# 084. Confession (2)
—
Ray’s words—claiming he could see emotions.
A brief silence settled over the table.
“Uh… You can see emotions? What do you mean by that?”
“Ray, is that some kind of metaphor?”
As Philip and Veronica questioned him, Ray responded in a calm voice.
“I mean it literally. I can see other people’s emotions.”
Philip and Veronica tried to understand his words within the bounds of common sense.
But no matter how they thought about it, “emotion” and “seeing” were not words that could be linked together.
Just as they were about to ask again, Ray continued his explanation.
“Every mana has a color. I can see that color with my eyes.”
His gaze drifted into the air, as if he were seeing a multitude of colorful mana swirling around even now.
Then, his eyes shifted back toward Philip and Veronica’s chests—the area where their hearts were.
Veronica flinched and instinctively crossed her arms over her chest.
“That’s a bit too blatant….”
“Mana moves within the vessel near a person’s heart.”
Ignoring her reaction, Ray kept speaking.
“When people feel a certain emotion, a specific color of mana associated with that emotion moves. I can see that and know exactly what someone is feeling at that moment.”
Veronica asked, still skeptical.
“A vessel around the heart? Are you talking about the circle?”
“No. It’s different from a circle. The vessel isn’t wrapped around the heart but positioned separately beside it—like a second heart.”
Philip and Veronica were left speechless.
It was hard to believe.
But it was probably true.
They knew Ray wasn’t the type to joke or lie about something like this.
Not unless it was a special situation where he had to deceive an enemy.
‘Mana has color…?’
Veronica was particularly shaken.
Even though she hadn’t been in the world of magic for long, Ray’s words completely overturned a belief she had always taken for granted.
The common understanding among mages was that mana couldn’t be seen—only sensed.
“…….”
Moreover, she had noticed before that Ray sometimes stared at her chest area.
It was such a subtle action that no one would catch it unless they were paying close attention.
But Veronica had picked up on it ages ago.
‘Honestly… It made me really self-conscious.’
At first, she wondered if there was some special reason for it, but over time, she realized that didn’t seem to be the case.
She had assumed it was just one of Ray’s quirks.
Despite appearing emotionless, was he still just a normal boy for his age in that regard?
She had considered confronting him about it but was too embarrassed to bring it up.
‘But he was just checking my emotions this whole time…!’
A misunderstanding had been cleared up.
A small sense of relief filled her chest.
But then, another unfamiliar emotion crept in.
……?
What was this odd feeling?
Why did it feel like… betrayal?
While Veronica was lost in confusion, Philip continued his questions.
“So, does that mean you can see our emotions right now too?”
“Yes. Right now, the dominant mana in both of your vessels is a deep green. That color usually appears when someone is feeling flustered. And if I analyze Veronica’s emotions further… embarrassment, disappointment, mild resentment, slight sadness… and a little bit of betrayal—”
The more emotions he listed, the redder Veronica’s face became.
“S-Stop! Stop looking at me!”
Her face now burning, Veronica grabbed a menu and held it up like a shield.
As he stared at the picture of smoked turkey on the menu, Ray spoke.
“If you’re disappointed that I kept this a secret for so long, I apologize.”
“N-No, it’s not that….”
Philip, who had been sitting in a daze, finally gathered his thoughts and summarized what he had understood.
“I can’t believe it. Emotions have colors, and you can see them. Well, to be precise, it’s the mana that has color, right? And different emotions make different colors move.”
His ability to quickly accept, understand, and process the situation was remarkable.
Philip was already calculating the potential advantages of being able to read people’s emotions with such precision.
And just as the swirling emotions between Philip and Veronica were beginning to settle—
“And I can also control emotions.”
“Huh? What…?”
“You can… control emotions…?”
Their confusion was restored to its peak.
But this time, Ray chose action over words.
Snap!
With a flick of his fingers, he signaled a waiter who had been dozing off near the kitchen.
“Ah… Is there something you need?”
The waiter—a young man in his early twenties with a tired expression—approached them.
“I just realized I forgot to give you a tip earlier.”
Ray spoke as he pulled a few coins from his pocket and handed them over.
“Oh, thank you.”
It wasn’t a large sum, so the waiter’s reaction was indifferent.
But it was enough to create a trace of gratitude within his vessel.
