Chapter 14 – Children of the Street (Four)

“After you defeat Cedric and become the new Captain of the group.”

“……”

Ray met Philip’s gaze.

An indescribable, intense desire flickered in the eyes of this small-framed boy.

Ray lowered his head to look at the Vessel.

This was easier than trying to catch the signals on his face.

‘The Black Mana has decreased. He was afraid of me. Is he mustering courage?’

Instead of black, the proportion of Pale Yellow Mana had increased dramatically.

A sharp, sun-like pale yellow.

It was a color that only seeped into the Vessel when there was strong conviction and confidence.

“You don’t think I’ll lose?”

“I can’t rule out that possibility. But the probability of you winning is very high. From what I see.”

“Why?”

The Pale Yellow Mana expanded.

Its color deepened, completely driving out the Black Mana.

“My intuition.”

“Intuition?”

“Like I said, I enjoy observing people. If you watch their actions and habits closely, you can figure out what kind of person they are. Not completely, but to some extent. For example.”

Philip leaned forward and whispered.

“In your case, when you talk to someone, you tend to keep your gaze low. More towards the chest than the eyes, I’d say? I don’t know the reason. I wonder if you have some trauma related to people’s eyes or faces.”

He paused for a breath.

“And when turning a corner, you always step out with your right foot first. I think it might be an unconscious preparation in case an enemy appears. Since you’re right-handed.”

“……”

It was a rather fascinating experience.

It wasn’t that he had never been evaluated by others before.

「You’re scary. Something’s off about you.」

「A guy with no fear.」

「How about joining our organization? After you become an adult in a few years.」

But all of those remained at the level of superficial impressions—cold or frightening.

This was the first time he was hearing such a detailed and thorough analysis.

Especially the part about the right foot—it was a habit he himself hadn’t been aware of.

Ray leaned his body forward.

He wanted to hear more.

He thought it might be a clue to widening the amplitude of his emotions.

By knowing himself.

Currently, aside from anger and sorrow, his other emotions were almost indistinguishable, even when he concentrated.

“Anyway, back to the main point, I have an eye for people. I can gauge possibilities based on the information I gather. From what I’ve seen, you are sufficiently─”

“Anything else?”

“Huh?”

“Any other habits of mine you noticed?”

“Well… there are a few more.”

Philip adjusted his glasses and shared a few more analyses.

His movement patterns when patrolling the streets.

His method of staying alert while eating.

Other inferences based on small gestures.

“Cedric tends to get too swept up by his emotions when fighting. But you were different. It felt like you fight by thoroughly reading and calculating your opponent’s movements.”

And the reason Philip believed Ray would inevitably defeat Cedric.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the professional analysis of a psychiatrist.

But for a street kid making judgments on his own, they were remarkably sharp and keen guesses.

“…So, that’s my take.”

Ray nodded slowly, continuously, as he listened.

He felt as if he was discovering parts of himself he hadn’t known.

“I accept the proposal.”

“Huh? Really? Without even hearing more? About the tribute conditions or…”

“You decide those. Just don’t think about trying to rip me off clumsily.”

“Great! Of course not!”

Philip beamed a wide smile.

“And there’s one more condition.”

“What condition?”

“You can gather rumors or information from the streets too, right? Using the kids here.”

Two days later, at noon.

The Junkyard under the scorching sun.

“The rumor that you came from Sector 50 seems to be true. Looking at your car, I’d believe it really crossed the wasteland.”

A boy’s voice came from under Ray’s vehicle.

A wheeled, movable plank.

Only two legs were sticking out from underneath it.

“……”

Ray had brought a chair over and was supervising the maintenance.

He didn’t sense any particular malice from the other person, but since the vehicle was the most crucial part of his journey, he needed to be cautious.

The sounds of metal clanking and wrenches turning continued to echo from under the car.

Clank. Clank. Screech!

A brief silence.

Then a sigh escaping.

Followed by the voice again.

“Philip seems to think very highly of you. He rarely sends out high-level personnel like me.”

Even though Ray didn’t particularly respond, the boy persistently continued his monologue.

He seemed to be that kind of personality by nature.

“Ah! Can you pass me the wrench there? And a 6mm nut too.”

“……”

A toolbox was laid out wide open beside the car.

Ray used Telekinesis to float the wrench and nut and deliver them under the car.

“Huh? It was next to me? Did I bring it in?”

The boy tilted his head under the car, then picked up the wrench and continued the maintenance.

Click! Screech!

Silence again.

Another sigh and voice.

“Is it okay to ask something like this? What’s the reason you left Sector 50 and came here? Judging by your application for the Captain’s match, it seems like you plan to settle down for good.”

That wasn’t it.

Ray had no intention of staying long in Sector 49.

Once his sector exploration was done and his minimal objective achieved, he planned to move to the next sector immediately.

The vacant leader position would likely be fought over by the remaining people anyway.

Clatter. Screeeech— Clunk!

Finally, the maintenance finished, and the boy rose from the plank that slid out with a rumble.

His face and clothes were smeared with thick, black grease, but he just dusted himself off a few times, looking quite accustomed to this kind of work.

“All done. Aside from the engine being a bit overheated, there’s no major issue. But I replaced the coolant with a much better one, so there shouldn’t be any problems going forward.”

The boy shook the now-empty container and grinned.

