Chapter 159 – Frozen Things (Three)

What on earth could it be?

I pondered, but there wasn’t much information I could infer.

‘One thing is clear….’

The fact that it was a creature Binjin had raised by exploiting his disciples for a very long time.

…It wasn’t particularly unsettling.

Not only did I not know the feeling of disgust, but the deaths of those I had no interest in held no meaning for the boy.

Rather, the emotion I was currently feeling was.

‘It was incredibly huge.’

An intense curiosity and interest.

A massive creature with high-quality mana flowing through its entire body.

Had Binjin been hiding such a fascinating thing with Locking Magic, keeping it all to himself to secretly observe?

‘It’s full of questions.’

That’s what the mansion was to the boy.

Ayla’s Blue Mana.

Binjin’s harmless trap.

The fairy tale about the Rainbow.

And that thing located in the basement.

They all sparked extreme interest.

But at the same time, not a single one of the questions was being properly resolved.

‘…I’m curious.’

Terribly, very, extremely.

Perhaps if the outline the situation was drawing became just a little, just a tiny bit clearer.

And the moment I felt certain I could completely control the board.

The boy might take much more active measures, like pressing a knife to the other’s throat.

It’s just that right now, his characteristic wariness.

And the fact that he wasn’t alone, that there were people he needed to protect, was making his moves cautious.

Then Ayla’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“I think I need to reach the 3rd Circle quickly. That way, I can be of at least some help to Master. For someone as useless as me to become useful…”

Above Ayla’s Vessel, clumps of black, condensed negative emotions had already formed again.

Dripping down, threatening to create dark blue stains on the blue Ice Field.

Ray answered swiftly.

“You’re not useless.”

“You don’t have to comfort me on purpose. I know myself best.”

It doesn’t seem like you do.

“Why do you think you’re useless?”

“Because… I don’t know how to do anything properly. You need to be able to do something to be of help to others…”

The black clumps showed no sign of disappearing.

Ray grew a bit urgent.

“You know how to use Magic.”

“That’s not at a high level either.”

The 2nd Circle belonged to a high realm.

Especially considering her current age.

Furthermore, in terms of growth potential, Ayla was superior to her master, Binjin.

‘She knows too little about her own abilities. Or is she simply not interested?’

For some reason, it felt like their previous conversation was repeating itself.

Ray said decisively.

“You are superior to Binjin.”

“No, that can’t be.”

“You are useful.”

“No, I’m not useful at all.”

A brief silence.

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not…?”

For a moment, Ayla’s eyes widened in surprise before she collected herself and spoke.

“First, I need to reach the 3rd Circle… Only then can I become a somewhat useful person.”

Ray suddenly noticed a phenomenon in Ayla’s Vessel.

“You want to reach the 3rd Circle quickly?”

“Huh? Yes. That’s right. If I can.”

…It was a lie.

Her words and emotions didn’t match.

“You really want to, right?”

“Yes, I want to. But why are you asking again…?”

I want to reach the 3rd Circle.

Every time she said that, Ayla’s fear swelled with all its might.

It was strange.

As Ray tried to infer the cause from various angles, one guess suddenly surfaced in his mind.

‘…Does she know that the higher her Circle becomes, the higher the probability she’ll become Binjin’s target?’

Just as Ray was about to part his lips to confirm the assumption.

“Here are the food and drinks you ordered.”

An employee appeared, passing through the Distortion Field.

A neat uniform and cap bearing the restaurant’s logo.

A white hygiene mask and hair rolled up and tied in a net.

Overall, it was a relatively young employee with a tidy impression.

Thud— Thud—

While the plates were being set down, Ray stared intently at the employee.

“Veronica?”

He asked.

The flinching employee answered politely in a lowered voice.

“Customer, my name is not Veronica, it’s Veron.”

The nameplate the employee gestured to indeed had the name Veron written on it.

Ray nodded and said.

“Right, Veronica. Why are you here?”

“…….”

“Did you start working here? I don’t think I heard about it during the meeting.”

“……”

“How long will you be working? Your Contract period should end before we leave Sector 37.”

Veronica took off her mask and cap and exclaimed in bewilderment.

“How did you recognize me…? Ray usually can’t recognize people well…!”

