Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 83

#083. Confession (1)

 

 

 

—

“I won’t tell you that.”

Curiosa momentarily doubted her own ears.

“…I answered all of your questions, though?”

“That was your choice. I never promised to answer every question. Try a different one.”

A long silence followed.

Realizing the meaning behind those words, Curiosa erupted in a fit of rage.

“You little bastard──!! That wasn’t part of the deal──!!”

A sharp gust of wind swept through.

Twisted scraps of metal and dust swirled around, while an overwhelming, suffocating killing intent consumed the surroundings in an instant.

Shielding both Veronica and himself with a protective barrier, Ray continued in a calm voice.

“There was no such rule, but there wasn’t one that said all questions would be answered either.”

“Are you mocking me? If you don’t answer right now, I’ll kill you on the spot.”

“And with that, our question exchange is over. I have nothing left that I want to ask.”

Ray’s statement was deliberate.

The more their curiosity was satisfied, the more disadvantageous it became for them.

The only reason Curiosa hadn’t attacked yet was an uncontrollable curiosity.

‘Once that curiosity is resolved, I have no idea how Curiosa will react.’

Leaving some of the opponent’s questions unanswered—
It was a form of safety measure.

Truthfully, Ray still had many things he was curious about, but through previous questions, he had already obtained the most crucial information.

Crackle! Crackle-crackle!

The space around them twisted with an eerie sound, as if the scenery itself were being torn apart.

“You arrogant little rat. You’ve crossed the line. I’ll rip you to shreds.”

A lie.

You can’t kill me.

**「How do you manipulate emotions?」**

Because the anger contained within you still hasn’t surpassed your curiosity about that final question.

That was when Veronica suddenly intervened.

“W-we have to leave the most important curiosity unanswered! That way, you’ll always have something to look forward to! I-I always save the strawberry for last when I eat strawberry cake!”

Both pairs of eyes turned toward Veronica at the same time.

‘That little girl…’

‘Lie. I saw her eat it first last time.’

Veronica’s intervention was unexpected, but it worked.

The wind died down, and the distorted scenery gradually returned to normal.

“…I hadn’t considered that perspective. Hmmm… that actually makes sense.”

After muttering to himself for a while, Curiosa turned to Ray and said,

“White little one, I’ll be watching. As the red little one suggested, I’ll leave my greatest pleasure for later.”

Curiosa’s flickering body vanished into a single point in the air.

Thud!

As the tension eased, Veronica collapsed onto the ground.

“Haa… haa… I thought I was gonna die.”

While Veronica caught her breath, Ray fell into thought.

‘…How to manipulate emotions.’

It was a question even he didn’t know the answer to.

Imbuing emotions was something he had always done purely by instinct and intuition.

There was no theory behind it.

He couldn’t teach it to others.

Still dazed, Veronica asked,

“Is this okay? In the end, you didn’t answer the question Curiosa was most curious about.”

“That’s exactly why I didn’t answer. Because it was the most important question.”

Curiosa had vanished after saying he would be watching.

This certainly wasn’t the last time they would meet.

That unanswered question could serve as bait to extract more information in future encounters or be used in other ways.

Of course, since Curiosa’s true intentions remained unknown, it was also possible they would end up being the ones exploited instead.

Sorting through his thoughts, Ray helped Veronica to her feet and said,

“For now, let’s clean up and head back to the inn. We should rest and then discuss our next steps with Philip.”

“Okay. Honestly, I was on the verge of passing out the whole time. Somehow, I held on, hehe.”

The heavy shadows under Veronica’s eyes—

It was to be expected.

The relentless danger had drained both her stamina and mental strength to their limits.

‘She was maintaining a barrier throughout the entire fight.’

That was why they had managed to get through the battle without sustaining major injuries.

Without her, they would have had to endure significant damage.

“Everything’s loaded up.”

“Get in. We’re heading out now.”

“Okay!”

After loading the spoils onto the vehicle, the two climbed in and drove off.

As they passed the entrance—

“Ray! Look over there!”

Veronica pointed outside the window.

On top of the canyon, dozens of Rockdeers were gathered, staring down at them.

“Look! Look! Fran’s there too!”

