Chapter 212 – A Place to Return (Three)

In the center of the room stood a canvas.

In front of it was a small chair without a backrest, and on the long table behind it, various art tools were prepared in ample quantities.

Brushes, paints, a palette, a water container.

Oil, pastels, colored pencils, and more…

The sunlight pouring in from the large window made the entire scene look like a painting.

Philip spoke awkwardly.

“I don’t really know much about magic. But I heard lately that you drawing pictures is related to improving your magic skills. I prepared this workspace hoping it might help a little. It’s like a studio, I guess.”

While he was speaking, Ray was already moving.

He looked around carefully, arrived in front of the canvas, and touched the white drawing paper.

Then, in the back of his field of vision, he discovered empty frames densely covering the wall.

“Those are?”

“The place where your paintings will gradually fill the spaces. If there’s anything you’ve already drawn that you like, you can put it in right away.”

Paintings, in other words.

The place where imagination would fill the spaces.

Ray, who had been staring blankly at the white empty spaces, nodded and said.

“Thank you. I like it.”

A peaceful, everyday studio.

Swish— Sweep—

With each movement of the brush, a massive rocky mountain revealed itself on the canvas.

The rocky mountain, covered in mechanical devices here and there, was Rael Row as it remained in the boy’s memory.

Sweep— Swish—

The encounter with Vicious was three weeks ago.

Rael Row would have already arrived at the land beneath the Sky Island located in the wasteland on the outskirts of Sector 33 by now.

Hoping it would be a good quality land to establish a base.

If possible, he would have set off immediately as well, but the problem was that Curiosa’s Spatial Path work wasn’t finished yet.

「It’s only because it’s me that I can work at this speed. Help? I don’t need it. For a permanent Spatial Path, if it’s a collaborative effort, the elemental arrangement gets tangled and the work efficiency actually drops.」

The completed Spatial Path at the end of the corridor on the second floor of the bus shimmered with lavender and brown hues.

Elements of Opening, Displacement, Space, and Construction.

An undulating, oval-shaped Mana body.

An exactly identical Spatial Path was being installed in a corner of the annex lobby.

According to Curiosa, she said she needed to work on it for at least ten more days.

Swish— Sweep—

“……”

In truth, he could have set off immediately regardless of the Spatial Path’s completion.

However, the boy had in mind an attack by the Doctor, or the Indigo Dawn Society, and therefore wanted to have a plan in place to return to the mansion and defend it at any time before setting off on the journey again.

Ray recalled Solite’s words.

「Bishop Cardio’s actions show no change whatsoever from before. I threw out a few leading questions, but he seemed completely unaware of what happened at the mansion that day, that is, the existence of the Overseers.」

「If he’s 4th Circle, he’s clearly high-ranking… Yet, it seems he doesn’t share in all the activities of the Operatives.」

Solite’s reasoning was sound.

Also, he had sent a signal through Kraimer’s communication sphere that the matter was handled well to the Indigo Dawn Society, but.

‘…I can’t let my guard down.’

The boy was paying attention to every possible contingency.

Sweep—

Then, he unconsciously put strength into the brush.

The boy, snapped out of his thoughts, quietly stared at the painting, then peeled the canvas cloth off and rolled it up in his hand.

Grine, who had been sitting in the chair behind watching, spoke.

“It seemed like a perfectly splendid painting to me.”

“It’s lacking.”

“You’re not satisfied?”

“I’m not satisfied. I merely reproduced the image from my memory as it was; my imagination isn’t much in it.”

“You’re growing at a sufficiently fast pace. Perhaps as your skill increases, your standards for yourself rise as well.”

A rare hint of interest tinged Grine’s soft voice.

The boy’s rapid growth.

That was true.

While hundreds of sheets of drawing paper and cloth were dyed in diverse colors.

The boy’s world, where only concepts existed, was gradually taking on distinct forms.

Like wiping a foggy window, the shapes of all things in the world were becoming clearer.

For specific subjects he often drew, it became possible to conjure up images through imagination even with his eyes closed.

He could apply that imagination somewhat to the manipulation of Mana as well.

Making opposing elements coexist.

Or changing the very nature of an element.

But he didn’t feel like he had crossed a Wall, like when he achieved the Electrification of his body while fighting Kraimer.

That was the reason the boy was currently dissatisfied with his own paintings.

‘If I could infuse more imagination into my paintings…’

I would be able to freely create powerful magic like Electrification.

That’s how it felt.

As if, at some point, I had drawn a picture far more perfect than this.

Grine’s voice continued.

“No one would believe it. The fact that Ray-nim has only been drawing for less than a month. Your drawing skill is increasing at a startlingly fast pace. Your imagination as well.”

“This is still far from enough.”

“Ray-nim is a person of many desires, aren’t you?”

“That’s how I can achieve my goals quickly.”

The boy raised his head.

The frames on the wall were all empty except for one painting depicting a human figure made of electric current.

Clatter. Clatter.

Grine watched Ray organizing the tools and said.

“Is that it for today’s work?”

“Yeah. I feel like my imagination is depleted.”

“May I ask one favor?”

“What favor?”

What Grine took out from her bosom was a green gem and a Seed of the World Tree.

“I want to try a little test.”

“I get what you mean. But I have something to do later. I have to go teach the kids in the main building.”

“Aren’t Ayla and Ain handling the lessons?”

“Just for today, I’m teaching. It won’t take long.”

“Alright. Go ahead. I’ll be waiting.”

Ray, having finished organizing the tools, immediately left the annex and headed for the main building.

He arrived with quick steps, stopped by the training ground and classroom, and gave instructions to Ain and Ayla.

“Huh? Ray Hyung! Wasn’t today’s special lecture theory first? Huh? Gather all the kids in the lobby now?”

