#072. The Youth Who Offers Respect (3)
—
As Ray approached, the Rockdeers rose from their places.
—Grrk.
—Grrrk.
They backed away with deep wariness, their eyes filled with caution.
Before long, a large empty circular space formed around Ray.
Ray took a step forward.
The Rockdeers took a step back.
‘About 15 meters.’
Ray realized this was the closest he could get to the herd.
He turned his head, searching, but the one with blue skin was nowhere in sight.
It was expected.
He wasn’t particularly lucky.
Not lucky enough to immediately find the one he was looking for among so many.
‘Their wariness is beyond what I expected.’
Although he had anticipated some caution, finding the blue-skinned one up close seemed impossible.
At that moment, a voice called out from behind him.
—If you’re trying to capture one, we can do it for you! Oh, but if you’re thinking of taming it, that’s impossible! Unless it’s been raised by human hands since infancy!
Did they think he was looking for a beast to use as a summon, like Michael?
The mention of an infant suddenly made him consider something.
‘Maybe I should have brought Fran.’
The blue-skinned one was presumed to be Fran’s mother.
Fran’s cries or scent might have helped lure it out.
Ray thought about it for a moment.
Then, he shook his head.
‘That would introduce too many variables.’
He hadn’t told Skyle about the blue-skinned Rockdeer.
Nor had he mentioned anything about Fran.
He didn’t want any unexpected factors to disrupt his plan.
His plan to take possession of Skyle’s wealth.
While lost in thought, Skyle approached.
Ray asked, “The plan to lure John is set for tomorrow afternoon, right? And we’re meeting him tonight to give him the photos.”
“Yes, that’s correct. We’ve already identified the Rockdeers’ arrival point. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll drive them into a canyon near the location.”
Skyle’s plan was simple.
Drive the Rockdeers into a clearing at the end of the canyon.
Lure John there.
And then whisper to him that the one he’s looking for is among them.
“The canyon entrance is narrow, so they won’t be able to escape easily. It’s the perfect place to kill them all and silence any witnesses.”
Skyle burst into laughter.
Then, spotting his men near the Rockdeer herd, he went over to talk to them.
—Huh? You want us to stop the hunt?
A dissatisfied voice rang out.
The mercenaries held the same golden mana as their leader, but alongside it, resentment and frustration flickered to life.
But it didn’t last long.
—As expected of our leader. You already won him over!
—The bodyguards will be easy. That magician was the real problem.
The anger and discontent vanished.
As if they had never been there in the first place.
And the golden mana grew, expanding so much that it was visible even from a distance.
In the dry, wind-swept wilderness, the boy’s white eyes took in everything.
—
-*
-*
That evening.
Room 203, second floor of the inn.
Ray sat at the table, focusing with one of the highest levels of concentration he had ever reached in his life.
‘Move.’
His gaze was locked onto a small creature sprawled on the bed, lazily licking its fur.
Fran.
A chain-like strand of violet mana extended from Ray’s hand, connecting to Fran’s body.
The color was faint, the thickness thin.
Compared to Michael’s, it was—
‘Move. Come here.’
Unconsciously, Ray kept repeating the command in his mind.
Fueled by his drive to explore and master magic, his desire for success burned intensely.
How much time had passed?
Suddenly, Ray’s pupils widened as he caught a glimpse of movement.
Scratch, scratch, scratch—!
“……”
Fran was scratching its neck with a hind leg.
Seeing this, Ray severed the connection of the summoning magic.
‘There’s a limit to what I can do with ambient mana.’
It was frustrating.
He realized he needed to deepen his understanding of respect in order to progress.
Because mana grows stronger when immersed in a related emotion.
Just then, the door opened, and Philip and Veronica entered.
“Ray, we came because you said you wanted to talk.”
“Fran! There you are! I was looking all over for you! Come here!”
Fran shot off the bed, sprinting toward Veronica and rubbing its head against her leg.
Watching Veronica lift Fran into her arms, Ray asked,
“summoning magic? Was that just now summoning magic?”
“Huh? I don’t know how to use summoning magic.”
“That wasn’t summoning magic?”
“I just called its name. Right, Fran?”
“summoning magi—”
“Nope.”
“……”
He must have been too immersed in thinking about summoning magic.
Cooling his overheated mind, Ray asked,
“Veronica, do you know anything about summoning magic?”
Graham had given him a brief explanation before.
That summoning magic used elements of manipulation and control to command the body and mind of a summon beast.
Since Graham was also Veronica’s teacher, she might know something else.
“Hmm… I did hear some things from Grandpa.”
She shared what she knew.
It wasn’t much different from what Ray had already learned.
“—And I heard that if you share a deep bond with your summon beast, you can use summoning magic with much less mana.”
Except for this part.
“A bond?”
“Yeah, a bond.”
A bond.
He had never experienced one, but he knew its definition.
“A feeling of being closely connected or emotionally linked.”
People seemed to associate it with trust built over a long time.
‘Doesn’t seem very efficient.’
