Chapter 133 – Leap (Two)

“Aah! I should have packed my things yesterday! I was so nervous I couldn’t do anything!”

The red-haired girl bustled around the room.

“Nero! Lato! This is a disaster! What should I pack first?”

The ears of the mouse nibbling on a peanut piece on the table perked up.

Lato.

Thanks to being chosen by Ray, it had left its life on the streets behind and was now enjoying a comfortable existence.

Its once grimy gray fur, after a thorough washing by Ray and Philip, was now clean and fluffy.

“Lato? What should I do? Should I pack this?”

The girl turned to the mouse and asked.

Its cheeks were stuffed full of peanuts, so it couldn’t respond.

Unconcerned, the girl turned back and threw herself into packing.

Thud.

Just then, a black shadow leaped onto the table.

Meow—

It was Nero.

The moment their eyes met.

……

……

Lato’s nibbling mouth stopped.

A black tail swished with interest.

Meanwhile, the girl dashed dododo to the sunlit window.

“Ah! I need to pack this too! I almost forgot the most important thing!”

She carefully packed the flowerpot and water bottle placed by the window.

In the pot grew a tiny green sprout; in the bottle was a red tulip as vibrant as the girl’s hair.

……

……

Meanwhile, again.

The black cat turned its head from the gray mouse to look at the girl.

Through repeated lessons, it had come to understand that the small creature beside it was neither a toy nor emergency rations.

Meow—

Nero began washing its face, licking its front paws, and Lato relaxed and resumed its nibbling.

The image of the girl still busily moving about was reflected in the black pupils.

“I hope I’m not the only one running late? Lato, has Ray finished packing?”

Officially, Lato’s designated storage was Ray’s pocket.

But the gray-furred mouse, unless something specific required it, always stayed outside, lingering around Veronica.

Because being near the red-haired girl brought a comforting warmth.

How to describe it.

It felt like a sprout of vitality taking root inside.

It felt that way now too, and without realizing it, its body began to tremble slightly.

……?

……

Then, it suddenly noticed the predator beside it was showing the same reaction.

The two animals’ gazes met.

Hey, you too?

Vroooom—

Over a dozen vehicles passed along the road between the buildings.

Buses, sedans, trucks, jeeps, etc.

At the center of this diverse convoy, an old white vehicle drove as if under escort.

“So we’re really leaving today. Even though we stayed here quite a while.”

Philip looked out the window at the street, now fully restored to its lively state, and expressed regret.

The time taken to prepare the Magic Circle was exactly 23 days.

Including the period during the war, they had spent about a month in Sector 46.

Philip turned his gaze inside and asked Veronica.

“But… there’s nothing special we need to prepare for teleportation by Magic, right? Like taking motion sickness medicine beforehand.”

“Hmm… Grandfather said it feels like traveling through the intestines of a giant monster. Unless you’re using a pre-established passageway through space, that is.”

“Ugh, intestines? What kind of analogy is that?”

Philip, his expression souring, rummaged in his bag for motion sickness pills.

Vroooom—

Amid tension, worry.

And a touch of excitement.

The destination at the end of the journey was a basin located on the outskirts of 38th Street.

Screech—

The white vehicle, having accelerated out of the convoy, arrived first at the boundary of the Magic Circle and stopped.

This was the point beyond which they could not proceed.

Screech—! Screeeech—!

The following vehicles came to a halt one by one behind it.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Operatives opened doors and got out.

The party also gathered their belongings and stepped outside.

Truthfully, there wasn’t much in terms of luggage.

Just a cross-body bag each with personal items, Nero held in arms, and Lato in a pocket—that was all.

“It’s a bit of a shame. We have to leave behind all the things we collected.”

Philip looked at the vehicle trunks with a regretful expression.

“Can’t be helped. To take all that, we’d have needed to draw the Magic Circle for at least two more weeks, right?”

As Veronica said, that was the case.

The difficulty of Spatial Magic increases exponentially in proportion to the volume and mass of the target for teleportation.

Therefore, except for the bare minimum luggage, all other items had been left in the vehicle trunks.

Philip double-checked the contents of his bag.

“Wallet, check. Got it. Can’t forget the most important thing.”

The party’s money, previously stored in a safe, had all been converted into high-denomination bills to minimize volume.

“Clothes are important too. If it’s Sector 37, it’s probably more bustling and larger than we imagine. We might be looked down on if we go around looking shabby.”

Veronica added.

The clothes the party currently wore were also the high-quality garments purchased back in Sector 48.

Just then, Colin approached.

He spoke to Ray first.

“I apologize that more members couldn’t come to see you off. So many personnel are currently deployed for sector restoration…”

“It’s fine.”

Ray replied nonchalantly and handed the car key to Colin.

“Please take care of it.”

“Yes. I will keep it safe until the day you return.”

Colin, tucking the key away, turned his head to look beside him.

The white 4-seater compact car, covered in scratches and dents like badges of honor.

Having departed from Sector 50.

And arriving at Sector 46.

This iron steed, which had faithfully performed its duty while the boy traversed four sectors, would now rest here for a while.

“You said this vehicle was prepared by Hyung Niles.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Hyung couldn’t return, but it seems his vehicle has come in his stead.”

Colin’s face held many emotions besides bitterness.

Relief, reluctance, regret, emptiness, etc.

Having composed himself, he looked at Ray again and said.

“Anyway, Ray-nim. Before you leave, on behalf of Nisowa, I thank you once more. The same goes for the other two.”

Words of gratitude followed.

That without the help, they could never have won the war.

That thanks to it, they could hold onto hope and ultimately protect what was precious.