“I snuck it from the shop where I work. The most expensive one.”

“Thanks for the hard work.”

“Hard work, my foot. It’s Philip’s request. Philip is like a benefactor to us.”

The boy added while lazily organizing the toolbox.

“If it weren’t for Philip, finding work itself would’ve been impossible. That’s why we don’t mind having a cut taken from our earnings. Well, the percentage isn’t that high anyway.”

Philip was quite popular among the street kids.

“……”

It was intriguing.

In Sector 50, even large groups paid something like taxes to their Captain.

But all of that was under coercion.

It wasn’t uncommon for people who resisted paying taxes or tried to flee their groups to get lynched.

Yet, the hotel kids often voluntarily offered to give Philip a larger cut of their earnings.

As Ray was reminiscing about past memories…

“Ah! Right! I almost forgot the most important thing. Philip asked me to deliver this.”

The boy took out a neatly folded note from his pocket and handed it over.

“He said it’s hard to memorize if delivered verbally. So he sent a note. Said you’d read it yourself.”

Today, Philip was too busy with business to visit Ray in person.

“See you later, Hunter. I’m looking forward to your fight with Cedric.”

The boy slung his bag over his shoulder, waved a hand behind his back, and left the Junkyard.

Ray got into the car and unfolded the note he received.

「2nd Street.」

「Wolf Baker’s Wolfman.」

「42-year-old baker. Male.」

「………….」

「8th Street.」

「Kenny Store’s Andrew.」

「23-year-old clerk. Male.」

「………….」

Profiles of Sector 49 residents.

There were seven people in total.

Ray recalled the memory from the hotel two days ago.

「Magic? I know what it is. I’ve heard of it.」

「Uh… you’re looking for a Wizard?」

「Got it. I’ll gather all the information on anyone who seems even slightly suspicious.」

「It won’t take long. I already have some information collected on the characteristics of the residents here.」

The note was the result of Ray’s request.

‘I didn’t expect it to be this fast.’

He had heard it wouldn’t take long, but he hadn’t expected results in just two days.

It was possible because the hotel’s young workers were spread almost throughout the entire sector and had high loyalty to Philip.

Under each profile, the reasons for suspecting the resident to be a Wizard were written in detail.

「Lifts heavy sacks with one hand.」

「Eats tough wheat bread without changing expression.」

“……”

Many were ambiguous to be called Magic.

This was probably information Philip had sifted through.

But ultimately, Ray was satisfied with the note’s contents.

Among them were some truly significant eyewitness accounts worthy of being considered Magic.

It was worth enough to seek out these residents and observe them personally.

This was far more efficient than wandering the streets alone.

Creak— Thud!

Ray closed the door and headed for the streets.

Ray shook his head as he watched the clerk bustling back and forth in the grocery store.

Andrew was eliminated from the candidates.

He didn’t look like a Wizard at all.

‘More importantly, there’s no Ring on his chest.’

The Ring the Monocle Wizard had on his chest.

Although Ray himself used Magic without a Ring, he didn’t think such cases were common.

Scratch. Scratch.

An ‘X’ was marked over ‘Andrew’ on the note.

One by one, they were crossed off, leaving only one person now.

「2nd Street.」

「Building 32-1. Empty commercial space.」

「Name unknown. Male.」

「Between 30s and 40s.」

「Frequently seen carrying groceries up and down from ground level and underground. Presumed to be living in the basement level.」

It was sparse information, but Ray thought this one had the highest probability.

「When a pipe fell from the upper floor, a strong wind blew and avoided an accident. Didn’t seem particularly surprised.」

Because the last target had the most plausible eyewitness account.

Ray put the note in his pocket and quickened his pace.

Taking a shortcut to the street.

Crossing the street into an alley again.

He hadn’t explored the entire sector yet.

But the paths he took kept repeating, so he had become quite familiar with the geography.

And when he emerged onto the street again.

A familiar sign came into view at the edge of his sight.

「Bookstore Veronica.」

Today, the door was closed again.

Perhaps the store had gone under and was preparing to close down.

Given that books didn’t seem like a sellable item in Sector 49, the possibility seemed high.

‘I should request information about the bookstore from Philip too.’

Just as he thought that and was about to quickly pass by the bookstore—

“Good. It’s closed again today.”

“I wouldn’t have lasted either. How could anyone endure having stones thrown every day?”

A conversation from a nearby alley caught his ear.

Ray didn’t stop walking but glanced sideways to identify the owners of the voices.

Three boys around his age were slightly visible at the alley entrance, looking towards the bookstore.

Ray’s steps slowly decelerated.

He came to a complete stop where he wouldn’t be in their line of sight.

He pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“Haven’t we done our job by now? We’ve kept them from opening for weeks already.”

“Idiot. They said they’d pay double if we make them put the store up for sale completely. We can’t stop here.”

A brief silence.

Then the conversation continued.

“How? Throw more stones?”

“Yeah. This time, aim for the second floor. Not the store, but the house. Make it so they can’t stay without moving.”

“No risk of getting into trouble. It’s just a store run by a sick old woman and kids anyway.”

The meeting seemed to end, as the conversation stopped and rustling sounds were heard.

Soon, three boys with hands full of stones appeared outside the alley.

And they immediately started walking.

With confident strides, heading towards Bookstore Veronica.