Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 77

# Chapter 077: The Vortex of Desire (3)

 

 

 

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I want to tear it down.

All of Michael’s respect.

That thought stemmed from a complex mix of emotions.

An intellectual curiosity—having built up emotions before, now he wanted to experience breaking them down.

A devilish impulse, like a child wanting to knock over a carefully built sandcastle.

And an unconscious jealousy of something he himself could never have.

All of these feelings intertwined, compelling the boy to suddenly blurt out a single sentence.

“Do you know who’s responsible for everything happening right now?”

Michael’s pupils wavered at Ray’s words.

He, too, had considered that John might be one of the causes of this situation.

The mention of an antidote in their conversation.

John’s uncharacteristic tone and behavior.

It was clear that John had kept something from him.

And it was likely something highly negative.

The trembling of John’s body behind him only reinforced that certainty.

“……”

Michael bit his lip, trying to ignore his ominous premonition.

“Last night, John called me to the hotel and made a proposal.”

“…If you refuse to let me into the protection barrier, I will have no choice but to use force.”

No, that couldn’t be true.

“He suggested eliminating the mercenary group that had outlived its usefulness. Then, he wanted to seize their assets, including their advance payment.”

“I will use all my power to attack your protection, Sir Ray.”

There was no way the President would make such a proposal.

“And then he put poison in the tea…”

“D-Don’t listen! T-That demon is lying about everything!”

John, who had been slumped against Michael’s back, suddenly jerked his head up, trembling violently as he shouted.

“M-Michael! You don’t believe that, d-do you?!”

His vessel overflowed with anxiety and desperation.

Michael was the only one who could help him in this situation.

Fortunately for John, Michael’s response brought him some relief.

“I know. The President isn’t someone who would do such a thing.”

“Y-Yes! That’s right! Everything happening now is all because of that d-demon—”

Under Ray’s gaze, John abruptly cut himself off and quickly lowered his head.

“Because of me.”

The boy tilted his head.

“I’m not sure about that.”

He didn’t quite understand.

The ones who had first proposed killing and looting were John and Skyle.

All he had done was fan their desires, directing their hostility more clearly toward their targets.

But even if he hadn’t, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.

John and Skyle’s desires and hostility had already long crossed the line.

“The result would have been the same even without me.”

The boy’s usual expressionless face.

Michael bit his lip hard.

Boom! Kraaang!

A steel-covered beak and claws crashed down on the barrier surrounding Ray and the vehicle.

The sheer destructive power caused cracks to rapidly spread across the barrier’s surface.

However, its recovery rate was just as formidable.

Inside the vehicle, Veronica was pouring all her mana into maintaining the barrier.

Ray’s gaze shifted from John to Michael.

“Skyle made a similar proposal. He wanted to lure John out and steal his fortune. Of course, his claim about finding the targeted Rockdeer was a lie.”

“……”

Michael remained silent.

With a hardened expression, he focused on commanding his familiars to attack the barrier, as if trying to deny Ray’s words.

Boom! Crash!

But Veronica’s barrier stood firm.

Kraaang—!

Instead, it was Michael’s own protection that was showing signs of wear.

Because of the Rockdeers relentlessly ramming from all directions.

Kraaang──!

The collisions and tremors intensified.

The three hawks attacking Veronica’s barrier grew even fiercer and more violent.

As if reflecting their master’s growing anxiety and unease.

Ray continued speaking while observing Michael’s emotions.

“Donations and charity events? They were just tax evasion schemes and product testing opportunities.”

“……”

Boom! Crash!

“You never had any suspicions? If you want, I can let you hear John’s words through a recording.”

“……”

Despite everything, the size of Michael’s mass of violet mana—his respect—remained unnervingly constant.

Like a rock, unmoved by any external force.

Though it wavered slightly, the magnitude of its tremors was minimal.

Diminishing Michael’s respect for John wouldn’t be easy.

Ray decided to prioritize a more pressing matter first.

“It’s fascinating, really. Even in this situation, your trust and respect for John remain unwavering. Fine. I’ll let you in.”

