Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 61

#061. Encounter (2)

 

 

 

 

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─Groooowl!

─Rumble…!

The Rockdeer writhed furiously.

Their anger radiated with such intensity that it far surpassed any fear or dread of death.

Most likely, their rage was directed at the hunting vehicles speeding toward them.

‘…Weren’t they supposed to be gentle creatures?’

If they were animals capable of expressing such overwhelming fury, why had they fled earlier instead of fighting?

Was it because they hadn’t even considered the possibility of opposing humans?

Or perhaps there was something about this particular situation that incited such rage.

“Ray! There’s a vehicle coming from over there!”

“What do we do? They could be dangerous people. Isn’t it better to run?”

Philip and Veronica shouted in panic.

Ray, however, remained calm and calculated the situation.

‘The distance between us is closing too quickly. We can’t leave this spot completely before they arrive.’

Moreover, these were mercenaries—individuals likely more accustomed to the raw language of violence than mutual respect.

Making a hasty move might provoke them further, possibly leading to the guns atop their vehicle roofs spewing fire at their retreating backs.

Or worse, they might pursue them directly.

It was safer to stay and observe the situation.

There were five vehicles in total, with a maximum capacity of twenty people.

‘I can handle this.’

Ray had already gauged the capabilities of his body and his mana circle during the events in Sector 49.

The types of magic he could use, the amount of mana consumed by each spell depending on its intensity, and the balance of his innate instincts with his refined magical knowledge—it all worked in his favor now.

Even though his mana reserves were low, a swift battle would suffice.

“Staying here is safer.”

Philip and Veronica nodded in agreement.

In such situations, Ray was the expert they could rely on.

Veronica, glancing around nervously, shouted, “Wait, look over there!”

Not far away, among the fallen Rockdeer, a small animal was stumbling to its feet.

“What should we do… Is that a baby?”

“It doesn’t look injured, though. Maybe it just got knocked over in the commotion with the adults.”

The creature, about the size of a small dog, wobbled as it made several attempts to stand, eventually succeeding. It then approached one of the fallen adults and nuzzled its head against the body.

“Could it be its mother…?” Philip muttered hesitantly.

“Unlikely. Their skin color is different,” Ray replied.

Indeed, the baby Rockdeer’s skin, visible through gaps in its shell, shimmered faintly with a bluish hue—something one wouldn’t notice without close observation.

“Veronica, is it normal for Rockdeer to have blue skin like this?” Ray asked.

Veronica frowned slightly, deep in thought.

“Uh… I don’t remember reading anything about that. The books only mentioned their shell and skin being gray.”

Ray nodded.

It might be some sort of mutation.

If the baby had a mother, it was likely the blue-skinned adult they had seen earlier during their escape.

Grumble─

The first adult showed no response. It had already passed away.

The baby Rockdeer moved to other fallen adults, repeating the same action.

Grumble…

The dying adults tried to lick the baby, summoning the strength to rise momentarily, only to collapse again.

The sight left Philip and Veronica visibly shaken.

Ray asked, “Do Rockdeer have strong maternal instincts?”

“Y-Yeah. Most animals do, but Rockdeer are known for being particularly protective. They also practice communal childcare.”

Philip added, “So it’s likely that the fallen ones here were part of this baby’s communal guardians.”

Ray began to understand the Rockdeer’s rage.

They feared the approaching mercenaries would harm the baby and were consumed by fury.

Grumble─

The baby Rockdeer now approached Philip and Veronica, rubbing its body against them.

When Veronica instinctively picked it up and cradled it in her arms—

Screech!

The mercenaries’ vehicles screeched to a halt nearby.

Clunk!

A total of fourteen men disembarked. Their robust frames carried rifles and hatchets as they opened the truck’s cargo bed.

Clank—thud!

They began hauling the Rockdeer into the truck.

“Boss, what about the ones still breathing?”

“Finish them off. We don’t want them thrashing around in the truck bed before they reach the slaughterhouse. Use knives, not bullets.”

“Huh? Without bullets, breaking through their shells will be…”

“Don’t waste bullets on something already caught.”

The man referred to as the boss demonstrated with a sneer.

“Watch closely. You just slip the knife between the gaps in their shell.”

Shunk!

Grumble!

A Rockdeer shuddered violently as the knife plunged into its neck, then went limp, unmoving.

“Use this method for those with intact shells. And be careful not to damage the horns—they fetch a high price at apothecaries.”

“Wow, that’s much easier! You’re amazing, boss!”

While his subordinates continued their grisly work, the boss walked around casually, giving instructions while puffing on a cigarette.

“Keep an eye out. There might actually be one with a gemstone embedded in its forehead.”

“Oh, come on, boss. You don’t seriously believe that, do you?”

“Yeah, that’s just the ramblings of a senile old man, isn’t it?”

The boss chuckled.

“Maybe, but he was a big shot in his time—and now he’s a client willing to pay us handsomely. Might as well humor him.”

He added, “Although, I’ll admit, the talk about blue gemstones and deer turning into water was hard to swallow. If it weren’t for the money, I’d have kicked him out on the spot.”

His men burst into laughter.

Amid their mirth, one of them noticed Ray’s group.

“Wait a second. Over there…”

Several men paused their work and approached.

Veronica instinctively hugged the baby Rockdeer tighter and moved closer to Ray.

Philip readied himself to dash to the vehicle if necessary.

While there was a chance they could avoid conflict, human malice often reared its head in unexpected ways.

Particularly now, when the armed men exuded a threatening aura, Philip and Veronica couldn’t help but feel deeply uneasy.

Ray, meanwhile, subtly drew mana from his mana circle, preparing to use magic at a moment’s notice.

The mercenaries stopped a few meters away and exchanged whispers.

