Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 73

 

# 073. The Young Man Who Offers Respect (4)

 

 

 

 

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**Hotel Gallot, Room 207.**

The bodyguards nodded slightly when they saw Ray enter, following the guidance.

“Greetings, Mage.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mage.”

Their demeanor was extremely polite.

None of them dared to act arrogantly or disrespectfully, knowing that their guest was a mage.

Ray gave a slight nod in return while unconsciously searching for someone.

‘Michael.’

For some reason, he was nowhere to be seen among the bodyguards.

A knock sounded from the inner room.

**Knock, knock—**

“Sir, the mage has arrived.”

—Let him in.

**Creak—**

The door opened, revealing the interior.

A luxurious carpet, leather sofas.

A table with an antique feel.

Behind it, in the kitchen area, John was dressed in a robe, brewing tea in a teapot.

“Well, I’ll take my leave….”

The bodyguard gave a polite nod toward John’s back before closing the door and disappearing.

**Creak— Click.**

Now, only the two of them remained in the room.

“Go ahead and sit.”

John returned with a steaming teapot and teacups.

“Thank you for coming at this late hour. I know it’s somewhat discourteous of me, but the matter is urgent.”

His usual gentle smile.

Ray quietly sat across from him.

“How is the search going? Skyle mentioned that your tracking magic has been a great help in pursuing Rockdeer.”

John made small talk while the tea steeped—asking about the search progress, trivial matters, the weather, and even questions about magic.

“I think it’s ready now.”

**Pour—**

Only Ray’s cup was filled.

“This is Lapina, a specialty of Sector 33. It helps relax the muscles and is good for calming the mind. Go ahead and drink. The night air has grown quite chilly, hasn’t it? It should help warm you up.”

The comforting scent of tea spread through the room.

However, it did nothing to stir Ray’s emotions.

He felt no interest in taste or aroma.

“……”

Ray, who had been staring at the teacup, shifted his gaze to John’s “vessel.”

A chaotic blend of emotions layered over one another in a disorderly fashion.

It was difficult to discern any specific feelings.

However, one emotion at the core shone unmistakably bright.

That emotion was—

**Gold.**

Since arriving in Sector 48, this was the largest greed he had encountered.

Around the golden mana, countless other desires clung like a swarm.

‘Just like our first meeting.’

It was nothing new.

The only difference this time was that, alongside greed, other emotions were fluctuating more strongly.

Anxiety, excitement, anticipation, restlessness.

John’s current feelings.

Ray assessed the situation.

It was a typical combination of emotions found in someone attempting deception.

A cup already poured for the guest.

John repeatedly glancing at Ray’s cup.

Circling around the main topic, as if waiting for the right moment.

“……”

He was waiting for Ray to drink the tea.

Under the bright indoor lighting, something he couldn’t hide surfaced—**malice.**

It was not an unfamiliar trick.

One of the most common methods in the underworld was drugging food or drink.

**Clink.**

Ray raised the cup to his lips.

As expected, John’s anticipation swelled.

‘As I thought. He wants me to drink this.’

**Clink.**

**Sip. Gulp.**

Ray only mimicked drinking, setting the cup down afterward.

The tea had never touched his lips.

John’s “vessel” reflected confusion and doubt.

He couldn’t be sure if Ray had actually consumed the tea.

“May I ask why you called for me?”

“Oh! Right, I should get to the point. I thought it was only fair to discuss your payment. It wouldn’t be right to receive the help of a skilled mage for nothing, would it?”

John brought up money.

“So, how much do you want? Do you have a set price in mind?”

His questions were persistent and detailed.

Rather than genuinely negotiating payment, it felt like he was probing to see how greedy Ray was.

“As a capable mage, I imagine you wouldn’t settle for a low fee.”

“……”

What was his true intent?

Why was he trying to drug him?

For now, Ray decided to play along.

“The more, the better.”

“Haha! A wise answer. Yes, the more money, the better. After all, there’s nothing in this world money can’t solve.”

John laughed heartily, and his golden mana swelled.

Though the conversation continued, he still refrained from revealing his true intentions.

Each time Ray touched the teacup, John’s anticipation would rise and fall.

It was then that Ray used telekinesis to knock the wall clock off the wall.

**Thud!**

“Hm? Oh dear, the clock suddenly….”

While John turned around to rehang the clock, Ray picked up the cup and poured the tea inside his coat.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he placed the cup back and adjusted his coat.

When John returned and saw the half-empty cup, he flinched.

But soon, a faint smile formed on his lips as he resumed the conversation.

After enough time had passed for the tea to take effect, John finally spoke.

“I have a proposal for you.”

At that moment, Ray sent golden mana toward John’s vessel.

—

“Once a dog has served its purpose, it’s best to discard it. Keeping it around would only be a waste of money.”

John’s intent was simple.

The moment they found their target, **Skyle’s usefulness ended.**

He planned to massacre **Skyle’s mercenary corps** in the wasteland.

“The place Skyle suggested yesterday to corner Rockdeer is perfect for my plans. He practically dug his own grave.”

Not only to avoid paying the remaining balance.

But also—to **steal back the initial down payment** and **loot the entire mercenary corps’ assets.**

He had already known that Skyle had been neglecting the job, wasting time on hunting.

“I honestly didn’t expect them to actually find the ‘Blue Jeweled’ Rockdeer. I wasn’t counting on it.”

**The Blue Jeweled, Rockdeer.**

One of the many desires clinging to John’s golden mana stirred.

**The desire for possession.**

A **lust for ownership.**

“Don’t you already have plenty of money? Why go to such lengths to amass more?”

