#099. The Place They Returned To (1)
—
“It’s a shame. It would have been nice if Lady Lenia had really been your mother.”
Ray glanced at Philip in the passenger seat as he spoke, his hands on the steering wheel.
Ten days had passed since the mansion’s collapse.
The group had finished gathering information and was now leaving Sector 47.
Philip stared blankly at the sector fading away in the rearview mirror before speaking in a dazed voice.
“It’s okay. My mother is somewhere out there. I’ll meet her someday.”
His voice carried a trace of melancholy.
Realizing his own gloom, Philip suddenly seemed startled, straightened his posture, and let out a sharp breath.
“No. I *will* meet her! Not just *someday*! No matter where she is, I’ll find her!”
Philip declared with renewed determination.
Ray thought there was no need to worry too much.
‘He recovers from emotions quickly.’
Both Philip and Veronica were like that.
Negative emotions didn’t linger in them for long.
Most of the time, their hearts were filled with positive feelings like joy and curiosity.
Ray glanced at the rearview mirror again.
The silhouettes of Sector 47’s buildings were getting smaller and smaller.
Among them was the nearly completed mansion on the sector’s outskirts.
‘Lady Lenia should be fine as well.’
Sorrow, anger, hatred, regret—
All the negative emotions that had filled Lenia’s heart had been washed away after that day’s incident.
And they hadn’t returned.
More precisely, though emotions did surface occasionally, they had no time to settle.
**”Madam! Thank you for today’s meal!”**
**”If you ever need help with anything, just call us!”**
The children of the streets were the reason for that.
Lady Lenia took care of them like her own sons.
In return, they followed her like she was their mother.
A strong bond had formed between them, filling the empty spaces in each other’s lives.
‘She said she’d run a school and a relief center once the mansion was completed.’
The street children would help with that process, and Lady Lenia would live peaceful days.
A line from a psychology book suddenly came to mind.
*”Pain is not erased; it is overwritten with new memories.”*
He wasn’t sure if he fully understood it.
But he thought—
It seemed applicable to this situation.
A voice from beside him broke his train of thought.
“Still, it’s hard to believe. A walking castle?”
Philip was gazing out at the wasteland beyond the car window.
“When she talked about it, Lady Lenia’s emotions didn’t waver at all. So, she really must have seen it.”
“Well, if there are deer flying in the sky, why not a castle that walks?”
Lady Lenia had handed them a notebook.
Inside was a journal detailing an assignment she had taken on in the wastelands long ago.
> *An expedition on a day like this, in the middle of a sandstorm? No matter how much time we need to save, I just don’t get the captain’s thinking! And that ridiculous mustache of his!*
>
> *And moving at the brightest part of the day? The sand is still blowing everywhere, cutting off our vision. I can’t see a thing!*
>
> *Sure, discovering ruins would be great! But aren’t ruins hard to find even on clear days when we’re actively searching? Damn it! I hope you go bald after this mission, captain!*
It was a journal written in a stream-of-consciousness style.
Full of complaints about the captain.
**”Hmm, hmm. The beginning isn’t that important.”**
But at the end of the journal—
> *Oh my god. I’ll never forget what happened today. As we passed through the sandstorm, everything suddenly went dark. For a moment, I thought the sun had exploded! I looked up at the sky in a panic. But the sun hadn’t exploded.*
>
> *Beyond the sandstorm, a massive shadow was passing by. It swayed continuously and made a clanking sound as it moved. The reason it had gone dark was because of *that*. Even when I craned my neck all the way back, I couldn’t see its top!*
Later, Lady Lenia had explained,
**”It was only after I calmed down and retraced my memories that I realized—the upper part of the shadow had the shape of a castle. And the lower part had multiple legs carrying it forward.”**
**”Not just my mercenary group, but many others witnessed that form as well.”**
The sightings had occurred in various locations:
Between Sector 48 and Sector 47.
Between Sector 42 and Sector 41.
Between Sector 37 and Sector 36.
The common factor was that all sightings had taken place in the distant wastelands, far from any sector.
**”But no one knew what it really was. Not a single person. There were only speculations and rumors.”**
A mechanical castle moving within the sandstorm.
One major point of debate was how such a massive structure could move.
**”It must involve magic. There’s no way modern technology alone could power something that big.”**
Among mages, one of the more convincing theories was that the castle was powered by fragments of the Rainbow.
That the fragments generated immense mana, supplying the mechanical castle with an endless source of energy.
Lady Lenia had shared various other speculations as well.
“What do you think, Philip?”
“Hmm… I think there might be another possibility. Maybe it wasn’t a mechanical castle at all, but some kind of monstrous creature we’ve never imagined. Just because it made metallic sounds doesn’t necessarily mean it was a machine.”
It was a reasonable thought.
Since all accounts described only a silhouette beyond the sandstorm, no one knew for sure what it really was.
Philip scratched his nose and asked,
“Are we adding the mechanical castle to our list of investigation targets?”
“For now. But even if we find clues, we won’t be chasing them down immediately. There are more pressing matters to handle first.”
“Right. And since the castle has only been seen on stormy days, if we do decide to track it, we’ll have to check the weather—”
*”Madam… my hair… it’s all because of the sand… phew—”*
Both boys turned to look at the mirror at the same time.
It was Veronica, talking in her sleep.
She had exhausted herself using magic to help with the mansion’s construction, and her fatigue hadn’t fully recovered yet.
Curled up like a cat in the cramped space—
*”Nyaa—”*
Beside her was an actual cat.
Black fur, yellow eyes. Nero.