Having to establish a bond first just to control a summon beast?
That was Ray’s honest impression.
He then asked Philip and Veronica about the emotion of respect.
“Respect? Hmm… I think respect is when you want to become like someone. There was this amazing shopkeeper in Sector 48. The moment I saw him, I thought, ‘I want to be like that guy.’”
After Philip, Veronica shared her thoughts.
“For me, respect is more like… feeling that I could never become like someone. They’re too incredible, so it’s overwhelming. That’s how I felt about my grandfather. He knew so much that I felt like I could study for a lifetime and still not catch up.”
Wanting to become like someone.
Feeling you could never reach their level.
Ray felt like he almost understood, but not quite.
Veronica asked, “Haven’t you ever felt that way about someone? Thinking they were cool, or wanting to follow them?”
“……”
One person came to mind.
—
After their discussion, Ray shared the proposal he had received from Skyle.
“What…?!”
Veronica was shocked.
“I knew he was shady, but this is worse than I thought. I should’ve guessed from the rat-chewed look on his face.”
Philip looked disgusted.
Ray calmly continued,
“I won’t be joining the fight.”
The canyon clearing.
The moment the Rockdeers were trapped.
「I’ll give the signal to start. It’s best to begin when my magic is ready.」
At Ray’s signal, Skyle’s mercenaries would attack John’s guards.
At first, the fight would seem even.
But in the end, John’s side would win.
Because no one would be able to stop Michael.
Because no one would be there to counter Michael.
**“John’s side won’t be completely unscathed either. By the time the battle ends, their forces will be weakened.”**
At that moment, they would secure Skyle without any interference.
Then, they would approach the Rockdeer herd, which would have no means of escape, and with Fran leading the way, they would locate the blue-skinned specimen.
Finally, they would leave the canyon with Skyle in tow.
**“That’s the plan.”**
Ray spoke as if it were nothing, but in truth, it was far from a safe plan.
Given the nature of their opponents, there was no telling what unforeseen variables might arise.
Philip and Veronica were momentarily stunned, but they quickly regained their composure, recognizing that they had to grow accustomed to this.
Boldness and decisiveness.
The tendency to chase risk for the sake of efficiency.
Having spent a considerable amount of time with him, they had come to understand that these were fundamental aspects of the boy named Ray.
**“We’ll depart tomorrow at 1 PM.”**
It wasn’t set in stone.
But it might as well have been.
By now, Skyle would be meeting John at the hotel.
John would want to head out into the wilderness as soon as possible to verify the truth behind the photograph.
Judging by the emotions he had displayed during their first meeting, when reminiscing about the past, and the intensity of those emotions.
**“I think it’s best for you two to stay in the sector. I won’t be participating in the battle, but there’s no telling what might happen. There may be a situation where I can’t protect you.”**
Philip fell into deep thought.
Then, he nodded and replied.
**“You’re right. I want to help, but I don’t have any combat abilities. I’d likely be a burden. Staying in the sector and continuing to gather information would be more beneficial for the group as a whole.”**
Veronica’s response was different from Philip’s.
**“I want to go with you.”**
Her emotions were undeniably pure white with concern.
Her **Parameter Level 4 ‘Dazzling’**—just before the appearance of the White Sun.
**“It could be dangerous. You could die. And I might not be able to protect you.”**
**“That’s fine. If I die, I die.”**
**“You’re not afraid of dying?”**
**“Of course, I’m scared… No! No, I’m not! I’m incredibly brave!”**
Ray could tell from the emotions within her that Veronica had no intention of backing down easily.
He pondered for a moment.
*”She specializes in defensive magic, so she should be able to protect herself. But people are going to die all around us… Can she handle that mentally?”*
As he thought this, he was suddenly taken aback.
…Had he just worried about Veronica?
He wasn’t in a heightened emotional state, consciously drawing out emotions.
It made him question himself.
But the moment had been so fleeting that he couldn’t be certain whether he had truly felt concern.
Regardless, after organizing his thoughts, he answered.
**“Alright. You can come.”**
**“Okay!”**
Only then did Veronica’s face show relief.
—
—
–
**“As planned, we depart tomorrow at 1 PM. That old man flipped the moment he saw the photo.”**
Skyle arrived at the inn with a triumphant grin.
**“He wanted to leave immediately, but I was the one who held him back. I told him the wilderness is dangerous after dark.”**
Then, he praised his own eloquence.
**“Exploiting the emotions of the old and feeble is easier than flipping my palm.”**
Ray half-listened to Skyle’s words, focusing instead on his task.
Replenishing the dwindling golden mana inside Skyle’s vessel.
Like inflating a deflated tire with air.
**“Tomorrow. Just one more day. By this time tomorrow, a fortune will be in our hands.”**
Skyle’s eyes gleamed as brightly as the mana filling his vessel.
And shortly after Skyle left—
**Knock, knock.**
Another visitor arrived at Room 203.
*Creak—*
When Ray opened the door, he was met with one of John’s guards.
**“The representative would like to meet with you, Mage.”**