“…….”

Well, it’s because a White Sun is dazzlingly floating in your Vessel.

“I thought there might be times when I’d have to have meals alone with a girl while working. But still, you could have told me in advance…!”

“I can recognize you no matter where in the world you are or what you look like.”

Veronica, who had been venting her disappointment, melted into a gooey mess on the spot.

Ain, who had rushed over from another table, shook Veronica, who was collapsing and turning into liquid.

“Sister-in-law! Pull yourself together! This wolf cub…! No, Hyung, wolf cub… Hyung! Wolf cub Hyung! What were you talking about with our Ayla Noona!”

We weren’t talking about anything special.

Just things like why your Noona is being beaten by Binjin.

Then, from beside him, Ayla moved her lips slightly and spoke.

─Don’t tell Ain.

“…….”

Afterwards, the four of them naturally ended up sitting together for the meal.

“How did I get in? I sold Master’s name a bit. They let me in because my face turned completely pale.”

“Ain, you…!”

“Don’t worry, Noona. I made sure Master would never hear about it. I’m a professional at this sort of thing, you know.”

Even while talking, Ain kept a watchful eye on Ray.

“Hello, I’m Veronica.”

“Ah… I’m Ayla.”

Veronica, who had returned to solid form, greeted Ayla with a much more generous gaze.

‘You can recognize me no matter where in the world I am or what I look like.’

She thought the match was decided from the moment she received such a blatant confession right before her eyes.

After being dazed for a moment, Veronica added with a blink.

“Ah, and I am Heiler’s sun.”

“Sun…?”

“We’re classmates at the Mage Tower.”

Ayla cautiously asked again.

“If you’re classmates, you’re the same age…?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then I’m your Unni.”

“……?”

“Heiler is 16, Veronica is 16, I am 17.”

Ayla pointed at herself with her finger and stared intently at Veronica.

“Unni, me.”

Veronica nodded and reached her hand towards Ray’s bag.

Seeing this, Ayla flinched.

Thud.

Fortunately, her hand was caught by Ray.

“You shouldn’t use that now.”

“Shouldn’t?”

“Shouldn’t. And titles based on age are a very important matter.”

“But Heiler… doesn’t call Ayla Noona.”

“That’s already a past matter, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Veronica looked like she had a lot to say but soon conceded.

“Hello. Ayla Unni. Nice to meet you.”

Thus, the titles were settled.

The conversation, which was a bit awkward at first, gradually softened as boundaries and tension eased.

“At first, I thought Hyung was trying something with our Noona. Turns out it was a misunderstanding. It doesn’t make sense for someone who can openly say things like that to his partner to be looking at other girls.”

Ain turned his gaze to Ray and continued.

“Unless he’s a philanderer of the world, an unparalleled trash, waste, unrecyclable pollutant, and a playboy. Right, Hyung?”

“…….”

“Right, Hyung?”

“…….”

“Right…?”

“…….”

“Hyung…?”

“Le… no, Heiler…?”

“Ah, I was just thinking for a moment. But what does that mean?”

Misunderstandings were cleared up, or sometimes created.

“Unni, you’re a Rainbow Turtle Realist too! I knew you were a good person from the moment I first saw you!”

“You believe in it too…!”

Unexpected bonds were formed.

“Let’s go to the salad bar! I saw Mint Chocolate Banana Dressing Cactus Thorn Salad earlier!”

“Sister-in-law, are you human?”

“I like that too…!”

“Noona, are you human?”

This was a gathering completely absent from the boy’s plans.

It was also a boisterous atmosphere he never intended.

But for some reason, the boy felt this atmosphere was… familiar and not bad at the same time.

‘…Have I experienced a similar situation somewhere before?’

The boy soon realized.

「See! It’s Ray Hyung!」

「Your pants were torn, right? I mended them. Wear them right away.」

「Everyone gather! Latecomers skip dinner!」

…That was a memory from under the bridge.

Evenings when they gathered under the bridge’s tarp with the day’s earnings and food.

When the children’s voices and body warmth chaotically mingled inside the tarp, it always felt like this.

…Back then, I didn’t know the proper vocabulary to express that feeling.

But now I do.

