Chapter 131 – Element of Destruction (Four)

“Restore the world to its original state?”

“I don’t know the details either. I only know he’s trying to collect gems of the same kind as yours to do something.”

Curiosa said while looking at the area beside Ray’s heart.

It wasn’t all that surprising.

During the war, a space on the rooftop of a derelict building had been shimmering the entire time.

“So you were peeping after all.”

“Peeping… what?”

“The act of spying without permission.”

“…….”

“You’re voyeur number two.”

What kind of… no, who’s number one?

For a moment, Curiosa, about to flare up and retort, soon remembered that her opponent was a being far removed from ordinary thought and closed her mouth.

Crackle— crackle… crackle…….

The electric currents enveloping Ray’s entire body subsided.

Then, a gem appeared on his palm along with a light cluster.

“Is this a Rainbow Shard?”

“Well, according to the commonly circulating stories, it’s possible. But what you call it isn’t important. What’s important is the fact that it contains tremendous power.”

Ray stared at the gem emitting a yellow light and continued his questions.

“You said Doctor has a gem exactly like this too.”

“That one is red. The shape is a bit different too. Also, it’s not a half but a complete form.”

“Is that confirmed information?”

“I saw what Doctor has with my own two eyes.”

Doctor’s red gem.

Ray’s yellow gem.

Blue’s blue gem.

Curiosa added that the feeling she got from the three gems matched exactly.

“Do you have any guesses about Doctor’s goal?”

“That is… ah, wait.”

Curiosa turned her gaze around her surroundings.

─Wh-what in the world is this…….

─It really collapsed suddenly, you know? A perfectly fine building?

The Sector residents who had gathered around the building before they knew it.

Curiosa opened a space leading to her room and spoke.

“Let’s move somewhere else to talk. A quiet place is better than a noisy one.”

“Alright. But just a moment first.”

Ray, having reabsorbed the gem, looked around.

Stretching out his hand, items fluttering among the building debris flew through the air and gathered.

Whoosh──!

The wind that blew swept away concrete fragments and dust.

Shoes, clothes, hats,

snack boxes, bread wrapped in plastic, etc.

They were gifts Ray had received from merchants while coming here. Many were broken and no longer functional, but conversely, there were also quite a few that were relatively intact.

“Pick one.”

“What?”

“When visiting someone else’s house, it’s polite to bring a gift.”

That’s what Philip said.

“It also increases the chance of being invited again next time.”

That’s what Veronica added.

Hearing Ray’s words, Curiosa experienced a brief mental freeze.

“Invited again…? By me…? Who…? You…?”

“Ah, by the way, that one’s not allowed.”

Ray indicated something with his gaze.

It was a single flower.

Why, of all things.

It remained perfectly intact without losing a single leaf amidst the chaos.

“Wait there quietly. Don’t move until I tell you to.”

While Curiosa was tidying her room, Ray freely moved his steps behind her, carefully looking around.

‘About 500 square feet. That seems about right.’

Curiosa’s room felt more spacious than it looked from the outside.

A large desk and bookshelf.

A bed, storage cabinet, armchair, and such.

Yet there was ample space.

Also, the wooden walls, which evoked the warm feeling of a cabin, had two doors that seemed to connect to other rooms.

“…….”

He turned his head toward the window where faint sunlight streamed in.

He saw a vast expanse of wilderness and scrap heaps towering like small mountains.

‘It seems like a space that exists in reality.’

Curiosity arose.

Where is this place?

How far away is it?

Was this phenomenon created purely by the power of Magic?

If one could operate such a place, they could gain many benefits in future journeys.

One thought led to another.

Ray felt the back of his head stiffen in no time.

Rustle.

“You…!”

At the sound from behind, Curiosa turned her body.

She was about to say something upon seeing Ray freely touring her room.

“…….”

“Why? Do you need this too?”

She was at a loss for words.

“I’ll share. There’s a lot left in the car’s back seat.”

A chocolate bar snapped in half floated through the air and arrived in front of Curiosa.

“Here.”

“Treating me like a child….”

Curiosa, about to get angry, instantly realized she was in a state where her sugar levels had rapidly depleted from dealing with the boy.