“…If it weren’t for Veronica, you wouldn’t be here.”
Philip bared his teeth like a territorial male, glaring at Nero.
Since the mansion incident, Nero had been following Veronica around everywhere.
In other words, he had chosen his master.
**”Let’s keep him!”**
**”I’m against it!”**
**”How can you say no to this adorable thing?! We have to keep him!”**
**”Do you realize how much fur he’ll shed?! Do you know how much work it’ll take?!”**
The decision had ultimately been made when Ray voted in favor, arguing that Nero could be a valuable asset for summoning magic.
Now, as Philip let out a frustrated growl, Nero stared at him.
Then—
“This! This cat is laughing at me!”
One side of Nero’s mouth was slightly raised.
Philip yelped in alarm.
He had never heard of animals laughing at people, but he *felt* certain that Nero was smirking.
“Ray! Look at its emotions! That cat is mocking me! It’s definitely looking down on me, thinking I should just stick to opening its cans!”
“I’m driving. And, Philip, picking a fight with a cat is *extremely* undignified.”
It was something Lady Lenia had said.
To be honest, Ray didn’t fully understand why fighting with an animal was considered undignified.
“*Hoo*, fine. I’ll just endure it.”
Philip, who had been fuming for a while, took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Then, after glancing at Veronica, who was squirming uncomfortably in her cramped position, he turned his head forward and spoke.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. What do you think about changing our car?”
“Why?”
“It’s an old model, so its performance is deteriorating. And since we spend so much time in the car, wouldn’t it be better if it had a more spacious interior?”
Philip’s reasoning was valid.
The white four-seater they were currently using had been in poor condition from the moment Ray first took the wheel back in Sector 50.
The engine overheated easily due to its old parts, and even when pressing the accelerator all the way down, there was a limit to its maximum speed.
‘Not to mention, the body has accumulated quite a bit of damage.’
There were still traces of the avant-garde “artwork” Rockdeer had inflicted on the trunk.
Bullet marks decorated various parts of the exterior.
Even as a joke, it was hard to call the car “intact.”
The only reason it had kept running without major issues so far was entirely thanks to Ray’s meticulous maintenance.
“…….”
In truth, as long as Ray continued to maintain it, there wouldn’t be a problem with simply driving it.
However, considering various factors, Philip’s suggestion to replace the car was the right choice.
Just increasing its top speed would significantly reduce the time spent traveling between sectors.
“You mentioned that Ignis has a branch in the sector after next. If there’s a large sum of money on the card, buying a car shouldn’t be too much of a burden.”
Philip added to his reasoning.
Ray nodded along as if agreeing, but the words he finally spoke were slightly different from what Philip expected.
“I’ll think about it. This car was passed down to me.”
“Huh? Passed down? By who?”
“Niles.”
“Who’s that? I’ve never heard that name before.”
Ray fell into thought for a moment.
There were too many aspects that made up the person called Niles to describe him in just one sentence.
After some contemplation, he answered.
“A person I’m grateful to.”
The boy’s gaze stretched far into the distance, toward the horizon where Sector 46 was still out of sight.
That was the place where a man who held a special meaning to him had drifted ashore.
***
“He’s the one who taught me how to fight.”
“Wow. I always wondered who taught you to fight like that.”
Philip sounded impressed.
“He taught me a lot of other things, too. How to drink alcohol. How to make medicine using unconventional methods. How to start a car without a key. How to seduce a woman.”
“He taught you all sorts of— Wait, what?”
At the last part, Veronica’s eyes wavered.
In any case, as they listened to Ray’s story, Philip and Veronica realized something.
They actually didn’t know much about Ray as a person.
They were familiar with his abilities and goals, having shared those details before.
But beyond that, there was very little they knew.
For example—
What kind of life had he specifically lived in Sector 50?
What wish was he pursuing the Rainbow for?
How had he learned magic in the first place?
These were things they had been curious about for a while but had hesitated to ask out of caution.
“So, is he still in Sector 50 now?”
Now that they had built a sense of camaraderie, perhaps they could ask to some extent.
Just as that thought crossed their minds—
A reply came.
“He’s dead.”
A brief silence followed.
Philip, at a loss, quickly apologized.
“Oh… sorry.”
“For what?”
“For… bringing up a painful memory.”
Ray tilted his head slightly.
Philip and Veronica occasionally treated him as if he were a normal person with typical emotions.
Did they momentarily forget that his emotional responses were different from theirs?
‘A painful memory.’
That statement was half right and half wrong.
Unless he deliberately summoned feelings of sadness, remembering Niles didn’t hurt.
Moreover, ever since that day at the mansion, confronting sorrow was no longer something he feared.
So, the boy answered.
“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.”
***
“*Huaaah*— We’re finally here.
*Ughhh.*”
As soon as she stepped out of the car, Veronica stretched her arms and let out a groan.
Beside her, Nero, who had followed her out, also stretched along with her.
“So, this is the sector where the organization of Ray’s benefactor belonged to is based.”
Philip looked at the buildings ahead as he spoke.
He had already heard all about Niles from Ray.
That he had been betrayed by his subordinates and ended up drifting into Sector 50.
That he had been like a mentor to Ray, teaching him many things.
And that he had lost his life while saving Ray.
“This is Niles’ organization’s sector, but that’s not the only important thing about it.”
Ray looked down at the ring in his palm as he spoke.
Even though it wasn’t visible, he could clearly *feel* it.
The guiding magic forming an arrow.
One of them had turned into a dot—
Blinking at a threatening speed.