‘A warm and cozy feeling.’

Ray gazed calmly at the other three engaged in conversation.

…How many children were there under the bridge back then?

If I match the number similarly, can I perfectly recreate the same feeling as back then?

‘The bridge children were Pale, Josephine, Croil, Darren, and……’

Including himself, a total of nine.

Ray first tried to match the number by mobilizing people around him.

‘Me, Veronica, Ain, Ayla, Uncle Jang, Curiosa… Even adding them all up, we’re short by three.’

Even adding the animals Nero and Lato, the number was only eight.

‘We’re short by one. A pity.’

It felt like I was forgetting someone very important… but it was most likely just my mood.

“Um… thank you.”

Then Ayla’s voice broke Ray’s thoughts.

Looking around, Veronica and Ain had gone to the salad bar, leaving just the two of them at the table.

“Thank me for what?”

“For saying someone like me is useful. Even though it’s something you could get tired of, repeating it several times.”

“No need to thank me. It was an action for my own benefit.”

“……?”

How does that work?

Ayla was curious, but Ray’s attitude was so firm she couldn’t ask again.

Instead, she moved on to another question.

“What did you mean by what you said yesterday? That Mana waves its hand to those who are honest with themselves…”

“That.”

Ray fell silent.

It was a statement he somewhat understood and had accepted in his heart, but it needed to be organized to convey its meaning to others.

“If it’s difficult to explain─.”

“It means to pay attention to yourself.”

“Huh…?”

“Don’t worry about others, worry about yourself. Especially your brother, judging by his actions, he doesn’t seem to need anyone worrying about him at all.”

That was the highest praise from Ray’s perspective.

If it weren’t for his Noona, he might have lived his whole life without feeling the need to learn Magic.

“I just─.”

“In the current situation, you’re not in a position to worry about your brother.”

“I only─.”

“My sun… no, Veronica said it. You have to love yourself first to be able to love others. Right now, you’re rather a burden to your brother.”

Ayla, speechless, glared at Ray.

Her gaze was as cold as ice, but it contained a hot anger.

But soon.

“…I don’t really understand what you mean.”

It subsided.

Shortly after, Veronica and Ain returned.

The meal concluded amidst the renewed boisterous atmosphere, and the four went to the restaurant entrance, looking at each other.

“Thank you, thanks to you we had a great meal. It’s not easy for us to come to such a nice place normally. Ain, how was it for you?”

“What’s there to say? It was the best. Thank you, Hyung. Thanks to you, I ate until I was stuffed.”

Ain gave a thumbs-up.

Ayla affectionately stroked her brother’s head once and then looked at Ray again.

“My brother and I will head back to the mansion. Today is a day with Class B lessons, so we need to get back without being late.”

Ray met her gaze.

“…….”

“Do you have something left to say…?”

Something left to say.

Whether she knew about Binjin’s Exploitation Magic and that thing in the basement.

It was a question left unasked due to Ain’s appearance.

‘…Well, it doesn’t matter much anyway.’

I would have plenty of opportunities to meet Ayla in the future anyway.

Binjin had recommended visiting the Tower daily for checkups before the procedure.

His intention to observe us to prepare his trap more perfectly was obvious… but there was no reason to refuse.

The observation to swallow the opponent wasn’t something only he was doing.

If Binjin hadn’t brought up the checkups, I would have created an opportunity to enter myself.

In other words.

‘Mansion and Tower visits are daily.’

Meaning there would be plenty of chances to talk with Ayla in the future.

Of course, it was a bit disappointing not to resolve the questions immediately and having to postpone the clues.

“Well, we’ll be going then.”

“See you later, Hyung!”

The siblings’ figures grew smaller across the street.

Then, at a certain point.

─Thud.

Ayla’s body suddenly halted, and she turned towards us.

She seemed to hesitate for a long time, as if wanting to say something but not.

────.

She moved her lips slightly.

Watching Ayla turn and leave again, Veronica raised a question mark.

“Huh? Just now, what did Unni say with her mouth shape……”

It seemed like an action Ayla herself probably thought wouldn’t convey any meaning.

“…….”

But the boy heard it clearly.

[Be careful of Binjin.]

The question was resolved.