“Come on! Huh, what? To the lobby now? We’re not having class here?”

The siblings were puzzled but followed Ray’s instructions for now.

And a few minutes later.

“What’s going on? Why are we gathering all of a sudden?”

“I heard Ray-nim is teaching the class himself today.”

“Are the theory and practical groups listening together without distinction?”

“Look, there’s Ray-nim!”

The lobby had become filled with all the kids from the main building buzzing with chatter.

Ray parted his lips.

“Quiet.”

With that single quiet word, the space instantly fell silent.

Ray met the gazes full of curiosity and continued.

“We’ll start the class now. However, it will be conducted in a different way from the classes you’ve been taking so far─.”

Then one child raised a hand.

“─Do you have a question?”

“Is it a theory class? Or a practical class?”

“It would be correct to see it as both. And to be precise, it’s not a class, but a test.”

At the word ‘test,’ groans and murmurs erupted from various places.

“No way! A test all of a sudden!”

“According to the mansion’s regulations, tests must be announced at least 4 weeks in advance!”

“This is a clear violation of student rights! I’ll report it to the student council right now!”

“Did we ever have a student council?”

Ray opened his mouth again to quell the commotion and said.

“Theory and practical have been taught so well by Ayla and Ain until now, I thought there was no meaning in me teaching the same thing. So I prepared a test.”

Groan──!*

Ray used Gray Mana to create a sphere on his palm.

“Ain, a desk please.”

“Ah, yes. Hyung.”

The Mana Sphere was placed on the desk.

The Mana Sphere, with elements densely combined, had a clear Presence, and for a moment, the children felt the illusion that there was a sphere with physical substance there.

“It’s a sphere made of Mana. The elements used are five types: Combination, Maintenance, Blockade, Connection, and Regeneration. Breaking this is the test content. In other words, you need to sever the elemental bonds. However, methods that take time to break it are useless. The moment the applied pressure is interrupted even slightly, the elemental bonds will just return to their original state.”

Ray added an explanation.

Since the Mana Sphere would be broken only once, only one person would pass the test.

“The deadline is permanent. Until someone breaks the Mana Sphere.”

At a glance, it was a test that seemed difficult but sufficiently solvable, the test creator thought.

Because the elemental bonds of the Mana Sphere were set to be slightly loose in a specific part.

If you just push the element corresponding to the key into the crack, the Mana Sphere would shatter on its own.

Theory regarding the dynamic relationships of elements.

Practical ability to control elements.

In other words.

‘Anyone who has listened well to Ayla and Ain’s classes until now can have a sufficient chance to pass the test.’

By Ray’s standards, it was a test he wondered if it was okay to give away this easily.

Of course, the students didn’t seem to think so.

“How is it? Easy, right?”

“……”

They were looks reserved for an apostle of evil or a harbinger of the apocalypse.

Confirming the ominous public sentiment, Ray pulled out his trump card.

“I’ll grant any one wish for the person who passes the test.”

The atmosphere changed abruptly.

Murmurs spread.

“A wish…! Any wish…?”

“You’ll really grant a wish?”

“Yes. Anything within my power.”

At Ray’s definitive answer, the children fell into a crucible of frenzy.

With faces unable to hide their excitement, they looked at each other and talked about what wish they would make if they passed the test.

Among them were Ayla and Ain as well.

“A wish…! What should I do…! What wish should I make…!”

“Should I ask Hyung to become sworn brothers? No, maybe asking for 100 sparring sessions would be better.”

‘But you two are teachers, not students.’

Thinking that, Ray decided to just include the siblings among the examinees as well.

Anyway, one of the most efficient motivational methods for development was reward.

Then Ayla asked a question.

“Are you saying you’ll become our Rainbow?”

“Rainbow?”

“You said it. That if you find a Rainbow, you can make a wish.”

He had said something like that.

Probably, on the day he defeated Binjin.

‘But I had no idea it would come back as a question like this.’

After thinking for a moment, Ray answered.

“──────.”

His voice didn’t spread around due to the children’s murmuring.

Ayla, who alone heard the answer, was dazed for a moment, then returned to her place with a smiling face.

Afterwards, the children, under the siblings’ control, lined up in an orderly fashion and challenged themselves to destroy the Mana Sphere.

“Please! Please break!”

“Ura-ya-ya-ya-yah!”

But success didn’t come.

Each time a challenger withdrew, the elemental bonds that had momentarily loosened instantly restored themselves.

Then, Ray spotted familiar-colored hair in the waiting line.

“My turn is next! If I pass! If I pass… If I pass…? Hmm, what wish should I make?”

What, where did she come from.

Ray pulled Veronica out of the waiting line.

“Why are you here.”

“Me? I had a promise with Ayla Unni, so I was here. We were going to have a cultured teatime between ladies.”

“Let’s go. There’s something you need to check out together too.”

Veronica was dragged along by Ray and headed outside the mansion.

“Me too─! I want to make a wish to Ray too─!”

“What wish were you going to make.”

“……”

Veronica suddenly fell silent.

“Why is your face turning red?”

“Yo, you don’t need to know!”

Ray and Veronica soon arrived next to the annex.

Grine was standing in a place where the soil condition was relatively good.

“Veronica-nim came along too.”

“Hello, Grine-nim.”

“Your face is very red.”

“Ah, this is because the weather is too hot…!”

“It’s winter though?”

“The weather is hot…! Ah, so hot…!”

Grine tilted her head while looking at Veronica fanning herself hard.

Then, she took out the green gem and handed it to Ray, saying.

“It’s your turn, Ray-nim.”

Around her.

On the ground where the snow had been cleared, traces of something being planted remained here and there.