Michael’s eyes widened.

At the same time, the attacks from his familiars ceased.

“Th-Thank you…! Then…!”

“But I have a condition.”

Ray turned away from Michael and addressed John instead.

“John, hand over your Ignis card.”

John’s body flinched.

With his face buried against Michael’s back, he shrieked in protest.

“T-That’s r-ridiculous…! Do you know how much I suffered to gather that m-money…?!”

“You always said money was everything, didn’t you? That there was nothing it couldn’t solve. Well, it still applies. Pay up, and I’ll let you in.”

Disappointment flashed across Michael’s face.

“Sir Ray, is your goal no different from Skyle’s? Making such an unfair and excessive demand of someone in distress—”

“Unfair? Like how John tried to poison me?”

“……”

“He wanted to enslave me with poison. This is just an appropriate price to pay, don’t you think?”

Michael had no rebuttal.

Realizing Ray wouldn’t retract the demand, he urgently whispered to John.

“President, you must hand over the card. Otherwise, we won’t make it through this. If we don’t treat your injuries soon, your life will be in real danger.”

“N-No. I-I can’t…”

“I will find a way to recover the card later.”

John seemed utterly distraught.

His body shivered non-stop, both from blood loss and sheer anxiety.

His pupils kept losing focus.

But perhaps he understood Michael’s last words, as he weakly nodded.

Michael gently lowered John from his back.

Rustle.

He retrieved the card from John’s coat, stood up, and spoke.

“I will hand over the card. Please disable the barrier’s restrictions for a moment.”

Ray glanced at the vehicle.

Through the windshield, his eyes met Veronica’s.

She nodded, and the composition of the elemental barrier momentarily shifted.

Swish—

The card Michael threw passed through the barrier and landed in Ray’s hand.

“Now, please let us in—”

“The password.”

“…What?”

“The card’s password.”

Michael clenched his jaw.

Anger welled up inside him, but they were the ones in need.

“…President, the password…”

At Michael’s urging, John whispered the numbers.

Michael relayed them to Ray.

“Here it is. Now—”

“Incredible. Most people would choose their lives over money.”

Ray wasn’t looking at Michael.

He was staring intently at the collapsed John.

“What do you mean—”

“The password you just gave me—it’s incorrect.”

“T-That can’t be.”

“Think what you want. But you won’t be allowed in until I get the real password.”

Michael turned sharply toward John.

At that moment, a Rockdeer charged toward their position.

Kraaang──!

“Hiik!”

John cowered, his voice breaking in terror.

He screamed the real password.

This time, Ray confirmed there were no signs of deception.

“Veronica, let them in.”

The white glow of the barrier dimmed.

The moment Michael hurriedly lifted John into his arms and stepped inside Veronica’s barrier—

**Boom—! Crash—!**

A chilling sound of the barrier shattering into pieces echoed from behind.

He turned around.

The Rockdeers had reached the spot where Michael and John had been, furiously stomping the ground.

A vicious and violent force.

Had they been even slightly late in escaping, their bodies would have been crushed under the Rockdeers’ stone-like frames.

“…Thank you for allowing us inside.”

After offering a brief word of gratitude, Michael quickly laid John down on the ground, helping him assume the most stable posture possible.

“D-damn it, y-you’re so u-useless… P-please, d-do something about this w-wound… Ughhh.”

“…I’m sorry. Please endure it a little longer.”

Michael stood up and spoke.

“Sir Ray, if there’s a first aid kit in the vehicle, may I borrow it? I need painkillers, disinfectant, and antibiotics… No, if you can use healing magic—”

But Ray wasn’t really listening to Michael.

His thoughts were occupied as he observed Michael’s unchanged deep purple mana.

‘There are similar shades of mana around him, supporting him like pillars… Is that why his sense of honor remains unshaken? That’s loyalty, bonds… and faith, as well as…’

As Ray tilted his head in thought—

**Screech—**

A sound came from the vehicle.

Turning his head, he saw Veronica stepping out of the car.