And that they all here sincerely prayed the party would achieve their respective goals as they continued their journey—

“—We will all be earnestly praying for that here. Truly, truly, thank you.”

Colin bowed his head deeply.

The dozens of operatives standing behind also bowed their heads and uttered the same phrase in unison.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“…….”

Ray, who had been gazing intently at the stars visible in the daytime, looked at Colin’s feet and parted his lips.

“Colin-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“You’re stepping on gold.”

“Ah.”

Colin, still bowing, faltered and stepped back.

“I heard if you misstep onto the Magic Circle, your body gets severed.”

“We’d better stay far away when the circle activates shortly, just in case.”

Colin then had a subordinate bring something over.

“It took time to find it. Brook had it hidden away tightly in his basement.”

It was Niles’s personal safe.

Around the keyhole were numerous scratches from something sharp.

“Looks like Brook struggled a lot trying to open it.”

“Yes. It’s the safe containing the wealth Hyung accumulated over a lifetime.”

“And the reason you brought this to me is?”

At Colin’s gesture, an operative brought a white envelope.

Colin handed it to Ray, along with a folding knife he took from his pocket.

“The Loyalist Faction executives unanimously decided in a meeting that you, Ray-nim, have the right to first open the safe, inspect its contents, and the primary claim to them.”

“…….”

An old knife with a black handle engraved with a red flower symbol.

An item Niles used; twisting the handle revealed the safe’s key.

Rustle.

The envelope contained stacks of high-denomination bills.

Philip, watching from behind, unconsciously gulped.

“The money in the envelope is a token of our sincerity. It’s woefully insufficient to repay the help you gave us, but we hope it will be of some aid in your journey ahead.”

“…….”

Ray tilted his head.

He knew the current financial state of Nisowa wasn’t good.

It was a situation with high expenditures for reorganizing and restoring the nearly collapsed organization.

‘Seems like money gathered with difficulty.’

Ray first twisted the knife’s handle, inserted the revealed key into the safe’s lock.

Click— clack.

The sound of metal engaging.

Gulp.

Unconsciously, the operatives who had gathered nearby swallowed, their faces a mix of anticipation and tension.

“How much did Hyung save up?”

“The unit alone will be beyond imagination. I saw Hyung Niles using that safe from way, way back.”

“I hope the amount is substantial enough to help the Wizards.”

Click—

“It probably won’t be there.”

At Ray’s words, Colin asked back.

“Yes?”

“The money. There probably won’t be any.”

“What do you mean…”

Click— squeak.

Just then, the safe door opened.

“Huh…?”

“There’s… nothing?”

Everyone wore empty expressions seeing the hollow interior.

Did Brook steal the contents?

But there were no signs of it being opened?

Colin, maintaining composure, asked first.

“Did you know the safe was empty through Magic?”

“No.”

“Then how…”

“Niles didn’t save money. In Sector 50, he was always busy. Raising funds for the organization’s operations.”

Colin wore an expression as if hit by a hammer.

Slowly, the bewilderment faded, and he nodded as if understanding.

“I’ve been with Hyung since we were young, for a long time. So I was confident I knew everything about him, and thought no one knew him as well as I did. But I was wrong.”

As Colin spoke, Ray reached into the safe.

What came out was an old black-and-white photograph lying at the bottom.

A street rendered in monochrome.

Three boys were smiling there.

“Huh…? That photo is…”

“…….”

Ray, who had been studying the photo intently, generated a blade of wind in his hand and gripped it.

Whiiir—

After cutting out a portion of the photo, he returned the remaining part, along with the envelope and knife, to Colin.

“Yes? You don’t have to return them. You naturally have the right to take those items.”

“Use the money for the organization’s restoration. The knife should go to Nisowa’s next leader.”

Ray held up the portion of the photo he had cut out.

“I only need this.”

“…….”

Colin knew that once Ray said something, he wouldn’t go back on it.

After a not-so-brief internal conflict, he accepted the items and nodded.

“Truly, thank you once again.”

Afterwards, Colin and the operatives, taking all the vehicles including the party’s, withdrew to a distance from the Magic Circle.

The boy watching them lowered his gaze to look at the photo.

A corner cut from the whole.

A slum boy around Ray’s age was smiling brightly towards the camera.

“…….”

The white-haired boy found it difficult to recognize and remember human faces.

No matter how long he knew someone, after a certain time passed, that person’s face would quickly evaporate from his mind.

…Erased like a blank slate,

Leaving nothing behind.

But now, he could restore the face of one person buried deep in his subconscious.

As long as he had this photo, the dust of time would not accumulate over that person’s face again.

“…….”

He raised his gaze towards the basin entrance.

The towering sector buildings were visible in the distance.

He had thought this before.

‘If I just go back to Sector 50 like this.’*

The Wizard with the monocle might not know, but he could definitely get revenge on Hector, couldn’t he?

But he soon shook his head.

That person said to go against the current.

Never looking back.

Swim upstream with all your might.

Only then, he said, can you escape being stuck downstream, becoming part of the scrap heap.

“…….”

So, for now, he won’t go back.

Heading to Sector 50 will happen only after he possesses strength strong enough not to be swept away by the current, whenever that may be.

Ray took in the surrounding scenery, including the derelict building, one last time, then turned and said.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

“Now it’s really departure.”

The figures of two boys and one girl receded towards the center of the Magic Circle.

The spot where the white-haired boy had stood just moments before.

There, the words he had repeated to himself lingered like a stain, spreading.

Take care. Niles, Hyung.

.

.

.

…No, Mister.