‘Perfect.’
A faint orange mana emerged.
With that as a base, Ray manipulated the ambient mana, enhancing the orange mana and injecting a large amount into the waiter’s vessel.
Since the waiter’s vessel lacked a central star, the process was simple.
[Tl:- Here, Star represents conviction]
Vwoooom—
The injected mana fused with the existing orange mana, rapidly increasing its volume.
Philip and Veronica watched in disbelief as the waiter’s expression changed.
And then—
“T-Thank you! This is such a generous tip…!”
The waiter suddenly bowed repeatedly, overwhelmed with gratitude.
He rushed back to the kitchen and returned moments later, carrying a variety of additional drinks and dishes.
“This is on the house!”
“…….”
“And this too!”
“…….”
“And this as well—!”
“That’s enough. You don’t have to bring anything else.”
Before they knew it, a luxurious feast had been laid out on their table.
Only after Ray stopped him did the waiter reluctantly return to his post.
Watching him leave, Ray thought to himself,
‘He’s using his own money for this… I’ll have to repay him later.’
Turning to face the speechless Philip and Veronica, Ray continued.
“This is how it works. I can inject emotions into others. But there’s a condition—the vessel must already contain that emotion in some capacity.”
“…….”
“…….”
It was an unbelievable claim.
But seeing it unfold right before their eyes, they had no choice but to believe it.
“This is… really incredible. I can’t believe it.”
“…….”
While Philip voiced his amazement, Veronica remained silent.
Or rather, she had moved on from one shock to another.
‘Controlling emotions…?’
Her heart sank.
There was an emotion she always felt when looking at Ray.
An inexplicable pull that made her keep glancing at his face.
A lingering presence in her thoughts before bed.
A small ember smoldering quietly in the corner of her heart.
‘Could it be… all of that was something Ray implanted in me—?!’
“Of course, some people are immune to my influence. Like you two.”
“…….”
Veronica’s deep realization was cut off by Ray’s timely words.
‘Then what is it?’
It’s purely my own emotions.
Should I ask Ray what color this emotion is, or if it’s something he recognizes?
Veronica hesitated, then shook her head internally.
For some reason, she felt too embarrassed to voice such a question.
And then, realizing that this embarrassment might be visible in Ray’s eyes, she became embarrassed all over again.
An infinite loop of embarrassment.
“Uh… Veronica, are you okay? Your face is as red as an apple.”
“D-don’t mind me, just keep talking.”
Flustered by Philip’s concern, Veronica frantically fanned her face with her hands.
Philip, regaining his excitement, turned back to Ray and spoke.
“Anyway, this is really incredible. I can’t even imagine how many advantages this will bring us on our journey.”
“There’s one last thing I need to say.”
“Another one? What now?”
“I can’t feel emotions.”
A sudden silence fell over them.
Ray continued his explanation.
“To be precise, my emotional range is extremely narrow. You could even say I don’t feel anything at all. If I concentrate, I can strongly experience certain emotions—but only in that moment.”
He gave a few examples.
That he didn’t feel tension or fear in urgent situations.
That no matter how delicious a meal was, he didn’t experience any particular joy.
Listening to him, Philip and Veronica finally identified the source of the subtle unease they had always felt around Ray.
‘I see. So that’s why.’
‘I always thought Ray was a bit—no, a lot—unusual.’
In his reactions to external stimuli and his interactions with others, Ray had always displayed both the clumsiness of someone inexperienced and the composure of someone extremely seasoned.
At times, he acted like a newborn child encountering the world for the first time.
At other times, he moved with the calculated efficiency of a battle-worn mercenary.
Now, with everything he had just explained, it all made sense.
It was shocking, but they had already been surprised too many times that day to be overly shaken.
Philip asked,
“Since when has it been like that?”
“For as long as I can remember.”
“What emotions can you feel when you concentrate?”
“The easiest ones are anger and worry.”
“I see. Then—”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you scared that I don’t feel emotions? Or at least, doesn’t it bother you?”
A sudden question.
Philip paused to think.
‘Scared? No, not really. It doesn’t bother me either. It’s definitely unusual, but…’
Why was Ray asking this all of a sudden?
As Philip pondered the reason, he realized something.
‘A lot of people must have been afraid. Out of all the people he’s met.’
