remain intact even after I leave.’
Still, just in case, Ray planned to discuss and implement additional safety measures with Philip.
But honestly—
From Ray’s perspective, the relationships of those left behind weren’t something he cared much about.
Even so, there was a specific reason he wanted to tie up any loose ends between the gang and the hotel.
*
When Veronica heard Ray’s words, she couldn’t hide her shock.
“You’re… leaving?”
“Yes.”
Ray wanted Veronica to accompany him for a reason similar to why he wanted Philip along.
In Philip’s case, he could compensate for Ray’s shortcomings in handling human relationships or financial matters.
In Veronica’s case, her knowledge spanned various fields of study, including magic.
‘She also learned magic from the old man.’
While Ray’s practical use of magic was flawless, his theoretical understanding was not.
The volume of theory he needed to memorize was daunting, and for someone like Ray, who understood magic instinctively, the theoretical aspect felt even more challenging.
…It was like asking someone who had been right-handed their entire life to become left-handed.
Not impossible, but the ideal scenario would be becoming ambidextrous. However, Ray wasn’t there yet.
‘And the old man didn’t teach me everything about magic.’
Ray recalled the old man’s words:
「What I’ve taught you is but a tiny fragment of the world of magic. To put it into perspective, it’s like a speck of dust. Magic is that vast—an academic field so immense it’s unimaginable for an individual.」
During their journey, they would surely encounter unknown phenomena that would block their path.
At those times, Veronica’s extensive knowledge would undoubtedly be invaluable.
As Philip described it, it was an investment.
‘…And there’s one more thing.’
The white sun that Veronica harbored.
Ray was curious about its nature.
Moreover, if a situation like the one before occurred again, Veronica’s white sun could act as a brake.
Taking a deep breath, Ray spoke.
“I’ll be leaving in five days. I hope you’ll leave with me.”
“To be honest, I’m a bit taken aback. I have siblings to look after and the old man’s bookstore….”
“Didn’t you also think about leaving?”
Veronica’s body flinched.
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
Considering the emotions in her vessel and her explicit statements about needing to travel to different sectors to gather data, the answer was clear.
“Malta and Yulfin can be taken care of at Philip’s hotel, the one we saw last time. I’ve already hinted at the idea to them. They’ll follow your decision, whatever it may be.”
“…….”
“You can temporarily close the bookstore. Kedrick and his subordinates will patrol the area daily, so no one will dare to mess with it.”
“…….”
As Ray’s calm voice continued, Veronica’s expression changed with each moment.
“You don’t have to take responsibility for everything.”
“…I need time to think.”
Ray nodded.
“Alright. Five days. Make your decision by then.”
Bro pls give us updates