“What are kids doing out here? We’re still quite a distance from the nearest sector, aren’t we?”

“There’s a vehicle over there too.”

“They don’t look like they’re from any wealthy family…”

One of them leered at Veronica.

“Hey, check her out…”

“Oh, she’s quite…”

Their lustful gazes roved over her, causing Veronica to stiffen and hide behind Ray.

“Boss!”

They called their leader, who turned his attention toward Ray’s group.

After a moment of observation, he waved a hand dismissively.

A wicked grin spread across his men’s faces.

One of them stepped forward, putting on a warm and friendly facade.

“Hey, kids. Is that car yours? Surely you didn’t drive all the way here by yourselves?”

Feigning concern, he continued, “Are there any adults nearby? If you’re lost, we can help.”

However, Ray, who could read emotions, wasn’t fooled.

Beneath their smiles were clear hostility and depraved intentions.

‘They’re planning to subdue me after closing the distance,’ Ray thought, recognizing the inevitability of conflict.

That was fine.

Words wouldn’t work against such malice anyway.

He was more comfortable dealing with enemies through force.

As Ray acknowledged the hostility, his crimson mana surged, enhancing his strength and agility.

“Let me ask you something.”

“Huh?”

“How far is it to Sector 48?”

“Oh, you want to go home? Don’t be scared. We’ll take you—wait, why are you being so rude…?”

Before he could finish, Ray seized the man’s wrist and slammed him to the ground.

Thud!

“Gah!”

The man’s body convulsed before going limp, eyes rolling back and froth forming at his mouth.

Stunned silence followed as no one had caught Ray’s movement.

Breaking the silence, Ray spoke coldly.

“No need to return home. I’ve already left it behind.”

The mercenaries stared, dumbfounded.

“What… just happened?”

“Did that kid take down Becker?”

Seizing the opportunity, Ray dragged the unconscious man behind him and handed a knife to Philip.

“Hold it to his throat. Be ready to kill if I give the signal.”

Philip had never in his life held a knife to someone’s throat.

If anything, he had been on the receiving end of such threats rather than the other way around.

He wasn’t the type to be so aggressive.

His heart felt like it might burst from the tension.

But he wasn’t the kind of idiot who would fail to act because of fear.

Nodding firmly as if steeling himself, Philip accepted the knife.

*Lick.*

He ran his tongue along the blade in one long motion, letting out a sinister chuckle as he put on the most menacing expression he could muster and pressed the knife against the prisoner’s throat.

“Don’t move a muscle and drop everything you’ve got. Or this guy’s life is over. Heh, heh, heh.”

His bravado wasn’t half bad.

The dialogue was a bit strange though.

The men watching groaned in response.

“Ugh. Those brats are pretty gutsy, huh? Were they robbers targeting travelers?”

“Seems like they’re seasoned robbers, too.”

“Becker, you idiot. You shouldn’t let your guard down just because they’re kids.”

However, the men didn’t seem particularly tense or worried about their comrade’s life.

One of them pulled out a hand axe, tilted his head, and stepped forward.

“Hey, kid. Don’t do anything stupid. We should talk this out. You can’t just go around waving knives— Agh—!”

The man who swung his axe suddenly—

*Whish! Thud!*

—found himself face down on the ground the very next moment.

Ray had reinforced his strength and stomped down mercilessly on the back of the man’s head.

“Ugh… I… won’t move… put… this… away…!”Aaaaah—aaaahhh!”

Only then did tension begin to ripple through the remaining men.

“So, it was real that they took Becker down.”

“That kid’s no ordinary brat. I didn’t even see him move.”

“Ahhh! Don’t just stand there—help me! Damn it! Aaahhh!”

The men began drawing weapons, like hand axes and daggers, ready to charge.

But just then, their leader, who had been observing from a distance, stepped forward with a scowl.

“What the hell’s going on? Can’t even handle some kids?”

“B-Boss, it’s just that… that little one’s no joke….”

“I can see that for myself.”

The leader unstrapped a shotgun from one of his subordinates’ waists.

“Uh… Are you really going to use that? Didn’t you say to conserve ammo unless it was for hunting?”

“Damn it. Do you want to cover for the loss of labor when Becker and Zelo die?”

“N-No, sir! Not at all!”

*Click.*

The leader aimed the shotgun at Ray.

“Kid, let them go. Don’t make this more complicated. They’re my valuable workforce—no, my loyal subordinates. They may look like rotten vegetables, but they’re damn good at their jobs.”

“B-Boss! What’s wrong with my face— Agh!”

“Shut up. Anyway, we were just trying to help you out, but attacking us like this is uncalled for.”

Ray spoke in a low voice.

“Philip. Cut him. Enough that he won’t die.”

“Huh? Kid, what did you just….”

Though momentarily startled, Philip obeyed Ray’s command without hesitation.

“Heh, looks like my knife’s going to taste blood again.”

The sharp blade grazed the unconscious man’s neck, drawing fresh, red blood.

Gasps echoed around them.

Ray growled deeply.

“Consider this a warning. Don’t even think about lying to me.”

At Ray’s menacing tone, the leader scowled fiercely.

‘Damn it, who are these kids?’

Scratching the back of his head with his free hand, the leader spoke.

“Fine. Damn it. There *was* some bad intent. But so what? Look at the situation. There’s no way it favors you. What are you going to do with just the three of you? With one word from me, you’ll all be riddled with bullets. Got it? I don’t care about Becker’s life, but—”

It was at that moment.

*Fwoosh.*

Suddenly, a dozen flaming spheres, each the size of a human head, flared to life around Ray.

“Try it.”

The cigarette that had been dangling from the leader’s mouth fell to the ground.

“If you think you can.”

The atmosphere shifted drastically in an instant.

 

 

 

 

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