Philip could clearly picture the kind of life Ray must have led.
Someone who could read others’ emotions better than anyone, yet couldn’t feel them himself.
He must have lived in solitude.
He probably hadn’t been able to keep many people around him.
Philip was experienced enough in human relationships to understand that differences often led to discrimination rather than acceptance.
‘He’s afraid we’ll leave, so he’s testing us.’
When Philip glanced at Veronica, she seemed to be thinking the same thing.
And their guess was correct.
Deep in Ray’s subconscious, there was a fear that those who recognized his “difference” would eventually abandon him.
“No. I’m not scared. And it doesn’t bother me.”
“Why not? I have an ability that makes me different from everyone else.”
“Hmm… Because there’s no reason to be? It’s actually an incredible ability, but even without seeing mana, we still read other people’s emotions and influence them with our own, don’t we?”
At Philip’s glance, Veronica nodded in agreement.
“Yeah! I think so too.”
“Usually, people infer emotions through facial expressions or actions. And influencing emotions—”
Philip suddenly turned to Veronica with a deadly serious expression and voice.
“Veronica. From the moment I first saw you, I thought you were stunningly beautiful. No, not just beautiful—truly breathtaking.”
“Uh…?”
“No flower blooming in spring could ever match your vibrancy, and no masterpiece could ever inspire as much excitement as looking at you does.”
“……”
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Hmm… Hmmph.”
Veronica’s lips, which had been twitching slightly, curved into a delighted grin.
She knew it was just an act to demonstrate something to Ray.
But the magic of being called “beautiful” was not something she could resist.
“Really? You really think I’m that pretty?”
She reflexively asked, playing coy.
Her happiness didn’t last long.
“No. That was all a lie. You’re pretty, but not that much. Especially since your personality kinda—”
The smile vanished from Veronica’s face.
At the same time, a sudden gust of wind struck Philip’s side.
*Crash!*
“Gahhh!”
Philip toppled over along with his chair, clutching his side with a choked groan.
“Ugh… my ribs…”
“Oops. My hand slipped.”
“Ghk… What does slipping have to do with magic?”
“Hmph.”
Still, feeling a little guilty, Veronica quickly cast a healing spell on him.
As the pain subsided and his color returned, Philip sat back up, rubbing his side, and turned to Ray.
“Anyway, you get what I’m trying to say, right?”
“That you should never take back a compliment about Veronica’s looks?”
“Uh… That’s true, but. Didn’t you see how Veronica’s emotions changed with my words?”
“Oh.”
Ray suddenly understood Philip’s point.
“I did.”
“Right. Even through words and actions, you can influence others’ emotions. Like earlier, when the waiter got a tip from you—he must have felt at least a little gratitude.”
Philip continued, still massaging his side.
“So you don’t have to worry that we’ll be scared of your ability or feel weird about it. It’s just a different way of doing something normal. If anything, having a narrow emotional range might even be better than having an overwhelming one.”
Veronica nodded beside him.
“Yeah. I think so too. It’s a little embarrassing knowing my emotions are so easy to read, but it’s not scary or unpleasant.”
“……”
Ray was puzzled by their reactions.
‘…I thought they’d at least be a little, no, very uncomfortable.’
The swirling colors in their mana confirmed that they were being sincere.
Why? How?
He couldn’t easily accept their response.
No one his age had ever reacted this way after learning his secret.
“You’re really not scared? Not even a little bothered?”
Philip and Veronica looked at each other, then turned back to Ray and answered at the same time.
“Because we’re friends.”
“Yeah. Because we’re friends.”
Veronica added,
“I don’t know if you see me as a friend, but we should settle that right now. You do consider me a friend, right?”
*Friend.*
For a moment, Ray’s mind went blank.
*Friend…*
A word he had already defined long ago—yet now, it shone with an entirely new color.
“Hurry up and answer! Say it!”
Wearing a playful smile, Veronica reached out and moved Ray’s lips with her fingers.
She shaped his mouth into the words and spoke for him.
“Uh… Veronica is my friend… And I think… Veronica is… the prettiest in the whole world…”
“Veronica, have you ever heard of shamelessness?”
As Philip and Veronica bickered, Ray remained lost in thought.
It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep easily that night.
Not when he had two small, glowing syllables to hold onto.