Excited, Veronica patted Ray’s shoulder enthusiastically.

“Veronica, don’t hit the driver.”

“Fran! You didn’t leave yet!”

“Veronica, my shoulder hurts.”

“Fran! I’m here! Over here!”

“Veronica, my shoulder really hurts.”

Weren’t you about to pass out just a moment ago?

Where is all this energy coming from?

Setting his minor confusion aside, Ray followed her gaze.

Atop the canyon, his eyes met those of Fran’s mother.

Even from a distance, he could tell she was looking directly at them.

She blinked.

As if expressing gratitude for taking care of Fran, she blinked several times.

After that, she disappeared with her herd, and nothing remained atop the canyon.

The vehicle continued forward.

The winding roads of the canyon soon gave way to an open landscape.

Vroooom—!

The car sped across the wasteland.

The sky was at its brightest.

The sun was still scorching.

“So, about last time…”

As she chattered on about Fran, Veronica’s words gradually became fewer, likely from fatigue.

Just as the silhouette of the sector appeared in the distance, she hesitated before asking in a quiet voice,

“Ray, I have a question. Can I ask?”

Ray gave a small nod.

Even with permission, Veronica hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.

“Earlier… what did you mean by ‘manipulating emotions’?”

“…….”

Ray realized it was about time to reveal the truth.

It wasn’t something he had intentionally hidden, but he also hadn’t gone out of his way to explain it.

Unknowingly, his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

The accelerator pressed deeper, and the vehicle picked up speed toward the sector.

***

“See you later, Ray.”

Click.

Exactly five seconds after the door closed—

Snore— Snore—

Soft snores came from inside.

She must have fallen asleep the moment she hit the bed, not even taking time to wash up.

‘I should let her sleep.’

It was currently 4:14 PM.

There was still time before Philip returned from his investigation.

Turning away from the door, Ray walked down the hallway at a slow pace.

In truth, his own condition wasn’t much better than Veronica’s.

His mind was hazy.

His eyelids drooped.

His body, having endured intense strain, ached all over.

Creak— Creeeak—

Like the old wooden planks beneath his feet, groaning under each step.

‘…A side effect. I pushed far beyond my limits when using summoning magic.’

Ray recalled the moment he had controlled over a hundred Rockdeers.

A moment of pure instinct, beyond memory or reason.

Something that couldn’t be replicated now that his mana flow had returned to normal.

‘It was only possible because my mana circuit had rapidly charged.’

With that thought, Ray focused on the newly formed circle inside him.

Above the first , the second circle.

Various shades of mana, including the signature violet, flowed through it.

But—

‘It only holds half the mana of the first circle.’

The second circle was incomplete.

The intensity of its light was weak, and the barrier preventing mana from leaking was thin.

It felt like a building with only its framework in place.

While it functioned as a circle for refining and storing mana, its efficiency was drastically lower compared to the fully formed first circle.

**‘An unfinished circle.’**

Even Graham had never mentioned anything like this.

All he had ever said was that when a moment of true enlightenment came, one could confidently step into the next circle.

**‘…Maybe it’s because my realization was vague.’**

He had indeed drawn out a certain emotion from his past memories.

Its color was vivid and radiant, yet he was still unsure of its true nature.

“…….”

Ray clenched and unclenched his hand, watching the violet mana flicker in his palm.

He needed a deeper realization.

A moment of enlightenment that would allow him to be certain—certain that this emotion was, without a doubt, **reverence.**

**‘…And there’s another change, aside from the second circle appearing.’**

The composition of the mana stored in the circles had been rearranged.

Previously, the three dominant colors were **red, white, and pale pink.**

Now, **violet mana** had joined them.

These four colors accounted for more than half of the entire circle’s capacity, while the rest was filled with other mana types.

The primary elements comprising violet mana were **control, manipulation, connection, and assimilation.**

**‘It seems like it could be used for more than just summoning magic.’**

Just as he was thinking about asking Veronica once she woke up—

*Tap.*

Ray found himself standing in front of his room.

*Creak—*

He stepped inside and shut the door.

Shedding his coat, he lay down on the bed.