“Hm? Didn’t you say it yourself earlier? ‘The more, the better.’ Well, you’re still young—you probably don’t fully understand money yet.”

John stared at Ray as if convincing himself.

Then, he launched into a lengthy speech about why money was the most important thing in life.

“……”

But, just like with Skyle, it didn’t resonate with Ray at all.

John saw money not as a means, but an end.

Ray, uninterested, cut him off.

“So, if you assist, the battle will be much easier—”

“Wouldn’t it be easy even without me? Michael seems like a skilled mage as well.”

John abruptly stopped speaking.

He briefly hardened his expression but soon let out a hollow laugh and resumed their interrupted conversation.

“Michael is a man of firm convictions. Like bamboo—he may bend but never breaks. He always strives to be fair and just. And, being young, he’s full of passion.”

Michael was unaware of the operation scheduled for tomorrow.

“If I had told him, he would have certainly opposed it. No, before that, he would have been deeply shocked that I even made such a proposal. He sees me only as a good person.”

John continued in a detached tone.

“Of course, I wasn’t always like this either. I once put in great effort to make the world a better place. But I realized that my strength alone wasn’t enough. As I got older, I grew weary.”

Donations, charity events, free distributions.

What had started with good intentions eventually turned into tools strictly for corporate gain.

Donations were used for money laundering.
Charity events served to improve corporate image.
And free distributions were a means to test borderline-quality water sources on the lower class.

“As people age, they inevitably become more unscrupulous. Call it self-compromise if you will. At some point, I expected Michael to reach that stage too. But he never did.”

John wanted Michael to handle certain tasks that couldn’t be done in the open.

Assassinating competitors, infiltrating rival corporations—
Various other illegal activities.

“If Michael had been even slightly more pragmatic, perhaps Kernel Water’s bankruptcy could have been delayed by a few years.”

Even in Sector 48, Michael remained unchanged.

“I had a sliver of hope, but he was exactly as expected. After sending him into battle tomorrow, I plan to fire him.”

John believed in Michael’s skills.
But he wanted insurance.
In a sudden, forced battle, there was a chance Michael wouldn’t be able to perform at his best.

“So that insurance is me.”

“That’s right. Precisely.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Even if I promise you an enormous reward? How much do you want? My assets are in the billions—”

“You don’t have that kind of money.”

Ray suddenly dropped the formal speech.

John’s eyebrow twitched.

“What did you just say?”

“I said you don’t have that kind of money.”

“What nonsense—!”

“You don’t have the money. That’s why you’re resorting to robbing a mercenary group.”

John’s face flushed red as if it were about to burst.

He jumped up from his seat and let out a boisterous laugh, as if he had just heard the most amusing joke in the world.

“Ha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”

Then, just as abruptly, he stopped laughing and glared at Ray.

“I treated you with respect because of your skills, but you’re just a rude brat. Do you really think you can refuse my offer? Hm? You’d be surprised if you knew what you just drank.”

As John finally revealed his true colors in anger, Ray thought:

You should have done this from the start.

“…You didn’t put something in my tea, did you?”

“That’s right. A lethal poison. If you don’t take the antidote at regular intervals, your heart will paralyze, and you’ll die. Ever heard of Tikaiosin? Now, do you finally understand the situation?”

Ray’s acting was abysmal.
It was as if he was merely reading lines from a script.

Fortunately, John was so agitated that he failed to notice anything strange.

“This is an extremely rare poison—you’ll never find an antidote in such a remote sector. And I’m the only one who knows where it’s kept.”

The way he spoke, full of arrogance and menace—

‘Poison, huh.’

Ray debated whether to continue playing along.

Provoking John had been intentional.
Unchecked malice could surface at unexpected moments and interfere with plans.

But John’s malice had missed its mark.

Ray had never consumed the poison, so his plans remained entirely intact.

The only difference now was that John had revealed his hostility first, giving Ray a justified reason for retaliation.

‘Skyle wanted to take John’s Ignis Card, right?’

John’s emotions had wavered significantly when the topic of wealth came up.
A telltale sign of deception.

Maintaining a private security force meant he wasn’t completely broke, but there was no way his wealth amounted to billions.

Still, he likely had a considerable fortune.

‘Securing it could be useful.’

That was Ray’s conclusion.

*

“Alright. See you tomorrow then. The antidote is in my hands, so don’t even think about running.”

With a deep smirk on his face, John watched as Ray gave him a slight nod and stepped into the hallway.

Creak— Thud.

The sound of the door to Room 207 closing echoed behind him.

Ray replayed his conversation with John in his mind.

「…I’ll initiate the attack at my signal. It would be best to begin when my magic is ready.」

「Now you finally understand your position. That’s not a problem. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure all the guards are informed properly.」

‘Interesting.’

Ray found the situation amusing.

Strictly speaking, he had no major role in the conflict between John and Skyle.

They had approached him first with their proposals.
All Ray had done was slightly stoke the desires they already harbored.

Now, without any external interference, they were instinctively turning their blades on each other.

And both of them wanted him on their side.

Skyle sought to recruit him into the mercenary group.
John wanted him to replace Michael as his loyal hound.

‘…Neither of them will get what they want.’

Ray snapped out of his thoughts.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

As he made his way toward the stairs, he suddenly sensed movement from a terrace connected to the hallway.

It was Michael.

Leaning against the railing, he gazed out at the darkened streets, his mind swirling with a mix of emotions.

He wasn’t in his room—he had been here all along.

Activating his concealment magic, Ray changed course toward the terrace.

As he approached Michael’s side, he spoke.

“See something out there?”

“—Whoa, you scared me!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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