“Hoo.”

A deep breath.

With a semi-resigned feeling, Curiosa reached her hand toward the chocolate.

Whoom.

The space in front of the black cloth shimmered, and a hand with slender fingers appeared through it.

A rather unremarkable, ordinary hand commonly seen anywhere.

But the figure reflected in Ray’s eyes was slightly different.

Mana of various colors was covering Curiosa’s hand like a glove in an artificial shape.

‘Illusion Magic.’

And beneath the mana, reflected.

Curiosa’s real hand was.

“That hand, did an orphanage catch fire or something?”

“……!”

Startled, Curiosa hastily pulled the hand that was about to grab the chocolate bar back inside the black cloth.

“You, you, how did you…!”

“Just. It seemed that way.”

The hand of Curiosa that Ray saw was covered in burn scars.

Also, among the black-and-white photos on the wall board, he could confirm a burned-down orphanage building.

It was the result of natural deduction.

“Looks like you couldn’t get treatment in time. Seeing how severe the burn scars remain.”

“How on earth did you see through my Magic… You, don’t ever tell anyone.”

“Tell what?”

“That I, no, that my hand… looks this horrifying.”

It wasn’t a very understandable statement.

‘They’re just burn scars.’

With the sole exception of the White Sun, the boy had no sense of beauty or ugliness.

Whether skin as smooth as white jade.

Or skin horribly shriveled.

To the boy, it was all just skin.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to tell others. More importantly, what were the two patterns engraved on the back of your hand?”

Complex patterns with a blood-red color.

As small as a fingernail.

One was almost erased and blurry.

While the other was very distinct.

“…You really did see through my Magic. I didn’t think you’d see that too.”

Curiosa, having composed the shame and embarrassment contained in her Vessel, continued.

“I was going to tell you anyway. Two Curse Seals. And it’s a story related to Doctor too.”

The explanation continued.

She said they were patterns Doctor engraved on all Executives.

One commonly amplified loyalty toward Doctor.

The other amplified anger along with a specific emotion designated for each Executive.

“One has a faded color. Did you dismantle it?”

“Yes, the loyalty Curse Seal is almost removed. It was a result achieved only after long research and desperate struggle.”

Ray thought he understood.

Where the high loyalty toward Doctor shown by Walter in the letter might have originated from.

However, Walter didn’t have a pattern on the back of his hand, and neither did Allerger.

Perhaps, he thought, they were engraved in different locations for each Executive.

“Anyway, it won’t be long now. The day I completely tear off this, fucking, beggarly Curse Seal isn’t far off.”

Looking at the hundreds of curse-laden sentences scribbled on the wall behind Curiosa directed at Doctor, Ray asked.

“How much loyalty do you feel now?”

“Almost none, practically. Thanks to that, I’m discarding orders and wandering as I please. It’s also perfectly possible to harbor murderous intent toward Doctor.”

A sudden thought.

“You’ll need to be careful not to get caught by Doctor.”

“No need to worry. When I met him recently to renew orders, the Curse Seal was intact. The dismantling proceeded after that. Of course, it’ll be a problem at the next renewal in a few years. Doesn’t matter.”

Instantly, a bright red flame engraved on Curiosa’s Vessel—

“Before that, I’ll go find that bastard and kill him first.”

—flared up, covering the entire Vessel.

“Fuck. I’ll kill. Him. Tear his limbs. Apart. That son of a bitch. Throw him. Into the riverbed.”

The black cloth trembled violently.

The surrounding space rippled wildly.

Curiosa gnashed her teeth and continued.

The moment she discovers how to dismantle all Curse Seals will be the time to awaken Allerger.

And the time she succeeds in plunging a knife into Doctor’s heart will be the moment she regains true freedom in her life.

“…….”

Ray stared at Curiosa’s Vessel covered in flames of anger.

It was anger of an intensity and volume not easily seen anywhere.

Perhaps there were more stories between Doctor and the Executives that he didn’t know.

But now.

Remembering there was something more important than that, Ray steadied his breathing and.

“I’ll help you.”

Said.

“In killing Doctor.”

Curiosa’s wildly raging anger halted.