There was a lot to do when he thought about their plans moving forward.

He wanted to immediately invest his time in something productive, but the extreme fatigue weighing down his body left him with no choice.

He had to sleep.

*Just ten minutes.*

No more, no less—just ten minutes.

That was what he thought as he closed his eyes.

How much time had passed?

*Knock— knock-knock— knock-knock.*

A rhythmic knock echoed.

When he opened his eyes, the clock read **7:26 PM.**

“……”

What?

Magic?

For a moment, he doubted the situation.

But as his mind cleared, he realized he must have slept for over **three hours.**

Getting up, he opened the door.

“You were still sleeping? Ah, you’re up!”

Veronica stood outside.

Her clothes were neat as if she had just taken a shower, and her red hair was still damp.

“Philip’s downstairs. It’s also dinner time.”

Ray followed Veronica down to the first floor of the inn.

Through the window, he could see Philip standing with the five gang leaders.

Philip’s lips moved as if he was giving instructions.

*Creeeak—*

“—What is this? I checked myself, and the information was fake. I told you to gather intel, not fabricate it. If you keep working like this, don’t expect any rewards. Understood?”

As the door opened, Philip’s voice became clear.

The five gang leaders standing before him all had expressions of discontent.

They had scoured the sector, sweating bullets, chasing after three keywords—**Black Rain, Rainbow, and a brown-haired woman with a small scar on her neck.**

Yet, they had found nothing of real value.

Still, the **100,000 shilling** reward was too tempting to give up… no, returning empty-handed and disappointing their client was not an option.

So, they had exercised **creative generosity** and **made up** some information themselves.

*‘Damn it. Who would’ve thought he’d see through everything at once?’*

*‘I thought we fabricated it pretty well…’*

*‘Does he have someone tailing us in secret?’*

The heartfelt deception of the street kids was mercilessly exposed.

*‘Damn, his intuition is sharp.’*

*‘Heartless bastard. Do you know how much effort we put into piecing that together?’*

Adding to their confusion, Philip’s attitude had become **much more aggressive** since yesterday morning.

*”Let me make this clear—if you try reporting fake intel again, I’ll terminate our contract. From that moment on, no matter what you do, you won’t get a single shilling from me.”*

Being **strictly supervised** and **harshly scolded** by someone **smaller and weaker** than them was causing **cognitive dissonance** in the gang leaders.

But as time passed, their confusion faded, and other thoughts began creeping in.

*”Should we just flip the table?”*

*”If I release the seal on the Black Dragon sleeping in my left arm, I could slaughter everyone here.”*

*”I think we need to establish who’s really in charge.”*

As they exchanged glances and read each other’s signals—

“……!”

“……!”

Their eyes met **Ray’s.**

“H-Hey. Look over there….”

The gang leaders **elbowed** each other, subtly pointing toward Ray.

The **anger** and **resentment** that had begun to bloom in their minds immediately **vanished.**

“Oh, Ray! You’re back already?”

“Yeah. I got back three hours ago.”

Ray walked up to Philip and cast a single glance at the gang leaders.

His eyes said it all.

**—You’d better behave.**

And within that look was an unspoken message:

*”Unless you want to get personally acquainted with my fists.”*

As soon as their eyes met his, the gang leaders hurriedly **averted their gazes.**

After listening to Philip relay a few more instructions, the gang leaders **bowed deeply** and quickly excused themselves with exaggerated politeness.

“Have a wonderful evening, sir!”

“We’ll report back first thing in the morning!”

The group returned to the inn.

The **first floor** had a **small dining area** where simple meals were sold.

After placing their orders, they settled at a table in the corner.

The hall was empty—there were **no other guests,** making the room eerily silent.

*Clatter.*

“Here’s your order.”

After the server placed their meals on the table and left, Philip picked up his fork and asked,

“So, how did the investigation outside the sector go? Did everything go according to plan? I’ve been dying to know all day.”

At his words, **Veronica’s eyes sparkled** with anticipation as she looked at Ray.

“…….”

Ray remained silent for a moment.

Why did it feel like his breath was trembling?

“Before that, there’s something I need to say first.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Ray exhaled.

“I can see people’s emotions.”