The emotions she carried were clear—concern.

Ray watched the movement of her white mana for a moment before realizing why she had come outside.

‘…She wants to use healing magic on John.’

Ray already had a general grasp of the kind of person Veronica was.

Timid and shy.

But also unable to hide her concern and care for others.

Even if the person before her was an enemy, she couldn’t just stand by and watch someone suffer from injuries.

She was looking toward him now, most likely seeking his permission.

‘Healing John, huh…’

Ray recalled Skyle’s words.

*”Withdrawing money from an account requires several steps. But with the right broker, that’s all manageable. The most important things are the card itself and the PIN.”*

They had already obtained the card and PIN. There was no more reason to keep John alive.

Letting him live.

Letting him die.

If he had to choose, the latter was the more logical option.

If John survived, he might take countermeasures regarding the account.

‘He showed hostility first.’

He tried to poison his tea and shackle him.

So retaliating by ensuring his death wasn’t unreasonable.

In fact, they weren’t even directly killing him—just leaving him be.

Ray had just made up his mind and was about to convey his thoughts to Veronica when—

**“Th-that thing! That thing!”**

John’s eyes widened in shock as he pointed a trembling finger at Veronica.

“Th-there you are! Right there!”

To be precise, he was pointing at something in Veronica’s arms—

A young Rockdeer, peeking out from its cracked shell with a soft blue glow emanating from its skin.

**Smack!**

John, who had just been groaning in pain on the ground, suddenly leaped to his feet and charged toward Veronica with astonishing speed.

**“Kyaaah!”**

**“S-Sir!”**

Michael hurried to intercept him, but he was too slow.

**“G-give it to me! Hand it over!”**

John closed the distance in an instant and reached for Veronica.

‘H-how…?’

Veronica’s face turned pale.

His eyes burned with greed and madness.

His rough, malicious movements.

The old man’s sheer presence was enough to strike fear into the young girl, freezing her in place.

She had no means to protect herself—her focus had been on maintaining the barrier, leaving her unable to cast another spell in time.

Veronica clutched the young Rockdeer tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

And then—

Nothing happened.

Seconds passed.

**“Eek! Eeeek!”**

Hearing the strange noise, she opened her eyes.

John stood frozen in place, his arms raised, as if invisible hands had seized his wrists and ankles, rendering him immobile.

**Whooosh—!**

It was the wind.

A violent gust surrounded him, pinning him in place.

‘Ray’s… magic.’

It wasn’t hard to deduce.

It wasn’t a natural wind, and she had received aid from Ray’s magic in a similar way before.

Veronica released some of her mana from her circle, reinforcing Ray’s spell.

**“G-give it to me! If—if I have that thing—I can—revive my—my company!”**

John spat out his words frantically, thrashing against the invisible restraints.

“I’ll make it spew water—! I—I’ll recreate the Oasis—! If I can just do that—! I can reclaim my past glory—!”

The desperate strength he exerted was like the last flicker of a dying flame—intense and frantic, yet ultimately powerless against magic.

But it was enough to be a threat.

**Squeak—**

The small creature in Veronica’s arms trembled, sensing the danger.

**“Ah!”**

**Thud!**

The young Rockdeer slipped from Veronica’s grasp and landed on the ground.

Then, it started running.

Away from John.

Straight toward the outside of the barrier, where humans and Rockdeers were still battling.

**Whooosh—!**

Ray tried to restrain it with wind magic, but a wild animal’s movements were unpredictable, making it difficult to catch.

And the barrier’s edge was too close.

In an instant, the young Rockdeer crossed the boundary of the barrier.

And at the same time, another movement followed.

**“M-my treasure! My treasure!”**

The diminishing wind allowed John to break free.

He stumbled forward, chasing the small creature in a frenzy.

A move no one had expected.

**“Come back hereeee—!”**

Before anyone could react, John crossed the barrier.

Exposing himself to the open danger beyond.

**BANG—!**

A single gunshot rang out, echoing across the canyon.

 

 

 

 

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