“Help… me?”

“You said your emotions go haywire when you meet Doctor, right?”

A brief silence flowed.

The trembling of the black cloth stopped, and the surrounding air stabilized.

“…Yes, that’s right. That guy doesn’t just manipulate people’s emotions through Curse Seals. He can do it directly on the spot too. By some unfathomable method. The feeling is a bit different, but almost like you.”

Ray nodded.

“Because of that, you said you’re in a difficult situation to kill Doctor. Even if you dismantled the loyalty Curse Seal, if you stand before Doctor, your emotions will be manipulated again.”

The boy’s low voice continued at a rapid pace.

“But I’m different. As you know, I can’t feel emotions. You could say I have complete superiority in compatibility against Doctor.”

A voice without inflection but carrying firm resolve.

“I want the red gem Doctor has. You want to kill Doctor.”

And at the end—

“Cooperate with me, Curiosa. I’ll make sure you’re the one who plunges the knife into Doctor’s heart at the final moment.”

—the final sentence was uttered.

“…….”

A long silence and stillness flowed.

In fact, there was nothing new in what the boy said.

“…….”

The monster of curiosity already knew from long before.

That the white-haired boy was searching for the Rainbow.

And perhaps.

That he might be the only being capable of killing Doctor.

“…….”

The white-haired boy also already knew from long before.

That the monster of curiosity harbored deep hostility and murderous intent toward Doctor.

And also.

That she was a being who could be of great help in meeting Doctor.

“…….”

“…….”

The boy and the monster had recognized each other’s desires and interests from their first encounter.

But the reason why now painted a different picture from then was clear.

“I know what you want. You also know what I want.”

That the boy and monster, who hadn’t taken their eyes off each other for a long time, had gained certainty about each other’s desires.

And also.

“Take my hand.”

That the boy had grown enough to know how to cooperate with the other’s emotions.

The boy’s outstretched hand.

A great turmoil of emotion arose within the monster’s Vessel.

“…….”

In truth, the decision was almost made.

But the aversion and rebelliousness stemming from the previously twisted relationship made the monster doubt and be wary.

“How can I trust you? What guarantee is there that you won’t have other thoughts midway?”

The boy closed his eyes.

Silently, he concentrated his mind.

Soon, a single word floated to the surface of his consciousness.

Rainbow.

The boy thought.

How much he yearned to find the seven-colored band hung in the sky.

And also, what wish he wanted to make upon finding it.

At that moment.

[Fwoosh]

Fire ignited in the boy’s emotions.

[Fwoorush]

In an instant, it swelled to a size covering the entire Vessel.

Without a single speck of impurity.

A dense and pure emotion.

It was a flame named desire.

To the extent that even Curiosa’s intense anger seemed trivial.

“……!”

Suffocated by the boy’s suddenly swollen desire, Curiosa gasped.

“Stop…! Stop…!”

Only after the boy withdrew his emotions could she barely regain her senses.

Another long silence flowed.

After a lengthy process of organizing her thoughts, Curiosa opened her mouth.

“What should I do to help, and how?”

The pages of the notebook in Ray’s hand flipped rapidly.

Flap— flap— flap—

The notebooks of Allerger and Curiosa containing Doctor’s orders.

Ray was only examining orders related to gems.

‘Most of the gem-related orders Allerger received are already completed.’

Even though it was a relatively recently updated order list.

It showed how faithfully Allerger had been carrying out orders.

Flap— flap—

Above the orders related to gems, an X was consistently marked.

There wasn’t a single O.

Flap—

Ray’s hand, flipping pages, stopped midway.

「Sector 46. Investigation regarding a yellow-hued gem. Underground exploration.」

“…….”

Ray used Telekinesis to bring a pen from the table and drew an O over that order.

Thump!

Flap— flap—

As the last page of Allerger’s notebook closed, the first page of Curiosa’s notebook opened.

And then, several minutes later.

Thump!

Curiosa’s notebook also had its last page closed.

“…….”

This time, it wasn’t Curiosa but Ray who fell into contemplation.

How much time had passed?

Ray looked at Curiosa and asked.

“Spatial Magic, how far a distance can you skip across?”